Contemporary or Yacht Club?

[cheryterese]

I thought our reservation was all set with the summer room discount, split stays between Contemporary Garden Level and Yacht Club 8/18 - 8/29. Then free dining was released for our dates and it was at least a $2,000 difference in our stay so we decided to go for that. Our travel agent told us we could not do a split stay for the dining offer so we are currently at Contemporary Garden Level the entire trip. However, Yacht Club is also available, and we are completely torn. Would you please help us decide?

We have a 12 day trip with 10 day MYW Park Hopper tickets. We are 2 adults, and 3 kids who will be ages 12, 10, and 9 at the time of the trip. We have never stayed at a deluxe resort as a family - did one trip at Port Orleans and the rest offsite in a rental house. We definitely felt cramped at Port Orleans with 5 people in the room and no patio/balcony.

We went with CR because I've read that those are some of the nicest resort rooms and second largest next to Polynesian. With a family of 5 in a hotel room for 12 days we thought the extra space over the Yacht Club would be a good thing. We also like the idea of being able to walk to MK. We will spend most of our time at MK and Epcot, and most of our table service meals are booked at Epcot. We will spend some time at AK as our kids love it, and probably only one morning and one evening at DHS as it is not a family favorite.

Now with the CR Garden Level, we have a request in for a first floor room so we can have a patio since the second and third floor rooms don't have one. A patio or balcony is pretty important to us. Our travel agent said the cast members at CR are great and if we request a patio room we are likely to get one, but we know it is not a guarantee. At Yacht Club we are guaranteed to get one, so maybe that is a better choice even with the smaller room?

Our kids love to swim and we will spend time at the pool everyday, giving Yacht Club the advantage there. The resort looks so much busier though and CR Garden level quieter, which we'd prefer.

Help!!!!!

 

[LoopyDoopy]

I'm doing a split stay at those two resorts. I've never stayed at YC/BC before, but the whole reason I'm trying it is to have access to the pool area. You mentioned having most of your TS meals at Epcot and the pool being REALLY important. If so, maybe YC/BC is the best bet. I do most of my dining at the restaurants at the Contemporary, Poly, and GF, so if I had to play Sophie's choice, I'd probably go all in at the Contemporary.

 

[mtemm]

YC is undergoing some construction/refurbishment so might want to consider that, too. sounds pretty extensive and somewhat disruptive based on the comments coming in on the YC thread. We are staying there in July and I keep second guessing myself!

 

[Jules76126]

I think you have to judge what is most important to your family. With YC, you can walk to both Epcot and DHS. It may be nice to be able to walk over to your TS meals at night and be able to walk back to the resort instead of needing to deal with the monorail every time. You also have the Boardwalk within walking distance, which is great. Having stayed at BC many times, the pool is great. However, it can be quiet loud as it is really popular. If you are looking for a quiet atmosphere, it may not be the best bet. However, there are quiet pools on property that you could visit as well. CR gives you the advantage of being able to walk to MK whenever you want as well as visiting the other monorail resorts. I personally would go with YC due to the ability to walk to two parks. Neither is a bad choice, just what would work best for your schedule. Enjoy!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would switch to YC. I've stayed in both (YC and CR, tower and garden wing) and while CR garden wing is nice, you will not be guaranteed a patio. The pool at CR is also in massive need of a refurb IMHO. I believe most of the refurb at YC will be done by the end of August but you may want to look at the dedicated YC thread for more info. If you will spend a lot of time in EP and most of your TS are there, you really can't beat the location of YC. And the pool at YC/BC beats the CR by MILES! I would switch. While I love CR for its place in WDW history, as an overall resort, YC wins hands-down.

 

[pbb&j]

If the patio is important, along with pool time, I would stay at YC. We just spend 2 nights at CR in the garden wing, and didn't get a patio even for those 2 nights and I think it was my only request. With only the first floor having a patio, odds are not in your favor. Also, the pool at CR is fine, but the pool at YC is so much better for a long stay. The walk into Epcot from YC is lovely. The walk into MK from CR is fine, but you have to cross a busy area and I wouldn't call it relaxing.

 

[ppjluvsdvc]

Even though the pool area is busy, I find the overall feel of the Yacht Club as quiet. Much quieter than the Contemporary and even the Beach Club. Yes, Stormalong bay is busy but I have never found it to be overwhelming. As a pp said, there are quiet pools available as well. I vote for YC if the price is right!

 

[pbb&j]

One other thing, which might sound crazy, but I hated the bathroom sinks at the CR! They are flat, square, and huge. They don't drain well, like if you dump out coffee, because they are flat. They leave you with almost no counter space, which with 5 people in our room, was a pain. The rooms are overall a very nice size, but I wouldn't say they felt dramatically larger than BC/YC.

 

[Branflakes]

Yacht Club. For the reason you stated regarding Epcot and many ts meals at Epcot as well. With the ages of your kids, I'd say they'd enjoy Stormalong Bay immensely. As well as having the quick access to studios and the Boardwalk in general. The rooms are being fully renovated, and will be done by august. They are currently working on the third floor. Nearly ALL rooms at YC, have full size balconies as well. You can find photos of the renovated rooms on the Yacht Club renovations thread. They are really nice.

 

[100acreHiker]

I've stayed at both resorts and I would really encourage a switch to YC. We didn't care for the feel of the Contemporary. It was nice to walk to MK, but also tiring to walk back after a long day, and there's no boat transportation. YC has boat, walking to two resorts, as well as a great pool complex, plus access to the Boardwalk, which is fun and lively at night. For me, there'd be no contest: YC, hands down.

 

[heidijanesmith]

The rooms at the Poly/Contemporary are nice because they have a daybed in every room and the rooms are quite roomy. I can see the appeal for a family of 5.

As the previous posters stated, staying at YC will give you the easiest access to EPCOT and the best pool. We found the daybed at YC quite comfy. We really enjoyed the 1st floor room with a patio. The patio's are huge and gave us some nice extra space.