So we are midway through our stay at the beach club in a room that overlooks the quiet pool and toward the lighthouse. I wanted to give some impressions from a first timers point of view. We have previously stayed at the boardwalk, grand Floridian, wilderness lodge, animal kingdom lodge, Polynesian villas, and all star movies. I've got to say, it's hard to rate the beach club. Our room is nicely appointed, but on the small side. It has no couch or pull out bed. We do have a full balcony. Service has been stellar and our room has been promptly cleaned daily. Furniture is already showing some wear. The distance from the main elevator to our room is hilariously long and maze like. You can barely open the balcony door without hitting the bed- in fact you do. Most Hampton Inns have rooms that are larger and just as well appointed without the Disney touches. The lobby, while charming, isn't exactly "impressive". Of course I love the architecture and color scheme of the resort and it exudes the magical feeling of staying at a Disney deluxe resort. The pool is of course fantastic, but I find the layout to be cumbersome and confusing. Our 3 year old loved the sandy kiddie pool area though. It's also quite a distance from the room and requires a lot of walking through the lobby and upscale common areas in your swimming attire. The layout is rather opaque, it just plain difficult to get a handle on how to get where you want to go and I've visited the resort several times previous to staying here. Beaches and Cream was wonderful as always and our server interacted beautifully with our 3 year old son. Cape May Cafe had slow service, we waited almost 100 minutes to see all three characters- and that was an eternity with an anxious toddler. The food was good, but not great. I found myself enjoying it because I was on vacation in Disney world, but if service had been that slow and the ambiance so pedestrian elsewhere I would have not enjoyed it as much. Overall I would rate the boardwalk as a better overall resort experience- it just has more charm, better rooms, and I sort of prefer the pool there for its simplicity and great pool slide bar. Also this resort is always at capacity and it feels every bit of it- crowded, and very worn in spots. The solarium is my favorite location here, it's always empty and feels serene. I have no regrets about staying at the beach club but the polynesian and the Grand Floridian really do justify their slightly higher prices. Bus service here was about a half hour wait for a bus to the MK and a 25 minute wait for a bus on the way back. Quick service offerings from the gift shop location are fine but very underwhelming, I don't understand why yacht/beach quick service is so lame in comparison to even the value resorts. I don't know how to describe it but the beach club feels less magical and "special" than other Disney resorts we have stayed at. The location and the Epcot resort area in general elevate it highly but as for the rooms, layout, and food offerings it doesn't justify the asking price. Not a great choice for families of toddlers or people looking for top notch rooms. Value for the money is stretched to the breaking point here and I'm staying half price as a
travel agent.
back!
We have changed our reservation from Yacht Club to GF to Beach Club CL- June 22-27. So we are back in the Epcot area - which my DH is happy about since that means we can walk to Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar for dinner one night - sans kids! I really wanted to try the Yacht Club this trip - but with all the construction going on and my DS needing his afternoon naps, I just don't want to have to worry about it. Beach Club here we come!! 
and we got upgraded for the first time ever!! Booked a studio at BCV and got upgraded to a one bedroom overlooking the pool/canal. We couldn't be happier. They must've known were thinking about not renewing our annual passes! 
will they still be there?! We've literally had zero issues at any other resorts, so I shipped to BC thinking The same would be true. Ugh I'm stressing.
