OP, this is a VERY difficult question to answer. We've stayed at BC many, many times, BWI twice so far, YC once and Dolphin once. At this point, we'll continue to stay at BC, BWI and YC, but ultimately it depends on the following factors: 1) Time of Year. We're more likely to stay at BC in warmer months, when we plan to spend lots of time at the pool; 2) CL or non-CL. We LOVE CL at BWI. If we're staying CL, we're likely to choose BWI.
Here's my 2012 comparison, entitled "BC and YC (because I didn't want to say vs.)"
After a wonderful YC stay last week, I'll summarize our thoughts regarding the differences we saw between BC and YC (with a few BWI comments mixed in!)
1) Lobby. I think this is all about personal preference. The YC lobby is lovely, and while it's definitely darker and more formal than the BC lobby, it's not the least bit stuffy. As I've seen in the past, there are quite a few conference attendees, while BC seems to attract more families. The BC lobby tends to be busy in the morning with Cape May, and the YC lobby tends to be busy at happy hour. So while many say the YC lobby is more quiet, I actually felt like it was a wash in terms of lobby activity. At times, I could really tell YC was a conference hotel because we encountered so many conference attendees in the lobby, elevators and store, but it had less of a conference feel than either CSR or Dolphin (we've stayed at those, too - Dolphin felt the most conferency.)
Of course, we missed Teena in the lobby! (But that's because it wasn't one of her regularly scheduled work days and she's enjoying her cruise!) But we were fortunate to meet Teena and Bob's friend, Gary, who is the part-time greeter in the YC lobby. We talked with him a few times during our stay - what a nice guy and a pleasure to meet! We'll be sure to stop by the YC lobby to say hello to him in the future, even when we're staying at BC.
In the end, I prefer the BC lobby - just more my style. And I'm highly sentimental, so that's a big factor for me. Of the Epcot area resorts, I'd rank the lobbies as follows: 1) BC; 2) YC; 3) BWI.
2) Stores. Fittings and Fairings at YC opened at 9am, which was surprising to me as a Disney early bird! I'm used to the 6:30am BC Marketplace opening for coffee, and then the remaining area opening at 7am. F&F has a nice selection of merchandise (far more than at BC Marketplace, it seemed) and a small selection of grocery items (fewer than at BC Marketplace.)
In the end, F&F at YC wins for merchandise and BC Marketplace wins for everything else (including operating hours!)
For those interested in a BWI comparison, I'd rank BWI similarly to YC - it wins for merchandise, but BC Marketplace wins for everything else.
3) Food. For the first time, I was a little concerned about CS. We usually don't use CS much, but I was traveling alone with our 5-year-old and I knew he would fall asleep during at least one dinner ADR. He did, and I needed dinner #2 for him after Illuminations. BC Marketplace was perfect and the kids' meals there are a very good value (a relatively large flatbread pizza, grapes, cookie and milk for under $6.) Of course, the options are a little different at YC (and if I was looking for an evening snack and wanted to sit down, I'd definitely go to Crew's Cup.) It really wasn't a problem to stop at BC Marketplace on the way back from Epcot and they packaged up dinner #2 in a paper bag with a handle, so it was great. But I do like having BC Marketplace close to our room when staying at BC.
As for Ale and Compass, this is the second time I intended to take photos of the breakfast there, but once again, I failed. Another poster provided a photo of the small case of pastries last year, and again I just didn't feel that I could add much. We initially intended to grab breakfast at Ale and Compass at least one morning, but our 5-year-old requested Cape May and Hollywood and Vine - since it was just the two of us, I booked ADRs at both. (I recommend both for the 5-and-under crowd - even though I don't eat much breakfast, he ate very well and had such a great time with the characters that I felt they were both a good value for us in the end.)
As for TS, I love Yachtsman for dinner and Cape May for breakfast. But it's easy to get to Yachtsman from BC and Cape May from YC, so that's a wash.
For those interested in the BWI comparison, I'd rank BC/YC above BWI for CS and TS. The BC Marketplace is far more convenient for us than the Boardwalk Bakery and the CS stands on the Boardwalk. And we prefer Yachtsman and Cape May over Flying Fish and ESPN (have not been to Kouzinna.) They are all so close to each other that I don't really think it makes much difference for TS.
4) Refill mugs. I'm a big fan of the refill mug, even when staying CL, so self-serve refill stations are very important to me. Since BC has the Marketplace, BC wins there. Ale and Compass has the self-serve coffee, but the rest is not self-serve. BWI doesn't have any self-serve refill stations, but that's not a problem if you're staying CL. NOTE: Since this review in 2012, Boardwalk Bakery at BWI now has a self-serve refill station - so it's a wash on the self-serve refills!
5) Rooms. Wow - I loved that YC room so much more than I expected. It seems like it's identical to BC except: a) full balcony guarantee; b) decor - mostly color scheme; and c) the sliding glass door and large windows in our YC room were unlike any of the BC rooms I've stayed in before. But that last one isn't necessarily a difference, because I can see from the outside that BC has several rooms with sliding glass doors and large windows. It just seems (again, from the outside) that this set-up is more prevalent at YC, along with the full balconies. NOTE: Since this review, we stayed in a BC room with the same beautiful large windows as our YC room!
So in the end, I still prefer the BC decor, with YC and BWI tied for second. When choosing between BC and YC, I'd have to decide if I prefer that decor enough to outweigh the more likely full balcony, sliding glass door and large windows. I think it does.
6) Location. Another wash. BC is closer to Epcot, but YC is close to the boat dock. Maybe slight advantage to YC for us because we tend to use the YC side of SAB much more than the BC side.
In the end, BC is still my favorite resort and our 5-year-old said the same. We had a wonderful stay at YC and I'm so glad we tried it. We're likely to continue choosing BC over YC, even with the balcony issue. Again, much of this is just personal preference and a strong sentimental attachment to BC. And when we stay at BWI, it will only be if we book CL and for part of a split stay with BC. (BWI CL is outstanding and really what will keep us going back there for a night or two either before or after BC.)
I hope this is helpful and I'm happy to try to answer any questions!
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