First WDW Visit - BeachClub or Wilderness Lodge?

[McNs]

Hi all!

We (Dad (me), Mum, two girls 11 & 8) have visited Disneyland three times and have loved our stays there. This year we are venturing East with 9 nights at WDW. I'm planning a split stay, 4 nights in a Royal Room at POR and currently looking at Beach Club for our last 5 nights. The other Deluxe I am considering is Wilderness Lodge - we loved our stay at the Grand Californian and WL riminds me of there, and I don't know if the Beach Club looks a little "stuffy".

Any thoughts on the two deluxe resorts? I do like the look of Stormalong Bay, and was one of the reasons for originally looking at BC. Other Deluxes are out of budget when we are there (early October).

 

[loves to dive]

There are a number of factors to take into consideration. Are you going to spend a more time at MK or Epcot/HS? You will be there during F&W so the proximity to Epcot with BC is a real winner. WL is a nice resort and just a boat ride away from MK. You can walk to both Epcot and HS from BC. As far as stuffy, BC is a very family friendly resort, more so than it's sister resort Yacht Club. The rooms are light and airy and it has a definite beach feel. You can't go wrong with either so which park you think you are going to spend the most time in would sway it for me. By the way, the Epcot resorts are my favorite on site and I always stay in one of them. I have stayed in the monorail resorts before the Epcot ones were built but for my money, it would be BC.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

The Beach Club isn't stuffy at all. Very lively and kid friendly! They are both lovely resorts and we have stayed at both. I think it comes down to what you would prefer in your resort. BC offers super close proximity to EP, DHS and the Boardwalk, bigger rooms and what some would consider the best pool on property. WL is beautiful, but is considered a "deluxe jr." by many in that the rooms are smaller and you don't have the transportation convenience of other deluxes (monorail for GF, Poly, CR, walking to EP/DHS from BC/YC and BWI). I love being able to walk to so many places from BC - parks, restaurants, etc. WL is a little more secluded. We will be staying at WL in August mainly because we are attending an event at MK one morning and we can use uber now to get everywhere on WDW property. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the bus transportation at WL. We go to WDW a lot and stay at EP resorts 85% of the time for the convenience factor alone.

 

[dansdad]

There are a number of factors to take into consideration. Are you going to spend a more time at MK or Epcot/HS? You will be there during F&W so the proximity to Epcot with BC is a real winner. WL is a nice resort and just a boat ride away from MK. You can walk to both Epcot and HS from BC. As far as stuffy, BC is a very family friendly resort, more so than it's sister resort Yacht Club. The rooms are light and airy and it has a definite beach feel. You can't go wrong with either so which park you think you are going to spend the most time in would sway it for me. By the way, the Epcot resorts are my favorite on site and I always stay in one of them. I have stayed in the monorail resorts before the Epcot ones were built but for my money, it would be BC.

This.

 

[elaw]

Although WL is our favorite overall resort, Beach Club is our favorite "Epcot" resort and I've never found it to be stuffy at all. WL is currently under referb and they are converting 1/2 of the hotel to DVC (I'm very disappointed). We will be staying there very soon and we'll have to wait and see if it stays our favorite.

 

[McNs]

Looks like my first choice was the right one - will stick with BC! One of the things I loved about our DLR stays was just being able to walk everywhere (120 steps from our GCH room to DCA!). Good to har it isn't stuffy - we watched a video on YC and din't like the look of that at all, and wasn't sure if BC was similar given they are sister resorts. I like the idea of being right next to EPCOT and all the dining options there - even more with F&W. We are getting hopper tickets so it won't matter where we have been during the day.

Time to book

 

[Eastern]

BC isn't stuffy at all. And it has a great pool area.

 

[rosiebean]

BC is perfect if you're there during F&W. I actually prefer YC (quieter, IMO than BC) but have stayed at BC and BCV and was very happy. And BC is really close to Epcot...there's nothing better than being able to walk from Illuminations to BC when your feet are tired!

My kids also love SAB. They were there during an October trip when they were 6 and 8, and not only did they love the pool, but it wasn't really crowded at all most days that we were there.

 

[Marthasor]

Looks like my first choice was the right one - will stick with BC! One of the things I loved about our DLR stays was just being able to walk everywhere (120 steps from our GCH room to DCA!). Good to har it isn't stuffy - we watched a video on YC and din't like the look of that at all, and wasn't sure if BC was similar given they are sister resorts. I like the idea of being right next to EPCOT and all the dining options there - even more with F&W. We are getting hopper tickets so it won't matter where we have been during the day.

Time to book

BC and YC are sister resorts, but have very different atmospheres IMHO. Beach Club is light, vibrant and full of energy. Yacht Club is more subdued. We've stayed at YC and I really didn't care for it. It felt darker and quieter, plus it's further from EP. When staying at BC, we still walk over to YC (we like Capt. Grille), but I always feel like we have to be a little quieter in that lobby!

 

[McNs]

Getting super excited now! Credit card not so much, VERY expensive, doesn't help that I like nice hotels. This one will exclude my previous record hotel price, an oceanfront at Loews Santa Monica where I enjoyed sunset over the pier from the balcony.

 

[danikoski]

I've stayed at both BC and WL. WL is my favorite due to the boat to MK, the relaxed atmosphere and the theming, but BC is pretty darn nice. Their pool is awesome, the walk to Epcot is great, and I love Beaches and Cream soda fountain/ice cream parlor.

So you can't really go too wrong with either.