Grand Floridian vs Beach Club

[lp199]

I’m having a very hard time making a decision about which resort to stay at. Family of five and I’m thinking about renting points for a one bedroom at GFV or a two bedroom at BCV for seven nights in November. We have never stayed at either.

Would love any opinions from those more experienced We plan on visiting all the parks with a two days at MK which we love.

Thank you!

 

[Her Dotness]

We own at VGF and are big MK fans so love that it's a short ride on the monorail to MK, about 10 mins. is all. Also, the new walkway to MK is gorgeous. We couldn't resist trying the MK-GF-Poly-TTC walk when there in Nov. Great fun and only about a 45 min. walk. The MK-GF-Poly boat is a relaxing way to get back and forth, too.

The concierges at VGF are marvelous, we think, so friendly and helpful.

VGF seriously needs the upcoming refurb. Furnishings were looking scarred and shabby when we stayed there in a 1br in 2019. If you're not planning for later in 2022 when the refurb should be completed, you might prefer BCV instead. Post-refurb, you'll have a queen Murphy similar to those in Riviera along with the single pull-down below the sitting area tv. Otherwise, the VGF 1br is lovely and spacious, a favorite of ours.

It is a bit of a hike from VGF to the main building entrance which might be a concern. However, it's a canopied walkway the whole way so not a big deal in rain.

Parking in the little lot near VGF can be a challenge if you'll have a car. The lot is shared with the wedding chapel and can be full when there's a wedding.

Can't speak for BCV as we've never stayed there.

 

[Nabas]

We have stayed at a one-bedroom at VGF and a two-bedroom at BCV a few times. Any two-bedroom is going to give you a heck of a lot more space than a one-bedroom. You'll like being able to put the kids to bed in the bedroom, while you have the living room at night and in the morning. A two-bedroom also gives you a second bathroom, which is a big deal when getting ready in the morning.

VGF gets you close to the Magic Kingdom, and a Monorail ride to Epcot. BCV gets you close to Epcot, and a Skyliner ride to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The BCV pool (called Stormalong Bay) is very popular. But its layout is complex and difficult to find seats. If your kids are older, they probably will enjoy exploring. But if they are younger, you might have difficultly keeping track of the 3 of them. (BCV also has a small quiet pool.)

VGF has 2 mid-sized pools with more seating, but even those can be hard to get during the busiest part of the day.

Both resorts are lovely. I suggest you look at online photos and decide which one appeals to you.

The thing is, both VGF and BCV are very popular, while October to December are the most popular months of the year for DVC resorts. The two-bedroom at BCV is still available, and so is the one-bedroom at VGF for almost all nights. But the problem you might run into is finding someone to rent from. To get those, you're going to want someone who can book beyond 7 months at those 2 DVC resorts, and points for those 2 resorts are very much in demand. You could get lucky renting those at 7 months, but it will be more difficult for those 2 DVCs.

 

[Nabas]

One option to consider is a one or two bedroom at Bay Lake Tower (BLT). The "Lake View" room is relatively easy to book, while the one-bedroom gets you 2 bathrooms and 2 foldouts (soft and chair) in the living room. The two-bedroom has 3 bathrooms, an important consideration for us when our children were teenagers.

From BLT, it's an easy walk to the Magic Kingdom, which you mentioned that you love.

The downside is that the BLT pool is much too small for the size of the resort. The Contemporary's pool is larger and a short walk away.

 

[bakerworld]

If your focus is MK, then GF. We love BC because we like to run into the WS for 'last call'.

 

[lp199]

One option to consider is a one or two bedroom at Bay Lake Tower (BLT). The "Lake View" room is relatively easy to book, while the one-bedroom gets you 2 bathrooms and 2 foldouts (soft and chair) in the living room. The two-bedroom has 3 bathrooms, an important consideration for us when our children were teenagers.

From BLT, it's an easy walk to the Magic Kingdom, which you mentioned that you love.

The downside is that the BLT pool is much too small for the size of the resort. The Contemporary's pool is larger and a short walk away.

We actually stayed at BLT for our first visit last year and really liked it! This trip I’m wondering if it would be nice to try another resort, maybe something with more theming. But the convenience of BLT and being so close to MK is really hard to beat especially since we didn’t have fireworks when we went last year.

But I think we definitely are going to need two bathrooms. I’m was trying to convince myself that we could make it work with one but my DH and newly teenage DD are not fans of the idea and I think for a weeks stay they’re right.

 

[sndral]

Personally I’m a fan of the VGF (I own there) but that point chart is high. The bathroom in the 1 br. is huge & it’s split w/ the toilet & walk in shower in 1 room & the bubble tub in another. Last time we stayed we lucked into a standard view villa w/ a MK fireworks view. There are 3 sit down restaurants currently open at the GF, w/ 2 still not open. The Enchanted Rose lounge is a popular spot as well. The patio in front of the QS Gasparillas is a nice spot to watch the MK fireworks. The kid’s splash pad looks to be a hit w/ really young kids. You can walk over to the Poly for their 2 restaurants and I like the QS there as well. The lobby at the GF is beautiful & I like the penguin fountain in the villa building’s lobby. I believe they are done/almost done w/ the renovations & that shouldn’t be an issue in Nov..
I like the location of the BCV in the sense that it’s a quick stroll into Epcot & to the Skyliner, but I’m not a fan of it’s location w/in the BC - I prefer the rooms at YC/BC/BW w/ a lake view. I’ve read that some of the BCVs have Epcot firework views. There isn’t really a QS - just the grab & go in the market, but there is Beaches & Cream & I believe there are 3 sit down restaurants at YC/BC currently open, the Ale & Compass is a small lounge in the YC lobby. It’s a short stroll over to the venues at the BW & if you have hoppers you aren’t that far from the countries in Epcot restaurants/counter service options. SAB at the BC is the largest resort pool on property & seems to be a hit w/ older kids.
Both VGF & BCV are very small resorts, thus finding someone who owns there w/ enough points to rent what you want before the villa you want is gone may be a challenge & may make your choice for you.
BWV across the lake from BCV is a much larger DVC & only a few steps further from Epcot/the Skyliner - so if BCVs are booked you might have better luck w/ BWV.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We used to own at VGF and still do at BWV. I think the most important thing to consider is where will you be spending most of your time? If the MK, then go with VGF. If you will be doing all the parks I would suggest BCV honestly. We sold our points at VGF this past summer after our stay in 2019 for the following reasons.
The monorail is in need of repair and broke down often during our trip. The trip to Epcot could take close to 45-60 minutes depending on how the monorail is. The resort is far from all the other parks so it is a 20-25 minute bus ride to AK or DHS.
The splash pad is great and my daughter loved it, but know it is not heated so in November it could be cold.

 

[CherylCT]

We did a split stay in 2brs this past September at both BCV and VGF. We preferred VGF hands down. I do think, however, that a lot had to do with the location of villas and our room location. Everything seemed to be a long haul. We were traveling with our two adult children so Stormalong Bay wasn't a big deal for us. Too many kids. It was nice to walk to Epcot though and we found ourselves spending a lot of time there. Liked the rooms much better at VGF.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Given a choice, I'd go with BCV. But that's just because of the choice between a one bedroom and two. Those are my 2 favorite resorts, and I just can't chose between them. On the other hand, you mention loving MK, which gives the nod to VGF. What a wonderfully difficult choice!