Help! Beach Club or Contemporary?

[StayCool]

We are trying to plan a trip (our first!) next August. At first we considered the values but my husband really doesn't want to stay there. These are the 2 other choices that we can agree on. We are also hoping to get a military discount because my husband is a retired vet.

Barring any complication there, which would you choose and why? They both look great and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the info out there. Can anyone simplify it for me?

Thanks!

 

[francie57]

We just returned from the BCVs and BC would be my vote. We love the Epcot area and having easy access to two parks (short walk to Epcot and a walk or boat ride to The Studios). This also gives you easy access to numerous restaurants at the resorts and in Epcot. We have stayed in a wing room at the CR in the past and felt like we could have been at any other hotel. Not sure if you are traveling with kids and their ages but that may be a determing factor. If you had young kids and Magic Kingdom was going to be a main park for the trip the CR is more convenient. My vote would still be BC - the area, pool and nighttime activities on the Boardwalk are great.

 

[CleoPahd]

I agree with PP...depends on who you are going with and what you are looking for. CR is nice because you can walk right over to MK, and there is nothing like that feeling, however the resort lacks that theming that the other resorts have. BC on the other hand is in that giant loop where you can not only walk to so many other resorts and enjoy their restaurants & shops, but you can also walk or take the boats to epcot and HS. You also have the Storm along Bay area which is extremely popular at BC across the way at the BWV you have the entire Boardwalk area to enjoy both day and evening with all sorts of activities going on.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We just got back from the YC and loved the location, right by EPCOT. If you plan on going to EPCOT more than MK, stay at the BC. If you plan on going to MK more, stay at CR.

YC/BC buses to MK, DTD or AK make multiple stops and can take a while. I think we had bad luck with the buses on our trip, as waited an average of 20 min for one to come and then at least 20min for the trip to AK/MK.

CR does share buses with either the Poly or/and GF, but it just seemed quicker and easier.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at the CR, but we enjoyed our stay at the BC. The atmosphere is beautiful, it's within walking distance to both Epcot and DHS (with boat service to both parks), and SAB is nice. The CR, however, is within walking distance to MK, the rooms are larger than at BC, and it's convenient being on the monorail. With that said, if transportation is an important factor to you, I'd go with the one that was most convenient to the park(s) you will be spending the most time in; otherwise, I'd choose the one that the theme/decor appeals to you the most. Good luck.

 

[StayCool]

We are going with 3 kids. They will be 14, 12, and 10 when we go. We plan on going from Aug 18-24, 2013 right now. Those dates are flexible though. The idea is to utilize the Military Salute and get the 4 day Park Hopper with the water parks. So ultimately that gives us 1 day per park plus time at the resort and maybe a water park or two.

My husband prefers the look of the Contemporary but to me it doesn't seem like it would "feel" like Disney. I'm leaning more toward the Beach Club. The added bonus that there are more activities and it is closer to Epcot (which is the park I'm most interested in) don't hurt either. lol

Anyone else want to weigh in?

 

[1GR8DISNEYFAN]

I have not stayed at CR but I have stayed at the Poly and the YC and I prefer the monorail resort over the EPCOT area. I personally don't like entering EPCOT through the back entrance, I prefer riding the monorail to it and entering through the main entrance. I also feel that the boats to HS are very slow. The YC/BC resort is beautiful and SAB is great, I just don't think you can beat the convenience of the monorail.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We are going with 3 kids. They will be 14, 12, and 10 when we go. We plan on going from Aug 18-24, 2013 right now. Those dates are flexible though. The idea is to utilize the Military Salute and get the 4 day Park Hopper with the water parks. So ultimately that gives us 1 day per park plus time at the resort and maybe a water park or two.

My husband prefers the look of the Contemporary but to me it doesn't seem like it would "feel" like Disney. I'm leaning more toward the Beach Club. The added bonus that there are more activities and it is closer to Epcot (which is the park I'm most interested in) don't hurt either. lol

Anyone else want to weigh in?

With three kids, the CR rooms are guaranteed to sleep five with a day bed in every room. We did have a daybed in our YC room, but not all BC/YC rooms come with a day bed. I have heard that BC rooms that are booked for five are supposed to have a daybed, but there was a post on this board that a party of 5 had a room with out a daybed and had to sleep on a rolling cot.

BC is close to the boardwalk for fun evening activities and you can walk or a take a boat to DS. Many BC rooms do not have a full balcony if that is important to you. YC rooms have more balconies and patios. All tower rooms at CR have a balcony.

Both resorts have pros and cons, but they are both lovely.

 

[StayCool]

I called and placed a hold on a BC room until my husband gets home and I can make sure he is ok with it. There were only 2 military discount rooms left and one was club level. Yikes.

Our room is a water view room. The CM stated that there would be a day bed in the room we got. Hopefully there is, otherwise my youngest will end up on the cot. He wouldn't care anyway.

I'm so excited that I have finally booked a Disney trip!

 

[mariamouse]

I called and placed a hold on a BC room until my husband gets home and I can make sure he is ok with it. There were only 2 military discount rooms left and one was club level. Yikes.

Our room is a water view room. The CM stated that there would be a day bed in the room we got. Hopefully there is, otherwise my youngest will end up on the cot. He wouldn't care anyway.

I'm so excited that I have finally booked a Disney trip!

Congratulations! The BC is one of our favorite resorts... I'm sure you will love it too!

 

[francie57]

You won't be disappointed and with the age of the kids they will love Stormalong Bay - like a water park at the resort.

 

[StayCool]

Thank you everyone for your help. I really don't think we will be in our room too awful much anyway other than to sleep. I'm definitely counting on the pool to be a huge plus for the kids. I really like the fact that there are other resorts nearby that we can walk to and check out as well. I'm soooo excited!

 

[Lynn57]

I think you made the right choice! I've stayed at both and would choose BC over CR. Your kids are going to love Stormalong Bay! Have a great trip!

 

[Crazy Kanga]

Having stayed at both I think you have made a great choice. You won't be disappointed! The BC pool s awesome plus you have Beaches and Cream for Ice Cream treats, The Boardwalk with all of its strolling enertainment and the ESPN club is lots of fun with the arcade. Walking to Epcot is awesome! We absutely LOVE the Epcot Resort area!!!

 

[StayCool]

Yay! You all are making me even more excited! I haven't been off the Dis since I called Disney yesterday! I'm a bit of an over-acheiver in the planning department. LOL Waiting a whole year for this is going to kill me!

 

[woodkins]

We just stayed at the BC July 4th week with our 10dd and loved every minute. We never even saw her at the pool she made so many friends and was having so much fun! We typically stay at the poly, and BC is now our go to resort!

 

[TinkerbelleMom]

We've stayed at both, and if my kids are given a vote, they pick BC every time. We got lucky once and scored CL with a resident discount, what a treat that was!!! The kids loved the "snack room" and DH was impressed the first time I brought him back a beer, lol. Now not only is he a BC snob, he's wanting the CL too!

 

[ke3d98]

Although the Contemporary looks like a very nice resort, the Beach Club has a more Disney like atmosphere. It also has the best pool on property and it only takes 5-10 minutes to walk to either DHS or Epcot!!!

 

[StayCool]

I think if my DH finds out about CL I will be in trouble! Shhh... Although that might be the way I trick him into coming back! lol

 

[herb102211]

We've stayed at both, but my favorite resort at WDW is the Beach Club. We love the decor there and the fact that you can walk or take the boat to Epcot and HS. If you have a park hopper pass, you can also take the monorail from Epcot to MK. We like the fact that we can walk to the parks in the morning, come back and swim in the afternoon and then head back to the parks at night, without having to figure in a lot of time for transportation. Plus, you have the Boardwalk and Fantasia mini golf within walking distance, for something to do at night. You can't go wrong with the BC!