help with room choice

[sandyplayer]

We are a family of five....kids will be ages 8-10-13 next July (2014) when we are visiting.

We visited last four years ago for 7 nights and stayed at Poly Club level, mainly because wanted to be 1.) on the monorail for all the midday breaks for naps/rests/pool and 2.) we wanted a room with a view and the club level water view was the only one to guarantee that we would look at the castle from our room

We loved it....everything about Poly...the pool, the first floor room with walkout for me to have coffee in the morning while kids were sleeping or at nap time (all napped, including hubby!) to read my book. Used the lounge mainly for "first breakfast" for all and loved that. Occasionally got midday snacks/beer and wine/etc.

We now head down again and I am thinking Epcot resorts, although I am not sure. We are doing 5 nights Disney and 2 nights Universal (did Hard Rock last year and loved it so much we are heading back again.)

Our most important things are:
1.) room view/balcony/step out first floor: must be pretty and WOW!
2.) club level is fine, not a must
3.) would love deluxe room for the extra space
4.) awesome pool, a great slide is a must
5.) ease of getting around is nice, but since we are basically doing one park per day we are open to staying anywhere, restaurants are important, but truthfully we can like anywhere as long as we have access to different things and my kids don't mind walking but we still plan to break for all but AK

So....(I know this is long, so sorry) I was thinking Boardwalk at first, but now maybe Beach Club...but I am also open to going to Grand Floridian or Contemporary....your thoughts? weighing all of this is tough!

 

[PictureJumpr]

Boardwalk is one of my favorites.
Yacht Club if I'm travelling with someone who'll enjoy the pool (can't beat Stormalong Bay for pool features - goes way beyond "cool slide").\

The water views here (better than garden view) are of each other, with the lake between. At night it is especially lovely with the lights on the water; in the early morning it is also quite nice.


I also really like the Wilderness Lodge - courtyard view.


Poly is one of my favorites as well, a classic.

 

[Missyrose]

We are a family of five....kids will be ages 8-10-13 next July (2014) when we are visiting.

We visited last four years ago for 7 nights and stayed at Poly Club level, mainly because wanted to be 1.) on the monorail for all the midday breaks for naps/rests/pool and 2.) we wanted a room with a view and the club level water view was the only one to guarantee that we would look at the castle from our room

We loved it....everything about Poly...the pool, the first floor room with walkout for me to have coffee in the morning while kids were sleeping or at nap time (all napped, including hubby!) to read my book. Used the lounge mainly for "first breakfast" for all and loved that. Occasionally got midday snacks/beer and wine/etc.

We now head down again and I am thinking Epcot resorts, although I am not sure. We are doing 5 nights Disney and 2 nights Universal (did Hard Rock last year and loved it so much we are heading back again.)

Our most important things are:
1.) room view/balcony/step out first floor: must be pretty and WOW!
2.) club level is fine, not a must
3.) would love deluxe room for the extra space
4.) awesome pool, a great slide is a must
5.) ease of getting around is nice, but since we are basically doing one park per day we are open to staying anywhere, restaurants are important, but truthfully we can like anywhere as long as we have access to different things and my kids don't mind walking but we still plan to break for all but AK

So....(I know this is long, so sorry) I was thinking Boardwalk at first, but now maybe Beach Club...but I am also open to going to Grand Floridian or Contemporary....your thoughts? weighing all of this is tough!

If balcony is a must, then you might want to rule out Beach Club. Only a portion of those rooms have balconies.

 

[Tinkmom]

If balcony is a must, then you might want to rule out Beach Club. Only a portion of those rooms have balconies.

But Beach Club has some rooms with ground-level patios which are wonderful! And you can't beat the location with the back entrance to Epcot.

 

[Missyrose]

But Beach Club has some rooms with ground-level patios which are wonderful! And you can't beat the location with the back entrance to Epcot.

Right, but beyond those and the portion with real balconies, there are plenty of BC rooms with just a juliet balcony that you can't go out on.

 

[prune1977]

We are a family of five....kids will be ages 8-10-13 next July (2014) when we are visiting.

We visited last four years ago for 7 nights and stayed at Poly Club level, mainly because wanted to be 1.) on the monorail for all the midday breaks for naps/rests/pool and 2.) we wanted a room with a view and the club level water view was the only one to guarantee that we would look at the castle from our room

We loved it....everything about Poly...the pool, the first floor room with walkout for me to have coffee in the morning while kids were sleeping or at nap time (all napped, including hubby!) to read my book. Used the lounge mainly for "first breakfast" for all and loved that. Occasionally got midday snacks/beer and wine/etc.

We now head down again and I am thinking Epcot resorts, although I am not sure. We are doing 5 nights Disney and 2 nights Universal (did Hard Rock last year and loved it so much we are heading back again.)

Our most important things are:
1.) room view/balcony/step out first floor: must be pretty and WOW!
2.) club level is fine, not a must
3.) would love deluxe room for the extra space
4.) awesome pool, a great slide is a must
5.) ease of getting around is nice, but since we are basically doing one park per day we are open to staying anywhere, restaurants are important, but truthfully we can like anywhere as long as we have access to different things and my kids don't mind walking but we still plan to break for all but AK

So....(I know this is long, so sorry) I was thinking Boardwalk at first, but now maybe Beach Club...but I am also open to going to Grand Floridian or Contemporary....your thoughts? weighing all of this is tough!

What ages are your kids? if you've got 1 under 3 I highly recommend WL. It was our favorite resort and that includes over the POLY! We thought once we stayed at the Poly (dream came true this past Jan) we'd never want to stay anywhere else but we were wrong and miss WL (for us to stay we'd have to CL and we cant justify that extra expense).

 

[Scott MC]

If view is super important, I'd go with Boardwalk hands down. The Epcot resorts are my favorite, and of them, Boardwalk is my favorite (by a *tiny* margin over Beach Club). It seems like view is very important to you, and at BWI, you can reserve a deluxe room, which guarantees a stunning Boardwalk/water view. The YC and BC have pretty views, but even a water view *may* be indirect, and plus at BC, you are not promised a full balcony. If balcony is very important, then it hurts me to say this, but you have to eliminate BC, because a full balcony would only be a request. The CL at BWI is fabulous, and though the BC/YC have a better pool overall...I think the slide at BWI is actually better. Plus I always find the pool at BWI to be refreshing...even in the heat of August. Below are a few pics of our Deluxe CL room and its view at BWI last August....

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

Boardwalk views are spectacular and the deluxe club level room there was the nicest room I have ever had, I highly recommend it. I would stay there every time if I could. My girls were 13, 10, and 6 when we stayed there and they loved the pool and slide and the boardwalk itself. It is a very easy walk to Epcot, nice boat ride to Hollywood Studios - love it!!!

 

[sandyplayer]

All of your are so helpful! I have three older kids so WL is out.

I would love a balcony, but a first floor walkout is fine too. We had that at Poly and really liked the convenience of it. I heard that BC deluxe club rooms are all on the first floor with walkouts.....but then no view, right? Or is the garden view pretty enough?
But the other problem with BC is that the lounge in club does not have a view. I heard BWI lounge has a view of Epcot fireworks. And all deluxe rooms at BWI have view of the lake.

So in terms of view that sounds better.

Pool may be a tossup? BWI has the cool clown slide, but stormalong looks great in many ways. My kids are older and love the slide. Is BWI a better slide?

And there is price. BWI is coming in ay about 80-100 more for the deluxe club level room. But if the views at BC from rooms and lounge are not good (who thought to make a club level lounge with a view of a parking lot???) maybe it is worth it.

I may sound more confused but all of your help is appreciated. I feel like I can make a decision soon.

 

[sandyplayer]

I think the views and the slide will be the deciding factor.

Best ways to get to MK? Should we do buses or does it make more sense to walk to epcot front and do monorail? Have heard crazy things about super long bus rides for BWI. We don't plan on having hoppers so walking through epcot is not an option.

 

[PictureJumpr]

I wouldn't walk through Epcot.

We were at BWI in March, and the buses to MK and AK were not problematic.
Of course, we are not rope-droppers so perhaps that might affect it differently.

The main thing people don't seem to like about the bus service in that resort area - which affects all of them, not just BWI - is that it is shared among BWI, Swan/Dolphin, YC, and BC.

We did that, and it wasn't a big deal, and just for a change we sometimes walked up the lake path from BWI to DHS and caught the bus we needed there (park-to-park, or another resort). This walk was much shorter from our room than it would have been to traipse through the whole of Epcot to the monorail station out front.

 

[TammyC]

I think the views and the slide will be the deciding factor.

Best ways to get to MK? Should we do buses or does it make more sense to walk to epcot front and do monorail? Have heard crazy things about super long bus rides for BWI. We don't plan on having hoppers so walking through epcot is not an option.

You cannot walk to the front of Epcot from the Boardwalk without going through the park. We have stayed at BWV twice and the busses are not bad. Sometimes the route splits off from YC and BC during busy times and only does BW, Swan and Dolphin. Since the BW villas are on the Swan end of the Boardwalk sometimes we got off the bus at the Swan and walked back. The convenience of walking or boating to Epcot and the Studios is great!

Tammy

 

[sandyplayer]

OK, wasn't sure about the walk to epcot....good to know!

Thanks again for your help everyone!

My last trip was great because of the help from strangers on this board and tourguidemike. This time I am using disboards more and I am getting so much help again.

 

[prune1977]

All of your are so helpful! I have three older kids so WL is out.

I would love a balcony, but a first floor walkout is fine too. We had that at Poly and really liked the convenience of it. I heard that BC deluxe club rooms are all on the first floor with walkouts.....but then no view, right? Or is the garden view pretty enough?
But the other problem with BC is that the lounge in club does not have a view. I heard BWI lounge has a view of Epcot fireworks. And all deluxe rooms at BWI have view of the lake.

So in terms of view that sounds better.

Pool may be a tossup? BWI has the cool clown slide, but stormalong looks great in many ways. My kids are older and love the slide. Is BWI a better slide?

And there is price. BWI is coming in ay about 80-100 more for the deluxe club level room. But if the views at BC from rooms and lounge are not good (who thought to make a club level lounge with a view of a parking lot???) maybe it is worth it.

I may sound more confused but all of your help is appreciated. I feel like I can make a decision soon.

You can still do WL you would just have to do CL.