Is the Beach Club worth the money?

[dishereicome]

I'm just trying to justify spending almost $400 per night on a standard room at the Beach Club. We have been to Disney before but never stayed on-site (except for maybe a night at All Star Music - way back when).

We are planning on visiting Epcot and making use of Storm-along Bay (I have to admit, that's why I really want to stay there.) We are planning on staying 2-3 nights and then we will move to a time share for a week (about 10 minutes away from Disney).

I feel like I just have to experience staying at a Deluxe resort just once.

Is it worth it? Or should we stay at one of the Value or Moderates? or skip it altogether and stay at the timeshare for the whole time.

If we do decide on the Beach Club does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the most out of our stay there? We have 2 daughters (8 and 6) and will be traveling at Easter time 2003. We were at Disney a few years ago (staying off-site) and have already seen the Magic Kingdom, MGM, and a portion of the Animal Kingdom but we do plan on visiting at least the Magic Kingdom again.

Thanks for your help.

 

[snuggles]

This would be a great question for our Resort Board. I'll move it over there for some answers. Thanks for posting.

 

[dishereicome]

Sorry about that. I thought I was on the resort board. I did repost it there. Thanks.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

The rooms at the BC are very nice, if you do decide on this one try to get a corner room. I was very disappointed in the lobby! This is where I make my 1st impression and I felt this one was very boring and sparse. I don't know about all the hallways, but the one where we were was dark and kinda creepy. IMHO the YC decor is better. I wouldn't pay $400 for this one. Although, the location for the BC is better, I prefer the theming at the WL and AKL. I'm not sure about when you're going, but I'm pretty sure you could get either one of these for
less than $400 per night. Down side, the pools aren't as nice.
But, unless you plan on spending ALOT of time at the pool, I'm not sure you,d be getting your moneys worth. Well that's my 2 cents. Bottom line, if you really want to stay here do it! If you're riding the fence, think twice. I know you'll have a great time no matter what you decide.

 

[MermaidsMom]

The Beach Club is about as bright and cheerful as they come!! It is a beautiful resort and you will absolutely will enjoy it. However, I would not pay that much, I would go to a discount site like Mousesavers and use a code for a better rate.

 

[susy]

That's where I really want to stay also! BUT, I would NEVER pay that much!! Unless, I get a GREAT discount, they will have to do without me. I agree- check out mousesavers.com. I would just stay at the timeshare, if you can't get a better rate.

 

[wdwfan]

I think Beach Club standard with the codes listed on mousesaves.com is $189 and adding the tax that would make it $209 per night. Go to mousesavers! I stayed at Beach Club twice and loved it both times.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Sorry I gave, what seems to be by popular opinion, bad advice. Maybe I was expecting too much! Compared to other Deluxe resorts I've been to, I wasn't so impressed. The room and pool area, however, were great. The location is unbeatable. Would I pay $209? yes $400? no Guess it's just a matter of personal taste!

 

[WedWay72]

I've not stayed there but the location is great. You're the last stop on the boat to Epcot and an early one to get off. That means you get on (if you dont' just decide to take the short walk) and make it to Epcot very quick.

For an Epcot fan, any of these resorts are great to stay at:

Beach Club
Yacht Club
Boardwalk
Swan
Dolphin

 

[Disney1]

For that kind of money, you should expect 5 star service, which we didn't get the last time we were down there. We didn't find the staff or housekeeping to be exeptional or even helpful. The staff lacked enthusiasm and we felt we were being nickled and dimed to death.

Just to constrast that, later in our trip when we transfered to the Boardwalk we found the staff to have a completely different attitude and we were pleasantly surprised at how helpful they were.

If the room price for the Beach Club is cut in half with a discount, I believe you are getting close to the true value of the resort compared to other similar property.

 

[minniek]

We just returned from YC which is connected to BC. We loved it. The CM's at YC were great from check-in (which we got in early) to the lifeguards at the pool.

The pool is awesome. The slide is great, there's a lazy river, a whirlpool, a beach-like area to swim and play in the sand and the water was nice and warm.

Then the other great thing about the BC/YC is the location to Epcot - you can walk there in less than 5 minutes. No need to take any form of transportation. It's great because you can spend the day at the pool, clean up and walk to Epcot for dinner in one of the countries. And you can see the Illuminations from the Hotels.

You can also take a boat to MGM or even walk, although it is about 20 minutes. You are facing the Boardwalk so at night you can go over there and see the street performers, play arcades, eat, or my personal favorite - rent a surrey bike.

You are also within walking to distance to Fantansia Mini Golf which is pretty great too.

We spent our first time at a Deluxe at the YC and I think it was worth every penney for the beauty of the hotel, the pool and the location!

 

[PamNC]

The Beach Club is fabulous. However, I would suggest checking mousesavers and these boards for discounts. We've stayed there twice and both times used Mousesavers and got the room for $179-$189 per night. Of course, there's no guarantee that you can get a deal but it's worth a try.

So far, the Beach Club is our favorite resort. We've also stayed at All Star, CBR, Coronado Springs, Yacht Club, and the Contemporary. We love the convenience to Epcot and MGM, stormalong bay, and the entire Boardwalk area. The Beach Club is such a "light and "airy" deluxe resort. And, this may sound silly, but we love Beaches & Cream although it's just a little soda shop with hot dogs, burgers, ice cream. You'll absolutely be thrilled with the Beach Club.

Our next trip is scheduled for 5/25 - and we had a hard time tearing ourselves away for the BC. We've stayed there the last two times. But, we've decided to try the Grand Floridian.

We'll see if the Beach Club remains our favorite.

PamNC

 

[Glory Days]

Went to the BC in the summer of 1996 and had a great AAA rate. It was our family favorite at the time (3 teen girls). Our next trip was with a soccer team in 2000(Easter) to ASSports and I knew I had to get back to a Deluxe. But there was a big difference at going at Easter compared to the summer. For one thing, there was no discount, so we now had a standard view. Almost didn't get a sitting balcony, we're there early and able to switch from where the construction was going on, but had to take a smaller room with double beds. And at Easter, like all of Disney it was sold out, and we had trouble finding lounge chairs at the pool if we went to the parks first. Just didn't seem to be worth the $400.00 bucks a night.
This Easter gave in and stayed at the Dolphin with the teacher's rate. Saved $200. a night, had a deluxe room with balcony, and loved every minute there. Worth seeing if you can get any discount there. That area is really a great location wherever you stay.

 

[dishereicome]

Thank you for all of the advice. I'll be sure to check out mousesavers. I've also heard about the Disney Club. Is it worth it to join that for a possible discount? We also have AAA and could pay with AMEX if that would help.

Will I be able to apply a discount after I have already booked it? Or should I wait to book it? 2003 rates are not even out yet but I don't know how long I should wait to book since we will be going at a busy time.

Thank you!

 

[Bob NC]

Is the Beach Club worth the money?

Ummmm....No.

 

[DisneyVillans]

Keep looking for discount codes. We haven't paid $400 a night either time we have stayed there. With the code this year, we are staying conceirge and still not paying $400.

Is it worth staying there? It depends. For my family, yes. We love the waterpark. The pool is a major factor in where we decide to stay. Also, our favorite park is MGM. We love the location.

 

[BadgerBruce]

No, I don't feel any room is worth that kind of money. I agree with WedWay72 that any of the resorts he listed would be great to stay at. We've stayed at BC, BWV, Swan, & Dolphin and would happily vacation at any of them again if they offer an acceptable rate. The location can't be beat for what we love to do at WDW.

 

[cindyfan]

Is it worth $400 ....NO WAY!
Is it worth $200 ....IMHO......NO.
We went 2 years ago and paid I think around $180/night. And felt it wasn't worth that either.
We were in the wing that was closest to Epcot...so that was good. But it was a major HIKE to get to anything else at the resort!! The buses were HORRIBLE!! My DD and SIL waited almost 45 minutes for the AK bus. We waited 30 min. for the MK bus.
The service was awefull at check in and check out! They messed up our bill, took almost an hour to fix it! They obviously didn't know what they were doing.
YES it is really pretty, very enjoyable walk to the Boardwalk and Epcot and MGM boat was great......but not worth the rest of it.
The quiet pools were fine.....but Storm along Bay was so crowded we never swam there. Couldn't find any empty chairs, kids running and screaming everywhere!!
The rooms didn't seem any bigger than a moderate.

I just don't think it was worth the money just to be close to Epcot and MGM. Just IMHO.

 

[Disney-Kim]

Its all just matter of your taste. We have stayed there twice and it is really pretty and convienent. But our stay last year just wasn't that magical and made us realize that we enjoyed the CBR better. Just more fun.

we want to try other resorts now but BC is very convienent and worth at least a try.

But not for $400 per night....wait for discounts. It is not worth that much. period. imho.


what a hotel room is worth is all relative to the person staying in it.....but wait it out for a better rate.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

Definitely our favorite resort. We can't always afford it and can only do so if we get an AP rate, but there are discounts available. The staff has always been wonderful for us. Very professional and courteous. No problems there for us. Sorry others didn't have the same experience. This is our bigges draw.

The only problem we ever had was with the pool. Because of rain and heat lightning, the pool was closed every night we tried last September. My wife finally got to go down the big slide our last night! I am not complaining that they shouldn't have closed the pool for safety reasons, just that we wished the weather had cooperated. We hope to go back for 7 days in November if we can secure an AP rate.

If you opt not to stay there, try Cape May for breakfast or the Clam Bake. Head over to Beaches & Cream or Hurricane Hannah's for some quiet time away from the parks. Warning: when you see the pool, you will wish you had stayed there.