Just back from 5 nights at the YC and 5 nights at the CR. Here's what I thought:
Yacht Club: A+
I've stayed at some nice hotels and resorts and was still impressed with the YC. I really liked the decor. We walked through Beach Club and I much preferred the YC decor to BC. Yes, YC is a little "fancier" but if I'm paying that much money, a little bit of elegance is not a bad thing.
I booked a standard view with an AP rate. At check in (after 9 pm), the CM told us that we had been upgraded to a water view room. We had a second floor room, overlooking the quiet pool. It was quite lovely and peaceful. (Note: If I had paid extra for a water view room, I don't think I would have been so thrilled. I think most people think that they will have a view of the boardwalk when they book a water view room. So if you pay for a water view room, be sure to request a room over looking the boardwalk when you make your reservations if that is what you want.)
We liked being on the second floor. We could just walk up a lovely stairway to our room instead of waiting for an elevator all the time.
Our room was pristine and very well thought out. There is an entire 4 drawer chest of drawers for clothes. I liked the shelf under the bathroom counter and the double sinks. An example of how well they thought everythng through: There is a light over each side of both beds (4 lights total). Each light has a dimmer, so a person can read in bed without keeping everyone else awake.
Location: Terrific. It is a VERY short walk to the World Showcase entrance to Epcot. You can ride a boat walk to MGM. You can enjoy the boardwalk.
Storm Along Bay: Terrific for adults and older kids. My children are 14, 12 and 9 and are good swimmers, so I had no problem letting them have the run of the place. But you can't see the slide from most of the pool, so if you have little ones, you would have to follow them around. The lazy river is very deep (8 feet in spots) so your kids either need a tube or be good swimmers to make it around. I loved being able to sit in the shallow water and play in the sand at the bottom. So did the kids. There are three hot tubs. It's a terrific pool, but wait until your kids are older to take them unless you want a work out.
Mousekeeping: Fine. We got towel animals twice.
The grounds were beautiful. It was a relaxing place to be.
Contemporary: B to B-
It is a good thing they are renovating the CR. The rooms just look tired and worn. I hate it when part of the drapes come off the hooks and are never fixed...shows a lack of care, I think. The windows still had tape marks on them, I assume from the hurricanes. Isn't there an adhesive remover that they could use? It's little things like that that that make me think that they need to take better care of the place.
We checked in early in the morning in a HUGE rain storm. When a room was available at 7:30 am, I knew it would not be the most desirable, but I decided to take it so we would have a room if it poured down rain all day. It was a 5th floor, bay view room and the location turned out to be very neat.
The monorail is on the 5th floor (although you have to go down the elevator to 4, then take the escalator to 5 to ride it) but it's a very cool thing to see the monorail just across the hall. We were on the Chef Mickey's end, so we could just look over the rail and see the characters. If I stood by the door I could hear some noise from the restaurants, but it never disturbed us.
The view was wonderful. At any other place, a view of the pools and the lake and the boats would be the preferred view. You also have a view of the sunrise on the bay side. The downside is that there is no drainage from the balcony - it drains "in" so since we had rain, there was a pool of water about an inch deep on the balcony the whole time we were there.
The feel of the place is more "big city hotel" than resort. (It would have a more resort like feel from the wings, I think.) The decor of the Food and Fun Center is very cold...I felt like I was in a hospital cafeteria.
The location can't be beat. Being able to walk to the MK is terrific. Getting to Epcot is a piece of cake. Visiting the other MK area resorts is easy.
The pool was nice. I enjoyed the slide although since "mom" liked it, it must be slow by kid standards. There are two hot tubs. The beach area is nice. The grounds would be greatly improved if they would get rid of some of the paving and landscape more of it.
Mousekeeping was mixed. On one day it was terrific. We got a towel ducky and the mousekeeper arranged the kids' stuffed animals and left loads of extra toiletries and coffee. The next day the blow dryer broke and although I left a note about it, it was not replaced.
I'm glad we stayed at the CR, but probably would not do it again. I'd stay at the YC again anytime.
Yacht Club: A+
I've stayed at some nice hotels and resorts and was still impressed with the YC. I really liked the decor. We walked through Beach Club and I much preferred the YC decor to BC. Yes, YC is a little "fancier" but if I'm paying that much money, a little bit of elegance is not a bad thing.
I booked a standard view with an AP rate. At check in (after 9 pm), the CM told us that we had been upgraded to a water view room. We had a second floor room, overlooking the quiet pool. It was quite lovely and peaceful. (Note: If I had paid extra for a water view room, I don't think I would have been so thrilled. I think most people think that they will have a view of the boardwalk when they book a water view room. So if you pay for a water view room, be sure to request a room over looking the boardwalk when you make your reservations if that is what you want.)
We liked being on the second floor. We could just walk up a lovely stairway to our room instead of waiting for an elevator all the time.
Our room was pristine and very well thought out. There is an entire 4 drawer chest of drawers for clothes. I liked the shelf under the bathroom counter and the double sinks. An example of how well they thought everythng through: There is a light over each side of both beds (4 lights total). Each light has a dimmer, so a person can read in bed without keeping everyone else awake.
Location: Terrific. It is a VERY short walk to the World Showcase entrance to Epcot. You can ride a boat walk to MGM. You can enjoy the boardwalk.
Storm Along Bay: Terrific for adults and older kids. My children are 14, 12 and 9 and are good swimmers, so I had no problem letting them have the run of the place. But you can't see the slide from most of the pool, so if you have little ones, you would have to follow them around. The lazy river is very deep (8 feet in spots) so your kids either need a tube or be good swimmers to make it around. I loved being able to sit in the shallow water and play in the sand at the bottom. So did the kids. There are three hot tubs. It's a terrific pool, but wait until your kids are older to take them unless you want a work out.
Mousekeeping: Fine. We got towel animals twice.
The grounds were beautiful. It was a relaxing place to be.
Contemporary: B to B-
It is a good thing they are renovating the CR. The rooms just look tired and worn. I hate it when part of the drapes come off the hooks and are never fixed...shows a lack of care, I think. The windows still had tape marks on them, I assume from the hurricanes. Isn't there an adhesive remover that they could use? It's little things like that that that make me think that they need to take better care of the place.
We checked in early in the morning in a HUGE rain storm. When a room was available at 7:30 am, I knew it would not be the most desirable, but I decided to take it so we would have a room if it poured down rain all day. It was a 5th floor, bay view room and the location turned out to be very neat.
The monorail is on the 5th floor (although you have to go down the elevator to 4, then take the escalator to 5 to ride it) but it's a very cool thing to see the monorail just across the hall. We were on the Chef Mickey's end, so we could just look over the rail and see the characters. If I stood by the door I could hear some noise from the restaurants, but it never disturbed us.
The view was wonderful. At any other place, a view of the pools and the lake and the boats would be the preferred view. You also have a view of the sunrise on the bay side. The downside is that there is no drainage from the balcony - it drains "in" so since we had rain, there was a pool of water about an inch deep on the balcony the whole time we were there.
The feel of the place is more "big city hotel" than resort. (It would have a more resort like feel from the wings, I think.) The decor of the Food and Fun Center is very cold...I felt like I was in a hospital cafeteria.
The location can't be beat. Being able to walk to the MK is terrific. Getting to Epcot is a piece of cake. Visiting the other MK area resorts is easy.
The pool was nice. I enjoyed the slide although since "mom" liked it, it must be slow by kid standards. There are two hot tubs. The beach area is nice. The grounds would be greatly improved if they would get rid of some of the paving and landscape more of it.
Mousekeeping was mixed. On one day it was terrific. We got a towel ducky and the mousekeeper arranged the kids' stuffed animals and left loads of extra toiletries and coffee. The next day the blow dryer broke and although I left a note about it, it was not replaced.
I'm glad we stayed at the CR, but probably would not do it again. I'd stay at the YC again anytime.
