Resort Help - BC, WL, or POR

[RachelsMommie]

Planning our trip for June 2018. Family of 4, DD1 will be 13, DD2 will be 9. We've been to WDW and DL many times, but it's been 3 years since we've been to WDW...discovered DL for awhile there.

We no longer do the DDP as we prefer to be more flexible and no longer find it to be financially helpful. We have stayed at WL, Poly, AKL, CBR, and POR in the past.

For this trip, I'm stuck between WL, POR, Coronado Springs, and Beach Club.

We love WL and POR. Love the beauty of WL, love the serenity and food court options at POR.

Coronado Springs would be a new experience, but I'm concerned it's too big and don't like the idea of convention crowds.

Beach Club doesn't seem to have good QS dining options. But the pool is definitely a draw.

Any thoughts? My kids are leaning towards WL for nostalgia. I'm leaning towards BC for a new experience, but am worried we wouldn't have a place to get a decent quick QS one night when we were tired or a decent breakfast in the morning. My oldest daughter loved to get eggs every morning in the POR food court.

Thanks in advance!
Kristi

 

[Hopefully]

If a true QS Food Court experience is important to you than you will be disappointed at the Beach Club.
It is however, our favorite resort. We LOVE the ability to walk to 2 parks. We often eat 5 of 8 nights in Epcot. There are many, many QS options there, if you are willing to walk a bit further.
Good Luck in your decision.

 

[HairyChest]

Wilderness lodge.

I just stayed at the yacht club for the first time and yes the location is nice and the pool is big but it doesnt have the magic you feel at the wilderness lodge, nor the ambiance and in my opinion the pool is nicer at the wilderness lodge from the rockwork and the views and the stream. The room size wont be that much different either. Staying at the yacht and beach club area disnt feel like i was staying in disneyworld it felt like i was off to the side. Not sure how to explain it.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I like to split stay WL and BC Then I can be near MK for MK days, and walk to Epcot/HS on those park days... I usually do AK in between the two stays.

 

[PlainJane]

If QS is a big deal to your family, I would stick with WL or POR. You can look over all 4 of the resort’s menus though, to see if CSR and BC QS will suffice.

I think CSR is going through some construction, so be aware of that. It is my favorite moderate. The pool is on par with deluxe resorts. I’ve enjoyed all of my stays here.

I’ve never stayed at POR, only POFQ. They are pretty resorts, but I’m from the south so it’s just not that interesting to me.

I love BC and WL (I’ve always stayed in BRV and BCV) I would lean towards trying BC because both are great resorts. Be aware that SAB has some very deep areas, that would go over even an adult’s head. It is a really nice area to stay in. You can walk to mini golf, try out Beaches and Cream, you have easy access to Epcot and DHS (close enough to quickly grab QS from the UK and France), and you can enjoy strolling around the BW area.

 

[OneinThree]

IMO, I really think it depends on what you're going for. Having just returned from YC for the first time, we would totally go again based on the room, dining, pool, etc. At the same time, it didn't feel as "magical" to me, as staying at Poly, CR, or the Fort (ie, MK area resorts such as WL). I guess proximity to Epcot is nice, but so is riding the monorail! I'm sure it'll be a great trip either way

 

[Tonberry]

Are you renting a car or relying on Disney transportation?
POR has the best food court and QS out of all your choices (I'd say POFQ too). But the size and walking could be just as bad, if not worse than Coronado. If there's a nasty Florida heat wave in June, it makes the walking miserable.
Tough choice between WL and BC. We love them both. If I were you, I would probably choose Wilderness Lodge. It has a great pool, nice grounds, QS as well as table service. You can also take the boat to MK.
The downside of staying at WL over the BC is that you lose the ability to walk to Epcot and HS, and you'll lose out on a better pool. But if those don't matter that much, WL is a better choice.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If QS is a big factor, I would go back to WL. We enjoy BC, but there really isn't a great QS there. We just stayed at CCV about a week ago and my DS10 LOVED Geyser Point (Roaring Forks was a hit, too). Having two great QS options at WL really upped that resort's game, IMHO. When we stay at BC, we tend to just eat cold breakfast foods in our room or eat in Les Halles in EP if we are going there for the morning. I really don't like the Marketplace's food.

 

[OneinThree]

If QS is a big factor, I would go back to WL. We enjoy BC, but there really isn't a great QS there. We just stayed at CCV about a week ago and my DS10 LOVED Geyser Point (Roaring Forks was a hit, too). Having two great QS options at WL really upped that resort's game, IMHO. When we stay at BC, we tend to just eat cold breakfast foods in our room or eat in Les Halles in EP if we are going there for the morning. I really don't like the Marketplace's food.

Agree on QS for sure. Our experience with the Marketplace was horrible, primarily due to a breakdown in otherwise phenomenal service during our stay. Fortunately, a little pixie dust found us being able to take advantage of the food available in the CL lounge!

 

[RachelsMommie]

We won't have a car and will rely on Disney transportation, including Minnie vans.

We typically eat breakfast 3 or 4 times at the resort QS when we don't have a ADR. We typically eat lunch in the parks and have ADRs for dinner, minus a night or two when we are tired and want to swim and grab a quick casual bite at the resort.

Does the proximity to BWI and YL help with quick dining?

 

[megs1313]

i think I'd do WL. It can't disappoint you.

 

[PlainJane]

We won't have a car and will rely on Disney transportation, including Minnie vans.

We typically eat breakfast 3 or 4 times at the resort QS when we don't have a ADR. We typically eat lunch in the parks and have ADRs for dinner, minus a night or two when we are tired and want to swim and grab a quick casual bite at the resort.

Does the proximity to BWI and YL help with quick dining?

YC doesn’t have a QS. There is a QS by SAB, but I remember it being really limited. BW has the bakery option, but you would be eating outside. I think Bellevue Lounge also serves breakfast, but I’ve never checked it out. If you’re willing to take a little walk, I love Picabu over at the Dolphin for lunch and dinner, I don’t know if they serve breakfast. You can also get breakfast in France.

WL would definitely check your boxes as far as convenience. Everything you seem to want is right there at the resort.

 

[mkh531]

We recently stayed at BC with our two DDs, 10 and 8. The lack of decent QS at BC was the only negative o f our entire stay but it was a big one, to me. WL remains our favorite resort for this reason...it has absolutely everything and lacks for nothing. Go there. Enjoy it. I’m so jealous already.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We won't have a car and will rely on Disney transportation, including Minnie vans.

We typically eat breakfast 3 or 4 times at the resort QS when we don't have a ADR. We typically eat lunch in the parks and have ADRs for dinner, minus a night or two when we are tired and want to swim and grab a quick casual bite at the resort.

Does the proximity to BWI and YL help with quick dining?

Except for the Dolphin (which doesn't take the DDP if that matters), the QS at BC and BWI (except for the few tables at Marketplace) have tables outside, so if the weather is bad, it's not the greatest option. If the weather is nice, Boardwalk Bakery and the other food kiosks at BWI are good, but you will have to find a table outside and you would have to walk over to BWI to do this (which can be fun at night with the entertainment). If you are looking for a place you can go right from the pool and be able to sit inside or out (or at least in a covered area), WL, IMHO, is really the way to go.

 

[rer1972]

Wilderness Lodge!!

2nd choice would be, whatever resort is closest to your favorite WDW park (and the one you will visit the most during your visit).

 

[Juliet25]

Hands down, Wilderness Lodge. It's my favorite resort, but as a family of 5, it's not do-able for us. I think it's just about perfect.

 

[dansdad]

Hands down, Wilderness Lodge. It's my favorite resort, but as a family of 5, it's not do-able for us. I think it's just about perfect.

You may know this already, but in case you don't, the Studios at Boulder Ridge at Wilderness Lodge sleep 5.

 

[Nancyg56]

If QS is a deal breaker I woudl skip BC> I love that resort but we do not use the QS option enough to make a difference when we choose a resort. The pool is awesome for kids though.

 

[RachelsMommie]

Since we are not doing DDP, what about doing a split stay with 3 nights at BC and 4 nights at WL? We've never done that...how does Disney handle it in terms of tickets, magic bands, and luggage?

 

[dansdad]

Since we are not doing DDP, what about doing a split stay with 3 nights at BC and 4 nights at WL?

That sounds like a great split stay. Walk to 2 parks from BC and very convenient to MK at WL.

We've never done that...how does Disney handle it in terms of tickets?

Just order the number of days to cover the entire trip.

magic bands?

You'll be able to get 2 sets and both sets will work for everything the entire trip. Or you can decline the 2nd set. We like getting multiples in different colors.

and luggage?

You can either cab/Uber to resort #2 with all your luggage. Or have Bell Services move them for you while you're enjoying the parks. We prefer option #2 so we don't loose any gun time.