Our family of five just returned from four nights at the Yacht Club, club level, one night Wilderness Lodge, junior suite, and two nights at the Contemporary, atrium club. We usually only switch once during our stay (couple of days at a MK hotel, couple of days at a Epcot resort), but we had a day in the middle we couldn't fill, so we tried the WL. We enjoyed all three hotels for different reasons and made good use of all of the lounges since the afternoons were too hot to do much! Housekeeping was fine at all three resorts.
1) Yacht Club: Wins hands down for best pool, even if the pool water felt warm. All the other pools paled in comparison. The room was fine, clean and not dated looking. I liked the light, bright colors here better than the other two hotels. Contrary to experiences I read here, the club lounge was not overcrowded while we were there. Several afternoons, My husband and I were in the lounge for a couple of hours in the afternoon (he had some work to do on his laptop and the kids were watching a dvd they borrowed from the desk), and we saw only a couple of people grabbing a coke and cookie, then leaving. Even during breakfast and dinner hours, there was always a table. However, the offerings got pretty boring, there fruit was tasteless and we didn't like the soups. One evening, the only desserts set out were rice krispie treats and the same cookies served in the afternoon. The food was replenished regularly. If anyone wants to know specific items served, I'll have to ask the kids. All I recall is a tomato basil soup, a clam chowder, a chicken rice soup and fish and chips, which were ok.
2)WL Junior suite: We really liked the junior suite, it was nice to have the extra space for the older two to stretch out. This was my husband's favorite room. I liked that we had two balconies (although one was small) that were shaded enough to use. The one at the Beach Club was always blazingly hot from almost direct sun. My only complaint was that the room was kind of dark and WAY at the outer ends of the hotel. Too late we discovered if we went down one flight to the 2nd floor, there was a door right by the pool with key access back in so we didn't have to make the long trip.
The lounge food: breakfast was better than the YC, with cartons of yogurt and milk in the refrigerator and different kinds fo muffins and breads. We didn't care for the evening hot items, beef strogonov and another soup which I forget. Good fruit and veggies with a dip. It was odd how all the seating was strung out with little tables around the lobby balcony since it made it hard to get a big enough table for all of us without getting in the way of people passing by, but it was a nice view. Second best pool since it had a deep end and a decent, but not great, slide.
3) CR Atrium Club: This was my favorite room and lounge of the three. I'm not really a modern decor person, but the room was very streamlined and I like having the duvets on the bed. We also really liked the bathroom , particularly because the toilet area was roomy enough that someone else could change clothes in there. I thought the fact the sinks were in the same room as the shower would be inconvenient, but it wasn't for us. We used one of the sinks to just hold our stuff. My teenagers enjoyed the computer and free internet access, although the first night, the computer (shut down, or so we thought) kept beeping every ten minutes or so as it turned itself back on. After trying several things, we ended up unplugging it. Didn't do it again the next night. I loved the view of the pool and lake and the Epcot fireworks in the distance. The lounge was very nice, very modern looking and almost too cold with constant air conditioning blowing. The view of the MK, of course, was incredible. I think this lounge had the best food for the evening offerings--excellent ribs one night, beef kabobs the next, and the best desserts. Also some mini pizzas in little tart like shells we all loved. They also had Sprite Zero, which made me happy since I watch both caffeine and calories. The lounge was a little busier than the YC, but there was always a table. Oddly enough, there were more kids in this lounge than the other two combined! The pool was pretty lame, according to my kids, only about three ft deep. The second pool by the lake was a little deeper, but they didn't like it for some reason. The water was also really warm. I understand the sun was heating it, but I thought it was unpleasant. On a positve note, we saw the Space Shuttle take off while we were in the pool, and heard the sonic boom (or at least that's what we thought the noise was!)
Any questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can.
1) Yacht Club: Wins hands down for best pool, even if the pool water felt warm. All the other pools paled in comparison. The room was fine, clean and not dated looking. I liked the light, bright colors here better than the other two hotels. Contrary to experiences I read here, the club lounge was not overcrowded while we were there. Several afternoons, My husband and I were in the lounge for a couple of hours in the afternoon (he had some work to do on his laptop and the kids were watching a dvd they borrowed from the desk), and we saw only a couple of people grabbing a coke and cookie, then leaving. Even during breakfast and dinner hours, there was always a table. However, the offerings got pretty boring, there fruit was tasteless and we didn't like the soups. One evening, the only desserts set out were rice krispie treats and the same cookies served in the afternoon. The food was replenished regularly. If anyone wants to know specific items served, I'll have to ask the kids. All I recall is a tomato basil soup, a clam chowder, a chicken rice soup and fish and chips, which were ok.
2)WL Junior suite: We really liked the junior suite, it was nice to have the extra space for the older two to stretch out. This was my husband's favorite room. I liked that we had two balconies (although one was small) that were shaded enough to use. The one at the Beach Club was always blazingly hot from almost direct sun. My only complaint was that the room was kind of dark and WAY at the outer ends of the hotel. Too late we discovered if we went down one flight to the 2nd floor, there was a door right by the pool with key access back in so we didn't have to make the long trip.
The lounge food: breakfast was better than the YC, with cartons of yogurt and milk in the refrigerator and different kinds fo muffins and breads. We didn't care for the evening hot items, beef strogonov and another soup which I forget. Good fruit and veggies with a dip. It was odd how all the seating was strung out with little tables around the lobby balcony since it made it hard to get a big enough table for all of us without getting in the way of people passing by, but it was a nice view. Second best pool since it had a deep end and a decent, but not great, slide.
3) CR Atrium Club: This was my favorite room and lounge of the three. I'm not really a modern decor person, but the room was very streamlined and I like having the duvets on the bed. We also really liked the bathroom , particularly because the toilet area was roomy enough that someone else could change clothes in there. I thought the fact the sinks were in the same room as the shower would be inconvenient, but it wasn't for us. We used one of the sinks to just hold our stuff. My teenagers enjoyed the computer and free internet access, although the first night, the computer (shut down, or so we thought) kept beeping every ten minutes or so as it turned itself back on. After trying several things, we ended up unplugging it. Didn't do it again the next night. I loved the view of the pool and lake and the Epcot fireworks in the distance. The lounge was very nice, very modern looking and almost too cold with constant air conditioning blowing. The view of the MK, of course, was incredible. I think this lounge had the best food for the evening offerings--excellent ribs one night, beef kabobs the next, and the best desserts. Also some mini pizzas in little tart like shells we all loved. They also had Sprite Zero, which made me happy since I watch both caffeine and calories. The lounge was a little busier than the YC, but there was always a table. Oddly enough, there were more kids in this lounge than the other two combined! The pool was pretty lame, according to my kids, only about three ft deep. The second pool by the lake was a little deeper, but they didn't like it for some reason. The water was also really warm. I understand the sun was heating it, but I thought it was unpleasant. On a positve note, we saw the Space Shuttle take off while we were in the pool, and heard the sonic boom (or at least that's what we thought the noise was!)
Any questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can.
