Staying onsite for the first time ever! Beach Club, Boardwalk, or Coronado Springs?

[PrincessCin]

We are staying onsite at WDW for the first time ever in December to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary . Being an obsessive planner, I am having a reaalllly hard time choosing between these three resorts: Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn, or Coronado Springs. I know, 2 are deluxes and one is a moderate but the CSR would be a jr. suite. The cost of the CSR jr. suite compared to a BC or BWI water view room is ~$300 less for the whole vacation.

There will be 5 of us going for 6 glorious days: my DH(young at heart), DD1(8), DD2(6), DS(5) and myself(forever 21). Our favorite park is MK followed by Epcot and then the last 2 parks....heck, we love them ALL! We enjoy eating sweets, taking midday breaks from the park and discovering new things to do at Disney. We are also excited to be going the week before Christmas!

Since the kids are with us, I would like a resort that has activities for them available. I've heard of holiday activities for kids at CSR and also of the smores & movies at the BC but I haven't heard anything about the BWI. I did hear of entertainers on the BW at night but are any of them geared towards children? Most of our time will be spent at the parks but if we do decide to alter them, I'd like the kids to have some options at the resort.

I'm drawn to the BWI mainly because of the Boardwalk itself (great atmosphere), the food (loved Spoodles), and the proximity to Epcot. I also like that the water view would be right on the BW (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm just not sure how kid friendly the resort is in terms of activities.

We're drawn to the Beach Club because of Stormalong Bay (even though we might not use it much), the smores and movies on the beach, it's proximity to Epcot, and a chance to meet Art. As for the water view, I'm worried about the actual view and that the rooms aren't as close to the water as in the BWI. I also don't like that I could end up with a room with 2 double beds instead of 2 queen beds.

As for Coronado Springs, we like the availability of the food courts, the grounds look beautiful, more room in the jr. suite (especially the 2 bathrooms), and who wouldn't want to save $300? The only thing is that it is a big resort that's not walking distance to any parks (we will have a car but would like to save on gas with prices these days). Also, I heard there are lizards and I'm not a huge fan of them no matter how small they are. Blame it on a really bad experience I had with them when I was visiting the Philippines. A bed, lizards, and a night with no sleep. Enough said.

Just when I think I've chosen a resort, I doubt myself and go back to researching them again. So I'm asking for help from all of you Disney experts out there and I know there are thousands of you. Help me choose a resort and most importantly, tell me why. Tell me what room on which floor to request. Give me the good and bad points. I need to make a reservation so that the obsession can end and I can go back to a good night's rest. Afterall, December is less than 6 months away!

 

[A4Disney]

I think Beach Club.The location of BC and BW alone are worth it.Love the atmosphere and the easy walk way and/or boat ride to two parks

 

[keith-atl]

Beach Club no question about it. Also you can walk to Boardwalk since they are right next to each other.

 

[mskayjay]

Reading through your post and going strictly by what you've said here, I think you truly most want to be at Beach Club. Thats what I'm reading between the lines......

 

[Flitter]

Most definately Beach Club. You will have Storm Along Bay and all the Boardwalk things to keep you busy when your not in the parks.

 

[SnowWhitee]

Out of the options you mentioned, I'd vote Beach Club. In addition to what you listed, it has the Cape May character breakfast.

I just booked at BC for October, but am wondering if we should go back to WL. I just love it there! My DH and I were at Saratoga Springs last week for our anniversary, and part of me missed WL.

If you have not considered WL you may want to. You are closer to MK with bus/boat to MK and bus everywhere else. Plus a boat to Fort Wilderness and the Contemporary. We've never had any trouble with the transportation. And it's BEAUTIFUL during Christmas.

Just FYI that I was told I could request a daybed at BC, but it's not guaranteed. Not sure if that changes when you book a room for 5 or not (we are 4). At WL you'd have to request a deluxe room to fit 5 - then you'd also get concierge access too.

 

[SnowWhitee]

I forgot to add that you can see the Electrical Water Pageant from the WL and you cannot see it from the other resorts you mentioned. It only goes to WL, Contemporary, Poly and GF. Something cute and neat to see.

 

[TJA]

How exciting ~ your first stay in disney!! Sounds like you've really done your homework. We have twins, age 5, and have been taking them to disney since age 7 months, so lots of experience here with kids at the various resorts. We've mostly stayed at either Epcot resorts or monorail resorts because of the ease of getting back and forth between our resort and various parks. It's a good idea if you think you'll hop around a lot or take afternoon breaks at your resort. So you are right on target with looking at BC or BWI. We have stayed at both of those resorts and personally we like BC better. It has a character meal, so the lobby normally has families and kids, and we enjoy that type of atmosphere. However, a huge draw for us is the pool. I'm not sure how the temps will be in mid/late December and if you'll be able to utilize the pool ~ it would be a shame not to. We do like BWI as well, but we just felt more comfortable as a family at BC. Just a personal preference and others may feel differently. Incidentally, BC and BWI are literally about a 7-minute walk away from each other. So you can stay at BC and still enjoy the activities on the boardwalk. Or you can stay at BWI and still enjoy Beaches & Cream at the BC. Activities on the boardwalk include magicians (kids love this), carnival-type games, food stands, hair braiding/face painting, piano man, shopping, restaurants, Espn Club. My kids and also we adults LOVE the boardwalk area.

As far as your moderate resort choice, we've never stayed at that one, but we did try a different moderate a couple months ago (POR) and we actually did really like it! The food court and playground were huge hits with my kids. However, things we missed were the easy access to parks, bigger beds, and balcony.

Hope this helps a little and feel free to ask more questions!

 

[tink25]

Port Orleans Riverside also offers the daybed in the regular rooms....just saying...that might save you some extra $$.

 

[Laura's Dad]

The Beach Club would be my choice, if I were you. They not only have the best pool, but also have great daily activities such as bingo, Disney trivia, soccer, sand volleyball, etc. There is a movie shown on the beach at 9:00 each night. That is preceeded by a bonfire/sing-a-long at 8 each evening. It really is a haven for Disney magic.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I vote Beach Club for you too!

 

[Tink135]

My choice would b BC however, I do love BWI. But they're both nxt 2 each other, so all ur really deciding on is the room and pool. BC has the coolest pool. and u can just walk over 2 BWI for sweets at the bakery (which is amazing!) and the boardwalk entertainment is fun and gered toward kids, which is great I hope you have fun on your upcoming trip to Disney.

 

[RabbitFood]

Beach Club. Great pool, close to fun activities, good size rooms.
My buddy who's a CM at WDW has always steered me away from Coronado, even though I've wanted to try it. He says it's a convention hotel and very spread out. Take what you will from that.
Boardwalk doesn't have all the amenities Beach Club has.

 

[monetnj]

Beach Club. Great pool, close to fun activities, good size rooms.
My buddy who's a CM at WDW has always steered me away from Coronado, even though I've wanted to try it. He says it's a convention hotel and very spread out. Take what you will from that.
Boardwalk doesn't have all the amenities Beach Club has.

I would pick BC too, but we stayed at Coronado Springs at our last trip. Mind you, we are DVC members and usually stay at deluxes like WL, but CS was actually pretty nice. A bit spread out, but beautiful grounds, probably the best counter service at any Disney resort and bus service that goes straight to the parks (they don't share with any resort). It also now has a nightclub, which is very attractive to convention attendees, but also to adults in general. Still, Beaches and Cream, nicer accommodations, proximity to EP and DS, the boardwalk and Stormalong Bay put BC over the top for me.

 

[FoundNemoLostDori]

We just stayed at the Beach Club and loved it! However, there are a few things for you to consider. First of all, if you are going in late Dec. then you might not be utilizing Stormalong Bay pool at all which would be a huge let down since that was one of the best things for me. (We love that pool ) Second, although Cape May cafe is located in BC, there is not a cafeteria type setting there. I've heard that the Pepper Market in Coronado is awesome. I don't think that would matter for you or your hubby, but your kids would love a cafeteria setting I think. As far as transportation goes, forget about your car while you are at Disney resorts!! My goodness, one of the best things about staying on sight is that the Disney busses take you everywhere you want!!! Transportation is great at any of those places, and you don't have to be worried about how spread out Coronado is because I've heard that they have bus stops located all around the resort area. So, which resort to stay at? Beach club if just a pool and staying within walking distance to Epcot are your main focus. You will have fun at any of them though! Have fun!!!!

 

[PrincessCin]

Thanks for all the replies. They were all very helpful! I decided on the Beach Club but now DH brought up the prospect of a monorail resort. ARGGHHHHH! So expect to see another post from me

 

[KatMark]

I am sure you will be happy with whatever you select. I would have said CSR...but it is our favorite resort. And just so you know, you will probably find the tiny little lizards at any of the resorts...we've seen them at Poly and the Contemporary and had one as a guest in our room at the Contemporary until my son was able to get him out.

 

[loco4dis]

Just got back last night from CSR and LOVED it. Here's my review:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1867877

 

[TJA]

Thanks for all the replies. They were all very helpful! I decided on the Beach Club but now DH brought up the prospect of a monorail resort. ARGGHHHHH! So expect to see another post from me

Too funny! I posted here in your thread and I actually had an entire paragraph written about the monorail resorts, but I deleted it so as not to get off topic in accordance with what you asked! In any event, we normally rotate our trips between the monorail resorts and the Epcot resorts. We've stayed at CR and Poly a few times each (never stayed at GF, but have eaten there). CR and Poly are very different resorts, so take a look at pictures to give yourself a visual image. Poly is very laid-back and relaxing ~ themed like hawaii. CR is more business-like, but yet is very magical being right next to MK. The views from CR are breath-taking, especially if you have a tower room. Both have great restaurants....Poly gets the edge with the pool, though given your time frame that may not be a huge issue.

As far as transportation, you can walk to MK in about 5 minutes from CR! There is also the monorail for Epcot (and also MK if you want...). When you monorail to Epcot, you'll have to stop and change monorails at the TTC. That is where the Poly has the advantage because the TTC is located right next to the Poly (within walking distance), so if you stay at Poly you will have direct monorail service to both MK and Epcot.

We have only eaten at GF, but the atmosphere is very prestige. I won't bother commenting on GF as we have never actually stayed there to have a fair assessment. It is quite a beautiful place, though.

As far as the monorail resorts versus the Epcot resorts.....if you frequent MK the most often, then you will appreciate the monorail resorts. When we stay at the Epcot resorts, we spend most of our time at Epcot and HS because it's just an easy walk back and forth. When we stay at a monorail resort, we tend to spend most time at MK.

 

[hansel1]

The water views differ at each resort. With Beach Club and yacht club you can have a pool view or a lagoon view. But the views of the lagoon from either Beach Club or yacht club are a good distance away. Compared to the Boardwalk view at BW Inn. You are right on the boardwalk and closer to the lagoon.

The problem with the boardwalk view is that it can get noisy.

My advice is to look at a map of the resorts so you can get an idea about how they face the lagoon if that is a must have.