Tell me about Beach Club Villas

[phorsenuf]

I was able to snag a ressie there for the end of February. This is a very special family trip. My DS will be home after his year long deployment to Afghanistan and hasn't been to Disney since he was like 10 or 12. His new wife who is from Germany has never been!
I had sent them links to the resorts and told them to pick one. They chose Beach Club and the Disney gods smiled on me.
We are getting a 2 bedroom.

So, fill me in about this resort. The good and the bad.

 

[spiceycat]

well SALB can't be beat - best resort pool at WDW.

I also love Cape May Cafe!!!

you are around a 5 minute WALK to Epcot. don't take the boat it is further away than Epcot.

there is not a real bad. one of the problems this resort has had - people don't understand the theme.

the theme is grandmother's cottage. So everything is a little worned - nothing looks brand new - because it is not surpose too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm happy for you. The Marketplace at the BC has good counterservice food.
Since you have a 2 bedroom, do you want to try to get one with 2 Q beds in the second bedroom? You could go on a waitlist for one, if you want one and none are available.

Bobbi

 

[draw]

Great looking couple. The other pluses of this hotel is being close to mgm and being next to the bw and my favorite espn club. Have fun.

 

[dsneygirl]

We just got back from a week at BCV and I can't thing of a single downside. We loved everything about it. It feels cosy and homey and SAB is fantastic. We also loved being able to walk over to the Boardwalk at night to soak up some atmosphere.

 

[SimbaNoodle]

You should be very pleased. The Boardwalk area is the best. Love the entrance to Epcot, lots of restaurants and Stormalong Bay is the best.

Have fun.

 

[tvwalsh]

The Cape May Cafe is so very nice and so very convenient for BCV guests, but ALL of the nice restaurants in WDW are under great reservation pressure because of DDE and DDP.

We stayed in the BCV a few weeks ago, and were surprised how hard it was to get reservations at Cape May Cafe at close to the times we wanted.

 

[phorsenuf]

Thanks for all the great replies! I never figured we'd get an opportunity to stay here because it's so popular. I'm only 4 months out!
One thing I didn't ask or was told was the type of room. Do they have standard and preferred views like Boardwalk. We stayed there in April and loved the location. Our room overlooked the quiet pool and community hall.
What does BC offer.
I'll have to go scope out restaurant choices there too. The only thing I know is Beaches and Cream.

 

[erikthewise]

The bad news?
When you decide to buy there, you will find the resale prices are higher than at other resorts. There must be something else but I can't think of it right now.

The good news? Just about everything. We can usually park within 100 ft of the building. You can watch Illuminations any night you want, and walk back to your room. You can hear the British Invasion from your balcony if you are on that side of the building. Epcot being a short walk; so is the Boardwalk. MGM is a 5-minute drive, a 20-minute walk, or a boat ride away. And the buses (MK and AK) seem to be better than a few years ago. And SAB. And .....

There is only one point chart -- no standard or preferred views. Any restaurant at the Epcot resorts or in Epcot itself is a short walk. Within BC/YC there is Beaches & Cream, Cape May Cafe, Yacht Club Galley, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Hurricane Hanna's (pool grill) and Beach Club Marketplace. See allearsnet.com for menus.

 

[Beca]

Congrats!!! BCV makes your WDW vacation a "dream come true"...you're going to LOVE it!!!

 

[debbiepump]

Did you get a dedicated 2 bedroom or just a 2 bedroom? We just got back and had a 2 bedroom, whereas last vist was a dedicated 2 bedroom (both at BCV). For just my sis and I, the 2 bedroom would of been fine, but for 2 couples, I would of preferred the dedicated 2 bedroom. Granted, there was a door seperating the 2 rooms, but there was more of a 'roomy' feeling with the dedicated. The decks were very small (only 2 chairs) vs the dedicated we had sliding glass doors opening to a large deck along with the living area opening to the deck. Personally, I would of rather spent the extra points on the dedicated for 2 couples, whereas, for sis and I, a reg. 2 bedroom would of been fine.

 

[tldrn93]

Congrats on choosing BCV. We absolutely love it there. Can't think of any down side to it. I love the fact that it is all connected to the Beach Club, and not like some other hotels with multiple buildings. The pool is fantastic, love the Boardwalk, love the close distance to Epcot. We also recently discovered that MGM is only a 15-20 min walk along the water way. Some nights it was quicker to walk than wait for a ferry boat. We have a family of 5 and have stayed in both the studio, and the one bedroom and both were fine. Going back in 1 month and 5 days!!

 

[BCV23]

Did you get a dedicated 2 bedroom or just a 2 bedroom? We just got back and had a 2 bedroom, whereas last vist was a dedicated 2 bedroom (both at BCV). For just my sis and I, the 2 bedroom would of been fine, but for 2 couples, I would of preferred the dedicated 2 bedroom. Granted, there was a door seperating the 2 rooms, but there was more of a 'roomy' feeling with the dedicated. The decks were very small (only 2 chairs) vs the dedicated we had sliding glass doors opening to a large deck along with the living area opening to the deck. Personally, I would of rather spent the extra points on the dedicated for 2 couples, whereas, for sis and I, a reg. 2 bedroom would of been fine.

Now I think a lockoff would be better for two couples as each would have their own entrance.

As for balconies, I think they vary all over the place in size. Although we've never had a dedicated 2BR, we've had a wide variety of balcony sizes in studios, 1BRs and 2BRs. No rhyme or reason....well almost!

 

[rocketriter]

Don't expect much of a view at BCV. You'll love the ambience, the convenience, the food and the pool. But it's situated between other buildings and the parking lot, so you won't get spectacular scenery out your window.

 

[erikthewise]

Don't expect much of a view at BCV. You'll love the ambience, the convenience, the food and the pool. But it's situated between other buildings and the parking lot, so you won't get spectacular scenery out your window.

Yet you might. Both of our first two BCV stays resulted in 5th floor rooms with a direct view of Spaceship Earth. And yes I shamelessly called it "spectacular". The view of the castle from the Polynesian is nice but the castle from that distance is pretty small. SSE from BCV is several times the size of the full moon.

 

[kimberh]

get the Disney Dining Plan and eat at Spoodles next to Boardwalk Villas. You will love eat. Cape may's is great! There is an artist at Beachclub, she is wonderful. Take a photo that you can leave and she will mail you the picture, we found her to be reasonable.

 

[phorsenuf]

get the Disney Dining Plan and eat at Spoodles next to Boardwalk Villas. You will love eat. Cape may's is great! There is an artist at Beachclub, she is wonderful. Take a photo that you can leave and she will mail you the picture, we found her to be reasonable.

We already secured the didning plan. That is the way to go!
My DH and I ate at Spoodles on a couples only trip in April and loved it! In fact we ate dinner and breakfast there.

How will I be able to tell the difference between a lockoff and dedicated ahead of time? I take it a lockoff is a studio and 1 bedroom they open to make a 2 bedroom.

 

[conciergekelly]

Yes a lock off is a 1 br. and a studio.
You can call MS and request a lock off if you want one. It isn't guaranteed. I would also mention it at the desk when you arrive.

Something fun... You could take an illuminations cruise. It is a pontoon boat that sits near the bridge so you can watch illuminations. You can have the boat stocked with food and drinks. It is really fun. You need to call 1(407)wdw-play. (I believe) You can pick it up at the marina at the Yacht and Beach club.

Have fun!