The $1000 Question - Please help me decide!

[Minnie]

We are booked at the Beach Club (only 2 weeks to go ). But a trip report (gotta quit reading those suckers....) got me researching off-site locations and I found a pool home available for our dates.

The Beach Club is about $1000 higher than the pool home.

Just a few other details - we will rent a car no matter which one we do; and we have APs so parking is free.

So what woud you do????? Need to make the decision quickly

 

[pigletto]

Well I am going to be no help at all... my answer is both!!

Honestly... it really depends on your budget. I have never stayed onsite.. so this trip will be onsite (free dining in September). But we are closely looking at Vacation Homes for next time (in about a year) as we would like a less expensive, roomier vacation next time we go.
If you are like me...and will kick yourself for that extra thousand dollars when you get home.. then give the rental a try.
If it isn't that big of a deal to spend the money then keep the rental in mind for next time.
Wishing you a lovely vacation no matter what you decide

 

[*disgal*]

Well, just to let you know, I don't always base my decisions on cost. If you would have told me that you weren't going to rent a car and didn't want to, then I would have said on-site. Off-site isn't as good without good transportation.

If this were your first trip, I would probably tell you to stay on-site (even though $1000 IS a lot of money, I might still advise on-site).

Does the house meet with your requirements/expectations? (photos and description)

If it does, I would save the $1000 with no regrets!!

According to your siggie, you have stayed offsite before? So you know the deal. You know you can survive without the mickey soap.

Just curious, where is the house?

 

[hercamore]

I'd go with the house.

herc

 

[Minnie]

Just curious, where is the house?

Windor Palms - This one has a full size pool and spa instead of the splash pool at the townhouse.

I had my heart set on the Beach Club (AP rate) and IG entrance to Epcot but the price difference would pay for another trip..... Decisions, decisions.....

 

[standleyent1]

If you stay at the BC you have valet parking and you can call down ahead of your departure, anytime, and request that your car be brought up so it is waiting on you. I am pretty sure that valet parking is free if you are staying at the BC if not you can buy the Disney Dining Card because you are AP holders and valet is free anywhere they offer it GF, Contemporary, WL, Poly it is soooo nice to have the convenience of staying at a Deluxe and you should visit each one to enjoy the difference of them all.
Hope this helps.
Have Fun!!

 

[standleyent1]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that BC,BW,YC have the BEST pool on property!! We have stayed at other resorts on property and have gone over to have lunch and use the pool I love the lazy river and the hot tubs there. Plus you have easy access to HS and Epcot without having to get on a bus.

 

[mjpeter]

...I'd probably go with the house, but then again we're renting one in December, so I'm biased!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

1K is a lot of money to play with. If it were just 100 I would say stay but 1000 I would definitely switch to the cheaper one.

 

[Cindy B]

1000 is a lot. I'd go for the house.

 

[Freaky]

Just think what you could spend that $1,000 on !!!

We love the extra space of a home rather than a cramped hotel room so our opinion is go for the house

Tracey

 

[dvczerfs]

looks like you stayed on property and off property before. i would just look back on the other trips you have made. i myself would stay at bc, just for the non hassel of driving back and forth all the time. but, 1k is 1k. good luck, im sure you will have a good time which ever way you go!

 

[isla bonita]

I have stayed in BC and for 1K I would rather have a nest egg for our next trip, we do head down twice a year. JMHO

 

[Anc96]

If you stay at the BC you have valet parking and you can call down ahead of your departure, anytime, and request that your car be brought up so it is waiting on you. I am pretty sure that valet parking is free if you are staying at the BC if not you can buy the Disney Dining Card because you are AP holders and valet is free anywhere they offer it GF, Contemporary, WL, Poly it is soooo nice to have the convenience of staying at a Deluxe and you should visit each one to enjoy the difference of them all.
Hope this helps.
Have Fun!!

Unless things have changed since last year, valet parking is $10.00 a day (ok, last year it was $7 a day)... even if you are staying at the resort. Also, if you buy the DDE, you only get free valet parking IF you are dining at that resort when you go to park.

I love the Beach Club, but $1,000 is a lot of money! I'm at Windsor Hills right now in a townhouse w/splash pool, and we're loving it! It's very disney themed, but tastefully. It has as much Disney feel as any resort we've stayed, and It's only $1447 for 14 nights, including tax and fees (cleaning). A fracation of the price that Beach Club would cost even with our APs. Staying here leaves us enough to stay our last week at AKL. If we spent the whole time on property, our time here would be drastically cut!

Also, how big is your family? The roominess of a home can't compare to a cramped resort room.

Have fun no matter what you decide

 

[jjjmranch]

We loved Windsor Palms. The grounds were beautiful, the pool was great and we really enjoyed our stay there. I'd save the $1000 and go with the house.

 

[dlz]

I just got back last Sunday from a week at the BeachClub. I had four kids w/ me and my husband. There is a reason it cost $1000.00 more than an off site property, look where it is located, what it has to offer and its surroundings are amazing. If you do not have the extra $1000.00 then it is a non issue, but we live in Ohio and only can do Disney maybe twice if I'm super lucky, so I know I am staying where I want-within my budget. It's not just the room you are paying for, the pool there is excellent, they have several onsite restaurants, a gameroom right behind the pool for the kids, the boardwalk and all it has to offer and not to mention five minutes walking to Epcot! I am only assuming that you have a choice since you are asking, so my guess is that the extra money is at least there if you end up picking the Beach Club. We really liked it, but there has been times that offsite was financially our only option and although it was not sitting right next to the entrance of Epcot, the rooms and pool were very nice. My husband and I decided that the Boardwalk location is going to be our first choices from here on out. It's so beautiful and we really love it. Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[chris7]

Are you in a hotel room at Beach Club or a condo?

IF money wasn't an issue (i.e., I had loads of it), and I was staying in a 2 bedroom condo at the beach club, then I would stay there hands down.

Even if money was not an issue, if I was staying in a hotel room, then I would not do it.

I cannot bear to stay in a hotel room with our family of four for more than 3 days. Anything over 3 days it has to be a condo.

 

[dlz]

Good point that I didn't even think of! We did have the 2BR at the BeachClub. When we have stayed with just the four of us, DD17 and DS 13 I think a studio is big enough, but prefer more room also, especially if staying a week or so. I think if it meant comparing room size equally, I would stay at the BeachClub for the $1000.00 more for a week, if you are getting a lot more room that's another story. Good luck to you.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I'm with the thinking, if money is not an issue, go with the Beach Club. You are onsite and can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours.....walking to Epcot....a boat to Disney Studios without ever setting foot in your car and not having to worry about parking. Valet is free only to DVC Members and Disney Dining Experience card holders (must be a FL resident or AP holder to get that).
To us, especially if you have younger kids, EMH....the Storm A Long Bay pool (which is wonderful !)....and ease of walking or boating to two of the parks is priceless. We've stayed at BC and BWV before.....it's so nice right after Illuminations to just walk the 10 min back to your room. You don't even have to go into Epcot to see the fireworks. If you can't get a room with a fireworks view, you can watch the show right from the bridge or walkways along Crescent Lake. This is a full service deluxe hotel vs a single home. You've got room service if you want it.

Both these will give you a different "feel" to your vacation. Only you know what would work best for your family or what your family's preferences would be.
For me.....I would love waking up in the morning and be able to walk down to the Boardwalk Bakery for my cup of coffee and pastry. I will confess though....I prefer themeing and really feeling like I'm away from it all when I'm on vacation. While a vacation home is nice and roomy and private......I just don't think I'd get the same kind of experience there.

 

[Lisa P.]

The Beach Club is about $1000 higher than the pool home.

Just a few other details - we will rent a car no matter which one we do; and we have APs so parking is free.

So what woud you do????? Need to make the decision quickly

Let's see...

Beach Club hotel room, daily housekeeping, walk to Epcot/DHS, drive or bus to other parks (no added fees), exceptional resort pool, early/late hours at selected parks

vs.

Private pool home, separate bedrooms, extra TVs & bathrooms, kitchen (snacks), washer/dryer (pack less, return home w/clean clothes), drive to parks (no added fees), your own inhouse pool, extra $1,000 toward next trip or to splurge on restaurants, spa treatments, golf and/or shopping on this trip

Hmmm... if it was just DH and me, on a special pampering trip, we might momentarily consider the hotel room. Momentarily, at least. But if it was for a trip with our family? No brainer. We'd go with the house. The convenience of housekeeping and walking to a park cannot begin to touch the convenience of the private pool and washer/dryer, the romance of a private master suite and pool, the peacefulness of our teenagers having their own bedrooms, TVs and baths, the luxury of stepped-up dining and spa treatments. No brainer, for us - none! LOL!

Now, if you're comparing a 2BR at the Beach Club Villas with a 2BR vacation home offsite, I think we'd have to look again...

We have stayed at other resorts on property and have gone over to... use the pool...

I hope you are a DVC member. Pool-hopping is not permitted at the YC/BC, even for DVC members, though it was, many years ago. Pool-hopping is only permitted at some pools and only for DVC members using their points to stay on property. If the OP is not a DVC member, this pool is not available to them unless they are staying at this resort. Many have reported pool-hopping guests being asked to leave, to their great embarrassment.

The YC/BC pool is very nice. We still prefer the real water parks when we'll spend half a day or more at the pool(s) and any good heated pool will do, for us, for convenient, short dips. Nothing, not even the big YC/BC pool and the accommpanying long walk out there from most rooms, can compare in convenience with a late night swim in a private pool, IMO.