Which Deluxe with young kids?

[MickeyMouse2010]

We are thinking of planning a last minute spring break trip for this March. Kids are 2,4,6. What would you choose b/w Wilderness Lodge, yacht club, and beach club? What is the differnce b/w yc/bc? Do they share amenities or are they completely separate? My parents will be at yacht club a few days overlapping our visit for a convention. Yc/bc is $400 more then WL. We've been to Disney several times but never stayed on property. Thanks so much for your advice!

 

[RMulieri]

We love the Yc/BC the best ,simply because you can walk to both DHS and Epcot.At Wilderness Lodge ( which is a beautiful resort) you can't walk anywhere.Its busses and boat.Out of YC/BC the difference is the theming.They both share amenities including Storm along Bay.Some people say that BC is loud and chaotic and Yacht Club is slightly quieter , but once you are out of the lobby area it really is no difference.BC tends to be louder in the lobby because of the Cape May Buffet off the lobby ( in the mornings it is a character meal)

 

[AshleeH]

I've always wanted to stay at the YC. WL is a nice place, but out of the three resorts I've stayed in, it's my least favorite (I loved Contemporary for the walkway to MK with no dependance on Disney transportation and I loved Kidani Village for the ambiance). I don't think you can go wrong with any resort - they are all great and all are kid friendly!

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

BC has been our "Resort of Choice" for the last 4 visits... we LOVE it...

However whenever I recommend a Deluxe to folks with young kids... I usually recommend Poly since you have the easy Monorail access....are probably visiting MK more often than Epcot/DHS and the great Character Breakfast.

BC would be fun for the kids with the BEST pool at WDW... There is a Character Breakfast....
Our kids are teens and we love how easy it is to get to Boardwalk to shop, eat, etc but that isn't a factor for you.

I visited Wilderness Lodge for Breakfast the last visit... boated there to & from MK ... breakfast was fun and so was the boat ride but I wonder if the boat might be tedious for little ones... we befriended a couple with a youngster while in line and were trying to help corral him...

Much less THREE !
Hubs and I have walked through Yacht CLub... just a "Grown up" version of Beach CLub... I don't care for it...
Have a Magical Visit !
Mary

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would go with the Wilderness Lodge because I think they have a better theme and atmosphere then the Yacht Club and Beach Club.

Finally I personally think that Stormalong Bay is very overated and the whole pool area is way to busy.

 

[EastonCat]

Compared to staying off property, all of these choices offer a dramatic upgrade for convenience.

We have stayed at both Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge with children in your age range. We found both to be awesome and I don't think you can make a bad decision. If you are going to be very focused on being in the parks and do not plan lots of resort time, I'd point you toward Yacht Club or Beach Club. These resorts share facilities and Stormalong Bay, their pool which is the best pool complex on property. You will have walk-in access to Epcot and boat access to Hollywood Studios. All other destinations are reached by bus. Both resorts are great, we like the Yacht Club a little better and tend to stay there when staying Epcot area.

Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort. The boat to the Magic Kingdom is not an issue with little kids, and if you catch one of the larger boats you don't have to fold strollers. You do have to fold on launches. The setting of this resort and the theming make for a great resort to explore. The pool is very cool and is surrounded by a geyser, waterfall and a view of Bay Lake. If felt the service at WL was a little more hands-on and we really like walking and exploring the resort grounds. People make a big deal about the fact that you are on boats or buses to get around, but we felt the transportation was great and bus times were relatively short with bus overcrowding limited.

Because it is walking distance from Epcot, I'd say the YC/BC is slightly more convenient in general, but some buses are shared among the two resorts and with Boardwalk, so we have on occasion chosen to take cabs back to the resort if we leave a park in the closing rush. This is not a requirement, we just have found it easier when leaving in big crowds and little kids when patience in our party is running low. Vans are always hanging around at park closing for schlepping back with larger parties.

I find these resorts are both excellent and are reasonably similar in convenience unless you think you will be spending the majority of your time in Epcot and Hollywood Studios. If we are planning on more resort time, we'd tend to head toward Wilderness Lodge. If we want to be in the middle of things and have lots of options and action, Yacht Club would be our choice.

And if it's a push, you'll save some money booking at WL -- not a bad bonus for such a beautiful resort.

Either way, have an awesome trip.

 

[EastonCat]

I would go with the Wilderness Lodge because I think they have a better theme and atmosphere then the Yacht Club and Beach Club.

Finally I personally think that Stormalong Bay is very overated and the whole pool area is way to busy.

It's a really cool pool, but the resorts that feed it are quite large.

Also, bring water shoes for your kids. The pools are not contiguous and the concrete can get very, very hot.

I cannot agree more about the end-to-end theme and atmosphere at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[honeymom]

Your children are young. If you think you will be spending most of your time in Magic Kingdom, then definitely do the WL.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

With young kids BC/YC most definately. WL is closer to MK but you have to deal with a boat that some have to be folding the strollers. It is a PAIN to have a stroller on the smaller boats or the buses.

At BC/YC the boats allow strollers on them not folded up, two parks are within walking and then you only have to deal with a bus for 2 parks. Plus the sand area of the pool is very cool and the kids can stay there for HOURS playing in that section. There is also a nice small slide behind the pirate ship where you can watch the kids go down the slide and catch them. My kids LOVED BC.

 

[CDsSleepingBeauty]

I love the Yacht Club and the Beach Club! They share an awesome pool, and there's not really much of a difference between them, though I do prefer the theming of the Beach Club slightly more.

 

[TosaTrio]

Another vote for WL. The resort has great theming, location to MK and pool.

While Stormalong Bay at BC is awesome, it can be very hard for kids your age. The pool is long and a mini water park type. One side has a sandy area where kids can at im the sand, however the slide is on the far other end a is not visual from that area. Also the lazy river has a fast current and is 6 feet deep. The whole pool is very busy, not relaxing and hard to track multiple children.

We love the BC and location to Epcot but I would choose WL.

 

[runmommyrun]

Stayed at WL with young boys (4&5)at the time. Loved it. In fact, joined DVC due in large part to stay at WL. Won't go wrong staying there.

 

[CampbellScot]

Wilderness Lodge. Hands down winner.

My step son was 5 the first time we went and stayed at Wilderness Lodge. We have stayed at several other resorts since then. He STILL talks about WL five years later. It is his favorite resort of all time. I thought the Poly would get him with the pool...nope. Stormalong Bay didn't even sway him. There is just something about Wilderness Lodge!!

 

[ashleypmo]

We stayed at WL with 4 kids, and they LOVED it! The theming is superb. I wouldn't worry about not being able to walk to any parks--- I didn't really want to add any extra walking with kids, anyway! The boat to MK was great-- we could wheel the stroller right on, and the scenery is amazing. The waterway actually goes OVER a highway-- my kids got a kick out of that (as did my husband). And we took the boat over to FW one evening for the campfire program, which was a lot of fun. In fact, we just watched our video again last night, and all the kids agreed that the campfire program is on there must-do list for our next trip.

I've never stayed at YC/BC, but I've researched all the resorts, and the themeing just doesn't seem like it would have that much kid-appeal, KWIM? At WL, you really feel the theme all the time, all around you.

 

[DemoBri1]

Being a veteran of stays at all three resorts you are inquiring about I think you have to decide where a majority of your time is going to be spent. Are you going to be at MK more often than not, or do you think Epcot and DHS is going to be on your list more often? If it is MK definitely go with WL. It is less $$, the theming is nicer and I think the pool is somewhat underrated. They have a nice shallow kiddie pool that is separate from the main pool and the slide on the main pool is not that intimidating for smaller kids. Just be sure you have someone near the bottom of the slide to help the kids out of the way. The depth is about 4 ft there. WL is a bit isolated and the only way to get to MK is via bus or boat, but the boat trip is nice and relaxing and boats run more often than you think.

If you will be spending more time at Epcot and DHS then I'd personally go with YC rather BC. YC rooms will have a full balcony and you have better chance of getting a nice view if you don't mind shelling out for water view/lake view. You do have more dining choices and you can walk or boat to either park. Plus you have access to SAB which is the best pool on property.

 

[LilGMom]

We are thinking of planning a last minute spring break trip for this March. Kids are 2,4,6. What would you choose b/w Wilderness Lodge, yacht club, and beach club? What is the differnce b/w yc/bc? Do they share amenities or are they completely separate? My parents will be at yacht club a few days overlapping our visit for a convention. Yc/bc is $400 more then WL. We've been to Disney several times but never stayed on property. Thanks so much for your advice!

All about personal preference. Of the ones you mention we haven't stayed at BC but would like to. We really enjoy WL and since we live in a beach community the WL is more of a break from reality for us than BC or YC. The water taxi to the MK, or CR, is great and taking a short boat ride to FWC to let the kids really blow off some steam is also great. But.... the ability to walk to and from Epcot and DHS was really nice while staying at YC. My kids, 6 & 10, really really enjoyed Stormalong Bay but I'd imagine that if you were trying to keep up with three little ones in that really big pool area it could be a bit less relaxing. But at SAB they have a great sand bottom area that your two youngest would probably enjoy. I don't think you'd miss anything by saving some money and staying at WL as opposed to BC/YC. Don't think you can go wrong with any of your choices.

 

[jmamom]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is room size. The rooms at the Wilderness Lodge are significantly smaller than the YC/BC. When we visited, we only had 2 kids, and it felt tight (they were 5 and 1 at the time). YC rooms were huge with lots of drawer space.
Also, if you were planning on meeting the grandparents at the YC, getting from one resort to another isn't easy. I'd try to stay together if I could.
I personally think the YC was worth the extra $$, but I loved the Wilderness Lodge too. Either way, it will be fantastic!!!

 

[hauntedcity]

With kids that age, I would think that you'd spend most of your time at MK, making Wilderness Lodge a great option. I haven't been to WL since we had kids, but we did stay at Fort Wilderness with two young children. We had a great experience with the boats, and the kids loved them.

I have stayed at BC and BW, as well, and liked those a lot for easy access to Epcot, but those were also pre-children. I'd much rather be at WL or (if possible) one of the monorail resorts with kids.