Which reservation would you keep? BC or AKL?

[mmcl123]

Please help! We've been to Disney many times, but usually stay off property. We've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and Port Orleans, but this will be our first big on property trip. I booked Beach Club club level forever ago for Aug 14-21st at a regular rate, but with the Visa free dining offer I am thinking Animal Kingdom club level with a Savannah view. Not only will we save $400 off the package price, we'll also get the free dining. We have a 6yr old who is happy in any of the parks, but personally my husband and I love Epcot. The idea of walking to Epcot and then going back to BC to use the awesome pool in the middle of August is what originally sold us. I'm sure we will be happy at either property, but we are having such a tough time making a decision. Could the Disney experts please weigh in? If you've stayed club level at either, your review of those amenities at both resorts would be helpful as well. Thank you!

 

[greentea]

I've stayed at both (not club level, just standard rooms, though at AKL we still had a partial savannah view). They are both great, but I really love AKL. It's beautiful, has great restaurants, and I love the animals. If it were *me*, I'd pick AKL almost every time.

Buuuut, we did BC during a food and wine festival and it was super nice to be able to walk to Epcot (and HS). The pool is really nice if you like swimming (I don't). We wandered across to the boardwalk after making last-minute dinner reservations, popped over to Epcot for food often, and had a great time. I feel like staying at Beach Club might be the better choice for you, given that you both love Epcot the most.

 

[Feckless]

So, you save $400 and you get free dining if you switch? How many people/kids under 10? I'm the biggest YC/BC fan out there but that kind of savings may be worth the lateral shift. I've heard amazing things about AK CL.

 

[mmcl123]

We only have one 6 yr old, and then it's just me and my husband...I booked BC back in September at a regular rate and it appears that none of the great summer offers apply to our reservation at BC. It also appears that BC is completely sold out for those dates. We weren't really expecting a discount but after seeing the offers out there and seeing that we can get the regular dining plan as well as save $400 and still stay club level...it definitely has me reconsidering BC. I've also heard amazing things, and I actually really like Animal Kingdom as a park, but just not as much as Epcot!

 

[Feckless]

We will be at BC CL at the same time. I understand how hard it is to change!

 

[siestakeys04]

If it will save you money I would change to AKL it is a very nice resort inside when I visited.

 

[Hopefully]

I would definitely stay with BC
From my perspective if you are staying Club Level having the DDP is overkill.
You can eat a nice breakfast in the lounge and then have all day snacks, hor's d'oeuves and desserts.
We would eat less at our big meal and supplement (not replace meals) with the CL offerings.
Walking to 2 theme parks can not be beat. SAB is by far the best resort pool on property.
BC has the location beat way over AKL.

 

[Canesfan3234]

have stayed in both club levels. I prefer the AKL one by far. It is much newer and the food options are better imo.

Also gives you access to the morning safari tour. Absolutely a must do if your family loves the animals at AKP

 

[mmcl123]

have stayed in both club levels. I prefer the AKL one by far. It is much newer and the food options are better imo.

Also gives you access to the morning safari tour. Absolutely a must do if your family loves the animals at AKP

We are BIG animal lovers. How did you find the transportation to the parks other than AK? We have a few early morning breakfast reservations before rope drop. Concerned about getting there in time.

 

[Canesfan3234]

We are BIG animal lovers. How did you find the transportation to the parks other than AK? We have a few early morning breakfast reservations before rope drop. Concerned about getting there in time.

The transportation obviously takes much longer due to the distance from all non-AK parks. Where are your restaurant reservations?

 

[robndani]

This is a tough choice. My kids are 7 and love both. Here's my basic comparison:

Food: More exotic choices at AKL - much better QS (The Mara) in my opinion

Pools: Stormalong Bay is the best pool in Disney, BUT AKL has two fun pools, both with slides and one with a splash park area for kids

Location: BC wins

Activities: AKL wins for sure. They have great things for the kids to do. They earn wooden beads and get the coveted (in my house) Mickey bead if they complete all 8 - there's drum lessons, making food buckets for the giraffes, flamingo feeding and more! It's awesome! There's also a playground there that my kids love

Theme: AKL wins

We've been both in the last year and a half - you really can't go wrong with either one! Have fun!

 

[brockash]

Please help! We've been to Disney many times, but usually stay off property. We've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and Port Orleans, but this will be our first big on property trip. I booked Beach Club club level forever ago for Aug 14-21st at a regular rate, but with the Visa free dining offer I am thinking Animal Kingdom club level with a Savannah view. Not only will we save $400 off the package price, we'll also get the free dining. We have a 6yr old who is happy in any of the parks, but personally my husband and I love Epcot. The idea of walking to Epcot and then going back to BC to use the awesome pool in the middle of August is what originally sold us. I'm sure we will be happy at either property, but we are having such a tough time making a decision. Could the Disney experts please weigh in? If you've stayed club level at either, your review of those amenities at both resorts would be helpful as well. Thank you!

Can you not get free dining at any of the Epcot hotels? I would totally drop CL and go to a regular room with free dining. If you can't get free dining at any of the Epcot resorts, then I guess I would switch, but my first choice would be Beach Club, Yact Club, Boardwalk with free dining, even if it's slightly higher, but if you're only other option is to pay $400 more and still not get dining on top of that, then I guess I'd switch.

 

[mmcl123]

Can you not get free dining at any of the Epcot hotels? I would totally drop CL and go to a regular room with free dining. If you can't get free dining at any of the Epcot resorts, then I guess I would switch, but my first choice would be Beach Club, Yact Club, Boardwalk with free dining, even if it's slightly higher, but if you're only other option is to pay $400 more and still not get dining on top of that, then I guess I'd switch.

It appears that all of the Epcot resorts are sold out, and not offering any discounts for the time that we are there...which is unfortunate! We love that area!

 

[mmcl123]

This is a tough choice. My kids are 7 and love both. Here's my basic comparison:

Food: More exotic choices at AKL - much better QS (The Mara) in my opinion

Pools: Stormalong Bay is the best pool in Disney, BUT AKL has two fun pools, both with slides and one with a splash park area for kids

Location: BC wins

Activities: AKL wins for sure. They have great things for the kids to do. They earn wooden beads and get the coveted (in my house) Mickey bead if they complete all 8 - there's drum lessons, making food buckets for the giraffes, flamingo feeding and more! It's awesome! There's also a playground there that my kids love

Theme: AKL wins

We've been both in the last year and a half - you really can't go wrong with either one! Have fun!

Awesome! Thank you! I am probably overthinking this...I am sure we will be equally as happy at either. They both seem awesome.

 

[mmcl123]

The transportation obviously takes much longer due to the distance from all non-AK parks. Where are your restaurant reservations?

I guess I thought I had more early morning ressies than we did! We only have CRT at 8am one day. The others are a bit later (9:30ish), but we would still plan on rope drop nearly every day.

 

[brockash]

It appears that all of the Epcot resorts are sold out, and not offering any discounts for the time that we are there...which is unfortunate! We love that area!

Hmmm...a day after free dining is released....I'd keep trying. Obviously Disney can change how they do things, but it's pretty uncommon for 3 resorts to be sold out of the free dining offer a day after it's released. I wouldn't put it past them (lowering the number of rooms offered that much,) but I'd be optimistically hoping something comes open and I'd be checking multiple times a day. For us the location just can't be beat (unless you're talking CR/BLT lol).

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I would go AKL. I'm biased as it is my favorite, but I just love it so much. So beautiful, so relaxing, and the views are to die for. The CL staff there have also always been fabulous!

 

[Canesfan3234]

I guess I thought I had more early morning ressies than we did! We only have CRT at 8am one day. The others are a bit later (9:30ish), but we would still plan on rope drop nearly every day.

you will be able to make rope drop at every park. Will just have to be up and ready 15ish minutes earlier than normal. But you are correct, you are going to be very happy regardless

 

[robndani]

you will be able to make rope drop at every park. Will just have to be up and ready 15ish minutes earlier than normal. But you are correct, you are going to be very happy regardless

Except on your AK day

 

[izzylovesmickey]

We've stayed at both BC and AKL-done Club at both. BC is our overall favorite resort so far. LOVE being able to walk to 2 parks and we do walk to both. Food options are plentiful just between the resorts and Epcot which is a terrific advantage. We love the vibe there and the pool complex is awsome. We've stayed both Club and regular room. Our club experiences have been great with the last 2 stays seeing more options with the foods offered. That said, AKL is a whole different experience. Sitting on your balcony and seeing the animals is a fantastic experience. The resort is gorgeous and the CMs when we stayed were really nice. Had some very interesting conversations with a couple of CMs. Jiko is one of our favorite TS. The club offers some different foods from the other resorts which makes it more interesting. Either is a great choice. Weigh in what you want experience to help make your decision. Do you want to stroll into Epcot on a whim or relax on your balcony watching exotic animals? Hope you enjoy whichever you choose!