WL or BC?

[francileb]

Hi everyone,

I am a long time lurker and almost always find the answers to my questions, but now I need a little advice......

We are visiting 10/26-11/4. It will be me, DH, DS(12) and DD(9). It is our second time to the World with our kids (last time was 2009,) and our first time staying on site. My quandry is this--we currently have a package booked at WL with 7 day base tickets, but on a whim I checked into switching over to BC with parkhoppers--and it's only about $750 more than what I have already booked! I expected it to be much more. Financially we can afford it, but I can't decide which experience would be better for us.

When I try to weigh the pros and cons of each option, I'm coming up with a balanced scale. Here are but a few of my (many, many) thoughts:

Beach Club: EPCOT is our favorite park and Stormalong Bay looks awesome, but the resort theme doesn't wow me like WL (based on pictures/video). I'm also worried it will be really crowded because of Food and Wine.

Wilderness Lodge: Love the theme and the grandeur of the lobby and the proximity/transport options to MK and monorail resorts, but other than that seems kind of isolated.

Every time I think I've made up my mind I think of something else (most recently I'm wondering if we will we "miss" seeing the front entrance of EPCOT if we stay at BC) I really need to make a decision so I can sleep again at night.

My husband is no help on this--he just tells me that I've always made good plans in the past and he will enjoy whatever I pick.

SOOOOOOO...... what would you do? Especially those of you who have stayed at both--what made one or the other "better" in your opinion?

 

[kapoof]

Bc...The back way to ws is better IMO than the front of Epcot. It is way less crowded. Now wl is nice but it is isolated, and the rooms aren't very nice, but it is close to the mk. Bc is just brighter bigger and better. Lots more choices to eat, and close to two parks. But really you can't chose wrong, you will be at disney and a disney vacation is wonderful! Have fun.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have stayed at the BC multiple times and it has always been my favorite. Then we went to Wilderness Lodge last month and I fell in love with it. The resort itself is gorgeous, much more striking the the Beach club. And we loved having a real counter service option at Roaring Forks. We also liked to boat to MK.

Now, we did find ourselves missing the easy walk to Epcot. We had been very spoiled by not having to take buses very often, since we often took the Epcot monorail in at least one direction to get to the BC. We spent a lot more time on buses on our WL vacation than we ever did on a BC vacation.

So now I am pondering the same thing as you, BC or WL. I love them both for different reasons. But the one thing I never missed was the front of Epcot. When you come in the back you can miss a lot of crowds.

For your family I would seriously consider the BC because the rooms are bigger than the WL and many of the rooms have daybeds. Although you could always get bunkbeds at the WL.

 

[mmmears]

If I'm reading your post correctly, the $750 is the cost of both upgrading to the BC and upgrading all your tickets to park-hoppers. If so, it's not really an apples-to-apples comparison...

I agree that WL looks amazing -- we've visited and eaten dinner there a few times and I think it's a beautiful resort. Hope to stay there sometime, but haven't yet so I can't say too much. The boat to the MK is great, but everyplace else requires a bus.

I would recommend switching to the BC because, as you said, Epcot is your favorite park. It's just so easy to go to Epcot from the BC -- when we stay at YC or BC we tend to "hop" to Epcot in the evenings, have dinner there, ride some rides, and watch Illuminations. We don't mind the back entrance, in fact we prefer it -- at the end of Illuminations everyone is racing towards the front of the park -- you can just slip out the back and be in your room in 5-10 minutes. I also recommended switching because you think your kids would love SAB -- it's definitely an attraction -- very fun pool and slide. You would also have easy boat access to DHS.

And the rooms at the BC are larger -- and you can request a room with a daybed if your kids don't want to share.

Not knocking WL -- it looks amazing -- but based on Epcot being your favorite park and SAB I'd recommend BC. I agree on the theming -- WL has a more impressive lobby -- but the BC rooms are really nice.

 

[su_A_ve]

rack rates for BC are higher than WL.

But for kids in the tween/teen ages, I'd say Epcot or HS would be preferred parks over AK or MK. You can walk to EP, and even walk to HS (though it's a 40 min walk).

The pool at BC is excellent.

 

[triciari]

We've stayed at both, and I'd definitely recommend BC over WL. While the lobby at WL is grand and inviting, the rooms are small and dark. And the pool is nicely themed, but small. And the boat to MK is nice, but not a real time saver.

At BC, the pool is fabulous, the rooms, as well as the common areas, are much more open and airy feeling, and the location can't be beat! Walk to Epcot and HS! You only need to bus to MK and AK. I think the ages of your kids are also perfect for SAB!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and both resorts are great. The rooms at the BC are slightly larger than those at the WL, but I didn't notice a significant difference between the two. I love the theme/decor of both, with the BC being bright and the WL being darker with a woods/outdoor theme. If you like the theme/decor of each one equally, I would decide by which park(s) you will be at the most. If you will be spending alot of time at MK, the WL would be the better choice as it's convenient to MK via boat. On the other hand, if you will be spending most of your time at Epcot/DHS, the BC would be a better fit as you can't beat being within walking distance to both parks (or use the boat). But I do agree with the pp about CS and IMO, there is no comparison between the two resorts, with the WL winning in that area (for us). The WL has Roaring Forks (which is one of our favorites) and has a lot of options for quick meals/snacks. The BC has the Marketplace, but with limited options (IMO) and doesn't have the variety that the other deluxe resorts have (especially for breakfast). With all of that said, both resorts are great places to stay and you really can't go wrong with either one. We didn't care for lack of CS options at the BC, but other than that, we did have a great stay and did like the resort overall. Good luck.

 

[francileb]

Thanks to all of you for helping me out.

I talked to my husband after dinner and we've decided on Beach Club!! Now I can start obsessing about ADRs, whether to do the Fireworks Dessert Party, MNSSHP, etc.

No doubt you will be hearing from me again.