Would you choose BC or BWI (or YC)?

[Cynister]

We're planning a May trip that will be a long weekend (probably 4-5 days). We will be spending the majority of our time at Epcot & Hollywood Studios, so we wanted a hotel with easy access to both. I'll be travelling with my DH & DS11.
I've read through the hotels' threads here & have gotten a lot of information, but now I want your thoughts! We had pretty much ruled out the YC because of decor, but I'm willing to hear if there's some reason it is better. I'd like your opinions & experiences from BC or BWI on which I should choose.

Here's some background info...
1. I don't think we'll be spending a ton of time at the hotel. We tend to go out & be out for the day.
2. My son likes waterslides, but he's not a big adventurer so I don't know if the long, enclosed tube at Stormalong Bay might freak him out (how bad is it?).
3. How long of a walk is it to Epcot from each?
4. I'd like a sitting balcony, but it isn't a must.
5. Seeing the fireworks at night might be nice if we have a balcony. Is it possible to see them from rooms at either?
6. Is CL worth it at either?
7. If you make the reservations online through Disney, are there preference selections we should know about for either? (i.e. we stayed at the Contemporary this year & 1 selection was 'odd # room'. We didn't know why that was a preference until we got there.)
8. We don't really want any place that is going to have screaming kids at night near the rooms.
9. We do want some place that has maybe a shop or 2, maybe some things to do, & a decent QS restaurant for nights we get back to the room early.

TIA

 

[ClareH37]

I've stayed CL at both and enjoyed both, I prefer the lounge at the BWI over the BC but otherwise find both equal (for my needs).

BC is slightly closer to Epcot and BWI closer to the studios.

I'm not sure when in May you're looking but BWI CL is blocked out for a while (rumoured refurb).

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Oddly, Boardwalk is much quieter in the lobby than Beach Club. The two resorts are similar but have different vibes. Boardwalk has a gilded, loud, whimsical elegance about it, while the Beach Club's décor is much more subdued.

So...the Boardwalk décor is loud. The Beach Club has a lot of people running around and is literally loud.

Both resorts are convenient to Epcot. Its a bit more convenient to get to the boat dock from Boardwalk.

Keep in mind, you MUST go outside to get to a restaurant at Boardwalk. I've not been there while rainy...but I've heard its a real bummer.

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, it's pretty much a wash in terms of walking to Epcot. The Beach Club lobby is slightly closer, but not by that much. In terms of getting to DHS, BW has "easier" access. The boat ramp is right there (for the BC, you have to walk to the Yacht Club) or you could walk (in this way, BW is closer to DHS than BC).

You might be able to see some fireworks from either resort, but it's not terribly likely. The angle isn't very good, so I wouldn't count on it from either.

I like the BW store set-up. It seems a little larger than the one at BC, but you can also stay in the shop and look around, while you wait for the boat. The windows face out to the water, so you can see when the boat is coming (either from Epcot or leaving the YC). At that point, head out to the dock and you won't have had to stand in the sun/rain for as long.

In terms of loudness, I really haven't see all that many screaming/yelling people at either resort.

 

[Pakey]

I've stayed in regular rooms and CL rooms at all 3. I prefer BWI for both CL and non CL. I love this resort and the CMs are always so great here.

BC's rooms have 50% without balconies so if that's important to you, keep that in mind. The decor isn't over the top but the lobby is usually very busy because of Cape May Cafe located right there (lots of people waiting for tables will be roaming the lobby).

You can watch Illuminations from BWI CL balcony.

The walks to parks are so similar that I wouldn't have that be part of my consideration.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We're planning a May trip that will be a long weekend (probably 4-5 days). We will be spending the majority of our time at Epcot & Hollywood Studios, so we wanted a hotel with easy access to both. I'll be travelling with my DH & DS11.
I've read through the hotels' threads here & have gotten a lot of information, but now I want your thoughts! We had pretty much ruled out the YC because of decor, but I'm willing to hear if there's some reason it is better. I'd like your opinions & experiences from BC or BWI on which I should choose.

Here's some background info...
1. I don't think we'll be spending a ton of time at the hotel. We tend to go out & be out for the day. The rooms at YC and BC are very similar in terms of layout. What will vary is if you have a day bed or a balcony. Both locations, the rooms are spacious and plenty of space for our family of 4 (two teens), especially if you will not be there much during the day
2. My son likes waterslides, but he's not a big adventurer so I don't know if the long, enclosed tube at Stormalong Bay might freak him out (how bad is it?).My teens thought the slide was ok, they are daredevils. The pool area is separate from the slide. SAB is an amazing pool. We spent every afternoon at the pool, lots to do for all ages.
3. How long of a walk is it to Epcot from each? From our room at YC, pretty far from the lobby, our walk was 8min to the IG. The walk from BC might be 3min shorter, depending on room location. It was not enough of a difference for us to comment about the location
4. I'd like a sitting balcony, but it isn't a must. BC has much fewer full balconies. Some are standing only
5. Seeing the fireworks at night might be nice if we have a balcony. Is it possible to see them from rooms at either?We paid around $500.00 more for a waterview room and wanted a patio or balcony to enjoy the view and we got one. It was wonderful and worth it for us.
6. Is CL worth it at either? I have not stayed CL at either, so I can't help you on this question.
7. If you make the reservations online through Disney, are there preference selections we should know about for either? (i.e. we stayed at the Contemporary this year & 1 selection was 'odd # room'. We didn't know why that was a preference until we got there.)
8. We don't really want any place that is going to have screaming kids at night near the rooms. I am not sure about the BC at night as far as rooms go, but our room at the YC was quiet. We did eat at Cape May dinner buffet, it was the highlight restaurant of the trip. We did notice that the BC lobby was much louder and busier. Cape May is a busy restaurant, so I am sure that counted for some of the noise.
9. We do want some place that has maybe a shop or 2, maybe some things to do, & a decent QS restaurant for nights we get back to the room early. The good thing about YC, BC or BW is you can go to all three hotels easily. There are many places to eat, shop and entertainment all close together.

TIA

For us a balcony or patio is a must, so I ruled out BC.
We also wanted a view of the higher Illuminations fireworks, so I booked a water view room at the YC. We had an amazing view of the fireworks from our patio. I had requested 1st floor, close to lobby and a day bed. We got 1st floor and a day bed.......far from the lobby. I was ok with our room as we got 2 out of the three requests.

We liked YC decor, the resort was quiet. Even during the crazy, busy summer days, the resort was quiet. There was plenty of action at the BW and at the pool, when we wanted activity.

We liked YC location. The boat launch was right outside our patio. Walking to DS was easy and quicker than the boat.

 

[Wood Nymph]

8. We don't really want any place that is going to have screaming kids at night near the rooms.
9. We do want some place that has maybe a shop or 2, maybe some things to do, & a decent QS restaurant for nights we get back to the room early.

TIA

I really don't think that there is much of a problem with screaming kids at either BC or BW with the way they are laid out. The main pools of each resort are nicely situated to reduce the chance of that being a problem.

There isn't a counter service restaurant at the BC, YC or BWI. There is the Marketplace and Hurricane Hannahs with several good menu items, but it isn't a full counter service.

If a good view of the fireworks is important to you, then there are some rooms at the BW that can see them. There are some areas of the YC that have great views of Illuminations. But the BC is not the best resort to see the fireworks.

 

[MissionMouse]

If you don't send much time at a resort then the balcony appears to be something I would rate at a very low priority/need. Request any room/location preference at the time you make your reservation.

A key is to check into what is being rehab during your stay by checking out these boards. Disney is never forthcoming to paying guest regarding interruptions of resort services like pools, etc...

Walking to Epcot is easy from any of the Epcot resorts and takes 5-10 minutes to reach the security gate. It really depends on where you may be in any of these resorts. Generally, BC is closest followed by YC.

The screaming kids (I would include loud drunks) thing is also an x factor, since this is a variable that you cannot predict at any resort; other than select a room category away from the lobby, pool and restaurants. We did not have any issues with noise at YC, BC or BWI; other then the influx of non-resort guest during the evening to dine or "tour" (unique Disney guest behavior) the resort; impacting the lobby areas.

We have stayed CL over the years, so we have seen it decline in offerings and the IPO component value/worth is superceded by on-line reservations eliminating the CM error factor. Again, if you don't spend time at a resort or plan on altering plans to spend more time at the resort, then I would say it is not worth it. If selecting CL, we have found the best CL room rates were normally captured/obtained around 12 months out.

If you are going to stay within the Epcot resort area and want to dine at a QS restaurant, then I would suggest getting Park Hopper tickets. You will then have the option of dining within the Epcot World Showcase anytime their open. You can also step out to get a snack or drink too. The Boardwalk provide some basic shopping, but the PH ticket would also allow you to enter Epcot to shop anyday of your stay. QS is not the focus of Deluxe resorts, rather Table Service. Their QS offerings derived from the DDP, when Disney redefined their Deluxe resort snack bars to QS.

Epcot fireworks display is really a ground/water level type of display, so again a PH ticket would allow you to stroll over night during your stay to see it once or twice. Otherwise the viewing is limits unless at higher elevation as found in the Swan or Dolphin resorts.

 

[Cynister]

This is all great advice, thank you everyone!

Can some of you elaborate more on the dining options at the resorts? I assumed all deluxe resorts had both TS & QS, no?

 

[Wood Nymph]

This is all great advice, thank you everyone!

Can some of you elaborate more on the dining options at the resorts? I assumed all deluxe resorts had both TS & QS, no?

Here is some information taken from the Beach & Yacht Club Facts thread:

Dining at the Beach and Yacht Club.

All of the dining options at the Boardwalk Inn are located in stand alone restaurants on the boardwalk. You may want to check out the Boardwalk Facts thread, too.

Dining at the Boardwalk

 

[herb102211]

We’ve stayed at the BC and BWI before (staying at YC for the 1st time in October). Based on where we have stayed, I would recommend staying at the BC. We love the atmosphere of it and its proximity to Epcot. One of the things I didn’t like about BWI was that you had to go outside of the hotel and onto the boardwalk to fill up your mugs, shop or get something to eat. At the BC, everything is located within the hotel. However, the Boardwalk lobby area was much quieter than the BC (mainly because Cape May Café is located near the lobby and a lot of people hang out in the lobby while waiting for their reservation.)

Here's some background info...

2. My son likes waterslides, but he's not a big adventurer so I don't know if the long, enclosed tube at Stormalong Bay might freak him out (how bad is it?).
Stormalong Bay is awesome. It’s about a minute ride if even.

3. How long of a walk is it to Epcot from each?
The Beach Club is the closest to Epcot (about a 5-10 minute walk). BW about 15 min depending on where your room at the BW is located.

4. I'd like a sitting balcony, but it isn't a must.
Both BW and BC have balconies.

5. Seeing the fireworks at night might be nice if we have a balcony. Is it possible to see them from rooms at either?
We’ve seen the illuminations from our BC balcony. It was perfect!

6. Is CL worth it at either?
We’ve never stayed CL before.

7. If you make the reservations online through Disney, are there preference selections we should know about for either? (i.e. we stayed at the Contemporary this year & 1 selection was 'odd # room'. We didn't know why that was a preference until we got there.)
Yes. For our stay at YC in October, we were offered either a ground floor room, low floor room, high floor room or near ground transportation (you can choose up to 2 preferences). We had similar choices for our stay at the BC this past February.

8. We don't really want any place that is going to have screaming kids at night near the rooms.
It’s hard to predict who your “neighbors” will be. Only once in all of the times we’ve been to BC did we have screaming kids next door. That can happen anywhere you stay though.

9. We do want some place that has maybe a shop or 2, maybe some things to do, & a decent QS restaurant for nights we get back to the room early.
BC has the marketplace that is opened until 11pm. They have sandwiches, pizza, snacks, etc. The BW, BC, and YC all have gift shops. If you stay at the BC or YC, you could still walk over to the Boardwalk at night for shopping or snacks.

Hope this helps and have fun deciding!

 

[wdwrich]

4. I'd like a sitting balcony, but it isn't a must.
Both BW and BC have balconies.

The BC rooms do not all have sitting balconies. Some are the smaller standing-only type.

 

[Kim1964]

I've stayed CL at all three hotels. I was at BWI CL August 11-13 and BC CL August 13-17. I've stayed YC CL many times, most recently in May, 2012. Now that I've been to all three, the only CL I will go back to is BWI. The lounge is much larger than those at YC and BC and there is a little more variety in the food. They also have coffee urns all day, rather than the nasty Nescafe machine that BC had.

I thought my DD would miss the slide at SAB during our BWI time, but she liked the clown slide at Luna Park (though she thought the clown was creepy).

We had room 5636 at BC and had a GREAT view of the fireworks from our balcony.

If our next stay is not CL, we'll probably go back to YC. I like the nautical theme better than the other two themes.