yacht & beach club questions

[MrsJ Henry]

we are going to be going to Disney next November. (4-9 ?)
We are looking into staying at one of these resorts. We need some help in deciding which one to stay at.
We are a couple in our early 40's. No kids (I've been to Disney 5 times and he has never been.) We are wondering if any of you experts could give us some advice. We would like to be close to Epcot. Is one much closer than the other? What about floors or rooms? would you suggest higher or lower floors? We will not really be doing any swimming so it won't matter how close we are to the pool.
Is the Yacht Club a little quieter than the Beach club?We are looking forward to spending some time also in the resort and not just in the parks.

Also one other question not realted to the resorts.....
We have a park hopper pass from the early 90's. Animal Kingdom was not open then but can we still use it for that park or can you only use the hopper's for the parks that were open at the time of sale?
Thanks!

 

[CPM]

Make sure which ever one you chose, you book it soon! last year that week was sold out pretty early.
Here's my take.
Like the the YC better because you always get a full balcony, I like the quiet pool better, more elegant, just like the decor better. I also like the restaurants and lounges better at the YC. Cozier, less families.
BC is closer to Epcot, since they have added the BCV's it also seems busier.

 

[randyl]

Not sure about the park passes but.....

when my wife and I go to WDW without our young son, our first choice is always the Yacht and Beach Club (Yacht Club more so because we have found it to be more quiet than Beach Club). The Beach Club is actually closer to Epcot but by only about 5 minutes or so. Our reason for choosing this resort?

1) We spend more time in Epcot than the other parks when we are alone and it is very convenient to be so close;
2) The vast selection of great restaurants in this area of resorts (Boardwalk is just across the "pond" and Swan and Dolphin have great restaurants);
3) Best pool in WDW (we enjoy relaxing before dinner);

Epcot's Annual Food and Wine Festival will be happening during the time you are staying so being at the Yacht and Beach Club would be super convenient.

 

[sotoalf]

Both are outstanding resorts. The differences b/w the YC and BC are subtle; the hardwood floors in the YC's lobby give it a more formal air, while at the BC the turquoise and pinks create an illusion of casualness. I seem to notice more kids at the BC (because the word "beach" signifies relaxation and informality to a lot of people, I guess).

The BC is closer to Epcot. The walk from the closest building to Epcot - where we stayed last June - is about five minutes. If you stay at the YC, the walk fromt he building farthest from Epcot is about 10 minutes - and a very pleasant walk, I might add.

If, like me, you like spending time at the resort and a balcony is important to you, reserve at the YC. Every room has one (first floor rooms have patios), while at the BC some rooms have just a sliding-door and no balcony.

If you want to avoid the commotion from Stormalong Bay - the pool complex both resorts share - get a garden view facing away.

You'll have a great time. The YC and BC both have some of the finest restaurants in WDW, and with the Boardwalk Inn, Swan, and Dolphin a few minutes' walk away you'll have most of WDW's best cuisine at your fingertips.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Thank you for all your thoughts. I'm thinking more and more about the yacht club for all the reasons you all mentioned. It would be much nicer to have a balcony and it might be a bit quieter there also.
Any thoughts on which floor or better areas for a room?

 

[tnkrbell]

We prefer the Yc!! And we have an 8 year old.
We just got back from the Bc(concierge) and it was nice, but we prefer the Yacht for all the reasons already mentioned.

 

[tnkrbell]

We prefer the Yc!! And we have an 8 year old.
We just got back from the Bc(concierge) and it was nice, but we prefer the Yacht for all the reasons already mentioned.As far as a room I would say Waterview the higher the better!!

 

[KathyTX]

About your old passes.

I found this at the allears.net Ticket FAQ :



Q. I have some old passes with leftover days that say they are only valid for entry to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Are those still good?

A. Yes. Have them converted to the magnetic strip ticket and you can still use them. Oh by the way, once you do the conversion your days can be used at any of the four major parks now.



TICKET MEDIA CONVERSION - By converting your tickets to the current magnetic strip ticket media, you pay nothing and allow for the ease of use with the new magnetic strip reading turnstiles. Your magnetic strip passes can also be used in the FastPass machines. This allows everyone with any days left on their old WDW tickets to use them. You can convert these passes at any major park ticket booth or Guest Relations window at no charge.

So, just take your old ticket to any ticket booth or Guest Relations window, and they'll trade it for a new park hopper with the same number of days that you have left. And you can use it at any of the 4 major parks!

 

[GailT]

I just booked the YC, changed my mind from WL. Although WL is beautiful I like being close to Epcot (My favorite park) plus that is the ime of the Food and wine Festival/ I like being able to walk over to Epcot, oh did I say I love YC.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Kathy,
Thank you so much for finding that information. That's great to hear!

We can't wait to go down. I'm looking forward to seeing everything again and also seeing my husband enjoy it for the first time.

Now we just have to look into getting a good room location.
We also are planning a night eating at Cape May. Do others like it there?

 

[goin2disneyagain]

I have some of those old passes too. I inquired in October 2002 or May 2003 (I don't remember which time) about converting them when I was at a resort and was told I would have to pay the difference to switch them. I thought that was a little strange, maybe the guy at the counter didn't really know. I wanted them switched mainly because of the ease of the magnetic strip. I think I will try again this May.

 

[MELSMICE]

We've stayed at both the YC & the BC with our 3 DD's (14, 11 & 11) & even our DD's enjoyed the YC more. It was quieter, more elegant & we enjoyed having a patio (we were 1st floor). The resorts are actually connected. The walk to EPCOT is so relaxing.

Cape May is a great place to eat. We try to get there every time we are in Disney. If you enjoy steak then definitely go to the Yachtsman Steakhouse right in the Yacht Club. I'm not even a huge steak eater, but we were 3X during October & November. We really enjoyed it.

Have a great time when you're there. You'll love the Food & Wine Festival.

 

[PamNC]

You'll be staying at our favorite resort - I consider the YC/BC to be one resort. We too are a couple without kids and we find the Epcot Resort area to be perfect for us. And we love the theming of the Yacht & Beach. The Beach Club is closer to Epcot - but not by that much.

We don't find the YC to be any quieter than the BC. Maybe a little more "formal" in it's decor. But like Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel said "the kids at the YC run and yell just as loud as the kids at the BC." It's true.

We like the BC a little better because the water view rooms offer a better view of Crescent Lake. With the YC it's more like a "marina" type view..although you can see the lake, you don't see the white sand beach as well.

Either way, you'll be happy.

And you'll love Stormalong Bay.

PamNC

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Thanks again you all have been very helpful.
Once again though.... any suggestions on what floor or what rooms?

 

[Terry S]

Well, here is a vote for The Beach Club. Our family much prefers the lighter colors over at the Beach Club. We also prefer the beachy Sea Shell themeing to the boating themeing over at the YC. YC also has hard wood floors in the lobby and BC has carpet. Both are wondeful resorts and I don't think you can really go wrong with the location of either one. They are connected so there is about a 5 minute distance between the two. We pefer higher floors because we think the view is better.

 

[CPM]

Originally posted by MrsJ Henry
Thanks again you all have been very helpful.
Once again though.... any suggestions on what floor or what rooms?

Personally It really doesn't matter too much to me what floor or room. If you want a balcony then it has to be two or higher. What view will you book? There are some higher rooms where you can see Illuminations. There are also some nice corner rooms that have lots of windows if you like that.
There is also a whole thread on here that is devoted to the YC & BC. They have many room reccomondations.

 

[CPM]

I bumped up that YC & BC thread for you. It should be under this one for a while.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I also asked this somewhere else but..... is it worth it me to buy an AP . We are staying for 5 days. ( Yacht Club is what we decided) We do have AAA but I was hoping for a better discount. The chances of us going back to Disney within a year to use it again are very slim ( even thought we would love to).
Wondered if it would save me money at all?

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I forgot to state that we already have tickets to get into the park that are old park hopper passes. Not to say that we couldn't save one of them for another time.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by MrsJ Henry
is it worth it me to buy an AP . We are staying for 5 days.

Honestly, I wouldn't get an AP. You "might" get a better rate, but there is no guaranty.

Considering the fact you will be there 5 days, you already have some days left on old passes &, who knows, you may not even go into the parks every day, I don't think the AP's would be worth it for you.

JMO