YC or WL??

[RPM1214]

Hi everyone!

We are so excited to be planning our first Disney trip with our son for this August. We are debating between YC or WL and wanted to get some input what would be better (prices would be pretty similar with YC only being a little more). My husband and I haven't been to Disney in almost 9 years so we are a little rusty with our Disney knowledge.

Our son will be 5 at the time of the trip. My son is a pretty good swimmer and LOVES the pool so we were leaning towards YC because of the pool. However, WL seems more like a theme he would like and we will likely spend more time at MK than Epcot or HS (although we plan to do all parks).

Is YC too "stuffy" for a 5 year old? Which would have better dining for a picky eater? Any other things we should consider? Thanks for any and all help!!

 

[Shanti]

Hi everyone!

We are so excited to be planning our first Disney trip with our son for this August. We are debating between YC or WL and wanted to get some input what would be better (prices would be pretty similar with YC only being a little more). My husband and I haven't been to Disney in almost 9 years so we are a little rusty with our Disney knowledge.

Our son will be 5 at the time of the trip. My son is a pretty good swimmer and LOVES the pool so we were leaning towards YC because of the pool. However, WL seems more like a theme he would like and we will likely spend more time at MK than Epcot or HS (although we plan to do all parks).

Is YC too "stuffy" for a 5 year old? Which would have better dining for a picky eater? Any other things we should consider? Thanks for any and all help!!

The Stormalong Bay pool complex at Yacht Club is fantastic, so that's what I recommend. Yacht Club isn't stuffy. It's Disney. My son liked it a lot.

 

[kcpinwdw]

I love WL, don't get me wrong, but I would go with YC for this trip. The pool is great and there are a million options for food in walking distance since it's such easy access to Epcot and the boardwalk area.

 

[melissapealo]

Both are fantastic resorts. With YC you'll have stormalong bay which is probably the best pool on property. Also it's close to the boardwalk for grabbing something quick to eat. If you'll have park hoppers you can walk into Epcot for food options as well which is a great perk of the Ep resorts. At WL you can take the boat to MK which is convenient and a nice ride. There are still food options just not as many as you'd have in the boardwalk area.

It really comes down to what is most important to you. You can't go wrong with either of them.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you are spending more time at MK, I would do WL. It's gorgeous and is much more convenient to MK.

Yes, I think YC is a bit stuffy. The lobby is very small and quiet and there is typically a convention crowd there. If you want to stay in the EP area, I would consider BC or BWI instead. My DS9 far prefers the BWI slide to the one at BC/YC and the jugglers and magicians on the Boardwalk at night are a lot of fun.

 

[Sue M]

We love both WL & YC. I don’t think YC is stuffy. How much time will you spend in the lobby? The pool is all families. Convention people aren’t spending their time at the pools.
But I think with a young child WL is better. A quick boat ride to MK. And they also have a resort boat that goes to Ft W and CR. Very easy to get to ADRs in the MK area. And there’s lots of things for children at FW, Mickeys Backyard BBQ, Hoop deDo. The Horse barns with pony rides.
Another fun thing is you can watch the Electric Water Parade from WL.

I’ve read comments from some parents that with young children it’s difficult to keep track of them at SAB. I’d save that for when he’s older.

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed at both, and don't think that YC is stuffy. There are convention people in the lobby and elevators, but it still feels more "vacationy" than other convention resorts, like swan/dolphin. And the renovated rooms at YC look fantastic! We've loved stays at BC/YC when spending lots of time at Epcot and DHS, with an occasional MK visit. It's also more "middle of the action" with all the other Epcot resorts around and two parks within walking distance - that can be a pro or a con, depending on your perspective.

Our kids enjoy more themed resorts when we're at Disney, so they have always been fans of WL (along with Poly and AKL.) The proximity to MK from WL is wonderful, and it's such a treat to take the boat to MK and especially home from MK at the end of the day - so pleasant compared to the bus. My husband and I like the fact that it feels more like a retreat from the parks. So close to MK, and a quick boat ride away from the monorail, but feels less busy than some other resort areas.

I think dining options were a bit of a wash until Geyser Point came along. Really love that seating area, and it's convenient at many different times of day.

As for the pools, I've long believed that SAB can be great for both little kids and big kids, but it depends on the circumstances. Here's where it gets tricky for 5-year-olds: if he likes to stay in the sandy shallow area of SAB - great! If he likes the little water slide in the pool area near the lake - great! If he wants to go all over the place and explore all the areas of the pool and you are up for an adventure - great! But if you'd like pool time to be more relaxing and want to wade around with him in a smaller, contained pool environment and/or he really loves splash pad/water playgrounds, WL is an excellent choice. Our youngest was a very good swimmer at age 5, and that sense of adventure did make SAB a little less relaxing.

 

[AllieBoo]

We love YC, we don't think it's stuffy at all! My kids really enjoy Stormalong bay and getting ice cream at Beaches and Cream. We also loved being able to walk to Epcot and HS.

 

[mickeynut1]

I'm in the minority as I would go with WL. We haven't stayed at YC, but have stayed at BC and we like WL better. I'm glad we tried the BC, but we weren't wow'd by SAB and the CS options are too limited for us. The BC has the Marketplace, but (IMO) doesn't have the variety that other deluxe resorts have. A lot of people suggest walking into Epcot for CS, but for us, that's not very convenient, especially for breakfast.

 

[StaciaRae]

I've never been to either one, but I've given this exact question a great deal of thought. We're going in January with our 7 and 5 year olds. With the current deals, we could save a few hundred dollars by going with YC, but ultimately we chose WL. Its a theme that DH and I will like more, plus we'll be closer to MK (where we plan to spend most of our park days) plus we'd like to go over to Fort Wilderness for the Chip and Dale sing-a-long. WL looks like it has a great pool too. During our HS day, I'd like to walk over to the Boardwalk to look around, but I think WL is a better choice for us given the places we plan to spend most of our time.