Beach Club - Sell me... or tell me why not

[Amommy21]

We are planning our second trip to WDW the week after Presidents Day in February. We go to DL every year and prefer to stay at The Grand Californian. I like to stay somewhere that feels special, relaxing and like you are on vacation.

We are considering the Beach Club. I haven't read any reviews that were that helpful. Many of them talk about the chocolates on the pillows or staff greeting them by name (that happens at every disney location I have been to!) I am looking for more specifics...

One blog I read is by some guy that does a podcast and although he said the pool was great, it didn't even sound like he used the pool... I want specifics... is there realy a lazy river, water slide? How many, does it empty into the main pool?

The same blog mentioned nothing about the ease of going to the parks, if the special entrance is only open certain times...

What about walking to the Boardwalk shops?

Tell me everything!

THANKS!

 

[jaceraden]

This thread will answer all. Plus great pics.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2769066

 

[Amommy21]

Thank you!

 

[Amommy21]

This thread will answer all. Plus great pics.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2769066

Is the Beach Club the same as the Caribbean?

 

[mariacj]

Nope Beach Club is a Deluxe

Caribbean is a Moderate

 

[jaceraden]

Is the Beach Club the same as the Caribbean?

I know someone already set you straight but I just wanted to reply that you totally made my day. Last year I had a ressie at the Beach Club and somehow I ended up at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Everyone looked at me like I had 2 heads for making that mistake. How was I to know that two resorts had 'beach' in the name? Finally I feel better that I'm not the only one who didn't know.

 

[Amommy21]

Seriously, WDW gives me a headache! We go to DL every year and it is relaxing.. our single trip to WDW just made me feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I know DH knows all the ins and outs and he has been planning this for a while.. but I am try;ing to catch up and figure out what he is talking about! It's the Beach Club that we are planning to stay at...

ANyway, have any comparisons to staying here to the Poly?

 

[jaceraden]

Seriously, WDW gives me a headache! We go to DL every year and it is relaxing.. our single trip to WDW just made me feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I know DH knows all the ins and outs and he has been planning this for a while.. but I am try;ing to catch up and figure out what he is talking about! It's the Beach Club that we are planning to stay at...

ANyway, have any comparisons to staying here to the Poly?

Well, I've visited both but have not stayed at either... yet. They are both deluxe and both great. Which one you prefer would depend on which parks you would spend most time at and what type of atmosphere you want. I think there was a comparison thread recently. Let me try to dig it up for you.

 

[jaceraden]

Here's the most recent one. Clearly more Poly lovers on that day. I'm more excited about Beach Club but would like to try the Poly one day. Many people with little ones prefer a monorail resort (Poly is a monorail resort, Beach Club is not), though I have two toddlers and prefer the Beach Club.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2630584&highlight=poly+vs+bc


Beach Club = BC

 

[mariamouse]

If you want a resort that is just like the Grand Californian, stay at the Wilderness Lodge. The risk in staying there, though, is that you might not like it as much as the GC and it's just more of the same.

If you want a resort with a really strong theme like the Grand Californian, I would consider either the Polynesian or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Check out pics of both online and see which resort appeals to you more! If you can pay the extra $, I would go for the Poly since it has the monorail, a beach with a view of the MK castle, bigger rooms, easy access to the TTC, and a fun volcano pool. The Poly would probably be my choice for you, but only you can decide what looks appealing! The AKL is stunning if you appreciate the safari feel and we love its restaurants, but do be aware that the only form of transportation between the AKL and parks is the bus.

If you want to be in the Epcot area, I would definitely stay at the Beach Club. The pool is undoubtedly the best on WDW property (lazy river, sandy bottom, whirlpools, ship slide, etc). I love the theme of the BC just as much as the Poly's, but it is more beach-y and does not quite feel like a "destination" the way the Poly does. If you plan on spending more time at the Studios/Epcot, though, I would pick the BC in a flash. Here again, check out pics of the BC vs. other resorts and see what you think! The BC and Poly are two of my favorite resorts on property.

Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck with your decision!

 

[Pakey]

I have not stayed at the Poly but I have stayed at the GF and CR, which are also on the monorail loop and I have stayed at Yacht Club and Beach Club in the Epcot area. I've also stayed at the Grand Californian.

The biggest difference is location. If you are wanting to go to Magic Kingdom where all of the rides are, then the monorail loop is just so nice.

The pool at Beach Club is the considered to be the best pool at WDW. With a small child, the pool makes me nervous. The lazy river is not lazy. It's deep with a current. The pool slide is across a public sidewalk and you are not allowed to stand at the bottom of the slide to catch your children. The sandy beach area is nice for small children but it's that in between age when they think they are great swimmers but really aren't that's a problem.

Also, the Beach Club doesn't have balconies on half of their rooms. It's the only deluxe this way so if a balcony is important to you, you might want to reconsider this choice. The Beach Club will also be the second resort pickup (after Yacht Club) on the bus loop and often the buses are crowded, even during the slow times of the year. So I would not pick this location if I was planning to spend the bulk of my time at Magic Kingdom.

The Boardwalk Shops are nothing spectacular and wouldn't influence me to stay in that area. They are rather disappointing. To me the best thing about staying in the Epcot resort area is the numerous dining choices at the resorts in that area and within Epcot's World Showcase. It's nice to not have to take Disney transportation to have dinner.

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed at BC and Poly several times and GCH once. Our most recent BC stay was February of this year, most recent Poly stay was January of this year and our GCH stay was August of last year. So we have a recent basis for comparison and I can share a few thoughts/comparisons.

Here's my take on BC vs. Poly (from that other thread):

Advantages of BC: SAB - we have three boys ages pre-school to pre-teen and SAB is an amazing pool. I like the room decor and the theme. I like that it's not on the monorail so it feels like more of a retreat from the parks at the end of the day. I LOVE the ability to walk to both Epcot and DHS, and that outweighs the benefits of the monorail for us (which has required long waits in our recent experiences due to malfunctions.) We frequently have dinner ADRs in Epcot, so we spend the day at MK, DHS or AK, take a break at BC and then head to Epcot for dinner and a ride or two. There is nothing like walking out the international gateway at the end of the day and just strolling back to your room at the BC! We have no problem with the counter service situation - not fans of food courts, make lots of ADRs and we feel the entire Epcot resort area has plenty of CS options to meet our needs. Some favorites include BC Marketplace, Hurricane Hanna's and Picabu at the Dolphin. We like having the entire Epcot resort area right there around Crescent Lake and within easy walking distance - we have all the dining and shopping benefits of BC, YC, BWI, Swan and Dolphin available to us when staying at BC. Great energy in the Epcot resort area, too!

Advantages of Poly: For me, nostalgia plays a significant role. When I'm recommending a resort for others, I suggest it for families with small kids who will spend lots of time at MK and aren't planning lots of Epcot dinner ADRs. We have friends who fit that description perfectly, so I actually recommended Poly over BC for them and it was a perfect fit! We recently chose Poly for our January trip because we were celebrating our pre-schooler's birthday, spending lots of time at MK and booked lots of character meals at MK and in the MK area. Counter service at Poly is great - probably my favorite resort CS at WDW - Captain Cook's, the sushi bar, and the coffee are a great combination! TS at Poly is also great - Love Kona's for an arrival day lunch and Ohana is one of our favorite character breakfasts (and I don't even really like breakfast!) The rooms at Poly are definitely bigger than standard BC rooms, but we missed the BC's double sinks outside the bathroom during our last visit. I like that the chance of a parking lot of roof view is substantially lower at Poly - seems like there are few "bad views" at Poly. And our "garden view" of the volcano pool and the lagoon from Samoain January was amazing!!! I really missed BC on the nights we were returning from Epcot, and on the way to DHS. But when we're spending lots of time at MK - it's ideal!

The ideal situation for us would be a split stay - start with Poly, spend time in the MK area for a day or two and then switch to BC for the remainder of the trip.

As for comparisons to GCH, that's tough because the GCH location is amazing. Nothing at WDW can compare to it. While the GCH theme is similar to WL and a bit like AKL in some ways, neither WL nor AKL are anything like GCH in terms of location and proximity to the parks. (We've stayed at WL multiple times and AKL once.) At WL, you have to either bus or drive to all the parks except MK (you can take the boat to MK, which we really do enjoy.) At AKL, you have to bus or drive to all four parks. So that's a huge difference from the convenience you enjoy at GCH. BC is very different in theme from GCH, but it's similar in that you can walk to both Epcot and DHS from BC. Again, it's not nearly as close as walking into DL or DCA from GCH, but at least you can walk (or boat) from BC and not have to rely on bus or monorail to two of four parks.

We're a family of five, and four of us rank BC as our favorite Disney resort (including both WDW and DL.) I'd probably rank Poly second and GCH third. My husband ranks GCH as his favorite Disney resort, with BC coming in second. Point is, if you like GCH and don't mind a different theme, BC may be a good fit for your family.

 

[Amommy21]

THANK YOU ALL FOR MORE INFO!

sometimes I get lost in those big threads... but thanks for the links...

DS is 10 and was on a jr swim team last year, so I am not worried about the pool, sounds AWESOME... he saw the pictures and said, we could just swim for one week and do the next week at the parks! I WISH!

We had considered Animal Kingdom Lodge, but decided it's just too far. I think the pool is going to be the tipping point for us.

I would like mroe specific on what shops are at the boardwalk? DH wants to explore it one afternoon or evening.. what do you recommend?

 

[Amommy21]

Oh and I see you can walk to HS and Epcot, but does it feel like a long walk.. sometimes at the end of the night when I am done, I am just done! LOL!

 

[DrMomof3]

Epcot is a very short walk. From HS I would take the boat!

Amanda

 

[Amommy21]

After talking with DH tonight we really decided HS and Epcot will be the places we want to frequent most. MK just doesn't hold the same charm for us DL does... So I think Beach Club really is a great choice for us. Last time we did a full day at MK, A full day (we until close at AK) and then did a split day at each of those. I suspect that's how we will handle those two parks again..

So now, to decide how many days we really want... and if we do and Annual Pass or a ten day pass and do 5 days this year and 5 days next.

 

[ljmclin]

I know you have probably received tons of info. by now, but I thought I would give you my experience. We stay at the Poly everytime we go to Disney. That is our "home." We decided to give the Beach Club a chance due to the fact that we have 3 young kids (8,4,3) and the pool is suppose to be wonderful. I must comment that the BC was beautiful. The building and grounds were so nice; However, after being at the Poly, I have some negatives. The rooms are smaller and the grounds are so crowded. We always go in early December during low crowd times. The BC was so busy I felt like it was summertime. The pool was amazing, but I couldn't relax. There was so much going and I didn't want to lose site of my kids. I imagine the pool would be more relaxing for families with bigger kids. The Epcot access is great. Again, with bigger kids this is a great advantage. All in all, I think the resort is great with lots of excitment, great food and a beautiful atmosphere, but it wasn't for us. We ended up moving to the Poly after 1 day.