Beach Club vs. Carribean Beach

[meggiebeth]

I think a lot depends on how much time you plan on spending at the resort. We absolutely love Yacht and Beach; ever since staying there we haven’t wanted to stay anywhere else. The theming is whimsical, the location and restaurants are all fantastic, and the location can’t be beaten. We also spend a lot of time in the afternoons at the pool and Stormalong Bay is the best we’ve ever used.

I would find it tricky sharing one room between six people, but we would probably consider squeezing in if it were a short trip. If you plan on being at the parks all day, I’d be more inclined to choose CBR for the extra space. But nothing beats Beach Club when it comes to recreation!

 

[ilovebassets]

We've stayed at Beach Club once and just stayed at CBR this month. We stayed in the Aruba section, and it was fantastic. Well under a ten minute walk to the main building (Sebastian's Bistro was great) and pool and about five minutes to the Riviera Skyliner and another couple more to their quick service and amenities. Skyliner puts all the Beach Club/Boardwalk amenities and restaurants at your fingertips. Yes, the walks would be ever so slightly shorter at Beach Club, but their pool is always super crowded, and it's a surprisingly big resort. It's not like everything is THAT close together. And the quick service availability there is terrible. For a couple having an adult trip, I might splurge on Beach Club, but as a family? 6 in one room? Unless you all sleep really easily, no way would that work for us. We'd be up all night and then fighting over the one bathroom in the morning.

 

[Psymonds]

I restate my prior position, you are missing the point of “resort”
goto to the parks, return to the room hang out at the pool, have a meal go back to the parks….

or am i the only person that wants nothing to do with the parks in the middle of the day?

I think that depends. DS14 will NOT leave the park until close unless we force him. I'll take a power nap on the Carousel of Progress and recharge in the afternoon. DW loves the pool. But our kids loved the CBR pool, had two slides, a splash area, didn't need anything more.

yes, I forget about that…..

huge value over a hotel room when you are traveling

we used the laundry room near building 36 at CBR and it was quick. almost nicer having a laundry room because I could load 3 washers and 3 dryers at the same time and just knock it out.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I think that depends. DS14 will NOT leave the park until close unless we force him. I'll take a power nap on the Carousel of Progress and recharge in the afternoon. DW loves the pool. But our kids loved the CBR pool, had two slides, a splash area, didn't need anything more.

we used the laundry room near building 36 at CBR and it was quick. almost nicer having a laundry room because I could load 3 washers and 3 dryers at the same time and just knock it out.

How awful.
I’m so sorry you had to do that

 

[Psymonds]

How awful.
I’m so sorry you had to do that

I mean, for an 11 day trip, we were going to have to laundry; I was glad I was able to just grab a beer and do it in 90 minutes rather than having to do laundry multiple times, and the laundry room was just 150 feet from our room.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I mean, for an 11 day trip, we were going to have to laundry; I was glad I was able to just grab a beer and do it in 90 minutes rather than having to do laundry multiple times, and the laundry room was just 150 feet from our room.

You’re right 150 from your room is much better than having laundry in your room and each person can kinda do there own

 

[eticketplease]

If #1 was location and cost was only #3 I’m on team Beach Club. I know Op does not want to rent points but that is what I would do.

1. 5-6 minutes walking time to Epcot
2. 4-5 minutes walking time to get to skyliner for HS access.
3. 2-3 minutes for the boat to take you to HS Boardwalk or Swan & Dolphin.
4. Included Free laundry in your villa. Whether you are going full stink in the park or not you do not have to waste your time staying by the laundry machines. Throw a load in before you go and put it in the dryer when you get back whether that be in the middle of the day or late at night.
5. QS Beachclub marketplace is pretty blah for us. However since people were mentioning it was about 10 minutes at CBR you could always walk to Ale & compass in A/C or walk/boat to boardwalk for more options. You could also have some breakfast/ lunch items delivered to your villa and throw the dishes in the dishwasher.
6. Bathroom and another bathroom without worrying if rooms will be connected or not.
7. A community space ie living room to hang out in so you don’t have to be sitting on a bed constantly when in the room.

Someone mentioned Swan and dolphin but for the length of stay the extra fees will add to the cost quickly with the resort fee and since you have a car the parking fees.

OP had mentioned originally they had stayed in AoA. Not sure if that was pre skyliner or not. The family suites would give two bathrooms there as well and would have skyliner access to Epcot and hs and you could drive to AK. You would only need the bus for MK unless you wanted to drive to TTC and take a ferry or monorail in.

 

[maxiesmom]

Someone mentioned Swan and dolphin but for the length of stay the extra fees will add to the cost quickly with the resort fee and since you have a car the parking fees.

OP had mentioned originally they had stayed in AoA. Not sure if that was pre skyliner or not. The family suites would give two bathrooms there as well and would have skyliner access to Epcot and hs and you could drive to AK. You would only need the bus for MK unless you wanted to drive to TTC and take a ferry or monorail in.

Even with all the fees the Swan is not going to come close to the cost of the Beach Club. Not anywhere near.

 

[eticketplease]

Even with all the fees the Swan is not going to come close to the cost of the Beach Club. Not anywhere near.

I just picked a random date in May 2024 and it was much more.

You have to buy 2 rooms as they do not accommodate 6 when I checked the website.

It was $954 including resort fee and tax but did not include the parking fee of $34 for self or $44 for valet. So for self parking it is $988 or $998 for Valet per night.

 

[mkh531]

If they have Marriott/Bonvoy points they can pay with those for Swan /Dolphin and help offset the cost, get two rooms in a better location and AC interior hallways

 

[maxiesmom]

I just picked a random date in May 2024 and it was much more.

You have to buy 2 rooms as they do not accommodate 6 when I checked the website.

It was $954 including resort fee and tax but did not include the parking fee of $34 for self or $44 for valet. So for self parking it is $988 or $998 for Valet per night.

I have never paid near that. Their rates will drop, unless you book during a convention. For my stay next month it is under $200 a night including fees. Also they do typically have a discount on the second room when you book two.

 

[eticketplease]

I have never paid near that. Their rates will drop, unless you book during a convention. For my stay next month it is under $200 a night including fees. Also they do typically have a discount on the second room when you book two.

That definitely changes things as it might even by cheap than CBR and you will get the extra hours on mon & Wednesday nights.

Not as convenient since their busses go to TTC instead of MK but can still get to HS and Epcot pretty easily.

 

[maxiesmom]

That definitely changes things as it might even by cheap than CBR and you will get the extra hours on mon & Wednesday nights.

Not as convenient since their busses go to TTC instead of MK but can still get to HS and Epcot pretty easily.

Yes, the only real downside is the bus to the Magic Kingdom. The bus to the Animal Kingdom is actually nicer than the Disney buses, as it drops off just as close if not closer to the park, and the stop itself has seating (!) and a roof over it.

 

[MamaMermaid]

I would save the money / go for the extra days - if nice accommodations is truly last on your list.

Agreed.

 

[katyjeka]

I'm going to bring on the hate but I disagree with Beach Club having the best pool.We are not big fans of the sand bottom and it always seems so crowded. I understand you have a car but parking a car at MK is a pain. If you don't care about the resort have you considered a suite at AoA? It may save you a little money. I know you don't want to rent points but we have for years and it has allowed us the opportunity to extend our stays. I would never put our family in a room with one bathroom. Four daughters and one bathroom would turn our magical trip into a disaster!!! Have a great trip.