Copper Creek or Saratoga Springs with 2 kids (8 & 3)

[lsutigers03]

Next May my wife and I are taking our kids to Disney and Universal. We're renting DVC points from a family friend. We're going to book at the 11 month window so we have a confirmed reservation and then try to book or waitlist at Beach Club or Boardwalk at 7 months. Which resort would be better with young kids? We're going to do 1 or 2 pool days so having a better pool would be a plus.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

With kids those ages I assume you'll be spending at lot of time at the MK. I would go with Copper Creek. A quick boat ride to the MK. Plus it's a quick boat ride over to other resorts in the MK area to eat if you want to do that. I'm not a DS fan so the boat ride to DS from SSR doesn't appeal to me.

 

[lsutigers03]

The plan for now is to bookend the trip with MK days and so having a quick boat ride would be great.

 

[patty57]

Based on your plans, definitely Copper Creek. I love WL. I agree with mi*vida*loca about not being a fan of DS, so no reason for me to stay at SSR.

 

[DeeBee3]

I have kids the same exact age - definitely Copper Creek. That boat ride is great for them. It's part of the fun! Also, they have a nice splash pad area if the kids want to have fun without a big pool. The 2 pools there are nice - obviously not as glamorous as Stormalong Bay, but we loved them. The hotel itself is very nice and lovely to just enjoy.

 

[yesdnil]

We love and own at Copper Creek so I'm biased, but before buying in to DVC, Beach Club was one of our most frequent deluxe Resorts just because we spend so much time in Epcot! The Beach Club pool is incredible and no other property comes close, BUT Wilderness Lodge has two wonderful pools, and a really fabulous kids play area. And the lobby is 1000x more kid friendly than most other Disney resorts. Don't even try to count how many times my kids will run back and forth over that bridge.

It's not in the title, but you briefly mentioned Boardwalk. Okay, I'm sorry to the Boardwalk lovers out there, but I really don't like anything about that resort except the location. And the pool is the worst of those 3 options for young kids. There's one good waterslide but overall the pool isn't even in the same league as the other two resorts. The 8 year old would have fun at any of the pools, but a 3 year old can't do much at the boardwalk pool unless they're able to swim or just like hanging out on lounge chairs.

Editing to add a few more thoughts. You also mentioned Saratoga in the title. I haven't been there since pre-kids so I don't have great advice but the biggest drawback is size and location. You're gonna be doing a lot of walking at the resort and the bus rides to the parks can take a while. If you have an option to book Copper Creek, take it. It's actually becoming one of those resorts that are really hard to get at 7 months, especially in fall/winter since it has that perfect cozy woodsy feel.

So bottom line, if I were in your shoes, I'd book CC at 11 months, wait-list BCV at 7 months. Both are great options and you can't lose.

 

[Shellyred8]

Another vote for CCV. The "quiet" pool has a nice wide zero entry that is great for the littles. And taking the boat to MK is great!
In pre-covid times they had a boat that ran between WL, CR and the Campgrounds, so you could easily go visit one of those places. I haven't hear that they've started this again, but they might by the time you go.

 

[westie55]

I've stayed at Saratoga and the WL, but never at Copper Creek villas. We will be there in a couple weeks though! I chose CCV over SSR for the proximity to MK and also being a boat ride away from the Contemporary (we love California Grill). I'm so excited to take DS5 and DS3 to CCV! We plan to spend the most time in MK. I also liked the current dining options at CCV better than SSR.