WWYD?

[kylenne]

I never thought I'd be posting one of these but we are indecisive as heck this time around and wanted to crowdsource opinions. Right now we're booked at Gran Destino at rack rate for the land portion of our land & sea trip in May. But checking around again since the Visa discount was released, some availability has popped up elsewhere. Turns out it's a negligible increase for us to switch to Contemporary and BWI is actually very slightly cheaper than our GDT room. Main reason I am contemplating it is because we are doing a 5 nt stay before our 4 nt cruise on the Wish, with such a short trip (by our usual standards), transportation is a priority and being able to walk to parks will be fantastic. We also arrive on a Wednesday so EEH at MK is a strong selling point, since we will not have the opportunity to do AH during our dates. But we are both genuinely torn between CR and BWI, both new to us. BWI's construction situation has me a bit concerned, but I haven't been keeping up on it though.

Only two of us, no kids, but we equally enjoy staying on the monorail loop and Crescent Lake. Normally we would just split but with such a short trip I don't think it's worth the hassle. We have one night planned back on property post-cruise at the Dolphin before we fly back home so we will have Crescent Lake time regardless though.

 

[sponica]

Boardwalk, only because I detest the Contemporary

 

[gottalovepluto]

Tough call! Generally I lean towards EP area as I prefer accessing EP from IG and often seem to end up on that side of EP for dinner. I might try a dining comparison- a list of places you’d eat if you stayed monorail loop vs EP area. Maybe one will stand out as more preferable?

UNLESS the construction noises are a deal breaker. If construction noises would disturb either of you stay safe and go CR.

 

[starry_solo]

Contemporary because I like walking to MK

 

[RuntheMouse]

I would normally say BWI but you mentioned EEH at MK and walking to and from that tips the scales for me.

 

[kylenne]

Boardwalk, only because I detest the Contemporary

I love the honesty, lol! Why's it no good to you? Always curious to hear things I may not have considered about a resort I've not stayed at.

Tough call! Generally I lean towards EP area as I prefer accessing EP from IG and often seem to end up on that side of EP for dinner. I might try a dining comparison- a list of places you’d eat if you stayed monorail loop vs EP area. Maybe one will stand out as more preferable?

UNLESS the construction noises are a deal breaker. If construction noises would disturb either of you stay safe and go CR.

That's a good shout actually, because one of the things that's concerning me are the dining options at BWI (or lack thereof). Some of our favorite places on property are on the monorail loop and we REALLY loved the Steakhouse 71 lounge on our last trip. I do enjoy the spots at Swan and Dolphin but the QS situation is a bit sketchy in that area.

We are also midday siesta people. We did stay at the Poly last May but booked pool view and deliberately requested a building on the other side, we lucked out and got Samoa facing the quiet pool. Idk if I want to roll the dice again though. I don't know BWI's layout well enough to know if the construction would be impacting resort view rooms, which is what we'd book.

I do generally prefer coming in through the IG though. We actually rope dropped both ways on our YC/Poly trip last year and IG just felt less stressful.

 

[QueenofPrideRock]

I'd avoid Contemporary Garden Wing for your first stay ... yes it's all still walkable but it just doesn't have the same Disney magic / je ne sais quoi as the A Frame or even BLT. Truly feels the most "regular hotel" like of any Disney property to me.

Plus BWI is soooo convenient and you can use the slight bit of money you save to splurge on more food or a Minnie Van or something if you want.

 

[T.G.I.Friday]

Our standard trip is a 2 night CR and 2 night BWI split.

I love CR for the ease of walking to MK, but I prefer BWI for just about everything else.

When we stay at CR, and you see so much of the parking lot and the bus depot for MK, it’s hard not to feel like you are in a city hotel. And the hotel itself is very boring from a theming perspective.

But at the BWI, you really feel like you are in the bubble - no cars, the Boardwalk the ease of the IG, etc. And there’s something special about that for us.

ETA - our view from each room. Hopefully it can give a sense of the different vibes and helps you pick which would be more in line with your vision for the trip.

 

[Eastern]

I would consider whether you would prefer easy access to WS for food and drinks, or the monorail for resort-hopping food and drinks.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Boardwalk all the way... Nothing better than staying near the International Gate! Enjoy your trip!!

 

[kylenne]

I would consider whether you would prefer easy access to WS for food and drinks, or the monorail for resort-hopping food and drinks.

We talked it over mulling over the points and tbh this plus the ease of access for MK EEH on arrival day has us leaning strongly to CR. We like our monorail crawls too much and always end up spending time at GF or Poly even when we're not staying there. Steakhouse 71 lounge became a new favorite on our last trip together and it'll be nice to have it right there. Neither of us really have any dining must-dos around Crescent Lake by comparison.

Our Dolphin night on the back end of the trip means we still get to spend the last little day or so after the cruise enjoying Crescent Lake. Maybe we'll try BWI once all of the additions are completed.

 

[focusondisney]

I’ll go against the majority. We have been YC loyalists for over 20 years & generally prefer that area. We first stayed in a CR garden wing room over the 50th anniversary weekend. We were shocked how much we loved it. Some of the rooms have a beautiful view of the canal & lake. The garden wing feels quiet & relaxing after the hustle & bustle of the parks & CR main building. The rooms have just been redone so are fresh & clean. We like the walk to MK & monorail back if we’re hot & tired. But the walk back late at night instead of waiting for a bus is great. We also like the garden wing because you rarely need to use the elevators in the main building. Just walk stria to Steakhouse 71, the escalator to quick service & monorail. Just note, there are no balconies in the garden wing if that’s important.

We’ve only stayed in a regular room at BWI once, stayed CL twice. He rooms are beautiful. But quick service, especially for breakfast is lacking. I’d probably want a split stay myself. But that might not be practical with only 4 days & before a cruise.

 

[kylenne]

I’ll go against the majority. We have been YC loyalists for over 20 years & generally prefer that area. We first stayed in a CR garden wing room over the 50th anniversary weekend. We were shocked how much we loved it. Some of the rooms have a beautiful view of the canal & lake. The garden wing feels quiet & relaxing after the hustle & bustle of the parks & CR main building. The rooms have just been redone so are fresh & clean. We like the walk to MK & monorail back if we’re hot & tired. But the walk back late at night instead of waiting for a bus is great. We also like the garden wing because you rarely need to use the elevators in the main building. Just walk stria to Steakhouse 71, the escalator to quick service & monorail. Just note, there are no balconies in the garden wing if that’s important.

We’ve only stayed in a regular room at BWI once, stayed CL twice. He rooms are beautiful. But quick service, especially for breakfast is lacking. I’d probably want a split stay myself. But that might not be practical with only 4 days & before a cruise.

Oh nice! I had no idea you didn't really need to deal with the elevators too much if staying in the garden wing. That's another reason why I wouldn't want to stay in the tower if I'm honest, besides the noise and foot traffic. We are balcony people but have a verandah booked on the cruise so am not too torn up about not having one at the resort.

 

[jemtx]

I’m with focusonDisney. For location/proximity to MK and the ease of food/variety, I’d go with CR. If you plan on a lot of MK time, the walking path with “private” security is a huge advantage.

 

[jemtx]

If you want to avoid elevators, request a first floor room in the garden wing and you’ll also have a nice little patio with chairs/table. Unfortunately, the 2nd & 3rd floor of garden wing don’t have balconies.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Boardwalk, mostly because I can’t remember last time I was there

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

That's a tough one. CR garden wing is just, meh. AND....I really don't like the new theming. Monorail and the lagoon are great. Monorail access to Poly and GF is wonderful but it might just rub salt in the wound that you aren't staying at the better monorail resorts.

BWI has few quick service options but you can get around this by eating your quick service meals at the parks or Swalphin. BWI has more interesting pools and their new rooms are beautiful but lacking a table/desk for eating anything in room. Since you are going in May, the weather will be less humid with little rain so walking to Epcot IG should be quite pleasant.

With such a short trip, I think location, location, location.......BWI is the winner assuming you are using park hoppers or APs. 2 parks within walking/boating distance and easy access to IG for great food. *IF* you are not doing park hoppers, my answer would be CR due to better dining options on the monorail.

 

[sponica]

I love the honesty, lol! Why's it no good to you? Always curious to hear things I may not have considered about a resort I've not stayed at.

I've never stayed there but only visited. I HATE the monorail set up and I'm just not a contemporary style person in general. My husband on the other hand LOVES the aesthetic. I'm sure at some point we'll end up there..

 

[westie55]

I would pick Contemporary. I've stayed there before in the garden wing and it was pleasant. While I don't love the aesthetic of CR, the MK resort area is IMO the most magical place on Disney property. I like having easy access to dining at the other monorail resorts. California Grill is amazing and you also have character dining right on site with Chef Mickey's. I've stayed at just about all of the Disney resorts besides the Boardwalk. Its lack of quick service food options is a main reason why I can't bring myself to stay there. I don't love the Boardwalk in general. Last time I stayed at Yacht Club I took a walk over there and it felt like not much was going on. I have no desire to go back.

 

[elvispursley]

I used to love the CR but a few things have me hesitant to stay there again. If you have a tower room, the noise you hear in your room is dreadful, especially in the morning we come from the west coast and aren’t early risers). I hate the pool they have at CR but could look past that except I can’t stand how all the rooms are now themed to the Incredibles. I love the Incredibles but hate that they turned the CR into this, making it even more of a mosh pit of theming. one benefit is definitely the proximity to MK.

We’ve never stayed at BWI since always stay at YC when we do crescent lake. I love the location and ease of walking to IG, multiple modes of transportation options either by, boat, skylines, or walking to HS. I would lean towards BWI unless you’re doing MK more than one day.