Need help choosing a WDW resort!!

Hi all,

We are going to WDW the first week of June 2013, checking in sometime between May 31-June2. On past trips we've always stayed in the value resorts but we now have a timeshare through RCI so this will be our first trip to stay in one of the timeshare (DVC) resorts. We are finally within the 6-month reservation window so *hopefully* some availability will start popping up on our searches. In the meantime, does anyone have resort recommendations? Two of our top priorities are a) a resort that doesn't require a ton of points, like Bay Lake Tower. And b) a resort that is in close proximity to the parks to reduce travel time to/from the parks. (As much as we loved staying at Pop Century...it's way out there and takes forever to get to MK!) So, based on those two criteria we've narrowed down our top choices to Wilderness Lodge because we can take the boat to MK (but it might be more points, not sure), and also Beach Club Villas and Boardwalk Villas because they're so close to Epcot and HS. AKL is close to Animal Kingdom but too far away from everything else. Does anyone have an opinion on Boardwalk vs. Beach Club? Or any of the other DVC resorts? I think Beach Club might have a nicer pool and also has the Sandcastle Club childcare (BTW: Has anyone used the Disney childcare facilities? That's another area where I could use some extra info.) We just want to have our ducks in a row so that when a resort becomes available we can jump on it!

Any and all opinions welcomed! Thanks in advance!

We love Boardwalk! It's an easy walk (or boat ride) to DHS and Epcot! The rooms are also a good size. This is our resort of choice most trips. We have never stayed at Beach Club so I can't comment on that one- but location would be similar to the Boardwalk. One comment on the Boardwalk is that they do not have a counter service type place in the resort. They do offer a small array of grocery items in the shop. Along the Boardwalk, they have the Boardwalk Bakery which has some breakfast items along with bakery items. For lunch and dinner options there is a pizza place and some places that serve things like hot dogs, corn dogs, burgers etc. There is also a candy/ ice cream shop and some table service places. I know that the Beach Club has Beaches and Cream Ice Cream shop and some other eating options. We don't really swim much on vacation so I can't comment on the pools. And we rent a car so we haven't used the bus service at Boardwalk in awhile.

While we like Wilderness Lodge, we weren't crazy about the bus service the few times we stayed there. You can take a boat to MK, but that sometimes takes a little bit. While it is close to MK, when you add in either boat or bus transportation, you are adding at least 20 minutes. All other parks would be bus service. The most convenient for MK is of course Bay Lake because you can walk or take the monorail. Definitely more points though.

We have not stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge yet so can't comment on that one. We enjoy Animal Kingdom, but we only go there once per trip while we go to other parks multiple times. So, being close to Animal Kingdom isn't as beneficial for the way we tour the parks.

My choice would be either Boardwalk or Beach Club. You have easy access to 2 of the 4 parks and the Boardwalk area is fun in the evening.

I happen to have a lot of opinions on these!!

I liked staying at Animal Kingdom ONLY when I had the view of the animals. Other than that, it seemed further away from everything. Nice place to visit and eat. Not my favorite for staying.

Wilderness Lodge was my favorite when the kids were little in large part because we spent the majority of time in MK and did not have to fold up the strollers to take the boat. Plus the boat was like an attraction in itself for the kids. The resort is just big enough but not too big and we found ourselves going to their counter service restaurant quite a bit. I think we are actually booked there for June!

We stayed at Beach Club last summer and LOVED how close it was to Epcot. Literally about a 5 minute walk from the gate. Boardwalk would be like that as well. We are spending more time at Epcot now with the kids getting older, so that works out well. It was quite a walk to get food at Beach Club, so that was one down side. The pool are is FABULOUS. So much so that my kids wanted to stay at the pool rather than go back into the parks sometimes. :( If you are planning on staying there, I would cut back on the number of park days you buy because you will want to make the most of the pool and beach. We watched fireworks from the beach one night and it was really awesome. We are going to stay there when we go back in June of 2014. :)

I haven't stayed at Boardwalk, so I can't comment on the resort. But there is a lot to do in that area if you are not planning on going to the parks every day. Plus the easy access to Epcot.

Now I am sitting here dreaming of my trip next summer. LOL!!

If I were choosing for myself, I'd go with Wilderness Lodge. In my experiences, it has the best bus transportation of the deluxe hotels I've stayed at. It shares fewer routes with other hotels, which is a giant plus in my book.

I don't know how much comes through available on RCI, but if you have to stay at Old Key West, it's few points and has huge rooms. The bathrooms are a little aged, but overall the days we spent there were some of my favorite. While it's not next to a park, I find the bus ride distances from DTD resorts to be good.

Wow thanks for the info, very helpful! Counter service food is another issue we've talked about. When staying at the value resorts we typically swing through the counter service restaurant to grab something small for breakfast, refill our Disney mugs, etc. and then head to the bus. I was wondering how well that would work with the DVC resorts. We typically do the dining plan so two of our three meals are either a reservation or counter service in the parks but occasionally we'll grab lunch/dinner at the resort's counter service place. But, if Epcot is that close I wonder if it would be feasible to go to a counter service at one of the countries?? So much to ponder (and I'm a chronic over-thinker...drives my husband crazy). :)

We also used to spend the majority of our time at MK when the kids were little. We would plan for 3 entire days at MK, 1-2 days at AK, and split one day between Epcot and HS. Now we've shifted to 2 days at MK, 1-2 days at AK and HS, and the rest at Epcot, which is why Beach Club and Boardwalk are so attractive.

Just this morning Old Key West and Saratoga both popped up. So now we're teetering on whether we jump on the first resort we see or wait and cross our fingers that one of our favorites become available.

Wonderful info so far...keep it comin'!

I'm partial to BCV but can't give you any opinions on any other DVC resorts as I have no desire to stay anywhere else. :D Before purchasing DVC our favorite resort was Animal Kingdom Lodge, we always have a rental car so being away from things was never a problem, I just loved that resort.

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Originally Posted by PSL1013

I'm partial to BCV but can't give you any opinions on any other DVC resorts as I have no desire to stay anywhere else. :D Before purchasing DVC our favorite resort was Animal Kingdom Lodge, we always have a rental car so being away from things was never a problem, I just loved that resort.

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A car would make a WORLD of difference!!!

When we stay at Boardwalk, I tend to get up early and go down to the Boardwalk Bakery and grab something for breakfast that we can eat once we get to the park. I actually really enjoy walking along the Boardwalk early in the morning when there are only a few people out- very peaceful and pretty!

I have never stayed at Old Key West, but have heard that the rooms are larger. One of our home resorts is Saratoga Springs and we like that resort. Both of these do have a counter service type place and grocery items. These resorts are great if you want to visit Downtown Disney. We have stayed at Boardwalk and Bay Lake the last few years, so I can't comment on bus service. These are bigger resorts, so you probably will want to put in a location request- like closer to the pool or dining or bus stop etc. Just depends on what is most important.

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Originally Posted by disney_girl

When we stay at Boardwalk, I tend to get up early and go down to the Boardwalk Bakery and grab something for breakfast that we can eat once we get to the park. I actually really enjoy walking along the Boardwalk early in the morning when there are only a few people out- very peaceful and pretty!

I have never stayed at Old Key West, but have heard that the rooms are larger. One of our home resorts is Saratoga Springs and we like that resort. Both of these do have a counter service type place and grocery items. These resorts are great if you want to visit Downtown Disney. We have stayed at Boardwalk and Bay Lake the last few years, so I can't comment on bus service. These are bigger resorts, so you probably will want to put in a location request- like closer to the pool or dining or bus stop etc. Just depends on what is most important.

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We would do the same thing at Pop Century. While I was getting myself and the kids ready for the day my hubby would go down to the counter service restaurant and grab some sort of breakfast to go. It has a nice section that's almost like a deli or convenience store with single serve food and drinks.

Boardwalk or Beach Club are where we always stay. Like others have said, Beach Club has the BEST sand-bottom pool. They also have a better store for refilling up your mugs (self-service) while Boardwalk you have to go the Bakery, Coffee shop, Pizza place or Lounge...sometime there can be a line.

Boardwalk has a bigger selection of restaurants (but not really counter service) They have a hotdog/burger cart but it's a hit or miss on how late it is open. If we are at the parks late, we usually eat before leaving because it could be hard to find fast food other than pizza. They both have the stores with frozen items, bread, chips, etc.

Personally, I like the Boardwalk better just because when you are walking back from Epcot at night, there is still a "party" going on with magicians and other street entertainers. Walking back to Beach Club is quiet....but that is a personal preference. Also Boardwalk is closer to walk to Hollywood Studios. We never take the boat to either Epcot or Studios because it is much faster to walk (about a mile from Boardwalk to studios but only takes less than 15 minutes). Also if you request a room close the the elevators, sometimes you can get a partial Boardwalk view for the price of a preferred...either way....close the elevators is the way to go with the LONG hallways.

That said, either resort is a GREAT CHOICE. Animal Kingdom Villas are nice, big zero entry pool, good counter service at the Jambo House, but you will bus it everywhere. Saratoga Springs is close to downtown but that bus is also annoying with what, 6 internal stops? Like others said, Old Key West has the biggest rooms with actual TWO real beds in the studios...nice grounds but again, lots of internal bus stops. LOVE Bay Lake Towers, walking distance to MK, the best counter service, IMO, great zero entry pool.

Our home resorts are Boardwalk and Bay Lake, but we end up staying at Boardwalk way more because we love Epcot. It's so nice at the end of the day at Epcot to not fight the crowds back to the bus. We just stroll out the back entrance :)

For kid "day care" I have used the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club twice and the once at Polynesian. I dropped my 8-year-old son and 3-year-old cousin at the Sandcastle Club for 3 hours while we attended the Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic. They feed them dinner, have games, toys, video games, crafts etc. and there were no complaints from either kid when we picked them up.

Another fun thing for kids in the Beach Club/Boardwalk area is that "Pirate Cruise" I've let my son go to that several times and we have a nice relaxing people watching session at the Boardwalk while he is having fun :)

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Originally Posted by wendyburger

Boardwalk or Beach Club are where we always stay. Like others have said, Beach Club has the BEST sand-bottom pool. They also have a better store for refilling up your mugs (self-service) while Boardwalk you have to go the Bakery, Coffee shop, Pizza place or Lounge...sometime there can be a line.

Boardwalk has a bigger selection of restaurants (but not really counter service) They have a hotdog/burger cart but it's a hit or miss on how late it is open. If we are at the parks late, we usually eat before leaving because it could be hard to find fast food other than pizza. They both have the stores with frozen items, bread, chips, etc.

Personally, I like the Boardwalk better just because when you are walking back from Epcot at night, there is still a "party" going on with magicians and other street entertainers. Walking back to Beach Club is quiet....but that is a personal preference. Also Boardwalk is closer to walk to Hollywood Studios. We never take the boat to either Epcot or Studios because it is much faster to walk (about a mile from Boardwalk to studios but only takes less than 15 minutes). Also if you request a room close the the elevators, sometimes you can get a partial Boardwalk view for the price of a preferred...either way....close the elevators is the way to go with the LONG hallways.

That said, either resort is a GREAT CHOICE. Animal Kingdom Villas are nice, big zero entry pool, good counter service at the Jambo House, but you will bus it everywhere. Saratoga Springs is close to downtown but that bus is also annoying with what, 6 internal stops? Like others said, Old Key West has the biggest rooms with actual TWO real beds in the studios...nice grounds but again, lots of internal bus stops. LOVE Bay Lake Towers, walking distance to MK, the best counter service, IMO, great zero entry pool.

Our home resorts are Boardwalk and Bay Lake, but we end up staying at Boardwalk way more because we love Epcot. It's so nice at the end of the day at Epcot to not fight the crowds back to the bus. We just stroll out the back entrance :)

For kid "day care" I have used the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club twice and the once at Polynesian. I dropped my 8-year-old son and 3-year-old cousin at the Sandcastle Club for 3 hours while we attended the Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic. They feed them dinner, have games, toys, video games, crafts etc. and there were no complaints from either kid when we picked them up.

Another fun thing for kids in the Beach Club/Boardwalk area is that "Pirate Cruise" I've let my son go to that several times and we have a nice relaxing people watching session at the Boardwalk while he is having fun :)

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Thanks for all the great info! We're leaning toward Beach Club but it will depend on what pops up as far as availability. I didn't realize they have a mug refilling station so that's helpful. Is the walk to Epcot about the same from Boardwalk and Beach Club? But Boardwalk is shorter to Hollywood Studios?

I'd say Beach Club a is slightly shorter walk to Epcot (maybe by 5 mins) and yes, Boardwalk is a closer walk to Studios than Beach Club. We cut through the pool area if we are going to the Studios instead of walking all the way down the Boardwalk to meet up with the path. It's probably faster to ride the boat from the Beach Club.

The refillable mug station is in the store, where you can also get lunch sandwiches, gelato, breakfast sandwiches...you can also have them fill your mug at the bar at the pool.