Contemporary Bay Lake Villa vs. Beach Club Villa?

[Scit143Mama]

Hi all -- new the forum, appreciate your help in advance. We've been to Disney World once before, two years ago when our kids were only 4 and 2. We stayed in a main resort pool view room at Beach Club last time and LOVED the resort, we would absolutely go back -- our only complaint was the bus ride to Magic Kingdom felt very long (we had several long waits). So we are considering a monorail resort this time around.

Planning a trip for April 2019 and looking at 1 bedroom villas at Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary or Beach Club Villas -- does anyone here have experience at the villas at either/both of these? Is being on the monorail (or walkable) to MK really that much better? The pool at Contemporary looks pretty disappointing compared to Beach Club. How long is the walk from Bay Lake Tower to the main Contemporary resort building?

Any other pros or cons to one vs. the other would be greatly appreciated??

Side question: our first choice is a 1 bedroom suite at Polynesian, which are fully booked right now. Do these ever open up? If so, what's the best way to snag one in case someone else cancels their reservation?

Thanks!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Side question: our first choice is a 1 bedroom suite at Polynesian, which are fully booked right now. Do these ever open up? If so, what's the best way to snag one in case someone else cancels their reservation?

The longhouse with suites (Tonga) is the smallest longhouse at the Poly and contains only 5 suites and of the 5 there is only one with one bedroom. All the suites have club level service and are priced well over $1,000/night. These rooms don’t always show up on the Disney site and you need call to check availability.

You mentioned you are looking at one bedroom villas at Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club. These locations were built as DVC units and offer studios, one bedroom and two bedroom rooms. The 3 DVC buildings at the Polynesian only offer studios. A Poly studio has two bathrooms (only one with a toilet) and sleeps 5 (queen bed, day bed, pull-out sofa). You will likely be able to find availability for April.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Bay Lake Tower is, by far, the least convenient resort to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. It also happens to be the most convenient to the Magic Kingdom. My girls are 4 and 1 and even we don't spend enough time at the Magic Kingdom to really get any benefit from the "convenience" of the monorail resorts.

With kids that age, I'd seriously look into Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge. Their theming is miles ahead of the Contemporary or the Epcot resorts for kids.

 

[Scit143Mama]

Bay Lake Tower is, by far, the least convenient resort to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. It also happens to be the most convenient to the Magic Kingdom. My girls are 4 and 1 and even we don't spend enough time at the Magic Kingdom to really get any benefit from the "convenience" of the monorail resorts.

With kids that age, I'd seriously look into Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge. Their theming is miles ahead of the Contemporary or the Epcot resorts for kids.

That is really helpful -- exactly the kind of info I was hoping for, since I have no idea how far things are from each other. Thank you so much. I think Bay Lake Tower is out then. We like MK but only for one day, not an entire week, being far from everything else JUST to be near monorail for two parks probably isn't worth it. I'm going to look more into Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodge -- although I saw on the site that AKL is closing its main pool area this fall and there's no word on when it will re-open. The pool experience is probably one of our most motivating factors, so I think any resort with a pool under construction is automatically out for us. How is Wilderness for convenience to most parks?? Thank you again!

 

[Scit143Mama]

The longhouse with suites (Tonga) is the smallest longhouse at the Poly and contains only 5 suites and of the 5 there is only one with one bedroom. All the suites have club level service and are priced well over $1,000/night. These rooms don’t always show up on the Disney site and you need call to check availability.

You mentioned you are looking at one bedroom villas at Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club. These locations were built as DVC units and offer studios, one bedroom and two bedroom rooms. The 3 DVC buildings at the Polynesian only offer studios. A Poly studio has two bathrooms (only one with a toilet) and sleeps 5 (queen bed, day bed, pull-out sofa). You will likely be able to find availability for April.

Thank you, that is really good to know!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That is really helpful -- exactly the kind of info I was hoping for, since I have no idea how far things are from each other. Thank you so much. I think Bay Lake Tower is out then. We like MK but only for one day, not an entire week, being far from everything else JUST to be near monorail for two parks probably isn't worth it. I'm going to look more into Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodge -- although I saw on the site that AKL is closing its main pool area this fall and there's no word on when it will re-open. The pool experience is probably one of our most motivating factors, so I think any resort with a pool under construction is automatically out for us. How is Wilderness for convenience to most parks?? Thank you again!

Animal Kingdom Lodge is split into two sections, Jambo House and Kidani Village. Jambo House is the "main" section and contains all of the regular (non-villa) hotel rooms as well as a selection of villa units. Kidani Village is 100% villas, so that's where you'd probably want to be. Kidani has its own pool that many people consider superior to the Jambo pool anyways, so by staying there you'd avoid the pool closure and construction at Jambo.

AKL and WL aren't really any more convenient than the Contemporary. Their main distinguishing feature is the theming. My comment about convenience was more in favor of Beach Club if you were set on Beach Club vs. Contemporary. Regardless, nothing at Walt Disney World is really that inconvenient, I just think people have a tendency to assume they're going to zip around property super efficiently if they're staying on the monorail loop. Even when you consider Epcot, which is on the monorail system, it's usually faster to get to Epcot by bus from a non-monorail resort than it is to get there via monorail from the Contemporary.

 

[Tom P.]

AKL and WL aren't really any more convenient than the Contemporary. Their main distinguishing feature is the theming. My comment about convenience was more in favor of Beach Club if you were set on Beach Club vs. Contemporary. Regardless, nothing at Walt Disney World is really that inconvenient, I just think people have a tendency to assume they're going to zip around property super efficiently if they're staying on the monorail loop. Even when you consider Epcot, which is on the monorail system, it's usually faster to get to Epcot by bus from a non-monorail resort than it is to get there via monorail from the Contemporary.

Perhaps we've just been lucky, as I see many people complain about the buses. But we've never stayed at a monorail resort, almost always uses the buses for transportation, and have always found them to be convenient and not a particular hassle.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

That is really helpful -- exactly the kind of info I was hoping for, since I have no idea how far things are from each other. Thank you so much. I think Bay Lake Tower is out then. We like MK but only for one day, not an entire week, being far from everything else JUST to be near monorail for two parks probably isn't worth it. I'm going to look more into Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodge -- although I saw on the site that AKL is closing its main pool area this fall and there's no word on when it will re-open. The pool experience is probably one of our most motivating factors, so I think any resort with a pool under construction is automatically out for us. How is Wilderness for convenience to most parks?? Thank you again!

AKL is an awesome resort, I love it, BUT consider that AKL is pretty far (relatively) from all other resorts that aren't Animal Kingdom. If you stay at AKL with children, I would advise renting a car for trips to Epcot, HS and MK.

As far as monorail resorts, I think Polynesian is pretty good as far as convenience to parks goes. You have several direct options to MK (monorail, boat from the Poly, boat from the TTC) and a no-transfer monorail trip to Epcot (TTC is a very short walk from Poly). You'll have to bus if you want to go from Poly directly to HS or Animal Kingdom, but overall I think it covers most of the convenience bases.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

AKL is an awesome resort, I love it, BUT consider that AKL is pretty far (relatively) from all other resorts that aren't Animal Kingdom. If you stay at AKL with children, I would advise renting a car for trips to Epcot, HS and MK.

The calculated travel times don't bear that out. I've posted this in other threads, but I'll also share it here. These are all based on the "official" recommended travel routes from Disney (bus, monorail, boat, etc.).

Polynesian to Magic Kingdom: 13 minutes
Polynesian to Epcot: 45 minutes (unless you're in one of the buildings that's close to the TTC)
Polynesian to Hollywood Studios: 20 minutes
Polynesian to Animal Kingdom: 26 minutes
Polynesian to Disney Springs: 27 minutes

Contemporary to Magic Kingdom: 10 minutes
Contemporary to Epcot: 34 minutes
Contemporary to Hollywood Studios: 19 minutes
Contemporary to Animal Kingdom: 25 minutes
Contemporary to Disney Springs: 47 minutes

Animal Kingdom Lodge to Magic Kingdom: 21 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Epcot: 20 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Hollywood Studios: 19 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Animal Kingdom: 18 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Disney Springs: 26 minutes

Yes, the monorail resorts are more convenient to the Magic Kingdom, but they're actually less convenient to anywhere else.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

The calculated travel times don't bear that out. I've posted this in other threads, but I'll also share it here.

Polynesian to Magic Kingdom: 13 minutes
Polynesian to Epcot: 45 minutes (unless you're in one of the buildings that's close to the TTC)
Polynesian to Hollywood Studios: 20 minutes
Polynesian to Animal Kingdom: 26 minutes
Polynesian to Disney Springs: 27 minutes

Contemporary to Magic Kingdom: 10 minutes
Contemporary to Epcot: 34 minutes
Contemporary to Hollywood Studios: 19 minutes
Contemporary to Animal Kingdom: 25 minutes
Contemporary to Disney Springs: 47 minutes

Animal Kingdom Lodge to Magic Kingdom: 21 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Epcot: 20 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Hollywood Studios: 19 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Animal Kingdom: 18 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Disney Springs: 26 minutes

Yes, the monorail resorts are more convenient to the Magic Kingdom, but they're actually less convenient to anywhere else.

Your Poly to Epcot number is off. If you're at Poly, it's extremely walkable to the TTC. That's the best way to Epcot from Poly, period.

I'd also argue that, all else being equal, a trip direct to park that involves a boat or monorail rather than a bus is a much more pleasant experience with children (even without children I find it much more relaxing). I'd happily add 5-10 minutes to my travel time if it meant being on a ferry rather than doing the bus trip.

Edit to add: There's also the security/bag check factor for Magic Kingdom. Definitely easier coming from monorail resort versus arriving by bus.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Agree with prior posts with this obvious addition, if you expect to spend most of your time at one park, locate closest to it. If you will be spending most of your time at Epcot/DHS, then Beach Club makes most sense to us. If most of your time is at DAK, then AKL makes most sense. If most of your time will be at MK, then any monorail resort is close. We really enjoy the walkability of CR/BLT to MK while they have the worst pools on property. Again, how much time will you spend at the pools as this can help drive your decision. Have a great time.

EDIT: you have your own bag check security station along the walkway into the park if at CR/BLT

 

[kristenry]

We love Bay Lake Towers and being able to walk to MK. It's about a 15 minute walk. It's about 5 to the main Contemporary building and monorail. You can take a monorail to the Ticket and Transportation center, get off and get back on another monorail to ride to Epcot. I think we did this a couple of times and then decided driving to EPCOT was quicker. You will have to rely on buses or a car to go to all of the other parks. BLT's 1 bedrooms also offer an additional bathroom and a sleeper chair, which is something we appreciate with older kids. We happen to love the pool at BLT, but I'm sure it's a pale comparison to Beach Club. If you're going to spend a lot of time at MK, you can't beat BLT's location. If you care more about EPCOT and HS, Beach Club would probably be better.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Your Poly to Epcot number is off. If you're at Poly, it's extremely walkable to the TTC. That's the best way to Epcot from Poly, period.

1. It's not MY Poly to Epcot number.

2. "Walkable" doesn't necessarily mean "pleasant walk." If I'm traveling with my wife in March and staying in Pago Pago, of course I walk to the TTC. If it's August and 93 degrees or pouring rain, I'm traveling with children, and staying in Fiji? No chance. You CAN walk from Old Key West to Disney Springs. That doesn't mean you should.

I'd also argue that, all else being equal, a trip direct to park that involves a boat or monorail rather than a bus is a much more pleasant experience with children (even without children I find it much more relaxing). I'd happily add 5-10 minutes to my travel time if it meant being on a ferry rather than doing the bus trip.

That's fine, but that's not what you said. I never made a claim about which journey is "better," I made a claim about which journey is "faster."

"Better" is also highly subjective. I had a week of 40 degree boat rides from Fort Wilderness in the middle of January and there was nothing "better" about it. I much rather would have been on a bus.

Edit to add: There's also the security/bag check factor for Magic Kingdom. Definitely easier coming from monorail resort versus arriving by bus.

That's entirely a matter of timing and random chance.

 

[MaryJaneP]

...
Polynesian to Epcot: 45 minutes (unless you're in one of the buildings that's close to the TTC)
Polynesian to Hollywood Studios: 20 minutes
...

Thanks, CaptainAmerica.

Is it true that Poly to Epcot is more than twice a long, time-wise, as Poly to DHS, an arguably farther park?

We usually take a monorail from CR to Epcot then Friendships to DHS.

 

[BASS]

All of the hotels suggested here are great in their own regard.

However, if ease of access to the parks is a priority, I find the luxury of having immediate access to at least one park preferred to those that do not have that option. For example, although I LOVE Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom, there's no monorail or simple walk to any of the parks. I think you should look at the monorail resorts and the boardwalk resorts (Boardwalk, Beach/Yacht Club).

Personally, I prefer the boardwalk hotels. I like the simple walk to Epcot as well as the dining/entertainment options in that area.

 

[wplong1]

It takes a long time IMO to get anywhere at WDW regardless of which Disney transportation option you use. You can neutralize this by using Uber. It is cheap, quick, and door to door. There is nothing magical about a bus anyway. We do use the monorail when not in a hurry, to return from Epcot/MK, or to get to dining reservations at other Monorail hotels if we have plenty of time. I love the monorail, so use it as much as possible (I'll ride the loop to Epcot and back without getting off), but it is not that quick in practice.

Our last two trips were to Boardwalk Villas and Grand Floridian Villas (at least same general locations as BLT and Beach Club). Although our favorite park (including our kids) is Epcot, and we loved the location of Boardwalk (we walked in to see Illuminations every night on that trip), the most relaxing in the bubble location that most felt like being on and immersed in our vacation was the GF. Loved the views of the lake, watching the monorails circling, seeing the MK at a distance and watching the fireworks every night, sunrises and sunsets on Seven Seas Lagoon are just amazing. Contemporary Tower facing MK is on my punch list, but I don't see ever leaving the monorail loop hotels again for the Epcot area. The loop just IS WDW for me.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

Thanks, CaptainAmerica.

Is it true that Poly to Epcot is more than twice a long, time-wise, as Poly to DHS, an arguably farther park?

We usually take a monorail from CR to Epcot then Friendships to DHS.

I don't believe that travel time is accurate. It must have been assuming you take the monorail at Poly all the way around and then transfer at the TTC.

From Polynesian, you can walk to the Ticket and Transportation Center (10 minutes or less) and take the monorail directly to Epcot from there. I can't quote you a time on that, but it is very likely less than 45 minutes.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

1. It's not MY Poly to Epcot number.

2. "Walkable" doesn't necessarily mean "pleasant walk." If I'm traveling with my wife in March and staying in Pago Pago, of course I walk to the TTC. If it's August and 93 degrees or pouring rain, I'm traveling with children, and staying in Fiji? No chance. You CAN walk from Old Key West to Disney Springs. That doesn't mean you should.

That's a bit disingenuous to compare it to the walk from OKW to DS. That walk is at least twice as long. It's a very manageable walk for the average guest to the TTC.

That's fine, but that's not what you said. I never made a claim about which journey is "better," I made a claim about which journey is "faster."

I think "better" is highly relevant to the OP's question. Just giving OP more factors to take into consideration.

"Better" is also highly subjective. I had a week of 40 degree boat rides from Fort Wilderness in the middle of January and there was nothing "better" about it. I much rather would have been on a bus.

Sounds unpleasant, but your anecdote is an outlier.

That's entirely a matter of timing and random chance.

I'd argue it isn't that random. I've never had more than a few people in front of me at the monorail bag check at Poly. I get off the monorail and don't whiff the bus fumes, I have a shorter walk, and there's no chance of log-jammed security checks that happen during busy days. Similar experience walking to TTC to take the ferry. Now those are just MY personal anecdotes, but are they not typical in your experience?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Thanks, CaptainAmerica.

Is it true that Poly to Epcot is more than twice a long, time-wise, as Poly to DHS, an arguably farther park?

We usually take a monorail from CR to Epcot then Friendships to DHS.

Just to be clear, you're saying that when you stay at the Contemporary, you get to Hollywood Studios by taking the monorail to the TTC, transferring to the Epcot beam, monorail to Epcot, then Friendship Boats to Hollywood Studios? That probably takes triple the amount of time as just taking a bus direct from the Contemporary.

However, if ease of access to the parks is a priority, I find the luxury of having immediate access to at least one park preferred to those that do not have that option. For example, although I LOVE Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom, there's no monorail or simple walk to any of the parks. I think you should look at the monorail resorts and the boardwalk resorts (Boardwalk, Beach/Yacht Club).

Personally, I prefer the boardwalk hotels. I like the simple walk to Epcot as well as the dining/entertainment options in that area.

How does that work with the way you plan your week? Immediate access to Epcot is great... when you're going to Epcot. But do you spend enough time at Epcot in particular where that's really a huge benefit?

That's a bit disingenuous to compare it to the walk from OKW to DS. That walk is at least twice as long. It's a very manageable walk for the average guest to the TTC.

I think "better" is highly relevant to the OP's question. Just giving OP more factors to take into consideration.

Sounds unpleasant, but your anecdote is an outlier.

I'd argue it isn't that random. I've never had more than a few people in front of me at the monorail bag check at Poly. I get off the monorail and don't whiff the bus fumes, I have a shorter walk, and there's no chance of log-jammed security checks that happen during busy days. Similar experience walking to TTC to take the ferry. Now those are just MY personal anecdotes, but are they not typical in your experience?

The problem I have with the monorails has very little to do with Magic Kingdom. I think they make the trip to Epcot a nightmare. Even from the Poly, where you have the option of walking to the TTC, the transfer times for the Epcot beam are terrible. We're never the first people through the gates, but we're always there before the parks open at 9:00 and I find the monorail station to be much more crowded at that time than the resort bus stops. I'd rather relax by a covered bench at Animal Kingdom Lodge than be stuck with the hoards of people on the ramp at the TTC.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Just to be clear, you're saying that when you stay at the Contemporary, you get to Hollywood Studios by taking the monorail to the TTC, transferring to the Epcot beam, monorail to Epcot, then Friendship Boats to Hollywood Studios? That probably takes triple the amount of time as just taking a bus direct from the Contemporary...

You are right. We probably do take triple the amount of time than if we took a bus direct to DHS from the CR. We have never timed it nor ridden both compare the time-savings. We like the monorail rides and definitely take things more slowly than usual. We are trying to get a break from the go-go-go pace of usual work-a-day world.

We were just surprised to see a Poly to Epcot time of 45 minutes versus a Poly to DHS time of 20 minutes. Not that 45 minutes is a bad investment of time, it just seemed non-comparable to the 20 minutes number.