I’ll just post a few things that I don’t think I saw prominently featured in other posts…no reason to repeat things others have said over and over.
We stayed in at the Yacht Club for 10 days in Oct with 2 adults and 2 children (ages 5 and 10)
Yacht Club vs Beach Club: lots of previous threads on this one, so I’ll just point out one thing (in addition to my review of the renovated rooms at YC). Yacht Club parking can be much more limited than Beach Club. Convention overflow can take up significant parts of an already small parking lot. We had to park at Beach Club and did not use our car at times, because we didn’t want to deal with the parking situation. If easy in and out with a car is a priority, you may like BC better. Another observation is that Yacht Club is actually closer to the signature pool than much of the Beach Club.
Pool: Plenty has been said about the pool, so not need to repeat into that. I will note that with small children, the overall size of the pool complex can be a negative. Something like WL is easier to manage if you need to maintain eyes-on your child at all times. The children’s area with the sand to play in is outstanding and it is easy to relax in a chair while still keeping an eye on them. If they want to wander or enjoy the slide is when it could be an issue.
Rooms: While the theming is toned down in comparison to AKL or WL, the newly renovated rooms were outstanding. Lighting was great, bathroom design was great (handheld shower added for quickly hosing off the little ones). Tons of USB outlets in all the right places. Tons of storage…drawers and cabinets everywhere. I go back and forth occasionally between my desire for location and theming. My last trip was WL and AKL, so this time I opted for convenience. IMO the EPCOT resorts offer the most central location between the four parks, and they have direct access to two parks.
Transportation: If you think the boat to HS is a benefit, be advised that walking is faster. It was about 20-25 minutes at a pretty quick pace. On a hot day, this can take a toll. There were also times when you were going to have to wait for the second boat due to the line. The transportation is kind of a mess at HS right now due to construction. There are no buses to HS from Yacht and Beach Club. On the plus side, walking to EPCOT is a breeze. We had breakfast in France one morning when the park opened and wished we’d taken advantage of this unique opportunity more often.
Dining: Proximity is the key here. I will echo other comments that Yacht and Beach could use a significant upgrade to their quick service. If you want something quick and easy in the hotel, the options are limited. If you have a bit more time and energy, the Boardwalk pizza and other kiosks are actually not bad. Of course EPCOT offers tons of options as well. Big River and ESPN are two of my worst dining experiences at Disney (along with Rain Forest Café at AK).
We scored a last minute reservation for BoG breakfast. After hearing the hype, I was eager to give it a try. Overall, we were underwhelmed. Theming aside, it was basically a cafeteria. Despite having reservations, you order at a kiosk and find your own seat in one of the three large rooms. Service is non-existent. Food was very good for MK, but IMO that isn’t saying much.
Early Morning Magic: We did the upcharge event at both MK and HS. I know these things elicit an emotional response from many people, but I think they are worth it if you can afford it. We got our fill on some high demand rides that would be 120 minute waits at other times, had a nice breakfast, and freed up the rest of the day for the pool or another park. If you look at it in terms of adding a day to your vacation, time-wise, it makes more economic sense.
MNSSHP: Still love the parade and environment, but I think the value has gone down. It is really crowded, so don’t count on it being an avenue for shorter lines. That may change if you can do the whole evening, but with young kids, we only had so far we could push them.
Air Conditioning: This was a surprising and really significant takeaway. We had August level heat for part of the trip. The saving grace of hot days in a Florida theme park is the air conditioning in attractions, stores, and restaurants. Disney is either cutting back on the cost of AC or they look at the calendar and not the thermometer to determine settings. Many places that were previously a refuge from the heat were only marginally cooler than the outside. This really wore us down on hot days.
Lots of review items are subjective, but I hope there is something in this that helps a few folks. I know I read lots of review to assist in my decision making.
We stayed in at the Yacht Club for 10 days in Oct with 2 adults and 2 children (ages 5 and 10)
Yacht Club vs Beach Club: lots of previous threads on this one, so I’ll just point out one thing (in addition to my review of the renovated rooms at YC). Yacht Club parking can be much more limited than Beach Club. Convention overflow can take up significant parts of an already small parking lot. We had to park at Beach Club and did not use our car at times, because we didn’t want to deal with the parking situation. If easy in and out with a car is a priority, you may like BC better. Another observation is that Yacht Club is actually closer to the signature pool than much of the Beach Club.
Pool: Plenty has been said about the pool, so not need to repeat into that. I will note that with small children, the overall size of the pool complex can be a negative. Something like WL is easier to manage if you need to maintain eyes-on your child at all times. The children’s area with the sand to play in is outstanding and it is easy to relax in a chair while still keeping an eye on them. If they want to wander or enjoy the slide is when it could be an issue.
Rooms: While the theming is toned down in comparison to AKL or WL, the newly renovated rooms were outstanding. Lighting was great, bathroom design was great (handheld shower added for quickly hosing off the little ones). Tons of USB outlets in all the right places. Tons of storage…drawers and cabinets everywhere. I go back and forth occasionally between my desire for location and theming. My last trip was WL and AKL, so this time I opted for convenience. IMO the EPCOT resorts offer the most central location between the four parks, and they have direct access to two parks.
Transportation: If you think the boat to HS is a benefit, be advised that walking is faster. It was about 20-25 minutes at a pretty quick pace. On a hot day, this can take a toll. There were also times when you were going to have to wait for the second boat due to the line. The transportation is kind of a mess at HS right now due to construction. There are no buses to HS from Yacht and Beach Club. On the plus side, walking to EPCOT is a breeze. We had breakfast in France one morning when the park opened and wished we’d taken advantage of this unique opportunity more often.
Dining: Proximity is the key here. I will echo other comments that Yacht and Beach could use a significant upgrade to their quick service. If you want something quick and easy in the hotel, the options are limited. If you have a bit more time and energy, the Boardwalk pizza and other kiosks are actually not bad. Of course EPCOT offers tons of options as well. Big River and ESPN are two of my worst dining experiences at Disney (along with Rain Forest Café at AK).
We scored a last minute reservation for BoG breakfast. After hearing the hype, I was eager to give it a try. Overall, we were underwhelmed. Theming aside, it was basically a cafeteria. Despite having reservations, you order at a kiosk and find your own seat in one of the three large rooms. Service is non-existent. Food was very good for MK, but IMO that isn’t saying much.
Early Morning Magic: We did the upcharge event at both MK and HS. I know these things elicit an emotional response from many people, but I think they are worth it if you can afford it. We got our fill on some high demand rides that would be 120 minute waits at other times, had a nice breakfast, and freed up the rest of the day for the pool or another park. If you look at it in terms of adding a day to your vacation, time-wise, it makes more economic sense.
MNSSHP: Still love the parade and environment, but I think the value has gone down. It is really crowded, so don’t count on it being an avenue for shorter lines. That may change if you can do the whole evening, but with young kids, we only had so far we could push them.
Air Conditioning: This was a surprising and really significant takeaway. We had August level heat for part of the trip. The saving grace of hot days in a Florida theme park is the air conditioning in attractions, stores, and restaurants. Disney is either cutting back on the cost of AC or they look at the calendar and not the thermometer to determine settings. Many places that were previously a refuge from the heat were only marginally cooler than the outside. This really wore us down on hot days.
Lots of review items are subjective, but I hope there is something in this that helps a few folks. I know I read lots of review to assist in my decision making.
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