Should I stay or should I go ?

[Shawn15p]

OP, you already said how unhappy your wife is with you changing your mind over and over on this. Is a little extra time getting to the parks worth your wife "hating" you? Pick a plan and stick with it. Focus on the positive parts of whatever you choose, and for the love of heaven, don't second guess it once you get there.

QUOTE="MansionButler84, post: 7603489, member: 888"]Disney transportation can be slow anywhere. Reading TripAdvisor reviews is like reading the comments section on Facebook.

Your poor wife.[/QUOTE]

WOW. She doesn't literally hate me for planning our trips, it was said in jest which obviously many people on here don't understand. I am just trying get opinions about if BC is worth the extra cost for its convenience to the parks, the quality of the resort itself, and the pools since we will spend a good amount of time there.

 

[belledream]

I get what you're saying, OP. Listen, I LOVE Beach Club...it is not only my favorite resort on property, but just one of my favorite places to "be". However, I don't think it's worth the splurge when you already have a fantastic option available. It's not like you're trying to upgrade from All Star Sports to Beach Club. That would definitely be worth it for some.

I wouldn't read too much into the whole transportation issue. Sure, buses may be crowded or you might just miss one, but another will come along shortly. Walking to Epcot/HS is nice, but the walk to and from HS isn't that close.

Like you said, I think your kids will have a great time no matter where they are. Save the money for another trip, another time, and a whole nother setting. (Maybe Beach Club. )

 

[Plowboy]

AKL. Your kids will love it and you will too.

 

[TabulaRasa]

Transport times are vastly exaggerated on TripAdvisor. Yes, during peak times the transport can be slow (but it is slow ALL over property). I've been able to get from AKL to Magic Kingdom in 15 minutes via bus. It'll be fine.

 

[BackOTheLine]

Quit driving your wife nuts. Make a plan and stick to it.

Nah - keep her on her toes!

Never been to AKL, but we will. Have been to BC. Water is just as wet at AKL and $1300 cheaper. Kids won't notice any difference. We'd keep the whole trip at AKL. YMMV. Have fun and let us know what you finally do.

This. If it's about the pool - BC does have a cool pool area but it's not $1300 better. The proximity to the parks is a nice perk but I'm still not sure it's worth the difference. My 6 year old is happy anywhere there is water.

Transport times are vastly exaggerated on TripAdvisor. Yes, during peak times the transport can be slow (but it is slow ALL over property). I've been able to get from AKL to Magic Kingdom in 15 minutes via bus. It'll be fine.

We've stayed at AKL 2 times. Once a couple of years ago and I loved the resort, the food, the theming and everything but because of transportation I wasn't really interested in staying there again. Fast forward to this past February where we found ourselves back at AKL and this time I really had no issues. @TabulaRasa is correct. We timed one trip from AKL to MK at 12 minutes. Every other park is even closer. I think there's always a chance of having a bad "transportation day" at any resort, it's just the nature of the beast. After the last trip I would say ignore those TripAvisor reviews and trust all of the experts on here

That's my 2 cents anyway

 

[Shawn15p]

Transport times are vastly exaggerated on TripAdvisor. Yes, during peak times the transport can be slow (but it is slow ALL over property). I've been able to get from AKL to Magic Kingdom in 15 minutes via bus. It'll be fine.

Thanks for the reassurance. We are going to stick with AKL and use the money saved for drinks, souvenirs, etc.

 

[22YrsDVC]

Thanks for the reassurance. We are going to stick with AKL and use the money saved for drinks, souvenirs, etc.

Have you thought to save the money you were originally going to spend for the "Pool Upgrade" and use it for a future vacation??
You can never squirrel away too much for the next time!

 

[s&k'smom]

Well I tend to do the same thing, we were at YC but with the construction I asked my TA about switching and we will now suffer a week at the Wilderness Lodge, plus we saved nearly $700. And you will not regret AKL it is amazing.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Mostly the amount of time it takes to get to the parks, which is a concern of mine as well since we are spending 5 of the 7 days at the parks.

That's a myth, especially when you consider that the Epcot resorts often share a bus and AKL now has dedicated Magic Kingdom busses for Jambo and Kidani. At WORST, you're talking a 20 minute bus ride versus a 15 minute bus ride. Animal Kingdom Lodge is physically further from the parks but it's very direct. One left turn and you're there.

I am just trying get opinions about if BC is worth the extra cost for its convenience to the parks, the quality of the resort itself, and the pools since we will spend a good amount of time there.

I'm not sure what you're talking about regarding the "quality of the resort itself." AKL quality > Beach Club quality, and it's not close IMO.

 

[Shawn15p]

I'm not sure what you're talking about regarding the "quality of the resort itself." AKL quality > Beach Club quality, and it's not close IMO.

I am not sure what I am talking about either since I have never been to any disney resort

 

[Rickster7]

AKL is my choice. I have stayed at a lot of resorts and the buses at AKL are no worse than any other resort. Beach Club has to stop at other resorts and AKL has to stop at Kidani. Yes AKL Is further away from some parks but is another 5 minutes going to kill you?

 

[Shawn15p]

AKL is my choice. I have stayed at a lot of resorts and the buses at AKL are no worse than any other resort. Beach Club has to stop at other resorts and AKL has to stop at Kidani. Yes AKL Is further away from some parks but is another 5 minutes going to kill you?

No 5 minutes is not a big deal, but I have read it could take 30 mins to MK and 40 to Disney Springs. Also some people were saying they were waiting for an hour for the Epcot bus and is never showed up. I know to take those reviews with a grain of salt and it could happen at any resort. Either way, we are staying at AKL and our entire family is so excited !

 

[CaptainAmerica]

No 5 minutes is not a big deal, but I have read it could take 30 mins to MK and 40 to Disney Springs.

Those numbers would include time spent waiting for a bus. So yes, you could, in theory, spend 20 minutes waiting and another 15 minutes riding. But the time spent waiting is fairly consistent between all the resorts and the only impact of AKL would be an extra two or three minutes on the "riding" part. The transportation advantage of Beach Club isn't better busses, it's that you can walk to Epcot (and, kind of, DHS) without taking a bus at all.

Also some people were saying they were waiting for an hour for the Epcot bus and is never showed up.

That's a freak thing and you shouldn't expect it. It's happened to me once in about a dozen visits and it was at Saratoga Springs.

I know to take those reviews with a grain of salt and it could happen at any resort. Either way, we are staying at AKL and our entire family is so excited !

Woot.

 

[LeighM]

No 5 minutes is not a big deal, but I have read it could take 30 mins to MK and 40 to Disney Springs. Also some people were saying they were waiting for an hour for the Epcot bus and is never showed up. I know to take those reviews with a grain of salt and it could happen at any resort. Either way, we are staying at AKL and our entire family is so excited !

It does take a while to get from AK to Disney Springs because it's on the opposite side of the resort and there are stop lights. And if you go during the busy hours, and you're standing on the bus, the ride seems like it takes forever. If I want to go to Disney Springs for the evening, I'll often take a bus from a park (if I'm already there) to Saratoga Springs Resort and get off the bus at the Congress Park section and walk to Disney Springs. My husband and I prefer the Marketplace Section. Plus, we don't really like the location of the new resort bus stops.