Your opinion matters: MK Vs Epcot Resort Areas

[zurgandfriend]

My new year’s resolution is another trip to WDW. While I am in saving and planning mode I would like some opinions as to Magic Kingdom resorts Vs Epcot resorts.
We (DW, DS and I) have always stayed in the Magic Kingdom resort area, (Wilderness Lodge Contemporary and Polynesian). DS is getting older and doesn’t want to visit the Magic Kingdom nearly as much as in the past. He doesn’t like or handle change very well however and only wants to stay in the Magic Kingdom resort area, on the monorail, with the Contemporary being his first choice. :brick:
DW insists on a deluxe resort, I agree due to the size of the beds, full Vs queen. She is against staying at the Contemporary or Polynesian again. She has also ruled out the Animal Kingdom Lodge. She says she wants to stay at a different resort next trip so it won’t feel like “we just did this”. She says she is open to suggestions one minute; says maybe we should stay off properties the next minute and then says she agrees with DS it wouldn’t be WDW without being near the Magic Kingdom. I think her favorite color is plaid.:hammer:
I would like to stay at an Epcot resort with the Yacht club being my first choice. I feel that staying in the Epcot resort area would provide a different point of view to a WDW vacation.
DW and I love to walk around and see the sights of the World Showcase. The dining options in the world showcase and Epcot resort area are great and DS has always wanted to explore the pool at the Yacht and Beach clubs. I think I know most of the pro and con of Magic Kingdom area Vs the Epcot area. (I.e. transportation; monorail Vs no transportation to the front of Epcot and the preverbal slow boat aka friendship boats to DHS.)
I want your advice and opinions. I don’t want to book a resort unless my family is on board with that resort otherwise I run the risk of having 1 or maybe 2 people disgruntled. As I see it my options at this time are;
Get everyone on board with an Epcot resort with advice and opinions from you.
“Bite the bullet” and book the Grand Floridian. We haven’t stayed at the Grand Floridian; it is on the monorail and in the Magic Kingdom resort area.
Say I have to go on a business trip and go to WDW alone.
Opinions please and thank you.

 

[durangojim]

Our two favorite resorts are the BC and WL. GF used to be at the top of our list (we've stayed there many times) but unfortunately the quality and service have declined greatly in the past years so I refuse to stay there until I hear otherwise.
The reasons we like the BC so much is that it extremely convenient to get to EPCOT and the whole ambience of the resort is so relaxing. We love the color scheme and the beach. The yacht club is nice as well, but doesn't make us feel as relaxed as BC. We have two children (4 and 1) and the pool area is fantastic. You really can't go wrong with either the BC or YC but my vote would be for BC.

 

[mousefan1972]

Up until last April, all of our WDW trips included a stay at a Magic Kingdom area resort. Mostly Wilderness Lodge and Polynesian, and also once each at Contemporary and Shades of Green. That area just feels like "home" to us, and our young kids are MK junkies so we are there for at least part of nearly every day of our trips. So it makes sense to stay near there. We decided to try something new last April, and stayed at AKL for the 1st time. The resort was beautiful and we had a great savanna view, but the distance from MK and erratic bus service stunk. Likely won't be staying there again for a while. Then in Sept '09 we tried our first Epcot resort: Beach Club. (villas) It was definitely very different from staying in a MK resort, but not in a bad way. The 5-10 minute walk to the back entrance to Epcot was great, as was the 15-20 minute walk to Studios. We found the Friendship boats to be ridiculously slow, so we chose to walk. The BW area is nice, but not really our cup of tea. Also, our kids are little fish and loved the pool at BC/YC, so we spent quite a bit of time there. The only drawback is unless you want to walk a loooong way from the resort, through Epcot to the monorail (which requires a park hopper), the only way to MK is by bus. Since we usually have boat or monorail acces to MK this was quite different.

We are trying GF for our next trip, then will try Yacht Club after that. It sounds from your post that your family wants the MK area again, so maybe compromise and stay at GF, since it is "new" to you guys but still in the MK area and on the monorail. Good luck with whatever you decide. :wave:

 

[dmbcrush5]

I grew up only staying at the Poly with a few trips to WL thrown in here and there. I never thought any of the other resorts could provide the Disney magic they way that those two resorts did and that proximity to MK was key. However, as the result of the urging of some friends, we decided to give BW a try about 5 years ago. From that point on, I was hooked on the Epcot location. Having the ability to walk to two different parks rather than wait for busses, boats, or monorails is a HUGE time saver. After that first BW trip, we tried BC and haven't stayed anywhere else since. The theming is amazing and the pool can't be beat! I'll miss Art the greeter, but there are so many other things that BC does to give you that Disney feel. We typically hit one park in the morning, head back to BC for a couple of hours by the pool, then head to another park in the afternoon. I can't tell you how many times I've decided to take a quick break from the pool and head over the England to get fish and chips for lunch, grab a quick orange grand marnier slushy in France, then head back to the pool again. It's absolutely wonderful!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[nightowlky]

LOVE the Epcot resort area.

To be so close to the WS entrance or a quick walk to DHS; catching a movie on a lounge chair on the beach at BC; Beaches and Cream ('nuff said right there!)

Plus the Boardwalk for some fun activities (although I prefer the BC over the BW as a resort, itself)

 

[cdunbar]

If you want an epcot resort it is my understanding that the boardwalk area has these cottages which are suppose to be VERY nice. But when we went in september we stayed at the yacht club on concierge level and it was great. They had the food out in the morning, we'd go down there in pj's (first morning we were completly dressed and came in to a whole room of pj clad people and said hey if they can do it so can we!:lol, come back to the room and get ready and then go to the parks come back mid-afternoon and they would have snacks like cheeses, apples, etc. set out I would recommend it! And the resort itself was beautiful and of course they have beaches and cream and the beach club is right there as well so you can eat at Cape May. But, we found that because we were at an epcot resort we went and epcot and dhs more than MK and found the opposite when we stayed at an MK resort so it's really a matter of what park do you want to go to more....:shrug::wave:...so this might not of been helpful...:lol:

 

[pescador1f]

Favorite color is plaid, that's great!!!! I could'nt offer advice since we always stay in value resorts, but we are definately looking to stay at Yacht/Beach Club next visit for the simple fact we love Epcot World Showcase & our son is too young to have an opinion. The ability to walk to 2 parks is awesome, I used the boat last trip but got off half way then walked, very slow. have fun!!!

 

[surfsupdon]

Walkin to two parks is awesome. Yacht Club and BoardWalk are our two favorite resorts. We always stay in the Epcot Area (1st time at Poly this Oct).

You've said your reasoning in your post. The son wants to explore the pools and you and the wife want to explore WS and the other Resorts. Strolling around Crescent Lake at night and knowing that you are stayin in this area is fantastic. Cool little shops, entertainment, and beautiful gardens and architecture.


It's really neat to be lying at the pool in your boardshorts, get hungry, and just walk into Epcot for your lunch and then walk back to the pool for more relaxation. Fish n Chips is in the perfect location! And yes your son will really like StormalonG Bay, and the Yacht/Beach recreation team does the absolute MOST I have ever seen at any Disney Resort. Games, fun, music, dunktanks, crafts, movies, bonfires, dancing lifeguards, pool games, lawn games, volleyball, and more. They do a top notch job.


And Yacht Club just got brand new rooms during a refurb.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

You are right that staying at an Epcot resort will provide a total different feel to the trip. My two favorite resorts are The Polynesian and The Boardwalk, and I find that my trips are completely different from each other when I stay at those places.

I tend to spend most of my time at MK when I'm at the Poly. I think the theming there is the best in all of WDW, and I love both sit down restaurants on site. I'm in love with watching Wishes from the beach and with just walking the grounds. I never felt that magic or comfort at Grand Floridian, where I have never stayed but have visited. I feel like it was just too fancy for my husband & I. Contemporary I've eaten at, and visited several times, but also never stayed at. I never felt like there was much of a theme to it, and I feared it would be loud with the monorail coming through. AKL is too crowded for my liking - I avoid it there. Of the MK resorts, Polynesian takes it for me.

Epcot resorts provide a more relaxing trip, IMO. I find them to be quieter, at least The Boardwalk. We found Beach & Yacht to be a lot more packed. Being able to walk to Epcot & HS is awesome. You can also walk to Fantasia Minigolf. We like to rent the covered bikes and ride them around the Boardwalk, and eat at ESPN Club (my husband's choice)! We find that we're always walking into Epcot or HS at night to catch dinner or a show - assuming we have used a hopper that day. My husband strongly prefers the Epcot trip, and would stay at Boardwalk every time.

I love both trips, and I like to mix things up. I also don't like to do the same thing every time I go. I would say to try an Epcot resort this time, just to have a new experience. Yacht Club's got the best pool - can't argue that. I just prefer the quietness of Boardwalk's Luna pool which is also a lot of fun. It's circus themed, and great for kids (and adults!)

Whatever you decide to do - it's Disney, so you'll have a great time!

 

[jeffk410]

EPCOT. CLose too so much!

 

[wdwwdeagle]

We stayed at WL and Boardwalk Inn last week. We definitely preferred BW. In the past, we have stayed at monorail resorts Poly and Contemp, and at AKL.

BW was our first EPCOT resort, and we really enjoyed it. I agree w/PP that you should try it out. I wasn't sure either, b/c I love being on the monorail, and walking to MK from the CR, but walking to EPCOT was awesome, even in 45 degree weather! Our family loved staying in this area.

One idea may be to split stay. We did 3 nights at WL and 2 nights at BW. However, for you I would suggest starting your trip at the EPCOT resort of your choice (maybe BC/YC for the pool), and then ending it at a monorail resort, maybe GF... that way everyone has something to look forward to, and it will be familiar yet new.