Beach Club vs. Yacht Club (Yes, yet again)

[mousehouse23]

We're a family of 4 heading to WDW after 5 days at Vero Beach this summer. Our kids are 15 and 13.

We decided to splurge on BC or YC because I've always wanted to stay at an Epcot resort, and the kids are dying to experience Stormalong Bay. We'll only be there 2 nights, but are going to spend the bulk of our afternoons at the resort, in addition to the morning of our departure day.

Right now, YC would be marginally cheaper ($40). We'll be walking to both Epcot and HS during our stay. We'll also head over to Ample Hills at least once.

1) Which resort gets your vote?

2) Any more likelihood of getting a day bed in one or the other? It's not imperative, but our kids would rather sleep apart.

3) I'd get Garden or Woods view for both. How do these compare?

4) Is there a greater likelihood of a full balcony at YC>BC?

I've heard the theming of BC is more universally appreciated, but our kids are older, and I do appreciate a quiet stay.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[ninafeliz]

I voted Yacht Club for the simple reason that I really like to have a full balcony, and almost all of the rooms there have that. I have to say that I like the general theme of the BC better, but the lure of a balcony was enough to overcome that and I booked the yacht Club when we were deciding the exact same thing. So as of now we have only stayed at the YC (pre-renovation). On our upcoming trip in June we are doing 4 nights at the YC and 4 nights at the BC, and I am hoping to get a full balcony at the BC, and after that I will know if we do like one a lot better than the other or not (might depend on luck of the draw with room location also, though...). I'm not sure on the odds of a daybed, hopefully someone else will know more. I just know you don't always get one at these resorts, and you can make it a request, and that I have always heard getting both a full balcony and a daybed can be quite the quest!

 

[mousehouse23]

I voted Yacht Club for the simple reason that I really like to have a full balcony, and almost all of the rooms there have that. I have to say that I like the general theme of the BC better, but the lure of a balcony was enough to overcome that and I booked the yacht Club when we were deciding the exact same thing. So as of now we have only stayed at the YC (pre-renovation). On our upcoming trip in June we are doing 4 nights at the YC and 4 nights at the BC, and I am hoping to get a full balcony at the BC, and after that I will know if we do like one a lot better than the other or not (might depend on luck of the draw with room location also, though...). I'm not sure on the odds of a daybed, hopefully someone else will know more. I just know you don't always get one at these resorts, and you can make it a request, and that I have always heard getting both a full balcony and a daybed can be quite the quest!

Thank you! The full balcony is a big deal for me as well.

I imagine it is quite the coup to nab the balcony + day bed!

 

[Sweettears]

I would second the comment concerning the balcony. The chances of getting one at BC are pretty slim while at YC it’s pretty much likely. Otherwise I don’t see much difference between the two of them.

 

[heidijanesmith]

YC! A balcony/patio is a deal breaker for us. Since almost all the YC rooms have either a patio or balcony, I can ask for a daybed instead.

My older kids did not really care one way or the other for the theme. They did say the hallways looked like the Shining hotel hallways, they also say this about BW too.

 

[gillep]

If you want a full balcony I would go with YC. The new rooms are very nice, I love them.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Hmmm. Tough call. You can't go wrong. Both are lovely and I think you and your family will love Stormalong Bay and the walk or boat ride to two parks. I think for $40 (hey, that's at least a couple of adult beverages), full balcony, and access to the re-designed grab & go location on the Yacht Club side, I'd choose Yacht Club. The one caveat is that you can end up with a room at Yacht Club that is quite a distance from the lobby.

 

[oceanmarina]

I would say Beach Club - mainly due to the new dog policy at YC

 

[OneinThree]

We've never stayed at BC, but are booked for this summer. We did YC in December, and were a little disappointed as it felt really "basic" to us. The staff were all extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with (save on exception in the Marketplace), and our room was cleaned immaculately by mousekeeping. The dog thing is a complete deal-breaker though. BC seems to have a much greater following, and we hope to find out why in September! The variance in discounts between the two resorts right now also seems to reflect that.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

We've stayed at both. You can't go wrong with either for the walk to both parks, wandering to the Boardwalk or enjoying SAB. We have stayed at BC the majority of our stays but did enjoy our stay at YC (which was prior to the renovations). We liked the decor of the BC better but that may change after our stay at YC next month. We have mostly stayed in LV rooms but have had 1 stay in a GV room at both resorts. We loved our GV at the BC. It faced the back entrance/courtyard with a sideways view of the lake on our left. Our YC GV was a nice room but the view was of a line of trees to our left, across and on the right were just balconies and a strip of grass between it all. The trees hid the road so it wasn't very quiet. We had a huge balcony though! As for balconies, at BC we have been lucky and either been assigned a full balcony or have been able to be moved to a room with one. We have gotten the full balcony/daybed combo once. That was a standard view room. The other times we had them bring in a daybed (son/daughter combo who were teens/young adults) which worked out fine. Hope you have a great stay which ever resort you choose!

 

[Hopefully]

I would second the comment concerning the balcony. The chances of getting one at BC are pretty slim while at YC it’s pretty much likely. Otherwise I don’t see much difference between the two of them.

This is not accurate. The chances of getting a balcony at the BC are literally 50%. Not pretty slim. Yet there are only a handful of rooms at the YC that do not have balconies.
We greatly prefer the BC. But your desire for quieter and a balcony would have me recommend YC for you.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm typically a "book whatever's cheaper" person, but in this case, I voted for YC. We just stayed there a few weeks ago and the refurb is off the charts, IMHO. Literally, after being completely underwhelmed on our first stay there a few years ago, this last stay blew me away. The refurbed rooms are gorgeous. We had a garden view and it was lovely. I only requested a quiet room (we are a family of 3) and we were in a room with a full balcony and a daybed. The new QS/gift shop and the new Ale & Compass restaurant were both outstanding. The CM's were also incredibly helpful. Loved it!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Either resort is fine. You can't go wrong. We usually prefer the BC because the Beach Club Marketplace has better counter service options than the YC. But we will choose whatever resort is cheaper, if the prices are different.

 

[Sweettears]

This is not accurate. The chances of getting a balcony at the BC are literally 50%. Not pretty slim. Yet there are only a handful of rooms at the YC that do not have balconies.
We greatly prefer the BC. But your desire for quieter and a balcony would have me recommend YC for you.

I won’t argue the percentage, however a great percentage of the balconies at BC are the half balconies and are not suitable for sitting on.

 

[Hopefully]

I won’t argue the percentage, however a great percentage of the balconies at BC are the half balconies and are not suitable for sitting on.

The percentage of balconies that are” Juliet” standing only balconies is reportedly 50% not a great percentage. That is fact

 

[bwifan]

If dogs are not a prob for you, then yacht all the way. Both resorts have beautiful rooms and access to a great pool. The only differences concern full balconies (yacht) and a serene lobby that does not reek of old shellfish (yacht). Gotta give the edge to yacht.
Not to mention, during Irma, yacht staff were super stars.

 

[Sweettears]

The percentage of balconies that are” Juliet” standing only balconies is reportedly 50% not a great percentage. That is fact

Are you including DVC and club level?

 

[Hopefully]

Are you including DVC and club level?

BC DVC is NOT BC. No I am not including them in the 50% number. BC DVC is 100% full balconies.
CL is a higher percentage full balconies then regular rooms and I don’t believe it is included in the 50% number.

 

[Sweettears]

Well we will agree to disagree. Unless you can quote a source my luck in getting a full balcony at BC is much less than a coin toss.

 

[loves to dive]

I've stayed at both many times and prefer YC for two reasons: the balcony issue and YC feels more adult to me. My kid is grown so we enjoy the quiet and darker looks of the YC.