Animal Kingdom or Beach Club? Help me decide!

You will be so happy with that choice! AKL is by far our favorite, but we had a wonderful week at Beach Club last year, mainly because of the walk to Epcot. The pool was neat, but it turned into a logistical mess trying to find all three of my kids certain times and finding a straight path to where I wanted to go!

Enjoy!
 
So that pretty much does it, we are going with AKL this time around. My kids and my husband all want AKL so I lost tis round. But I promise to try BC next time we go to Disney.
Thanks for all the great feedback! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to answer my question.:thumbsup2
Don't forget that AKL has some of the best Resort Dinning options around. The Mara is a particularly good QS option.
 
The pool at Kidani is a really nice. Small, but I think it has the best slide on property. Ya, that water slide there is my favorite on property.
 


Hey guys! I'm going to Disney End of February/Early March. I will be traveling with my husband and two boys, 9 and 12 y.o.

I've been to WDW so many times and usually stay either at POFQ or the Polynesian Resort. This time the deals for either of these resorts aren't that great so we decided to try out a new deluxe resort. We are looking at either AKL and BCR which both have up to 25% discount.

My kids are older now so the longer bus rides don't seem to be a big deal for us (no more baby carriages to contend with).

I know my kids would love their experience at Animal Kingdom. They love animals. We would get the pool view room to save a little but I don"t think it will be a big deal. We'll be able to watch the animals from the lookout points at the resort. I've always been excited to try this resort out but never been because of the distance to the other parks but since I cannot get the Poly, I am willing to put up with it. My husband actually prefers AKL to BCR because he loves the theming more at this hotel. He finds BCV kind of stale.

The Beach Club Resort is still on list because of the proximity to HS since we're planning to visit HS twice during out trip because of the new Galaxy's Edge. My boys and myself are huge Star Wars fans. I also like the fact that we can walk to Epcot and we can experience the Boardwalk. I think the rooms are nice at Beach Club but I understand my husband's point of view that the resort is kind of stale. I'm more worried about the size of this resort and the amount of walking we'll need to do to get to the bus stops or boat dock, but that is a small detail. I also am not sure about the food options at this resort. I did book Beaches and Cream for lunch one day already.

Anyway, I guess I am just torn on which resort to pick. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
We have stayed at both resorts a few timea each. I love both of them and feel you can't go wrong either way. As long as it is not love bug season AKL is wonderful. I had one bad visit there during that season. I loved the restaurants especially. It has a nice feel there. I also love the beach club for the pool area, club level, Cape May breakfast, beaches and cream and location to Epcot and HS. Beach Club We have stayed several times and it is a favorite of ours. Just like home to us. Have a great trip whatever you decide.
 
You're going to love AKL! Giraffes > a few extra minutes on a bus :)

Side note - I always hear people complain about the distance from AKL to the parks. I think some of that has to do with where you're from. I live someplace where there's always traffic and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get anywhere. So the fact that the bus ride from AKL to MK is about the same amount of time it takes me to drive from my house to the grocery store...well...it doesn't seem bad at all. If you're someplace where traffic is more then 2 cars stopped at a light...then 10-15 minutes on a bus might seem like an eternity.
 


BC.
We stayed at AKL a few years ago and I was incredibly disappointed. The only thing I liked about it there was that we got an obstructed savanna view room, so we sat out there and watched the animals any time we were in the room. But I'm just as happy having lunch at Sanaa and then wandering around to check things out. I didn't like the room, the layout of the entire resort, the food court, the distance from most of the parks. We will actually never stay there again.
 
Do not under estimate how bad the bus service can be at times from AKV. The drive is fine but when you are sitting waiting for a bus for a long time that's the part that stinks.

Flip side BCV is going to be walkable to two parks.
 
You can't make a wrong choice with those two! So man positives either way! We have a trip in February and decided on AKL because we're only going to Animal Kingdom but I think I'd go with Beach Club if we had two Hollywood Studios days. Let us know what you pick!
 
Me personally I would absolutely say Beach Club. You can't beat how EASY it is to get to DHS & EPCOT. I love being right on the boardwalk, and I love the pool. I've only stayed at AKL twice though, so I may be a little biased. The dining at AKL is awesome but I'm the kind of person who would prefer to be in the parks vs sitting down to eat. Also, if Yacht Club is an option, I'd do that over BC. Just tossing that out there. :P
 
We had the same dilemma a few weeks ago and I made the same decision as you! We haven't stayed at BC but we have stayed at AKL and loved it. For us, it was the cost difference between the two of them. We didn't find the bus service bad at all during our previous stay and loved the decor of AKL. The kids loved the animals. I would love to stay BC one day, but it will have to be on a future trip :)
 
We had the same dilemma a few weeks ago and I made the same decision as you! We haven't stayed at BC but we have stayed at AKL and loved it. For us, it was the cost difference between the two of them. We didn't find the bus service bad at all during our previous stay and loved the decor of AKL. The kids loved the animals. I would love to stay BC one day, but it will have to be on a future trip :)
I’m glad to hear that, it makes me feel better. I was a little worried about regretting my choice but I think it will be such a cool experience. The kids and husband are so excited. Thanks for sharing.
 
While you are embracing the awesome that is AKL, be sure to check out the cultural opportunities, tours, and stories around the firepit as resort activities at AKL. I haven't stayed in a few years, so my list of resort activities is out of date but they'll have awesome activities at the resort.
I love both resorts and even own at BCV but you really will love AKL. Enjoy!
 
So that pretty much does it, we are going with AKL this time around. My kids and my husband all want AKL so I lost tis round. But I promise to try BC next time we go to Disney.
Thanks for all the great feedback! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to answer my question.:thumbsup2
I couldn't decide between AKL and Beach Club so we're doing a split stay! 😉
 
While you are embracing the awesome that is AKL, be sure to check out the cultural opportunities, tours, and stories around the firepit as resort activities at AKL. I haven't stayed in a few years, so my list of resort activities is out of date but they'll have awesome activities at the resort.
I love both resorts and even own at BCV but you really will love AKL. Enjoy!
Thanks, I’ll definitely check out all the activities offered at the resort. Cheers
 

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