Is Beach Club all it's cracked up to be for First Timers?

I would say yes, as I am never going to be able to convince my family to stay somewhere else. My fantasy hotels are Contemporary and AKL and they don’t even want to hear other ideas, they just want to stay at BCV.

My kids are older but were 9 & 6 the first time we stayed there. First they complained the hotel was too “fancy” (Art of Animation family suites were our previous choice), but once they saw the pool and that we could walk to Epcot and boat to Hollywood, they were sold. Also, going from having four dinners at the AoA food court to using Epcot as our food court made everyone happy.

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When I think of the BC I think of the cool pool area, maybe that’s what they are looking at too?

Then I would go with BC.

I live in the Northwest and feel similar when people rave about the Wilderness Lodge. It’s so similar to home, I’d much rather have a BC stay, or a BW stay. Even a CBR or CSR stay.

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I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way!

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Okay I haven’t read all the replies yet but I have to say, I love the Beach Club. 10/10 would prefer over BLT, mostly because it’s walkable to two parks, but also because it is a fun theme that gives you an idea of how good Disney is at theming, without like, shoving princesses in your face. Oh AND Epcot feels like a good entry point for Disney skeptics. Also, the pool is :heart_eyes:

But you know your family the best. I would vote BC, though that theme park view really is pretty spectacular.

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Are they people who like theming or “regular hotels”? We loved BLT when my kids were that young because they didn’t know any different and the grandparents with us love “regular hotels.” And that walk was so convenient. Personally, I love your pics but I don’t prefer the theme park view due to the parking lot. I prefer the pool or lake for the electrical water pageant and serenity.

My only point is different strokes for different folks. The tip I read on here again and again when people are planning for their friends or families is to not assume they will find the magic the same way you do. My son loves Disney like I do but what he loves there has only minor overlap with what I love there. (Some of the rides and fireworks; he is there more for the snacks and swimming, I am there more for the atmosphere.)

So my overall take would be pay attention to what they like. They may not know what they like at Disney but they probably know somewhat what they like. A solo parent walking to Epcot while the other one puts the kids to bed? Star Wars? An easy walk to Famtasyland for the littles? An ability to watch Enchantment from their balcony once kids in bed?

Let your thoughtfulness about their preferences (and your discussion with them of what attracts them to the different hotels) help you guide them. I haven’t been to SAB in years but do wonder how it would be with such small kids. Others on here would know.

Good luck, you are an awesome brother for gifting this! But don’t expect them to like all the exact same things. Just be happy if they have a good time, their own way. :sl

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Oooh, I second WL. My whole family loves it there. Pools are manageable but don’t have zero entry. There is a splash pad though.

Which parks do you think they would like the most? Traditionally people think with kids that age MK, and I love MK, but some people want more adult rides with the kids along. Or like restaurants if they’re into that.

I do think walkability or fun boats or whatever to what are likely to be their favorite parks would be a great selling point.

While staying at Beach Club eventually is definitely on my bucket list, after staying at BLT with our then 2.5yo, my husband won’t hear of anywhere else. He came in one of the world’s biggest skeptics, and now he’s super excited about our theme park view in November. The only things she kept asking for on that trip were to see the castle, ride the “train” (monorail), and swim in Cove pool. She loved the kiddie slide there. She loved watching the EWP and watching fireworks from the elevator alcove windows (we were lake view). Breezing in and out of MK simply couldn’t be beat, for us.

Now, we have a 5yo and 1yo, and Stormalong Bay sounds way too intimidating to me right now. I can’t wait to do it once they’re both strong swimmers, but right now… but that may be the old PICU nurse in me.

I think you should try to pin them down a little more on what is and isn’t appealing to them. What have they seen that’s leading them this way? Maybe they’re imagining themselves doing as much Star Wars as humanly possible, in which Crescent Lake would be better. But I’m definitely a vote that BLT can be AMAZING with small children.

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I don’t think the difference between BLT and BC is enough to be a dealbreaker for falling in love with Disney. If you were comparing one of the All Stars to a deluxe…then maybe(?) that might be a big enough swing. But the hotel itself is just one piece of a whole lot of things that people love about Disney.

If they have their hearts set on BC, I’d roll with that. Maybe a small pitch for why you think BLT might be better for them, but then I’d let it go.

I’m another one who doesn’t find BLT appealing. On our first trip (the one and done trip :joy:), we stayed at Poly and loved it. Contemporary (pre-Incredibles) felt so generic, and really only had the walk to MK as appeal for us. Views aren’t a draw for us either.

I’m not sure I’d fall in love with any vacation destination, even Disney, with 2 kids under 5 in tow. We didn’t take major trips until our youngest was 5. I know a lot of families find it easy and fun to travel with small kids, it just wasn’t a good fit for us.

If they fall in love with it, will they be able to travel there again on their own? Or will they always be dependent on you subsidizing the trip? That may also be a bit of a mental blocker for them. I hate depending on others, so I think I wouldn’t get too attached to Disney if I knew I couldn’t make it happen regularly. We’re planning to take my SIL and her 2 kids in 2023, and I know she won’t be able to travel there again on her own unless her financial circumstances change dramatically, so it’s something I’ve thought about a lot.

I’m not trying to be negative, and I hope they love it! I just want to make sure your expectations for their trip are realistic and maybe provide some rationale for why they might not achieve Disney-addict status on this first trip.

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We stayed at Beach Club for the first time on our Sept. 2020 trip (which was weird for all of the weird reasons), and while we liked it a lot, we weren’t able to take advantage of the area as we had planned when we originally booked (no hoppers, so no going into Epcot every evening, etc). However, my kids (5 and 7 on that trip) loved the pool and the slide and thought it was great.

I feel like what a lot of others have said though - what do they really want to do on this trip beyond the hotel - is it more MK time? BLT makes a ton of sense! Is it more Epcot or HS? Or is it more time in the very cool pool and relaxing at the hotel? Then Beach Club it is. While we enjoyed our time overall, Wilderness Lodge is our favorite resort (and we’re from the NW! But we still love it so so much!), and we’re staying at AKL next week which I’m incredibly excited for - so would be curious if they’re interested in either of those options at all?

One caveat on the BLT theme park view - how is the soundproofing on the windows for fireworks every night and/or how well do their kids sleep? I would love that view and my kids would be fine with it now, but I could understand being nervous about that with littler ones.

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My family (kids ages 2-9) stayed at both BCV and BLT last trip in May 2021, both in a 2BR. I asked my kids which room they liked better and they said BLT, because of really idiosyncratic reasons (like the pillows or something dumb). We didn’t use the pool at BLT but I am confident SAB beats it. Theme park view from BLT can’t be beat, and being on a monorail resort is very convenient, especially now that the Epcot monorail is running again.

We really loved BCV and will definitely stay there again. I thought about making it my home resort when I bought points, but decided on SSR since I can still get 2BRs at BCV fairly easily.

The biggest con to BCV is that it is a large resort with long walking distance from Villas to pool, front desk, parks, etc. Hopefully they have a double stroller, cause they’re gonna need it.

The biggest pros are:

  1. Stormalong Bay, which has a great sandy play area for kids that age. Water is very shallow there so minimal supervision is needed. They might like the lazy river as well.
  2. Walking distance to Epcot for dinner (park hoppers a must), rope drop at HS, etc.
  3. Villas are very close to the Skyliner station
  4. Convenient to Boardwalk and dining / shopping options there
  5. Very comfortable, homey decor and theming

In summary, my answer to this question is Yes. Our stay at BCV cemented our decision to buy DVC points.

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How did they come up with BC in the first place? I’d listen to their why and just book what they asked for (which is incredibly gracious of you). I think there is probably some reason they think that will be best for them.

I really like BLT, but it is definitely the most cramped studio on property and I can’t imagine a family of 4 with all the baby stuff crammed in there. Maybe when they are older and the kids can share the sleeper sofa on their repeat trips since they’ve fallen in love with Disney on this trip.

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I have not stayed at either yet - currently booked at BCV for August but that may change (cost not appearance or location.

I have pondered BLT, but honestly it kinda feels like Pop’s redo but with a different color wall. Not my jam. I also agree with the “theme park view” really being parking lot with some park in the background.

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I think a person could really enjoy their Disney hotel, no matter which one, if they were set up to succeed. Equip them with information - what extras are there such as resort activities, cabanas/pools, boat/bike rentals, what other hotels/restaurants/places of interest are within walking/non-bus transportation distance. Help them make a room request for their type of a good location.

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My family only wants to stay at AKL lol. I want to try Poly and maybe BC but its a hard nope for them.

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Lol since I make all the plans and reservations they get what they get. They were soooo mad about OKW BC they liked it so much and were worried Aulani would be a let down. The villa at OKW was much better, more comfortable and bigger than the Aulani villa, But the beaches snd snorkeling made up for the loss.

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the question i would clarify is are they going more for the kids or themselves? i dont mean that selfish but if parents are big foodies or star wars fans then BC. if going for kids the BLT. the theming at both is not overwhelming so not much disney either way and the rooms are about the same. SAB is crazy cool but the kids are young. we own BCV DVC and love it but bought when kids were 6 and 7. before that we stayed in Poly and CR for the proximity to MK and naps. We took a break every day

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We stayed at Beach Club on our first trip, kids 2 (almost 3) and 5. Loved it so much we immediately started planning a trip back. I think a Disney trip will turn them into Disney people, but for kids who sometimes run out of steam at the parks the pool area is great for an alternative. In fact our kids sometimes were extremely grumpy that we made them go to the parks, they just wanted to be at the pool. And as parents, the shallow pool was great in terms of worrying less about nonstop arms-length supervision.