We have a trip scheduled for July and right now we are booked at Yacht Club. I keep going back and forth about whether or not I should switch to Wilderness Lodge instead…just can’t seem to make up my mind.
I’ve stayed at WL before and enjoyed it…have never stayed at YC. While I want to stay at as many different resorts as possible to get different experiences, for some reason Yacht and Beach Club have always seemed a bit “meh” to me and I’m hoping I’m wrong.
YC rooms are my favorite I have ever stayed in, but the resort itself is kind of meh. SAB is great and the easy walking access to 2 parks is definitely a huge perk. Dining at YC is also lacking if you want a night in.
WL is my favorite resort. It’s like a destination all on it’s own. The pools are great, lots of dining options, great views, taking a boat to and from MK and that lobby can’t be beat.
I would say if you’re having a park heavy trip I might choose YC, but otherwise WL.
I’m biased - if I could pick any single location, YC would probably be it, and I’ve never liked the theming of WL. (Sorry, I know lots of people love it, it’s just not for me.) YC hits my top two criteria: proximity to parks and a great pool. It is also outside of my budget, so I have no first hand experience there.
Overall, though, to me theming is nice but the quality of the room, the ease of transportation, and the fun factor of the pool area affect my family’s experience more. I’d vote for YC over WL.
On the other hand, there are a lot of great options within walking distance. I enjoyed Trattoria al Forno at Boardwalk, as did my Italian mother-in-law, and there are the Swan and Dolphin restaurants too. Plus all the restaurants in Epcot, if you have hoppers.
WL is hands down my favorite resort that I have stayed in so far. I adore the theming, the lobby, the feeling that it is secluded w/ all the trees, etc. The main pool is lovely and and who doesn’t like a stream going through the lobby?
We did a one night post cruise stay at Yacht/Beach Club w/o any park visits one trip. It was gloriously relaxing to float in the lazy river. My preteen & teenager loved the pool area and we got to watch the fireworks over DHS from the pool that night.
That said, while it was excellent for that post cruise stay I wasn’t sold on the theming or the lobby and room. That all seemed generic and hotel-like to me. It was also $$$$. I would rather spend a bit less and get more immersive theming for a longer visit.
What would be perfect is a split stay where I only did Yacht/Beach Club for maybe one or two nights in the middle of a long trip or at the end of a shorter one. Spend most of my time in the pool at the resort w/ maybe a small hop over to EPCOT or DHS relaxing a bit after heavy touring.
So I was going to include the fact you are near plenty of dining options, but because you have to leave your actual hotel to get to them is why I excluded them. There are lots of good options within walking or boating distance, but if we’re going to include that we need to include boat access to MK and the monorail resorts into the WL calculation too. Which for me gives WL the egde again.
@tatefincher I think I just decided WL was my top pick.
Yacht Club and Beach Club are my absolute favorites on property. I love Stormalong Bay (a lazy river that is actually lazy as my DS says), being able to walk between two parks and the dining options for us can’t be beat. We can head into Epcot, eat around the Boardwalk (Trattoria Al Forno is our favorite) or go to Swan and Dolphin. We love it so much, I bought the scents to make my house smell like Beach Club. And if we don’t feel like walking, there are the boats and now the Skyliner.
It’s funny, we got an amazing deal at the Grand Floridian once and we were so excited to try it - and afterwards, we decided we are really just BC/YC folks! That’s the great part about the Disney resorts - a little something for everyone!
For me, even though I have not stayed at either, it would be an easy choice for Yacht Club. I’ve never been a fan of the whole “craftsman” design thing, and if I want to feel like I’m in the PNW, I would GO to the PNW, not Florida to feel like it.
I get where you’re coming from. If you’re going to be taking transportation to get to the restaurants, they probably are quite similar from a restaurant perspective, with WL having the advantage of highly-rated restaurants on site. I’m happy to walk a fair bit if it means I don’t have to stand around waiting for a bus/boat/monorail - I get bored very easily! - so for me having lots of restaurants that I can walk to (BW/Swan/Dolphin/Epcot), even if some of the walks are not short, gives YC the edge from my POV. (I think. I know that WL has some nice restaurants as part of the resort, but you need to take transportation to get to nearby restaurants, right?)
This is what sold me on YC/BC and why I will have a hard time staying anywhere else now. And now with the never ending festivals, that further increases the options.
I like the split stay idea from @amvanhoose_701479! Both resorts have their pros and cons. I adore the WL but I don’t love the remoteness. If they added a walking path to Contemporary it would be golden. That said, the ferry to MK is at least as convenient as the monorail, TBH.
YC is a great option for walking to … everything. I’m staying at BC for the bulk of my trip in May for that reason (plus SAB).
I really prefer the YC, it’s my favorite resort for several reasons- first, it’s quiet because families tend to stay over at the BC. The difference between the two resorts in this regard is striking if you have ever walked between them (especially in the early am before you’ve had your coffee. ).
I don’t like the WL as much because it is more isolated. Also, along the lines of what @lizzieanne771 posted, the ersatz lodge feel is not a big draw for me as I have ready access to the real thing, whereas I don’t live anywhere near a seaside resort so I don’t care if it’s fake.
And being within walking distance to two resorts is a huge plus.
Regarding access to food, YC/BC has enough choices for us. We wouldn’t walk over to EPCOT just to eat. I guess we aren’t foodies, but there seems to be plenty of opportunities to eat at nice places elsewhere throughout the week, so the lack of abundance at YC doesn’t bother me.
Trip is 5 nights…not sure that a split stay is something I want to mess with.
I just tend to get a feeling that I’m “missing out” on something by staying somewhere. I know that sounds crazy…the resorts aren’t going anywhere. I just always feel that by picking one place I’m missing out on something somewhere else.
I feel this! You may want to try someplace new (i.e., YC) so that the next time you can be more confident about your choice. If you always go to the same place you’ll be left to wonder forever.
Is BC considered more “kid friendly” than YC, meaning it’s louder? That’s good to know! I’ve never stayed in either resort, but this might help me decide.
I’d say that is the general perception. YC has a stuffier (i.e., grown-up) feel to me. Also BC has the DVC section. So families are more naturally drawn there. Doesn’t mean you won’t see families at YC, of course! It is Disney after all.
They’re both kid-friendly, it’s just that families with little kids are going to choose BC over YC due to the theming, so it’s naturally quieter in the YC.
The YC theming is adult, with subdued colors, etc. BC is brighter and kid-oriented. At Christmas one year, the BC had cookie-dough scent piped in, and the YC had balsam. So it’s that kind of thing.
Self-selection, not really anything that the resorts do differently other than the theming.
Oh, and the YC allows small dogs. Again, that’s something adults-only groups would bring. I mean, you’d have to be insane to bring both your dog AND your kids.
Just as a note though in case allergies are an issue, a service animal can be in ANY hotel room, not just those designated as “pet” rooms. So if allergies are an issue you should be asking for an allergy clean in ANY room. (I only mention this because I regularly see people on other forums asking about the pet rooms so they can avoid them due to allergies. Service animals are NOT pets, but that doesn’t make them hypoallergenic.)
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