Wilderness Lodge vs. Yacht Club

Walt Disney World Accommodations
21

I’ve stayed at both, and I prefer the YC. I found the WL noisy with Whispering Canyon in full swing, and the transportation was … not my favorite.

I became ill one day while we stayed there, and I ended up crying on the boat dock at the MK waiting and waiting and WAITING for a boat back to the resort. Not a happy vacation memory. And it wasn’t the first time we waited a very long time for a boat or a bus. After that day, we would drive to the TTC and catch the monorail. Yeah. From a resort that’s supposed to be convenient to the MK, we drove to the TTC and caught the monorail. That’s just beyond unreal.

The YC, though – nothing but happy, happy memories. My husband adores SAB, and I think the resort is just gorgeous. Just happens to be my taste. The proximity to Epcot, the Boardwalk, HS, and so many restaurants and activities just can’t be beat.

Another story to balance the WL boat dock story:
When my eldest child* was 8 years old, we were in the YC lobby waiting for friends to join us so we could go to dinner in Epcot, and they** were fooling around, balancing on the edge of wall, and they fell off and skinned their knees badly. I picked them up and was running to the ladies’ room to clean them up, and a lady at the concierge desk beckoned to me and handed me a first aid kit with everything I needed to clean up the wound and bandage it. She also distracted my child with stickers and silly faces. Saved the whole evening!

I understand your desire to stay where you already know you love it, and I understand your wish to experience more unique experiences. I think we all feel that with WDW. I’m staying at BLT this year, but my favorite resort is BWI, and I’m always wondering if I’ve made a mistake to go with something so close to the MK. Also, and, plus, too – I’ve often said there is not a “perfect” Disney resort – if I could build a perfect one just to suit my taste, it would be walking distance to Epcot, look like the Boardwalk, have animals like the AKL, and a pool like (or bigger than) SAB. I think we could all design our own favorite version of a hotel, really. Maybe that’s why Disney keeps building new stuff.

Good luck with your choice!

*My child is an adult who identifies as non-binary gender fluid.
**The pronouns for non-binary gender fluid people can be “they,” “them,” and “their,” which can be confusing when you’re talking about one person. It also takes a while to get used to.

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22

I have stayed at BC/YC and during my last regular WL stay I decided I “needed” to buy WL DVC and when CC became available I bought points there.

I think everyone should try as many of the Disney resorts as possible. I have shared that SB (although loved by most) has never been anything other than a frustrating experience to me (not being able to find one single chair on multiple visits). I prefer YC because I love balconies and I don’t want to worry about all those BC rooms without balconies.

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23

So WL, YC, and Poly are my top 3 resorts. So different, but all amazing in their own way.

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24

YC is our favorite resort hands down. The location is perfect. You are bus free for Epcot and DHS which is huge right now. The pool is amazing, the resort is amazing. There are so many food choices within walking distance when you include boardwalk area and Epcot (make sure you have a park hopper for late night Epcot desserts since it is open until 11pm you can scoot over there after leaving another park.) The pool is the best hands down.

One of my absolute favorite parts of YC is the view of the Boardwalk area at night from a water view room. WL is a good resort, but YC is amazing.

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25

Ok. Yes. That might be the food I’d walk over to EPCOT for.
France does happen to be right by the bridge after all. With a patisserie. With chocolate eclairs & macarons and other tasty, tasty treats.

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One of my fondest memories from my family trip when I was a teenager was going to the patisserie virtually every night with my Mom to get dessert. Sooooo good! :cake:

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27

We’re trying WL for the first time in June. We’ve visited the resort in the past and loved the theming. The Poly is probably my favorite resort. I think I tend to gravitate towards the more rustic looking resorts-we also love AB at POR. If I could stay in the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, I totally would! Anyway, one big reason we chose WL this time around is that the rooms have been completely refurbished and will be new. I don’t know if that will be important to you or not, but it was something we considered when booking.

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:heart_eyes:

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I’m having the same dilemma! Currently I am booked at WL for our October 2022 trip. 2 Club level rooms as my adult boys are joining us. I have always wanted to stay at club level at YC but it’s not open for booking yet, and the rooms without CL are CRAZY expensive, I hate to see what CL rooms will be when they drop! WL has one of the best club levels in WDW and the rooms have just been completely renovated in the lodge , so those are 2 big pluses… the price is still pricey (about $6,000 for 6 nights and 5 day park hopper tickets for 2 people) but YC is going to run another $1,500 per room I’m thinking once rates are released for CL rooms….so a $3,000 difference for location and Epcot resort.
The price is what’s holding me back from switching. I think for our trip with 4 adults YC would probably be the best choice, but WL had the better pricing while still giving us the club level experience we want.
I’m still holding out on my final choice but if I do end up staying at WL at least the theming is impeccable :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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30

If I was staying CL I don’t think you can beat WL.

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31

Thank you! That’s great to know :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

32

Do you need 2 separate rooms? The Deluxe CL room at BWI is less than 2 CL rooms at YC. It holds six adults. Two queens and a queen pull-out sofa bed plus the room is just bigger. That’s why we ended up there instead of the YC CL. We had five adults (three adult kids, DH and me).

33

Oh yes, 100% need 2 rooms. My boys are 2 6foot plus tall men who would not share a sofa bed, I also want my privacy as do they

34

What are Club Level rooms? Booked with points for DVC or with $? If so how does YC have club level rooms, they don’t have DVC? Still so much left to understand lol.

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Club Level rooms are sometimes also called Concierge Level rooms. They are regular, non-DVC rooms, usually at Deluxe hotels. They can be booked by anyone with enough $$$. They have extra amenities and personalized service beyond that available to regular guests. Here’s a list from YC (pre-Covid):

Separate check-in area in a relaxed setting
Dedicated cast members to assist with dining recommendations and reservations, transportation, and other personal needs.
Nightly turndown service
Access to a club-level-only lounge stocked with complimentary food and beverages throughout the day. Morning offerings include pastries, fruit, and coffee. Mid-day fare includes soft drinks, beer, small sandwiches, and savory bites. Later in the evening the lounge will offer desserts and a selection of wine and liqueurs.

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36

Couldn’t they also buy 3 extra fast passes per day or something like that?

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37

Yup which is why we got the BWI room the person above mentioned when we went Jan 2020. We were originally staying in a cabin and when I read about the ability to buy three extra tier 1 fastpasses per day for $50 per day per person I switched. I was very worried about DHS and there were 6 of us with my parents and the kids. It worked but we’d have to wait for the fastpasses to be good so we’d still have 30 min waits just not in actual lines. That room is also really large and nice at BWI and has the best view. The club was okay. It’s not worth it alone to me. The concierge is great though. My brother, sister in law, and nephew joined us later (we switched to a treehouse we rented with points) but my SIL was struggling getting a TRex reservation for nine. Guess who made it happen, concierge.

PS they did not announce that you could buy the extra FP without tiers (I think they could even be at a different park then your normal three. It is nowhere on the Disney website. I read about it in Birnbaum’s Official Guide. Also you could get all of your FP+ including your regular ones 90 days out instead of 60 and that’s a huge benefit.

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Yep, $50 per person per day, so that each person got 3 extra FPP without tier restrictions, and with a 3-day minimum. But you could not be the one to modify them, only the concierge or Signature Services folk could do that.

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Yup that’s true because when the park added hours I had to call. You could modify your normal three though once you hit the 60 day window that is.

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40

Thanks for the explanation. Smh. So many layers to everything.

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