Is Beach club worth £1200 more for a fortnight than AKL

[disney332]

Simple answer...

If you think £1200 is value for the location without giraffes and zebra -

yes

If not -

no

No other variables, and OP to make the call.

Disney332

[Guest]

Our room was on the side of the hotel closest to Epcot, it took 5 minutes to walk to the park. Hollywood Studios, in my opinion, was too far to walk in the Florida sun. We loved taking a boat instead.

Pool facilities are totally superb. Even in August, I did not feel crowded, it is just such a huge area!

Quick service meals onsite are pretty basic, although fine for breakfast or a sandwich.

Have not stayed anywhere else to compare, but we are looking to book again depending on DDP too.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by Donaldfan

I haven't stayed at AKL but I have stayed at BC. I did a split say, first half of my trip at POFQ and second half at BC. I thought POFQ was far, far better than BC and POFQ is a moderate. The only good thing about BC is Epcot World Showcase being on the doorstep.

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Interesting.
POFQ is a v nice moderate, but I don’t personally find it close to BC. Then again I’ve only stayed in the DVC 1 beds at BC which are great. The location of BC though is significantly better.
Interesting you found PO nicer- what are the reasons?

[Rescuer]

We’ve stayed at both.

Worth £1200 difference no but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it.

First I’d go with the yacht club over the beach club as you are more likely to get a full balcony, they share the same pool.
Location is fantastic. You can walk into Epcot, you can walk to HS or back, you can walk to Fantasia Golf. You also have the boat dock for HS if you can’t be bothered walking.

In terms of Qs the yacht club one doesn’t have massive choices but it’s nice, beach club one will be a few minutes walk, hurricane Hannah’s at the pool, boardwalk bakery and boardwalk pizza window are a short stroll. Plus great qs choices just inside Epcot.

Yacht club is our joint favourite resort with the contemporary. Beach club was still good but a little less to my taste. We also love AKl and have stayed there twice. I like the chilled atmosphere at AKL, it feels like a holiday within your holiday but I also love the walk to Epcot from the yacht club.

If you can afford it and want a change I’d do it, especially if you love Epcot. If it’s just for the pool, don’t, AKL pool is still fab.

[mummyroo1]

Thanks everyone for your replies, we feel more informed now. We all love the idea of walking into Epcot and the pool looks fab but the QS choices are not great for us, our boys are super fussy and do not like pizza! which makes the menus at QS places around BC look very limited. Fine for sweet snacks but very poor for savoury. Literally the only thing my youngest would eat is the chicken nuggets at the pool bar and that doesn't look to come with fries. We love the QS food in world showcase but no 1 place that will suit all of us. At Mara in AKL the boys both had a couple of meals they could choose from and hubby and I still had choices. I think this may be a deal breaker for me, not that we normally eat QS at the hotel but I need to have that option if for whatever reason we decide to have a hotel based day. Getting a QS meal for everyone looks like it will not be as easy as it should be. I wish they weren't so fussy, what child doesn't like pizza! Got fingers crossed for free dining and then may have to break it to my youngest gently. I think telling him they only look to have pizza and sandwiches to eat might help with that. I wish there was a better QS option.

[Donaldfan]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Interesting.
POFQ is a v nice moderate, but I don’t personally find it close to BC. Then again I’ve only stayed in the DVC 1 beds at BC which are great. The location of BC though is significantly better.
Interesting you found PO nicer- what are the reasons?

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Where do I start!

I should say, I went the last two weeks of September when the kids were apparently back at school. I say apparently as there were loads at Beach Club.

Port Orleans French Quarter

My room was lovely, light and airy, no sign of damp, cracked tiles etc.

The staff were amazing, including the front desk staff. Nothing was too much trouble for them. They made me feel as if I was part of the family, not an annoying guest of the resort.

I loved the food court, there was absolutely masses of choice, I looked forward to my evening meal there.

The pool was great, not too busy particularly in the evening which is when I do most of my pool time.

I loved the theming, the layout, the nice little Disney touches. To me it was special.

Beach Club.

My room was damp with patches of mould, some of the tiles in the bathroom area were cracked.

The front desk staff were very stuck up - the two occasions I spoke to them they talked down to me, made me feel as if I was wasting their time. I got to know a couple of other guests and they said the same thing.

When I was there, there was very little choice in the way of quick service food at the Beach Club Marketplace unless you like pizza. I'm allergic to cheese so that was a no no. I had one meal (burger and curly fries) at Hurricane Hanna's and was sick a few minutes after eating it. I know Epcot is close by but I like eating my evening meal at the resort.

I didn't like the main swimming pool, wherever I was and whatever the time of day, I was constantly being splashed by kids jet propelling themselves into it, including 10.00 at night. Thankfully the quiet pool was totally the opposite and I spent most of my pool time there.

As regards the general atmosphere, I didn't feel like I was at Disney - I could have been at a generic hotel anywhere.

[Memories4You]

Quick answer is, if you can afford it then yes. Big plus is pool and location.Popping in and out of a park is priceless, it just can’t be beaten. Only difference would be we’d choose YC for a balcony and we find it quieter more serene.

[U2fan]

Originally Posted by bighal

Even if the Beach Club was cheaper we would still stay at AKL. There is something about staying at the BC we didn't like.

If you are prepared to pay £1200 extra to stay at BC with free dining at least you can afford to stay at AKL without it if its not released which is looking highly likely it won't.

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Totally agree, AKL as a hotel is far superior to the Beach Club. The location of the Beach Club is great but certainly not worth that much more.

[eaglesrest]

Originally Posted by mummyroo1

Ideally we would like to try a new hotel and my youngest is desperate to try Beach club, that lazy river has him sold but at almost £100 a night more is it worth it? Please give me your experiences, is the pool busy mid afternoon? Do you feel on view, when we visited for beaches and cream there seemed to be a lot of visitors viewing the pool. Is Epcot walking distance in reality? Hollywood studios? Do the rooms have balconies, is there a good QS place? Any other advantages or disadvantages we should consider. Thanks in advance

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I guess it depends on if proximity to Epcot/HS vs AK is your priority?

We LOVE Epcot so for us yes the extra £1200 would be worth it, although we stayed in BCV not BC.

SAB was busy mid-afternoon but never so bad you couldn't find a few loungers. The pool space itself is massive and never felt anywhere near rammed. That said, getting a ring on the lazy river took some patience/stalking at times

Never felt on view at all.

Epcot is so close. Never mind walking distance, I could have crawled it. Came close a few times after drinking the world

HS is more of a challenge but we love to walk so did so every visit. Took about 20 minutes. We sometimes stopped off at the BWV for a dip/ice-cream on the way. Ferry is another option, and maybe the skyliners now?

Loads of QS locally, and on the boardwalk, and even in Epcot itself. 5 minutes to the fish and chip shop, or a little further to the great sandwich place in France.

Also pretty close (15 mins) to the Disney crazy golf park. Beautiful views over Crescent Lake. We loved it!

[Spotter]

We spent 12 nights at BC and 3 nights at AKL last October/November so fairly recent. Myself, wife and 6 year old son. BC was a garden view room with a full size balcony and AKL was a Savannah view room.

Both hotels were good and wouldn’t hesitate to stay at either again. Personal preference would be BC over AKL. Not so much for the actual hotel but the location of BC was so good. Epcot on our doorstep and Hollywood Studios a short trip away. There was plenty on at night with so many things to do without having to travel any distance. Plus the pool at BC has ruined almost all other hotel pools for our son. He loved it.

Our preference is BC but £1200 is a lot of money that buys a lot of Dole Whips. If I had the money and it didn’t mean cutting budgets elsewhere I would go for BC but either hotel would make a wonderful holiday.