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View Full Version : First wdw visit, split resort stay? What resort to choose?



Jabro
11-17-2015, 06:27 AM
Planing a trip to wdw for me and my girlfriend in April 2016. Need som input on what resort I should book and if splitting the stay between two resorts is a good idea or not.

We will probebly spend a lot of time in Magic Kingdom. That's how the contemporary became an possibility, I like the look of the rooms in the contemporary but not the rest of the hotel. Grand Floridian I know we will like, when we visit Disneyland Paris we always stay at the equivalent hotel. And the monorail near magic kingdom sounds nice, but I do not like the pool-aerial and it feels like the resort is very large and split up with all the buildings not connected.

I know my girlfriend would love the look of beach club and the pool but this resort is not near magic kingdom. I like that the resort has two large building and the pool looks awesome, think we both would enjoy it. The room décor my girlfriend will love at beach club.

So I'm thinking about splitting our stay up, 4 nights at grand Floridian and 3 at beach club so the first days we can do magic kingdom and the resort restaurants. Probably visit the other parks to, getting park-hopper for flexibility.

And the last four days have some downtime at the beach club pool and visit the parks close to it more. And also try the transport to MK from there so we know for our next visit! How long does it take to go from beach club to magic kingdom if I book the hole stay there?

We will not rent a car put no problem paying for cab for transportation if the busses are slow. Anyone know if cabs/uber is hard to get at wdw? Long wait?

At Disneyland Paris you can walk everywhere so this transportation need at wdw feels very restricted to me but maybe it's not as bad as I'm imagining.

So many decisions, all input, tips and thoughts are very much appreciated!

faline
11-17-2015, 08:14 AM
Although I have done split stays on a few occasions, I typically like to settle into one place and stay there for the duration of the trip. Doing a split stay is relatively easy. If you are transferring from one Disney resort to another, they will move your luggage for you - this may take a while so plan for that. When we've done a split stay, we've just taken a taxi from the first resort to the second and brought our luggage with us.

Although we've stayed just about every place on Disney property, our favorite area is the Magic Kingdom area. It's very easy to get to the Magic Kingdom from the Grand Floridian - it's just a quick monorail or boat ride away. Also, you can easily visit any of the other monorail resorts from that location or take a boat ride to visit Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness. One nice feature of the Contemporary is that you can easily walk to the Magic Kingdom from that location.

From the Beach Club, you can very easily walk to Epcot. Boardwalk is just a short walk away as well. Additionally, although a longer walk, you can walk to Disney Studios as well. There is no resort which provides a walkway to Animal Kingdom so you would always need to bus to that park.

You might not always see them, but cabs are always readily available at the Disney resorts. Just ask bell services for a cab and one will likely be in front of you within just a few minutes time.

The Beach Club shares buses with other resorts so travel to/from the Magic Kingdom can be rather slow. However, the bus is really your best option to get to the Magic Kingdom from this location as cabs would drop you off at the Transportation and Ticket Center and you would either need to monorail or boat from this location to get the the Magic Kingdom. Buses will bring you directly to the Magic Kingdom.

From the Beach Club, you can also boat to either Epcot or Disney Studios though is is often quicker to walk!!

busterthebronco
11-17-2015, 09:04 AM
I like the Contemporary because it's the first stop on the monorail when leaving the MK.

Courtland Lambert
11-17-2015, 09:09 AM
For a first stay, I think I'd stay at one resort and just visit others to see where I might want to stay on future visits. DW and I have done split stay once , having our own vehicle, and we felt it wasted too much time. Have a fantastic trip and tell Mickey hi for us !!! We travel back in April. We LOVE the Wilderness lodge and Port Orleans French Quarter !!!!! If you plan on a lot of time at Epcot or the Studios, Yacht and Beach Clubs can't be beat, you can walk to both of those parks !!!

John
11-17-2015, 10:13 AM
Huh - you left my favorite resort - the Polynesian off the list.

Anyway, as a first stay, I'd highly recommend avoiding the hassle of moving resorts. Only time I do that is if I need pictures for the site or can't get all my room dates at the resort I want.

Mendelson
11-17-2015, 10:31 AM
We really, really like the Beach Club, and since it sounds like you're putting a lot of emphasis on the pool and how much your GF will enjoy that particular resort, I'd weight that heavier than being in proximity to the MK. It doesn't take too terribly long to get to MK from there....certainly not so long as to dissuade you from strongly considering it. Further, split stays are enough of a pain vs just staying put, that with all of the above together, I'd stay at Beach Club if I were you.

ThanxForNoticin
11-17-2015, 12:38 PM
I'm a bit in the minority here, but we like the idea of changing resorts, and would have no issue going from GF to BC in the middle. You just have to plan for it that day - you'll essentially be without access to a room or your luggage for 4-5 hours in the middle of the day. But moving to a new resort is sometimes like starting your vacation over again - you get to discover the new resort and a completely new area - it can be fun! That being said, since this is your first trip, staying in one place also has its benefits! The pool area, access to the Boardwalk area, and walking to EPCOT/DHS are big advantages for Beach Club. The restaurant options are also incredible (if you include World Showcase).

And if you need to take a bus or boat now and then, it's not a big deal. It's certainly not Disneyland Paris - it's much, much larger with so much more to do..... The Disney transportation will get you to wherever you need to go! Have a great trip, wherever you decide to stay.....

BrerGnat
11-17-2015, 12:44 PM
I would not worry about the buses. Also, the Beach Club doesn't share it's Magic Kingdom bus with other resorts (except it's sister resort, Yacht Club). It used to share but not anymore. The ride is approx 10-15 min to Magic Kindgom. Also, just so you know, the monorail can be kind of slow and unreliable. There are boats to the MK from those resorts but they are slow and probably end up taking as long as the bus from Beach Club.

Honestly, I can highly recommend Beach Club. It has a wonderful atmosphere, location, and the pool is amazing!

Isabella
11-17-2015, 08:17 PM
I would not worry about the buses. Also, the Beach Club doesn't share it's Magic Kingdom bus with other resorts (except it's sister resort, Yacht Club). It used to share but not anymore. The ride is approx 10-15 min to Magic Kindgom. Also, just so you know, the monorail can be kind of slow and unreliable. There are boats to the MK from those resorts but they are slow and probably end up taking as long as the bus from Beach Club.

Honestly, I can highly recommend Beach Club. It has a wonderful atmosphere, location, and the pool is amazing!

We just stayed in the BC Villas in August/September. The buses did stop at The Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin and Yacht Club before getting us back to the BC. It did take some time, but nothing that ate into our park experiences.
At the BC there are no busses to Epcot, or Disney Hollywood studios. There are boats and the walkway. The boats can be very slow since capacity is less than a bus. However if it is raining and the boats are "beached" ;) they will provide buses.
We normally don't split stay. I'm a homebody and like to nest. Our DD and D SIL just got home from a split between All star Movie and Kidani Village and loved the variety.
We will be going for two night to Saratoga Springs then moving to our favorite, The Poly in December, Really actually excited about that one! First couple of Days to explore Disney Springs and then a week to nest in the Villas on the monorail resort line!
Have a wonderful trip!
Patty

BrerGnat
11-17-2015, 09:01 PM
We just stayed in the BC Villas in August/September. The buses did stop at The Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin and Yacht Club before getting us back to the BC.

This literally JUST changed. Swan and Dolphin now have a dedicated bus as does Boardwalk. At least for MK. It changed about 2 werks ago.