BC vs. WL Club Level

[Airblue1]

For those that have stayed at Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge club level what are some differences you might have walked away with?
Thanks again:mickey:

[Imalismom]

I have stayed at both. I love Randy and his team at WL much better -- they just seem to care more.

The lounge area is so much bigger at Wl and you never lack for a place to sit.

The food offering at both are on par with each other, however WL does not have hard boiled eggs.

If you have any specific questions.. Feel free to ask....

I am going to move this over to accommodations for you...

[BrerGnat]

I've done both, but WL was a long time ago. 2001. Beach Club CL was last December and the previous April (2010).

I like that the WL has more "lounge" space.

I like the choice of room views for BC CL. At WL, you pay the same price for CL and the view is a gamble. You get what you get, which could be a phenomenal Courtyard View or a ho hum parking lot/roof view.

For that matter, the water view CL rooms from Beach Club are spectacular and the "standard" view are still pretty darn good (Villas/Spaceship Earth in view).

The BC had better food compared to what I experienced, but again, that was over 10 years ago, so things are probably more homogenized now.

The rooms at BC are larger than WL, and have the option of sleeping 5 with a daybed, so if this is a consideration, BC wins with larger rooms.

Staff at WL are nicer and more personable than staff at BC, although both are very good.

[Airblue1]

That's so funny. Because I was thinking how gracious everyone was at Beach. We would love to go back to BC but having a child that is MK age it would get old bussing back and forth to MK from beach. But we really love Beach Club. Just doesn't make sense for a couple of years and the time of the year we are going. Pool is great but we are thinking Feb next year and Dec the following and we all know that WL at Christmas time is AWESOME!
When you say WL Is bigger that mean the offerings go faster? At beach there was always plenty.
Thank you so very much for your feedback!

[BrerGnat]

When you say WL Is bigger that mean the offerings go faster? At beach there was always plenty.
Thank you so very much for your feedback!

No, bigger as in more seating area. Same amount of food.

Don't discount BC in December. We were there last December and went swimming every day. It was BEAUTIFUL and the pool was a nice warm 85 degrees. :thumbsup: We tried to get WL CL in December but there was no availability. It goes fast!

I found the bus ride to MK to be about the same amount of time as the boat ride from WL to MK. Honestly, you always have to wait for a boat, and the trip seldom took less than 15-20 min. There is a direct bus as well, but again, if you don't time it right, it's a long wait.

[Airblue1]

So basically our reasons for wanting to do WL are not what we were thinking. We thought the proximity to MK would make it easier to reach than BC. Question if you were to do Feb. which would you prefer to stay?

[Imalismom]

One of the reasons I love the WL is because of the boat ride to MK. It takes you directly to the MK, you walk off the boat and you are there :secret:

Yes, we have had to wait one time for a boat, but usually we get there and the boat is within sight or just getting to the dock.

When we go to Hollywood Studios, we do take the bus, but we have also take the boat to Contemporary, then Monorail to TTC, and then switch Monorails to Epcot (might not be the fastest way, but we get our monorail "fix" that way).

[BrerGnat]

So basically our reasons for wanting to do WL are not what we were thinking. We thought the proximity to MK would make it easier to reach than BC. Question if you were to do Feb. which would you prefer to stay?

I actually did stay at WL one year in Febrauary. It was a good choice, but they were refurbishing the pool, so we couldn't use it, even if we wanted. So, if the pool is an issue, make sure there are no scheduled pool refurbs when you are going that will impact you as that kind of stuff tends to happen in Jan-Mar.

Honestly, as much as I love the WL, the transportation options (in my 3 stays there) have been less than good. The boat always seems to take a long time to come. The buses to Epcot and DHS, AK, and Downtown Disney make a stop at Ft. Wilderness first, so that adds a lot of time to the bus trip. Our last trip was the worst, and by the end of it, I was wishing we had a rental car. I do really love the WL, but it is not quick to get really anywhere when you stay there. Again, the boats are really iffy...if there is one waiting, the trip is 5 minutes, but rarely is there one waiting.

I think the Lodge is more cozy when the weather is cold and/or rainy, but then again, it kinda makes you not want to head out anywhere, since it's such an ordeal.

BC, on the other hand, has a lot within walking distance and even if it's raining, you can walk with an umbrella to lots of stuff nearby, and be back in your room fairly quickly if the weather gets REALLY nasty.

Overall, I prefer BC mostly because it is in a much better location. WL is a sentimental favorite. You can't go wrong really with either, but if limiting your time spent on a bus or boat is important, the BC is the clear winner from my experience.

[Crow]

just back from WL club:thumbsup: i agree that the buses arent good. boat was though. and the 2 times i was at BC non club level i just didnt like it even though i lovd the location.
everyone at WL CL was great, got a rehabbed room. i wrote about it in trip report.
if i could afford CL again id go w WL. theres just too much of a better theme for me there despite the buses.