Newbie question here. Contemporary or Beach club?

[pirates life for me]

Hello all! First timer here. We are planning a trip to WDW next year and we are trying to Decide on the Beach club (I thik it's Yacht also?) or the Contemporary?

We are HUGE Magic kingdon fans, but also love to visit Epcot.Never stayed at either resort. Can anyone give me the positives and negatives and why you would pick the resort you pick.


THANKS!!!

[TinaMouse]

Hi and welcome to MousePlanet!

The Beach and Yacht Club are adjacent to each other, but they are two separate resorts. They do share the same (wonderful) pool, probably the best on Disney property. Sometimes they share busses.

The Contemporary has been updated in the rooms over the past few years. The garish, weird colors of the past have been replaced with some sleek, beautiful appointments. Of course, you know you'll be right next to MK. It's about a 5 minute walk or a longer monorail ride to MK. To get to Epcot, you'll take the monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and then transfer to the Epcot monorail. Easy as pie.

The real upside to the Beach Club is, in my opinion, being able to walk to the "back door" (international gateway) of Epcot and be in World Showcase in a matter of moments. To get to MK, you can either take a bus, or walk through Epcot and take the monorail in the opposite way of what I just detailed above.

So, I guess it depends on where you want to spend most of your time. If you're going to spend a lot of time at the resort or Epcot, I'd say Beach Club. If you want to spend your time at MK, I'd say Contemporary. If you're splitting your time.....well.....I'm not quite sure what I'd do--:geek: Did that help or is it clear as mud???? :confused:

[AVP]

Yacht & Beach Club:

Awesome pool area.
Good access to a wide variety of restaurants, including everything in the Boardwalk area.
Good access to all of the activities and entertainment of the Boardwalk area.
Good access to the International Gateway of Epcot.

Contemporary:

Walking distance from Magic Kingdom.
On the Monorail line, which gives you access to the Future World entrance of Epcot.
Character dining and fine dining at the hotel.
Park-view rooms give you a great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

Your vacation style will do a lot to inform your decision. Are you the type who will spend most or all of your time in the parks? Do you plan to take a non-park day to enjoy your resort? Are you travelling with kids, and are they (or you) big pool people?

It's a real toss up. Personally, I'd stay at Y&B over the Contemporary, because I like that whole resort area so much more.

AVP

[danyoung]

I agree with all of the above assessments. But I have to say, as some who's stayed in both locations, that there's something incredibly special about being able to look out of your window and see not only the Magic Kingdom, but the entire Seven Seas Lagoon area, with the boats boating and the monorails railing and the cool hotels on the other side. Priceless!

[jengold29]

IMHO you can't go wrong with either one.

If you're going in the warmer months, with kids who love a great pool (or adults for that matter) I'd go for the Beach Club. I love the easy access to Epcot for dinner and Illuminations and they have their own programming-- dive in movies, etc at night too.

There is nothing like the view from the Contemporary, it's a sentimental favorite for many people, and it was recently renovated.

Really it's win-win no matter what!!

[danyoung]

Really? Where do they show drive in movies at the Beach Club?

[Drince88]

No R, Dan!

When I walked by one time they had it set up on the beach, not by the pool - but same idea.

[danyoung]

Ahh, I get it - movies you can watch from the pool, hence DIVE IN. I thought it was a typo (although drive in didn't make much sense to me either! ;)).

[mom22gls]

We saw a DIVE-in movie at Saratoga Springs. At the Beach Club, they set it up at the beach, and you could move the lounge chairs and stretch out. It was very relaxing and fun. I bought popcorn at the store, and made it in the microwave. At 9, you could see some of the fireworks from Epcot.

You know, if you are truly undecided, you could split your stay between both hotels (two separate resevations), and have Bell Services move your luggage for you. A few nights at each would, truly be the best of both worlds.

[cindyc4491]

I depends on the ages of the kids. When little the Contemp. could not be beat. Now that they are older, the y&b has more to offer at night like walking around the boardwalk, nightclubs, ect. How long are you going for? You can always consider splitting your trip. Part at the Contemporary and part at the Yatch & Beach Club.