POR or BC with Young Child

[MNT568]

I am planning a trip to take my DS (4yo) in late October so we can go to MNSSHP, we were going to stay at the All Stars, but now my DM said she would love to come with us but she doesn't want to stay at the All Stars. The two resorts my DM mentioned staying at are POR and the BC, we have never stayed at either.

On our last trip we stayed at CSR and loved it but my DS didn't like the food court (no mac & cheese). I am leaning toward POR for the food court but my DM (and me) love the Epcot area.

Which resort (POR or BC) do you think is better for a 4 yo?

 

[Jessi]

Beach Club! They have a great pool for all ages. You can also walk to the Boardwalk (5 min), take a boatride to MGM or Epcot or walk to Epcot. The Beach Club is beautiful and there is a character breakfast there in the lobby restaurant.

 

[sharoncity]

If you request a room with a full balcony at BC, that would be a very nice feature. Put DS to bed early and you can sit out on balcony and relax and talk to mom for a while. BC also has Beaches & Cream and Hurricane Hannahs. While they are not food courts, they do have kid friendly food. Rooms at BC have queen size beds, POR has double beds. The pool at BC, SAB, can not be beat IMHO for young children. Has a sandy area with shovels and pails that is quite shallow. That makes it very relaxing for you too - don't have to worry that they'll be too deep in a moments notice. SAB also has a big slide and a lazy river. My DS is 4 and his one request for a character meal was with Goofy. BC has a Goofy breakfast every morning. It was very good. We also enjoyed the New England Clambake dinner at Cape May Cafe. Since you enjoy Epcot, I think BC would be a very good choice for you.

 

[fortwilderness]

If you are used to being at resorts with a food court I think that you will find the BC inconvienent and expensive to eat at. I knew that there wasn't a food court when I chose to stay at the YC but I had no clue how much money I would end up spending on room service because there was no where to obtain ANY food after 10:00. If your family goes to bed early that might not be a big problem but we stay up late and have to eat when we get back from the parks. Plus for breakfast you will have to get room service or go to a sit down meal. That can be very time consuming to do on a daily basis.

The BC is lovely and I think you would enjoy it but just be sure you weigh in the added cost and time it takes not to have a food court. I simply had no clue how much I would miss having access to a food court or having my own kitchen - like at Fort Wilderness

 

[mariamouse]

DEFINITELY the BC if you can shed the extra $$$! The POR is a very good resort if you are paying for a moderate, but the BC is definitely better over the two. Although it does not have a food court, Beaches and Cream serves lots of great things daily and stays open late. They have a reasonably priced, simple buffet every morning, although the Cape May Cafe has a terrific character buffet! (It's my favorite in WDW) Beaches and Cream is also great after dinner for an ice cream or a snack. Everything is great! If there will be many of you, the Kitchen Sink is definitely an eye-full! The Cape May Cafe also apparently serves a very good Clambake buffet for dinner, although I have not tried it. The Stormalong Bay is the best pool in WDW, actually almost a mini water park. There are whirlpools, sinking sands, spouting waters, a great slide, a nice jacuzzi in the stone, and changing depths of water. It is amazing for anyone, especially kids! Be prepared for crowds, though. There is a snackbar on the side if you are looking for a quick snack. That is also a possibility to replace the food court. The Boardwalk is next door with sooo many things to appeal to all... face-painting, bicycle carts, ambiance, Seashore Sweets (a sweet-store selling ice cream, candy, toffee, Cotton Candy, etc.), clowns, and several great food spots! Epcot is less than a 5 minute walk from the BC, so if that is a park you love, there is not a more conveniently located resort! My family and I would often just take a quick walk into the World Showcase and take a walk or watch Illuminations... it was so great to be right next to. There is also a ferry boat that takes longer, but is nice and relaxing if you're not in a hurry. As you can see, I cannot say enough good things about the Beach Club! It is the better choice, in my opinion.

 

[MNT568]

Thanks for your thoughts and all the info on the Beach Club! I think that I secretly wanted to stay there but I just wasn't sure if it would be the right place for my 4yo DS. We definitely need to have kid-friendly food available and I'm glad to hear that it is available in and around the BC. I was also glad to hear that Stormalong Bay has an area for the younger kids. My DS loves to swim, in fact he has no fear of the water at all, which is a little scary to me at times! I'm sure he would love stormalong bay.

Also, I think my DM would also like the BC better. She loved staying at the BWI but we thought that had more adult feel to it. She reall enjoyed her walks around the BW and over to Epcot.

OK, you have talked me into the Beach Club! I called and found out the DC rate, hopefully a new code will come out soon with an even better rate.

One more question, should we go for standard or waterview room? I'd like to request a full balcony, what do you think our chances of getting one are?

 

[sharoncity]

I would prefer waterview. I think if you make full balcony your top request (make sure to request it when you make your reservation), you would stand a good chance of getting it. Four days before your arrival, fax down your request again to the room assigner. I found that a nicely worded request without too many different requests worked fine for us. I would tell them how you are looking forward to siiting on the balcony with your DM after DS goes to bed and watching the people going by. Again, I wouldn't ask for a lot of other things as far as the room location and everything. If that is your only request, you probably stand a very good chance of getting one.

Glad you chose BC! You won't regret it!