Yacht & Beach or Boardwalk holiday resort only stay

[BeachMouse1]

We are annual passholders and have decided to do a resort stay Dec 21-25th As those are blackout dates for us. We currently have Boardwalk booked as we love that area and if we decide to buy a one day ticket it will be to Epcot for festival of the holidays. Was thinking maybe we would be better with Yacht & Beach since it’s a bigger resort and have more area. I know everywhere is crowded at the holidays but I have been seeing posts about how Storm Along Bay is has no seating, people “reserving” entire rows of chairs and since it’s a resort stay we may want to spend quite a bit of time pool side. I realize if Beach & Yacht are going to be that crowded probably so will Boardwalk but I’m thinking since Boardwalk will be under construction maybe less crowded?

Any thoughts here?

 

[KerryCM]

The rooms at the Inn side are all refurbished. The DVC side will be started then and won’t really bother anything. I personally like the Boardwalk better, but that is just my opinion.

 

[jods]

If you are going with kids BC/YC otherwise BWI. I personally find BC to be loud and chaotic. I love sitting out at the BWI.

 

[Jacq7414]

If you are going with kids BC/YC otherwise BWI. I personally find BC to be loud and chaotic. I love sitting out at the BWI.

My 7 year old actually liked BWI better than BC. She liked the slide at Boardwalk better and I think just walking around.

The room at BWI was nicer than the one that we had at BC as well. We had a renovated room at BWI and the room at BC seemed to be tired. We went in April 2022 to BC though, so I’m not sure if the rooms have been renovated since then.

 

[BingoJoe]

I just checked into the Inn last night, we are here for a week then moving to wilderness for another 8 days.

The resort is beautiful and the newly refurbished rooms are my favourite out of any I have stayed at in Disney (quite a few).

I would actually rate the rooms at beach club pretty low on the scale. And some of them are a long walk from the lobby. Yacht club is much nicer and has a better lobby and quick serve.

The pool at yacht and beach is really great though, but only in summer. In winter it is too big and deep for them to heat properly and is really cold to get into.

 

[jods]

My 7 year old actually liked BWI better than BC. She liked the slide at Boardwalk better and I think just walking around.

The room at BWI was nicer than the one that we had at BC as well. We had a renovated room at BWI and the room at BC seemed to be tired. We went in April 2022 to BC though, so I’m not sure if the rooms have been renovated since then.

I agree with your 7 year old haha. My kids liked BC/YC better at that age. I definitely liked YC better then BC. My kids are teens and we all like BWI better now. I will say we didn't stay at the BW when they were younger because my son was scared of the clown pool

 

[Marthasor]

It's a toss-up for me. I prefer the BWI pool - it's more compact, less chaotic and I love how the pool bar is within the pool deck area, making it super easy to get food/drinks (the bathrooms are closer too). The overall food situation at BWI isn't great, though, IMHO. All of the restaurants are out on the Boardwalk, including the QS, making it super inconvenient. As a resort, we prefer YC over all of the EP resorts - quieter, comfortable rooms and a QS with seating inside. Also a quick walk to access BC's restaurant options. If you choose YC or BC, you could always access the quiet pools if Stormalong Bay gets crowded. If a slide is important, we prefer the BWI slide to the BC/YC slide.

 

[focusondisney]

We had a renovated room at BWI and the room at BC seemed to be tired.

The BC rooms are getting a refresh right now. They’re almost done actually.

 

[BeachMouse1]

I just checked into the Inn last night, we are here for a week then moving to wilderness for another 8 days.

The resort is beautiful and the newly refurbished rooms are my favourite out of any I have stayed at in Disney (quite a few).

I would actually rate the rooms at beach club pretty low on the scale. And some of them are a long walk from the lobby. Yacht club is much nicer and has a better lobby and quick serve.

The pool at yacht and beach is really great though, but only in summer. In winter it is too big and deep for them to heat properly and is really cold to get into.

Yes we were just on the Inn side of Boardwalk and the new rooms are really nice. We also like walking home and all that entertainment is going on which I guess really isn’t a big deal if we are at Yacht or Beach we could walk over there. We love Boardwalk pool too. We were thinking Yacht club because of the size of Storm Along if we’re just hanging at the pool and Holiday’s are very crowded might be more room at Storm Along but I have been reading on here it’s been hard to get a chair that’s why we are back and forth I also like Yacht Club better than beach I’m so confused

 

[BeachMouse1]

It's a toss-up for me. I prefer the BWI pool - it's more compact, less chaotic and I love how the pool bar is within the pool deck area, making it super easy to get food/drinks (the bathrooms are closer too). The overall food situation at BWI isn't great, though, IMHO. All of the restaurants are out on the Boardwalk, including the QS, making it super inconvenient. As a resort, we prefer YC over all of the EP resorts - quieter, comfortable rooms and a QS with seating inside. Also a quick walk to access BC's restaurant options. If you choose YC or BC, you could always access the quiet pools if Stormalong Bay gets crowded. If a slide is important, we prefer the BWI slide to the BC/YC slide.

We prefer the Yacht as well and love BWI pool and whole vide too. BWI has become one of our favorite resorts and the food situation doesn’t bother us. I don’t eat breakfast and my wife brings stuff (allergies). It’s just we aren’t doing any parks so we are trying to figure Yacht or Boardwalk the one that would have the most pool available

 

[Marthasor]

We prefer the Yacht as well and love BWI pool and whole vide too. BWI has become one of our favorite resorts and the food situation doesn’t bother us. I don’t eat breakfast and my wife brings stuff (allergies). It’s just we aren’t doing any parks so we are trying to figure Yacht or Boardwalk the one that would have the most pool available

I think it’s going to be hard to predict. We stayed at BWI over Christmas week several years ago and had zero issues finding chairs at the pool.

 

[BeachMouse1]

I think it’s going to be hard to predict. We stayed at BWI over Christmas week several years ago and had zero issues finding chairs at the pool.

Thanks that’s what we are hoping

 

[RoseGold]

I would do BW. SAB is overrun with kids all hours of the day, and I wouldn't pick it for an adult trip. I really wouldn't pick it for a peak holiday trip, it will be bananas. Of course, FL weather could freeze you out, and then you'd have no issue getting a chair anywhere.

I'd also think about Swolphin, which could be much cheaper and has better food options.

Some of the Swan Reserve rooms have lovely views, which I think could be nice for an adult resort trip.

 

[kiford]

When we stay at BC (or YC though we prefer BC), I think that it's my favourite resort. Until I stay at BWI, and then I think that's my favourite resort. They both have their pros and cons, but since they're in the same area and have proximity to all of the same restaurants and lounges, the differences are minimal IMO. Stormalong Bay is awesome, but we also love the quiet pool at BWI in the rose garden. We hop back and forth between the hot tub and the pool and we may be the only ones there for hours. The main pool is still quite nice, and we do like the pool bar for snacks and drinks. I think the rooms in YC are larger than BC which are larger than BWI though it depends on the specific room/location. Storage is, I think, better at YC/BC but it's not horrible at BWI.

While you can be far from the lobby at BC, you may be located near to an exit door that opens out to the pathway closer to Epcot than the lobby doors. YC exits closer to Swolphin if you want to eat there and is closer to the boats and closer to Hollywood Studios if you're walking. BWI is a little farther from Epcot than BC but closer than YC.

It's really hard to choose so we often end up choosing based on cost or availability or staying at a different one than last time or where we expect to spend most of our time. In September, we're staying at BWV because it was the same cost as a room at BWI and we are only there for two days visiting Epcot and Hollywood Studios. BWV is a little farther from Epcot than BWI but closer to the pathway to Hollywood Studios; essentially halfway between both so we choose to stay at BWV which we wouldn't normally do. IIRC there was no availability at YC or BC or at least not for the price we wanted. Or maybe I just wanted to stay at BW - I don't really remember now.

I will say that we stayed at BC over the Christmas holidays a few years ago and the pool wasn't too crazy all day long; there were definitely times it was good and I remember spending a fair bit of time on the lazy river. The next year we were at BWI though earlier in December - not over the holidays - and we spent time in both pools (quiet and main) and it wasn't too bad though it might get busier closer to Christmas. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the three. Lots of people will be at the parks during the day so you may not find any of the resorts particularly overcrowded or at least not all day.

 

[BeachMouse1]

When we stay at BC (or YC though we prefer BC), I think that it's my favourite resort. Until I stay at BWI, and then I think that's my favourite resort. They both have their pros and cons, but since they're in the same area and have proximity to all of the same restaurants and lounges, the differences are minimal IMO. Stormalong Bay is awesome, but we also love the quiet pool at BWI in the rose garden. We hop back and forth between the hot tub and the pool and we may be the only ones there for hours. The main pool is still quite nice, and we do like the pool bar for snacks and drinks. I think the rooms in YC are larger than BC which are larger than BWI though it depends on the specific room/location. Storage is, I think, better at YC/BC but it's not horrible at BWI.

While you can be far from the lobby at BC, you may be located near to an exit door that opens out to the pathway closer to Epcot than the lobby doors. YC exits closer to Swolphin if you want to eat there and is closer to the boats and closer to Hollywood Studios if you're walking. BWI is a little farther from Epcot than BC but closer than YC.

It's really hard to choose so we often end up choosing based on cost or availability or staying at a different one than last time or where we expect to spend most of our time. In September, we're staying at BWV because it was the same cost as a room at BWI and we are only there for two days visiting Epcot and Hollywood Studios. BWV is a little farther from Epcot than BWI but closer to the pathway to Hollywood Studios; essentially halfway between both so we choose to stay at BWV which we wouldn't normally do. IIRC there was no availability at YC or BC or at least not for the price we wanted. Or maybe I just wanted to stay at BW - I don't really remember now.

I will say that we stayed at BC over the Christmas holidays a few years ago and the pool wasn't too crazy all day long; there were definitely times it was good and I remember spending a fair bit of time on the lazy river. The next year we were at BWI though earlier in December - not over the holidays - and we spent time in both pools (quiet and main) and it wasn't too bad though it might get busier closer to Christmas. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the three. Lots of people will be at the parks during the day so you may not find any of the resorts particularly overcrowded or at least not all day.

Thank you for the detailed comments. I know it’s hard to pick. We have BW booked and YC andBC are about $30 a night cheaper. Not a big deal but we really love the YC and BW. Since we will only do one park day at Epcot we were thinking a lot of pool time. We love SAB but we’re thinking for Christmas it’s gonna be crowded so we are leaning at staying at BW. We like BW pool but last time we were there it was very crowded and difficult to get chairs at the pool in the afternoon so we thought maybe with YC & BC having the bigger pool might have more room but also more rooms in those resorts so more people. Either way I know we will have a wonderful time

 

[RoseGold]

We like BW pool but last time we were there it was very crowded and difficult to get chairs at the pool in the afternoon so we thought maybe with YC & BC having the bigger pool might have more room but also more rooms in those resorts so more people

I've stayed plenty at both of these resorts, though off peak, to be fair. SAB is much, much more crowded. It's the only place in Disney I've had to fight for chairs, except occasionally Poly.

SAB might be big, but it absolutely can be full and crowded.

Flip side of this is the BC quiet pool is almost always sparse.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I would stay at BC/YC and enjoy SAB. You won't have any trouble getting good chairs if you go to the pool in the morning. It is very relaxing to have the wait staff bring food and drinks. And you can float around the lazy river. December weather can be cool, especially by the end of the month and could keep the crowds away from the pool.

 

[meggiebeth]

If it were me, I’d probably go for Yacht first, then Beach, then Boardwalk. The theming of the Boardwalk is quite similar but doesn’t quite have the same feel to me. We are also big pool people and so having access to Stormalong Bay is a huge plus for us. Around Christmas time I think the weather would largely determine how much use you’d get out of the pools, but it was never too busy for us to enjoy. The smaller pools at Yacht and Beach are very quiet.

Yacht definitely feels more upscale and slightly more adult oriented both in the theming and restaurants and shop. Beach has a lovely lobby but is much busier and has what feels like many more kids.