Pros & Cons of Beach Club/PO Riverside/Wilderness Lodge

We are planning a very "last minute" trip to Disney March 2018. It will be our family of 4- me, DH, DD 15 and DS 20. We usually stay at the Wilderness Lodge, but are considering staying somewhere else this time. We LOVE WL ,but are considering Beach Club since it is so close to Epcot & HS and we can walk to both of those locations. I've been wanting to try POR, but feel it may be so far from everything. Also considering Copper Creek Villas at WL, depending on the price.

Please give me some Pro's and Cons of each of the properties to help me decide.
Thank you!:mickey:

We've stayed at Beach Club a couple of times. As you note, one of the biggest pros for this resort is its location in close proximity to Epcot and Disney Studios. Additionally, you can easily walk to multiple locations for dining such as Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin. The pool is terrific - best on property. For me, the cons are that you are quite some distance from the Magic Kingdom area, buses can be slow (especially when shared with some of the other resorts in the area), the boat transportation between Epcot and Disney Studios is currently not operating (due to the effects of the recent storm) and, when operating, can be quite a slow form of transportation.

We stayed at Copper Creek before they were renamed. We loved being in the Magic Kingdom area with its proximity to the Magic Kingdom and the surrounding hotels. A con to this location is that you can't get to the other Magic Kingdom resorts without taking a boat or bus but, if Wilderness Lodge is where you usually stay, you are pretty much familiar with this resort.

One of the things that Disney does really well at WDW is to visually and psychologically separate the different parks and resorts, even though physically, things are actually pretty close together.

POR may feel like it's "so far from everything" but in reality, it's not. Technically, POR is an Epcot Resort, and as the crow flies, it's closer to Epcot than DHS is. It's just in the opposite direction and separated by a freeway, a canal and a major road. The bus to MK is pretty quick (10min) since most of that trip doesn't have to use the major roadways (until you get to World Drive and then it's the freeway to MK). POR is only about a mile from Fort Wilderness if that puts it into perspective.

POR also has the boat over to Disney Springs which is quite relaxing.

The thing about comparing POR with BC and WL is that POR is a moderate. Rooms are smaller, the resort is much, much larger (meaning potentially much more walking), and the amenities are different. That said, I love POR. The grounds are beautiful and for me, the whole place is very relaxing and peaceful. And for what it's worth, I consider Boatwrights (the table service restaurant at POR) to be one of the hidden gems at WDW.

Thematically, POR is similar to WL (rustic, lots of green). From an amenity standpoint, BC will be more in line with what you're used to at WL - Deluxe resort, lots of restaurants close by, non-bus access to a theme park.

Hope this helps a bit.

Steve

Love POR,

Con- They are using that mounted soap dispenser system instead of individual soaps, in the room..


If you go to POR, try Boatwrights.

Based on the age of your children, I'd say the only true downside to POR would be that a single room might feel cramped for basically four adults. If you get into the Bayou side you could get a Murphy bed, otherwise I believe its two queens.

On the plus side POR would be about 1/2 the cost of Beach Club, it has a wonderful lounge, the River Roost, with Yeehaw Bob a frequent performer there, and their food court is one of the better ones on property, and as others mentioned, Boatwright's is a very nice sit down restaurant. I've never felt that we were too far away staying at POR.

I love POR. That is my "home" resort. But I feel that if you are accustomed to a Deluxe, you would probably be disappointed with POR. There is definitely a step down. If I could afford the Beach Club I'd LOVE to give it a try - so go for that one if you can! More spacious accomodations and a really nice pool, I understand. 4 adults really is squishy in POR, even with the Murphy bed. It was big enough for my small 19 year old DD to sleep on, but we did get on each other's nerves, LOL

love WL and am staying there for a night this coming trip.
the ONLY thing I liked about BC was the location.
POR i like the boat to disney springs. and its cheaper usually than WL or BC
for me I would pick WL every time. for you the kids might like BC pool.