Animal Kingdom Lodge or Beach Club???

[Cara121078]

We have decided to upgrade our Aug. accommodations. These are the 2 hotels that are available that appeal to us. We have never stayed at either of these. We have stayed at POFQ, Poly and WL. I would love to hear some pros and cons for each, before we make our final decision. We have 4 kids under 10, so we'll be staying in a 2 bdrm suite at whichever we choose. Thanks in advance for any input!

Cara

[Kairi_7378]

First of all, to Intercot!

I have not stayed at either resort but they are on my list of places I want to stay at someday. I don't think you could go wrong with either one!

I'm not sure if you listen to the Intercot podcast, but in the most recent episode (16) Ian gave a nice review about the AKL. Ian has stayed in the Castle, so I consider to be a very good expert on WDW accommodations. AKL has three good restaurants onsite and has the advantage of the animals. The one problem that I can see with the AKL is its somewhat remote location, compared with parks other than AK.

Beach Club is in a wonderful location. You may (depending on the ages of your kids) be able to walk to either the Studios or Epcot. If you walk to Epcot, you'll be close to the monorail to the Magic Kingdom as well.

[madi47]

We have stayed at both resorts.....I love them both!!! Either way you can't go wrong. I will say that if you want the walking convenience to epcot or dhs then choose beach club....I also love the pool at beach club! It is the best pool on property!!! Animal kingdom lodge is just beautiful though. I love the animals and they do story time by the fire pit and tons of other activities. good luck with your decision

[Jillirose]

Haven't stayed at AKL, but have read so many posts from folks who wouldn't stay anywhere else! I'd like to stay there sometime.

We love BC for location, location, location! We walk the Boardwalk at night, walk to EPCOT or hop a boat to DHS. The transportation can't be beat. Plus the pool and atmosphere are great.

[brownie]

We haven't stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge but have stayed at the Beach Club (and wish we could stay there every trip!) I think one of the biggest draws is the pool which is more of a mini-water park. It also has our favorite character breakfast at Cape May Cafe. You can walk to Epcot and have boat transportation or can walk to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

[sassafras]

As a DVC member, BC is our home resort. I love it. You can't beat the closeness to Epcot, DHS, and the Boardwalk. It's one drawback is it doesn't really have a food court as such. However, there are numerous restaurants close and Cape May has a breakfast buffet. That said, my husband hates the BC! So, I guess it's just whatever you prefer. We have stayed at the AKL twice and both love it! It's very relaxing, love the whole atmosphere of the place. Transportation isn't bad. It's very close the AK, but takes 15-30 minutes to get to the MK. Whichever you choose, I don't think you can go wrong!

[Mogie]

Why not split the vacation in 2 and stay at both!?

Probably a little difficult with 4 kids....but Disney will transport all of your luggage for you to the next hotel!

[trapper]

Omg I vote for the Beach Club!!!!! My fav!

[Disneymom201]

We stayed at AKL last year and absolutely LOVED it!!!!! It was a hard decision not to stay there this year, but each year we have tried to stay somewhere new. It was nice to "escape" the chaos of the parks. The bus rides NEVER appeared "too long" for me. We also ate at Boma's for dinner and would have to say it was one of my favorite meals on property (we're going back this year, trying breakfast this time). We had a savahanna room & thoroughly enjoyed & appreciated it. The serenity & ambiance of the resort is top notch !
This year (66 days ) we will be staying at the BC. We are all looking forward to staying somewhere new. This will be our first year traveling in the summer (have been only in Oct & Nov). For the same reasons as others, we chose the BC because of the pool. Part of me is thinking that everyone will have the same plan as us, mid-day break at SaB. I do have some reservaions about the decision to stay at the BC, I don't think our afternoons are going to be "relaxing".
I cannot tell you that I would chose AKL over BC, just because I have not experienced the BC yet. But out of the 3 Deluxe Resorts that we have stayed at, AKL is our families FAVORITE (DS11& DS8 would agree). We hope to stay there again someday

Happy Planning!!!!!

2005-2007 Off Property
2008 Grand Floridian
2009 Wilderness Lodge
2010 Surprise vacation for the kids to AKL
Summer 2011 Beach Club

[Cara121078]

Thanks everyone! I think we're just going to put the names of the resorts into a hat and pick. I don't think we will be disappointed with either.

Cara

[Cara121078]

Disneymom201, I just realized that we will be there at the same time. We get there on Aug. 15th.