Contemporary vs BC for young kids?

[firsttimetripper]

Thank you all so much! Tons of information in this thread and it'll take a while to digest it all.

I'll take a look at the recommendations like Wilderness Lodge and Swan/Dolphin. Appreciate it!

 

[meggiebeth]

We would choose BC over the Contemporary any day, but a lot of that comes down to personal preference. The Contemporary feels quite corporate compared to BC which is whimsically themed, light and airy.

Thinking objectively, if you are planning on spending a lot of time at Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary has some appeal. Similarly though, at BC you are walking distance to Epcot and a boat away from Hollywood Studios. Stormalong Bay is fantastic fun for kids and we love the set up there with Beaches and Cream right next to the pool and a convenient stop for ice cream, and Hurricane Hanna’s on the other side for food and refillable mugs station. Everything is very close, and Yacht, Boardwalk Inn, and the parks, are just a short distance away.

If I were personally looking at a MK area resort, I’d probably gravitate towards the Polynesian or GF as I prefer their theming and think it’s a much more immersive experience. We do love Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary - it’s quintessential Disney - and the hotel amenities are great. I do think a lot of it comes down to what type of hotel and vibe you are looking for.

 

[pixie3]

When my kids were young, Beach Club was always our favorite. The pool is the best. If you get tired (at least at Epcot or HS) it is easy to go back and take a quick nap. They also have the Boardwalk with so many activities.

 

[SuperJ]

Disney hotels are old, and are often loud and overrun with kids, for obvious reasons. Both of these hotels are old and loud: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/hotels/sound-ratings

If sound is a dealbreaker, I'd do Swan/Dolphin, or the newer Disney builds, Coronado or Riviera. CB gets high ratings in this, even though it's moderate. Great location on the Skyliner.

I struggle to believe any list that gives two of the all star resorts an “A”

 

[stranger706]

Pools at CR and WL are usually nice and quiet and not overrun with people.

 

[Karebear]

We have stayed at both and we would pick YC/BC every time. We like that it is more central than a MK resort and being able to walk to both Epcot and HS. As far as the pool goes, I guess it depends on how strong a swimmer your kids are. For reference, one of our stays at YC was when my daughter was 8. She had broken her arm and had to have surgery and had the cast taken off 2 days before our trip. Her arm was weak and she wasn't allowed to use it much yet (I remember she couldn't go on the zip line thing at blizzard beach). Anyway, the point is that she was fine swimming without using that arm much in Storm Along Bay...even the lazy river part. My kids love the pool there and would pick it every time!

 

[RoseGold]

I struggle to believe any list that gives two of the all star resorts an “A”

LOL, fair enough. I can tell you it's dead on for that F at Grand Floridian. GF earned that F, one of the loudest hotels I have ever stayed at in my life. And the A at Dolphin, couldn't even tell you if I had neighbors.

 

[DizKids2]

I agree with most other posters that I would choose based more on your park plans. I loved being able to walk over to MK from CR every time we have stayed there. It’s one of the few times we have stayed for fireworks; but you can do the same with Epcot at BC, plus have access to the boats and Skyliner to get to HS. I found the BC pool to be a lot when my kids were young (I have 3) because the layout of the pool makes it hard to see them as they go in opposite directions, so consider that part depending on their ages. That being said, we went back when they were a bit older and they couldn’t get enough of the slide!

 

[jsergent]

We've been to Beach Club twice. Last trip the kids were 6 and 8. They loved the sand pool and could explore some of the other areas of the pool too. We rented a cabana the one day and had a fabulous time. It was a really great place for us.

 

[FSU Girl]

Quietness of your room will depend on your neighbors. I’ve found the only quiet rooms to be the one bedroom villas because the bedroom door isn’t to the hallway. If your main park is magic kingdom go with contemporary. It’s so convenient being able to walk to the park from there. And Epcot is an easy monorail ride away

 

[firsttimetripper]

Thanks again for the help on this thread.

We ended up choosing BC for our vacation.

Mostly it came down to the time of year we were visiting - in September we wanted the big pool at BC, but if were at WDW in January we probably would have picked the Contemporary to be close to the MK.