The Royal Towers aren't available for the time we are going. It's either the Beach Towers or the Coral. I know that the Coral is more expensive, but is it much better than the Beach. Also, location - is it better to stay at the Beach because it's closer to the Beach, or is it better to stay at the Coral because it's in the middle?

I stayed in the Royal towers and my brother stayed in the Beach towers. He said he felt like he was in a motel 6. It took him 45minutes to walk with young kids over to the pool/slides area. I would recommend staying in the Coral if you can't get into the Royal. I would think the extra money would be worth it. At the Coral, you are in the middle of things. It seems kept up very nice. We had a fun trip there.

thanks gironthego
Was it a long walk to the beach from the Royal Towers? I'm actually not too sure how many days we'll end up going to the beach because I'm sure the kids will like to check out the pools. Are the pools at each tower the same, or are some better then others?

The pools with all the slides are closer to the Royal Towers. The lazy river ride is closer to the Beach Tower. I don't know why it took gironthego's brother 45 minutes to walk to the Royal Tower from the Beach Tower. If you walk INSIDE the buildings it shouldn't take more than ten minutes tops!! We usally stay at the Coral Tower and it's very convenient to everything.

I don't know why it took my brother that long.He is overweight and has three little kids that probably needed to be carried, etc..ha hah.. The pools with the slides are right next to the Royal towers. The beach that was swimmable was to the left of the pools. The beach across all of the pool areas (near the beach towers) was unswimmable. (maybe because there had just been hurricanes) I am sure the coral towers are decent. My brother was very dissappointed in the beach towers and upgraded the next day to the royal towers. Oh and the lazy river was closed when we were there Oct.8th weekend. I am sure you will have a great time. We enjoyed our trip. We spent 4 nights and that was just about right. I would have liked one more, just because you lose so much in traveling time.

I've read this comment several times now about the walk being 45 minutes from the Beach tower to the Royal tower.
Let's just clarify: the distance is between 400-450 yards on the map (from the lobby of Beach to the entry of Royal). Almost an hour to walk 400 yards? How could they even get thru an airport?
Hampsters walk faster than that.
Really, they do!

travleis,
That was my thinking exactly!! Maybe they walked on the beach, but even then it shouldn't take that long. The walk is not a bad one unless you have some sort of disability. Getting to the beach is not a difficult task. From the Coral Towers you walk through a path that does require some twists and turns and a couple steps. The Beach Tower probably has the easiest beach access, but it's not bad from any of the towers.

Okay Okay, My brother was most likely exaggerating his 45 minute walk. He is a large man and he had three tired little ones. Maybe it seemed like forever. He did say it was a long walk! He also said the room was dumpy and it is not that cheap either. He enjoyed moving to the Royal towers because it was close to everything, alot nicer and worth the extra. I am sure the coral towers are nice, they are in the middle of everything.

When we were there a few years ago, we stayed at the Beach Tower. The room was just average, but we spent very little time there, so didn't feel the extra money for the Coral or Royal was a necessity. The Coral seemed to be the most convenient, but the Beach Tower was closest to the beach. At that time, the beach there was the nicest section. Also liked the pool at the Beach Tower. My daughter and husband spent more time than I did by the slides. It was very crowded in that area. The poster who said it was a 10 minute walk from end to end taking the inside hallway was right. You can easily do a LOT of walking because the grounds are so expansive, but there is so much to see that it is part of the fun.

Maybe he dallied at the one-arm bandits along the way...

I can definitely imagine it taking a half hour with wee ones in tow!

By the way, the beach seems to close often; I think there is a rough surf or undertow there.

To finally answer your questions, I think you'd be happier in the middle Coral Towers. But there are some detached single-level cottage-style rooms in the Beach Tower area that I thought looked kind of cool. But I do think they are more expensive because they have an unobstructed view of the ocean.

Also, after you make your reservation, keep calling back every week or two. If a convention or group cancels, you can probably get into Royal, if that's what you want.

By the way, are the Concierge Level rooms sold out too? If you can swing the extra money, and there are just two of you (or two and a baby), it might be worth it to include the continental breakfast, tea time, and free beverages during the day.

Oh my gosh - the post worked first time! Halleluiah!

The walk from Beach towers to Royal towers is 5 minutes.All the towers are beach front.There is a huge difference between the towers,with the Beach towers as described above like a Motel 6.