2012 Beach and Yacht FAQ, Part 3- Don't Post Here!!! New Thread, November 2012

[mylildarlings]

Originally Posted by MMrules

I just wanted to give a small trip report for my stay from 8/8 to 8/17.

I want to give a spectacular report, however, there are a few things about the BC that left me feeling a bit less magical .

We stayed in the Villlas in room 305. The room was clean and everything was in working order. we had a view of the quiet pool which was nice, however, not as spectacular as last year's view of spaceship earth .

As usual Stormalong bay was fantastic. We spent hours there swimming and laying by the pool. I will say that some folks took advantage of the pool area by hoarding (no lie) 15 chairs (as we could hear them counting them out) and then as my husband and I sat on our chairs watching our children, noone ever came to at least 12 of those chairs during the 4 hours we were there. Very disappointing for guests who had no chair. Not sure how the resort could monitor that, but it is a pet peeve.

The cleanliness of the general hotel is a bit more upsetting. The mens room off of the main lobby had a broken urinal in it during our entire stay. With all the maintenance staff WDW employs one would think it would have been fixed within 10 days. My husband reported that it was also dirty and smelled every time he went in it. I used the women's room off the lobby and it too smelled of very strong urine. It appeared clean, but didn't smell it. The bathroom near Cape May's was also covered in toilet paper and not very tidy the few times I went in there.

The food tasted good at the quick service and Cape May's Breakfast (although this costs way too much money if you pay OOP). THe burgers at Hurricane Hanna was very greasy as it seemed like it sat on the bun way too long, causing the bun to fall apart. The poor staff at Hurricane Hanna's had a non-stop continuous line. I felt really bad for them because the obviously didn't have enough staff to get orders cooked fast enough. Some patrons were complaining and getting mad about the wait.

My biggest complaint is the buses. I don't want to sound snotty, but for the price of the hotel rooms the bus situation should be addressed and corrected. I realize that BC is in close proximity to the BW and swan/dolphin. However, having 5 bus stops plus a ride to blizzard beach and then AK or to DTD is absurd. The bus drivers pack guests in like sardines which I think could be in various violations of the acutal # of guests allowed. Then it takes forever to go to/from your hotel or park. I don't usually complain about the buses because I know it is public transportation, but this time was the worst I ever had (and it wasn't as busy as it has been in the past). The worst instance we had was going to DTD. On the night we were coming home a huge thunder/lightning storm was approaching. We saw a bus leaving as we got there. We were waiting with another family who got dropped off from the water parks after they waited for over a 1/2 hour for a bus. We were at the bus stop for over 1 hour and 15 minutes before a bus finally arrived. During this time at least 5 or 6 buses came for all other resorts (as the crowd grew so did the number of folks counting buses) and no BC bus came. There was a bus monitor CM there and we tried asking him for an answer to where a bus was, could he send a bus etc. He kinda gave the crowd the run around for about a half hour then he left and we still had no bus. Sadly when the bus showed up the entire crowd couldn't fit on it and many folks were left out in the storm. I have no idea how much longer they had to wait. I have never had issues with buses like this before and don't know if it is a fluke or poor management but I hope it gets corrected soon.

THe rest of the vacation was great and the CM's throughout the resort were friendly, courteous and kind. I just hope the BC can work through some kinks that were very noticable compared to visits past. I am sure that there have been staff cuts due to the economy, but those cuts are definitely felt by the consumer who isn't being charged less for less service.

Thanks for the heads up. We're heading there in a few days but will have a rental car since we're going to Cocoa Beach first. I debated between turning in the car at Disney or keeping it the whole week and then got a great deal ($165 total after fees for 9 days!), so after reading your report, I'm so glad that I decided to keep it for the week.

Did you find the bus to MK ok? I hear that's faster then driving.

[mariamouse]

Originally Posted by mylildarlings

Thanks for the heads up. We're heading there in a few days but will have a rental car since we're going to Cocoa Beach first. I debated between turning in the car at Disney or keeping it the whole week and then got a great deal ($165 total after fees for 9 days!), so after reading your report, I'm so glad that I decided to keep it for the week.

Did you find the bus to MK ok? I hear that's faster then driving.

The bus to the MK is certainly not exempt from the issues the PP had. The bus ride itself will often take longer than driving your own car would, but the reason that it typically ends up being faster is because it drops off right outside the MK entrance. When you drive, you have to park at the TTC and then take either the boat or monorail over to the MK from there.

If there is a minimal MK bus wait time, then it will get you there faster. But, if the bus wait time starts to approach 15-20 mins, it evens out.

[mylildarlings]

Originally Posted by mariamouse

The bus to the MK is certainly not exempt from the issues the PP had. The bus ride itself will often take longer than driving your own car would, but the reason that it typically ends up being faster is because it drops off right outside the MK entrance. When you drive, you have to park at the TTC and then take either the boat or monorail over to the MK from there.

If there is a minimal MK bus wait time, then it will get you there faster. But, if the bus wait time starts to approach 15-20 mins, it evens out.

Ok. That makes sense. Is there a way to know when the next bus arrives? Do they post pick up times?

[mariamouse]

Originally Posted by mylildarlings

Ok. That makes sense. Is there a way to know when the next bus arrives? Do they post pick up times?

Unfortunately, no posted pick up times. There is sometimes a CM there, though, that can sort of give you a heads-up as to when the last bus departed/when the next bus might arrive... or at least this was the case for us at the GF last December.

[georgiasmom]

Originally Posted by Pinkgirl

I am pleased to report that we have some Noodles. After 5 visits to Bell Services, they rang Lost and Found and brought over every noodle they had in the place! We now have a collection of 6 (these do not include the two that Dee mentioned earlier, which were centimetres from my grasp but were taken away again when the Bell Service guy went off to look for more and were never brought back!)

I am pleased they have turned up today as I would have hated to have my wedding photos with no noodles to join us

YEAH for the NOODLES!!

Text me when you are ready to do the swap.

Have a great wedding!!!

Amy

[KJay]

Trying not to get too concerned over the not-so-good (ok, maybe closer to scathing or bashing in some cases!) BC reviews that are suddenly popping up around the boards. I'm going in with a positive attitude! Who's with me?

Glad to hear the Noodle family has turned up! Can anyone confirm whether or not there are noodles for sale at the Marketplace or the stand at SAB? I'm looking forward to floating along with minimal muscle power

[vinotinto]

Originally Posted by NHKristy76

After reading a couple posts, I've begun to really be concerned about the bus system at the BC. I'm hoping someone can set my mind at ease!

We rely entirely on Disney transportation and are generally very patient in regards to waiting for buses. What I've read today, though, is that the bus for the BC shares with YC (understandable), Boardwalk, Swan, AND Dolphin? Really? This just surprises me completely as these are all pretty big resorts - what makes Disney think that Pop and AoA need separate buses but 5 deluxe resorts can share?

Can anyone help me understand or, even better, tell me that what I've heard is not typical? Maybe there are problems with the buses right now so they are grouping hotels together but only as a short term solution to a problem?

Thanks!

Bus is shared among all 5 resorts to/from AK, water parks and at least in the am to MK. In the evening, the MK bus was shared only between 3 of the 5 resorts. Bus does take a long time, so plan accordingly. We only spend one day at MK and now drive to AK, so we still choose BC/YC. We spend most of our time at Epcot, DHS and the pool. If visiting MK were a priority, I would rent a car. Even with having to take the monorail over from TTC, it is quicker than driving (we have done it both ways).

[vinotinto]

OK, desperate times call for desperate measures.

With all the talk that there will only be limited and drinks in the pool area (hot dogs and soda ain't going to cut it), can we order from the room service menu and have it delivered at the pool? I have a whole pool day built into our schedule and didn't really want to root us away from it to have lunch. TIA!

[vinotinto]

Originally Posted by NHKristy76

You will know I've arrived at the BC when you see a Pooh sized woman running through the lobby and jumping straight into SAB fully clothed. I simply CAN NOT WAIT to be swimming in that pool!

So look for me... at about noon on Thursday!

Now, *that's* the right attitude! Enjoy your trip!

[Couchy]

Originally Posted by YCFAN

As some of you know (and many of you do not) I have had an extremely stressful past 4 months. After 26 years in the same job, I was told my job was being eliminated and our plant was being complexed with another plant. I would have to apply for the position that would be over both plants and that the applications would be open to the entire company since this was happening across the entire nation within our company.

The process took forever but I am happy to report that I got the new position (a promotion) with twice as much responsibility (but only a little more pay). It certainly beats unemployment. I also figure I only have about 10 years of work life left and I didn't want to have to start over with pension, vacation, etc. I'm looking forward to the new challenge.

I want to thank all of you on this board that knew about it and offered moral and emotional support during this extremely stressful time. I also want to thank those of you that didn't know about it because this board was the one place I could go and completely get away from the stress.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the stories, trips, pictures and NinjaMom descriptions and hypothetical situations!!!! This board is so informational but also acts as a "get away." As the Pointer Sisters would say, "We are Family." Thanks for adopting me.

Congrats on the promotion It must be such a relief to know you will not be unemployed

Originally Posted by TeenaS

I'm dancing to that song on my way to put my suitcases in the car to go to airport. So HAPPY for you!!!!!

Have fun setting up the classroom and of course visiting the princess
I just set up my classroom today. So happy that is done!

[MMrules]

Originally Posted by mariamouse

MMrules- Thank you for your honest feedback about the BC. I am sorry to hear that your stay was a bit less than magical. I completely agree that the bus issues need to be sorted out stat! Given the insane amount of complaints the BC likely receives from guests about this, you would think they would have already made the necessary changes.

Also- do you mind my asking what you liked better about your BCV Epcot view than the pool view? We are debating which view to request, but I was apprehensive about the Epcot view due to the service road beneath. Was this a non-issue for you in terms of noise, etc?

Thanks again for sharing your honest review!

I am hoping that the bus issue was just for us and it is straightened out. We didn't complain to the resort as we know snags can happen, but I did give an honest reply to the survey I received when I got home.

Personally, I just loved waking up and seeing that giant Epcot ball out of my windows (and we could see some higher fireworks at night). This years view of the pool was very relaxing and pretty (although my kids wanted to visit it the entire time they could see it .). This time we tried to request an Epcot view through DVC and were told that they don't do room requests, but the did last year. So I am not sure if that is a new policy or not. The service road area was not loud at all, but the fireworks are

[MMrules]

Originally Posted by NHKristy76

After reading a couple posts, I've begun to really be concerned about the bus system at the BC. I'm hoping someone can set my mind at ease!

We rely entirely on Disney transportation and are generally very patient in regards to waiting for buses. What I've read today, though, is that the bus for the BC shares with YC (understandable), Boardwalk, Swan, AND Dolphin? Really? This just surprises me completely as these are all pretty big resorts - what makes Disney think that Pop and AoA need separate buses but 5 deluxe resorts can share?

Can anyone help me understand or, even better, tell me that what I've heard is not typical? Maybe there are problems with the buses right now so they are grouping hotels together but only as a short term solution to a problem?

Thanks!

This is what we were questioning when we were there. We are Disney transportation people. I don't rent a car and have no issues waiting for buses. I expect that I will have to wait and I don't usually mind at all. The buses were fine to MK as they were only YC and BC that shared a bus. AK was the one that had 5 hotels plus the waterpark and DTD had the 5 hotels. I am not sure if it is because volume wise there are less people that visit those destinations, however, everytime we went there were lots of people going there too. I understand that they need to pack folks on the buses, but it is scary to see so many people standing (sometimes small children) and then the bus takes a corner or fast stop and there are people almost falling. I am sure that it is not easy for the drivers because if they don't pack the bus in, they will get yelled at by folks waiting. It just seems to me that there should be either more buses available or the swan/dolphin should have their own buses as they are huge. They also aren't part of magical express so I am not sure why DIsney provides them transportation. In the past it has been fine, so maybe this was a fluke???? I hope so for my fellow vacationers

[MMrules]

Originally Posted by KJay

Trying not to get too concerned over the not-so-good (ok, maybe closer to scathing or bashing in some cases!) BC reviews that are suddenly popping up around the boards. I'm going in with a positive attitude! Who's with me?

Glad to hear the Noodle family has turned up! Can anyone confirm whether or not there are noodles for sale at the Marketplace or the stand at SAB? I'm looking forward to floating along with minimal muscle power

I am not bashing by any means...Disney is my happy place and overall the vacation was wonderful. I have never complained about buses or other issues on any disboards as I am very easy to please....this was just a few things that were disappointing compared to beach club stays past. You will have a great time as the CM's, beauty of the hotal and SAB make up for the negatives. I hope you have perfect bus rides and luck finding chairs

[mariamouse]

Originally Posted by MMrules

I am hoping that the bus issue was just for us and it is straightened out. We didn't complain to the resort as we know snags can happen, but I did give an honest reply to the survey I received when I got home.

Personally, I just loved waking up and seeing that giant Epcot ball out of my windows (and we could see some higher fireworks at night). This years view of the pool was very relaxing and pretty (although my kids wanted to visit it the entire time they could see it .). This time we tried to request an Epcot view through DVC and were told that they don't do room requests, but the did last year. So I am not sure if that is a new policy or not. The service road area was not loud at all, but the fireworks are

Thanks so much for the info and heads-up about the potential new DVC requests policy.. I'll have to look into that since all of this indecisive worrying may end up being pointless! 😉

[MMrules]

Originally Posted by mylildarlings

Thanks for the heads up. We're heading there in a few days but will have a rental car since we're going to Cocoa Beach first. I debated between turning in the car at Disney or keeping it the whole week and then got a great deal ($165 total after fees for 9 days!), so after reading your report, I'm so glad that I decided to keep it for the week.

Did you find the bus to MK ok? I hear that's faster then driving.

The bus to MK only has BC and YC on it. We found the bus to/from MK was great. We hardly waited for it at all. Hollywood studios uses the boats which is great. Epcot is a short walk away. The most stops are to AK and DTD. I would suggest a car for them if you are going to rent one and don't want to chance the buses. In years past this hasn't been an issue (and last FEb. when I was at the Boardwalk) so I am hoping there was a snag and they are fixing it or have new management or something. We have always relied on Disney transportation and will continue to do so in the future. Don't stress over it, I am hoping it was just bad timing or luck on my family's trip.