2013/2014 Beach and Yacht FAQ, Fun & Friends ~ Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec & Jan ~

[JanetMom]

Today I received a phone call from Disney... once again my Dolphins in Depth Tour is CANCELLED!!! I think I got the hint Disney.... YOU DO NOT want me to have an experience with the Dolphins!! I had this tour booked in 2011 and it was cancelled then too... Thought I was finally going to get to do it UNTIL the call came today... Just not meant to be and I'm really disappointed!!

So Sunrise Safari it is!

Ok that's my rant for the day!

~N

So that sucks.

I know you will have fun on whatever tour you take, but still, how disappointing.

 

[Ninja Mom]

That is superb, Couchy! You can always do BC/WDW another time, but a Euro trip with high school students sounds great

Yep, WDW will still be there. Europe will be an incredible experience so go for it!

Wanted to relate our cab experience from this past May. It was the first time in about 20 trips that we tried to get a cab from Downtown Disney. We were seeing a movie & had a lunch booked at le Cellier shortly after, so we decided to use a cab. Before going into the theater, we checked out the nearby cab stand. I didn't know about these "rogue" cabs.

When we came out, there was only 1 cab at the stand. It was not the Yellow cabs that we had noticed there before, but more like a white town car. After we got in & the driver started off, he asked for the address of the Beach Club. He had NO idea where he was going!!! I luckily had the address but he tried to fool with his GPS while driving. Luckily he pulled over, but not in an area where we could just get out. DH finally just told him where to turn. He couldn't even follow the Disney signs, which are quite large, as we all know!

While DH was giving him directions, I noticed there wasn't even a meter!!! When we got to the BC, he just said "how about $20?" We were in a hurry to get to our ADR, plus it was our last day & we didn't want anymore aggravation. So we just paid him the $20. But lesson learned. Yellow Cabs only from now on!

Thanks for the phone no. NM.

This is another good reason to have that phone number in your phone. The Yellow Cab company would have dispatched one of their cabs so you wouldn't have to deal with "Gypsy Guy".

Today I received a phone call from Disney... once again my Dolphins in Depth Tour is CANCELLED!!! I think I got the hint Disney.... YOU DO NOT want me to have an experience with the Dolphins!! I had this tour booked in 2011 and it was cancelled then too... Thought I was finally going to get to do it UNTIL the call came today... Just not meant to be and I'm really disappointed!!

So Sunrise Safari it is!

Ok that's my rant for the day!

~N

Couldn't you just stick a couple of Goldfish in the tub and go swimming with them? If you didn't want to use live fish you could substitute some of those crackers.... (just tryin to save you some $$$)

I'll charge you $1.89 for my "Goldfish in the shallows" tour!

~NM

 

[natebenma]

Today I received a phone call from Disney... once again my Dolphins in Depth Tour is CANCELLED!!! I think I got the hint Disney.... YOU DO NOT want me to have an experience with the Dolphins!! I had this tour booked in 2011 and it was cancelled then too... Thought I was finally going to get to do it UNTIL the call came today... Just not meant to be and I'm really disappointed!!

So Sunrise Safari it is!

Ok that's my rant for the day!

~N

So sorry to hear this!!!

Couldn't you just stick a couple of Goldfish in the tub and go swimming with them? If you didn't want to use live fish you could substitute some of those crackers.... (just tryin to save you some $$$)

I'll charge you $1.89 for my "Goldfish in the shallows" tour!

~NM

Nannette, please tell me either you or Buzzy are the ones planning all of your excursions for the December trip!!!

I'm a little afraid you would end up with the KTTW (Keys to the Washrooms) or something similar otherwise!

 

[natebenma]

pages 50-58

We're going to arrive at the Beach Club for our very first Disney Vacation in just 12 days, staying from the 18th to the 25th, and I want to express my very sincere thanks to everyone on Disboards and this thread in particular for helping me to prepare for it.

*snip*

Looking forward to a great stay - I will provide a recap and maybe some pix when we get back.

Hope you have a fantastic trip!!!

Need a new ticker...

We are planning not one, but TWO trips to BC!

First trip will be Food & Wine/MNSSHP next October, then Princess Half Marathon weekend Feb. 2015!

back!!! and back!!!

Gotta get you added onto The List. I think you may be our first 2015.

Hi everyone! Two questions? What wait time apps do you like for your phones while in the park?

Also, where is a good spot to lounge at the SAB that might have a shade option for DH. Our kids are 13/11/7 and great swimmers however I want my eyes on them.

Thanks! Getting soooooo excited!

Not sure about the phone apps so I will let others give you some suggestions.

Also not positive about the best shaded areas, but I suspect that the spots may change throughout the day based on the location of the sun.

One place that would be shaded would be the kind of gazebo thing over Hurricane Hanna's. There are loungers there, which are often unoccupied- I think you would have a view of some of the pool area from there while standing, but probably not while lounging.

Can't wait for my visit...3 months to the day!

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list on Page 1. Dec 6-?? BC split with BLT?

We will be crashing the BCV in April 2014. We are BWV DVC owners and thought we would finally try a stay here. Thanks for the thread and all the great info.

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list!

Getting ready to board our plane! Next stop Magical Express!

Hope you have a fantastic, magical time!!!

44 days!!! Oh yeah!!!!

I love reading all of the posts! I have wanted to stay at BC forever! Can't wait to check in and see it in real! AHhhhhhhh

I didn't see you on the Be Our Guest list, so I will add you for October. And just in case I haven't given you a greeting previously...

Well, we enjoyed our visit at Beach Club - stayed for 10 days in August. A few comments:

* We experienced great customer service from everyone the entire time that we were there.
* We loved the theme, had a room near the elevator, full balcony, etc.
* We loved the pool, though all of us are too old for the slide.
* We loved Cape May Cafe, and being so near Beaches n Cream.
* Loved running every morning on the Boardwalk and back/forth to DHS.

That said, we will probably not stay here again. Each of us said on different days, and for different reasons, that we preferred other resorts. Great resort, but not our favorite.

Thanks so much for your review and comments!

As others have said, everyone has different favorites for different reasons.

 

[natebenma]

pages 50-58, continued

Ninja Mom - Thanks for providing the cab phone number. I'm going to add it to my cell phone contacts now, while I think of it.

Although I will say this -

A few years ago, I had a sort-of emergency (idiot woman drove through a red light and smashed into my car, I was fine but standing on the side of the road with a car that couldn't be driven). My cell phone key pad wasn't working right, but I could make a call using my contacts. That's when I realized that I hadn't put people in as contacts if I knew their land line phone numbers by heart. So the people I most wanted to call were the ones I couldn't call.

So what numbers were saved in my cell phone as contacts?

Three pizza parlors in the Orlando area.

Also Owner's Locker, DVC Member Services and Tiffany Towncar.

Not real helpful when you're stranded on the side of the road in your home town, but I'm ready for anything when I'm at Disney World.

Ditto, that!

I can't remember if I have the telephone number for Mears taxi in the Other Useful Info post, but I will be sure to add it if not.

Thanks for sharing your story, it is great! Well, not so great for you, but a helpful reminder to all of us about being prepared.

So we will not be able to make our annual July trip ... but it is for an awesome reason

So yesterday I was asked if I wanted to go on my school's trip to Spain/France in July It is a small group of 30 excellent students. We are going to go to Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. The price was an unbelievable deal. They also said my DH could come for a slightly higher price. It is my DH's dream to go to Paris and I have always wanted Spain. We actually priced a trip like this out before and it was thousands more

I am sad about missing out on WDW but we are still going for F&W . We cancelled our Christmas trip but I am hoping to sneak in a Feb or April break trip so we get more out of that AP... We will see if finances permit
I am going to tutor on the side when my coaching season is done to get me there

Had to share with my BC/YC friends. I am so excited to go to Europe.

That is fantastic news!!! What a great opportunity!

And a chance for me to share my favorite (and lamest) joke.

Is there a 4th of July in Europe?

Triple bananas to the first poster who comes back with the correct reply.

We were at the BC just as the new mugs started. We only purchased 2 mugs for the kids, since we had water and other beverages delivered from Garden Grocer. My 14 yr old son said he had no problems with the mugs at the Marketplace. However, when I went a couple of times I couldn't get the machine on the right to work. I set the mug on the platform under the dispenser, pushed the button-nothing. I moved it around the platform & kept pushing the button to dispense the pop and still nothing. I moved over to the other machine and it worked just fine. Could of been operator error?? We purchased the mugs on Aug 25th and the machine said refills good until Sept 9th.

Thanks for the feedback. So the trick is to have a teenaged electronics expert with you when you attempt to refill? I can just hear my son telling me "Yup, all that time on Xbox is really paying off now, isn't it Mom?"

We got back last Sat and the Disney depression and then a bad cold for me and ds(3) kept me off here till now.It was our first stay at BC and we have stayed at Poly the past few trips and it has been our favorite so far but I must say that although I prefer the tropical feel of Poly I really did enjoy BC also.I loved the walk to Epcot and we spent more time over there and being able to walk to all the restaurants we enjoy on the boardwalk(like flying fish)was great also.My kids loved the pool-my dd(12) would have stayed there all day everyday if we let her.The room was nice but we were on the 4th floor by the pool and we only had a Juliet which was not great.I would only want a full balcony next time-I had requested one but also requested a daybed which we got so I didn't want to switch rooms to one without daybed.The pool noise during the day was also a bit loud when we were trying to give our ds a nap but it ended early enough at night for us that it didn't matter too much.The boat to HS was pretty convienant too.Poly will remain my favorite but I would probably pick BC first for next trip especially if I can get another great discount on the room.

Thanks for your review!

 

[Wood Nymph]

And a chance for me to share my favorite (and lamest) joke.

Is there a 4th of July in Europe?

Triple bananas to the first poster who comes back with the correct reply.

Yes, there is a 4th of July in Europe. There is also a 3rd and a 5th and all the rest of the days of the month, too.

 

[Couchy]

Couchy: what a great July 2014 it's gonna be!!

Nannette: I can't wait to read about your Sunrise Safari

About the Car : No car for us. We use busses or boats and cabs. I tend to have a couple if adult beverages while on vacation and would not want to worry about " who's gonna drive back"!!!

Teena: every time I see the Mad Hatter play area at GF I wish my girls were you g enough to enjoy it !!! The Princess will love it!!

This is why we don't rent either... No worries a out the adult beverage count

 

[Couchy]

Wow new tours ... Both intriguing ... Which to book???

Keys to the Washroom or goldfish in the shallows?

 

[natebenma]

I have updated the Be Our Guest list. Please take a moment to look it over and let me know if I need to make any additions/updates/corrections:


Post 15: Be Our Guest list

.

 

[natebenma]

Yes, there is a 4th of July in Europe. There is also a 3rd and a 5th and all the rest of the days of the month, too.

Congratulations!

 

[Best Aunt]

Today I received a phone call from Disney... once again my Dolphins in Depth Tour is CANCELLED!!! I think I got the hint Disney.... YOU DO NOT want me to have an experience with the Dolphins!! I had this tour booked in 2011 and it was cancelled then too... Thought I was finally going to get to do it UNTIL the call came today... Just not meant to be and I'm really disappointed!!

So Sunrise Safari it is!

Ok that's my rant for the day!

~N

Nannette, after you go on the Sunrise Safari, can report back on the food?

I'm doing the Sunrise Safari in March and I'd like to know what they serve.

 

[DT83097]

Working on packing today (we leave Saturday)!! With work, kids' homework, and DS football practices this coming week i want to have everything but last minute gadgets and toiletries ready to go today!

 

[Disney Runner]

Hi everyone! Two questions? What wait time apps do you like for your phones while in the park?

Also, where is a good spot to lounge at the SAB that might have a shade option for DH. Our kids are 13/11/7 and great swimmers however I want my eyes on them.

Thanks! Getting soooooo excited!

I used the My Disney Experience app exclusively while there in August. The wait times and fast pass times were very accurate.

 

[Disney Runner]

Does anyone know the name of the mattress at the BC? I'm not sure if it was the 10 hours of walking everyday or the comfortable mattress -- but I slept like a baby while we there!

 

[TaraTink3]

I used the My Disney Experience app exclusively while there in August. The wait times and fast pass times were very accurate.

I used the MDE app in late Aug/sep and found it was accurate as well. As for shady areas at SAB the area by the slide exit is very shady and probably where your kids will like to be.

 

[wifey]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone here for all your help and suggestions over the the last year. I have just pulled myself together after our vacation so only just caught up with this thread, wow it sure does move swiftly!

We had an amazing time from start to finish the room was lovely, despite playing dodge the wet carpet at the door game.. Air con seemed to be making it very wet there. Our room was very close to the Commodore Suite and easy to find and only 5 minutes walk to the Regatta Club Lounge. All of the staff there were wonderful especially Kirsten Robin and James and Jean and Jorge too. Some days the food offerings were labelled but not often. One of the chefs did pop up from time to time to discuss allergy concerns with other guests and they did provide alternatives for those guests. The food was good when we go a chance to taste it. We asked politely for bottled water each morning for our family and always received it as requested it was not a problem for the staff to get them for us. Some guests took more than a reasonable amount of food away to devour to themselves which really showed them up for the greedy selfish people they are they definitely had no shame... There's no way one guest should need a tower of pigs in blankets on a plate to himself and then go back to clear all the next dish full out in the next 5 minutes before another guest could get chance to try one!! The cheeses and crackers were tasty but you had to time it right or the cheese offerings got a little dried out and limp looking. The potato chips and dips were very tasty in moderation too. The wines and beers were very welcome after busy days in the parks too but we never went overboard with alcoholic beverages since they do dehydrate you somewhat.

The International Gateway was undergoing refurbishment form our arrival day so we had 4 bag check lines leading to one row of MB and card scanners which caused a few issues even if you didn't have bags you still needed to queue to get through and admitted to the park but you could just walk back anytime to the hotels side.

We took Mears taxis to and from US and IOA and the. contemporary Resort for a reasonable price including tips and way less hassle than waiting for the shared shuttle. Actually a god send on our character breakfast morning since the scheduled breakfast bus was described at best by the CL staff as unreliable between 7am and 8 am. The computer system at MK that morning was not responding well either but eventually we made our way to CP in plenty of time for food and photos.

Our Pirates and Pals was a hoot DH was made to dance with me in the aisle of the boat to celebrate our anniversary by Patch and we had some games. DH tried to take some photos ( shakes head "oh why do other people think of using a flash on water at night with the fireworks going off it just ruins the shots" shakes head). The food wasn't bad just mainly nibbles for the kiddos really and slices of some moist marble cake with pirates icing on top but sweet and chocolatey and tea coffee etc for the adults which was fine. We were in the CR for a while due to the bad weather outside, once it passed we went out to the dock and everything went smoothly. A long day but well worth it.

Does anyone want to see some photos? I have finally edited some and through the magic of photo-bucket I can share a few here if that's ok.
I have some of Epcot and MK without the crowds everywhere from our second week it was amazing to see the floor space around us!

 

[AliceIn]

We just got back from the Beach Club last night. We had a fantastic time. We got room 5674, and it was in excellent condition. It's got both a daybed and a full balcony. The room has a great location. It's at the end of the hallway by that little seating area. There's nobody immediately on your left due to the open space on the other side. There's no connecting door so the room is really quiet. I loved having those little hooks to hang things on. Housekeeping was excellent throughout. We had some really great folks working on the Concierge desk the entire time we were there.

Here's a picture from our balcony:



It wasn't the greatest view, but it was fun to sit and drink coffee and people watch. Since we are a family of 5, we are only able to book SV rooms, so I wasn't expecting the best view in the world. I was pretty happy with what we got. Here's a picture with the Magical Express arriving:



We did a lot of fun activities this trip. The kids did the Pirate Adventure from the YC and had a fantastic time. Karebear's kids were on the same cruise and they had a blast with some kids their own ages.

We booked the Wishes dessert party. Here's the view from our table:



We had both dinner and breakfast at Cape May Cafe. I think our favorite was the breakfast. We had Dorothy as our server, and she was fantastic! My kids loved her, especially my oldest. He had to give her a big hug at the end of the meal.

The crowds at the parks were not bad at all. I don't think we waited more than 15 minutes for any rides. We had magic bands and we loved the experience. The only glitch is when you try to split up your party to go on different rides. Once we did that at a park, it splits you into two groups. I went on RnRRC with the two boys while my husband took my daughter to the Little Mermaid. For the rest of the day, I could not change or access my husband or daughter's FPs. When we all decided to change a ride later in the day, my husband and I got different options to pick from. It wasn't a big deal, but it was annoying. We also were able to double dip FPs during the test, but we really did not need to do that at all. We managed to ride everything we wanted with minimal waits. Where the FP+ really has the advantage is for the days that you want to spend at the pool. We were able to sleep in, swim, and then head over to DHS and ride Toy Story. That was perfect!

The kids loved Stormalong Bay! We swam just about every day. My two youngest loved the pool games in the afternoon. They also had fun making ice cream pool side. It was an activity where they each got a baggie of ingredients, and then a bigger bag with ice and kosher salt. They shook the bags until the ice cream was ready. They thought that was the coolest thing ever.

We swam at the BC quiet pool one morning while I did laundry. We all enjoyed that, too. Supposedly there will be brand new equipment installed tomorrow morning. I'd love it if somebody there can post pics after it's done.

I booked the BB offer for next year, though I may change it to go slightly earlier so that I don't have to pull the kids out of school. Our district is moving up the start date by two weeks next year. School starts August 12 next year. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AliceIn]

Our dates tentatively for next year are: August 30-September 6 BC CL.

 

[MattK67]

Hi! Thanks for adding us. Our stay dates are Sep 18-25 at the Beach Club. Garden View, but hoping for a little pixie dust.

 

[JanetMom]

Nannette, please tell me either you or Buzzy are the ones planning all of your excursions for the December trip!!!

I'm a little afraid you would end up with the KTTW (Keys to the Washrooms) or something similar otherwise!

I second that recommendation!