Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB RESORTS Information & Questions

[Wood Nymph]

I am headed down to Disney for 7 nights with my oldest son. Three of the nights will be at the Beach Club for a conference. As I do more and more research on the Beach Club, the overwhelming consensus when things are busier is that sometimes the buses fill up at Yacht Club and don't even back it to Beach Club. So, my question is, how far of a walk is it from one bus stop to the other?

It is only the MK bus that tends to fill up and that doesn't happen all the time. The last time we were at the Beach Club we arrived at the MK bus stop and there were about fifty people waiting for the bus. This was probably about 45 minutes before park opening. A full bus arrived and only a few people were able to get on, so we walked over to the YC bus stop from the BC bus stop. We took the same route that the bus took so we would be able to see if a bus was coming. We got to the YC bus stop just as another MK bus was arriving. It was probably a 6 minute walk from the BC bus stop to the YC bus stop.

But in all the years we've been staying at the Beach Club, this was the first time we had ever seen such a huge crowd waiting for the MK bus. It must have been a popular day.

 

[DisneyCrazy123]

Any thoughts for a room request for a studio villa? I am not sure what to ask for.

 

[PCFriar80]

Any thoughts for a room request for a studio villa? I am not sure what to ask for.

Really depends on what you're looking for? Lower floor? Higher Floor? Dunes Cove Pool view? Woods view? Near the lobby elevator? Dedicated vs. lock-off?

They all have balconies, some bigger than others. We prefer a higher floor, dedicated if available, with a woods view. I have 6 specific room numbers I add to our ressie each time and we've had good luck getting one of those rooms on most occasions? Let me know if I can help out with any specific questions.

 

[ShannyG]

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Just booked our vacation for December 5th - 12th at the Beach Club concierge level. First time ever staying at the Beach Club. Yacht Club was considerably more expensive for this trip, so I took a chance on the Beach Club.

 

[dnw25]

Need advice regarding Garden Grocer v. Marketplace v. Amazon/Amazon Pantry.

We arrive next week around 8-8:30 p.m. Mom will definitely needs cases of water. If I place an order somewhere I might as well add diapers, whole milk, cereal and maybe snacks for DS. I ruled out uber to an outside location. About to rule out Amazon due to their delivery fee and the convention center fee and pick up times (thank you for all the recent posts on that - very helpful), but how does garden grocer work if I order whole milk and maybe yogurt? What about their price points? Any hidden cost? Tips to delivery man and bell services?

I really don't want to register on yet another website to calculate everything. If the prices are similar to the Marketplace, especially for water, I may just bring down all the other stuff and let DS drink 2%.

 

[ginny65]

We have always used Garden Grocer. They are very reliable. They send you a text when your food / supplies are delivered to guest services. Their prices are reasonable. We have always ordered early, so we got a discount, but I would still pay their fee (I believe it is around $15.00) to have the peace of mind that everything I ordered will be there when I ask them to have it delivered. Guest services brings it to your room, but you must be in your room.

 

[nyy]

Hi everyone,
I have been reading through all of the posted info- thank you all so much!

I'm wondering how to request my standard 2queen room. I want to avoid the ugly flat rooftop views on floors 3, 4, and 5. (Like 3662-3762) etc, but a full balcony is important to us. I also want to avoid the first floor rooms on the walkway where ppl cut through to the villas on their way to/from EPCOT. Other than quiet, we don't have other preferences. We don't need the daybed (but would enjoy one) and don't mind being far from the elevator or lobby.

Any advice on what to request?

Thank you

 

[Hopefully]

Need advice regarding Garden Grocer v. Marketplace v. Amazon/Amazon Pantry.

We arrive next week around 8-8:30 p.m. Mom will definitely needs cases of water. If I place an order somewhere I might as well add diapers, whole milk, cereal and maybe snacks for DS. I ruled out uber to an outside location. About to rule out Amazon due to their delivery fee and the convention center fee and pick up times (thank you for all the recent posts on that - very helpful), but how does garden grocer work if I order whole milk and maybe yogurt? What about their price points? Any hidden cost? Tips to delivery man and bell services?

I really don't want to register on yet another website to calculate everything. If the prices are similar to the Marketplace, especially for water, I may just bring down all the other stuff and let DS drink 2%.

When you order from Garden Grocer you choose a "delivery window" time. They deliver within that time frame to Bell Services. Bell Services has large refrigerator/Freezers that they will store your perishables in.
We include a tip for the shopper/delivery person. We tip Bell Services when they bring them to our Villa.
Garden Grocer prices are slightly higher per item than at home. Their delivery fee is very low. I calculated several years ago that I saved the fees etc. with just not buying bottled water in the parks.

 

[eastendlights]

My only complaint would be that they don't check who belongs at Club level. It was obvious that other non-club vacationers would hang out and wait for someone near the elevator and hitch a ride . The room was so full of diners in the am , that sometimes we took our food to our room because of the lack of tables.

That is very alarming. With all of the cost cutting going on, monitoring the entrance to CL would seem to be a very easy way to save money if this is happening all the time. How annoying to pay for CL only to have non CL people take up tables in the lounge! I would be furious if I witnessed this.

 

[cocoabean1]

Just received a "pin code" via my email. I have a reservation for BC GV CL already for Nov 12-21. I called to get the code applied. I was given a 20% discount at BC. She said 30% at YC but nothing available for CL at the time that we'll be there. Didn't check on BW (not crazy about that resort- must be that scary clown!!!)

I guess I'll wait until the AP discounts come out, hopefully at a higher rate.

 

[rteetz]

Well I signed up for the Dopey Challenge during WDW marathon weekend in January. No idea where I am staying yet but I hope to get back to BC or YC.

 

[BattyKoda]

We officially booked BC for Aug 27-Sept 4, can't wait.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all of the helpful information in this thread.

 

[helenb]

We have 8 am BOG reservations at MK. I gather that you really need to be there by 7:30 am so that you can bag check and get in line for 7:45 am opening. What time do the busses start running from BC/YC? I'm thinking we want to be at the bus stop by 6:45 or so. Is that right?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have 8 am BOG reservations at MK. I gather that you really need to be there by 7:30 am so that you can bag check and get in line for 7:45 am opening. What time do the busses start running from BC/YC? I'm thinking we want to be at the bus stop by 6:45 or so. Is that right?

The buses are supposed to start running at 6:30am.

 

[Best Aunt]

When we used Garden Grocer in 2012, they brought some stuff we did not order and could not use (milk and butter) and did not bring the flavored bottled water we had ordered and wanted to use immediately. They came back the next day with the water but we had already left for the park by the time they arrived so we basically lost two of the days we had thought we would be using that water. We had to buy drinks in the parks, and we had water left over that we could not take on the plane. The Beach Club Bell Services guy said our experience was not unusual. I would use them again but would be prepared for mix ups.

My preference is to have a towncar pick us up at the airport and stop at a grocery store on the way to the hotel. That way, I know I am taking exactly what I want to the hotel. But in 2012 we had kids with us, and I didn't want to make them go to the grocery store after a long trip.

 

[crazymomof4]

Hello! Please add us to the list.

I was one of the many who stayed up all night to snag Free Dining in the wee hours of Monday morning! In 2014 we stayed at BC for the first time. It was love at first sight. With me as a SAHM, Deluxes should not really be in our budget and I thought '14 would be our one and only splurge. But in planning our Sept '16 trip, I went back on the DIS Budget Board and learned some new ways of earning and saving for a WDW vaca. I "swagbucked" and "perked" my little heart out and bought gift cards at whatever % off I could find. Opened a DVA and loaded the gift cards there. Little by little I saved enough that BC became do-able again! YAY! When FD was released (4:20am?) I was on it immediately and even though I had to upgrade our plans of staying in BC Garden View to Pool/Lagoon View I am still going to be able to swing it (w/o putting us in debt!) bc of all the great tips I learned on the DIS!
We are going Sept 3rd-12th. I found flights that will have us arriving very early on our check in day and departed fairly late on check out day..... maximizing our WDW time!

Super Excited!! This never gets old!!!

 

[helenb]

The buses are supposed to start running at 6:30am.

Thank you!

 

[tinkerbella16]

Hello! Please add us to the list.

I was one of the many who stayed up all night to snag Free Dining in the wee hours of Monday morning! In 2014 we stayed at BC for the first time. It was love at first sight. With me as a SAHM, Deluxes should not really be in our budget and I thought '14 would be our one and only splurge. But in planning our Sept '16 trip, I went back on the DIS Budget Board and learned some new ways of earning and saving for a WDW vaca. I "swagbucked" and "perked" my little heart out and bought gift cards at whatever % off I could find. Opened a DVA and loaded the gift cards there. Little by little I saved enough that BC became do-able again! YAY! When FD was released (4:20am?) I was on it immediately and even though I had to upgrade our plans of staying in BC Garden View to Pool/Lagoon View I am still going to be able to swing it (w/o putting us in debt!) bc of all the great tips I learned on the DIS!
We are going Sept 3rd-12th. I found flights that will have us arriving very early on our check in day and departed fairly late on check out day..... maximizing our WDW time!

Super Excited!! This never gets old!!!

Yay! This will be our first BC stay, and we arrive the same day! We are flying out of Philly on the first flight out in the morning.. We should be arriving in MCO by 8:30am! The earlier the better! So excited for this trip. We've always dreamed of staying there, and with a fabulous offer, we could finally do it! Maybe we'll see ya there!

 

[flav]

I am now planning which room request to make for our August trip. We are booked at BC standard view. I read this thread, the Beach Club Room View thread, the Touring Blog and some more.

Here is what we wrote on our original reservation:
Room Preference: In that order of priority 1) with full Balconie and a nicish view
2) close to Lobby and 3) with a Day Bed

When doing online booking, the only option I could really check is Large Balconie. I was wondering if I should check Ground Floor as well even though there are only Garden View there? Some of the standard views look really bad, any strategies to avoid looking at a huge rooftop? Asking SW facing? Not asking anything and doing our checkin when we arrive?

 

[crazymomof4]

Yay! This will be our first BC stay, and we arrive the same day! We are flying out of Philly on the first flight out in the morning.. We should be arriving in MCO by 8:30am! The earlier the better! So excited for this trip. We've always dreamed of staying there, and with a fabulous offer, we could finally do it! Maybe we'll see ya there!

Our flight will also have us arriving (from PHL as well) at MCO around 8:30am! We did it in 2014 and the adrenaline kept us going all day. Didn't really feel wiped out until it was time to go to bed.