2010 Yacht and Beach Club FAQ, Part II---Inactive Thread--- Please do not post here!

[natebenma]

The front desk CMs and other CMs at the Y&B know NOTHING about OUR pins. So if someone goes to the front desk and asks for one, there will NOT be one there. If you want one, you need to send me a PM with your arrival date, name on your reservation and whether you are checking into the BC or the YC or the BCV. "A friend" will be dropping off an envelope with the pin inside at the front desk for you to pick up when you check in.

Teena- is "the friend" leaving all of the pins at BC for pick up, or will they be at the actual resort desk (YC desk for YC guests and BC desk for BC and BCV guests)? I have said that all pins will be available for p/u at the BC desk, to make it easier for the delivery friend.

Please clarify! Thanks!

 

[U2_rocks!]

Yes. If the shipping department doesn't get it, you don't pay a fee. The shipping department is not owned and operated by Disney. It is outsourced. Only United States Postal Service comes to the resort itself. Everything else must go to the shipping department even if it is addressed to the resort. If it comes to the resort and not the shipping department, you do not get charged. I've been told that the only "company" allowed to deliver anything to the resort itself and not the shipping department is the USPS.

Thanks so much Teena!

 

[berlykim22]

I am alittle more then halfway thru reading this Thread!!
great info Thanks!!!
wish I found before I booked my trip....

So If I am duplicating any questions Sorry!!!

I am booked for BC for Sept 18 to 25th
with 5 people
my youngest is going to be turning 2 on our Vacation!!!
so not sure if they count him.. but I want to make sure I get a Day Bed for my dad!!!
will I definitely get one with the 5 people (including a 2 year old)?

I really don't have any room requests - except to get my room ASAP!!!!
so do you suggest doing ONLINE check in or Check in at BC when I get there?

we are so excited stayed in BC Vacation club 2 bedroom villa in 2007!!! and loved it!!!
paying more then I liked but worth it with a toddler in the stroller!!!

PS
one more question...
I heard on these boards that disney hotels have bed railings, is this true and if so when should I request this????

 

[cigar95]

As I write, I'm only 13 days and 21 pages behind on the thread - that's as close to being caught up as I've ever been. (Thank goodness, the thread seems to be slowing down just a bit at the moment.)

Anyway, back around 8/23, there was a discussion about transportation - mostly about the buses. I'm one of those folks who actually hangs out on the Transportation board here at DIS, so I hope what I've read is true.

As I understand it, the individual resorts contract their transportation services with the Transportation department. (Remember, at WDW, each entity has its own financial status and has to report its own profits and losses, even though it's all "Disney" to most guests.) So when resorts share buses, it's because at those times of day the resorts have pooled their financial resources to save on costs.

It's especially frustrating when resorts are sharing buses at park opening and, to a lesser extent, closing. (Because the closings are usually staggered at slightly different hours, it has less impact than it does when three or four parks are all opening at 9.) At those hours, you may be running into the additional constraint that there are only so many buses to go around, so the cost to the resort of adding additional dedicated buses may require them to essentially bid against one another.

The other question that came up was about the heat of the Friendship boats to and from the Studios. Part one of that answer is quite simple - the air conditioning units in those boats are broken (all of them?), and someone decided years ago to make the air conditioning more efficient by modifying the windows so they would not open, keeping the cool air in and the hot air out. Once the air conditioning stops working, that decision creates big problems, as we have seen. Filled with people, those boats turn into a sauna inside. (If you can, try to get a spot outside on the back, or near the back door, which provides a little relief.)

The obvious question is "why don't they fix the air conditioning units?" On that one, there are any number of answers, and I have no idea which is true. The least satisfying one is "they don't want to spend the money". If that's true, then the resorts bear some share of responsibility for not insisting that Transportation provide an acceptable service to the clients on whose behalf they have contracted the service.

Other answers are less infuriating, but they don't make the heat in the boats any easier to bear. Some save suggested that there are state environmental regulations that are holding up the repair, that repair would actually require replacement with new units that are too heavy for the boats' roof to support.

All of this comes with a caveat - these are things I have not learned first-hand, but all of them are at least plausible.

And, for the record - staying at Yacht Club 9/16-9/19, then moving over to The Sandwich for four more nights.

 

[TeenaS]

Teena- is "the friend" leaving all of the pins at BC for pick up, or will they be at the actual resort desk (YC desk for YC guests and BC desk for BC and BCV guests)? I have said that all pins will be available for p/u at the BC desk, to make it easier for the delivery friend.

Please clarify! Thanks!

The YC will be at the YC front desk and the BC and BCV will be at the BC front desk.

 

[cigar95]

Thanks for the quick response. We are planning dinner at Tutto our first night so I can upgrade then.

I hope I'm not too late to help here.

Edited to add - I see others had already replied, but at least I was able to add a bit more detail.

When you do the upgrade, be sure that the ticket has been used to go through the turnstyle at least once *before* doing the upgrade. This way, when you do the upgrade, you will be credited with the current gate price of the ticket when the upgrade is priced.

If the ticket was purchased *from WDW*, and *after* the most recent price increase last month, then it won't matter if it's used first, and the tip above doesn't apply.

However, if it was purchased at a lower price prior to the latest increase, or, even more important, if it was purchased from a third party discounter like UnderCover Tourist, upgrading an unused ticket would only get you the price paid to WDW as credit. (In the latter case, this credit would be *much* lower than the gate price.)

And just to be complete, be sure you do the upgrade no more than 14 days from first use -after that period, tickets can no longer be upgraded.

Best advice I can think of here - research the prices, and know ahead of time what the upgrade cost should be - make sure you include the 6.5% tax. If you're asked to pay more than that, it's possible the CM has not processed the upgrade properly, and you may want to speak with a supervisor to clarify the process.

 

[sophie832]

This may sound like a silly question, but we are going to be using out Premier APs at WDW for the first time on this trip and I was wondering if it will be an issue if we go through the International Gateway entrance to Epcot for our first fingerscan? At Disneyland, they don't use the finger scanning, but our picture pops up when the pass is scanned. Sometimes, they'll ask for photo ID. We have dinner reservations at Les Chefs on our first night, so we figured we'd head over there after we check in and get settled. Do they just scan our fingers for the first time as we enter, and then store it for the future? Or do we have to go in one of the main entrances because we have to do something special the first time with the Premier APs?

 

[TeenaS]

This may sound like a silly question, but we are going to be using out Premier APs at WDW for the first time on this trip and I was wondering if it will be an issue if we go through the International Gateway entrance to Epcot for our first fingerscan? At Disneyland, they don't use the finger scanning, but our picture pops up when the pass is scanned. Sometimes, they'll ask for photo ID. We have dinner reservations at Les Chefs on our first night, so we figured we'd head over there after we check in and get settled. Do they just scan our fingers for the first time as we enter, and then store it for the future? Or do we have to go in one of the main entrances because we have to do something special the first time with the Premier APs?

The International Gateway is full service with Guest Relations right there too so there should be no problem at all. It is suppose to be exactly the same as the front of Epcot.

 

[sophie832]

The International Gateway is full service with Guest Relations right there too so there should be no problem at all. It is suppose to be exactly the same as the front of Epcot.

Thanks Teena

 

[KB24]

Does anyone have a room number reccomendation for the Beach Club? I'd like a view of the water and not so much the pool!

 

[MNfamilycruiser]

Does anyone have a room number reccomendation for the Beach Club? I'd like a view of the water and not so much the pool!

The resident expert on this thread - Teena - suggests that you DON'T ask for a specific room. The chances of getting a specific room are slim. Instead she suggests you make a request like 2nd floor, view of Crescent Lake - or something along those lines. That way the people making the room arrangements know what you are requesting.

But it also depends on when your trip is - as of January 2011 the room descriptions and classifications are changing.

 

[MNfamilycruiser]

OK - so I have been planning on requesting a room close to Epcot - the easier to walk over for the F&W festival in the evenings ....now I started thinking - what about all those mornings we will want to get on the bus for the other parks?

So my question is - where exactly do you catch the park buses for the BC? On the map posted on this thread - is it out past the bridge - beyond the water/canal (sorry- not sure exactly what that waterway is called!) There is a little symbol of a bus?


And is there a way to walk there outside? Or do you have to go through the halls and the lobby? I can see what looks like a path between the BC and the BCV - and I am starting to think that a room closer to the BCV might be more convenient overall?

 

[KB24]

The resident expert on this thread - Teena - suggests that you DON'T ask for a specific room. The chances of getting a specific room are slim. Instead she suggests you make a request like 2nd floor, view of Crescent Lake - or something along those lines. That way the people making the room arrangements know what you are requesting.

But it also depends on when your trip is - as of January 2011 the room descriptions and classifications are changing.

Thanks for the reply familycruiser, is that the side that faces epcot?

 

[pixarmom]

This may sound like a silly question, but we are going to be using out Premier APs at WDW for the first time on this trip and I was wondering if it will be an issue if we go through the International Gateway entrance to Epcot for our first fingerscan? At Disneyland, they don't use the finger scanning, but our picture pops up when the pass is scanned. Sometimes, they'll ask for photo ID. We have dinner reservations at Les Chefs on our first night, so we figured we'd head over there after we check in and get settled. Do they just scan our fingers for the first time as we enter, and then store it for the future? Or do we have to go in one of the main entrances because we have to do something special the first time with the Premier APs?

As Teena said, it should be no problem at the International Gateway. I upgraded my WDW AP to a Premier in July, and didn't need to do anything else at either WDW or DL.

Have a great time!

 

[MNfamilycruiser]

Thanks for the reply familycruiser, is that the side that faces epcot?

No - the side facing Epcot faces the woods.

By the way - I have just been playing around with Google Earth - with the 3D feature. It is soooooooo cool!!! (but that may just be the architect in me )
You can look all around the resorts and parks. With that and the map that is on this thread you can really see what the different areas look like and what views they have.

 

[pixarmom]

OK - so I have been planning on requesting a room close to Epcot - the easier to walk over for the F&W festival in the evenings ....now I started thinking - what about all those mornings we will want to get on the bus for the other parks?

So my question is - where exactly do you catch the park buses for the BC? On the map posted on this thread - is it out past the bridge - beyond the water/canal (sorry- not sure exactly what that waterway is called!) There is a little symbol of a bus?


And is there a way to walk there outside? Or do you have to go through the halls and the lobby? I can see what looks like a path between the BC and the BCV - and I am starting to think that a room closer to the BCV might be more convenient overall?

When we stayed in 3512 (the room right next to the exit/entrance next to EPCOT) we were super close to EPCOT, but very far from the lobby and the buses. That was fine - I'm kind of a glass half full person, so I just enjoyed being close to EPCOT on that trip. I didn't mind the walk to the lobby or the buses - but it was about as far from those two places as you can get! And because we can walk to EPCOT and DHS (or boat to DHS) we only needed the bus to MK in the morning and to AK, so it wasn't much of an issue.

Yes, the buses are out the front door of the lobby, to the left and through the covered bridge on the other side of the little canal. Nice walk in the morning!

I hope this next part will make sense - maybe it will if you are new to BC and looking at a map: If you want to walk to the buses using an outside route from a room near EPCOT, you can use the 1501 exit/entrance. When you come out of that door, turn right and the path to EPCOT is just steps away. Instead of turning left on the path to EPCOT, you can just turn right instead and walk along the path. The lobby will be on your right, just before Stormalong Bay - so just turn right and walk through the lobby and you'll be right in front of the resort. Again, just go to the left and through the covered bridge to the buses. There may be other ways, too - that's just the walk we enjoyed in March when the weather was cool and we wanted to walk outside on our way to the bus!

 

[MNfamilycruiser]

When we stayed in 3512 (the room right next to the exit/entrance next to EPCOT) we were super close to EPCOT, but very far from the lobby and the buses. That was fine - I'm kind of a glass half full person, so I just enjoyed being close to EPCOT on that trip. I didn't mind the walk to the lobby or the buses - but it was about as far from those two places as you can get! And because we can walk to EPCOT and DHS (or boat to DHS) we only needed the bus to MK in the morning and to AK, so it wasn't much of an issue.

Yes, the buses are out the front door of the lobby, to the left and through the covered bridge on the other side of the little canal. Nice walk in the morning!

I hope this next part will make sense - maybe it will if you are new to BC and looking at a map: If you want to walk to the buses using an outside route from a room near EPCOT, you can use the 1501 exit/entrance. When you come out of that door, turn right and the path to EPCOT is just steps away. Instead of turning left on the path to EPCOT, you can just turn right instead and walk along the path. The lobby will be on your right, just before Stormalong Bay - so just turn right and walk through the lobby and you'll be right in front of the resort. Again, just go to the left and through the covered bridge to the buses. There may be other ways, too - that's just the walk we enjoyed in March when the weather was cool and we wanted to walk outside on our way to the bus!

Thanks! I'll have to think about the location a bit more - in addition to MK and AK we are also going to BB and TL and DTD each one morning - so it might be better to have something closer to the BCV but still facing Epcot.

I am new to BC - but I do have a map in front of me - so yes I understand the path you described!

 

[hill6]

We discovered the 1501 entrance/exit a few days into our first stay at the BC. We were walking back from Epcot and went to explore and found the door. Much closer than going thru the Main Lobby.

 

[TeenaS]

In my opinion, the BC rooms are not far from anything no matter where you are. I compare it to the other resorts. If you are in any of the "out" buildings at the GF, the walk to the buses, boats, and monorail are much further than any room at the BC could be. Same with any of the moderates. It's one building at the BC. I've walked from the far end (by 3501) to the other far side (by room 3727) rekeying every lock in the building on all five floors and it hasn't taken me all that long. My goodness, compare our little building and the walk from 3501 to 3727 to some of the buildings at the Polynesian or even the wing of the Contemporary ... NO COMPARISON. And don't get me started about the moderates. You could walk for 15 minutes and maybe finally get to your room. From the lobby to 1501 (the room all the way at the end) might take me 3 minutes if I'm not hurrying.

What I'm trying to say is I wouldn't really spend any time worrying about the room location because of distances to Epcot and the buses. Chances are you won't get exactly where you want anyway if it is during a crowded time of the year so why worry about it. The walk from Spaceship Earth to MouseGears is longer than the walk from 3727 to 3501. The walk from my favorite building at the GF (Conch Key) to the main building at the Grand is much further than from any room in the BC to the lobby.

You should keep your requests to a MINIMUM! The more you request, the less likely you will get what you want. Decide what is more important to you and request that. If it's a full balcony with a view of a courtyard, just say "full balcony, courtyard view please". If you start in on locations too, you're making the room assignor's job pretty much impossible and you will probably end up with nothing that you asked for because they won't know which request to go for if you have too many.

Most of the rooms at the BC facing the Epcot area are woods view (like 2512, 2514, etc.). Most of them have standing balconies. Only a few in that row of rooms have full balconies. The rooms are facing Epcot but all you will see are woods.

So word your request carefully and try to keep it to one or two things only. You will have a much better chance of getting a room that you are satisfied with.

If a nice view is really really important, then you really should consider upgrading to a waterview!

 

[cmm]

As I write, I'm only 13 days and 21 pages behind on the thread - that's as close to being caught up as I've ever been. (Thank goodness, the thread seems to be slowing down just a bit at the moment.)

Anyway, back around 8/23, there was a discussion about transportation - mostly about the buses. I'm one of those folks who actually hangs out on the Transportation board here at DIS, so I hope what I've read is true.

As I understand it, the individual resorts contract their transportation services with the Transportation department. (Remember, at WDW, each entity has its own financial status and has to report its own profits and losses, even though it's all "Disney" to most guests.) So when resorts share buses, it's because at those times of day the resorts have pooled their financial resources to save on costs.

It's especially frustrating when resorts are sharing buses at park opening and, to a lesser extent, closing. (Because the closings are usually staggered at slightly different hours, it has less impact than it does when three or four parks are all opening at 9.) At those hours, you may be running into the additional constraint that there are only so many buses to go around, so the cost to the resort of adding additional dedicated buses may require them to essentially bid against one another.

The other question that came up was about the heat of the Friendship boats to and from the Studios. Part one of that answer is quite simple - the air conditioning units in those boats are broken (all of them?), and someone decided years ago to make the air conditioning more efficient by modifying the windows so they would not open, keeping the cool air in and the hot air out. Once the air conditioning stops working, that decision creates big problems, as we have seen. Filled with people, those boats turn into a sauna inside. (If you can, try to get a spot outside on the back, or near the back door, which provides a little relief.)

The obvious question is "why don't they fix the air conditioning units?" On that one, there are any number of answers, and I have no idea which is true. The least satisfying one is "they don't want to spend the money". If that's true, then the resorts bear some share of responsibility for not insisting that Transportation provide an acceptable service to the clients on whose behalf they have contracted the service.

Other answers are less infuriating, but they don't make the heat in the boats any easier to bear. Some save suggested that there are state environmental regulations that are holding up the repair, that repair would actually require replacement with new units that are too heavy for the boats' roof to support.

All of this comes with a caveat - these are things I have not learned first-hand, but all of them are at least plausible.

And, for the record - staying at Yacht Club 9/16-9/19, then moving over to The Sandwich for four more nights.

We just got back from 9 days at BC. We never waited for more than 10 minutes for a bus in any direction except for AK. It took us 45 minutes to get to AK one morning. We also went to AK one evening and got the resort bus to AKL to eat at Boma. That was also a very long wait, especially since the resort is right there!

The boat in the morning to the Studios was okay and the "a/c" was on, but it was pretty awful in the afternoon. One of the captains said it is even hotter if the back door is left open during the trip - I don't know how that could be!

With those couple of exceptions we were very satisfied with the transportation.