2011/2012 Beach & Yacht FAQ, Part IV- DO NOT POST- see new 2012 thread

[TeenaS]

Ok, i think I am confused about Cape May. I realize it is closed for a few weeks this summer but when it opens back up is there still going to be a Character breakfast there or is it not there any longer? At first I thought there was just no character meal at BC during the reno, but now I thought I was reading that they were completely doing away with the Char Breakfast. Is that true or am I just confused?

Don't know where you read that but we were told it's back to business like before in August when they reopen (9th or 10th).

 

[hill6]

Dee sorry you had such a bad day. Fortunately the fire wasn't worse.

I despise the New England whining that is going on. Can some one please shut Gisele up.


Lots of happy folks here in Jersey today.

 

[pixarmom]

Dee, pretty scary photo of Mark's building - glad to hear everyone is OK. How did Nate fare at school today with the shirt? Confession: Middle son (the "= Nate") professed his Giants loyalty a few days before the superbowl and cheered for them throughout. He's an Eli Manning fan, so it was a logical choice for him.

We will be at BC March 15-21. How bad will it be? We are normally there early February, but it just didn't work out for us this year. Is it going to be wall to wall people? Will we really have to wait in line for an hour for a snack or to use the bathroom? (I'm talking at the parks.) How crowded will SAB be? I'm trying to be open minded about this and remember we are on vacation, we'll be at Disney, it won't be Wisconsin, and we'll have a great time. We've been to WDW several times. We obviously want to go on the rides, but if we can't go on our favorite ride four times, I get it. We'll be happy to soak up the sun, shop, eat, etc. But will it be crazy? Can anyone suggest some things we could do if the crowds are nuts and we want to "get away"? Either Disney or non-Disney related. We will have a car.

Hi eeyoreland! (By the way, we're a little less than an hour south of you!) My WDW trips since the early 80s have all been over the months of December, January, February, March, May, July and August. Most have been in January, February and March. March is definitely more crowded than January/February, but not as crowded as July/August. I don't think SAB is crowded in March at all - not in the least - but I never think SAB is crowded because we're always in the water and the pool is so huge that it can handle lots of people without feeling crowded. As for the parks, we just get there at rope drop and start collecting FPs - no problem. In the late afternoon, we get ready for dinner (usually at Epcot) and then head back to the resort after dinner for additional swim time. Our boys usually swim at night in March (not always in February.) If the crowds are nuts, we take a break at BC and then head to Epcot!

Jenneth and everyone leaving soon, this is such a great time to go! Weather can be unpredictable, but crowds are low and this is a perfect time to travel and break up the yucky winter months. We have 19 days until our San Francisco to Newport + DL trip, and it feels like it's too far away!

 

[Momofthreemen]

Excellent tours!! DD and i were on the Platinum Plan for 7 days in November! We had a blast! I've done both the Backstage and the Keys. If you have the room and you have the time do the Keys as well as the Backstage. Backstage is great very very in depth. The keys is in depth but more about just the Magic Kingdom. I also did the Walt to Marceline Tour which was very interesting to me as well as Undiscovered Future World. I have found that all the tours kind of go together. We were supposed to do Dolphins in Depth and Sea Aqua Tour but they were having a lot issues with the tank for a while and were canceling all those tours. We learned while we were on the Undiscovered Future World Tour that there were BIG problems and they had lost over 500 of the fish due to a fungus... You might want to just ask if they have actually started that tour up again or if they are only booking it because they were booking it and then canceling it about 3 weeks out. Also do the fireworks cruise if you have a chance... we loved that we did the Magic Kingdom one it was actually one of the coolest things I've done at Disney! Make time to do water sports the Jetski tour is really cool they take you out and you learn about the 7 seas lagoon.

Enjoy it that plan is a lot of fun!!! Feel free to ask me if you have any questions and I'll try to help you out!

~Nannette

Thank you so much Nanette. I have had a hard time finding anyone on here that could give me so much information about the Platinum Plan. We are doing the wishes cruise. I am so excited over it. I always get teary when I watch wishes. We are seeing it from preferred, the cruise, cali grill, and victoria & alberts oh yes and Narcosse's. Just a little obsessed. I will certainly check on the dolphins. DH is doing the fishing excursion while I am at the spa. Hopefully we can work in the jetski's. We are doing La Nouba. My only concern is "How can anyone person eat all the food"?? We have 24 meals each plus the one during the backstage tour. We are doing the chef's table at V&A that is nine courses. Along with 32 snacks!! Lots of rice krispie treats The Itinerary Planners have been amazing. They have gotten us every wish we requested. Now if only the next 178 days will fly by! Thanks for all the information. Did you do a trip report??

 

[natebenma]

Thanks for the sympathy everyone. Day actually managed to get worse. Found out brother-in-law had surgery today that we didn't know about. It was also one of the rare days I had to work (I work very infrequently, about 2-3 days a month) and then had to pick Mark up at the train station this evening, which is about 20 minutes from home. But the car is back, thankfully!

I hope the bacon and tequila didn't arrive while I was gone!

Nate did return from school in one piece. The only person who gave him a hard time about the jersey was his Social Studies teacher.

@eeyoreland- what everyone else said. Your time will be crowded, but not miserable. Early, early, early is the key!!! Get the big/popular stuff done early, collect fast passes before the crowds show up.

Our two trips to the BC were in July and we never found the pool to be too crowded to enjoy.

Have a fantastic trip!

 

[Momofthreemen]

I love the tours, but I would be concerned about tour overload. I definitely would not try to do more than one tour in a day. I find that they're tiring, and other people find that they're exhausting. It's a lot of standing around, which is hard on the back and the feet, and a lot of walking.

If you're doing Backstage Magic, I would skip Keys to the Kingdom.

Every tour guide is different, but in my case I thought Backstage Magic was much better. As you must know, the highlight to the Keys to the Kingdom tour is going in the utilidors. Our Keys to the Kingdom guide had us stand in front of some photos on the wall down there, and spent an extremely long time talking about the photos. We didn't see or do anything else down there.

Our Backstage Magic guide had us walk around down there, and pointed out different things. It was a long time ago, and they may have changed it, but we saw where the cast members get their costumes, we saw a wig room, a computer room, and lots of other things.

If you go to allears.net, they probably have recent reviews posted on there which will give you an idea of overlap.

Best Aunt thank you so much for the information. We both have jobs that require us to be on our feet most of a 12 hour day so hopefully it will not be an issue. We have one a day for 5 out of the 9 days. We made sure we have a good amount of down time to just do what ever we like take advantage of stormalong bay and lord knows we will be sitting and eating alot!Going into the utilidors is the one request DH asked to do. We have been to Disney so many times so if we do not do one ride that is ok because when we started planning the tours were on the top of the list of wishes.

 

[natebenma]

Hi all! Do you know what kind of coffee maker is in the one bedroom villa?

This is from the FAQ section of the thread (posted below).

The coffee makers in the Beach Club Villa rooms are Mr. Coffee-type (drip) coffee makers. I think the 2 BR and 1 BR BCV kitchenettes have a 10 cup machine and the BCV studios have a 4 cup carafe.

Come on, recent Villa People (is anyone else picturing a policeman, construction worker, cowboy and Native American disco dancing with swimming pool noodles), can you confirm or deny the type and size of the coffee maker in each of the room types?



What kind of coffeemakers are in the resort rooms?

As of October 2011, the drip coffee makers in the BC and YC resort rooms were replaced.

The regular resort rooms and club level rooms now have the Cuisinart Double Pod Machines:

Thanks for the photos, Rorey and Cinderumbrella!

Please note that the suites reportedly have Keurig k-cup machines.

The coffee makers in the Beach Club Villa rooms are Mr. Coffee-type (drip) coffee makers. I think the 2 BR and 1 BR BCV kitchenettes have a 10 cup machine and the BCV studios have a 4 cup carafe.

 

[natebenma]

I'm sure w/ this request I'm cementing my doom of freezing weather, but...I'd like to host the Noodle family lmao. We'll be at BCV 12/2-8. Can you add me to the list?

I have added you to the Noodle list. I'm sure the Noodles will appreciate the field trip to SAB in December- they may be spending more time than usual in storage during that time of year.

 

[Marlton Mom]

I am seriously impressed. That is a massive (and 100% coherent!) post for a phone!

Why thank you! I was seriously battling it out with speel chak. I call it "Speel chak" because if that's what it does to perfectly good words that I type then I am going to mess up it's name to get back at it.

Thanks for the sympathy everyone.
I hope the bacon and tequila didn't arrive while I was gone!

Ya know.... we were SO disappointed that you weren't there to enjoy it with us and especially on a morning like the one that you were having. We figured that the day you didn't have the car would be PERFECT! BUUURP!! (oh, excuse me) Alas it was not to be.

BTW your grill is a little greasy from all the "steaky" bacon we were cooking so watch out for future "solar sized" grill flare ups AND we peeled back the cover on your pool and dyed the water New York Giants BLUE in honor of their Super Bowl win.... so don't be thinkin the Tidy Bowl man paid you a visit over the winter!

~Marlton Mom

 

[natebenma]

Ya know.... we were SO disappointed that you weren't there to enjoy it with us and especially on a morning like the one that you were having. We figured that the day you didn't have the car would be PERFECT! BUUURP!! (oh, excuse me) Alas it was not to be.

BTW your grill is a little greasy from all the "steaky" bacon we were cooking so watch out for future "solar sized" grill flare ups AND we peeled back the cover on your pool and dyed the water New York Giants BLUE in honor of their Super Bowl win.... so don't be thinkin the Tidy Bowl man paid you a visit over the winter!

~Marlton Mom

Now, that's just cruel!!!

 

[nannette]

Thank you so much Nanette. I have had a hard time finding anyone on here that could give me so much information about the Platinum Plan. We are doing the wishes cruise. I am so excited over it. I always get teary when I watch wishes. We are seeing it from preferred, the cruise, cali grill, and victoria & alberts oh yes and Narcosse's. Just a little obsessed. I will certainly check on the dolphins. DH is doing the fishing excursion while I am at the spa. Hopefully we can work in the jetski's. We are doing La Nouba. My only concern is "How can anyone person eat all the food"?? We have 24 meals each plus the one during the backstage tour. We are doing the chef's table at V&A that is nine courses. Along with 32 snacks!! Lots of rice krispie treats The Itinerary Planners have been amazing. They have gotten us every wish we requested. Now if only the next 178 days will fly by! Thanks for all the information. Did you do a trip report??

Lol! You will love the wishes cruise! I thought it was amazing. DD and I did the Chef's table at V&A don't eat all day is all I can say!! Not only is it a lot of food but we added the wine paring as well so it was A LOT of drink as well!! Such a great experience though. DD's FIANCE (yes this morning he proposed) we love him so we approve he is a chef so we are used to being spoiled when we dine but V&A chef table was so over the top! My suggestion for the 32 snacks is go to Goofy's Candy Shop and bring home gifts! We did that and it worked out well for us. When we did the Backstage tour it was about 3 years ago now we had lunch at Whispering Canyon and from what I've read they still have it there. I do know that for a while lunch was at Mama Melrose. It's a fun tour, but like I said the Keys tour was so interesting to us not so much because of the tunnels but more for the history we learned while walking through the park for 5 or so hours. To me Walt Disney history is so interesting. Anyway try and fit in the jetski that was a lot of fun. The days will fly by and before you know it you'll be there having an amazing time!!!

Again if you have any other questions let me know!!

Happy Planning!!

~Nannette

 

[MickeyT]

New fast pass limits.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Other/FASTPASS/News/06Feb2012-Big-changes-coming-to-FASTPASS-in-March.htm

Looks like the changes are here. We'll just have to adapt the way we tour.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Mike's link didn't work so I thought I would quote the article and post the link again...

From WDWmagic.com

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Other/FASTPASS/News/06Feb2012-Big-changes-coming-to-FASTPASS-in-March.htm

Big changes coming to FASTPASS in March
Feb 06, 2012

Some big changes are expected to be implemented at all FASTPASS attractions next month. Starting March 7 2012, it is expected that the FASTPASS return windows will now be actively enforced, with a 5 minute early arrival and 15 minute late arrival to be allowed. Anyone arriving outside of those times will not be allowed entry to the attraction. The new validity windows will be required for the future roll-out of more advanced NextGen FASTPASS systems, which will require much tighter control of FASTPASS entry than what the current system offers.

The current FASTPASS system does not allow early arrivial times, but does allow late arrivals up to the end of the day. Many guests make use of the late arrival tolerance with the current system, so the new enforcement will be a significant impact to those guest's park touring plans.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Congratulations Nannette and family! Won't be too long before you hear "Hear comes the bride" and then the "pitter patter of poopy diapers".

~Marlton Mom

 

[TeenaS]

Mike's link didn't work so I thought I would quote the article and post the link again...

From WDWmagic.com

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Other/FASTPASS/News/06Feb2012-Big-changes-coming-to-FASTPASS-in-March.htm

Big changes coming to FASTPASS in March
Feb 06, 2012

Some big changes are expected to be implemented at all FASTPASS attractions next month. Starting March 7 2012, it is expected that the FASTPASS return windows will now be actively enforced, with a 5 minute early arrival and 15 minute late arrival to be allowed. Anyone arriving outside of those times will not be allowed entry to the attraction. The new validity windows will be required for the future roll-out of more advanced NextGen FASTPASS systems, which will require much tighter control of FASTPASS entry than what the current system offers.

The current FASTPASS system does not allow early arrivial times, but does allow late arrivals up to the end of the day. Many guests make use of the late arrival tolerance with the current system, so the new enforcement will be a significant impact to those guest's park touring plans.

Actually they started cracking down on the "late arrivals" a while ago at lots of the attractions because of the amount of people abusing the whole process. Fast passes work IF people come back at their assigned time. If everybody just kept them all until the end of the day and then used them, the fast pass lines would be long or longer than the standby line.

 

[Marlton Mom]

It's that time again... NO! Not THAT time again... I mean it's RECIPE time again!

Since the winter has been so mild for us, especially those of us in Europe and Canada, I figured I'd toss out one of my tried and true Grilled, Spiced BBQ chicken breast recipes. Ole Marlton Mom came up with this one herself when she got tired of overpaying for those spice blends that just didn't have the magic she was looking for. Here goes..

Marlton Mom’s Spiced BBQ chicken

Brine skinless, boneless chicken breasts (how ever many you are making, recipe is not size dependent) for at least 3 hours in a brine of 1 quart water to 1/8th a cup of non iodized table salt. Keep chicken in the fridge when doing any brining or rinse soaking.

To make Brine I usually run the H2O til it’s as hot as it’s going to get, then I fill a measuring cup with 2 cups hot water. Then I add the 1/8th of a cup of non iodized table salt and stir until mostly dissolved (2 minutes). Then I add the remaining 2 cups cold water to make 1 quart of brine. The brine should cover the breasts so if you have a lot of chicken feel free to make more brine. You can brine the breasts over night, I do. 3 hours is just the minimum recommended time.

Rinse brined chicken in cold water and soak in cold fresh water in fridge for 1 hour. This helps to pull out any extra salt that the chicken breasts cannot use. Don’t worry though, brining in a salt water solution will denature some of the chicken’s protein fibers and trap some of the salt water so it can’t rinse out all the way. This denaturing of the protein fibers is what makes the chicken so juicy. If you don’t brine, you won’t have juicy chicken.

Dry chicken breasts and pound flat, but not too thin, you are just pounding them to equal the thickness on both ends. That thin end of the chicken breast only really needs 1 whack. The thicker end is where you give it the business with the pounder.

Brush liquid vegetable oil (I use liquid Crisco) lightly on all sides of the chicken. Use just enough so that the following seasonings will stick.

Season with
A light amount of Garlic salt (The chicken is already seasoned with salt from the brining so be careful if you are adding any more salt/spice blends)

A light amount of Cumin, cumin can really overwhelm the chicken so go easy with this. I’m talking a pinch on both sides of the chicken breast.

Onion powder no worries here about using too much, just don’t go crazy
Lemon Pepper to taste
Garlic powder …. I season the chicken again with plain Garlic powder because that’s the way we like it.

Grill chicken until almost cooked and THEN lay on your favorite BBQ sauce. Since the chicken is pounded to an even thickness it won’t take long to cook. Be careful about applying BBQ sauce too early because the sugar in the sauce will burn up on the grill and char the heck out of your chicken. Some people like it like that but I feel a burned up chicken is a terrible thing to waste.

So there ya go! Dig out those shorts and Hawaiian shirts, shave those legs and get grillin!

~Marlton Mom

 

[natebenma]

mike's link didn't work so i thought i would quote the article and post the link again...

From wdwmagic.com

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/fastpass/news/06feb2012-big-changes-coming-to-fastpass-in-march.htm

big changes coming to fastpass in march
feb 06, 2012

some big changes are expected to be implemented at all fastpass attractions next month. Starting march 7 2012, it is expected that the fastpass return windows will now be actively enforced, with a 5 minute early arrival and 15 minute late arrival to be allowed. Anyone arriving outside of those times will not be allowed entry to the attraction. The new validity windows will be required for the future roll-out of more advanced nextgen fastpass systems, which will require much tighter control of fastpass entry than what the current system offers.

The current fastpass system does not allow early arrivial times, but does allow late arrivals up to the end of the day. Many guests make use of the late arrival tolerance with the current system, so the new enforcement will be a significant impact to those guest's park touring plans.

ME NO LIKE!!!

 

[natebenma]

Marlton Mom’s Spiced BBQ chicken

So there ya go! Dig out those shorts and Hawaiian shirts, shave those legs and get grillin!

~Marlton Mom

Thanks for sharing your recipe. However, I'm afraid to ever use my BBQ again. Once steaky bacon has touched the grills, I'm not sure it will ever be the same again.

 

[hill6]

The only problem I see with enforcing the fast pass return time would be if the ride breaks down. Do they deny the folks that were shut out if the ride was not working?

 

[nannette]

Congratulations Nannette and family! Won't be too long before you hear "Hear comes the bride" and then the "pitter patter of poopy diapers".

~Marlton Mom

Thank you! With my DD we have learned to take things one step at a time.. so we will get through the wedding bells before thinking about pitter patter!!