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

[kelleigh1]

If you are staying garden view ask for a view of the wedding gazebo... it's really pretty!!!

~Nannette

I'm thinking of requesting Gazebo view, but just in case, I'm looking for a map of the resort with the Garden view rooms labeled so I can get an idea of where we could end up. Have you seen one?

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We have three girls: 14, 12 and 5. I guess I'm torn between wanting BC for its slight advantage in being closer to Epcot, and wanting YC for a being a little less hectic. Really not a bad dilemma to have

Question regarding garden views for those who've had them: would you recommend them? Are they decent to look out on?

My in-laws had a gv room at YC, overlooked the wedding gazebo, that was really nice. There were nice sideway views of Crescent Lake. We had a great CL gv at BC. It was overlooking the back courtyard with a great sideway view of Crescent Lake too. We booked BC GV this year and that's the view I hope to get, just not on the 5th floor! We also had a nice BC CL gv room overlooking the area where the volleyball area is.

HTH.

 

[Wee Annie]

Thanks for the feedback on garden views! This place is amazing.

Trying to cut costs here and there, without sacrificing the experience and ambience of the resorts in general.

Two final (okay, I probably should never say "final"!) questions, for those of you with experience at these resorts:

1) Is the lobby of the BC area really all that noisy/hectic? Keep in mind we are planning on going for spring break in April (the third week).

2) Is it really a pain, when you have kids who will want to swim a lot in SAB, to be in a room distant from the pool? I'd like to request a room in a "quieter" location-- myself and my 5 year old are very light sleepers (not a good combination!) -- but know that my kids will want to swim a lot when we're at the resort.

Many, MANY thanks for all the wonderful feedback I've already received thus far We're looking at booking sometime this weekend, so hopefully we can make a decision soon and I can stop obsessing (hah!).

 

[pixarmom]

This thread has lots of great info and pictures, including some information about the 24 hour Picabu market at the Swalphin (can't remember which one). Hopefully pixarmom will come by later for a plug.

I'm here with my plug! Here's a link to menu photos I took around the Epcot area, in an effort to prove that we don't all starve while staying at BC/YC/BWI! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2790281

We've stayed CL and non-CL at BC, and the convenience of CL breakfast cannot be beat! But when staying non-CL in the area, the BC Marketplace is really our favorite spot for CS breakfast. In addition to all the hot items, the Marketplace has a great variety of pre-packaged items, fresh fruit, juices, etc. If you're looking for more, Picabu is really a great option!

 

[pixarmom]

Thanks for the feedback on garden views! This place is amazing.

Trying to cut costs here and there, without sacrificing the experience and ambience of the resorts in general.

Two final (okay, I probably should never say "final"!) questions, for those of you with experience at these resorts:

1) Is the lobby of the BC area really all that noisy/hectic? Keep in mind we are planning on going for spring break in April (the third week).

2) Is it really a pain, when you have kids who will want to swim a lot in SAB, to be in a room distant from the pool? I'd like to request a room in a "quieter" location-- myself and my 5 year old are very light sleepers (not a good combination!) -- but know that my kids will want to swim a lot when we're at the resort.

Many, MANY thanks for all the wonderful feedback I've already received thus far We're looking at booking sometime this weekend, so hopefully we can make a decision soon and I can stop obsessing (hah!).

Hi Ann!! Having just "met" your family through your CaringBridge link, I think BC would be a great choice and a nice fit for the girls. Our three boys really love BC and have not wanted to stay at YC (yet!) But I'm traveling on my own with our 5-year-old in April, so I decided to give YC a try. (Thanks to advice from Robyn, Sue and Dee, our youngest is now very excited about YC.)

We don't find the BC lobby crowded at all, except at certain times of the morning when Cape May draws in additional crowds. Most of the time, I think it's very peaceful. As for the distance from the pool, I think BC is relatively compact. Sure, there are some long hallways, but there is almost always a way to exit from the hallways to the outside and then take the path along Crescent Lake to SAB.

Sounds like we'll be there at the same time - all five of us will be at my parents' condo in SW Florida over Easter weekend, and then our youngest son and I are headed to Disney Wednesday - Saturday!

 

[natebenma]

I'm not running a marathon this weekend, but I'm getting out of breath trying to keep up with everyone's posts!!!

First time posting on the beach club thread, hi everyone! I got an amazing phone call yesterday from Disney reservations letting me know the port Orleans riverside- royal room (the new princess themed rooms)that we had booked for late February will be delayed in construction. She then went on to tell me they would like to give me a free upgrade to the poly.

We've stayed at the poly before and loved it, but I really wanted to try a new deluxe and we have never been to the boardwalk, so I asked if Beach Club was available instead! She said she has never had someone turn down an upgrade to the poly before!

So short story, longer, we are now staying at BC in a water view room over presidents day week for the cost of POR! ($266 a night)! How about that for pixie dust and we are not even there yet! Super excited!

Congrats on your upgrade and to the thread!!! There is a lot of helpful info on page 1 of this thread if you don't know much about the resort. There is also a "Be Our Guest" list, with everyone's vacation dates. If you would like to be added, let us know your checkin/checkout dates.

btw...I got a pin code yesterday.

Congrats!

Not sure if anyone added this, but there are now 4 Ridley Pearson Kingdom Keepers books - I bought the 4th for our 13 year old twin boys who started reading KK's when they first came out. As far as I remember, the books have now taken place in MK, Epcot, AK and now DHS - it's fun, especially if you can "see" the places you've been to. To be honest, I was the first one in our household to read the most recent book - on Boxing Day! Just note that it's not just the nice characters who are coming to life, and there are some tense scenes...

Did you see the thread about KK on the Theme Park forum at Christmastime?
I've only read the first book, and I am the only one in the family who has so far. Need to order the next one!

VIEW STUFF:

Do we have a floor plan map somewhere of YC which includes the designations of the various room categories? I thought I had seen one, but now I can't find it and it's possible that I was just dreaming and didn't actually see it at all.

Not dreaming. I don't post this on the first page because this is a VERY OLD map and a lot of it is out of date. I don't think GV was a category when the map was prepared (only standard and waterview) and there may have been some construction changes, but here you go:

www.disneyzone.net/ycresort.htm

www.disneyzone.net/bcresort.htm

As for rooms, I'm leaning towards saving money (again, the sticker shock), and asking for a garden view instead of a water one. Does anyone think it really, really is worth the money to get a water view?

That's a good question about the view because I'm concerned about it as well. We booked the Yacht Club so that my husband and I could have some quality time on the balcony after my son goes to bed. It will be dark and we'll be talking/enjoying wine, but I really don't want to be looking at a garbage dumpster or something unappealing, especially for all of the money we will be spending!

Thanks for the feedback on garden views! This place is amazing.

Trying to cut costs here and there, without sacrificing the experience and ambience of the resorts in general.

Two final (okay, I probably should never say "final"!) questions, for those of you with experience at these resorts:

1) Is the lobby of the BC area really all that noisy/hectic? Keep in mind we are planning on going for spring break in April (the third week).

2) Is it really a pain, when you have kids who will want to swim a lot in SAB, to be in a room distant from the pool? I'd like to request a room in a "quieter" location-- myself and my 5 year old are very light sleepers (not a good combination!) -- but know that my kids will want to swim a lot when we're at the resort.

Many, MANY thanks for all the wonderful feedback I've already received thus far We're looking at booking sometime this weekend, so hopefully we can make a decision soon and I can stop obsessing (hah!).

Personally, I always book standard view. Although a full balcony is really important to me, for early morning escape with a book and my coffee, it is usually dark when I'm out there so I don't really care what the view is. Paying a few dollars more for a garden view seems like a reasonable tradeoff, but for my family, we don't spend enough time in the room to enjoy the view, so paying extra for a water view just isn't worth it. To us.

I never found the lobby to be too noisy or hectic. It is probably most active in the morning, as families are waiting to go to the Cape May character breakfast- my family is always at a park by the time the restaurant opens, so we haven't been around. The afternoons and evenings when we have gone through have not been too bad (July).

 

[natebenma]

I'm here with my plug! Here's a link to menu photos I took around the Epcot area, in an effort to prove that we don't all starve while staying at BC/YC/BWI! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2790281

Thanks!!!

I just added this to the FAQ post:

I've heard there are no Counter Service options at the EPCOT resorts. Is my family going to starve???

Um. No. Check out this link- http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2790281

pixarmom walked around the area and took pictures of the menus of all of the counter service restaurants in the area. Thanks!

 

[goofyredraider]

Thanks!!!

I just added this to the FAQ post:

I've heard there are no Counter Service options at the EPCOT resorts. Is my family going to starve???

Um. No. Check out this link- http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2790281

pixarmom walked around the area and took pictures of the menus of all of the counter service restaurants in the area. Thanks!

Great! Thank you!!!

 

[kelleigh1]

Thank you natebenma. That is the map that I remember seeing. I thought someone had made some notations on it about Garden View before. But maybe that was wishful thinking. LOL

 

[dheinz]

Hello and welcome!!! At Disney, we're so busy that we don't mind one room for all of us, either. (We're a family of five, with boys ages 4, 11 and 12.) A few things to consider:

1) You might want to request a full balcony. We feel like the balcony gives us a little extra space and it's nice to be able to step outside after the kids go to sleep or early in the morning. You can make this request by just calling central reservations and asking them to add it to your reservation.

2) A garden view room is typically only a few dollars more than a standard room, and will help avoid parking lot views. I think the most difference I've seen is $10 more per night, but we've booked garden view for only $6 more per night.

3) If you'd like to face Epcot, you could just call central reservations and ask them to add "facing Epcot, please" to your reservation.

Thank you for these suggestions! I called & changed our ressie to garden view, full balcony, Epcot view! Thank you! I was worried that I was asking for too much & I would get nothing. Do people still fax the "resort room assigner" room requests?

Thank you so much for all the great advice!

Our best garden view (used to be standard under the pre-2011 room categories) was entirely by accident, with no requests on our reservation. We had a full balcony and an amazing view of the fireworks:

This is an amazing view!!! WOW!! do you remember the room number or about where it was located?

 

[pixarmom]

Thank you for these suggestions! I called & changed our ressie to garden view, full balcony, Epcot view! Thank you! I was worried that I was asking for too much & I would get nothing. Do people still fax the "resort room assigner" room requests?

This is an amazing view!!! WOW!! do you remember the room number or about where it was located?

Hi again! If I have a request, I just call. When staying CL, I send my request to IPO via e-mail. But I don't think the fax method is as popular now. We've been really fortunate in recent years at both WDW and DL with room assignments!

The room number was 3512 and it's at the far end of the resort right near Epcot. If you walk into the "secret entrance" (see photos and description on page 1), take the stairs up to the third floor and turn right, you're there!

 

[pixarmom]

Thanks!!!

I just added this to the FAQ post:

I've heard there are no Counter Service options at the EPCOT resorts. Is my family going to starve???

Um. No. Check out this link- http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2790281

pixarmom walked around the area and took pictures of the menus of all of the counter service restaurants in the area. Thanks!

Great Q&A format! I love it! I'll try to update in April.

 

[333disneymom]

Hi All!

We will be staying at the BCV for the first time and I was wondering if anyone had any pointers regarding location, etc.?

The BCV are great for their proximity to HS and Epcot, but they are not know for good views. The views are not bad, just not known to be great. On our first stay at the villas, we faced trees. At night, we could see the high fireworks from Illuminations. On our second stay, we faced the quiet pool and could only hear the fireworks. As far as I understand, you cannot request Epcot view.

If you go to this site, you can get an idea of how everything is layed out at the Villas.
http://www.parkinfo2go.com/dvc-bcv/
Just remember though, a request is not a guarantee. When we went in December, we had two requests and got the opposite of both, but actually liked our view anyway.

 

[333disneymom]

Just noticed my old ticker moved over to this year. Maybe I need to book another December trip? Hmmm, sounds good to me. Now I just need to convince my husband.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Grrrrrrrr!!!!!

We just found out that the Catholic High School we were sending our dd to is closing! So now instead of double the grammar school tuition we will probably have to pay triple the tuition - cutting into my Disney money!!!

 

[rusty4]

Just noticed my old ticker moved over to this year. Maybe I need to book another December trip? Hmmm, sounds good to me. Now I just need to convince my husband.

Makes sense!

 

[natebenma]

Grrrrrrrr!!!!!

We just found out that the Catholic High School we were sending our dd to is closing! So now instead of double the grammar school tuition we will probably have to pay triple the tuition - cutting into my Disney money!!!

Robyn- I'm so sorry to hear this! Like there isn't enough High School drama! When does the school close? September?

What are your options?

Again, thoughts are with you for this unexpected bump in the road!

 

[pixarmom]

Grrrrrrrr!!!!!

We just found out that the Catholic High School we were sending our dd to is closing! So now instead of double the grammar school tuition we will probably have to pay triple the tuition - cutting into my Disney money!!!

Ugh! So sorry to hear this. Please keep us posted as you consider options.

Also, wanted to mention that our youngest is talking about you quite a bit! On Wednesday, he told his brothers that he got a "message from Robyn about the Yacht Club" and that he's really going to love it. Then when I picked him up from school yesterday, he said, "Robyn knows everything about the Yacht Club. Did I get any more messages from her?"

 

[SuzieQ811]

That's a good question about the view because I'm concerned about it as well. We booked the Yacht Club so that my husband and I could have some quality time on the balcony after my son goes to bed. It will be dark and we'll be talking/enjoying wine, but I really don't want to be looking at a garbage dumpster or something unappealing, especially for all of the money we will be spending!

Silly Girl, there IS no garbage at Disney - it all magically disappears - and certainly NO dumpsters!

 

[jenneth79]

Silly Girl, there IS no garbage at Disney - it all magically disappears - and certainly NO dumpsters!

Hahaha, is THAT why Disney didn't get the rights to the Fraggles?

I knew the Great Trash Heap was trouble.