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

[heatherbabydoll1]

Heading to the airport. Will be at Jeanne's school in time for their lunch break. Can't wait to get my hands on Lily tonight!!!

Everybody have safe travels to and from the Y&B and I'll see lots of you on Sunday. Be prepared though ... I may not know where I am since I'm flying in late Saturday night and have to deal with that 3 hour time change.

Have a great visit! Try to get rest on the plane on the way back and we will see you on Monday!!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

So, we are paying for a garden view room (trying to avoid looking at a parking lot here)...I am not very particular as far as room location, but I was wondering if there is any room that offers even partial views of Illuminations at all, or wing of building that I should request for that possibility? I also did request a full balcony (fingers crossed)

Any suggestions?

 

[WhispyPixie]

10 dayssssssssssssssssss til we get there. (nope we arent excited)

 

[pas130]

Heading to the airport. Will be at Jeanne's school in time for their lunch break. Can't wait to get my hands on Lily tonight!!!

Everybody have safe travels to and from the Y&B and I'll see lots of you on Sunday. Be prepared though ... I may not know where I am since I'm flying in late Saturday night and have to deal with that 3 hour time change.

Enjoy your cuddles with Lily! Safe travels


We changed our dates couldn't get off my original dates, so now we are booked April 19th - 26th...then to GF and we saved $$$

 

[Katesdad]

So, we are paying for a garden view room. I was wondering if there is any room that offers even partial views of Illuminations at all? I also did request a full balcony Any suggestions?

Might be possible. I'd discuss it with the front desk when checking in. Based on location I'm sure there is something there. However, you could end up with one of those rooms MM often promotes.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Might be possible. I'd discuss it with the front desk when checking in. Based on location I'm sure there is something there. However, you could end up with one of those rooms MM often promotes.

To wit:


The view from Beach Club room 4532 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

Truth be told in my opinion, some of the garden view rooms are of the overgrown jungle variety like the above. Along certain parts of the property it was very apparent that the landscaping was seriously overgrown and needed a complete renovation. I've often thought about how you could classify a garden view at a Disney resort and this type of view does not qualify in any way shape or form. Perhaps if they marketed it as a "Private view" that would be more fair.

One of the things I like and respect about this thread is that we can tell it the way it is and not sugar coat things. If you pay $9 dollars more per day for an "upgraded Garden View" it should not be something like the above picture. The fact that the folks at Disney have chosen to market this view as something desirable is not in keeping with what I have come to expect and love about Walt Disney World. Yes sure there are really nice garden views around the property and you may very well get one of them. To put this type of view in that same category and charge extra is unacceptable to me.

I wrote a letter detailing my concerns about paying for this view and after 4 plus months I have heard nothing back. I suppose that I should have marched down to the front desk and asked to be moved, or perhaps even had the charges removed, but the truth of the matter is that I have much better things to do with my time when I'm on vacation. I had already had a stressful experience with the front desk while trying to check in and I knew that the last place to look for productive help would be there. I'll spare you the details on that one.

For those of you lathering yourself up into a tizzy thinking that this is what you will experience at the Beach club, be not afraid. If you ask 15 different people you will get 15 different experiences, most of which will be positive. On that day, at that moment, I had the misfortune to interact with an employee that was not motivated to help. We were at the Beach club for 10 days and I can say with all certainty that every other department and staff member that I had the chance to interact with was positive and extremely helpful. I had many specific requests for Housekeeping and let me tell you each request was met accurately and promptly!

The key to solving problems is good communication with people who care. If you are experiencing a problem and the person who is supposed to be taking care of it isn't then ask NICELY to speak with a manager. On that day at that moment at the hotel I just didn't have the energy left to fight any more battles. As hard as the Cast Members at Disney try, they aren't perfect and they can't do everything. I know when I stay at the Beach Club I will get the best effort from 99% of the people that work there. In the real world you couldn't even get close to that number!

So getting back to the main subject, which was room views, let the buyer beware and think if it's really worth paying for an upgrade that you may or may not actually get.

~Marlton Mom

 

[WhispyPixie]

Still excited and determined to not let the unhelpfulness of the IP people change my mood. I will say that when we stayed CL at the Poly and at the BC previously that the IP contacted us promptly and portrayed a great attitude in helping us with ADR and golf etc...... This trip....after a week.. I CONTACTED by email, because they had not contacted us and both times I called them, it was like I was putting them out. Sure hope this isnt a sign of things to come for this trip!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

To wit:


The view from Beach Club room 4532 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

Truth be told in my opinion, some of the garden view rooms are of the overgrown jungle variety like the above. Along certain parts of the property it was very apparent that the landscaping was seriously overgrown and needed a complete renovation. I've often thought about how you could classify a garden view at a Disney resort and this type of view does not qualify in any way shape or form. Perhaps if they marketed it as a "Private view" that would be more fair.

One of the things I like and respect about this thread is that we can tell it the way it is and not sugar coat things. If you pay $9 dollars more per day for an "upgraded Garden View" it should not be something like the above picture. The fact that the folks at Disney have chosen to market this view as something desirable is not in keeping with what I have come to expect and love about Walt Disney World. Yes sure there are really nice garden views around the property and you may very well get one of them. To put this type of view in that same category and charge extra is unacceptable to me.

I wrote a letter detailing my concerns about paying for this view and after 4 plus months I have heard nothing back. I suppose that I should have marched down to the front desk and asked to be moved, or perhaps even had the charges removed, but the truth of the matter is that I have much better things to do with my time when I'm on vacation. I had already had a stressful experience with the front desk while trying to check in and I knew that the last place to look for productive help would be there. I'll spare you the details on that one.

For those of you lathering yourself up into a tizzy thinking that this is what you will experience at the Beach club, be not afraid. If you ask 15 different people you will get 15 different experiences, most of which will be positive. On that day, at that moment, I had the misfortune to interact with an employee that was not motivated to help. We were at the Beach club for 10 days and I can say with all certainty that every other department and staff member that I had the chance to interact with was positive and extremely helpful. I had many specific requests for Housekeeping and let me tell you each request was met accurately and promptly!

The key to solving problems is good communication with people who care. If you are experiencing a problem and the person who is supposed to be taking care of it isn't then ask NICELY to speak with a manager. On that day at that moment at the hotel I just didn't have the energy left to fight any more battles. As hard as the Cast Members at Disney try, they aren't perfect and they can't do everything. I know when I stay at the Beach Club I will get the best effort from 99% of the people that work there. In the real world you couldn't even get close to that number!

So getting back to the main subject, which was room views, let the buyer beware and think if it's really worth paying for an upgrade that you may or may not actually get.

~Marlton Mom

Yeah, that wasn't what I was thinking of with a "garden view"...I was thinking landscaped grounds...where would one request to be for a view like what I described?

 

[pixarmom]

Yeah, that wasn't what I was thinking of with a "garden view"...I was thinking landscaped grounds...where would one request to be for a view like what I described?

In March of 2010, we were in a room near the "secret entrance" facing Epcot - room 3512. At the time, it was a standard view room, but we've guessed that since the new garden view category started in 2011, it would be classified as a garden view. I didn't take photos of the view during the day, but I can tell you this: At first glance, it was just trees and greenery, but not landscaped grounds, and I was absolutely fine with that. (I was really feeling fortunate to have a full balcony and not be overlooking the parking lot!) When we were out on the balcony, we realized that we could see the Eiffel Tower, and that was a treat! Then in the evening, amazing views of Illuminations - and I could hear the music clear as day. It was the best non-park view of Illuminations that I've seen.

At the time, our boys called it "the best room ever!" (Since then, we've stayed in a number of "best rooms ever!")

Regarding the request, maybe something like "close to Epcot, facing Epcot" might help. But we only request full balcony, so others may have additional suggestions!

 

[heatherbabydoll1]

Can't wait just hours away from leaving KY and less than a week away from being at beach club villas!!!! I can't wait, car is loaded except for electronics, meds and money. Dogs know we are leaving and we are getting the normal attitudes from them. And to top it all of I think my 7 month old pug "got" my almost two year old pug. So probably around Jan. 3 we will have a litter of pug puppies! I due to return home on the 30th so this is going to be close!
Thank God I got wonderful puppy nannies watching my house!

So off to bed! Early to rise gets us in SC by lunch time!!!!

Everyone traveling be careful!

 

[nannette]

Can't wait just hours away from leaving KY and less than a week away from being at beach club villas!!!! I can't wait, car is loaded except for electronics, meds and money. Dogs know we are leaving and we are getting the normal attitudes from them. And to top it all of I think my 7 month old pug "got" my almost two year old pug. So probably around Jan. 3 we will have a litter of pug puppies! I due to return home on the 30th so this is going to be close!
Thank God I got wonderful puppy nannies watching my house!

So off to bed! Early to rise gets us in SC by lunch time!!!!

Everyone traveling be careful!

Safe travels!!! Have fun!!!

~Nannette

 

[BCV23]

heatherbabydoll1, have safe travels and a wonderful birthday celebration for Joseph. And Welcome home neighbor!

 

[natebenma]

Have a great trip, Heather, Charlie and Joeseph! Can't wait to hear all about it! Give Teena, and the Noodles, an extra hug from me!

 

[goofyredraider]

Ok, now I'm nervous about my "garden view". What exactly should I request to get an optimal view of something "pretty", not something "pretty scary"?

Should I just see if I can upgrade to a water view?
Please help! I am clueless, and I want to make sure I do this right.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Ok, now I'm nervous about my "garden view". What exactly should I request to get an optimal view of something "pretty", not something "pretty scary"?

Should I just see if I can upgrade to a water view?
Please help! I am clueless, and I want to make sure I do this right.

What I would do is just wait until you get there. Take a look at the room and if the view is not satisfactory asked to be moved. The room assignment system is a computer based program that is not set up to do highly specific requests so trying to work this out ahead of time is useless.

The problem here is that the Beach Club is marketing "garden view" rooms that are no where near the expectations of people that book them. Since each person has a highly individualized sense of "view" you will just have to wait and see if you got a view that you thought was worth paying extra for.

Even if you upgrade to a 'Water View' keep in mind that for some 'Water View' rooms the only way you will see water is if you go out on a balcony and look to the extreme left or right.

Again the problem is that the view is being marketed and it's not always meeting the expectations of those that book it.

Most of us want a nice view, even if we don't plan on spending a significant amount of time looking at it. My problem with the Beach Club view classification system is that it promises something that it doesn't always deliver, which, when you are charged extra for that 'view', is not a good business practice, in my opinion.

My advice would be to not pay extra for any view at the Beach Club. This is because for the most part, you will not be spending enough time enjoying this view to justify the extra cost. There are plenty of places in the hotel itself that have beautiful places to hang out and enjoy the view, all of which are included in the cost of a regular room.

So don't stress. Wait until you get there and then if it's a problem work with the staff to solve the view problem to your satisfaction. If they say they are unable to help you then ask to have the upgraded fees for a 'view' removed from your bill.

Remember, before we go on our Disney trips we have all the time in the world to obsess about the smallest of details. When we get there we hit the ground running and all of a sudden all these things we were obsessing about don't matter anymore.

Have a good trip. I'm sure you will be happy at the Beach Club. The view will turn out to be the least of your concerns.

Marlton Mom

 

[natebenma]

Great reply from Marlton Mom! Here's my two cents.

When you go into the room, before you sit on the bed or use the bathroom, make sure the room is satisfactory to you. Check out the view. If the room/view/location is not what you expected or believe you paid for/requested, then go back down to the front desk to see if there is a room better suited to your needs.

If possible, the checkin CMs will try to make you happy.

As in all things in life, it is best to approach everyone calmly and politely- this can be difficult since travel days tend to be pretty stressful on families.

Again, you have to weigh whether the time you take dealing with a potential room change is worth cutting into your rush to see Cinderella's Castle or to meander into EPCOT for your first Grey Goose Slushie or to dip your toes in Stormalong Bay!

I have booked standard views for both of my stays at the Beach Club. A full balcony is important to me since I like to have a place to go early in the morning (like 5 am) with my coffee and a book while I wait for everyone else to wake up. Don't care what I am looking at- it's too darn dark then, anyway!

On our last trip, we had room 5670. It was a standard view, full balcony that WOULD have overlooked the front parking lot, if there wasn't a giant tree in the way. But the view came with some unexpected surprises. To the right, we could see some of the fireworks from Illuminations. To the left, we had a really nice view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks show (Nightastic).

 

[natebenma]

Two Beautiful Princesses!

Look at that face light up with Nanny's kiss!

 

[rusty4]

Can't wait just hours away from leaving KY and less than a week away from being at beach club villas!!!!

Have a great time! Hope that you are home before the puppies arrive.

What I would do is just wait until you get there. Take a look at the room and if the view is not satisfactory asked to be moved. The room assignment system is a computer based program that is not set up to do highly specific requests so trying to work this out ahead of time is useless.

The problem here is that the Beach Club is marketing "garden view" rooms that are no where near the expectations of people that book them. Since each person has a highly individualized sense of "view" you will just have to wait and see if you got a view that you thought was worth paying extra for.
Remember, before we go on our Disney trips we have all the time in the world to obsess about the smallest of details. When we get there we hit the ground running and all of a sudden all these things we were obsessing about don't matter anymore.

Have a good trip. I'm sure you will be happy at the Beach Club. The view will turn out to be the least of your concerns.

Marlton Mom

I am curious if they do the same thing at other resorts as well? Charge extra for views that aren't really views at all.

I will tell you that DH would be one that would not want to change once we are in the room no matter the view paid for or not. With our first day planning we are planning to hit AK for a few hours that will must certainly be the case. Now the only problem I see for us is if there is not a room ready when we check in so that we can be on our way. Not sure DH will want to leave his work laptop at the desk area checkin.

Great reply from Marlton Mom! Here's my two cents.

When you go into the room, before you sit on the bed or use the bathroom, make sure the room is satisfactory to you. Check out the view. If the room/view/location is not what you expected or believe you paid for/requested, then go back down to the front desk to see if there is a room better suited to your needs.

If possible, the checkin CMs will try to make you happy.

As in all things in life, it is best to approach everyone calmly and politely- this can be difficult since travel days tend to be pretty stressful on families.

Again, you have to weigh whether the time you take dealing with a potential room change is worth cutting into your rush to see Cinderella's Castle or to meander into EPCOT for your first Grey Goose Slushie or to dip your toes in Stormalong Bay!

I have booked standard views for both of my stays at the Beach Club. A full balcony is important to me since I like to have a place to go early in the morning (like 5 am) with my coffee and a book while I wait for everyone else to wake up. Don't care what I am looking at- it's too darn dark then, anyway!

On our last trip, we had room 5670. It was a standard view, full balcony that WOULD have overlooked the front parking lot, if there wasn't a giant tree in the way. But the view came with some unexpected surprises. To the right, we could see some of the fireworks from Illuminations. To the left, we had a really nice view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks show (Nightastic).

I only wish that a balcony could be used on our trip. Last year at the GF we only used our for the EWP. It was just too cold at the time of year that we travel to get good use of it. I was looking at weather underground last night. I am praying for Feb. 2008 temps. They were in the 80's then!

I agree with you that it might be worth asking for change once there unless there is a major problem with the room. Too many fun things to get started doing!

Two Beautiful Princesses!

Look at that face light up with Nana's kiss!

So adorable!!

 

[MickeyT]

Two Beautiful Princesses!


Look at that face light up with Nana's kiss!

Those pictures say it all!

 

[MickeyT]

I am curious if they do the same thing at other resorts as well? Charge extra for views that aren't really views at all.

Oh yes! Should have seen our 'woods view' in the WL. Sure looked like a roof and driveway to me. Stayed in the room anyway and still one of our favorite trips ever at WDW. Because the memories are of the trip. Not the view!