2011 Beach & Yacht Club FAQ

[pixarmom]

Any advice from you veterans would be much appreciated!!!!!!

Packofprincesses, those are two great options! I started out at the Poly as a child and it was my family's favorite resort for a long time - then we tried BC when it opened and loved it! While BC is my favorite, I still love both and I can see why Poly is a better choice for some families based on their needs and preferences. For example, I just recommended it to a family with young kids visiting WDW for the first time and spending 3 out of 5 days at MK with only one ADR in Epcot.

We stayed at Poly in January of this year and BC in February, so I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have about differences between the two.
Meanwhile, here are just a few factors to consider, based on our most recent stays:

1) How important is room size? The Poly standard rooms (called garden view) are bigger than the standard BC rooms. I prefer the BC room decor and my husband prefers the Poly room decor - I just think BC rooms have a clean, fresh feel. I know many report wear and tear at the Poly (and some say that about BC) but I don't really notice that inside the rooms at either resort. I do like the connected corridors at BC when it's hot or rainy - lots of walking outside at Poly between GCH and longhouses.

2) How much do you love the monorail? For us, the monorail is fine - it's better than bus. But walking is our favorite mode of transportation, so the ability to walk to both Epcot and DHS puts BC before Poly for us. We don't have to wait for anything - just stroll out of our room and over to Epcot or DHS. For those who don't like to walk as much and/or love the monorail (and don't mind waiting for it), I can see how Poly is a better choice.

3) Where do you want to eat? We want to eat at Epcot almost every night - that also puts BC ahead of Poly for us. On the other hand, we really love Ohana breakfast and I'll admit that Captain Cook's and the sushi bar are really convenient. But at dinner time, we're rarely in the MK area (exception: California Grill.) I see from your post that you're pretty flexible on dining and will change plans based on resort choice.

4) How much time will you spend at the pool? If lots, SAB can't be beat!

5) Do you need to see or be near the castle? For some people, that's Disney. I love MK, but I'm an Epcot girl. I like Illuminations better than Wishes. I think MK is too crowded at night, but I love World Showcase after dinner. On two separate occasions, I had to choose just one Disney park to visit (when the choices were MK and Epcot.) Both times, I chose Epcot. So while I love Poly, I don't need to stay near the castle for that "Disney" feel. For other people, that's an important factor.

By the way, we stayed at Poly in January for a few reasons: 1) I'm very sentimental about it and hadn't been there in a while; 2) we had APs and were already staying at BC 3 times in a 12-month period; and 3) we were celebrating our pre-schooler's birthday weekend, so we spent more time in MK than usual and had fewer Epcot ADRs than usual.

Hope that helps a bit! Happy planning!

 

[packofprincesses]

We stayed at Poly in January of this year and BC in February, so I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have about differences between the two.
Meanwhile, here are just a few factors to consider, based on our most recent stays:

I'll send you a PM with a few questions! I've hogged this wonderful thread enough!

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

 

[Adlergray]

Are baby floats allowed? I read no inner-tubes and while its not exactly an inner-tube its a floating seat I think it could fall in that category. I was hoping to bring one its what I put DS in when we spend along time in the pool. He's only going to be 11 months at our trip.

 

[DawnMaree]

Last summer we traveled with SIL and family. We let my DS-9 and her DS-10 do the slide and hang out doing the pool games at sinking sands while most of the adults were in the shallow kids area with my DS-4. They are both good swimmers. i agree the lifeguards really are very attentive and there are alot of them at SAB.

No slams from me. DD1 is 13, DD2 is 12 and DS is 10. We let them venture out pretty much on their own. We are usually on a lounge chair or in a certain area of the pool and check up on them every so often. They are good swimmers, they know their way around SAB like the back of their hand and they know to check in.

SAB is simply too big to keep an eye on more than one person at a time unless your boy's would enjoy digging in the sand with the 7 yr old.

My reccomendation is have them find you every 1/2 hr or so. I've done the wandering around where the heck are you walk.

You are NOT a bad mom...I'm just a neurotic one...!! Seriously, I told my DH last night he might need to block me from these boards. I was 100% sure of my resort choices, but after reading the "I Hate the Beach Club" thread I was having second thoughts!!! I'm crazy!!!

OK, here comes the third thing. There is no such thing as a bad parent when that parent is letting their child carefully spread their wings in a well supervised setting. Only the parent of a particular child would be in a position to "judge" whether that child is capable of some level of independence. Listen to what other people have to say but don't be intimidated or allow yourself to feel judged. Just try to think of it as another source of info that you may want to consider when making your decision. Only you know your children the best.

Just my 2 cents....

Marlton Mom

Thank you!! I do feel a lot better about what I plan on doing this summer. Who knows? Maybe thoughts will change, or maybe not. I'll play it by "ear" to see how they all act responsibly.

No slams, just remember when you were first let to go on your own. Have to give them some rope sometime. As a parent, we all just hope they don't swing too far from the tree.

Oh yes. While I am looking very forward to their steps of independence away from me, I really just thought about it today about the day where it's no longer an option. Time really does fly, eh? I try to cherish all my time with them as I can.

Well said, Marlton Mom! Only a parent can truely know when to let your child spread their wings. If the child is ready for some independence SAB seems like a great place for it. Plenty of lifeguards and only hotel guests are allowed in.

When my son was 10 we allowed him to wander a bit at Blizzard Beach. It was so nerve-wracking but we knew that our son was a strong swimmer and was highly unlikely to have any interaction with a stranger. The worst part was would he check in with us in time to make it to our dinner reservation. He did check in regularly and all was well in the end.

A parent knows when they can trust their child.

And just because being on the BC/YC forum makes me happy...

I told my 11-year-old (who will be days shy of 12 when we go) that I may let him break away from us at the MK to ride somethings we may not want to. He gave me the biggest blank stare. I told him it will be a decision made on the spot, if we choose to do it, and I plan on handing him a cell phone at that time. I seriously doubt it will happen, but I want him to know that I trust his maturity to "test the waters" in independence.

 

[DawnMaree]

I have 83 days to go

Is it too early to start packing???? This winter did me in and spring isn't looking much better....I just want to be in Florida now!!!!

129 days for us!! I need my clothes tho until then.

Hello all,

Need your opinion on something. My DS turns 9 during our trip in August and I have planned breakfast at Crystal Palace, lunch at Liberty Tree, dinner in the castle, and then Pirates and Pals at night. Am I missing anything I should be doing for his b-day? Thanks for your help.

Chris

Won't that be a LOT of food in one day? Why not spread it out over a couple of days? He can wear his birthday pin on multiple days.

 

[natebenma]

Are baby floats allowed? I read no inner-tubes and while its not exactly an inner-tube its a floating seat I think it could fall in that category. I was hoping to bring one its what I put DS in when we spend along time in the pool. He's only going to be 11 months at our trip.

From Page 1 (the Stormalong Bay section)

According to a lifeguard, July 2010:
Outside floats are not permitted for adults in SAB. Pool noodles, either from home or purchased at the pool gift shop, may be used in SAB. Young children may use floats that surround their body if an adult is within arm's reach. These rules are subject to change and may be affected by crowd conditions.

I am the one who talked to the lifeguard and got this info. I think you will be ok-

If anyone has a different experience at SAB, please let me know.

 

[lov2b@disney]

From Page 1 (the Stormalong Bay section)

According to a lifeguard, July 2010:
Outside floats are not permitted for adults in SAB. Pool noodles, either from home or purchased at the pool gift shop, may be used in SAB. Young children may use floats that surround their body if an adult is within arm's reach. These rules are subject to change and may be affected by crowd conditions.

I am the one who talked to the lifeguard and got this info. I think you will be ok-

If anyone has a different experience at SAB, please let me know.

We used a ring type tube on my DS in SAB...initially they said we couldnt but after talking to the lifeguard they said as long as he was in arms reach we could use it. This was last summer

 

[Adlergray]

From Page 1 (the Stormalong Bay section)

According to a lifeguard, July 2010:
Outside floats are not permitted for adults in SAB. Pool noodles, either from home or purchased at the pool gift shop, may be used in SAB. Young children may use floats that surround their body if an adult is within arm's reach. These rules are subject to change and may be affected by crowd conditions.

I am the one who talked to the lifeguard and got this info. I think you will be ok-

If anyone has a different experience at SAB, please let me know.

We used a ring type tube on my DS in SAB...initially they said we couldnt but after talking to the lifeguard they said as long as he was in arms reach we could use it. This was last summer

Thanks y'all!!! I can't wait to swim around SAB with him this summer

 

[YCFAN]

I have stayed at almost every resort on property with the exception of GF. After staying at values, moderates and the Poly (twice and 13 years apart) I have learned that I just don't really care for hotels with separate outside buildings. I really like being under one roof. I stayed at BC initially and liked it but continued to try other resorts. I had stayed at BWV and was trying to book a stay at BWI when there was no availability. There was availability at YC and the reservation CM was trying to convice me to stay there. I explained that I had already stayed at BC and while liking it I wanted to try somewhere different. She assured me while it was similar it would be a completely different experience. That was 10 YC trips ago. This is where I keep coming back to now. It is true. Everyone wants something different and has different expectations from their vacation experience. I'm so glad I decided to take her advice and try the YC even after having stayed at the BC. I have been back to the BC since and would stay there again if I couldn't get YC, but YC has become my home. It makes me very happy and my son has been going since he was 3 and he is now 10. He's happy there too and thinks it's very kid friendly.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I have stayed at almost every resort on property with the exception of GF. After staying at values, moderates and the Poly (twice and 13 years apart) I have learned that I just don't really care for hotels with separate outside buildings. I really like being under one roof. I stayed at BC initially and liked it but continued to try other resorts. I had stayed at BWV and was trying to book a stay at BWI when there was no availability. There was availability at YC and the reservation CM was trying to convice me to stay there. I explained that I had already stayed at BC and while liking it I wanted to try somewhere different. She assured me while it was similar it would be a completely different experience. That was 10 YC trips ago. This is where I keep coming back to now. It is true. Everyone wants something different and has different expectations from their vacation experience. I'm so glad I decided to take her advice and try the YC even after having stayed at the BC. I have been back to the BC since and would stay there again if I couldn't get YC, but YC has become my home. It makes me very happy and my son has been going since he was 3 and he is now 10. He's happy there too and thinks it's very kid friendly.

That's such a cute story. Glad that your family has really found a home at YC. We've only stayed at YC twice, but I'd be willing to go back. It's definitely my favorite of the Epcot resorts right now.

For me, Poly was my home throughout my childhood. Things have changed since then, and I can't imagine going back, but we've found our new home at GF and somewhat CR. Maybe Wilderness will join that list next month. I guess we're just MK resort people at heart.

 

[Sinderelly]

I really enjoyed reading everyone's opinions on the different resorts. I don't have alot of experience having only stayed at AS Sports and POFQ but by the end of the year I will be able to add Pop, BC and BLT to my list. We chose BLT for our Oct trip as we are taking DGS for his first visit and we'll only be going to MK and MNSSHP. We are a party of five so BLT seems like a good choice. My goal is to stay at every Disney resort. I hope to accomplish this by doing split stays. I hope we can get em all in before we are too old to enjoy.

 

[packofprincesses]

Looks like I'll be sticking around this thread!!! DH has no desire to stay at the Poly and he's SUPER excited about the BC CL! If you knew my DH...he's normally like this when I talk about Disney and now he's more like this

I guess it's time to dig in and read all 200+ pages of this thread!

 

[TeenaS]

Looks like I'll be sticking around this thread!!! DH has no desire to stay at the Poly and he's SUPER excited about the BC CL! If you knew my DH...he's normally like this when I talk about Disney and now he's more like this

I guess it's time to dig in and read all 200+ pages of this thread!

Happy reading!!!!

 

[sndral]

We couldn't stay at value either. We loved POR but CBR not so much due to transportation issues. I know that once we stay Deluxe we will never want to go back...but will if that's all the budget can afford!

I found that when I was pinching pennies to put my child through college, I didn't mind strict budgeting because that goal was important to me - in fact I was pretty darned proud of myself for my self control (they certainly enable you to live beyond your means via student and parent loans if you choose to.) So, I expect when (if ever) it's right to pinch pennies for your family you'll happily do so. There are also times to celebrate and this trip is surely one of those times for your family.

Regarding the how much independence child swimmers should be allowed issue - I'll admit I was an over protective parent, one hot summer day my 17 yr. old son called and asked if he and his friend could swim in our pool, I asked the friend's mom what she thought (we were coworkers) and she gently reminded me that since my son's summer job was working as a lifeguard for the city, it was probably ok

 

[heatherbelle]

We're thinking of staying at the YC again, having stayed there in 2010.

Last time we had a standard room 454 my DS thinks, which over looked the wedding gazzebo. I would like a room on the opposite side to this, so facing epcot, does anyone know what room numbers these are please. The reason for wanting this is, is that it gets more sun on a morning, when I like to sit outside. From looking at the new first post though, it maybe that these rooms are now garden view as Disney appears to have re-catagorised its rooms.

If that's the case, then can anyone recommend a nice standard view room, as I don't want to paying nearly $10000.00 for a view of a car park. We;re flying from the UK and staying for two weeks. I may have to change our plans and stay at OKW, which has better views, but isn't in a good location as the YC.

 

[Katesdad]

The Pirates and Pal cruise is from the docks at the Contemporary.

My bad, thought I had read on this board about a kid's adventure that takes off from the dock at YC/BC and goes around the lagoon and into WS looking for treasure. Thought that sounded like a neat thing for a boy's ninth birthday. Guess I had the wrong resort.

 

[Katesdad]

We're thinking of staying at the YC again, having stayed there in 2010. Can anyone recommend a nice standard view room, as I don't want to paying nearly $10000.00 for a view of a car park. We;re flying from the UK and staying for two weeks.

Based on what has been posted here from TeenaS on the new catagories, I think you may be out of luck on the YC if you are gong SV and want any view of something that is not a roof top or a parking lot. Any chance on going GV?

 

[Katesdad]

Looks like I'll be sticking around this thread!!! I guess it's time to dig in and read all 200+ pages!

Better hurry. At the rate we are going, Dee will be starting up a new one here in less than two weeks if the Board monitors really cut a thread off after 250 pages.

 

[natebenma]

Better hurry. At the rate we are going, Dee will be starting up a new one here in less than two weeks if the Board monitors really cut a thread off after 250 pages.

No kidding!

However, I have had my eye on the AKL Lite thread that is up to 318 pages- the moderators have not shut them down and the posters over there are all wondering how many pages they can get to.

Not that I'm competitive or anything...

 

[natebenma]

We're thinking of staying at the YC again, having stayed there in 2010.

Last time we had a standard room 454 my DS thinks, which over looked the wedding gazzebo. I would like a room on the opposite side to this, so facing epcot, does anyone know what room numbers these are please. The reason for wanting this is, is that it gets more sun on a morning, when I like to sit outside. From looking at the new first post though, it maybe that these rooms are now garden view as Disney appears to have re-catagorised its rooms.

If that's the case, then can anyone recommend a nice standard view room, as I don't want to paying nearly $10000.00 for a view of a car park. We;re flying from the UK and staying for two weeks. I may have to change our plans and stay at OKW, which has better views, but isn't in a good location as the YC.

Based on what has been posted here from TeenaS on the new catagories, I think you may be out of luck on the YC if you are gong SV and want any view of something that is not a roof top or a parking lot. Any chance on going GV?

I agree that heatherbelle would be happier with a GV room, but if I am not mistaken, there have been at least 2 previous posters from the UK who had a devil of a time booking the GV category. Teena was able to give some excellent advice and I think both guests were eventually able to book this category.

Teena- do you remember the posters (was one claireybear?) or if that conversation took place on this thread or the previous one. I think it was the one before this.

edit: OK, I kid you not- the start of the conversation about the UK/GV bookings can coincidentally be found at the bottom of PAGE 222 of the previous thread

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2530931&highlight=garden+view+uk&page=222


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