2011 Yacht & Beach Club FAQ, Part II

[TeenaS]

I just wish the reservations desk or CL staff or someone would mention the construction when you book the room. It's just that now I'm a little over a week out and I just find this out. I booked the room under a discount so my odds of getting another similar room (CL level, deluxe resort) under this same code may be slim. I know I should just wait until I get there and check-in and see if I'm lucky or unlucky but what if I'm unlucky. On one of our stays to the WL we had an issue with the room and when we went back downstairs and asked about changing we were told there was not another room but we could check back the next day. I'm just afraid if I wait and see how it is I may be out of luck (I'm a worrier can you tell?? I also am the planner so I also feel responsible).

I hate making requests after requests. I'm already requesting for a day bed. I can just see the face on the CM now when I request a daybed and the need to be far from construction. I do LOVE the BC but a vacation without sleep and/or naps could be very bad for all.

Teena - please don't take my venting personally. You are so kind to answer questions and give us information. I am just a little upset because I just heard about the construction and there is no way to know how much it will impact us.

You just need to (1) not do an on-line check-in, (2) when you are at the regular check-in desk, just tell them that you have young children that need to take naps and would they please put you in a room where the outside maintenance will not affect their naptime. It's not a big deal unless you check in very late in the afternoon and the resort is full. If that happens (you check in late and the resort is full), then tell them you need to be set up for a room change the next morning into a room where the naps will not be affected. If the person checking you in does not give you satisfaction, then nicely ask to speak to one of the front desk managers. Honestly, 95% of the guests are not affected since they are not in their rooms between 9 AM and 5 PM except to change clothes (and then the drapes are closed I would hope) and it's only going on in certain areas at one time. The only people affected are the ones with little children that need naps and once we know that, we will try our best to get you into a room not where the maintenance is going on.

Worst case scenario: (1) the resort is full, (2) you check in late, (3) you get one of the rooms affected by the maintenance and therefore because of (1) and (2), there is no room at the BC to move you to, (4) the next day not one person in the entire BC is checking out from a room that is not affected by the maintenance. If those things should all happen (probably a 1 in 1000 chance), then you could ask to be moved to a comparable resort in the same category you booked at the BC where maintenance is not going on that will affect your child's naps.

I know there are probably 20 guests that have posted in the last five months or so that this maintenance has "ruined" their vacation. But think of the other thousands of guests at the BC during that same period whose vacations were not affected one little bit by it. And I'm sure you can find the same amount of guests at other WDW resorts that had their vacation ruined for other reasons. I guess I'm trying to say that you shouldn't stress and be so worried over this. We'll do our darnest to get you into a quiet unaffected room for the naps. We don't want our guests upset. Honestly, routine maintenance (and that's what this is) is always going on at the resorts, whether it be inside painting (which to me is a thousand times worse than outside maintenance because the paint small inside makes me sick), laying new carpets, plumbing work, etc. Unless it's major like the closure of a pool or one of the restaurants, I doubt you would ever get notification from reservations or cast members at the resorts. There's always some maintenance going on at WDW resorts because the resorts need to be kept up to Disney's high standards.

 

[Momtomouselover]

Thanks Teena! I'm sure we will still have a wonderful trip and if the worst case scenario happens I will request a move. I have just one kiddo but he is high energy and I need the downtime as does he. I think your right though and I need to worry less. What is the official drink at the BC? or the one MM says you get in the special room? I need one of those!

 

[sndral]

Disney needs to stage those cranes/cherry pickers/misc. equipment as giant coral and have the construction workers wear mermen costumes. Have cms run through the grounds occasionally w/ those floaty fish puppets like in the Finding Nemo play the workers could even burst into song occasionally. I mean, if construction has to happen make it an event - over at CBR the cranes could be crows nests and the workers dressed as pirates, at wl they could be disguised as pine trees and the workers as bears (ala country bear jamboree.)

 

[eangel12]

I was concerned when I read about maintenance too, due to the fact that I have a 21 month old son who will need naps. I then remembered that I could just request a quiet room due to his napping schedule!! I am also glad that Disney does a great job of updating and keeping things looking nice and fresh!! Teena is right too...outside maintenance is MUCH better than inside...the paint smell gives me a headache and would require me to move. Besides the nap issues, I don't spend much time in my room at Disney anyways, so it is what it is. I'm sure the Beach Club would be SUPER accommodating to a parent request to move away from maintenance noise due to napping issues!!

 

[ocalla]

Pssssst, everyone. We leave for Florida tomorrow at noon! Our vacation is actually HERE!!!

Packing the van now, but the kids wanted to see our ticker!!!

(dancing bananas as requested by DS Jonah)

Will try to check in from the BC on Friday!!!

Cheers and love to all!!!
The Bourques

Have a Safe Trip!!! we may run into each other (we fly out on Monday!!!)

Enjoy your vacation

 

[Bourquefam]

Disney needs to stage those cranes/cherry pickers/misc. equipment as giant coral and have the construction workers wear mermen costumes. Have cms run through the grounds occasionally w/ those floaty fish puppets like in the Finding Nemo play the workers could even burst into song occasionally. I mean, if construction has to happen make it an event - over at CBR the cranes could be crows nests and the workers dressed as pirates, at wl they could be disguised as pine trees and the workers as bears (ala country bear jamboree.)

I love this idea!!!!! Just imagining all of this gave me a good laugh and there's nothing better than starting your day with laughter. Now I'm going to LAUGH every time I see a construction worker at BC this week!!!!

Have a Safe Trip!!! we may run into each other (we fly out on Monday!!!)

Enjoy your vacation

Ocalla----hope to see you too!!! Feel free to bring me a couple links of smoked boudin from The Best Stop!

 

[cepmom]

we're leaving tomorrow for Orlando and checking into the BC on Sunday!! Finally!!!! Just finished my final exam last night and got my wrist cast off on Monday (broke my wrist last month...so glad that I can go in SAB now!) so I'm ready to go!

quick question regarding online check vs regular check in...I did put two requests on my reservation 1) a room with a daybed(we do have 5 on the reservation) and 2)a full balcony. The only one that really matters to me is the daybed request. A full balcony would be nice but if we get a standing balcony, I'd be okay with it.

We are checking in late Sunday (around 6:00 - 7:00 pm I would imagine). I was planning on doing regular check in so I could politely ask for a room that met our requests, but now knowing that we are going to be checking in late,I'm worried that there will be slim pickings for rooms at that time of the day. I wonder if I should do online check in and chance that our requests will be met instead of waiting to see what's left at the end of the day Sunday.

Any thoughts??

 

[TeenaS]

Disney needs to stage those cranes/cherry pickers/misc. equipment as giant coral and have the construction workers wear mermen costumes. Have cms run through the grounds occasionally w/ those floaty fish puppets like in the Finding Nemo play the workers could even burst into song occasionally. I mean, if construction has to happen make it an event - over at CBR the cranes could be crows nests and the workers dressed as pirates, at wl they could be disguised as pine trees and the workers as bears (ala country bear jamboree.)

 

[TeenaS]

we're leaving tomorrow for Orlando and checking into the BC on Sunday!! Finally!!!! Just finished my final exam last night and got my wrist cast off on Monday (broke my wrist last month...so glad that I can go in SAB now!) so I'm ready to go!

quick question regarding online check vs regular check in...I did put two requests on my reservation 1) a room with a daybed(we do have 5 on the reservation) and 2)a full balcony. The only one that really matters to me is the daybed request. A full balcony would be nice but if we get a standing balcony, I'd be okay with it.

We are checking in late Sunday (around 6:00 - 7:00 pm I would imagine). I was planning on doing regular check in so I could politely ask for a room that met our requests, but now knowing that we are going to be checking in late,I'm worried that there will be slim pickings for rooms at that time of the day. I wonder if I should do online check in and chance that our requests will be met instead of waiting to see what's left at the end of the day Sunday.

Any thoughts??

At that hour I'd go with regular check-in. Whether there are slim pickings or not will depend on how crowded we are. Yesterday and tonight we are 100% occupied.

 

[ocalla]

Ocalla----hope to see you too!!! Feel free to bring me a couple links of smoked boudin from The Best Stop![/QUOTE]

Can you imagine me bringing that through security they would probably take it and eat it themselves

Who could blame them!!!!!

 

[goodferry]

we're leaving tomorrow for Orlando and checking into the BC on Sunday!! Finally!!!! Just finished my final exam last night and got my wrist cast off on Monday (broke my wrist last month...so glad that I can go in SAB now!) so I'm ready to go!

quick question regarding online check vs regular check in...I did put two requests on my reservation 1) a room with a daybed(we do have 5 on the reservation) and 2)a full balcony. The only one that really matters to me is the daybed request. A full balcony would be nice but if we get a standing balcony, I'd be okay with it.

We are checking in late Sunday (around 6:00 - 7:00 pm I would imagine). I was planning on doing regular check in so I could politely ask for a room that met our requests, but now knowing that we are going to be checking in late,I'm worried that there will be slim pickings for rooms at that time of the day. I wonder if I should do online check in and chance that our requests will be met instead of waiting to see what's left at the end of the day Sunday.

Any thoughts??

OK, this is making me panic a bit. We are checking in around 7:30 and there are five of us in the room and I believe the resort is full (no rooms available online, checking in 6/3). I didn't make a request for a room with a daybed because I always understood that you would automatically get a room with enough beds for everyone on the reservation. We are staying on the concierge level, should we check in online and should we make a request for a daybed? We have no requests on the reservation.

 

[TeenaS]

OK, this is making me panic a bit. We are checking in around 7:30 and there are five of us in the room and I believe the resort is full (no rooms available online, checking in 6/3). I didn't make a request for a room with a daybed because I always understood that you would automatically get a room with enough beds for everyone on the reservation. We are staying on the concierge level, should we check in online and should we make a request for a daybed? We have no requests on the reservation.

If you have five people on your reservation (age 3 and over), you will get a room with a daybed or a room big enough to have a rollaway brought in if all the rooms with daybeds are occupied. You can do an online checkin. If you should get to the room and it doesn't work, just go to the concierge CMs and tell them.

 

[cepmom]

At that hour I'd go with regular check-in. Whether there are slim pickings or not will depend on how crowded we are. Yesterday and tonight we are 100% occupied.

thanks Teena. So when the resort is at or near capacity, online vs regular check doesn't matter?

 

[natebenma]

Pssssst, everyone. We leave for Florida tomorrow at noon! Our vacation is actually HERE!!!

Packing the van now, but the kids wanted to see our ticker!!!

(dancing bananas as requested by DS Jonah)

Will try to check in from the BC on Friday!!!

Cheers and love to all!!!
The Bourques

Have a Safe Trip!!! we may run into each other (we fly out on Monday!!!)

Enjoy your vacation

we're leaving tomorrow for Orlando and checking into the BC on Sunday!! Finally!!!! Just finished my final exam last night and got my wrist cast off on Monday (broke my wrist last month...so glad that I can go in SAB now!) so I'm ready to go!

Wishing you all the most magical of vacations!!!

 

[TeenaS]

thanks Teena. So when the resort is at or near capacity, online vs regular check doesn't matter?

The whole concept/idea of an on-line check-in is to make it quick for the guest checking in. With on-line, you supposedly walk up to the CM at the on-line desk, say hello, show your ID and they hand you your welcome packet with your keys in it. You say thanks and walk away. QUICK! If you want to ask about your room location and requests, then the whole concept of on-line goes out the door. Now your check-in is the same as a regular check-in. The CM must pull your reservation up on the system, check the room specifics, see if another room is available, call the room assignor, etc. Now that line is no longer quick.

If a resort is full and it's late at night and everybody has already checked in, we can't move you to another room even if you ask at check-in and find you do not like the room specifics you are assigned. There's no other room to switch you to. If you go to the regular check-in desk, we can at least tell you what type of room you have (the specifics of the room - location and balcony and beds) and if you are not satisfied, you can ask for a room change the next day and set it all up right there and then.

If you instead do the on-line check-in and just grab the keys and go to the room, if you find it is not to your liking, even if we have nothing else available that night, you would either have to call the front desk and set up a room change for the next day or hoof it back to the front desk and set up a room change for the next day.

Personally, I always find most people have at least one question at check-in. Therefore, they should be at the regular check-in line. If the CM needs to pull up your reservation to answer the question, then the on-line check-in line's purpose is defeated. It's suppose to be a "grab and go". The welcome packets are there waiting for you with the keys already in it. 99% of the time when the on-line line moves slower than the regular check-in line it's because a person in the on-line line asks the CM questions and doesn't just "grab and go".

Hope that helps ... it's hard to explain in writing.

 

[cepmom]

The whole concept/idea of an on-line check-in is to make it quick for the guest checking in. With on-line, you supposedly walk up to the CM at the on-line desk, say hello, show your ID and they hand you your welcome packet with your keys in it. You say thanks and walk away. QUICK! If you want to ask about your room location and requests, then the whole concept of on-line goes out the door. Now your check-in is the same as a regular check-in. The CM must pull your reservation up on the system, check the room specifics, see if another room is available, call the room assignor, etc. Now that line is no longer quick.

If a resort is full and it's late at night and everybody has already checked in, we can't move you to another room even if you ask at check-in and find you do not like the room specifics you are assigned. There's no other room to switch you to. If you go to the regular check-in desk, we can at least tell you what type of room you have (the specifics of the room - location and balcony and beds) and if you are not satisfied, you can ask for a room change the next day and set it all up right there and then.

If you instead do the on-line check-in and just grab the keys and go to the room, if you find it is not to your liking, even if we have nothing else available that night, you would either have to call the front desk and set up a room change for the next day or hoof it back to the front desk and set up a room change for the next day.

Personally, I always find most people have at least one question at check-in. Therefore, they should be at the regular check-in line. If the CM needs to pull up your reservation to answer the question, then the on-line check-in line's purpose is defeated. It's suppose to be a "grab and go". The welcome packets are there waiting for you with the keys already in it. 99% of the time when the on-line line moves slower than the regular check-in line it's because a person in the on-line line asks the CM questions and doesn't just "grab and go".

Hope that helps ... it's hard to explain in writing.

thanks again teena....your explanation makes perfect sense!! I want to apply my Disney Rewards card to our room account anyway when we get there so regular check in makes more sense for that anyway!

 

[natebenma]

On another note can I please get some opinions?
we are suprising DS14 and DS11 with a trip in Dec. A couple of our friends are now saying they would love to come also. While I love them, when we go to Disney we love not having plans (except ADR). I feel so selfish for secretly not wanting them to come but DH is deploying for a year in Feb so its kinda like our last hurahh and then when he comes back Disney is the light at the end of our tunnel. Am I wrong in feeling this way?
Thanks in advance

Don't feel sorry about feeling that way! We have gone with family and friends on different times and a few times by our selves. When we are on our own we have the most fun and have the best memories! My brother serves in the Army and he makes it a point to go on his family only trips! In fact they are moving back to the states from Germany in Auguast and they are going on a Disney cruise to spain and italy,ect. Spend time as a family! If you just can't tell them no ask them if they can just meet up at the ADRs or just a few meeting spots and keep most of the trip random. From my self, my DH, and DS please tell your DH thanks for serving and a special thanks for you and your kids for supporting him! Being a Navy brat and my younger brother serving for over 10 years now I understand how hard it is to say good bye and how wonderful it is to hold them again! Thank you again!

Beautifully said Heather!

It is not selfish at all to want to spend precious family time without the intrusion of others, no matter how much you like them. I would be upfront with the friends and let them know that as much as you enjoy their company, it is really important for your family to have this special time together. If they want to visit Disney at the same time as you, offer to help them with their plans, and if there are one or two dinners or places that you wouldn't mind spending time with them, you can let them know that, but be firm about needing well-deserved time for just your family.

Thank you to your husband and to you and your family for the service and sacrifice for all of us.

 

[lov2b@disney]

I plan on fending the construction workers off with my mighty pool noodles! That should keep things quiet around Marlton Mom's side of the resort. Nothing puts the fear of God in a construction worker like a lavender colored voluptuous pool noodle coming his or her way! In fact I may even have a t-shirt printed up that says "Keep it quiet or you get the NOODLE!"

That should fix 'em!

~Marlton Mom

as always

Pssssst, everyone. We leave for Florida tomorrow at noon! Our vacation is actually HERE!!!

Packing the van now, but the kids wanted to see our ticker!!!

(dancing bananas as requested by DS Jonah)

Will try to check in from the BC on Friday!!!

Cheers and love to all!!!
The Bourques

we're leaving tomorrow for Orlando and checking into the BC on Sunday!! Finally!!!! Just finished my final exam last night and got my wrist cast off on Monday (broke my wrist last month...so glad that I can go in SAB now!) so I'm ready to go!

quick question regarding online check vs regular check in...I did put two requests on my reservation 1) a room with a daybed(we do have 5 on the reservation) and 2)a full balcony. The only one that really matters to me is the daybed request. A full balcony would be nice but if we get a standing balcony, I'd be okay with it.

We are checking in late Sunday (around 6:00 - 7:00 pm I would imagine). I was planning on doing regular check in so I could politely ask for a room that met our requests, but now knowing that we are going to be checking in late,I'm worried that there will be slim pickings for rooms at that time of the day. I wonder if I should do online check in and chance that our requests will be met instead of waiting to see what's left at the end of the day Sunday.

Any thoughts??

Have a Safe Trip!!! we may run into each other (we fly out on Monday!!!)

Enjoy your vacation

Have magical vacations!!

 

[ocalla]

OK all you airline experts out there, last year we flew Southwest and checked ALL of our luggage the morning of our flight out, then enjoyed the rest of the day until ME time.

this year we are only checking 1 bag, the rest are carry-on.................what do I do with the carry-on luggage ? I feel really stupid (or is it stressed with the vacation so close), that I don't know the answer to this???

Our flight back home doesn't leave Orlando until 5:30 that evening?

Help me please!!

Teena, I may need a HUGE drink Monday night after check-in and something tells me I can find JUST what I need right near the pool!!!!

 

[Marlton Mom]

Disney needs to stage those cranes/cherry pickers/misc. equipment as giant coral and have the construction workers wear mermen costumes. Have cms run through the grounds occasionally w/ those floaty fish puppets like in the Finding Nemo play the workers could even burst into song occasionally. I mean, if construction has to happen make it an event - over at CBR the cranes could be crows nests and the workers dressed as pirates, at wl they could be disguised as pine trees and the workers as bears (ala country bear jamboree.)

WOW!!! I thought I was nuts.... THIS IS GENIUS!!!

I think you would be great working in Imagineering! Imagine the havoc you could wreak....
YES!

~Marlton Mom
PS. I volunteer to coordinate the waving of the voluptuous, pastel colored pool noodles in clumps to simulate anemone!!!