2011 Yacht & Beach Club FAQ, Part III- DO NOT POST HERE- Summer/Fall

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Joining in because we're hoping to stay at the BC in April 2012.

In the very early stages of planning and was pricing out 4/16-23 (Monday to Monday) to try to get lower airfares around DD's break week but wouldn't you know it, no garden or standard rooms available for that date combo at either BC or YC.

If I back it up to Saturday to Saturday I can get a garden view room. I wonder if any will become available for the Monday to Monday combo. I want to get crackin' on the airfare but would hate to not get the room.

 

[cocoabean1]

Hope your feeling better Teena-

Can anyone who has been at the YC or BC tell me if they are offering bounceback offers and if they are how far out date wise can you book?

 

[TeenaS]

Hope your feeling better Teena-

Can anyone who has been at the YC or BC tell me if they are offering bounceback offers and if they are how far out date wise can you book?

As far as I know, the one that was still in the rooms two weeks ago had dates on it up until sometime in December 2011.

 

[hill6]

Save the money. I think this is what is going to end up happening with us. We changed our flights and now are not arriving till 8:30 pm, so instead of checking in late at BC we might hit the LQ by the airport then head over early in the morn to begin WDW. I just can't justify almost $200 to sleep for a few hours (difference between BC and LQ).

That is what I was thinking. I figure even if we pack everything we need in the carry on and leave the luggage in the car (we will have a suitcase of stuff for DD since she will be there for the College Program - she wants us to bring her warm clothes with us )

 

[hill6]

For Sept, I added hill6 and prettyjeepgirl and I think I am waiting on dates for Melsettle and LapuLapu4U.

Done!

Have a fantastic trip!!

MickeyT, welcome home. I too enjoyed your reports and photos.


hill6, are you asking if we would stick with BCV or change to BC? If that's your question, it would depend on how many in your party and what size villa. If it's two and a studio, I'd stick with BCV. If more than two adults in a studio, I'd spring for the BC room. A studio would be great though for a family of 3 or 4 if the 3rd and 4th are small children or babies. I love having a freezer as small as it is as well as the couch and extra floor room during the day.

There are just the two of us.

We are BCV for Sep 24-27. We will be at AS Movies the night of the 23rd. I can't justify the extra cost to stay at the regular Beach Club for the one night just to make the resort switch easier on the 24th. Our flight doesn't land till after 9 pm

 

[hill6]

We've stayed in a Garden Cottage at BWI, and yes, they do have King Beds. Of course, they are also practically at the point furthest from the CL lounge and staff as you can get at that resort. There is a stairwell that you can climb up several flights for access, or you can take the long meandering path through the ground floor, the elevators up to the CL floor, and another super long hallway down to the CL area, or you can just not use the lounge and staff. When we stayed in a Cottage Suite, we pretty much had to resort to option 2 as it was so hard to get up there since I can't climb stairs. As a result of our experience, we are not big fans of BWI.

I guess we didn't realize how few king beds there were at the BC. We always stay Deluxe and get our King bed request. We've never had an issue even though we know there are fewer rooms with one king than other room types. Does Disney assume only families stay at this resort? Are there rooms with only one Queen Bed at least?

DH and I stayed in the Cottages last November. We didn't have an issue with the walk to the elevators to the lounge. We loved the quietness and being away from the main hustle and bustle of the resort. We requested one of the three that have the private balconies and that was so nice. We could see folks that couldn't see us. (I made sure to request the balcony)

Here is a link to my photo album of the room pics.

http://travel.webshots.com/album/579217944ohPEer

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Hello! We've stayed at BC several times and AKL just once (most recent BC stay in February and AKL in May.) We enjoyed AKL for a non-parks stay, but BC is our first choice when we're visiting the parks for many reasons, including location and transportation options.

Regarding your concerns:
1) Buses. We think the buses at BC are just as good as the buses anywhere on Disney property. We rely on Disney transportation almost exclusively (with a cab here or there.) I cannot even begin to explain how much we prefer the walk to Epcot and DHS over the bus. It's like an entirely different trip when you can just stroll out the international gateway or the DHS entrance back to your room. (Or you can boat, if you prefer.) No folding strollers or waiting in line. So at BC, you only bus to two parks (AK and MK) and we don't have complaints about the bus to either. (We also use the monorail and cut through Epcot if the timing works, but you won't have park hoppers, so that wouldn't work for you on this trip.)

2) Counter Service. I appreciate that Mara at AKL had zebra domes available, but I actually prefer the atmosphere at BC Marketplace (it's less like a food court.) I think BC and Epcot area resorts have great CS options (although not all on the dining plan.) Our favorites include BC Marketplace, Hurricane Hanna's, Boardwalk Bakery and Picabu - they are all within walking distance and all great options.

We really like the range of options in the Epcot resort area - for both dining and shopping. The peace and quiet of AKL is nice (and the pools are wonderful) but our family is very active and the energy of the Epcot resort area is a good fit for us.

Here are some recent menus from BC Marketplace and Picabu. And 'll remember to get a photo of the Hurricane Hanna's and Boardwalk Bakery menus later this month!

Hope that helps!

Thank you so much! It is great to hear from someone who has stayed at both places!
I went ahead and switched us to the GV at BC. I requested a full crib and a full balcony. I sure hope they don't assume we don't want a daybed since we have a crib. I just didn't want to request a daybed room as well b/c the balcony is more important. I will just ask if the room has a daybed upon arrival and if not, maybe they can switch us...or we can request a rollaway.
BTW- where is picabu?

 

[pixarmom]

Thank you so much! It is great to hear from someone who has stayed at both places!
I went ahead and switched us to the GV at BC. I requested a full crib and a full balcony. I sure hope they don't assume we don't want a daybed since we have a crib. I just didn't want to request a daybed room as well b/c the balcony is more important. I will just ask if the room has a daybed upon arrival and if not, maybe they can switch us...or we can request a rollaway.
BTW- where is picabu?

Picabu is in the Dolphin, so it's just next door to YC. If you're not familiar, the map on the first page of this thread should help. You just walk out the BC onto the path, turn right and keep walking along the path - you'll see the Dolphin. But the map has the walking path from YC to Dolphin in orange. To get from BC to Picabu, we just continue on the path that "hugs" the Dolphin instead of crossing the bridge. Here's the path:

And looking back from the same spot towards YC/BC:

 

[drag n' fly]

We are here! Checking into BC today. Spent first night at Swan...had an a/c issue...there was none all night, we tripped the breaker and never knew it ....fixed now. Looking forward to some Disney love at the BC!!!!

 

[scottmel]

Leaving soon! But quick question. Pixarmom raised an interesting point about using BC Marketplace for a quick lunch. Is that on the dining plan does anyone know? I could wade thru my STACK of notes but hopefully someone here has a quicker reply than that!!! Thanks!

 

[natebenma]

Leaving soon! But quick question. Pixarmom raised an interesting point about using BC Marketplace for a quick lunch. Is that on the dining plan does anyone know? I could wade thru my STACK of notes but hopefully someone here has a quicker reply than that!!! Thanks!

Pretty sure the answer is yes, though I haven't personally done that.

Another poster reported that she got grab-and-go sushi, a drink and a dessert at the Marketplace for a CS credit. There are also flatbreads and design your own sandwiches/salads and perhaps chowder that I think would qualify as CS meals.

Have a fantastic trip!!!

 

[scottmel]

Thanks Dee! I think it is ...just checked dining link to see if it qualified and per the brochure it did...Thanks !

 

[Sue M]

We are here! Checking into BC today. Spent first night at Swan...had an a/c issue...there was none all night, we tripped the breaker and never knew it ....fixed now. Looking forward to some Disney love at the BC!!!!

Have a great stay!

 

[jenneth79]

Leaving soon! But quick question. Pixarmom raised an interesting point about using BC Marketplace for a quick lunch. Is that on the dining plan does anyone know? I could wade thru my STACK of notes but hopefully someone here has a quicker reply than that!!! Thanks!

Yep, it is on the dining plan!

 

[sukhakuli]

You guys are making me think that CL might be worth changing our reservations to. I do like the idea of grabbing a light breakfast OTW to the park.

How bad are the standard view rooms? We'd have to give up our garden view room for a standard view CL (and about 200 bucks). Am I going to be looking at garbage trucks, and hearing beeping delivery trucks at 3 am? I have to admit, I'm a bit picky about view. We have a gorgeous view from our home, and I have realized over all the moves that we have done, that I feel much better if I have a view. It's silly, I know. I remember one time we went to NYC to see the ball drop on New Year's, and we got a hotel with a window that looked out on the building next door that was 2 feet away. So it was basically a window that looked straight in to a brick wall, lol. We were broke and slumming it, and that's fine, but I don't want to feel that way on my Disney trip, KWIM?


I'm terrible with names, but that baby is seriously adorable. Dh and I want another one, but we're going to wait until after our trip to make more serious plans. Newborns are so sweet!

 

[adrianna_sarah]

I saw your reply and it got me to thinking that maybe you could even drop off your little one in the Sand Castle club so that you could have a Mommy and Me date with your big (little) guy. I don't know the ages of your kids but I do know that it can be hard when the older one wants to do something that the little one can't.

They're now 8 and 4. I guess I need to post some new pics, eh? He would love that! But honestly, I may use the childcare for another devious plan. If I put them at the Sandcastle Club, I could head over to World of Disney and help Santa with his shopping. We'll be at SOG for Christmas proper, and they don' have childcare. I could save myself the hassle of shipping a box of presents and the worry that it would't make it in time.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Leaving soon! But quick question. Pixarmom raised an interesting point about using BC Marketplace for a quick lunch. Is that on the dining plan does anyone know? I could wade thru my STACK of notes but hopefully someone here has a quicker reply than that!!! Thanks!

It is definitely on the dining plan. We dining planned to death the BC Market Place!

~MM

 

[Marlton Mom]

They're now 8 and 4. I guess I need to post some new pics, eh? He would love that! But honestly, I may use the childcare for another devious plan. If I put them at the Sandcastle Club, I could head over to World of Disney and help Santa with his shopping. We'll be at SOG for Christmas proper, and they don' have childcare. I could save myself the hassle of shipping a box of presents and the worry that it would't make it in time.

Definitely ship boxes from the Disney shops to your home. They do a great job and it's not overpriced like other on line merchants. We shipped (among other things) a giant WDW train home and they only charged us something like $14 dollars for the shipping. The shipping packaging was well done and if there is a problem Disney will help you to resolve it. It's virtually brainless and the thought of NOT having to deal with enormous packages and planes was worth the shipping charges in and of itself!

The only thing I would like to have known was if you could combine items in a shipment or if it had to be per item. Also if you combine items does it have to be from the same store or can you collect items from different locations to ship home.

I think Mickey and Minnie are going to be a huge help to Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Here's another reminder about transportation to DTD. The buses running TO Downtown Disney from the Beach Club are great. Usually DTD is the next stop after the BC. ON THE TRIP BACK TO THE RESORTS FROM DTD THE BUS STOPS EVERY WHERE ELSE AND BEACH CLUB IS THE LAST STOP.

This can chew up a ton of time especially if there are a lot of scooter on and offs or if the driver takes a break right in the middle of the run.*

The solution to this is to take a CAB back to the Beach Club from DTD. It costs less than $15 dollars doing this and it will save you anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half of time!

Money well spent!

It's nice have the benefit of others experiences isn't it? That's what I love about the Dis boards. I read about this transportation problem here and I was able to totally avoid it. Other people that we were traveling with didn't heed my warning and were trapped on the bus. That night at dinner they were talking about how bad that trip back was and I quietly said that's what I was talking about when I said you should take the cab. You could just see the light bulbs come on over their heads. They thought that since they went directly to DTD from the hotel they would be the first stop back!

*=our Magic Express driver took a 15 minute break on the way to the airport so the breaks do happen in the middle of runs.

Good luck with your Mission. They also have a ton of stuff at DTD that I never see in the at home Disney Stores or on line.

~Marlton Mom

 

[TeenaS]

Regarding shipping packages from WDW: We always would try to do our main shopping at World of Disney or Mousegears. We'd take everything to the same register and have them ship it all together. Like MM said, the cost of shipping was very reasonable and if it is out of state, they don't charge you Florida sales tax so the amount of shipping was usually what we would have paid on the sales tax. (Haven't done this for over 7 years but I assume it's the same as before regarding the sales tax --- maybe someone who has done it in the past 7 years can confirm that this is still the case. Also, I found I had to remind the cashier not to charge me the sales tax since some of the newer CMs didn't know the procedures quite as well.) Another alternative (but not as good a deal) is to gather everything you purchase and take it all to the resort shipping department. You already paid sales tax so you don't have that savings and the shipping department's charges seem more expensive than when you do it right from the Disney shops.

 

[adrianna_sarah]

Excellent advice! Thank you again. I'm probly crazy to try to pull off a vacation sans husband, but I'm going to try.