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

[pixarmom]

We just returned from a long weekend in NYC last night, so I've missed several days and I'm just catching up!

Beautiful Lily photo - love it!!!

Rusty4, I think your Garden Grill plan is great. Our entire family loves Garden Grill - it's been our favorite character meal and our arrival night tradition since our oldest son (now 12 years old) was a year old. The food is fresh, yummy and particularly good for a character dinner, the family-style service is much more relaxing than a buffet, the character interaction is among the best at Disney and it's so convenient to BC/YC. A suggestion: You might want to request a table on the lower level when you check in for your ADR. It's all semi-circle booths on that level, which is great for conversation and blocks out all the happenings in other sections of the restaurant. Seat children on the end and it's very easy for them to pop up for character photos and autographs. We've been seated on the upper level twice (once because we were fine with trying it and once because we were with a larger party) and we really prefer the lower level. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

 

[mlittig]

In case you missed it, here's a video link to another Lily's Disneyland Surprise. The great part hits at about 1:40 in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OOpOhlGiRTM

I think we all feel this way about going to visit the Mouse...

~MM

Such a beautiful video

 

[Sue M]

In case you missed it, here's a video link to another Lily's Disneyland Surprise. The great part hits at about 1:40 in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OOpOhlGiRTM

I think we all feel this way about going to visit the Mouse...

~MM

Great video! Thanks for sharing

 

[Sue M]

As some of you may know, I'm booked with an AP discount in Jan at POR. BC isn't in the budget this time
But we've stayed at POR Jan 2011, and in Aug (did split with BC).

Now, here's the dilema part. We also love WL (it;s been awhile since we stayed here and feeling the call) , and the standard view just became avail. with AP discount.

So- what to do!! Save $ and stay at POR (which I love, it's our fav. mod) or for $450ish more, take the AP discount at WL

I always agonize over resort choice

 

[bellebookworm9]

We just landed at home about an hour ago.

Overall, we really liked the Beach Club Villas.

Room: We had studio 321, which is part of a 2 bedroom lock-off. It overlooked the courtyard between the Solarium and the BCV entrance-a very nice view. The room was perfect for the two of us. I really liked the clothesline in the shower, and the fact that the sofa bed was all one unit and the blankets and pillows could be stored in the bottom. A minor complaint was that the table and chairs were at awkward heights with one another. The room seemed well soundproofed, both to the interior hallways and the sliding doors to the balcony.

Villas in general: They were very nice. We hung out in the Breezeway for a bit on the first day while waiting for our room. We did not use the Villas pool or hot tub. I used the laundry room twice and have pictures that I will post.

Cast members: Excellent. We were greeted with a "Welcome Home" when we stepped off the bus and escorted to the front desk. Every CM we encountered from that point on was very friendly. We did not get a chance to meet Teena. The lobby was not on our destination list on Sunday, and Monday we glimpsed her twice, but we were on our way to/from the pool or lunch reservations so didn't stop to chat.

Transportation: We didn't use this a lot. We went to Epcot for two days and walked both times. Super short walk, obviously. We took the boat to DHS for a resort transfer yesterday and it was just pulling up to the dock as we were walking down. The ride was not very long at all. Took the bus back from MK after the Halloween Party last night and it was waiting when we got to the stop. Only two stops were YC & BC. We went to Downtown Disney this morning and decided to brave the bus despite the horror stories here! We waited a bit for it to pick us up at the hotel, but a CM had come out to monitor the situation and one came within 20 minutes. It then stopped at Boardwalk. Returning, it was waiting at the stop! It then went to Pleasure Island, Typhoon Lagoon, Swan, Dolphin, YC, BC, and then was continuing on to the Boardwalk. The whole thing took less than 45 minutes.

Restaurants: We found the Marketplace to be adequate. We got breakfast there 2/4 days and everything was very good. The refillable mug beverages would sometimes run out and only be dispensing (gross) water. It never seemed overly crowded. Beaches and Cream was awesome! We "opened" the restaurant, the food was sooo good, and the staff was very nice. We did Cape May for breakfast and dinner and enjoyed both, but to me, neither was something I'm in a rush to do again. Check out my dining reviews for more info.

Recreation: Stormalong Bay was nice. I liked the lazy river and the whirlpool. I did take advantage of a hot tub one afternoon and that was nice as well. The pirate slide was nice and long and curvy, but it hurt my back from the seams. I did spend about half an hour one day just lounging on the beach. We also walked over to the Boardwalk twice and rode a surrey bike-quite an adventure!

I have lots of pictures that I will post in the next few days. If anyone has any questions (especially about the villas-it seems we don't have a ton of villa-goers here) feel free to ask.

 

[hotblooded]

Gretchen- Thanks for the review! Looking forward to the pics.

Now for a general question:

My flight gets in an hour before the rest of my family arrives. My plan is to check in and head to the race expo, then meet my family at a park. Anyone know if it's possible to check in and leave the rest of my party's keys at the front desk or concierge?

 

[MickeyT]

Thanks for the review Gretchen. Heard the weather was bad while you were down. No damper on your plans?

Looking forward to the pictures!

 

[JanetMom]

As some of you may know, I'm booked with an AP discount in Jan at POR. BC isn't in the budget this time
But we've stayed at POR Jan 2011, and in Aug (did split with BC).

Now, here's the dilema part. We also love WL (it;s been awhile since we stayed here and feeling the call) , and the standard view just became avail. with AP discount.

So- what to do!! Save $ and stay at POR (which I love, it's our fav. mod) or for $450ish more, take the AP discount at WL

I always agonize over resort choice

I vote for WL. We love that resort and the boat ride to MK is so nice. I'd pick WL just to be close to the MK.

 

[LMO429]

WOW we leave soon!!!! I just took my dog for a walk and was mentally picturing myself at the beach club hearing the sounds of the boats in crescent lake and those bells that go off now and again. among a millions other reasons one of my favorite parts of staying at the beach club is in the morning when it's super peaceful outside it's so beautiful I like to drink my coffee and take it all in..soon...very very soon!!!

 

[rusty4]

We just returned from a long weekend in NYC last night, so I've missed several days and I'm just catching up!

Beautiful Lily photo - love it!!!

Rusty4, I think your Garden Grill plan is great. Our entire family loves Garden Grill - it's been our favorite character meal and our arrival night tradition since our oldest son (now 12 years old) was a year old. The food is fresh, yummy and particularly good for a character dinner, the family-style service is much more relaxing than a buffet, the character interaction is among the best at Disney and it's so convenient to BC/YC. A suggestion: You might want to request a table on the lower level when you check in for your ADR. It's all semi-circle booths on that level, which is great for conversation and blocks out all the happenings in other sections of the restaurant. Seat children on the end and it's very easy for them to pop up for character photos and autographs. We've been seated on the upper level twice (once because we were fine with trying it and once because we were with a larger party) and we really prefer the lower level. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Thank you! This is just the info I needed. I had no idea that they even had 2 levels there. Our reservations are for an early dinner so that we can either watch the Superbowl afterwards(if their favorite teams are playing) or enjoy Epcot for the evening. The only problem with that is now Nate is saying he wants to see the parade at AK ( I think they are around 3pm right?). I doubt we would make it to Epcot for a 4:30 dinner if we stayed for that. I might make the reservation after 5pm now. I bet the earlier we go the better chance of getting the request of the lower floor.

 

[pixarmom]

Thank you! This is just the info I needed. I had no idea that they even had 2 levels there. Our reservations are for an early dinner so that we can either watch the Superbowl afterwards(if their favorite teams are playing) or enjoy Epcot for the evening. The only problem with that is now Nate is saying he wants to see the parade at AK ( I think they are around 3pm right?). I doubt we would make it to Epcot for a 4:30 dinner if we stayed for that. I might make the reservation after 5pm now. I bet the earlier we go the better chance of getting the request of the lower floor.

Hi rusty4! Jammin Jungle parade at AK is usually 3:45pm. Just keep an eye on this site for parades, etc.: http://wdwent.com/index.htm. So you might want to push the Garden Grill ADR back a little further. We usually check in about 15 minutes before our ADR and they have been able to accommodate our request for the lower level when it's just our family of 5 (add more people and that gets tough!)

And we really enjoy February at WDW! Yes, the weather is very iffy - can be very cold or pleasantly warm. But the crowds are low and the resort rates are great. This year, we arrived the day after the superbowl and LOVED the parade at MK! (We're Packer fans, so it was perfect!)

 

[spacy9]

Here now, and guess who we saw in the Yacht Club Concierge? The Cake Boss and his family. We didn't disturb them since they are on vacation, but thought I'd share!

 

[Feckless]

...

 

[Feckless]

Here now, and guess who we saw in the Yacht Club Concierge? The Cake Boss and his family. We didn't disturb them since they are on vacation, but thought I'd share!

How super cool is that?????

 

[suemom2kay]

Thank you! This is just the info I needed. I had no idea that they even had 2 levels there. Our reservations are for an early dinner so that we can either watch the Superbowl afterwards(if their favorite teams are playing) or enjoy Epcot for the evening. The only problem with that is now Nate is saying he wants to see the parade at AK ( I think they are around 3pm right?). I doubt we would make it to Epcot for a 4:30 dinner if we stayed for that. I might make the reservation after 5pm now. I bet the earlier we go the better chance of getting the request of the lower floor.

Doesn't matter what time you get there. Just ask for a lower table, shouldn't be a problem. We ate there twice in September, both busy times, and were put in the lower seating without asking. Have fun! You will LOVE Garden Grill. It is the only quiet character meal I've ever been two. Characters come to table 2-3 times each. My daughter even started a fight between Chip & Dale, it was hilarious!!!

 

[suemom2kay]

Gretchen- Thanks for the review! Looking forward to the pics.

Now for a general question:

My flight gets in an hour before the rest of my family arrives. My plan is to check in and head to the race expo, then meet my family at a park. Anyone know if it's possible to check in and leave the rest of my party's keys at the front desk or concierge?

You can checkin for everyone. I'm not sure if you can leave the keys or not. Just wanted to answer before your post gets buried. Hopefully, someone else will know for sure.

 

[rusty4]

Hi rusty4! Jammin Jungle parade at AK is usually 3:45pm. Just keep an eye on this site for parades, etc.: http://wdwent.com/index.htm. So you might want to push the Garden Grill ADR back a little further. We usually check in about 15 minutes before our ADR and they have been able to accommodate our request for the lower level when it's just our family of 5 (add more people and that gets tough!)

And we really enjoy February at WDW! Yes, the weather is very iffy - can be very cold or pleasantly warm. But the crowds are low and the resort rates are great. This year, we arrived the day after the superbowl and LOVED the parade at MK! (We're Packer fans, so it was perfect!)

Would a 5:15 reservation work or do you still think that would be pushing it? I have no idea how long it takes to get back from AK to BC/Epcot. Do they have a bus that would go direct to Epcot from AK?

 

[Rorey]

Would a 5:15 reservation work or do you still think that would be pushing it? I have no idea how long it takes to get back from AK to BC/Epcot. Do they have a bus that would go direct to Epcot from AK?

From the little travel wizard I have on my phone is say there's a bus directly from AK to BC and it takes about 30 minutes.

It also says there's a bus directly from AK to Epcot that takes about 20 minutes.

This I'm sure doesn't consider in any huge lines or waiting for a bus to arrive at AK to take you to the places.

 

[bookgirl]

From the little travel wizard I have on my phone is say there's a bus directly from AK to BC and it takes about 30 minutes.

It also says there's a bus directly from AK to Epcot that takes about 20 minutes.

This I'm sure doesn't consider in any huge lines or waiting for a bus to arrive at AK to take you to the places.

Buses leaving AK for BC go to Blizzard Beach, then stop at YC, then BC. At least the ones I road did. I think that is standard, so I would not trust a bus to get you to BC in a short amount of time. Also any bus going to Epcot stops in front, most of the food is a good walk from there, so that would slow you down a bit as well.

I didn't see any buses to Epcot, but then again I wasn't looking for a bus to Epcot when I was at AK.

 

[rusty4]

From the little travel wizard I have on my phone is say there's a bus directly from AK to BC and it takes about 30 minutes.

It also says there's a bus directly from AK to Epcot that takes about 20 minutes.

This I'm sure doesn't consider in any huge lines or waiting for a bus to arrive at AK to take you to the places.

Thank you. That reminds me that the longest wait we have ever had for a bus is at AK and at DTD. AK wait for bus was more than 45 minutes once. And that was to go to AKL. Hmmm. I need to talk to them tonight then. I need to book though so that we can a reservation in place. I guess we could always go back to AK just for the parade on another day. Hate to have to do that though.