2012 Beach and Yacht FAQ ~ March, April and May ~Do Not Post Here-Old Thread

[wishinon3stars]

Before my trips I tell myself that I'm going to use the health club while at BCV but never have. After seeing the pics, I'm thinking this trip may be the time I actually work off some of those mickey bars while I'm there instead of waiting until I get home to get back to my workouts!

Me doing my workouts:

Others watching me doing my workouts:

 

[natebenma]

@ Mike- I'm going to take today off from "The List", but tomorrow I'll make any updates you have recorded and sweep through the past couple of days worth of pages for any new friends.

I'm so glad i found this thread!! We will be staying in a 1BR villa in 11 days!!! It will be the 5 of us, myself, DH, DS17, DD3, and DD10 months. We are driving down from DE and hope to arrive by 10am. How early are the rooms ready? Since we will be in the car over 14 hours, I want to let the baby roam. I'm packing a pool bag for our arrival anyways. Just thought I'd ask.

Thank you all for all the information throughout this thread, I've lurked a bit trying to learn all I can before our arrival

So glad you have enjoyed the thread!


Although my rooms at the resort have been ready as early as 11 am when we have arrived, I think the villa rooms tend to be ready later in the day- there are rarely empty rooms there, so there is very little turnover.

Packing a bag with a few things you need is an excellent plan. The rest of your luggage can be stored with Bell Services while you enjoy the pool/grounds/resort.

pictures...

Thanks so much for the pictures!!! Someone had mentioned about the rocking chairs in a her trip report (think it was eandesmom/Cynthia) and that intrigued me. Looks like you discovered a hidden jewel of seating options!

BTW- you are being summonsed over at the BC Marketplace thread- someone has a condiment question (butter)

Thanks Dee for such a great response, lots of good information.

No problem! I have this health club info in a file, but since I didn't generate the content, I am hesitant to put it on the front page. I have never stepped foot in the spa/gym area.


I'll get a few teaser Atlantis pictures up soon, but I just wanted to post this picture of what we found in the Comfort Suite pool as we were passing by:

NOT Voluptous Pool Noodles!

So they are not hiding out in the Bahamas. Where should I check next???

 

[natebenma]

We interrupt this broadcast of Beach and Yacht Club info for an mini review of Dee's vacation to the Bahamas. I apologize to those of you who are not remotely interested in these and invite you to skip ahead a few posts where discussion of the best resort in the world will continue:


Around Atlantis:

The Digs Aquarium:

 

[Mickdeb]

We arrive tomorrow AM, our first stay YC/CL. So relieved that SAB is fully operational, we decided on YC instead of GF (due to construction) because of SAB. We have a GV/CL room, I have read that there are not many and was wondering if any of them have day beds. I know they are just a request and reserved for parties of 5. We are used to having that extra spot after our stays at GF and Poly, so just curious.
Thanks for all the helpful info, this time tomorrow we will be lounging by the pool after lunch at Beaches and Cream.

ETA: Love the pics from Atlantis, we went 2 years ago and stayed in the royal tower....what an awesome vacation that was! Did you get out to Blue Lagoon Island, that was the highlight of our trip. Thanks for the pics.

 

[HockeyMomR]

Dee - lovely pictures. Beautiful and does not look crowded.

 

[Nermel9]

Beautiful pics from the Bahamas!!! Ohhhh, I have to go there someday!!

Only 13 days til I arrive at the Beach Club!!!!

 

[natebenma]

Atlantis Waterpark

The waterpark portion of Atlantis includes activities and slides for all ages. There are very small kiddie slides and climbing structures, 4 tubes slides including one that goes through the shark tube, and some very high, steep, intense body slides, a calm lazy river, a crazy "lazy" river called the Current

Leap of Faith/Serpent Slide- the LoF is a very steep body slide that takes you through the shark tube. Ben was the only one who tried it in 2009. Mark and Nate each went once during this trip. Parallel to the Leap of Faith is the Serpent Slide, a tube ride through the shark tunnel. We did this ride a lot.

Tube Slides in the Power Tower (like Slusher-Gusher at Typhoon Lagoon):

Challenger Slides- Mark and I did this once. I beat him by .03 seconds

Looks like fun for little ones:

Best. LazyRiver. EVER!!! (Sorry Stormalong Bay)- The entire river takes about 30 minutes- yes we timed it- there are calm parts, conveyer belts, turnoffs to get to the Power Tower Ride and there is a building that produces tidal waves so some portions of the river are extremely wavy. I was tipped off my raft once and I accidentally ran in to a woman and tipped her at one point.

 

[msdroz]

Hi msdroz! I posted about this several pages back, but I stayed at YC last week and did an in-person check with both YC and BC Bell Services. BC Bell Services reports that the original noodles are gone but that "someone started it up again!" So we're good to go, and the noodle exchange should proceed!

Thanks for the update on the noodles! I saw people asking about them but never ended up seeing the answer

 

[MickeyT]

Dee- No problem with the list. New ones are bold. Thanks for the Atlantis pictures. We visited there on our only 'cruise', a two nighter out and back to Nassau in the 90's. Looks like y'all had a blast.

One note about the rocking chair area. That is the smoking area for YC. You can see the ashtrays in the pic's . (Never understood this)

pixarmom- Thank you for your pictures and replies to Y&BC questions. So many times I see your replies and think, 'That is the perfect answer'. And the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand word is so true. Beautiful pictures.

Teena- Loved your pictures. I keep going back and looking. The scenery is awesome and the towel animals well.....Not sure anyone could ever top those.

Mickdeb-I have read that there are not many and was wondering if any of them have day beds. I know they are just a request and reserved for parties of 5. We are used to having that extra spot after our stays at GF and Poly, so just curious.
Not sure of the number but there are daybeds in YC rooms. Just ask at check in and check your room when you enter. If it doesn't have one you could always go back and ask if one is available. Hope you enjoy YC as much as we did.

 

[natebenma]

And my final post will be about snorkeling. This is one of our family's favorite activities. We booked a 30 minute Snorkel in the Ruins (the Digs Aquarium), where we got to swim with the amazing Manta Rays, sharks and much more. This was majorly cool!!!

This is the only picture of the 4 of us from the trip and Ben has a water spot over his face.

Snorkeling in the Lagoon:

We also did some snorkeling "in the wild", at the Cove Beach and mostly at the lagoon. This was Ben's first time really snorkeling and he LOVED it! He was especially excited because we saw more than 10 small barracuda (I think they were actually southern sennet) and we saw a small spotted ray.

We also took an afternoon tour of Nassau: Fort Charlotte, the Government House, the British Colonial Hotel, the Queens Stairway, Fish Fry and more. It was a nice break from all the water!

This concludes our preview tour of Atlantis, but I will have a full report, in EXCRUCIATING detail, and pages and pages of pictures of our trip and comments about our stay at the Comfort Suites coming up in my Welcome Foolish Muggles TR.

I'll let everyone know when I start that up.

Thanks for coming along with me.

We now return to our regular programming...

 

[kelleigh1]

First - love the TL wave pool! Yes, you can absolutely leave your luggage with bell services. As we also like to get a later afternoon flight on departure day, we have done this more than once.

Thanks!! We don't have our flight yet, but now with only having 1 day for Typhoon Lagoon, it looks like doing that arrival day and then using the last park day for our departure day, we'll be looking to book a late afternoon flight.

TL is my fave of the water parks - remembering from my first trip way back 10+ years ago. I've been dying to go back, but it's always being rehabbed. I'm just glad we can squeeze in one day this time. I told my husband that I'm starting to think Disney watches to see when we are booked for and then they announce that is when it will be closed. LOL

 

[natebenma]

We arrive tomorrow AM, our first stay YC/CL. So relieved that SAB is fully operational, we decided on YC instead of GF (due to construction) because of SAB. We have a GV/CL room, I have read that there are not many and was wondering if any of them have day beds. I know they are just a request and reserved for parties of 5. We are used to having that extra spot after our stays at GF and Poly, so just curious.
Thanks for all the helpful info, this time tomorrow we will be lounging by the pool after lunch at Beaches and Cream.

ETA: Love the pics from Atlantis, we went 2 years ago and stayed in the royal tower....what an awesome vacation that was! Did you get out to Blue Lagoon Island, that was the highlight of our trip. Thanks for the pics.

Unfortunately, I don't know how many of the GV CL rooms at YC have daybeds. I'm pretty sure that none of the GV CL rooms at BC have daybeds, but that doesn't give any indication of your chances.

We didn't make it to Blue Lagoon. Our only off-resort excursion was the island tour. We stayed at the Beach Towers at Atlantis in 2009 and we did the Atlantis dolphin encounter then. We have also been to the Pirate Museum a couple of times.

Dee - lovely pictures. Beautiful and does not look crowded.

Thanks! It was moderately crowded. A lot more so than in Feb 2009. But probably the most we ever waited for a slide was 20 minutes. We are always up early, and are a step or two ahead of the crowds, or we would be at the park in the late afternoon, after the cruise passengers returned to their ships.

Beautiful pics from the Bahamas!!! Ohhhh, I have to go there someday!!

Only 13 days til I arrive at the Beach Club!!!!

Thanks! I am (excusably, I hope) behind on your report and I wish you lots of excitement in the couple of weeks leading up to your trip.

Dee- No problem with the list. New ones are bold. Thanks for the Atlantis pictures. We visited there on our only 'cruise', a two nighter out and back to Nassau in the 90's. Looks like y'all had a blast.

One note about the rocking chair area. That is the smoking area for YC. You can see the ashtrays in the pic's . (Never understood this)

Thanks, Mike.

Are all of the rocking chairs located in smoking areas.

You know, I don't have anything in the FAQ about smoking areas at the BC/YC resorts. I suppose I should check into the situation/locations and add that info. Someday!

 

[shellbelle76]

pixarmom- Thank you for your pictures and replies to Y&BC questions. So many times I see your replies and think, 'That is the perfect answer'. And the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand word is so true. Beautiful pictures.

I totally agree! Pixarmom rocks.

We interrupt this broadcast of Beach and Yacht Club info for an mini review of Dee's vacation to the Bahamas. I apologize to those of you who are not remotely interested in these and invite you to skip ahead a few posts where discussion of the best resort in the world will continue:

LOVE the pictures!! Looks like y'all had a blast. Very happy for you.

Before my trips I tell myself that I'm going to use the health club while at BCV but never have. After seeing the pics, I'm thinking this trip may be the time I actually work off some of those mickey bars while I'm there instead of waiting until I get home to get back to my workouts!

Me doing my workouts:

Others watching me doing my workouts:

i want to check out the BC gym now, too! looks snazzy!

 

[Mamise 62]

Can the refillable mugs be used at Hurricane Hanna's?

How late is SAB open?

Can food (actually drink) deliveries be made to the resort? Thinking about having some beer and wine delivered for room use, if that's possible. Provided that it is doable, does anyone have any suggested vendors?

Finally, we're Polynesian veterans who are headed back to the BC for the first time since the late '90's. Is it still the great place we remember?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[mmmears]

Hi Dee! Yay for luggage and hope you're settling in! Thanks for the photos from Teena - so fun! Teena and mmmears, wondering about the linens on the Wonder - are they the same as the Magic? I thought I read that the Wonder switched to comforters (like on the Dream and at YC/BC), but it looks like the Magic still has bedspreads in Teena's photos. We have some allergy issues and like to avoid the bedspreads, when possible.

mmmears, thanks so much! I will definitely accept that offer and send a PM as our cruise gets closer. Those excursions sound amazing - looking into Above & Beyond Alaska now!

pixarmom -- we were on the Wonder last June and the linens had already been changed over to the comforters that they have on the Dream. I was surprised today when I saw the photos of the bedspread on the Magic, since it's almost a year since the Wonder linens were replaced. So don't worry -- it's like you see it in the Dream photos.

As for the excursion -- friends booked with that company since they had children too small for some of the DCL excursions. In a private tour, they were willing to take the kids. We used them since they are the only ones that offer the kayaking/glacier trip that we took -- they were great. Picked us up at the ship and took us back in time! It's a day we will never forget. I'll be happy to answer any of your planning questions.

 

[burberryplaid]

We arrive tomorrow AM, our first stay YC/CL.

See ya there...we arrive tomorrow as well! It will be our first stay at the Beach Club...staying in a studio at BCV!

Thanks again to all who contributed to this thread. I haven't posted much but I do read this thread. So excited to stay here!!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Can the refillable mugs be used at Hurricane Hanna's? YES!!!

How late is SAB open? Usually 10-10

Can food (actually drink) deliveries be made to the resort? Thinking about having some beer and wine delivered for room use, if that's possible. Provided that it is doable, does anyone have any suggested vendors?

We've used Garden Grocer many times at BC.

Finally, we're Polynesian veterans who are headed back to the BC for the first time since the late '90's. Is it still the great place we remember?

Even better than you remember!



Thanks for the replies.

Hope you have a great time at BC!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Dee - Great pics! We haven't been since 2002 - your pictures sure make me want to go back again. DH and I went three times (no kids!) but then Disney took over.

Just wanted to tell you that we did have a GV CL room with a day bed at BC. Not 100% sure but I think the room was 5727. Teena would probably know better than me. It was on the side that overlooked the volleyball area.

 

[natebenma]

Can the refillable mugs be used at Hurricane Hanna's?

How late is SAB open?

Can food (actually drink) deliveries be made to the resort? Thinking about having some beer and wine delivered for room use, if that's possible. Provided that it is doable, does anyone have any suggested vendors?

Finally, we're Polynesian veterans who are headed back to the BC for the first time since the late '90's. Is it still the great place we remember?

Thanks for the replies.

Mamise 62!

Here are the answers to most of your questions- I'm also attaching a link to the FAQ post on the first page. A lot of your questions are answered there as well, and it may serve as a good re-introduction to the resort:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44296486&postcount=12

According to most of the folks here, yes the Beach Club and Yacht Club are still awesome!!!

Oh, yeah, we have a "Be Our Guest" list we keep on page 1, also. If you would like to be added let us know the dates of your stay.

Where can I purchase and refill a refillable mug?

Refillable Mugs may be purchased and filled at the Beach Club Marketplace (self-serve station), Beaches and Cream (CM assisted service, get into the ice cream takeout line), Hurricane Hanna's (self-serve station) and the Ale and Compass Lounge in the Yacht Club resort (coffee/tea self-service, juices and soda behind the bar).

Pixarmom provided pictures of the beverage dispensers at the Marketplace.

Can you tell me the hours for Stormalong Bay pool?

Yes, I can!!!

Until recently, the closing time at night definitely varied throughout the year and was based on things like crowd level, weather, etc.

Beginning on February 12, 2012 the official operating hours of Stormalong Bay are 10 am to 10 pm daily.
These hours will be in effect until further notice.


I haven't done grocery deliveries to the resort. Garden Grocer will deliver there. One of other readers out here should know if they deliver beer & wine.

 

[natebenma]

See ya there...we arrive tomorrow as well! It will be our first stay at the Beach Club...staying in a studio at BCV!

Thanks again to all who contributed to this thread. I haven't posted much but I do read this thread. So excited to stay here!!

Have a great trip!!!