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

[natebenma]

Wow Dee, thank you SO much for putting this awesome thread together!!! We're still between choosing either the Yacht Club or GF (again). We're not sure if we want to try something new or stick to what we know. So this wealth of information is WONDERFUL for the indecisive!! It's funny, I really want to try the Yacht Club but there's this "fear" that "will we like it as much as the GF?". SO that is my indecisiveness!! UGH.

I love hearing everyone's stories and seeing your pictures... it helps someone who's Disney homesick !! It's nice of all of you to bring us along on your trip until we can repay the favor! You guys are TERRIFIC !!!

Thank you for your very nice comments.

How much time do you expect to spend at MK and how much time do you think you will be at EPCOT?

The 5-10 minute walk to EPCOT is just unbelievable. Whenever you want, you can be RIGHT THERE! You can watch Illuminations and be back in your room by 9:30. Take out from Tangierine Cafe!

If you miss using the monorail, take it between EPCOT and MK once or twice.

Spend a few more minutes looking at the Stormalong Bay photos.

Not that I'm biased or anything.

 

[TaraPA]

I believe the Green One is Green Tea. But those are just regular tea bags from the looks of them and not the pods.

Does anyone have any experience with the Pod machine to know if it will give you just hot water to make tea? I too am not a coffee drinker.

I am going to look and see if I can find tea pods for the machine, but it may not matter since we'll have the refillable mugs anyway and I'm not sure I'd want hot tea. I drink mostly iced all year round.

Yes you can use the Cuisinart pod style machine just to make hot water. My friend did this & then added ice from the ice machine at Poly to make iced tea!

I'm in a Disney mood today for sure. Just had the IPO get my ME set up for next week, I almost forgot! Got DH on his plane to Orlando this morning, he will be there for 2 weeks straight (and probably sooo ready to come home by the time the boys & I get there next Thursday!) Then my mind started wandering....DH will be out of the country for the last week of April. I'm getting AP's for the boys next week when I renew mine...why not squeeze in a quick 3-nt trip for just the boys & myself while he's away?!?! I NEED to get value out of those AP's, right? The only thing holding me back is that I hate to pull the boys out of school again. Maybe Thurs night after school til Sunday.....hmmmmm....

 

[donnaf516]

Wow this thread moves fast!!

 

[diskids2]

Splash Mountain counts as a bath, right?

Actually my 17 year old (when he was 12) told me that he took his bath on Kali River Rapids.

 

[blueeyesrnc]

Just checking into out beautiful new home. Dee, thanks so much for continuing this great thread for all of us and for all who have yet to arrive. You work so hard and I appreciate all your Herculean efforts. This is the best thread on the Dis imho, and it because of you and the rest of the crazy gals and guys that contribute to this thread.Thanks so much.

 

[kelleigh1]

Thanks TaraPA! I'll probably bring a few tea bags with me then, just so I can have my iced tea. That and water are pretty much the only things I do these days.

 

[shellbelle76]

Hi everyone! I'm new here!

Was just at WDW (after a 20 hiatus!!) for the Princess Half in February, and I cannot wait to get back! The Princess Half was a girlfriends trip, but this upcoming adventure is a first-time-to-WDW experience for my little family of four

We have long had plans to visit Hilton Head for a week in May, and when I realized we would only be about 5 1/2 hours from Orlando, I started pondering and wondering and planning... And long story short, I tacked on an extra four days to the end of our beach vacation and now we're going to be visiting the happiest place on earth! Considering staying at POR for two nights and then BC for two nights. So excited I can scarcely contain myself. I want to jump around and do a happy dance!

Dee - thank you for setting everything up! I feel like I know everyone just from reading all of the posts. And I can just hardly wait to experience BC for myself. So grateful for the time and energy y'all have put into the many postings!! THANK YOU!

 

[333disneymom]

Joining in. You can add us to the Be our Guest list, we'll be in a 1bdrm at BCV from October 1st to the 7th. Can't wait, this will be our DD's first trip. She'll be 18 months at the time.

I'll take tips and advice from anyone who's been at the BC with a toddler.

I'm also wondering if I should put in a request?? If so, where or what should I request.

Any advice is appreciated.

Our family found SAB great with a toddler. The sand bottom portion is wonderful for little ones. You can sit with them and they can spend hours playing in the water and sand.

Yes you can use the Cuisinart pod style machine just to make hot water.

Then my mind started wandering....DH will be out of the country for the last week of April. I'm getting AP's for the boys next week when I renew mine...why not squeeze in a quick 3-nt trip for just the boys & myself while he's away?!?! I NEED to get value out of those AP's, right? The only thing holding me back is that I hate to pull the boys out of school again. Maybe Thurs night after school til Sunday.....hmmmmm....

We used the hot water and brought Starbucks Via packets to make our own coffee in the morning.

TaraPA - love your logic. If flights weren't so expensive, our family would be visiting a lot more with annual passes.

 

[TaraPA]

TaraPA - love your logic. If flights weren't so expensive, our family would be visiting a lot more with annual passes.

I know, flights are nuts right now. We have enough FF miles for the 3 of us to fly free if we go in April - that's the only reason I could swing this 3rd trip in 2 months! Then I better lay low for awhile (and let DH rack up more FF miles for me, right?!?!?)

Sadly, BC or YC are not available with the 30% AP discount for the dates I'm playing with. I didn't look closely at the boucneback last week - I think it was 35% off deluxes - so I'll call when I'm there & that might seal the deal.

 

[cindydare]

Joining in. You can add us to the Be our Guest list, we'll be in a 1bdrm at BCV from October 1st to the 7th. Can't wait, this will be our DD's first trip. She'll be 18 months at the time.

I'll take tips and advice from anyone who's been at the BC with a toddler.

Also, I'm wondering if I can bring a little flotation seat for DD to use at SAB??

I'm also wondering if I should put in a request?? If so, where or what should I request.

Any advice is appreciated.

DS4 was almost 3 when we made our first trip to BC. I brought his two piece swim outfit (top was a swim vest that buckled into the swim trunks). He and big sis (DD8) both love to play in the zero entry sand area. He also enjoyed the kiddie pool last year until big sis convinced him to try the "big" slide. Now he talks of nothing but going down the big slide!

DS4 also loved the character breakfast at Cape May. Donald was his favorite! We also enjoyed the character dinner at Garden Grill in Epcot. This year will be our 3rd year in a row for it!

My favorite kid tips are generic in nature: 1. pack each day's outfit and accessories in a separate 1 gallon zip lock bag. It makes getting ready in the morning easier (and you don't have to worry about forgetting socks or underwear ). 2. Rent a jogging type stroller from an offsite rental company. Since your DD will be 18 months old, chances are you're using an umbrella stroller most places now. Bring that for the airport, but rent a bigger stroller for the parks.....it will navigate curbs much easier and having a big sunshade is a plus when the little one decides to take a nap. They are heavier, so the downside will be getting the stroller on and off of the Disney buses, but that's what DHs are for, right? We have used a Baby Jogger City Elite and Citi Mini. And by renting from an outside company (Orlando Stroller Rentals, Magic Strollers, etc.), they will deliver to and pick up from bell services, and you will have the stroller for the entire length of your stay.

I hope you have a magical 1st trip with your DD!!

Cindy

 

[natebenma]

Hi everyone! I'm new here!

Was just at WDW (after a 20 hiatus!!) for the Princess Half in February, and I cannot wait to get back! The Princess Half was a girlfriends trip, but this upcoming adventure is a first-time-to-WDW experience for my little family of four

We have long had plans to visit Hilton Head for a week in May, and when I realized we would only be about 5 1/2 hours from Orlando, I started pondering and wondering and planning... And long story short, I tacked on an extra four days to the end of our beach vacation and now we're going to be visiting the happiest place on earth! Considering staying at POR for two nights and then BC for two nights. So excited I can scarcely contain myself. I want to jump around and do a happy dance!

Dee - thank you for setting everything up! I feel like I know everyone just from reading all of the posts. And I can just hardly wait to experience BC for myself. So grateful for the time and energy y'all have put into the many postings!! THANK YOU!

Sounds like a wonderful first trip to WDW for your family! Let us know if you have any questions.

What are your dates in May? I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list if you would like.

 

[jenneth79]

We're still between choosing either the Yacht Club or GF (again). We're not sure if we want to try something new or stick to what we know. So this wealth of information is WONDERFUL for the indecisive!! It's funny, I really want to try the Yacht Club but there's this "fear" that "will we like it as much as the GF?". SO that is my indecisiveness!! UGH.

How long is your stay? You might want to consider splitting time between YC and GF which would give you the best of both worlds.

We're doing this in October...starting with YC then GF. Also helped us afford CL since the GF rooms are cheaper during the middle of the week.

I agree with Dee though, nothing can beat BC/YC for proximity to Epcot. We loved being able to walk to MK from Contemporary (or hop on the monorail from GF) but if you love Epcot or DHS, then the BC/YC is the place to be!

 

[natebenma]

Wow Dee, thank you SO much for putting this awesome thread together!!! We're still between choosing either the Yacht Club or GF (again). We're not sure if we want to try something new or stick to what we know. So this wealth of information is WONDERFUL for the indecisive!! It's funny, I really want to try the Yacht Club but there's this "fear" that "will we like it as much as the GF?". SO that is my indecisiveness!! UGH.

I love hearing everyone's stories and seeing your pictures... it helps someone who's Disney homesick !! It's nice of all of you to bring us along on your trip until we can repay the favor! You guys are TERRIFIC !!!

I just saw a thread asking GF or YC (and it wasn't you):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2893610

 

[DrMomof3]

Great job (as usual) Dee! New thread looks awesome!

For those who followed my mini-saga, I booked a room at BC for my solo trip in late September. I'm running the inaugural ToT 10 mile race. I was feeling guilty about spending lots of money on a room for myself. Happy news! A Disney friend is also traveling solo for that race and we agreed to share a room. Trip cost is cut almost in half!!! She rented DVC points for a BCV studio and I booked a room using the runDisney discount. We're going to compare room rates and decide which room to keep. I'm leaning towards the regular BC room for 2 queen beds instead of one bed and one sofa bed but I'm cool either way.

Amanda

 

[TeenaS]

Great job (as usual) Dee! New thread looks awesome!

For those who followed my mini-saga, I booked a room at BC for my solo trip in late September. I'm running the inaugural ToT 10 mile race. I was feeling guilty about spending lots of money on a room for myself. Happy news! A Disney friend is also traveling solo for that race and we agreed to share a room. Trip cost is cut almost in half!!! She rented DVC points for a BCV studio and I booked a room using the runDisney discount. We're going to compare room rates and decide which room to keep. I'm leaning towards the regular BC room for 2 queen beds instead of one bed and one sofa bed but I'm cool either way.

Amanda

 

[pixarmom]

Splash Mountain counts as a bath, right?

Of course! According to my husband's logic, anything involving a little water counts!

Thanks for the prices. I am not sure we would get our money's worth paying for the DP as sometimes the kids may not want a sit down meal each day. we are also passholders so I am thinking I may try tables in wonderland which will give us a discount on food. THat will give us more flexibility too. Plus we are in a 1Br so I will have a kitchen I can cook in and save us some money that way too....I think I just solved my own problem! Just too many good restaurants at Epcot to decide from!!!

MMrules, we switched from DDP to TIW a couple years ago and it's WONDERFUL! Everyone has to do their own math, but for us it works out perfectly. We usually have 2 ADRs per day, often book signatures for dinner, order appetizers instead of entrees, don't order dessert with meals, and have two pre-teen "Disney adults." So those factors make TIW a much better value for us now. If you sit down with your possible ADR list and price out what you think you might actually order, then compare that cost with DDP and with the TIW discount, you can see which works best for you. I always calculate based on what we'd actually order rather than what the DDP includes so that we have a real idea of the actual savings. Take a close look at the TIW restaurant list, though - most of them are TS with just a very few CS.

Sounds like you decided already, but just wanted to let you know how much we love TIW!

 

[bshields93]

So my family and I are leaving for BC in less than 2 months!! We have never gone in May before so any pointers about Disney in May?

 

[kirbybruno]

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest on page 1.

The kids are fantastic ages for this trip.

Have you seen the book "Guide to the Magic for kids?" It is a really nice planning tool, lots of pictures and descriptions of all the rides including whether they are fast, dark or scary. The kids can journal about each day of their trips, put on stickers for rides they tried and rate the attractions.

Check it out on Amazon or a local bookstore. Only problem is both of my boys wanted one and they are about $30 each.

I just checked Amazon it looks like it may be hard to come by now, but what a great concept. I may put something together that is similar, thanks so much!

 

[TeenaS]

I think between us all we could write our own guide!!!!!

 

[kirbybruno]

I think between us all we could write our own guide!!!!!

I know I would buy it!