2013/2014 Beach and Yacht FAQ, Fun & Friends ~ Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec & Jan ~

[Boski]

Just back this evening from our stay and we still haven't settled down (the dogs aren't letting us after been a whole 6 days without us ). We had a great trip and hopefully I'll get a few minutes to do a trip report. We had a blast with the low crowds and fp+ and regular fp use. We had no problems with the operation of the bands and had only a few minor hiccups with the app, mainly on my android phone (my ipad and DW's iPhone were pretty trouble free) which the IT guy who surveyed me was very interested in and said the android version was giving them some trouble. I would get this strange error, have to completely close out the app and then relaunch. Not a big deal and would take all but a few seconds so anyone going no need to worry. I'm very iffy on how the bands and fp+ will work when everyone has them and is using it. I also got chat with Teena today which was a huge bonus. She actually came over to pin trade with DS and when I looked up I was thinking to myself how the heck do I introduce myself lol. DW said next time lead off with your real name and not your DIS one. All in all had a great trip.

 

[aaarcher86]

Any idea if there are studios that offer a view of the fireworks at Epcot?

 

[rosiebean]

Any idea if there are studios that offer a view of the fireworks at Epcot?

There are. We stayed in a studio years ago that had a great view of the Eiffel Tower and upper fireworks. I don't remember the room number though, .

 

[mariamouse]

Any idea if there are studios that offer a view of the fireworks at Epcot?

We were in studio #555 and could see many of the fireworks. We had a clear view of Spaceship Earth and Canada through the trees as well.

 

[MickeyT]

Any idea if there are studios that offer a view of the fireworks at Epcot?

Welcome aaa....Here is a link to a map that will give your an idea of the views from the Villas. It is located on the BCV Overview on the first page. Enjoy.

http://www.parkinfo2go.com/dvc-bcv/

 

[HBGdancermom]

We got back last Sat and the Disney depression and then a bad cold for me and ds(3) kept me off here till now.It was our first stay at BC and we have stayed at Poly the past few trips and it has been our favorite so far but I must say that although I prefer the tropical feel of Poly I really did enjoy BC also.I loved the walk to Epcot and we spent more time over there and being able to walk to all the restaurants we enjoy on the boardwalk(like flying fish)was great also.My kids loved the pool-my dd(12) would have stayed there all day everyday if we let her.The room was nice but we were on the 4th floor by the pool and we only had a Juliet which was not great.I would only want a full balcony next time-I had requested one but also requested a daybed which we got so I didn't want to switch rooms to one without daybed.The pool noise during the day was also a bit loud when we were trying to give our ds a nap but it ended early enough at night for us that it didn't matter too much.The boat to HS was pretty convienant too.Poly will remain my favorite but I would probably pick BC first for next trip especially if I can get another great discount on the room.

Thanks for the report! Glad you had a nice trip!

Today I received a phone call from Disney... once again my Dolphins in Depth Tour is CANCELLED!!! I think I got the hint Disney.... YOU DO NOT want me to have an experience with the Dolphins!! I had this tour booked in 2011 and it was cancelled then too... Thought I was finally going to get to do it UNTIL the call came today... Just not meant to be and I'm really disappointed!!

So Sunrise Safari it is!

Ok that's my rant for the day!

~N

What's their reason for cancelling?

pages 50-58

Not sure about the phone apps so I will let others give you some suggestions.

Also not positive about the best shaded areas, but I suspect that the spots may change throughout the day based on the location of the sun.

One place that would be shaded would be the kind of gazebo thing over Hurricane Hanna's. There are loungers there, which are often unoccupied- I think you would have a view of some of the pool area from there while standing, but probably not while lounging.



Thanks!!!

Yes, there is a 4th of July in Europe. There is also a 3rd and a 5th and all the rest of the days of the month, too.

I used the My Disney Experience app exclusively while there in August. The wait times and fast pass times were very accurate.

Thanks!!

I used the MDE app in late Aug/sep and found it was accurate as well. As for shady areas at SAB the area by the slide exit is very shady and probably where your kids will like to be.

Thanks!

We just got back from the Beach Club last night. We had a fantastic time. We got room 5674, and it was in excellent condition. It's got both a daybed and a full balcony. The room has a great location. It's at the end of the hallway by that little seating area. There's nobody immediately on your left due to the open space on the other side. There's no connecting door so the room is really quiet. I loved having those little hooks to hang things on. Housekeeping was excellent throughout. We had some really great folks working on the Concierge desk the entire time we were there.

Here's a picture from our balcony:



It wasn't the greatest view, but it was fun to sit and drink coffee and people watch. Since we are a family of 5, we are only able to book SV rooms, so I wasn't expecting the best view in the world. I was pretty happy with what we got. Here's a picture with the Magical Express arriving:



We did a lot of fun activities this trip. The kids did the Pirate Adventure from the YC and had a fantastic time. Karebear's kids were on the same cruise and they had a blast with some kids their own ages.

We booked the Wishes dessert party. Here's the view from our table:



We had both dinner and breakfast at Cape May Cafe. I think our favorite was the breakfast. We had Dorothy as our server, and she was fantastic! My kids loved her, especially my oldest. He had to give her a big hug at the end of the meal.

The crowds at the parks were not bad at all. I don't think we waited more than 15 minutes for any rides. We had magic bands and we loved the experience. The only glitch is when you try to split up your party to go on different rides. Once we did that at a park, it splits you into two groups. I went on RnRRC with the two boys while my husband took my daughter to the Little Mermaid. For the rest of the day, I could not change or access my husband or daughter's FPs. When we all decided to change a ride later in the day, my husband and I got different options to pick from. It wasn't a big deal, but it was annoying. We also were able to double dip FPs during the test, but we really did not need to do that at all. We managed to ride everything we wanted with minimal waits. Where the FP+ really has the advantage is for the days that you want to spend at the pool. We were able to sleep in, swim, and then head over to DHS and ride Toy Story. That was perfect!

The kids loved Stormalong Bay! We swam just about every day. My two youngest loved the pool games in the afternoon. They also had fun making ice cream pool side. It was an activity where they each got a baggie of ingredients, and then a bigger bag with ice and kosher salt. They shook the bags until the ice cream was ready. They thought that was the coolest thing ever.

We swam at the BC quiet pool one morning while I did laundry. We all enjoyed that, too. Supposedly there will be brand new equipment installed tomorrow morning. I'd love it if somebody there can post pics after it's done.

I booked the BB offer for next year, though I may change it to go slightly earlier so that I don't have to pull the kids out of school. Our district is moving up the start date by two weeks next year. School starts August 12 next year. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!

Love your pictures! We also are staying SV CL and have 5 people. I think your view is nice! Love the picture from Wishes. What a great view. We are going to that this year and I am very excited!

Just back from the Beach Club Lagoon view- trip was amazing. We had wonderful rooms with terrific views. Refrigerators in both rooms. Staff were pretty awesome too. Love it here!

Glad you had a great trip!

Wifey, Great pictures!! Please keep them coming!

 

[Sue M]

Can it be we will have been home a week tomorrow from our wonderful YC stay.

Some of the highlights were dinner with Teena of course!! Dinners at Kuzzina & Flying Fish, firsts for us. Breakfast at Capt. grille was yummy. A nice way to spend our last morning before DME.

We did FPs for both Electric Light Parade and Wishes. Viewing area for Parade was right in front of The Castle. It would have been the perfect spot for Wishes!
We met Karebear there!
Viewing for Wishes was in Rose Garden. Nice, but I prefer a direct view in front of Castle.

Can't wait to go back to wdw in January

 

[Sue M]

Well Day 4 we had scheduled for DHS and boy were we glad that we chose out FP+s before hand! The boat ride was pleasant and the place was buzzing with families but once again we split up our attractions over two or more days so we didn't feel rushed or stressed out like some folks were.

http://i1329.
We all loved the StarTours newer version and rode that puppy twice and headed for lunch at Backlot Express which was chaos we were there by 11am they were no where near ready arguing about staffing and tills etc. before they served anyone then when they did open a huge queue had formed and they seriously thought about making everyone go one desk to order and pay. That wasn't gonna float ... After much disgruntled muttering in the ranks they finally opened up 4 places to order the food and all went well eventually. The staff behind the counters could not have been any better they were brilliant. We did notice on this vacation more hands on experiences with the managerial staff actually getting involved with the running of their establishments and attractions which we have rarely seen before it was a very welcome sight to witness. I guess the big bosses really wanted to make the MB thing a roaring success and keep things running as smoothly as they could. We treated ourselves to these lovely moist and delicious beauties despite the price change from $4.99 to $5.19 in the space of 20 minutes!!
[IMG]http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w545/WIFEY1968/6686AE64-498C-4220-A3FD-2F8E42A8992F-623-000001318FF98973_zpsc11856e6.jpg

These cupcakes were huge and filling with a whole lot of frosting and a whole strawberry on the top ...diabetic coma anyone?!

Great pics, omg those cupcakes look great. I took a cupcake back to our room from Starring Rolls, but was always too full to eat the thing

 

[Sue M]

Today I received a phone call from Disney... once again my Dolphins in Depth Tour is CANCELLED!!! I think I got the hint Disney.... YOU DO NOT want me to have an experience with the Dolphins!! I had this tour booked in 2011 and it was cancelled then too... Thought I was finally going to get to do it UNTIL the call came today... Just not meant to be and I'm really disappointed!!

So Sunrise Safari it is!

Ok that's my rant for the day!

~N

Love Sunrise Safari! We had an amazing experience. When we got to the Lions, they were roaring ( loudly). Never heard that before! And breakfast was so good. Note, they stopped giving out FPs for doing the Safari again later in the day.

 

[Sue M]

We love the Grand ... it's definitely #2. We may go there next summer instead of the BC with Princess Lily. Their pool is very nice but can't compare to SAB. With Lily being so young, I think being back on the monorail will be fun and she loves boat rides so we can alternate ... one day use the monorail to MK, the next day use the boat.

It's a whole different feel. Doesn't feel like "home" but it definitely is very magical and special.

I can see Lily loving The Grand! The new Alice Play area is so cute, and the new courtyard pool is zero entry with fountains bubbling up. And she can watch The Electric Water Parade go by, and wishes. We were in Boca Chica pool view, but I went down to the lobby and out the back door and had a nice view of Wishes.

 

[Sue M]

I have some catching up to do- but recent or current guests- any reports about how well (or not) the Rapid Refill Mug program is working?

Likes? Dislikes? What could be done better or improve the program?

Thanks!

For the most part it worked. One day at Hurricane Hana's the Lemonade wasn't working, so I had to get a CM to help me. He took the cover off and flipped something.
My one wish is because we go twice a year, that there could be a way to re-activate the chip, for a fee of course instead of having to buy another mug. It would be greener too!

 

[Sue M]

I am firmly in the no car camp. With 3 teen boys we are pretty much on different touring schedules as it is... so off site and/or only one transportation option (renting a car) will not work for us. That being said I do find that in certain circumstances there is a need to deviate from only relying on Disney transportation.

For example, the trip either to or from Downtown Disney is a disaster using Disney supplied transportation! This is generally true no matter what Disney resort you are staying at, so it's not endemic to the Yacht or Beach Club. Also, getting to a dining location situated in a different resort can also be a pain in the tuchas (i.e. a**) when having to depend on the Disney transportation system.

For these instances we have learned to utilize a CAB!

With tip, most cab rides from point A to point B on Disney property run twenty dollars or less, with the majority in the 12-15 dollar range. Depending on our plans we might have to use a cab 3 to 5 times per trip so we are talking about $100 for cabs. The convenience of this arrangement really outweighs the temptation to rent a car or leave 90 minutes before a reservation for a meal at a resort because we have to depend on Disney transportation.

Now keep in mind that there are 5 of us but we have never had a problem finding a mini van type of cab that can accommodate this number. They do have cabs of this size floating around Disney. I can't speak for what you would do if you needed car seats since my boys have not been using them for years. (Thank God for THAT! )

Here is another helpful tip concerning cabs at WDW. The preferred Cab company that is allowed to operate on WDW property is a Mears company that goes by the name of Yellow cab. I keep the number in my cell phone so I know I am calling the right company (1-407-422-2222). Most of the time you can easily find a cab departing from the lobby of any Disney hotel and there are a couple of Cab stands at Downtown Disney. When I take a cab to Walmart for my breakfast and room snacks shopping trip I call the cab company by phone to come and and pick me up when I am done shopping. On my last trip it took only 15 minutes from the time I called until the cab arrived. Sweet!

There are other cab companies that run around the Orlando/WDW area but some are disreputable and people have problems with them. The Yellow Cab company cabs are welcomed on Disney property so I don't have to worry if I've gotten in a 'gypsy' cab and face the possibility of getting ripped off.

I've pretty much found the buses to and from Disney resorts to the parks not to be a problem. The thing that I find ironic is that even if you take a car to the parks, chances are you will find yourself on some sort of a tram or boat or monorail to get to the parking lot where you will then have to hoof it to your car. Using the combination of buses to the parks and cabs to other resorts or to go one of the ways to Downtown Disney has proven to be the most convenient for my family and our touring needs. As they say, your mileage may vary!

Good luck with your planning.

~NM

This trip we found the busses excellent from YC!! They no longer share with BWI, Swan or Dolphin on any routes except DTD. Bus just picks up YC & BC. This was a welcomed change for sure.

 

[Sue M]

Hi everyone! Two questions? What wait time apps do you like for your phones while in the park?

Also, where is a good spot to lounge at the SAB that might have a shade option for DH. Our kids are 13/11/7 and great swimmers however I want my eyes on them.

Thanks! Getting soooooo excited!

I used the Lines APP. MDE also has a wait time posted. You do have to sign up for it. But I like their crowd calendar. It was cheap with a discount code from Mousesavers.

 

[Sue M]

Sounds like you had a great trip!!

The AP/FP+ thing concerns me a bit for exactly what you describe above. I'm planning on upgrading my ticket to an AP to cover my Princess Half trip in February (and any other trips that might come up)... Also so that we can grab the TIW card (loved this as AP holders last year). Since we'll want the benefits of TIW for the entire trip, I'd like to upgrade early, but after putting all of our FP+ selections together, I'm concerned that if I upgrade, I'll lose my FP+. What happens if the rest of my family still has their FP+ selections, but mine are wiped out? Can someone help me restore them? Or will it just mess things up?

Sorry, didn't see your post sooner. Going back to work the day after I got home, adjusting back to west coast time, and massive home renos have kept me busy.

You can have their FPs copied to you if everyone is on MDE and linked as family or friends. That's what we had to do with my friend who was able to make FP+ selections for entire trip. We are linked on MDE. I had to get a CM at guest relations to do it.

I don't know what will happen when test includes more resorts, and then goes live. I think it won't be as easy to get FPs, or change them at the last minute like we did this trip.

 

[wifey]

For the most part it worked. One day at Hurricane Hana's the Lemonade wasn't working, so I had to get a CM to help me. He took the cover off and flipped something.
My one wish is because we go twice a year, that there could be a way to re-activate the chip, for a fee of course instead of having to buy another mug. It would be greener too!

Our experience of HH was odd , we witnessed wasps lurking inside the soda fountain spouts there!! DS tried to get a cup of Sprite and got half a cup of wasps and a little fluid which promptly got thrown away! They kept blocking up the area and CMs had to keep cleaning the spouts out, not a good sign really as the flies in the area were enough of a nuisance to begin with. I don't like flies they get everywhere when you are trying to relax, can't even ignore them at home I guess I picked up my Mom's phobia of flies and their nasty habits DH thinks I get stressed out way too much about them (blushing). The food was ok we tried the Lobster and scallops rolls and we were not impressed they was way way too much citrus in the mayonnaise dressing it overpowered all the lovely seafood flavours. What can you do? None of the offerings at the Market Place were suitable for my family for our entire stay. Captain's Grille however was very good both of our servers Lee and Ashley were wonderful and pleasant too real service with a smile

 

[AliceIn]

Love your pictures! We also are staying SV CL and have 5 people. I think your view is nice! Love the picture from Wishes. What a great view. We are going to that this year and I am very excited!

If you like that view, you might ask for a full balcony overlooking the entrance. All of those rooms have full balconies on CL. I enjoyed watching people coming and going. Some have expressed concerns about noise from those rooms, but we had no noise issues whatsoever in the room we had.

Enjoy the dessert party! It was a great way to watch the show. It was really a stress free evening for us.

 

[HBGdancermom]

I used the Lines APP. MDE also has a wait time posted. You do have to sign up for it. But I like their crowd calendar. It was cheap with a discount code from Mousesavers.

Ok great! I have the lines app already.

 

[HBGdancermom]

If you like that view, you might ask for a full balcony overlooking the entrance. All of those rooms have full balconies on CL. I enjoyed watching people coming and going. Some have expressed concerns about noise from those rooms, but we had no noise issues whatsoever in the room we had.

Enjoy the dessert party! It was a great way to watch the show. It was really a stress free evening for us.

I'm a people watcher for sure so that might work. Did you do online checking or just wait?

 

[vettegirl]

2 weeks away today from first BC stay and first time CL!!

 

[Barbara C]

I can't believe we'll be at the BC in 5 days

I sent the notes into the teachers today (I know, bad parents...), and I've pulled our packing list together and I think I'll actually start packing tonight. We still haven't told the kids so I have to wait until they're asleep (and I still have enough energy to actually be productive...).

Our flight arrives a bit after 9am so I'm hoping we can actually be in Epcot before 1pm as we have a date with some princess at 1:20

It makes me so happy to read everyone's great trip reports about the BC. I know the kids are going to be in shock when they see SAB