...from our Sep 18-25 Trip, and all went pretty well. Since I spent so much time on the Yacht and Beach Club thread, I thought it made sense to share a few perspectives.
I had the privilege of chatting with Teena during one of the days when she was on duty and she seemed genuinely pleased to meet a Disboards Y&B thread reader, and I shared many of these same observations with her. Very nice lady!
Location, Location, Location
First, my wife was so glad that I persuaded her that we should stay at the Beach club. Her favorite park of the park was World Showcase, and she liked the fact that we could get to and from Epcot in a VERY short stroll, and that Hollywood Studios was a short boat ride away. Bus rides to the other parks were reasonable in length, although my wife dreaded the trip to and from Magic Kingdom, which was the longest. The proximity of the Boardwalk was also nice for Breakfast and Late Night Pizza. I can tell you that after this trip, I can't imagine that if we return that we could ever stay off the property. Disney transportation was so easy and reliable.
Dining
We ate at Beaches and Cream twice, and the staff there was quite delightful, and the food very good "Malt Shop" food. Ice Cream and Shakes were quite tasty. Captain's Grille, I'm sorry to say, was just not good for us. Slow service, limited menu and poorly prepared food. It wasn't even as good as Red Lobster. Cap May Cafe Buffet was pretty good, and they were very nice about bringing our son some French Fries that weren't on the Buffet, but if it wasn't on our Dining Plan, we would never have thought it was worth the retail price. The "MarketPlace" food wasn't bad at all, but pretty limited. We preferred walking to the Boardwalk Bakery, where the selection was just slightly larger for Baked goods. I never did get the chance to enjoy Hurricane Hanna's and the mysterious Sunken Treasure.
Overall, Dining across all parks was really never more than adequate. We happen to live in the NW suburbs of Chicago in an area rich with good, mid to high priced restaurants of all ethnic flavors, and we never had a dining experience that really wowed us, and we suspect that the cleanliness of some of the restaurants could be better, as each of us came down with major stomach trouble during our trip.
Swimming
My son is Autistic, and Stormalong Bay was something he had to warm up to. We had no problems with crowds or finding chairs, but it was all rather disconnected. Lots of closely adjoining pools rather one really connected pool. My wife wasn't wild about wearing a swimsuit in such a public setting either - she's sensitive about some pounds she added. So, we didn't spend much time there, BUT, we did spend a few hours in the Quiet Pool and Hot Tub near the Epcot side. My little guy liked that quieter environment more. We were never alone in the pool, but it was just a much calmer setting and experience, and it was open later, which was nice for us as we tended to come back late.
Arcade
Lafferty Place is someplace I thought we'd spend a bit more time at, but since we didn't spend much time at SAB, we didn't spend much time in the Arcade. It's fairly well stocked with Games, but don't expect any breakthrough experiences or gameplay. Nice place to burn some time on rainy days, but not a destination (which many Parents are no doubt grateful for).
Room
Our room was fine, clean and in good condition. We had a Garden View (4585) that looked out into the Courtyard near the Volleyball court, which was just about perfect in terms of proximity between lobby/transportation and the exit to Epcot, especially after we found the 2nd elevator near the quiet pool on Day 2. Our refrigerator wasn't working well, and we called to have it replaced, which it was, in less than 15 minutes, which was great, but it was replaced with one that hadn't been cleaned, and in which we found a melted/refrozen ice cream bar in the the freezer the next day, which took away a bit from the service experience.
As Rooms go, it was comfortable. The sheets were smooth, not rough at all, and the mattresses firm but soft. Wifi connectivity was fast and consistent. Shower and Bath? A bit tight, but clean and the water pressure was hot and firm. We heard no noise at all from nearby rooms or from the hallway outside, which one of our walls shared.
Service
Overall, everyone was very pleasant and quick to provide any assistance you required with a smile and patience. Not more than I've come to expect at many good hotels, but still, it was indeed good service.
However, Day 1 was our 20th anniversary, and every time I had called up Disney Travel to book, ask questions, etc. they asked if we were celebrating any special occasions, and I always said, yes, it's our 20th Anniversary, and the agent would say something like "Well, we'll see if we can do something special for you!". However, when we checked in, it didn't come up as a question or a comment, even though I saw a staff member walk up holding what I later realized was an Anniversary Pin and talk with the front desk staffer. I figured there might be a small greeting or something in the room - nope. I figured there would be some small dessert at the reservation at Tutto Italia. Nope. I figured there would be something, based upon what Disney Travel had consistently said, but no. So, my wife was a little bummed because I had told her that we could expect ~something~, but there was nothing. I went down to the Front Desk that night and said "I'm not looking for special treatment, but if there's an expected treatment we should have gotten, I'd like to make sure we get it for my wife's enjoyment." The staffer, Roya, looked a little troubled and asked "Did you at least get your Anniversary Pins?" and I said, "No.", at which point she sprang into action, got us our Pins and said she would have something sent up. I expected to get Flowers, but the next day we got a lovely Happy Anniversary White Chocolate Mickey Statue with a card and 4 chocolate covered Tuxedo cherries.
When I spoke to Teena about this, she said that what the
Travel Agency enters doesn't always make it to the Front Desk's system, so I guess the moral of the story is that if you are celebrating a special event, you need to tell the front desk about it when you check in.
There were a couple of other service bumps (an unexpected bug problem) but I guess the main thing is that whenever there was an issue, if I asked for it to be addressed, it was, quickly and courteously.
Atmosphere
The Beach Club overall had a "happy busy" kind of feeling. There were a lot of families with kids, but all were well behaved and very happy to be there. It was generally bright and those elevators were some of the fastest I've seen outside of large skyscrapers. The lobby could be a bit "boomy" when it was full of people, making it hard to hear those at the Front Desk, but most times it was just fine.
Overall
We probably plan to go back again to Disney World at least one more time, to repeat some of the experiences we enjoyed and get to some of those that we didn't find time for, and if we do, we will stay at the Beach Club. Why? For us, the central location simply can't be beat. My wife couldn't believe you could literally walk to the park and when she found that we could, she fell in love.
As for the hotel itself? It was a good, friendly experience, although my wife like the Grand Floridian's "grand" feel very much. It's a good hotel, and a nice hotel, but despite the enthusiasm of many on this board, I can't say that it was a really stunning, incredible 4 star experience. I have had to travel quite a bit for work and family, and have stayed in some hotels that cost less per night that are significantly better than the Beach Club, which is showing it's age, despite ongoing maintenance and care. I think that after the planned refurbish that others have been written of, it has the potential to be something really special, but for me, it was a very comfortable and pleasant hotel experience, that wasn't
quite worth the price we paid.
But we'll be back! Thanks again to the loyalists on this thread - we learned very much from all of you, and that made our stay at the Beach Club much more predictable and enjoyable!