2013 Beach and Yacht FAQ, Fun & Friends: Don't Post Here- New Thread Started

[Sue M]

Welcome Home.....

Lol, my daughter has the YC photo as her screen saver!

So sad, but excited, but I have to do the resort switch After much deliberation and if I'm being honest, I have to do the deed Dee you will need to take me off the BOG as we are switching to POR. I am bummed, but I will stay on here and have no fear, I will still make the Sunken Treasure cards and BC will always be my home as that was our first home back in 2007 for our first trip ever to the World!! When my DH finishes his MBA and gets that raise, guess who will be going CL at BC!? I'm trying to stay up beat about it, but if Dee can do it, I can too!! It was Dee right that is or was just at POR?

Don't get down! POR is our fav moderate. We love it there, and when we aren't staying deluxe, that's our go to resort. Love the mansion section. Beautiful theming, landscaping, boat to DTD, horse & carriage rides, great food court, fun evening entertainment!! It's great!

 

[Minnie]

We are considering a trip back to the YC this fall. Trying to decide between the YC CL and our other fave WL. Has anyone stayed at both on the CL level?

 

[Ninja Mom]

Ok, we have an awesome deal for Labor Day with an TA. Now I check my email and I have a pin that starts 8/25. Ugh!!!!

Question 1 can the TA add it too our deal. - doubt it pretty much already know the answer is no.

Question 2 what would you do?

Option 1 YC CL under $3000 with 6 day tickets
Option 2 switch to free dinning to cover meals for trip and stay in regular room @yc

Tell me I am making the right choice with the Labor Day deal

Keep in mind that conventional wisdom tells us that free dining isn't really free. The best way to determine this is to run a mock up of all the things you would actually order and eat while on vacation and compare that cost to the total cost you would pay for a stay with "free" dining. Also keep in mind you are paying full rack rate on your room so you have to factor in which is the bigger discount, the room only discount or the dining plan discount.

Just as an example, I know I can order things ala cart on most if not all counter service meals and split things with the other members in my family. On the dining plan you get desserts that are sometimes left uneaten and you would have to pay out of pocket for appetizers (depending on the plan chosen). Another thing that drives me crazy is the buckets of soda that everyone gets on the dining plan and nobody finishes! And that mountain of fries that go in the trash UGH!

The whole comparison is really complicated with having to do the mock up but I've found that even with 3 teen boys it's too much food. The most cost effective discounts are said to be the room only discounts. You can then pay out of pocket for food costs of the actual food that you would eat and purchase park tickets from discount sellers like Undercover Tourist.

Here are some links that will provide more reading and in depth information that hopefully will help you understand all the pro's and cons of the dining plan and free dining. I have to break the links up to get them to appear here so copy/paste them as 1 unit with no spaces to get to the sites I am trying to link to. I don't know why they won't work here on this site so this is my work around.

http: //www .disney tourist blog. com/dining-plan-2013-disney-world-costs/

http: //www .disney tourist blog .com/disney-dining-plan-v-paying-out-pocket/

These are the sites that I have used to help me understand how to get the best discounts for the trip I am planning.

I will say that years ago my parents went to WDW with my aunt and uncle. They did the deluxe dining plan and all they did was EAT! My Mom said that they were so busy running from meal to meal that they hardly had time for the parks. Now my parents really enjoyed all that eating and they didn't mind that it was the focus of their trip. That was they type of trip they wanted to do. So that is one way to do a Disney trip. My kids would rather spend their time at the parks as opposed to being shackled to a dining plan where they had to devote a chunk of time to a sit down meal every day, perhaps twice a day depending on the plan chosen. That is where we are coming from. So the bottom line is that your mileage may vary, depending upon what is important for you and the type of trip you are aiming for.

Those two links above will help you to understand what is involved and help you to decide which direction is best for your family. There is a lot of great info in those links above both pro and con for the dining plan depending on HOW you are going to use it!

Good luck!

~NM

PS. Our family's dining direction is one of the reasons why we like the Captain's Grille. You usually don't need a reservation to get in so we can go on the fly when we are ready to do the big sit down meal. Also, everyone orders what they will actually eat, whether it be the breakfast buffet or a casual dinner. It's a relaxing and quality dining experience and paying out of pocket means we only order what we are actually going to eat. I believe the Captain's Grille is the best kept secret in Disney dining!

 

[suemom2kay]

dandydad can't find your individual post because this thread flies, but I am so sorry for your loss.

I lost my Mom in 2009 and it is still tough some days. Just the other day my daughter and I were crying together. But it does get better.

 

[suemom2kay]

Walking to Epcot - Love this!! The funny thing is....when we walked to Epcot, we always followed the herd up and over the hill / foot bridge and followed the sign that said "International Gateway". On our very last evening, as we were walking home, my DH says, "Hey, it looks like you can just follow the path along the water instead of going over the hill." I believe that will take you to the boat launch right at the International Gateway. So, we never got a chance to follow this path, but it looks like it would be more pleasant to walk along the water. Sort of felt like a doofus for not noticing it on day one! Here is a picture of the pathway:

Loved your whole trip report but this cracked me up. We thought we were so slick when we made the discovery of the secret path!

It is a very nice walk..... 6 days 6 days 6 days!!!

 

[suemom2kay]

Keep in mind that conventional wisdom tells us that free dining isn't really free. The best way to determine this is to run a mock up of all the things you would actually order and eat while on vacation and compare that cost to the total cost you would pay for a stay with "free" dining. Also keep in mind you are paying full rack rate on your room so you have to factor in which is the bigger discount, the room only discount or the dining plan discount.

Just as an example, I know I can order things ala cart on most if not all counter service meals and split things with the other members in my family. On the dining plan you get desserts that are sometimes left uneaten and you would have to pay out of pocket for appetizers (depending on the plan chosen). Another thing that drives me crazy is the buckets of soda that everyone gets on the dining plan and nobody finishes! And that mountain of fries that go in the trash UGH!

The whole comparison is really complicated with having to do the mock up but I've found that even with 3 teen boys it's too much food. The most cost effective discounts are said to be the room only discounts. You can then pay out of pocket for food costs of the actual food that you would eat and purchase park tickets from discount sellers like Undercover Tourist.

Here are some links that will provide more reading and in depth information that hopefully will help you understand all the pro's and cons of the dining plan and free dining. I have to break the links up to get them to appear here so copy/paste them as 1 unit with no spaces to get to the sites I am trying to link to. I don't know why they won't work here on this site so this is my work around.

http: //www .disney tourist blog. com/dining-plan-2013-disney-world-costs/

http: //www .disney tourist blog .com/disney-dining-plan-v-paying-out-pocket/

These are the sites that I have used to help me understand how to get the best discounts for the trip I am planning.

I will say that years ago my parents went to WDW with my aunt and uncle. They did the deluxe dining plan and all they did was EAT! My Mom said that they were so busy running from meal to meal that they hardly had time for the parks. Now my parents really enjoyed all that eating and they didn't mind that it was the focus of their trip. That was they type of trip they wanted to do. So that is one way to do a Disney trip. My kids would rather spend their time at the parks as opposed to being shackled to a dining plan where they had to devote a chunk of time to a sit down meal every day, perhaps twice a day depending on the plan chosen. That is where we are coming from. So the bottom line is that your mileage may vary, depending upon what is important for you and the type of trip you are aiming for.

Those two links above will help you to understand what is involved and help you to decide which direction is best for your family. There is a lot of great info in those links above both pro and con for the dining plan depending on HOW you are going to use it!

Good luck!

~NM

PS. Our family's dining direction is one of the reasons why we like the Captain's Grille. You usually don't need a reservation to get in so we can go on the fly when we are ready to do the big sit down meal. Also, everyone orders what they will actually eat, whether it be the breakfast buffet or a casual dinner. It's a relaxing and quality dining experience and paying out of pocket means we only order what we are actually going to eat. I believe the Captain's Grille is the best kept secret in Disney dining!

I wholeheartedly agree.... but then I always agree with NM, safer that way... she's a NINJA!!!

I find that when staying in a deluxe resort, the bigger savings is the room discount.

We haven't used the Dining Plan in years and I don't miss it at all. I love the total freedom of ordering what I want. I love to go to the Wave and get their scallop app for two (can't remember the name) but it is a nice light meal. Wouldn't be able to do that on the dining plan.

Show your husband some numbers of room discount vs. dining discount. Do you happen to be an Annual Passholder? Is it feasible for at least one member of your party to be? If so, you can get the Tables in Wonderland card which will beat the dining plan hands down. Then you get your room discount, your freedom dining discount, and the resort you want. Easy Peasy Mac & Cheasy!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are considering a trip back to the YC this fall. Trying to decide between the YC CL and our other fave WL. Has anyone stayed at both on the CL level?

I have. There is a link to my comparisons on page 1 of this thread.

 

[staley98]

Magicalmoments4, you will love POR. It's a beautiful resort and we loved taking the boat to DTD. Also, they have their own unofficial fan website at portorleans.org that is FILLED with anything you'd want to know.

I have a question about dining. We will be arriving post Fantasy on Saturday, 6/22. I have dinner ressies at Kouzzina that evening. However, I kind of feel like I want to eat at Cape May for breakfast one morning since we'll be staying at the BC. My husband feels as though we get more for our money using DDP for dinners, but I don't want to feel like I'm missing something by not eating at Cape May. Dinner at Cape May is out for us because I'm allergic to shellfish.
What would you do?
TIA
Anne

 

[natebenma]

pages 5-7

So I decided to splurge and plan a 4th trip to WDW this year. My best friend and I are going for my birthday. We will be staying Lagoon/Pool View Club Level at the Beach club June 28-July 1.

Other than a full balcony, can anyone suggest a room request?

Thanks,
Pam

back!

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list.

There is one room, I think, in that category with a King Bed, so if you don't want to share a bed with your friend, you may want to add "Staying with friend, no king bed please" since it is possible you would be assigned to that room with only 2 people on your reservation.

I take a few days off and there is a whole new thread!!!

Moving right along

Great Muppets reference!

Dee, Another wonderful job . Well done , I have not been following much lately my dad passed after a long battle with dementia and have been very busy trying to get everything settled before my BC vacation in 42 days ,again thanks for all your hard work .

I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I am sure these past few years have been extremely difficult for you and your family.

We are making another weekend getaway to the BC. Checking in on Sunday May 12th and checking out Wednesday May 15th. As with our last two visits, we'll probably barely leave the hotel and hang out at SAB all day, every day.

I'll get you onto the Be Our Guest list as a last minute addition.

Have a great trip!

Wowza! How am I ever going to get through this thread and work? I'm so excited about this thread and thankful for all the contributors. I'm going to start at the beginning but post here to "mark my spot."

We stayed at YC for the first time last weekend. We've already rebooked for June (BC), 4th of July (YC), and January (BC). We LOVED it!

Quick question: We're only staying 1 night for the 4th but booked a lagoon/pool view. Any chance we'll actually have a view of Fantasmic/Illuminations from the room? We booked YC b/c we knew more rooms there had balconies.

OK- I am officially jealous!!!

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list. Again. and Again. and Again.

You can remove my name from the Be Our Guest List. Since the room category we had booked was not available for FD, and the DH refused to upgrade, we changed resorts to the AKL. I have no doubt we will stay at the BC, just not for this trip. Thank you for all the information that has truly made me fall for this beautiful resort.

I enjoyed having you here!!! Wishing you a great trip at AKL, and hope to see you back here again soon.

I am new to DIS boards. We are staying the end of may. THANKS!!

Another to you!!!

As I mentioned, I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list.

So, I'm back with part 3 of our mini trip report: Our Review of the YC Resort. We've been back for almost 3 weeks now and we miss it big time!

In a word, the YC was A W E S O M E

Wow!!! Incredible view and pictures! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Thanks for all of your work on this thread, Dee. It moves so quickly, I don't know how you keep up with it. When I subscribed to the thread, I originally set it up to notify me with each new post and my phone was beeping every 5 minutes.

Rookie Mistake!

Hi everyone!!

I made it over here...

So excited! Today I added a night to our October stay at BC and moved us to CL.


Going to suprise hubby....He will be so excited!

Dee...this thread rocks and is all you need to read. Thank you and to all for your pictures!

Did you add the night to the beginning or end of your trip? I'll update the BOG list and it will be my pleasure to add "CL" to your listing.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Ok, we have an awesome deal for Labor Day with an TA. Now I check my email and I have a pin that starts 8/25. Ugh!!!!

Question 1 can the TA add it too our deal. - doubt it pretty much already know the answer is no.

Question 2 what would you do?

Option 1 YC CL under $3000 with 6 day tickets
Option 2 switch to free dinning to cover meals for trip and stay in regular room @yc

Tell me I am making the right choice with the Labor Day deal

I would keep the deal that you have right now. We've only been able to stay CL once and that was at the Poly. We loved it and would do it again if we had a good enough deal. We have free dining for this trip, but it only works out because we have 3 adults and 2 kids in our party. Plus this way I don't have to argue with my mom about who is paying. ;-)

 

[ocalla]

Good Morning Everyone!!!

Guess what.........69 days to go

Why is it that I still can't picture this "alternate route" pathway from Epcot to BC???? We always take the Hill back to the resort.

 

[AliceIn]

I've got a question about the 5th floor rooms. We are a family of 5, so the only category we could book was for Standard View on the CL. I don't really care much about the view, though I would like a full balcony to have a spot to drink coffee while I transform from "definitely NOT morning person monster" into my regular self.

What other room requests to folks generally ask for? I don't think I want to be near the elevator due to noise, but are any of the standard view rooms better than others? Thoughts?

 

[pamkat1820]

Keep in mind that conventional wisdom tells us that free dining isn't really free. The best way to determine this is to run a mock up of all the things you would actually order and eat while on vacation and compare that cost to the total cost you would pay for a stay with "free" dining. Also keep in mind you are paying full rack rate on your room so you have to factor in which is the bigger discount, the room only discount or the dining plan discount.

Just as an example, I know I can order things ala cart on most if not all counter service meals and split things with the other members in my family. On the dining plan you get desserts that are sometimes left uneaten and you would have to pay out of pocket for appetizers (depending on the plan chosen). Another thing that drives me crazy is the buckets of soda that everyone gets on the dining plan and nobody finishes! And that mountain of fries that go in the trash UGH!

The whole comparison is really complicated with having to do the mock up but I've found that even with 3 teen boys it's too much food. The most cost effective discounts are said to be the room only discounts. You can then pay out of pocket for food costs of the actual food that you would eat and purchase park tickets from discount sellers like Undercover Tourist.

Here are some links that will provide more reading and in depth information that hopefully will help you understand all the pro's and cons of the dining plan and free dining. I have to break the links up to get them to appear here so copy/paste them as 1 unit with no spaces to get to the sites I am trying to link to. I don't know why they won't work here on this site so this is my work around.

http: //www .disney tourist blog. com/dining-plan-2013-disney-world-costs/

http: //www .disney tourist blog .com/disney-dining-plan-v-paying-out-pocket/

These are the sites that I have used to help me understand how to get the best discounts for the trip I am planning.

I will say that years ago my parents went to WDW with my aunt and uncle. They did the deluxe dining plan and all they did was EAT! My Mom said that they were so busy running from meal to meal that they hardly had time for the parks. Now my parents really enjoyed all that eating and they didn't mind that it was the focus of their trip. That was they type of trip they wanted to do. So that is one way to do a Disney trip. My kids would rather spend their time at the parks as opposed to being shackled to a dining plan where they had to devote a chunk of time to a sit down meal every day, perhaps twice a day depending on the plan chosen. That is where we are coming from. So the bottom line is that your mileage may vary, depending upon what is important for you and the type of trip you are aiming for.

Those two links above will help you to understand what is involved and help you to decide which direction is best for your family. There is a lot of great info in those links above both pro and con for the dining plan depending on HOW you are going to use it!

Good luck!

~NM

PS. Our family's dining direction is one of the reasons why we like the Captain's Grille. You usually don't need a reservation to get in so we can go on the fly when we are ready to do the big sit down meal. Also, everyone orders what they will actually eat, whether it be the breakfast buffet or a casual dinner. It's a relaxing and quality dining experience and paying out of pocket means we only order what we are actually going to eat. I believe the Captain's Grille is the best kept secret in Disney dining!

I'm one of those crazy ppl that price everything out to the penny. I have a spreadsheet of our daily meals QS and what we are doing for TS meals. Our thing about this trip was not to be tied to to many reservations. So we only planned our favorite ones. With the 4 of us, I'm figuring about $1300 for food. I high balled the QS to about $60 it just seems like a lot of $$ on just food.

Our TS are Cape may dinner - meeting family from FL, cape may breakfast, T. rex and whispering canyons on our last night(we like to check out a new resort)

I tried pricing it out on the site but it keeps freezing I'm figuring it would end up being the same price if we booked a regular room at YC but if we stick to the deal it seems like with CL we are getting more for the same price

 

[2manypets]

We just upgraded from Lagoon/Pool view to GV CL! We'll be there Sept 8th - 14th. I'm so excited for this! I figure it'll save us a lot of money just off the beer and wine provided at night.

I do have a question though. I have some weird allergies like cream cheese, chocolate and nuts. How far in advance should I contact IPO to see if anything will be available to eat that will be safe? (especially desserts) I don't expect them to go out of their way, but if 1 dessert is safe, I'd be very happy.

 

[mom_of_2]

Keep in mind that conventional wisdom tells us that free dining isn't really free. The best way to determine this is to run a mock up of all the things you would actually order and eat while on vacation and compare that cost to the total cost you would pay for a stay with "free" dining. Also keep in mind you are paying full rack rate on your room so you have to factor in which is the bigger discount, the room only discount or the dining plan discount.

Just as an example, I know I can order things ala cart on most if not all counter service meals and split things with the other members in my family. On the dining plan you get desserts that are sometimes left uneaten and you would have to pay out of pocket for appetizers (depending on the plan chosen). Another thing that drives me crazy is the buckets of soda that everyone gets on the dining plan and nobody finishes! And that mountain of fries that go in the trash UGH!

The whole comparison is really complicated with having to do the mock up but I've found that even with 3 teen boys it's too much food. The most cost effective discounts are said to be the room only discounts. You can then pay out of pocket for food costs of the actual food that you would eat and purchase park tickets from discount sellers like Undercover Tourist.

Here are some links that will provide more reading and in depth information that hopefully will help you understand all the pro's and cons of the dining plan and free dining. I have to break the links up to get them to appear here so copy/paste them as 1 unit with no spaces to get to the sites I am trying to link to. I don't know why they won't work here on this site so this is my work around.

http: //www .disney tourist blog. com/dining-plan-2013-disney-world-costs/

http: //www .disney tourist blog .com/disney-dining-plan-v-paying-out-pocket/

These are the sites that I have used to help me understand how to get the best discounts for the trip I am planning.

I will say that years ago my parents went to WDW with my aunt and uncle. They did the deluxe dining plan and all they did was EAT! My Mom said that they were so busy running from meal to meal that they hardly had time for the parks. Now my parents really enjoyed all that eating and they didn't mind that it was the focus of their trip. That was they type of trip they wanted to do. So that is one way to do a Disney trip. My kids would rather spend their time at the parks as opposed to being shackled to a dining plan where they had to devote a chunk of time to a sit down meal every day, perhaps twice a day depending on the plan chosen. That is where we are coming from. So the bottom line is that your mileage may vary, depending upon what is important for you and the type of trip you are aiming for.

Those two links above will help you to understand what is involved and help you to decide which direction is best for your family. There is a lot of great info in those links above both pro and con for the dining plan depending on HOW you are going to use it!

Good luck!

~NM

PS. Our family's dining direction is one of the reasons why we like the Captain's Grille. You usually don't need a reservation to get in so we can go on the fly when we are ready to do the big sit down meal. Also, everyone orders what they will actually eat, whether it be the breakfast buffet or a casual dinner. It's a relaxing and quality dining experience and paying out of pocket means we only order what we are actually going to eat. I believe the Captain's Grille is the best kept secret in Disney dining!

Thanks so much for those websites. We are always debating whether or not to do the dining plan or if free dining is worth it for my family. This trip we are doing CL and doing a few TS. I can't wait to see how it works out. Thanks for your post.

 

[outahere]

We thought we were so slick when we made the discovery of the secret path!

It is a very nice walk..... 6 days 6 days 6 days!!!

Where does the path end up near the International Gateway? I looked at Google Earth and can see where it starts near the BC, but I can't see where it ends. It doesn't look like it goes all the way the boat launch. I have a bad knee and after a long hot day in the park, I would prefer to not climb the hill.

 

[ocalla]

Boat launch from DTD: if we were to use the boar launch from DTD back to a certain resort, then take bus to Epcot or DHS, which resort boat should we use? Is POR the only one? Or are there others? Which is closer to DTD?

 

[maa]

Keep in mind that conventional wisdom tells us that free dining isn't really free. The best way to determine this is to run a mock up of all the things you would actually order and eat while on vacation and compare that cost to the total cost you would pay for a stay with "free" dining. Also keep in mind you are paying full rack rate on your room so you have to factor in which is the bigger discount, the room only discount or the dining plan discount.

Just as an example, I know I can order things ala cart on most if not all counter service meals and split things with the other members in my family. On the dining plan you get desserts that are sometimes left uneaten and you would have to pay out of pocket for appetizers (depending on the plan chosen). Another thing that drives me crazy is the buckets of soda that everyone gets on the dining plan and nobody finishes! And that mountain of fries that go in the trash UGH!

The whole comparison is really complicated with having to do the mock up but I've found that even with 3 teen boys it's too much food. The most cost effective discounts are said to be the room only discounts. You can then pay out of pocket for food costs of the actual food that you would eat and purchase park tickets from discount sellers like Undercover Tourist.

Here are some links that will provide more reading and in depth information that hopefully will help you understand all the pro's and cons of the dining plan and free dining. I have to break the links up to get them to appear here so copy/paste them as 1 unit with no spaces to get to the sites I am trying to link to. I don't know why they won't work here on this site so this is my work around.

http: //www .disney tourist blog. com/dining-plan-2013-disney-world-costs/

http: //www .disney tourist blog .com/disney-dining-plan-v-paying-out-pocket/

These are the sites that I have used to help me understand how to get the best discounts for the trip I am planning.

I will say that years ago my parents went to WDW with my aunt and uncle. They did the deluxe dining plan and all they did was EAT! My Mom said that they were so busy running from meal to meal that they hardly had time for the parks. Now my parents really enjoyed all that eating and they didn't mind that it was the focus of their trip. That was they type of trip they wanted to do. So that is one way to do a Disney trip. My kids would rather spend their time at the parks as opposed to being shackled to a dining plan where they had to devote a chunk of time to a sit down meal every day, perhaps twice a day depending on the plan chosen. That is where we are coming from. So the bottom line is that your mileage may vary, depending upon what is important for you and the type of trip you are aiming for.

Those two links above will help you to understand what is involved and help you to decide which direction is best for your family. There is a lot of great info in those links above both pro and con for the dining plan depending on HOW you are going to use it!

Good luck!

~NM

PS. Our family's dining direction is one of the reasons why we like the Captain's Grille. You usually don't need a reservation to get in so we can go on the fly when we are ready to do the big sit down meal. Also, everyone orders what they will actually eat, whether it be the breakfast buffet or a casual dinner. It's a relaxing and quality dining experience and paying out of pocket means we only order what we are actually going to eat. I believe the Captain's Grille is the best kept secret in Disney dining!

Thanks for this info. We have been back and forth about the DDP since we booked! It has been stressing me out! I think we will end up removing it from our reservation and paying out of pocket. When I did the calculations we were close to breaking only if we ordered the most expensive entrees at each of our TS meals. I am a super picky eater so a lot of times I prefer to just get an appetizer or nibble off the kids' plates. This validated that it may not be a good value for us.

 

[vyrg]

Hi

I'd like to know what kind of options is possible when you do the check in on line before arrival in YC ?

Thanks

 

[Minnie]

I have. There is a link to my comparisons on page 1 of this thread.

Thank you!!!! This made the decision even harder. We are planning an Aug trip so plan to use the pool a lot so SAB is a huge advantage. But Wishes is my fave fireworks and WL has the great boat ride to MK...