2014/2015 Beach and Yacht Club FAQ, Friends & Fun, Sept 2014-Mayl 2015

[Katesdad]

....Today, a TA on a facebook page is announcing that a "major refurb" will be taking place this winter, similar to the poly refurb, and is encouraging people to not book/change their reservations!

We need to send that TA a note of thanks for trying to reduce the crowds at BC/YC so that there are more rooms available for those that enjoy SAB, being close to Epcot and HS, and all those other nice things we have come to appreciate about the resort and the area. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Katesdad

 

[amg35]

Holy cannoli, our 9 night stay at Beach Club starts tomorrow!!

I'm glad we are missing out on most of the construction, I'm sure I won't even notice while we were there the next week.

Safe travels to everyone coming this week and I hope we all have wonderful, healthy, happy trips!

 

[cynditech]

Holy cannoli, our 9 night stay at Beach Club starts tomorrow!!

I'm glad we are missing out on most of the construction, I'm sure I won't even notice while we were there the next week.

Safe travels to everyone coming this week and I hope we all have wonderful, healthy, happy trips!

Have a wonderful trip!!! We are arriving on Friday. Hoping for great weather for everyone

 

[DisFanEY]

Holy cannoli, our 9 night stay at Beach Club starts tomorrow!! I'm glad we are missing out on most of the construction, I'm sure I won't even notice while we were there the next week. Safe travels to everyone coming this week and I hope we all have wonderful, healthy, happy trips!

Enjoy!!!!! Hope the trip is nothing but wonderful!!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

anyone at YC now and can tell me what the crowd is like at the Pool?

We check in on Friday and it is showing no availability and I am afraid it will be wall to wall at the pool!

 

[robinbutterfly]

Can anyone report how the refurbishment is going?

 

[Letterhead]

Is the refurb likely to still be going in Summer 2016? We are going in 2016 and we were wanting to stay around Crescent Lake, possibly at the Beach Club. if there's refurbs going on I'd rather avoid it, than risk disappointment.

 

[natebenma]

Can anyone report how the refurbishment is going?

It is going to be very difficult to get any reports from guests about the refurbishment since all of the work right now is happening on 5th floor (club level) and that floor is closed to guest access.

Is the refurb likely to still be going in Summer 2016? We are going in 2016 and we were wanting to stay around Crescent Lake, possibly at the Beach Club. if there's refurbs going on I'd rather avoid it, than risk disappointment.

to the thread.

We don't know the expected timetable for the work at this time- estimates have been for around a year on the BC rooms, but that is only based on past experience. The work on the YC rooms will start once the BC renovation is complete

All of the info we have is in the very first post of this thread, and we are keeping it updated as soon as we have any confirmed info.

 

[natebenma]

From Page 1, Post 1:

BREAKING NEWS!!!


As of October 12, the Beach Club 5th floor, club level is closed for hallway and room refurbishment. The expected timeframe for the closure is until the end of November, but of course construction delays could impact that. A temporary, small lounge has been set up in one of the suites (2nd floor?) for use of guests staying in Deluxe Rooms or Suites throughout the resort.

We do not have an estimate of the timetable or completion date for the resort refurbishment at this time.

Previous News

The renovated BC Concierge Lounge debuted September 30, however it is now closed again while the renovation/refurb work on guest rooms and hallways on the 5th floor is taking place. We are awaiting the first pictures from guests, but reports are that photos will not do it justice in capturing the improvements and the space now available. (Edit to add- pictures of newly renovated and enlarged BC Club Level lounge may now be found in the Concierge Post 12 on Page 1 of this FAQ thread)

According to reports in mid-September, the work on the lounge will probably be completed in the next week or two, so by the beginning of October. We then expect refurbishment work on the 5th floor rooms to begin

We have just learned that the renovation to the Beach Club lounge will be starting on Monday August 4. While the work is being done, the Presidential Suite will serve as the location of the lounge for anyone staying Club Level.

Here is a link to pictures of the temporary BC CL lounge in the Presidential Suite. Temporary BC CL lounge, Aug-Sept 2014


Beach Club Renovation Information:

About every five years the halls and rooms of EVERY resort at WDW get renovated. There are two types. Soft goods and hard goods. Last time the Beach and Yacht Clubs underwent renovation (2008/2009) it was a soft goods rehab.

Renovations on the outside (painting, siding, roofing and all maintenance) are done as needed.

The upcoming refurb will be a hard goods renovation. Rooms will be stripped down everything from new sinks, new air conditioning units, new everything pretty much except the TVs are probably staying since they are fairly new.

The work will start with the renovation and expansion of the Club Level lounge. While the work is being done, club level offerings will be available in the Presidential Suite. After the lounge is completed, work will move onto the actual rooms on the 5th floor. Then, the work will continue on other rooms, floor by floor, until they have all been renovated.

We do not have a timetable about how long it will take to complete each section of the resort.

As of this time, we don't know when the work on the lounge will be completed or when the rooms wills be started. Guests with club level reservations in October were contacted in mid-March were given the option of either moving to a non-CL room at the Beach Club or relocating to the YC CL. Based on this information, there is a good chance that the work on the lounge will starting in late summer/early fall.

In May, a guest who will be staying at BC CL at the end of September (9/20 to 9/27) emailed the IPO to ask when the BCR refurb would be taking place. Here is the response received from a Yacht & Beach Concierge Itinerary Planner:

"At this time the Beach Club Lounge will be under refurbishment while you are staying with us. The lounge during that time will be in an alternate location on the 5th floor. Please let us know if there is anything else we may assist you with."


The work will be completed with the least amount of disruption possible to guests. Sections of rooms will be taken out of service while the renovations are taking place. All noise work is done between 9AM and 5PM (when people are at the pool or at the parks). Chances are guest won't really see the areas where work is happening.

We have been told that when the Beach Club renovation is about 75% complete, work will start on the Beach Club Villas. We are not sure what kind of renovations will happen there yet. After the BC renovation is complete, work on the Yacht Club will begin. We have also recently learned that the BC lobby will probably also be part of the refurbishment process. Presumably after the rooms are done, but I am only speculating about that!

As we receive more definitive information, we will post it here.

**************************************************

 

[mommyrosa2]

anyone at YC now and can tell me what the crowd is like at the Pool?

We check in on Friday and it is showing no availability and I am afraid it will be wall to wall at the pool!

We just got back to our room from spending most of the afternoon at SAB. We got there right around 12:30p and had absolutely no issue finding chairs .


Well, as I was typing this from our room, the smoke alarms went off and we were evacuated. Thankfully, no fire, but there was smoke near the Yachtsman steakhouse.

Edited: we were at the pool from 12:30 until 4:00, if that helps.

 

[Retro Magic]

After waiting/wanting to stay at the Beach Club for the past 20+ years, we are finally doing it and I read about all this work being done

I'm very happy to see things will be improving. However, we booked the BC Villa Studio primarily for the closeness to Epcot/HS and most of all....the POOL!!!!!

We check-in on the 22nd of April, from AKL, until the 28th. Please tell me we will not be regretting this and we will be stuck without that amazing pool? Since we booked through dvc rental store, I believe we are stuck. If I knew for sure the pool will be impacted, I would switch to Grand Floridian in a heartbeat.

 

[Mr and Mrs Duck]

Hi all Just caught up on the new thread. It took me quite some time! Our first visit to BCV is fast approaching so I thought I'd ask a few questions whilst I remember... 1) DH is running the WDW marathon, which is the same day we check out of Kidani and into BCV. Should we request a late check out at Kidani or try for an early check in at BCV? 2) Has anyone got any info on room requests for a BCV studio? Thanks

Anyone???

 

[natebenma]

After waiting/wanting to stay at the Beach Club for the past 20+ years, we are finally doing it and I read about all this work being done

I'm very happy to see things will be improving. However, we booked the BC Villa Studio primarily for the closeness to Epcot/HS and most of all....the POOL!!!!!

We check-in on the 22nd of April, from AKL, until the 28th. Please tell me we will not be regretting this and we will be stuck without that amazing pool? Since we booked through dvc rental store, I believe we are stuck. If I knew for sure the pool will be impacted, I would switch to Grand Floridian in a heartbeat.

to the thread

We have not heard anything about a pool rehab being part of this renovation.

Normal pool maintenance at Stormalong Bay happens in the winter, with 1/3 of the pool worked on at a time, with the remaining 2/3 remaining open.

Here is a post from one of our friends here on another thread.

I often read WDWMAGIC and think they generally have reliable information. That said, I think they are off base a bit here.

This renovation is NOTHING like what is going on at the Poly.

The Lobby is not being torn apart and reconfigured with a waterfall being removed.
The pool is not losing a rock formation volcano and being reconfigured,
DVC bungalows are not being built on the shores of the lake.
3 buildings, or even 3 floors of rooms, are not being converted to DVC studios.
It is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT circumstance.
Disney refurbs resorts on an on going basis. Again, the current Poly work is an aberration. There is little disruption during the usual ongoing work.

I think you are fine.

 

[Retro Magic]

Thank you so much

Is there a Storm Along Bay refurb planned for this winter?

 

[natebenma]

Hi all

Just caught up on the new thread. It took me quite some time!

Our first visit to BCV is fast approaching so I thought I'd ask a few questions whilst I remember...

1) DH is running the WDW marathon, which is the same day we check out of Kidani and into BCV. Should we request a late check out at Kidani or try for an early check in at BCV?

2) Has anyone got any info on room requests for a BCV studio?

Thanks

Sorry, I don't know much about the DVC/villa side of the resort

BCV is usually 100% occupied, or very close to it, so that makes early checkin difficult to grant.

This is what we have on the front page, in the FAQ about the online BCV requests. Looks like this was as of 2013, so maybe someone who has stayed recently can confirm:

Beach Club Villa 60 Day Check In:

Room Request Options-Choose 2 out of the four listed:

Near Elevator
Lower Floor
Woods View
Larger Balcony

Info from Andre on the POR subforum (March 2013)

Hope that helps!

 

[natebenma]

Thank you so much

Is there a Storm Along Bay refurb planned for this winter?

Haven't heard anything. This is done almost every year, but I don't remember anyone discussing maintenance on the pool last winter.

 

[WDWFan06]

Hello everyone,

We have officially switched from WL to the Yacht Club for January 8-12 for Marathon weekend. We are very excited. Have never stayed deluxe and I hope yacht club will be great. Can't wait to read through this thread and learn about both YC and BC! Also hoping weather will permit a little swimming in January.

 

[JanetMom]

We just got back to our room from spending most of the afternoon at SAB. We got there right around 12:30p and had absolutely no issue finding chairs .


Well, as I was typing this from our room, the smoke alarms went off and we were evacuated. Thankfully, no fire, but there was smoke near the Yachtsman steakhouse.

Edited: we were at the pool from 12:30 until 4:00, if that helps.

Fire alarm, UGH! At least it was mid-afternoon, and not the middle of the night.

 

[HockeyMomR]

Fire alarm, UGH! At least it was mid-afternoon, and not the middle of the night.

Second that!

Rebecca

 

[Lisann]

any pics of the refurbished lobby?