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

[wishes114]

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.

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

Can you explain what you mean by normal pool maintenance? We will be at BC late January/early February for 9 days and really was looking forward to the pool. If the slide or lazy river is completely shut down, DS is going to be sad.

 

[JanetMom]

Dee -I so badly would like you to add us to the Be Our Guest list for our December anniversary trip. I have kept trying, but no rooms are available at YC or BC for December 6-10. Just paid the balance for our stay at GF. Yes, I like it there, yes, it is a beautiful resort, just thought we would like to be "home" for our anniversary.

Teena - we will certainly stop by in December to say hello!

Rebecca

Well if you have to settle for a different resort, GF seems like a good way to go!

 

[ichabody]

Ah. Our Magical deal only had CL availability at the Poly. So I will consider our room not upgradeable. Totally cool. I can buy a lot of Sunken Treasures for that kind of money... Or I can put that money towards this puppy. I'd have to drive to California, but there have to be dis folks I could pick up along the way, right? http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1707439

Oh no!!!! That is one tricked out vanagon!!! Get a 77-79 bus!!

 

[Ninja Mom]

Ah. Our Magical deal only had CL availability at the Poly. So I will consider our room not upgradeable. Totally cool. I can buy a lot of Sunken Treasures for that kind of money...

Or I can put that money towards this puppy. I'd have to drive to California, but there have to be dis folks I could pick up along the way, right?
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1707439

Man I thought I was loopy! If your dream vehicle looks like it's a paint job away from the "Mystery Machine" we are going to have to get you away from those kids of yours and stage a Sunken Treasure inter~VAN~tion!

BTW I wouldn't go picking up JanetMom along the way... you know what they say about picking up hitch-hikers...

~NM

 

[natebenma]

Can you explain what you mean by normal pool maintenance? We will be at BC late January/early February for 9 days and really was looking forward to the pool. If the slide or lazy river is completely shut down, DS is going to be sad.

Good question-

I haven't been there during a time when SAB has work going on, and I can't remember how long it typically takes. Hopefully someone who has detailed information can comment on this.

I think the 3 sections are the sandbar/kiddie area, the lazy river and the main pool/activities pool/slide exit.

It is possible that the slide area OR the lazy river OR the kiddie area could be closed down at some point for upkeep. I'm not sure how long each part takes.
Unless it is an emergency repair, only one section will be shut down at a time.

In the past, guests have received letters in advance of the work.

Sometimes guests are given hopping privileges, and even rides via golf cart, to the Boardwalk pool when parts of SAB are shut down, but I can't remember if that happens with normal maintenance.

Hope others can fill in the blanks here.

 

[natebenma]

Some areas of Stormalong Bay may be closed during the winter months for scheduled maintenance, but there will always be a portion of the pool open for resort guests, weather permitting.

2014
???

2013

Jan 16-25, 2013: Stormalong Bay feature pool slide will be closed for refurbishment. Stormalong Bay Pool will be open during this time. Guests can use the slide at Luna Park Pool at the Boardwalk Resort.

Feb 1-12, 2013: Stormalong Bay kiddie pool slide will be closed for refurbishment.

2012

Not sure if anything was done in Jan/Feb 2012. Anyone remember?

The pool slide and a portion of Stormalong Bay Bool will be closed 4/9/2012- 4/23/2012. Guests may use the pool and slide at the Boardwalk Inn in addition to the part of Stormalong Bay that is not closed.

This was an unscheduled but necessary safety repair.


2011
While Stormalong Bay has provided guests with endless enjoyment for many years, it is time to refresh the pool's water slide as well as the kiddie slide. Beginning January 3, 2011, the pool slides will be closed to Guests for refurbishment. The slides are scheduled to reopen in early February. The pool area will continue to be open throughout this renovation and Guests staying at the Yacht and Beach Club and Beach Club Villas will be able to use the Luna slide at Boardwalk Inn while the Jib Slide and Kiddie Slide areas are not available. Shuttles will be available to bring guests to the Boardwalk Inn pool.

.

 

[natebenma]

What about refurb on BCV? Will that be before YC?

According to the info in the first post of this thread, BCV renovations may start when the BC refurb is about 75% complete. So the work there would be happening while BC is completed and YC work is starting.

We don't know what the scope of that work will be. I don't monitor the DVC boards so I don't know if there is any additional information appearing there, but I don't think any official details have been released.

 

[natebenma]

Or I can put that money towards this puppy. I'd have to drive to California, but there have to be dis folks I could pick up along the way, right?
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1707439

"You're going to need a bigger bus"

Don't get me wrong, that is a nice looking ride and all and sure brings back some memories. My DH's first car, a VW station wagon (the Pumpkin Mobile), was exactly that shade of orange.

But I think this east coast tour of yours is gonna be really popular, so I would like to suggest this:





PS- I have started collecting 8 track tapes for the trip south.

PPS- warning- if you google "Beach Club or Bust" looking for images to post, not all of your hits are family friendly...

 

[Katesdad]

We are going to put in a reservation form in a couple of days to rent points for BCV next Fall and I know a refurb will be going on for the rooms at Beach Club Resort, but has anyone heard anything about the pool? I looked at the first page and didn't see anything. I know it is updated when info comes in, I was just curious if anyone heard anything. Someone said something to me about the pool possibly being part of the refurb and hopefully it won't be dug up like the Wilderness Lodge pool. I doubt they would do that to Storm Along Bay, but the thought is there now. My heart is set on the Beach Club, so I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that they won't be digging the pool up anytime soon.

Ever play that "telephone game" where you start out with one statement and by the time it's filtered through eight or ten people you have a statement that isn't even close to what you started out with? I think that is what we have with the BC/BCV/YC renovations. I wish there was a way that we could get the word out that there are good people on this thread who work very hard to keep us all up to date on the latest happenings at the BC/BCV/YC and we love them dearly for it.

Katesdad

 

[natebenma]

page 73-78

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 this forum!

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list we keep on Page 1 of this thread.



As addressed in previous posts, we have not been told that Stormalong Bay is part of the BC/YC renovation project.

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.

I'll add you to the list.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

any pics of the refurbished lobby?

I'll post what I have from August. From what I understand, mostly new carpeting and upholstery.

I know this is a bit far off but I decided to give it a shot. I understand the BC?YC is doing a room renovation currently. Does this include BCV? I would love to stay there in the summer and was wondering if construction on the rooms would be occurring then. Thanks!

to this thread!

Check previous responses regarding the renovations. I am also updating the information we have about the upcoming renovation in the very first page of this thread as it becomes available. I did some revising this morning.

On another note...
I, honestly, couldn't believe that this trip could get any better but alas it has. We just got back to our room from Epcot and this is what we found:



Unbelievable

I'm so glad your fantastic pixie dust continues!

Happy, Happy Anniversary!!!

How wonderful that you had this extra surprise; they have been known to do that, once in awhile.
I've always wondered, who do you thank for surprises like this?

My really important question, though, is who got the fifth chocolate-covered strawberry?

There is only one correct answer to that question.

Thanks for all the updates Natebenma, Teena, etc

Glad to see you following along!

We have stayed at YC for the past two summers and have just booked again for next August and I was wondering if besides offering cribs, do they also offer bed rails for a bed with a baby/toddler? I think I've read they do but can't find any info on it. Thanks.

PLEASE ADD US TO BOG LIST - family trip, August 21, 2015 - August 29, 2015 YC! (can't wait!) Thanks!

back!

I'll add you to the list.



BUMPING your question about bed rails.

Anyone have info on bedrails?

I have pictures of a daybed with bed rails on Page 1 (Post 13- FAQ). I think they were provided by the resort, not by the guest.

Hi all! Currently watching the rain pour on the lovely hills of WV, and thinking about our upcoming vacation (end of Jan)! We told our kids (6 & 11) yesterday, as our oldest has autism and will need a lot of prep time for her first time flying. I am confident she will do well and am so proud she has reached this point. So on to my question. My sister and her family will be visiting Disney during two days of our stay. She will just be finishing up chemo and I'm trying to reduce her walking/travel time. Can they drive to and park at the BC, since we are staying there? I wasn't sure what the policy on such things was. Thanks so much!

BUMPING!

We have never had a car at Disney, or used resort parking, so I'm not sure about how it all works.

I think you can park at the resort if you are staying elsewhere but eating at the resort. This may also apply to visiting family/friends.

There is valet parking available- not sure about the fee for that. I believe that is ok to use even if you are not staying at the resort.

One should not park at the resort as an alternative to parking at EPCOT to avoid paying the fee.

All that being said, I would like to believe that given your sister's circumstances, that Disney CMs would be helpful and sympathetic to your attempt to conserve her energy.

Day V (Saturday) - Our Last Full Day....

Today is all about Epcot Food & Wine Festival and SAB!

Such a treasure of a day, simply gorgeous. Epcot was overflowing with Food & BEER goers..lol. I did a little food sampling while DH & DS's went off to Test Track, and to complete missions for Agent P.

Wow..Le Cellier's mushroom filet with truffle butter sauce is fantastic, YUM! Terra's CraB’less CraB Cake & slaw was refreshing. South Korea's Kimchi dog is good and spicy. I'm happy we saved our snack credits to do all this sampling. I could stand in Germany's Karamell-Kuche all day smelling the caramel. We used two snacked credits at Karamell-Kuche for Chocolate Caramel Topped Rice Krispie Treats, they're HUGE...and delicious.

Shortly after all our taste testing we decided to head back to YC for a full afternoon at SAB. Our room had already been made up, and there was a swan towel animal on one of our beds. The pool was crowded, but there were plenty of chairs. We took some time to have some fries & drinks at HH. We found a table near the bar area. We stayed at SAB until dusk.

DH headed back to Epcot to Eat to the Beat. He relived the 80's rocking with Knight Ranger. DS's and I headed to The Market Place to shop. We were on our way back, near Beaches and Cream when our younger DS tugs at my shirt and says, "Isn't he The Cake Boss?"... pointing to a couple sitting at a table just outside B&C. It did appear to be Buddy Valastro and his wife. This now had me thinking about the cutest little blonde haired boy earlier in the day sharing the spa with us. The little boy asked us if we had ever been to Marco Island, then told us his family has a condo there...Hmmm. Vacationing under & with the Stars...I'll take it!

~ Jessica

Thanks again for filling us in on your trip. Great reporting!

Another of our friends here, Ninja Mom, ran into The Cake Boss and his family but it sounds like your interaction was much less traumatic for them than that incident was.

Hi

Great site, great info on Beach Club in this thread.

Booked a Pool / Water view for July 2015 and this thread has been fantastic.

Thanks

LL

to this forum and posting on the DIS!

I appreciate the kind words about this thread.

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list we keep on Page 1.

Can anyone give me an idea what time Storm Along Bay opens and closes? We will be arriving on 11/14 if that makes a difference? Thanks!

to the thread!

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



I'm pretty sure the closing time changes based on time of year and weather conditions. I have never been able to definitively answer this question.

The opening time is more consistent. It was 9 am this summer and has been so far. I'm not sure if it will change to 10 am as winter approaches, but I think that is the latest opening time I have ever seen.

:

 

[Jessica71]

Our last morning (Sunday) was picture perfect.

We walked over to the Boardwalk for a light breakfast, and for sandwiches to eat on the road. We used the last of our QS meals on our purchases.

Checkout was a breeze, and we were on the road (to NY) by 9:15. The weather was stunning our entire ride home. We drove an interior mountain route, breathtaking this time of year. DS's went back to school yesterday, DH & I go back to work today. Over dinner last night we all agreed this is the best Disney Vacation we've experienced....

I thank you, all. The information on this thread made our time even more Magical!

~ Jessica



2002 ~ Beach Club Water View
2007 ~ Beach Club Club Level
2014 ~ Yacht Club Garden View

 

[kittb]

Hi Rootskate,
We just returned from YC, and SAB was open from 9:00-11:00. It was getting brisk at night, and pretty cleared out by 9:00. I'm not sure how the hours change as the temperature gets cooler.
Enjoy a Wonderful Vacation.
~ Jessica

do you know are you allowed to swim when there is no life guard please? we're early risers at the best of time so just wondering

 

[Jessica71]

do you know are you allowed to swim when there is no life guard please? we're early risers at the best of time so just wondering

Hi kittb,

I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to your question. I know many on this thread will know the answer.
~Jessica

 

[HelenParr]

do you know are you allowed to swim when there is no life guard please? we're early risers at the best of time so just wondering

You are not allowed to swim at SAB when there is no lifeguard. (That includes no slide use.)

But you are allowed to swim at the quiet pools, where there is never a lifeguard. I have taken many an early morning swim at the YC quiet pool.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hi

Great site, great info on Beach Club in this thread.

Booked a Pool / Water view for July 2015 and this thread has been fantastic.

Thanks

LL

Can you explain what you mean by normal pool maintenance? We will be at BC late January/early February for 9 days and really was looking forward to the pool. If the slide or lazy river is completely shut down, DS is going to be sad.

Good question-

I haven't been there during a time when SAB has work going on, and I can't remember how long it typically takes. Hopefully someone who has detailed information can comment on this.

I think the 3 sections are the sandbar/kiddie area, the lazy river and the main pool/activities pool/slide exit.

It is possible that the slide area OR the lazy river OR the kiddie area could be closed down at some point for upkeep. I'm not sure how long each part takes.
Unless it is an emergency repair, only one section will be shut down at a time.

In the past, guests have received letters in advance of the work.

Sometimes guests are given hopping privileges, and even rides via golf cart, to the Boardwalk pool when parts of SAB are shut down, but I can't remember if that happens with normal maintenance.

Hope others can fill in the blanks here.

I have been there during pool rehab and to be honest although we were offered the use of boardwalk pool we didn't taake up the offer as there was always more than enough of SAB still open so I wouldn't worry too much.

"You're going to need a bigger bus"

Don't get me wrong, that is a nice looking ride and all and sure brings back some memories. My DH's first car, a VW station wagon (the Pumpkin Mobile), was exactly that shade of orange.

But I think this east coast tour of yours is gonna be really popular, so I would like to suggest this:





PS- I have started collecting 8 track tapes for the trip south.
Looks like a fun ride
PPS- warning- if you google "Beach Club or Bust" looking for images to post, not all of your hits are family friendly...

EEK!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[natebenma]

As many of you know, I started threads in the Resort Photo forum to give samples of various views by category at the Yacht Club and Beach Club

Yacht Club Room Views

I just looked over the list rooms we have there.

For Standard View, we only have Club Level room views (5th Floor)

For Garden View, we only have Patio (1st Floor) and Club Level Room (5th Floor) rooms.

If you have stayed in a Yacht Club room and have pictures of the view from your room, could you post them to this thread? Particularly if you were on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th floors.

Thanks!

Dee

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Thank you for another amazing thread, Dee! (Although I rarely post, have followed along for years.)

 

[Daisygirl28]

Ever play that "telephone game" where you start out with one statement and by the time it's filtered through eight or ten people you have a statement that isn't even close to what you started out with? I think that is what we have with the BC/BCV/YC renovations. I wish there was a way that we could get the word out that there are good people on this thread who work very hard to keep us all up to date on the latest happenings at the BC/BCV/YC and we love them dearly for it.

Katesdad

I hope it didn't come across that I don't appreciate the work that everyone does to keep the thread updated on renovations, because as a first timer to the Beach Club this thread has helped me so much!

I agree that things can get embellished when there are renovations going on, especially at a popular resort. Someone had mentioned the pool renovations and then I read the same thing on a theme park website, but they probably don't know about the winter refurbs on the pool. I hope I didn't start a rumor and create headaches for anyone, we just don't get to go that often so I got a little worried.

I know it will be fine when we're there. We'll be in Disney and at the Beach Club, so I know we'll be happy I know someone who stayed at Wilderness Lodge during their pool refurb and they were given access to the Contemporary pool. So, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to have fun planning the trip

Thanks to everyone who keeps the info current! It is much appreciated!

 

[focusondisney]

When I booked for our January stay with the Visa discount, I could only get a deluxe club level room. Yesterday, I was able to get a discounted standard view club room, so changed to that. We have never stayed standard view club, have always booked water view. I would book water view, even at rack rate, but it's marathon weekend so nothing available. Anyone know if there are any standard view club rooms on the back side (lake side) of the resort?

 

[TeenaS]

When I booked for our January stay with the Visa discount, I could only get a deluxe club level room. Yesterday, I was able to get a discounted standard view club room, so changed to that. We have never stayed standard view club, have always booked water view. I would book water view, even at rack rate, but it's marathon weekend so nothing available. Anyone know if there are any standard view club rooms on the back side (lake side) of the resort?

All standard view rooms have a view of a parking lot or roof. Most of them overlook the front of the resort ... but if you look past the roof, they say you can see the Wishes fireworks.