2014 Beach & Yacht Club FAQ, Friends & Fun *DO NOT POST HERE- FIND NEW THREAD*

[rcraw45425]

3/24-3/31

Doggone it, you're checking in as we check out! One day we WILL be there at the same time!!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Personally, for me, I prefer food and convenience over a view, so I would go with club level. But on a solo trip, if you will spend some time out on your balcony reading or reflecting, then maybe a garden view (no brainer upgrade if available) or even a water view would be worth pricing out.

Thanks, natebenma! I forgot to write that I already have a garden view booked, so I'll consider the water view or club level. Woo hoo!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Doggone it, you're checking in as we check out! One day we WILL be there at the same time!!

You just need to add a day!!!!!!!!

I tried to find airfare to arrive Sunday and there was absolutely nothing. It is spring break week here in Indiana and flights have been gone for 4 months. But I figure it gives the kids a couple of days to decompress from school before we leave. Then they will miss one day of school flying back the following Monday.

 

[nannette]

Dee- can you please add us to the BOG list
BC SV 4/14-4/16 - short I know, but this trip is going to be a cheaper trip DH has business in the area so his company pays for his flight and gives him a hotel allowance for the week he needs to be there. We decided 2 days at BC ( only have to pay part of the cost) and then over to the Dolphin for "free" lodging. I have enough points for a free flights so off we go Can not wait... 7 days at WDW and right at our 11th anniversary

Yay Yay Yay!!

~N

 

[kim_o]

Has the room preferences request changed? Last time ( in December) I was able to select "close to transportation" at the yacht club and had a very convenient room near the main lobby. Now when I go to pre check in I can only request high floor or low floor. Is there something I'm missing? Is there another way to put in a room preference other than on Mde?

 

[VeronicaBride]

So I got a call today that Club Level will be renovated during my stay in October so I can no longer stay CL at BC. The options were to change to another BC room with no CL or move to YC Club Level. I think we are going to stick with Beach Club and just do a Pool/Lagoon view.

 

[rcraw45425]

You just need to add a day!!!!!!!!

I tried to find airfare to arrive Sunday and there was absolutely nothing. It is spring break week here in Indiana and flights have been gone for 4 months. But I figure it gives the kids a couple of days to decompress from school before we leave. Then they will miss one day of school flying back the following Monday.

This is the shortest trip ever for us. We are coming down Saturday after Jeff gets off of his third 12 hr night in the ER. We will have at most 1.5 park days as we need to get back on Monday. He will start back to work on Thursday night that week but we still have a week before our high schoolers spring break, our college kid (where the heck has time gone?) had spring break the first week of March when it was so stinking cold. I bullied the high schooler into coming with us and she really can't afford to miss more than one school day because of AP classes. Oh, and our actual 23rd anniversary is Sunday. This is all because I want to see F&G and also Electric Light Orchestra. Jeff and I were at the Poly in October for his birthday and F&W and as a family we were at PBH at Thanksgiving. That trip was a nightmare planning wise thanks to one in high school and one in college. No ones breaks are the same anymore. I figured that Kelly would get the whole week, well hello.... they only had 3 days. I made revamp after revamp to that ressie, and it's not as easy to do there as it is at WDW. We've started going without the kids as they've gotten older and it's gotten harder for them to get away. Kelly has a Bio test Monday so she can't join us. I thought about Amy's spring break but Kelly couldn't go then either. Also thought about when they get out for summer but that's not even the same. Kelly gets out like three weeks before Amy and will actually already be back in for summer session when Amy gets out. Oh and she's also considered a third adult in our room now too :'(

 

[YCFAN]

So I got a call today that Club Level will be renovated during my stay in October so I can no longer stay CL at BC. The options were to change to another BC room with no CL or move to YC Club Level. I think we are going to stick with Beach Club and just do a Pool/Lagoon view.

I'd go for the YC CL!!!!! You might just like it so much you can't stop going back like we did.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Does anyone know what merchandise is offered currently at a discounted price if you spend a certain amount in the gift shops? Last time we were there it was a tote or a throw. Thanks!

Wood Nymph- if you see this before you go, could you add that to the list?

If not, I am sure someone going soon can let us know.

I'll see what I can find out.

Well, we arrived today and have had a wonderful time already. We are also exhausted from waking up at 3am.

Here is my mini trip report:
We got to the Magical Express loading area at MCO at 10:06am and got on a bus just as it was loading. The bus left the airport about 10:15am, got to CBR at 10:46 am, then went to the BWI, and then it stopped next at the BC. It went to the YC last.

We got to the BC about 11:03am. A CM greeted us and took us to the online check in line. It only took about ten minutes to check in. Our room was ready and she told us that we got our request of a full balcony, which means that they do pay attention to the requests. The one thing she didn't do before sending us off to our room was to make sure that our Magic Bands worked. They tested them at the WL when we checked in there. I even asked her about it but she said it wasn't necessary.

So off we go to our room on the second floor. We got our garden view room, which is really more of a woods view, full balcony and near the quiet pool. It is a great location. But, unfortunately, our MB's wouldn't open our room door. So back door to the front desk we go. I find a manager and she sets the MB's. They have worked fine ever since. :

We entered Epcot right around 11:30am and got something to eat at the French Bakery. I had a bowl of lobster bisque and it was delicious. Then I see that the food booth outside of France has a pink colored grey goose slushy, and having heard about the grey goose slushies here on the Dis, I decided to try it. Luckily I had an empty refillable mug with me, because that drink fit perfectly in there. What a good idea someone had to suggest putting those fancy drinks in the mugs. It was delicious.

We continued through the World Showcase trying some of the foods that I had heard were really good. I finally got to try the shrimp and grits and it was delicious. Even my husband liked it and he never thought he would ever like something with grits in it.

We were pretty tired from our early morning so we came back to rest and to swim. We went to the quiet pool because it is really close to our room, and it was really nice.

We decided to eat dinner at the Crews Cup. I had heard that the food there is really good, and it was. My sirloin steak and stir-fried vegetables were really good. And my husband really liked his cheeseburger and fries. We headed off to Epcot to use our fp+ on Soarin', our one ride of the day, then back to the BC.

We can see the fireworks and hear the music from Illuminations from our room. I thought that the trees would be in the way, but there is a gap and we can see them pretty well. I'll post room view pictures later.

I found out the pool hours:

SAB - hours are 9am to 11pm

quiet pool - hours are 7am to 11pm

And I stopped at the Captain's Grill to ask about the dinner menu and they confirmed that it was the regular menu, not a buffet.

And the general condition of the BC - it is clean and looks pretty good. The room is spotless and in good shape. But it could use a little refurbishment here. We had stayed in the recently refurbished Wilderness Lodge and it looked great. But all in all, I would say the general condition of the BC is fine.

The bounce back offer is in the Be Our Guest booklet that is inside of the resort information folder that is laying on the desk in the room. The offer is the same one that has been in the book since we were at the WL in December, which is a room discount.

The tea bags for the refillable mugs are now located behind the cash register in the Marketplace. I didn't feel like asking the CM to hold the box up so that I could take a picture of the different flavor teas, but maybe I'll try to get that later. There are two kinds of teabags in the room, Earl Grey and green tea. There aren't any paper cups for coffee in the room.

We also got this email today from Disney Destinations:

Bonjour Susan,

You are invited to participate in an exclusive test for lunch at one of our newest restaurants, Be Our Guest. As part of this test you have the ability to select an arrival window and pre-order meals for your entire party before arriving at Be Our Guest Restaurant.

To begin, follow the steps below:

Log on to https://BeOurGuestLunch.disney.go.com using your Disney.com account.
Enter your Resort Reservation Number to begin: 43xxxxxxxxxx

Select an arrival window and pre-order your meal

Don’t forget to wear your MagicBands* when you arrive at Be Our Guest Restaurant during your arrival window, and please enter the Disney FastPass+ entrance at the beginning of the bridge. You’ll be able to breeze by the line, confirm your order, pay for your lunch and head direct to your table while your food is prepared and delivered straight to you!


Bon appétit!

*Guests who choose not to wear a MagicBand should stop by Guest Relations at City Hall on the day of their lunch before their arrival.

Valid park admission is required to enter Magic Kingdom® Park. Cannot accept early or late arrivals. Valid only on the date and time noted on the Be Our Guest website and valid only for the duration of your Disney Resort hotel stay. Operation hours of the restaurant are subject to closures and change without notice. Dates and arrival windows are subject to availability. Not valid for any admission to any Theme Park. Offer is nontransferable, not for sale and must be used by the same person.

Please do not reply to this email. This account is not monitored. If you have any questions, please contact a Cast Member at Guest Relations at City Hall at Magic Kingdom® Park.
CMR-12-21993
©Disney

This email arrived after we got here. We already have fastpass reservations for this, thanks to the Dis, but it was a nice surprise, anyway. We never got this invitation before.

It is really nice to be back at the Beach Club.

 

[msdroz]

We can see the fireworks and hear the music from Illuminations from our room. I thought that the trees would be in the way, but there is a gap and we can see them pretty well. I'll post room view pictures later.

I love live reports!!!! Would love to see pics too, sounds like you had a great first day!

 

[Mickey & Minnie Mom]

Here is my mini trip report:

We entered Epcot right around 11:30am and got something to eat at the French Bakery. I had a bowl of lobster bisque and it was delicious. Then I see that the food booth outside of France has a pink colored grey goose slushy, and having heard about the grey goose slushies here on the Dis, I decided to try it. Luckily I had an empty refillable mug with me, because that drink fit perfectly in there. What a good idea someone had to suggest putting those fancy drinks in the mugs. It was delicious.

We continued through the World Showcase trying some of the foods that I had heard were really good. I finally got to try the shrimp and grits and it was delicious. Even my husband liked it and he never thought he would ever like something with grits in it.

We decided to eat dinner at the Crews Cup. I had heard that the food there is really good, and it was.

Sounds like a great start to your vacation. So glad to read your report.

Yes, I love the lobster bisque! One of my favorite lunches last visit, along with a baguette. Looking forward to it again in a few months.

Oh what I would give to be there now and enjoy those shrimp and grits. Years ago, we went to Party for the Senses at the F&W Festival and I had some there ... been wanting them again at Disney ever since.

We also enjoy Crews Cup. Nice atmosphere, easy to get in and out of and the food is good, especially the burgers.

Look forward to hearing more about your visit. Sounds like a great room.

 

[db57me]

From Wood Nymph's report: "Don’'t forget to wear your MagicBands* when you arrive at Be Our Guest Restaurant during your arrival window, and please enter the Disney FastPass+ entrance at the beginning of the bridge. " Are there 2 lines at BoG for dinner reservations? FP+ is not used for dinner, so I'm assuming the answer is no. Would someone confirm that, please?

 

[happymomof1]

Thank you Wood Nymph for the Tea/cup report! Have a magical trip!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh Darn! on the Captain's Grille Nude Buffet protest being cancelled! I'll start putting my clothes back on.... eventually

~Nekked Mom

Hi all... Just took advantage of the summer sale but our favorite garden room was gone I tried calling all day and finally got through this afternoon. Good news was we could still save some cash and upgrade to Concierge Level!!! I always see people in here talking about it and it seems like a dream come true! I can't wait to find out all of the CL perks

Luck o the Irish today!

You will love it-enjoy!!

we're starting our vacation off next week with 4 days yc cl before meeting friends at poly cl and are excited. we've never stayed at the yc before.

it will be just myself and our 4 year old son who will be 5 in June. we're doing the deluxe dining plan and have all our dining reservations. we're also focusing our park time on what we have fastpassed because of the crowd levels. I think we'll have a decent amount of resort time. What would you all suggest? we'll do SAB and the marshmallows and movies on the beach. anything else fun? walking on the boardwalk?

My kids love the street entertainment on the Boeardwalk and renting a boat is always a big hit!

Oh my gosh you guys I'm in!!!!!!!!!!! BC CL!!!!!!!!!!! I have been checking every single day for 3 months and finally a room opened up!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kids are going to flip out!!!!! I can't believe I got a room, I can already taste the sunken treasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Teena told me a month ago to keep checking, I was totally ready to give up yesterday (6 days prior to arrival) but then this morning I thought, oh what the heck I will give it one more try and BOOM there it was!!!! Hurricane Hannah's, Stormalong Bay, Flower and Garden Festival, Beaches and Cream, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 8 glorious days!!!!!!!!!

I'm thinking you're more than a wee bit excited!!! Congrats on the great deal-enjoy

 

[Mousemommy1]

So I got a call today that Club Level will be renovated during my stay in October so I can no longer stay CL at BC. The options were to change to another BC room with no CL or move to YC Club Level. I think we are going to stick with Beach Club and just do a Pool/Lagoon view.

YC CL is nice!!!

But that's interesting....I thought they would just move the lounge and not cause a disruption of the entire floor.

 

[VeronicaBride]

YC CL is nice!!!

But that's interesting....I thought they would just move the lounge and not cause a disruption of the entire floor.

Yeah I had always read that the lounge just moved to the Presidential suite and rooms remained as is. Maybe they are rehabbing the rooms at the same time?

 

[Wood Nymph]

From Wood Nymph's report: "Don’'t forget to wear your MagicBands* when you arrive at Be Our Guest Restaurant during your arrival window, and please enter the Disney FastPass+ entrance at the beginning of the bridge. " Are there 2 lines at BoG for dinner reservations? FP+ is not used for dinner, so I'm assuming the answer is no. Would someone confirm that, please?

There is a check in area for the fastpasses to the left of the Be Our Guest bridge and a very long standby line on the right. If you have a fp you walk up to the check in desk, they give you a name, and then you walk up to the CM standing at the front of the line. They will let you in right away and you'll join the line that is waiting to place their orders at the kiosks.

______________________________

One more room tip - bring a power strip to the resort. There is one outlet on the desk but the coffee maker takes one of them. My husband's phone charger barely fit in the socket because the end of the shelf is so close to the outlet. We didn't see any outlets anywhere near the cabinet under the TV. But there is a nice outlet on the wall between the bed and bathroom and an outlet in the bathroom.

Now for breakfast at Captain's Grill.

 

[TeenaS]

YC CL is nice!!!

But that's interesting....I thought they would just move the lounge and not cause a disruption of the entire floor.

When the lounge is being renovated, it will be moved to the Presidential Suite and since I heard that will be started first, the CL rooms will not be affected. When they start working on the fifth floor rooms, they will be working in the rooms that lead down to the Presidential and then the ones that lead down the other hallway ... rooms closest to the lounge and elevators. At that time, the entire fifth floor will be closed. Once that first area of rooms are done, they will most likely open up the rooms that are done and do the rooms the that are way down the far hall (5700's). That way, the done rooms will be separate and easy to get to and away from the ones that are not done. This is how it was done last time. However, this is a huge renovation ... hard goods ... so it's possible they will do the whole fifth floor at one time. We don't have the schedule yet but I'm guessing it will be like it was last time and the fifth floor will be done in two sections.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Has anyone been able to get the summer discount on YC CL LV? I called yesterday and they said it wasn't available on that room type.

I did save over $4000 on the rest of our room reservations. We have 10 separate reservations and there were only two that we could not apply the discount to and they were the YC CL LV ones.

I haven't had any success either...

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

So I got a call today that Club Level will be renovated during my stay in October so I can no longer stay CL at BC. The options were to change to another BC room with no CL or move to YC Club Level. I think we are going to stick with Beach Club and just do a Pool/Lagoon view.

Wow, October! I was hoping it would be done by then for F&W over fall break. I wonder why they just don't move the lounge into a suite temporarily.