Beach Club...not impressed

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

We just returned from our first stay at The Beach Club. I grew up staying at the Poly, CR and GF, so I am definitely used to being on the monorail, but have also stayed at CSR and WL many times. We paid over $450.00 a night at BC and I would have been happier at CSR for half the price.

The positive: Location! We stayed here off of a Disney cruise so we didn't get to the parks. However, the location and ability to walk to Epcot was great. We liked the proximity to The Boardwalk and walked easily to dinner at ESPN. We checked in early off the ship and got our room immediately. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. Ate at Beaches and Cream which was cute, but pricey. Stormalong Bay was nice, huge and the kids loved the slide.

Neagtives: There is no dedicated counter service restaurant like Captain Cooks in Poly or Gasparilla's at GF. There is an outside venue, but it isn't open for breakfast. The other option is the very limited selection in the corner of the gift shop. No tables, etc. CSR as a Moderate at least has a dedicated area for quick-serve, not a corner of the gift shop.

Stormalong Bay has a lazy river. I asked a CM where I could get a tube and she directed me to a window by the pool. Turns out it costs $10.00 a day for a tube. Really??? At over $400.00 a night I have to rent tubes for my family? This nickel and diming was shocking.

The rooms: The set-up was like the Poly with the daybed, but our room was kind-of shabby and shorter than many Poly rooms. We had only a tiny balcony (fit one person) and a view of huge cranes in the courtyard doing maintenance for our whole stay. Now I understand that this is necessary, but we were never told about it and this was the busiest time of the year (spring break). I would have liked to have been told that the resort was under construction (MANY cranes/large equipment). I guess I was just not impressed with the theming. Disney is the best at themeing but this just seemed to be a bunch of seashells on picture frames. I liked the lobby of YC much better.

I am glad we tried BC, as I had always heard good things about it, but I won't stay here again. It doesn't hold a candle to Poly or GF in my opinion, especially the magical feel of the grounds with the monorail and MK view. The beach area was nice, but I never saw any hammocks like at Poly or GF's beaches. I also like a main lobby with action...stores, restaurants, bars, piano player, etc. BC had none of those in the lobby (the store was off a long corridor, not really IN the lobby). It was basically a waiting room. Stormalong Bay is a great pool, but the claim to fame seems to be the sand-bottom pool and I just found that to be uncomfortable and messy. I know people love it here, but it just isn't for us.

 

[kaffinito]

Thanks for the review!

 

[akl-fan]

We stayed in BCV villas as part of a split stay last year. I was not impressed either. I didn't like stormalong bay either which surprised me as that is what I was most looking forward too. Completely over rated imo. We couldn't wait to get back to AKV. When I walked through the doors of Jambo House I knew i was home.


Still the world would be very boring if we all thought the same way, at least Disney has something for everyone.

 

[Invisable89]

Thankyou for your honest opinion!

I'm a bit hesitiant about the BC due to the fact there's no counter service restaurant - i'm not a big fancy eater, i'm more than happy with a burger & fries.

I think the BC (& YC) is a more of a 'mature' resort, quite simple & laid-back. Not as child friendly as other resorts.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Sorry you were disappointed - BC is our favorite resort. We've also had numerous stays at both the GF and the Poly.

Did you read the YC/BC thread before you booked the BC?
It would have explained the cs options. There are two ts restaurants - Cape May Buffet and the Captain's Grill. Although the GF has Gasparilla's we were never crazy about the fact that the arcade is in the restaurant.

I understand what you mean about construction - we had the same problem at one of our GF stays. Cranes right in front of the room.

There is a very good reason why they "rent" the tubes. If they were free everyone would want one and there would be no room to swim anywhere in SAB.

Since the sand doesn't stick to you at all (a special kind of sand) I'm curious as to what you found messy. Did you mean the beach area, not the pool?

Did you stay at BC or YC? I'm guessing BC, but you keep saying that you didn't care for the YC too.

It is a fact that half of the rooms at BC only have the standing room only balconies. I would either make full balcony your only request or stay at the YC side, where all the rooms have full balconies.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

Thankyou for your honest opinion!

I'm a bit hesitiant about the BC due to the fact there's no counter service restaurant - i'm not a big fancy eater, i'm more than happy with a burger & fries.

I think the BC (& YC) is a more of a 'mature' resort, quite simple & laid-back. Not as child friendly as other resorts.

You may be right, but the pool is really kid-friendly and that is really why we stayed there. It was nice to walk to the restaurants on The Boardwalk, but not really counter service either. It would be great to stay here after a long day at Epcot, to go back and freshen up and then have dinner in one of the countries. Other than the location, it just didn't feel like Disney to me!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Thankyou for your honest opinion!

I'm a bit hesitiant about the BC due to the fact there's no counter service restaurant - i'm not a big fancy eater, i'm more than happy with a burger & fries.

I think the BC (& YC) is a more of a 'mature' resort, quite simple & laid-back. Not as child friendly as other resorts.

BC is DEFINITELY "kid friendly"!!!
Don't worry if you love burgers and fries both Hurricane Hannah's and Beaches and Cream serve the same beloved "Beaches and Cream" burgers!

 

[DSLRuser]

BLASPHEMER!

Seriously, different strokes i guess. I didn't like poly because of the price you pay for fake hawaii. And in regards to price... who pays rack rate? $400 a night seriously.... that's your fault.

I see it as a positive that there is no food court. The yacht club, beach club, boardwalk, swan and dolphin area to me is 1 big resort. for that reason there is more food choice than you can shake a stick at within a 10 min walk. Nothing to complain about at all.

 

[Invisable89]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;40703718]You may be right, but the pool is really kid-friendly and that is really why we stayed there. It was nice to walk to the restaurants on The Boardwalk, but not really counter service either. It would be great to stay here after a long day at Epcot, to go back and freshen up and then have dinner in one of the countries. Other than the location, it just didn't feel like Disney to me![/QUOTE]


Well aslong as you enjoyed your holiday overall?

& yes you're right, the pool is very kid-friendly but apart from that i don't think the rest of the resort is compared to other resorts, i mean.

It's a lovely resort for couple's though, i haven't personally been there but i know alot who have. My Auntie & Uncle stay at BC all the time when they visit Disney!

 

[rie'smom]

Yikes! We're staying at BCV in 14 days! OP, I appreciate your review. Hoping we like it.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

Sorry you were disappointed - BC is our favorite resort. We've also had numerous stays at both the GF and the Poly.

Did you read the YC/BC thread before you booked the BC?
It would have explained the cs options. There are two ts restaurants - Cape May Buffet and the Captain's Grill. Although the GF has Gasparilla's we were never crazy about the fact that the arcade is in the restaurant.

I understand what you mean about construction - we had the same problem at one of our GF stays. Cranes right in front of the room.

There is a very good reason why they "rent" the tubes. If they were free everyone would want one and there would be no room to swim anywhere in SAB.

Since the sand doesn't stick to you at all (a special kind of sand) I'm curious as to what you found messy. Did you mean the beach area, not the pool?

Did you stay at BC or YC? I'm guessing BC, but you keep saying that you didn't care for the YC too.

It is a fact that half of the rooms at BC only have the standing room only balconies. I would either make full balcony your only request or stay at the YC side, where all the rooms have full balconies.

Admittedly, I spent so much time researching our cruise on The Dream that I didn't read too much about the BC. I just assumed that there would be a CS restaurant since the other delux resorts I have stayed at all had them.

My comment about the sand was the look of it. It was on parts of the pool floor but not others, thick in some places and thin in others. I had read many times about it being a sand-bottom pool, but it really isn't. It is a concrete bottom with a bunch of sand dumped on it...in some parts. My DH and kids loved it. I thought it was uncomfortable to walk on.

As for renting the tubes, I question as to why the advertise a Lazy River if there are no tubes available to guests without a fee. No one was swimming in the area, just 3 or 4 people on tubes floating. And this was during a very busy Spring Break week. If they kept the tubes only in the lazy river area, there would be plenty of room to swim. The pool is huge. No one was using tubes outside that area. Do they allow them to be used anywhere in the pool?

Like I said, I am glad to have stayed there. I love to try new resorts, but I guess we all end up going back to our favorites!

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

BLASPHEMER!

Seriously, different strokes i guess. I didn't like poly because of the price you pay for fake hawaii. And in regards to price... who pays rack rate? $400 a night seriously.... that's your fault.

I see it as a positive that there is no food court. The yacht club, beach club, boardwalk, swan and dolphin area to me is 1 big resort. for that reason there is more food choice than you can shake a stick at within a 10 min walk. Nothing to complain about at all.

FYI: The rate was during Spring Break last week WITH a 40% off pin code!!!! Nowhere near the rack rate!!! Have you ever been there in peak season?

Rack rate for this Sunday night is $551.00 on Disney website.

 

[3PrinceMom]

I'd love to stay at the bc...yc...and my fav...the poly! I can't justify it. I shower and sleep there. My days and nights are spent at the parks. I have found to love the all stars...just for that! My parents bought into the DVC....I've thought about it, but I'm thinking no!!! I am on vacation, no need for a kitchen. Never mind that it's expensive. And that u get stuck on the one place you bought it from....I love OKW, but I don't want to stay there.

 

[mickeynut1]

I'm sorry you didn't care for the BC. Even though it's a beautiful resort and you can't beat being able to walk to Epcot and DHS, we feel the same way about no CS. The marketplace in the back of the gift shop just doesn't do it for us.....not much variety other than grab-n-go items . No CS is the main reason we haven't been back to the BC as we have to have a good selection, especially for breakfast . We liked SAB and think it's a great pool, but we don't see all the hype as it being the "best pool on property" . But that's what is so great about Disney.....there's something for everyone's taste and budget . I hope you still had a great trip .

 

[DisneyChristmas]

Everyone has his or her own favorite resorts. Some people like a lot of action at a resort such as Beach Club/Yacht Club and Boardwalk.

On the other hand, I'm one of those people who look forward to some down time away from crowds after coming back from the parks. We've tried various resorts at WDW and keep coming back to the MK/Monorail resorts.

Except for very early in the morning, the grounds at BC are always busy and fairly noisy. Stormalong Bay basically is built on the walkway with lots of foot traffic plus people coming and going from the boats. The small beach is right out there on the main thoroughfare.

The "action" pools at Poly and GF have monorail traffic passing overhead, but that's benign. WL and CR pools are at the back of the resort.

All four of these resorts have quiet areas where you can just walk or sit and unwind. To me, it's just a whole different feeling from BC.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Well aslong as you enjoyed your holiday overall?

& yes you're right, the pool is very kid-friendly but apart from that i don't think the rest of the resort is compared to other resorts, i mean.

It's a lovely resort for couple's though, i haven't personally been there but i know alot who have. My Auntie & Uncle stay at BC all the time when they visit Disney!

I can't begin to understand why you think BC isn't kid friendly. The lobby is filled with kids waiting to go to the Cape May Buffet character breakfast, the pool is hopping with kids activities all day long, what kid wouldn't love Beaches and Cream?

I know some people think YC and the GF aren't kid friendly but in our experience they both ARE kid friendly! I think it's all in people's perceptions.

I really never heard ANYONE say the BC wasn't kid friendly!

 

[Swan4Me]

I didnt realize there was no quick food area there! Thanks for the review.

I still am over the Swan-and the amazing quick serve place- Picabu at the Dolphin

 

[Uncle Remus]

Doesn't bother me in the slightest when folks don't like BC.

More room for me!!

 

[eah7]

Everyone has his or her own favorite resorts. Some people like a lot of action at a resort such as Beach Club/Yacht Club and Boardwalk.

On the other hand, I'm one of those people who look forward to some down time away from crowds after coming back from the parks. We've tried various resorts at WDW and keep coming back to the MK/Monorail resorts.

Except for very early in the morning, the grounds at BC are always busy and fairly noisy. Stormalong Bay basically is built on the walkway with lots of foot traffic plus people coming and going from the boats. The small beach is right out there on the main thoroughfare.

The "action" pools at Poly and GF have monorail traffic passing overhead, but that's benign. WL and CR pools are at the back of the resort.

All four of these resorts have quiet areas where you can just walk or sit and unwind. To me, it's just a whole different feeling from BC.

We found a couple of very nice quiet spots at Y&BC when we stay there. The porches have rocking chairs (and others) and you can sit and look out over the water. It is so peaceful, especially at night. We found it to be the perfect spot to have a drink, enjoy the peacefulness and beauty.
I find the YC lobby very relaxing as well. There are chess and backgammon tables set up. It just seems cozy to me.

As everyone has mentioned, we all have our favorites...ours is obviously the YC.

 

[RMulieri]

Everyone has their favorites..ours is BC..Sorry you were disappointed.The area that allows the tubes is 8 FT deep and the tubes are a pain in the rear literally..But they rent them to avoid clogging the pool with them.They don't even let you use your own anymore, because of the size of SAB and depths they need to see the bottom of the pool at all times( You can use your own noodles-Which we do).In any event, not everyone is going to like it and thats fine..More room for us.