Beach Club

[DougK]

I posted this in the DVC section but maybe it should be here instead since it does not only apply to DVC.

We will be staying at the Beach Club in March. This is our first time staying there. I know the use of Stormalong Bay is very restricted so I want to know if we can have our five year old granddaughter join us in the pool and pool area. She is not staying with us so she is not on the room reservation - she lives nearby with her mother. Her mother will not be joining us.

So my first question is can our granddaughter join us for swimming as our guest?

And if not my second question is could she swim there in my place if only she and my wife went to the pool?

Either option would work for us as I don't swim anyway.

Thanks!

 

[pangyal]

Guests who are not on your reservation cannot swim at Stormalong Bay. They will scan her magic band for the reservation details and if she's not staying at BC or YV, she will not be given a wristband to enter and use the pool.

 

[Hopefully]

It's more than "swimming" at SAB. I is an issue of "entering " SAB. She will not be allowed in the pool enclosure without a Magic Band. You could all swim at the BC quiet pool.

 

[tjmw2727]

Not unless you add her to the room reservation. If you are under the guest limit, and are not on a package that include dining then I would just add her as a guest to swim at SAB. Otherwise plan a day at one of the water parks instead as you won't get access anywhere in the SAB area without a valid magic band/room key.

 

[cutigerlady]

My sister and her family live nearby and we were able to add them to our reservation to be able to swim at the Beach Club. We had a Two bedroom villa for my family, so it wasn't an issue at all.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Not unless you add her to the room reservation. If you are under the guest limit, and are not on a package that include dining then I would just add her as a guest to swim at SAB. Otherwise plan a day at one of the water parks instead as you won't get access anywhere in the SAB area without a valid magic band/room key.

Even if you did purchase a package, if you are under guest occupancy for the room, you can add your granddaughter at check-in and then she can swim with you anytime during your entire stay. She then, would not have to have any of the package components you may have purchased with your room.

 

[tjmw2727]

Even if you did purchase a package, if you are under guest occupancy for the room, you can add your granddaughter at check-in and then she can swim with you anytime during your entire stay. She then, would not have to have any of the package components you may have purchased with your room.

Yes your right ! I have added my sister to a package room when she arrived 2 days after we did - good catch In this case just get a grey MB from the front desk for your granddaughter.

 

[scottmik2]

We were at the Yacht Club 2 weeks ago and nobody ever scanned our magic bands.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We were at the Yacht Club 2 weeks ago and nobody ever scanned our magic bands.

I've heard that CMs walk around the pool some of the time checking for wristbands. They will ask you to leave if you don't have one.

 

[Nancyg56]

If you can add her at check in then do that. She will have all of the perks that staying at the Beach Club gives you access to, including the pool.

 

[natebenma]

We were at the Yacht Club 2 weeks ago and nobody ever scanned our magic bands.

I was there that week, too. For a couple of days during that trip, they were not scanning bands, but after numerous guest complaints, they went back to scanning bands by the end of our trip.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Be aware that if this is a DVC reservation, you might not be able to add her when you arrive. We checked into OKW and decided to add our son to our reservation. He lives locally and we wanted to get him a magic band to use at F&W. But, they said they would have to cancel and rebook the reservation to add him and give him a magic band and they really hesitated to do that for fear the reservation would be lost. The best they could do was give him a paper parking pass and a KTTW to get into the room as a day guest. No charging and no magic band. And, remember. Anytime the front desk messes with your DVC reservation, anything can happen. You can wind up with points in holding, cancelled reservation, borrowed points leaving unused current year points. Anything.

So if you want to add her, send an email to MS (or call or chat online) and get her added to your reservation now instead of waiting to when you arrive. But know that if you have the dining plan, you'll add her to the plan and pay for her credits.

 

[Scott MC]

Not unless you add her to the room reservation. If you are under the guest limit, and are not on a package that include dining then I would just add her as a guest to swim at SAB. Otherwise plan a day at one of the water parks instead as you won't get access anywhere in the SAB area without a valid magic band/room key.

My sister and her family live nearby and we were able to add them to our reservation to be able to swim at the Beach Club. We had a Two bedroom villa for my family, so it wasn't an issue at all.

Even if you did purchase a package, if you are under guest occupancy for the room, you can add your granddaughter at check-in and then she can swim with you anytime during your entire stay. She then, would not have to have any of the package components you may have purchased with your room.

Sorry, but I find this policy manipulative. If it works, it works, and congrats...and I truly mean that. But what you've done here, is play the system, and that's not fair. I wish there was a way to crack down on this though, as there are plenty of people paying to stay there, and this ups the occupancy in the pool, making swimming, finding chairs etc. more crowded and difficult. Not to mention, that if more and more people do this, then the pool needs to be cleaned more often, serviced more often, perhaps more lifeguards etc. All this costs more money, and guess where the cost goes? To those who pay to stay there.
Also, be aware that the reports that they're not checking bands will be likely null and void in March, which will be Spring Break time, thus making it very crowded.

 

[tjmw2727]

Sorry, but I find this policy manipulative. If it works, it works, and congrats...and I truly mean that. But what you've done here, is play the system, and that's not fair. I wish there was a way to crack down on this though, as there are plenty of people paying to stay there, and this ups the occupancy in the pool, making swimming, finding chairs etc. more crowded and difficult. Not to mention, that if more and more people do this, then the pool needs to be cleaned more often, serviced more often, perhaps more lifeguards etc. All this costs more money, and guess where the cost goes? To those who pay to stay there.
Also, be aware that the reports that they're not checking bands will be likely null and void in March, which will be Spring Break time, thus making it very crowded.

I disagree; and since you quoted me - in my case we are 3 people paying for a room occupancy of 5 so that is a bonus for the resort and the amenities.

If I am paying for a room at the BC that sleeps 5 and it is just myself and my 2 dd's and my niece wants to come swim for one day of my 5 day reservation that is still a net win for the resort IMHO. Sometimes she stays over sometimes she doesn't but either way I don't see this as manipulative or playing the system. I am paying for 5 guests all 5 days and only using a fraction of that.

In addition I have always been completely up front with the front desk when my niece is joining us, no matter how long (or short) and never had an issue obtaining a MB for her.

Finally I have never been to the BC/YC and not had our MB's checked to access any part of SAB, many visits over the years as recently as August 2016.