Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB RESORTS Information & Questions

[natebenma]

Ship Shape Health Club has 24 hour access. There are approximately 8 treadmills [as of May 2017] and I have never seen them all being used at once. The busiest time that I've observed was between 6:00 - 7:00 AM on weekdays, with mostly conventioneers. The Beach and Yacht Club also have access to nice running routes around the Epcot resorts; Crescent Lake and the path along the canal to HS.

Thank you!!

Great point about the running path- I forgot to mention that I have a posting of the course map, Page 1, Post 1.

Do you know if guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers? Or is it one of those inconsistent "depends on who you ask" situations.

I went and read the info I have on Page 1- it said 24 hour access but you had to arrange in advance to get an access key. That info may (or may not be) outdated.

Does anyone know????


Youse guys are all the best!

 

[igrsod]

That smell is amazing!

Yes, the YC is the same scent. I actually thought it was stronger at the YC, maybe due to the lack of the food smell from CM.

Ahhhh... thank you for this. That made my decision easier. Although we loved the proximity of BC to Epcot, there seemed to be some benefits to staying at YC. Sooooo, that is where we will try next time.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Got the Cape May breakfast we wanted for Thanksgiving!!! Made all FP. READY TO GO!

 

[natebenma]

Got the Cape May breakfast we wanted for Thanksgiving!!! Made all FP. READY TO GO!

 

[PCFriar80]

Thank you!!

Great point about the running path- I forgot to mention that I have a posting of the course map, Page 1, Post 1.

Do you know if guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers? Or is it one of those inconsistent "depends on who you ask" situations.

I went and read the info I have on Page 1- it said 24 hour access but you had to arrange in advance to get an access key. That info may (or may not be) outdated.

Does anyone know????


Youse guys are all the best!

I'm 98% sure that guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers. I say this because when we ran in to the initial issue with trying to just use the showers on our departure day a few years ago, I was told that the showers were for only those who use the spa or health club. I was going to be a wise guy and hop on the treadmill for 5 minutes to circumvent the issue but talked my way into using the showers anyway.

I think the separate access key [yellow card] was pre magic bands. I believe everything is magic band driven now. I'll double-check when I'm there next month and report back accordingly. Nonetheless, it's 24 hour access one way or the other.

 

[natebenma]

I'm 98% sure that guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers. I say this because when we ran in to the initial issue with trying to just use the showers on our departure day a few years ago, I was told that the showers were for only those who use the spa or health club. I was going to be a wise guy and hop on the treadmill for 5 minutes to circumvent the issue but talked my way into using the showers anyway.

I remember discussing that here around the time the policy for use of the showers/locker room had changed.

I believe it was ~Ninjamom who suggested that maybe there was a sweat gauge to measure whether you had worked out "enough" to use the showers.

 

[Best Aunt]

I'm 98% sure that guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers.
I think the separate access key [yellow card] was pre magic bands. I believe everything is magic band driven now. I'll double-check when I'm there next month and report back accordingly. Nonetheless, it's 24 hour access one way or the other.

I haven't tried to use the health club at the Yacht Club/Beach Club, but you use your Magic Band to access the health club at the Boardwalk. My guess is that it would be the same at the Yacht Club/Beach Club.

 

[mrsap]

Got the Cape May breakfast we wanted for Thanksgiving!!! Made all FP. READY TO GO!

Awesome! What are your dates?! We'll be there for Thanksgiving too!

 

[SaintsManiac]

Awesome! What are your dates?! We'll be there for Thanksgiving too!

11/17-11/24 on site. We will be at universal for a few days before.

Hoping it will be warm enough to swim!

 

[Blended Disney]

16 hour drive sounds like your driving from near Chicago

We are in Columbus, some family in Chicago though. Either way, me and the kids alone for the drive should be fun, right? It was my idea for DW to stay in FL a couple extra days rather than fly home to turn around and drive down.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We'll be at Yacht Club Nov. 1-10. Does anyone know when the Christmas decorations go up at the resort? We've never been during the holiday season and are hoping to see a lot of decorations.

 

[mrsap]

11/17-11/24 on site. We will be at universal for a few days before.

Hoping it will be warm enough to swim!

Can typically go either way, but last year we swam a lot!! We had beautiful weather!!

 

[dansdad]

We'll be at Yacht Club Nov. 1-10. Does anyone know when the Christmas decorations go up at the resort? We've never been during the holiday season and are hoping to see a lot of decorations.

The Deluxes are in a lottery to determine the order in which they are decorated. When this is and the results are not publicized. But all Deluxes will have their decorations completely up by the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. You cannot go by past years dates as they are never the same.

 

[Donna3271]

Thank you!!

Great point about the running path- I forgot to mention that I have a posting of the course map, Page 1, Post 1.

Do you know if guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers? Or is it one of those inconsistent "depends on who you ask" situations.

I went and read the info I have on Page 1- it said 24 hour access but you had to arrange in advance to get an access key. That info may (or may not be) outdated.

Does anyone know????


Youse guys are all the best!

Thanks for asking this! My pet peeve with GF and Poly is going back to the room in winter (we go during Marathon) while it is still dark, and often freezing with wet workout clothes on. I just don't understand why they have nowhere to shower there. If someone can confirm shower usage, that would be MOST AWESOME!!! TIA to all! You guys ROCK!

 

[Chavaleh]

Yes, that lobby smell, aaaahh! We just got back from our first stay at the YC and we fell in love with the smell of the lobby (and the whole resort itself of course). We're now obsessed with trying to replicate that smell at home. From what I hear, the BC and YC lobbies have the same scent, or at least very similar.

The CM who checked us in this weekend said it was lavender and vanilla when I commented on how nice it was. My husband can't smell it at all but has no trouble smelling the Polynesian one which I thought was a lot lighter than the BC fragrance. Wonder if there's some kind of smell version of color blindness.

eta: Just realized you were talking about the YC, this was the BC. Pouring more coffee in my face now.

 

[natebenma]

Odd- we have always been told it is Aloe and Green Clover, in both the BC and YC. When the holidays roll around it is a gingerbread scent.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I am going to post your question over on the Beach & Yacht Club FAQ board for additional feedback from guests who have used the workout room at the resort. There are pictures and some info in Post 5 on Page 1 of that thread. Click on the link in my signature.

Yes, there is a locker room and shower in the space shared by the health club and the spa, which is run by an outside company.

A couple of years back, the spa management started restricting use of the showers to guests who wanted to use the area after using Stormalong Bay. I thought that people who were working out in the health club were still permitted to use the shower, but I'm not positive.

If access is restricted to only spa guests, there is another option.

In April, changing rooms with showers (male/female/unisex) were opened near the healthclub, but you would have to exit the health club to use them.


The door to the health club is sort-of outside. You get there through the hallways of the Beach or Yacht Club, but the spa itself is in an open-air part of the resort, sort of like the entrance to Beaches & Cream restaurant.

Not sure about 24 hour access.

I'm 98% sure that guests using the health club are permitted to use the showers. I say this because when we ran in to the initial issue with trying to just use the showers on our departure day a few years ago, I was told that the showers were for only those who use the spa or health club. I was going to be a wise guy and hop on the treadmill for 5 minutes to circumvent the issue but talked my way into using the showers anyway.

I think the separate access key [yellow card] was pre magic bands. I believe everything is magic band driven now. I'll double-check when I'm there next month and report back accordingly. Nonetheless, it's 24 hour access one way or the other.

At one point when I checked YEARS AGO the SPA staff manning the counter did not even want fitness center users in the bathrooms/locker room area. When I asked what happens if someone using the gym needed to use the bathroom I was told that they would have to exit the gym area and use the bathrooms closer to the pool.

I never could understand this turf war that the outside vendor running the spa had to wage with the guests of the resort. The fact that management was complicit with this decision really smoked my pork chops. Thankfully everything is fixed with the construction of the new shower facilities but it took years of guests being inconvenienced before the separate locker room was finally put in.

Sigh......

~NM

 

[Wood Nymph]

We'll be at Yacht Club Nov. 1-10. Does anyone know when the Christmas decorations go up at the resort? We've never been during the holiday season and are hoping to see a lot of decorations.

Nov 1 - 10 is early for most resort decorations. As far as I know, the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian goes up early, but the other ones can take as long as the week of Thanksgiving.

 

[Tess]

At one point when I checked YEARS AGO the SPA staff manning the counter did not even want fitness center users in the bathrooms/locker room area. When I asked what happens if someone using the gym needed to use the bathroom I was told that they would have to exit the gym area and use the bathrooms closer to the pool.

I never could understand this turf war that the outside vendor running the spa had to wage with the guests of the resort. The fact that management was complicit with this decision really smoked my pork chops. Thankfully everything is fixed with the construction of the new shower facilities but it took years of guests being inconvenienced before the separate locker room was finally put in.

Sigh......

~NM

This was exactly what my husband found out when he went to work out at the fitness center a year or so ago. In fact, the doors to the restrooms were locked. After his experience, he has decided he will not use the fitness center at YC/BC any longer. He much prefers the fitness centers at Dolphin and BWI.

 

[DisneyFanJenn]

We just got back from 11 days at YC. Yes....we rode out the hurricane there. This was our 1st stay at YC having stayed previously at BC and BWI....this is or favorite resort area and can't imagine staying anywhere else on property.

The good - We had a marvelous room, 3132 which is garden view. Close the elevators/lobby. We didn't think we would like the refurbished rooms but they are very nice. The pocket doors made getting ready in the mornings less painful when you have older kids, lol! That shower is just the best. Love the doors vs shower curtains too. Except for the 2 days that the parks were closed and the staff was limited, we had mousekeeping (despite getting a notice that this service would be limited for the remainder of our stay after Irma). Our room was always done before we came back for our mid-day rest. Room does need a bit more of a Disney feel though.

The AWESOME - You already know how awesome the CM's are at both BC and YC. They were even more awesome during the 2 shut down days. There were activities for our family to enjoy throughout the resort. My daughter had an absolute blast. There were characters off and on both days that joined in on some of the activities and/or just greeted the guests. We were able to move between the 2 resorts except from about 10pm on Sunday until Monday morning. The way Disney handled the entire situation was outstanding in our opinion. All the CM's seemed to really want to make the best of the weather situation and keep the guests happy. We thanked as many as we could in person....especially the life guards who ran the bulk of the activities.

The not so good - Our first night was brutal. It was our travel day and we had been up since 2am. We were looking forward to turning in early but the folks in the connecting room were a family evacuating due to Irma and had brought their dog (NO, WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM BRINGING THEIR PET. In fact, we think that was absolutely awesome that those that evacuated were able to bring their fur babies and know they were safe too). Problem was at 7:30pm when we tried to go to bed the dog was barking pretty constant. With the removal of the carpeting (and it being an adjoining room) it sounded like it was in our room sitting right next to you. After that first night we barely heard it though.

We were really impressed with how quickly the staff got the resort and resort operations back to normal. The clean up crews were out by like 9am on Monday cleaning up the debris on the grounds and getting the pools back up and running, etc.).

We are booked at BC for next September but considering changing it to December. We have never done the Christmas party/decorations/etc. Plus, it seemed extra humid this trip and DH complained about the heat way too often. Thinking early December should make him happier.