Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB RESORTS Information & Questions

[jlundeen]

Ha! Yeah, in my business travels in big cities, all the time. Just never at a Disney resort!

At least 20 years ago we had the same experience at the Disneyland hotel in California. Now it was California, and we assumed at the time ;-) ;-), that it was for medicinal purposes. But it was very fragrant, shall we say.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Another random weekend story. Might take a while to explain, but maybe it’ll help someone if you find yourself in a similar situation.

I knew this situation was technically possible, just not something I had totally thought through or come across on our Skyliner travels to date.

So, DS and I were at DHS yesterday, left mid afternoon. We had walked over earlier that day so opted to take the Skyliner to the Int’l Gateway to get back to YC. There were darker clouds in the far distance, but nothing obviously imminent when we boarded at DHS. Weather was otherwise sunny and pleasant.

En route to the CBR station DW texted to say they had just cleared SAB for lightning. OK.

When we got to the CBR station to transfer, they had stopped boarding all of the lines for weather. OK. So, we were stuck - far from YC!

There was a CM with a microphone asking to come see her to give your name/destination and they said there would be buses shortly. Not thinking much about it and as IG was our destination, we added our name to the Epcot list (note, critical error here).

After awhile they had cleared all of the lines and there were maybe 100-200ish people (rough estimate, always hard to judge head counts) sitting around the CBR station waiting for further instruction. Despite the somewhat chaotic scene and the uncertainty on bus timing, I was pretty impressed by the CM organization/process. I think the lower mid afternoon crowds helped - if this had been a rush hour time, wow it would be messy. I’ll admit it was a bit of a bummer since it was still not actively storming, only a few distant rumbles - I trust the experts that run the system, but it seems the weather tolerance is similar or the same as with pools, I guess?

I didn’t time it exactly, but after roughly 20-25’ish minutes a bus to Epcot came and they called our name to board.

We board the bus, grab our seat. At that point DS10... yes, DS10.... says “you know dad, this is going to take us to the front of Epcot, not the IG.”

Ummm, yeah, I guess you’re right. OK, we’ll just walk through Epcot, no big deal. Oh wait...we can’t....

The error in my decisions quickly came to realization.

So... if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation stuck at the CBR station trying to get back to YC with the Skyliner closed - make sure to put your name on the DHS bus list and then walk back to YC!!!

Or bail and call a rideshare!

It gave me a new appreciation for things to consider when using the Skyliner to get around when weather may be coming.

 

[Spork24]

Another random weekend story. Might take a while to explain, but maybe it’ll help someone if you find yourself in a similar situation.

I knew this situation was technically possible, just not something I had totally thought through or come across on our Skyliner travels to date.

So, DS and I were at DHS yesterday, left mid afternoon. We had walked over earlier that day so opted to take the Skyliner to the Int’l Gateway to get back to YC. There were darker clouds in the far distance, but nothing obviously imminent when we boarded at DHS. Weather was otherwise sunny and pleasant.

En route to the CBR station DW texted to say they had just cleared SAB for lightning. OK.

When we got to the CBR station to transfer, they had stopped boarding all of the lines for weather. OK. So, we were stuck - far from YC!

There was a CM with a microphone asking to come see her to give your name/destination and they said there would be buses shortly. Not thinking much about it and as IG was our destination, we added our name to the Epcot list (note, critical error here).

After awhile they had cleared all of the lines and there were maybe 100-200ish people (rough estimate, always hard to judge head counts) sitting around the CBR station waiting for further instruction. Despite the somewhat chaotic scene and the uncertainty on bus timing, I was pretty impressed by the CM organization/process. I think the lower mid afternoon crowds helped - if this had been a rush hour time, wow it would be messy. I’ll admit it was a bit of a bummer since it was still not actively storming, only a few distant rumbles - I trust the experts that run the system, but it seems the weather tolerance is similar or the same as with pools, I guess?

I didn’t time it exactly, but after roughly 20-25’ish minutes a bus to Epcot came and they called our name to board.

We board the bus, grab our seat. At that point DS10... yes, DS10.... says “you know dad, this is going to take us to the front of Epcot, not the IG.”

Ummm, yeah, I guess you’re right. OK, we’ll just walk through Epcot, no big deal. Oh wait...we can’t....

The error in my decisions quickly came to realization.

So... if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation stuck at the CBR station trying to get back to YC with the Skyliner closed - make sure to put your name on the DHS bus list and then walk back to YC!!!

Or bail and call a rideshare!

It gave me a new appreciation for things to consider when using the Skyliner to get around when weather may be coming.

I must know, how did you finally get back to YC? And how long did the whole ordeal take?

 

[disny_luvr]

Another random weekend story. Might take a while to explain, but maybe it’ll help someone if you find yourself in a similar situation.

I knew this situation was technically possible, just not something I had totally thought through or come across on our Skyliner travels to date.

So, DS and I were at DHS yesterday, left mid afternoon. We had walked over earlier that day so opted to take the Skyliner to the Int’l Gateway to get back to YC. There were darker clouds in the far distance, but nothing obviously imminent when we boarded at DHS. Weather was otherwise sunny and pleasant.

En route to the CBR station DW texted to say they had just cleared SAB for lightning. OK.

When we got to the CBR station to transfer, they had stopped boarding all of the lines for weather. OK. So, we were stuck - far from YC!

There was a CM with a microphone asking to come see her to give your name/destination and they said there would be buses shortly. Not thinking much about it and as IG was our destination, we added our name to the Epcot list (note, critical error here).

After awhile they had cleared all of the lines and there were maybe 100-200ish people (rough estimate, always hard to judge head counts) sitting around the CBR station waiting for further instruction. Despite the somewhat chaotic scene and the uncertainty on bus timing, I was pretty impressed by the CM organization/process. I think the lower mid afternoon crowds helped - if this had been a rush hour time, wow it would be messy. I’ll admit it was a bit of a bummer since it was still not actively storming, only a few distant rumbles - I trust the experts that run the system, but it seems the weather tolerance is similar or the same as with pools, I guess?

I didn’t time it exactly, but after roughly 20-25’ish minutes a bus to Epcot came and they called our name to board.

We board the bus, grab our seat. At that point DS10... yes, DS10.... says “you know dad, this is going to take us to the front of Epcot, not the IG.”

Ummm, yeah, I guess you’re right. OK, we’ll just walk through Epcot, no big deal. Oh wait...we can’t....

The error in my decisions quickly came to realization.

So... if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation stuck at the CBR station trying to get back to YC with the Skyliner closed - make sure to put your name on the DHS bus list and then walk back to YC!!!

Or bail and call a rideshare!

It gave me a new appreciation for things to consider when using the Skyliner to get around when weather may be coming.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Honestly, I probably would’ve done exactly what you did and said Epcot. Thanks for making me aware and, if I’m ever in the same situation, hopefully I’ll remember your experience.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I must know, how did you finally get back to YC? And how long did the whole ordeal take?

Uber. I’ve been avoiding Uber for COVID reasons, but I caved. Was sort of out of reasonable options at that point, unless I’m not thinking of something.

Piecing together my text time stamps, it looks like around 50 mins from when I was on the Skyliner to CBR to being at Epcot front entrance. Add another 20 or so for the Uber wait and trip. All in all, I guess that’s really not all that bad given the chaos involved. The mobilization of buses certainly wasn’t instant, but not too bad all things considered.

Ultimately we laughed it off as a very 2020 situation, not much else you can do when Disney transportation puts you in a pickle!

If only we had just opted to walk...

 

[Spork24]

Uber. I’ve been avoiding Uber for COVID reasons, but I caved. Was sort of out of reasonable options at that point, unless I’m not thinking of something.

Piecing together my text time stamps, it looks like around 50 mins from when I was on the Skyliner to CBR to being at Epcot front entrance. Add another 20 or so for the Uber wait and trip. All in all, I guess that’s really not all that bad given the chaos involved. The mobilization of buses certainly wasn’t instant, but not too bad all things considered.

Ultimately we laughed it off as a very 2020 situation, not much else you can do when Disney transportation puts you in a pickle!

If only we had just opted to walk...

Thanks for sharing! I’m wondering what they would have told you if you had asked for yacht club at CBR. I think with the boats down skyliner is the official transit from HS to YC and they may have called you a bus

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Probably a repeat of what others have posted from this past weekend, but FWIW below. I’m curious from anyone there now if the pool hours were just for the holiday weekend or if they’ll shrink back again with the slow fall.

As of yesterday, the signs posted in the YC lobby:


My pic of the other sign is blurry, but here’s what it said:

Recreational Offerings

Storm-A-Long Bay Pool Hours 10am-10pm*

Leisure Pool Hours 7am-11pm*
* Pool hours are Subject to Change

Poolside Activities 2:30pm-8pm
Located at Storm-A-Long Bay

Movie Under the Stars
Located on Shipwreck Beach a the Beach Club

Sunday - Aladdin
Tuesday - Mulan
Thursday - High School Musical
Friday - The Lion King


Note the Leisure Pool Hours above say 7am-11pm, but this is what was posted on the YC Leisure Pool yesterday... so YMMV! And of course the Disney website still says “leisure pools are open 24 hours a day.” So you know, details.

 

[merry_nbright]

Thank you! I’ve got two nights at Yacht in November before moving to Bay Lake Tower and really wanted to enjoy Beaches n Cream and the pool our first day.

 

[TJA]

Another random weekend story. Might take a while to explain, but maybe it’ll help someone if you find yourself in a similar situation.

I knew this situation was technically possible, just not something I had totally thought through or come across on our Skyliner travels to date.

So, DS and I were at DHS yesterday, left mid afternoon. We had walked over earlier that day so opted to take the Skyliner to the Int’l Gateway to get back to YC. There were darker clouds in the far distance, but nothing obviously imminent when we boarded at DHS. Weather was otherwise sunny and pleasant.

En route to the CBR station DW texted to say they had just cleared SAB for lightning. OK.

When we got to the CBR station to transfer, they had stopped boarding all of the lines for weather. OK. So, we were stuck - far from YC!

There was a CM with a microphone asking to come see her to give your name/destination and they said there would be buses shortly. Not thinking much about it and as IG was our destination, we added our name to the Epcot list (note, critical error here).

After awhile they had cleared all of the lines and there were maybe 100-200ish people (rough estimate, always hard to judge head counts) sitting around the CBR station waiting for further instruction. Despite the somewhat chaotic scene and the uncertainty on bus timing, I was pretty impressed by the CM organization/process. I think the lower mid afternoon crowds helped - if this had been a rush hour time, wow it would be messy. I’ll admit it was a bit of a bummer since it was still not actively storming, only a few distant rumbles - I trust the experts that run the system, but it seems the weather tolerance is similar or the same as with pools, I guess?

I didn’t time it exactly, but after roughly 20-25’ish minutes a bus to Epcot came and they called our name to board.

We board the bus, grab our seat. At that point DS10... yes, DS10.... says “you know dad, this is going to take us to the front of Epcot, not the IG.”

Ummm, yeah, I guess you’re right. OK, we’ll just walk through Epcot, no big deal. Oh wait...we can’t....

The error in my decisions quickly came to realization.

So... if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation stuck at the CBR station trying to get back to YC with the Skyliner closed - make sure to put your name on the DHS bus list and then walk back to YC!!!

Or bail and call a rideshare!

It gave me a new appreciation for things to consider when using the Skyliner to get around when weather may be coming.

I could see your predicament unfolding and happening just like it did, lol. Blame it on that darn park hopping that we're not allowed to do right now!

 

[NanetteG]

When reserving a cabana for our upcoming stay I was asked if I wanted "poolside" or "deck". Can anyone offer any insight on the differences between the two? It will be just DH and me for a lazy day. Thanks!

 

[Spazz2k]

When reserving a cabana for our upcoming stay I was asked if I wanted "poolside" or "deck". Can anyone offer any insight on the differences between the two? It will be just DH and me for a lazy day. Thanks!

They are all in the same area...and really close to one another. 2 of the cabanas are closer to the kids water area...and 2 are not. To us, we see no difference as they are really all right there, but the other 2 are about 10 fee further from the edge of the kids pool.

 

[Spazz2k]

Just back from a quick weekend at Yacht Club...a busy weekend, but enjoyable just the same. Here are some quick observations..

Pool was on a line on and off from about 11:45 till about 1:30 ish....the line never really lasted long, as a lot of people were coming and going at the same time. The staff was doing a good job of directing you to an open chair if you arrived after the pool opened, which was nice for families to easily find a place to sit without having to do the hunt in the heat for a chair.

Tip...if you arrive at SAB and they are on a line...go to the back and enter by Hurricane Hannah's bar. You can get in there also, and there is never a line back there.

Best side quiet pool is the one on the Beach Club side on the way to Epcot...never anyone there and it is open 24 hours also. We used it quite a few times, while waiting for SAB to open after storms.

Noticed a lot of people who asked if they could just leave their stuff at their seats when the pool closed for storms....while yes you can, it will not be there when you get back, it will be in lost and found. A lot of people this weekend were asking lifeguards if they could leave it, and they were told...yes you can, but depending on how long it is closed...it will not be here when you get back.

We did order room service and I have to say...it was delicious!! One of the best burgers I have ever had on property!!

While walking around we noticed some 1st floor water view rooms with massive shrubs just grown way to high....I think I would be upset if I paid for a water view room and out my window was just bushes. We were kind of shocked to see some rooms totally blocked from any view.

Has anyone rented a cabana and then have it rain? Are you compensated? do they pro rate it? Just another hmmm, what do they do for you then? Pool was closed from 3pm till 9pm on Sunday night, made us wonder about those who reserved cabana's.

Hurricane Hanna's bar has a very limited menu of quick service items that are pre-made for the day...it was fine for lunch...nothing to rave about, but it did the job. And speaking of doing the job, the bar crew had a line all day for drinks and food, but they kicked it back there and kept the line moving...cheers to them.

All in all it was a fun, quick get away filled with water and laughs...we literally were at a pool the entire weekend and loved it!!

 

[MarBee]

https://www.kennythepirate.com/2020...gsJyeA5Ky1b9HVmvbVWu22-tJmMFxJoEmosAW9C4uJkG4

 

[GADisneyDad14]

https://www.kennythepirate.com/2020...gsJyeA5Ky1b9HVmvbVWu22-tJmMFxJoEmosAW9C4uJkG4

Just to avoid the click-baity article, there is no new info on when the resort Friendship Boat service will be returning. The article (and others I've seen on the same topic today) are only about the service than runs around the World Showcase lagoon inside Epcot. Also not even sure why this is news since it was running when we were there in July... but what do I know!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

When reserving a cabana for our upcoming stay I was asked if I wanted "poolside" or "deck". Can anyone offer any insight on the differences between the two? It will be just DH and me for a lazy day. Thanks!

Just curious, did Disney use that terminology? See the attached pics for the cabana numbering. #1 and #2 are more "poolside" than #3 & #4, which I guess is more "deck" - but that's splitting hairs a bit in the definition, to some extent.

Unless they have very recently changed the booking methodology, you book the specific cabana #, not a type of cabana.

 

[MarBee]

Just to avoid the click-baity article, there is no new info on when the resort Friendship Boat service will be returning. The article (and others I've seen on the same topic today) are only about the service than runs around the World Showcase lagoon inside Epcot. Also not even sure why this is news since it was running when we were there in July... but what do I know!

Oh boo! I thought that this was actually new and meant the boats would be coming back soon to the resorts. Bummer!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Oh boo! I thought that this was actually new and meant the boats would be coming back soon to the resorts. Bummer!

Yeah, I got duped by a similar twitter post from another blog earlier too!

 

[gatormom2tots]

Our food/beverage server was so slow/nonexistent this past weekend, I WISHED I had a cooler. Although in fairness, we rented one two days and the server the second day was fantastic.

Awww....I bet I know EXACTLY which two you were talking about. We were sitting right by the cabanas on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's server in that area was incredibly slow...very nice and apologetic but seemed unprepared for the crowds, I think she was working as hard as she could but seemed to have some mobility issues that slowed her down. I noticed on Sunday she was working over on the BC side and we had a different server who worked her tail off.

But Sunday's server got shafted badly when the storms hit and they cleared us off the deck. Many of us had not closed out our tabs and insisted they allow us to....but I am sure many just took off. We hadn't even scanned our bands so no record of what we had ordered at all. One gentleman said they had ordered over $400 worth of drinks and food. Her computer froze off so she was just asking us what we ordered and wrote it down to run. We asked about tipping her and she just said "no tips." I hate to think of all the people that may have taken off with the rain who left without tipping her or without even paying the bill. I didn't catch her name...but she literally was this tiny woman who I watched run back and forth to the bar in an attempt to clear tabs when they closed the deck.

We had a wonderful weekend...but they are going through some growing/re-opening pains with the food service and mobil ordering.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Just curious, did Disney use that terminology? See the attached pics for the cabana numbering. #1 and #2 are more "poolside" than #3 & #4, which I guess is more "deck" - but that's splitting hairs a bit in the definition, to some extent.

Unless they have very recently changed the booking methodology, you book the specific cabana #, not a type of cabana.

I just booked a cabana yesterday and I was given a cabana #.

 

[NanetteG]

They are all in the same area...and really close to one another. 2 of the cabanas are closer to the kids water area...and 2 are not. To us, we see no difference as they are really all right there, but the other 2 are about 10 fee further from the edge of the kids pool.

There are only 4 of them?

Just curious, did Disney use that terminology? See the attached pics for the cabana numbering. #1 and #2 are more "poolside" than #3 & #4, which I guess is more "deck" - but that's splitting hairs a bit in the definition, to some extent.

Unless they have very recently changed the booking methodology, you book the specific cabana #, not a type of cabana.

Yes, the cm used that exact terminology, but it did take him almost 45 minutes to complete the reservation so I think it may have been a new process for him. I was surprised to come to this board to learn there are only 4 cabanas. My conversation with the cm gave me the impression there were dozens. I was not given a #.