Resort Thread Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB Resorts

[jlwise]

So this confuses me. I thought it was 60 days from the day you want it. How could there be no availability for your whole stay? Is it 60 days + length of stay, like ADRs??

That’s what I thought! I was prepared to call every morning to hopefully get a cabana for one of our days, but the CM told me that people can book up to ten days, 60 days from arrival. He said that means people who were able to call yesterday, but they were staying for a week, grabbed them all up It was honestly super disappointing. He offered me one at the Contemporary, and I was like no the whole reason we picked BC was for the pool.

 

[focusondisney]

That’s what I thought! I was prepared to call every morning to hopefully get a cabana for one of our days, but the CM told me that people can book up to ten days, 60 days from arrival. He said that means people who were able to call yesterday, but they were staying for a week, grabbed them all up It was honestly super disappointing. He offered me one at the Contemporary, and I was like no the whole reason we picked BC was for the pool.

Thanks so much for the info! I had no idea it worked that way.

Edit to add: And boy does it crack me up hearing how the cabanas are so fully booked now. What a difference the pandemic has made with attitudes about them. When they were first announced there were many comments about how expensive they were & probably won’t be fully booked. And now, it’s hard to get one.

 

[hippiechicken]

I'm not sure how I missed that cabanas are part of the 60+10. I didn't get one for my date after holding for almost 90 minutes this morning...

 

[HiStitch626]

We're taking a quick weekend trip for Flower and Garden Apr 23-26 - couldn't pass up the discount at YC

Those of you who have been recently, how is SAB in the later afternoon and evening? Any long waits or issues finding a lounger?

 

[Njber116]

Just checked in at YC after spending weeks obsessively calling about cabana cancelations for our resort-only stay. My husband thought I was nuts staying on hold for 1-2 hours at a clip in the evening and even my 4 year old learned the theme song to Indiana Jones which he now requests we play on Spotify with some regularity.
Anyway, I never was able to find availability but in the end, I’m actually glad! When we arrived today around 12:30 and our room wasn’t ready, we headed straight for SAB and saw a line of two groups or so in front of us (a large group of 8 or more and a group of 4). About 5 minutes later we were given wristbands and were ushered to our seats by a cast member. The wait wasn’t bad at all and the next two days look downright chilly - rainy and in the 70s tomorrow and high of 66 on Friday. It’s a bummer we won’t be able to take advantage of the pool (unless we are feeling brave in cooler temps) but boy am I glad I didn’t spend the $300+ on a cabana.
And to top it off we got a bit of pixie dust at check in with an upgrade from a garden view to water view room!
So for all those worried about cabanas, I wouldn’t stress too much. You never know what other magic may be in store! Wishing y’all a magical trip and happy to answer any questions while we are here.
As an aside, we were at AKL Kidani before this and LOVED it! Perfect resort for a resort-only stay IMO! Tried DS twice and way too crowded and mask compliance was way too poor for us to feel comfortable. Left almost immediately (save for our lunch at Boathouse which was delicious and did feel safe).

 

[natebenma]

Page 1793

My dates changed for May/June since I cut down my trip to 8 days...my TA couldn’t get theme park view availability at the GF for my new timeframe and my #1 Must Do for this trip is waking up and looking out the window at the castle on my birthday, and avoiding the need to change resorts that day. It really a double edged sword having a birthday that tends to fall around Memorial Day, lol. So today I changed it to 5/29 - 6/1 at the GF and 6/1 - 6/5 at YC. I keep my nice views at both resorts and have a low stress birthday. The one hitch is no AP discount for the last night in Water View, but my TA is on the hunt and she’s great at snagging stuff like that.

I just hope the pool situation improves...I am going to try to get a cabana or patio at GF on Memorial Day to avoid the crowds (and day 3 is always a rest day at the resort on any time I go for a week or more). But I am worried about needing one at SAB now...I didn’t get to enjoy it as much because it was too chilly when I stayed at BC.

Got it! I'll adjust the list.

:

We have a cabana rented for this weekend. It was $318 10am-7pm. I called less than 60 days in advance but if you have a preference as to which one you want, calling at 60 days makes sense. Good luck!

to the thread and thank you for posting this helpful information.

Hi - New to YC - almost always at POR... with it closed and a last-minute quick trip for me and my husband, we splurged. So excited! I've been scrolling back through, but wanted to ask (see what I missed)... is bus the best way to Magic Kingdom... i.e., does it drop you off at Magic Kingdom versus the TTC? And, if so, when do we need to be in bus line to get in early (our goal is to be at MK at 8/815 am for 9 am opening)? We are going late April, so a bit quieter with Spring Break having died down). Seems like I've read that uber/lyft drop you at TTC and if you drive, you have to park at TTC. Last visit, we took a lyft and picked up a mobile order from Contempo Cafe to walk over to MK, but I've heard that their policy on letting you do that may have changed. Not sure we'd have time for a sit-down reservation at the Wave.

Thanks in advance - and thanks for the tips in this thread; super helpful!

I'll add you to the Be Our Guest list we keep on Page 1, Post 15.

Thanks for your kind words about the thread! Please let us know if you have any other questions about the resort.

Hi Dee, We are finally coming back home to the Beach club 5/30-6/6 if you can add us to the list. We are taking the plunge since we haven't been back since June 2019

back!

I'll add you to the list!

My husband and I are headed to the YC June 6-11 this year. It will be his first trip but my 20th or so (I usually go with my mom) so I'm hoping to make this as magical as possible for him Can you add us the the Be Our Guest list?

Also, a couple of questions for people who have been there recently....I would assume they aren't doing refillable mugs right now, but do you know if you can still buy them in the gift store? Is the Coke freestyle machine working in Ale and Compass? And are there still coffee machines in the rooms and if so are they Keurigs? Is it easy to get extra pods or do you have to bring your own? Thanks so much!

back!

I'll add you to the list.

You have probably received answers to your questions from our friends here who are picking up my slack, but if not, I'll come back and edit this answer (even though I don't have any recent experience to draw from)

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thank you for your thoughts! I appreciate your honestly. I’m trying to weigh and balance my expectations against reality along with trying to decide if we should just cancel the trip. We do have travel insurance, so I think we can wait and cancel pretty close to our arrival date. The only bummer is that we have the Military Salute tickets that have to be used by Sept of this year

You shouldn't have any trouble getting a great table in the shade, or in the sun, if you go when the pool opens. There is a great location in SAB that we call Tree Island. It is shady and has at least three tables now but can hold more, with additional lounge chairs. It is is our favorite location and a good place to sit if you can't get a cabana. The other tables that people love are close to the Beach Club and across from the pool area where they have games. If you have kids who would use the Pirate slide then I would sit over here. If you have young children who will spend all their time in the shallow kids pool, then sit at tree island or at the tables that are next to the cabanas. This area almost always has tables open.

Our experience at SAB, and there have been many of them is that the good tables start filling up around 11am. Just get there early and you will be fine.

 

[disneyworldsk]

Breakfast at the resort is better than waiting until you are in the parks. The offerings in the parks are limited and lines are long. It is better to get on as many rides as you can before the crowds build.

You can do mobile ordering at both the YC Marketplace, the Beach Club Marketplace and at Ale and Compass. We prefer the Beach Club because they serve the Bounty Platter.

What's the bounty platter? Thank you. Also, can you advise how to handle ROR at DHS for 7 a.m. log in and breakfast? Do you stay at YC and do it from there on property or skip breakfast and go to dhs and do it from there? Thank you for helping me.

 

[disneyworldsk]

Perhaps stating the obvious, but definitely don't go in expecting Disney to be limited capacity at the resorts. They'd likely sell every room if they could.

There's a real thin line, IMO, with the way Disney is currently operating the resorts and the guest experience. Overall I think the experience is fine and there is plenty of magic/vacation fun to be found.... BUT... things just get squeezed in new and different ways. SAB waits at peak times is one way (we had a brief capacity closure over Labor Day weekend way back in Sept 2020), lines for elevators, lines for the quick services and long mobile-ordering waits, crazy long lines at HH, etc. Granted everything I said above is describing peak experiences and not 24/7 situations, but they do happen of/on over the course of a stay depending on your timing.

Sorry for the tangent and the slight downer perspective, I just think it's best to keep an open mind at the moment. It was one thing last summer and into the fall when occupancies were low and generally things were fine. As travel returns, hot summer weather returns, Disney demand grows, I think some of the resort experiences are going to continue to feel the pressure at times.

After reading this I am newbie to this thread and new to mid pandemic travel to wdw, first time return. so now i'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. staying mid june, yc. what are the tips you recommend for navigating this june regarding these issues you brought up here for me? And should i switch resorts? seems like this yc/bc is sounding 'larger' then i anticipated. i mean frankly i had no idea you can't just go to a pool for a few minutes and it was so structured, how naive am i? i feel sort of dumb now!

 

[VicarJT]

You can absolutely go to a pool for a few minutes. There is a "quiet pool" in addition to the main pool, and I've not heard of any issues with dropping by there for a quick swim.

 

[Best Aunt]

After reading this I am newbie to this thread and new to mid pandemic travel to wdw, first time return. so now i'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. staying mid june, yc. what are the tips you recommend for navigating this june regarding these issues you brought up here for me? And should i switch resorts? seems like this yc/bc is sounding 'larger' then i anticipated. i mean frankly i had no idea you can't just go to a pool for a few minutes and it was so structured, how naive am i? i feel sort of dumb now!

Stormalong Bay is the big pool for Yacht Club/Beach Club/Beach Club Villas. Disney cast members check to make sure you are staying at the resort before you are allowed to use that pool complex; they did that before the Pandemic. YC, BC and BCV each has a "quiet" pool, meaning no slide or other special features. You can use any of those if staying at any of those resorts. Stormalong Bay could reach capacity, meaning you would have to wait before you would be allowed to enter that pool complex.

Many, many things at Disney World are different than they were pre-pandemic. The things that PP mentioned are not limited to YC/BC/BCV. Lines for elevators actually could be more of an issue at a hotel which is a tower rather than a short hotel. Waits to pick up your quick service mobile order can happen anywhere, particularly at the parks. ADRs (dining reservations) could be hard to make if restaurants are limiting capacity. If you read the threads in the Theme Park board and the Restaurant board, you will know what to expect.

 

[PCFriar80]

What's the bounty platter? Thank you. Also, can you advise how to handle ROR at DHS for 7 a.m. log in and breakfast? Do you stay at YC and do it from there on property or skip breakfast and go to dhs and do it from there? Thank you for helping me.

I hope @woodnymph doesn't mind me stepping in but thought I could help you out with your questions! First off the bounty platter is my go to post 10K and 1/2 marathon "snack" during marathon weekend! It consists of scrambled eggs, a mickey waffle, bacon, sausage, home fries [I think they call it potato casserole] and a biscuit.

As far as ROR BG, you do not need to be at DHS at 7:00 AM. In fact it's not even open then. Or it wasn't when we were there a few months ago. When we were there in December and January [9:00 opening], I used my iPad with in room WIFI and got BG 38 in December and back to back [Sunday/Monday] BG18s in January. Results may vary based on WIFI strength. There is whole thread dedicated to tips/techniques for securing a BG with various devices/networks. My suggestion would be to try to get your ROR BG at 7:00 and then tackle breakfast after that. You'll know in less than 15 seconds if you have success with getting a BG. You'll need to be nimble and quick and then refortify with a bounty platter!

 

[kylenne]

To piggyback on the RotR BG question, is 5G available at YC? I have Verizon and an iPhone 12 Pro and am wondering whether I should bring my mobile 5G hotspot.

 

[Mcterry]

Thanks for the info about the cabana...I called at 7 central time and was on hold for about an hour, I didn’t get one for our arrival day May 31 but did for June 5th. 24 hour cancellation policy. I am more concerned about dining. I barely got anything and tried multiple restaurants. My parents are with us and will need to rest out of the sun, plus I have lupus and will need to get out of the sun some. I will keep looking but it did concern me. I was able to get a droid and a light saber spot (one kid wanted one, and one the other). I ended up getting them for our AK day instead of HS bc we have park hoppers and it’s an 8PM reservation. And that way we don’t have to carry them around all day!

 

[jlundeen]

To piggyback on the RotR BG question, is 5G available at YC? I have Verizon and an iPhone 12 Pro and am wondering whether I should bring my mobile 5G hotspot.

This is a thread where they have all sorts of info on getting BGs, with folks offering lots of tips and what has worked for them. The best tip is to be sure to practice practice practice to be very familiar about how the screens work, and most days, boarding groups are filled within about 2 seconds.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...planning-and-information-no-spoilers.3782822/

 

[kylenne]

This is a thread where they have all sorts of info on getting BGs, with folks offering lots of tips and what has worked for them.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...planning-and-information-no-spoilers.3782822/

Thanks but I know about that thread...I thought YC's cell situation would be a better ask here.

 

[HiStitch626]

If having the hotspot is only about getting a boarding group, then I do not think it necessary. Wifi and regular data both work fine.

 

[pixiemama91]

Since we booked our flights today I guess I can finally say that we are officially going to be in Disney this summer!! We are going 8/18-8/28. I am a little concerned that it may be too long in current times but at the same time, maybe it will be nice to have a more leisurely trip.

 

[jlundeen]

Thanks but I know about that thread...I thought YC's cell situation would be a better ask here.

I thought that since there have been a few questions on getting BGs lately I'd post for who ever needed the link.... hope you have good luck getting your BG for your trip!

 

[jlwise]

You shouldn't have any trouble getting a great table in the shade, or in the sun, if you go when the pool opens. There is a great location in SAB that we call Tree Island. It is shady and has at least three tables now but can hold more, with additional lounge chairs. It is is our favorite location and a good place to sit if you can't get a cabana. The other tables that people love are close to the Beach Club and across from the pool area where they have games. If you have kids who would use the Pirate slide then I would sit over here. If you have young children who will spend all their time in the shallow kids pool, then sit at tree island or at the tables that are next to the cabanas. This area almost always has tables open.

Our experience at SAB, and there have been many of them is that the good tables start filling up around 11am. Just get there early and you will be fine.

Thank you!! This is excellent information! Some days we will go into the parks, so we will be rolling into the pool around 2:00 or 3:00. I guess those are the days that may be an issue. My kids are 11 and 8, and both can swim. This should hopefully allow for us to be flexible and grab a table or chair wherever we find one.