First stay at the Beach Club

[nzdisneymom]

We decided in late April / early May to spend this weekend at WDW to celebrate the end of the school year. When I called (skeptical that anything would even be available), the Beach Club had a studio we could get, and as we haven't ever stayed here before, we opted to give it a go, even though it wasn't the best use of points (29-pts per night).

We arrived on Friday, 5/30, around 6:45 p.m. Our unit was ready for us, so after a quick check-in and directions, we parked the car, unloaded and came on in. We're on the 3rd floor and have a big balcony overlooking the Dunes Cove quiet pool. The boys and DH are down swimming while I'm typing this

We have learned from previous DVC stays that it is important to check things out as soon as you come in so that if something needs to be fixed, replaced, or brought to the unit, there will be plenty of time to do it. So we checked the sofa bed - it's one of the new models - and it was already made with fresh sheets, and the blanket and pillows were stored in the bed as well.

We turned the refrigerator to a cooler setting as it didn't feel very cool, but it was on a low setting. When we came back to the room several hours later, it still was not cool -- and that's when I noticed that the light was also not on. Great... a non-working refrigerator. Well, it turns out that after some checking, DH discovered that it was unplugged (the plug is under the sink in the cabinet, not behind the frig as I had feared it would be). So it's fine now - just thought I'd mention it in case anyone else ever encountered such a thing.

Then I tried to hook up to the internet - important because I need to do some work via an internet connection on Sunday before we leave. So I set up and plugged in by the table and no connection. I changed out my network cord for the new one that the unit had, and still no connection. I could tell from the box that the connection had been used a bit much and it was cracked. Great. No internet.

We ran into SSRMonkey and his family outside and while talking to them, SSRMonkey's dad said that he had ended up plugging in directly to the modem behind the phone. So after we got back to the room, I tried that - still no connection, although some of the lights would flash on and off depending on what port I was in. So I called tech services. I got put through to a level-two support person (Jason) who was very helpful and patient. We tried a few things after he immediately saw that we were not getting an IP address. After about 20 minutes on the phone trying to get the modem to reset, he said he would just need to have the modem replaced in our unit and that would happen on Saturday morning. When we came back to the room after lunch today, the modem had been replaced and the network cord was plugged in by the table and it had a service tag on it. And everything worked fine and dandy.

I did want to also comment that when I pulled the phone table away from the wall to get to the modem, I was impressed at how it was clean and not at all dusty back there. I was a little "scared" to pull it out to start with, unsure of what I would find!

So all our little minor inconveniences were taken care of easily, and we have enjoyed our room, the little we've been here. It's comfortable and I really like the sofa bed better than the others - if for no other reason than I don't have to stack cushions in the corner

I'll write about our WDW experiences in the next post.

 

[AKV707]

Thanks for the report. Glad to hear that all is working now and that your studio is in good shape. Pretty cool that you were able to get BCV!

 

[nzdisneymom]

After we checked in and checked out the room, we headed over to Epcot. How wonderful to take a path and walk out and be nearly at the entrance to Epcot's International Gateway. I can see why people like to stay here for the Food and Wine Festival as well as other events like the Flower and Garden show! How convenient!

The weather was great - temperature by this time was nearly perfect. We went to Canada so DS1 and I could see the new (to us) movie with Martin Short. We really enjoyed it. Then up to America for a quick dinner at the Liberty Inn. Tony Orlando was the guest performer at the theater outside. Then it was time for Illuminations which we haven't seen in about 8 years.

We made the short walk back to the room, and then decided to go check out the lobby and gift shop, and search out some Mickey Ice Cream bars. That's when we ran into SSRMonkey and his family. We walked through the Solarium and then found our way to the gift shop where we did, indeed, find Mickey Ice Cream bars.

We didn't stay up too late, but it was 11:30 or so before we'd all gotten into bed to sleep.

 

[Corinne]

Love the BCV! Tell Art hi for me!!!!! I will have to check out the new movie in Canada, how was it? It has been nearly 20 years since we last saw the movie and I love Martin Short!

 

[Nikisha421]

i got a weekend at BCV for two weekends away by calling MS last week. Cant wait have fun

 

[nzdisneymom]

Saturday morning, DH got up early and went for a run. He went over to DHS and back and looped around some paths at BCV. Then he sat out by the quiet pool for a while because he knew the boys and I were likely still sleeping

We got up and had breakfast and were out the door by 9 a.m. Ever since becoming DVC members, we've found that we don't get out the door early any more!

We headed over to AK as DH and DS2 wanted to do Kali River Rapids, so they wore their swim suits and we headed up there first. It was a 20 minute line. DS1 and I walked through the jungle trail while they were doing KRR. As we were finishing the trail, there was a spot you could peek through the bamboo and brush and see where KRR loads and unloads. We looked through there to see if we could see them, but we couldn't, so we figured they were already on. We found the bridge to wait on so we could watch for them. As it turns out, you can also see part of the queue, and we spotted them in the line. It was a bit past 20 minutes at that point, but we just figured the line was longer. They saw us and waved.

So we watched for them and got a short video of them coming through at the end which was fun. When they got off the ride, they were totally soaked, but very excited to tell us that they had gone TWICE They said they didn't get "wet enough" on the first round and the line was really only about a 5-10 minute wait.

Next we went to see about expedition Everest but the FP return time was too late for us. Neither of the boys wanted to do the ride so we hadn't gone to get FPs before KRR - but then DS2 wanted to do it. Sorry, no go. But we did stop to see It's Tough to be a Bug which we haven't seen in about 8 years ever since I had to take DS1 out as a screaming 3 y.o. DS2 liked it as a toddler but we just quit going ... DS2 and DH would go while DS1 and I would wait before. But DS1 suggested seeing it again and enjoyed it except the dark scary part and some of the 4-D effects. He has decided as a nearly 12-yr old that his 3-yr old instincts were right - this is not the show for him!

We headed back to "bus world" which is what we call the shared buses for thw Swan/Dolphin/Yacht/Beach/Boardwalk. It's one of the reasons we hadn't tried to stay at the Beach Club before; we didn't want to be jammed up with the buses. Speaking of buses, we had a 25-min wait at BCV to get the bus to AK - there was a CM doing data collection on the bus arrivals. We had our own bus (not shared) over to AK. We had to wait about 20 minutes for the return bus.

We planned to eat lunch at Beaches and Cream, so we got off at the Yacht Club stop and just walked through since B/C is located midway between the two. We checked in and were told it would be about 20 minutes, so DH/DS2 went up to the room to put on some dry shoes, and DS1 went to take some pictures. Our time was actually about 10 minutes, so DS1 and I went on in and ordered for all of us. Lunch was yummy - I had the grilled chicken caesar salad; DH had the burger; DS2 had the hot dog; and DS1 had a side of fries (gotta love vacation food, eh?).

We had planned to have the kids enjoy Stormalong Bay after lunch, but our plans changed when I called a friend who lives in ORL only to find that she and her DDs were just arriving at DHS (where we planned to go later in the afternoon). We have not seen them in a while and since they were planning to spend the afternoon at DHS, we changed our plans and met them.

At DHS, we watched the Block Party which was amazingly fun. Our green soldier was very interactive with the audience, and the performers were so energetic. It was HOT though - and to think that the performers basically do two back-to-back shows - well, hats off to them!

We spent some time in the Animator's Courtyard and got our pictures made with Mickey. The kids had fun with the interactive sing-along where Ursula steals your voice. And it was seriously air-conditioned

We spent some time gulping down ice water and then the kids went to play in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area - they had a great time there and ran off some energy. We went into the exhibit area of the American Film Institute (the exit area for the backlot tour) and looked at the exhibits for Pirates, Narnia, and Enchanted. It was very cool as we liked all three movies (series).

Then it was time for Toy Story Mania which was most excellent! It was the official opening and the lines were constant. We lucked into some dream-passes for the ride (I'm not sure how that happened - guess my friend has some connections??) so we didn't have the 90 - 140 minute stand-by queue. Hint: If you're planning to do TSM, go early in the day!!! And shoot for the high-point-values as the more HPVs you shoot, the more that come out! One thing I like about TSM is that if the ride has to stop, the point values that you shoot at turn to zero, so no racking up extra points while you're waiting like you can do on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

After TSM, we walked up to Star Tours. While we were heading over there, we saw a big plume of smoke - something was not only burning in the Orlando area, but it was raining ash on us. Yikes! I checked the news later and it was a brush fire off the Osceola Parkway.

As we left DHS, our friends drove over to the Beach Club to meet us for dinner while we took the boat. They got there way quicker than we did. We had dinner back at Beaches and Cream. This time DH got chili, onion rings and a milk shake, I got the burger, DS2 got a Mickey Sundae and side of fries, and DS1 got a side of fries and a milk shake. We enjoyed our meal again.

After dinner, we took a walk around the loop over to the Boardwalk where we encountered a Magician that was entertaining. He pulled one of our friend's DDs to be his assistant - it was great fun and she is still amazed at how she put a torn napkin back together but his didn't work. We crossed the bridge between Boardwalk and Beach Club just in time to see some of the fireworks from Illuminations, and then back to the Beach Club. They were showing Enchanted on the movie screen by the beach, and earlier they had a campfire and smores (for a fee - love how they are free at Vero Beach).

Then it was time to say goodbye to our friends - it was a nice unexpected addition to our weekend as I hadn't called ahead as I thought they were already out of school and would be out of town -- turns out they have one more week.

After we got back to the room, the boys went swimming for a while and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of our room.

Now it is Sunday morning. DH has gone for a run; the boys are still sleeping, and I'm thinking about packing but it's only 8:30 and we don't have to be out yet. Although about 20 minutes ago, the mousekeeping knocked on our door. Yikes! Glad I wasn't still asleep! I told her we'd be here for a while longer.

At first I couldnt' figure out why she was knocking so early - then it dawned on me. We didn't have any to-the-room charges, so we didn't get a check-out envelope. No check-out envelope on the door and she probably thought we had already left. So that makes sense.

We're off to the Magic Kingdom in a while where we have plans for lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern and then shortly after that, we have to head for home. No school for the kids, but plenty of work for the parents!

Thanks for reading. I'll try to get some pictures up in a bit.

 

[CarolMN]

Loved reading your reports -thanks for taking part of your vacation to share with us.

 

[nzdisneymom]

DH and DS2 have gone to Stormalong Bay while DS1 and I are enjoying our room for the last little bit. He loves the channel with the old cartoons. DS1 and I got packed up as much as we could until the others come back.

And LOL - they just came in! DS2 has a certificate for being First One on the Slide! DS2 and DH went on the slide multiple times - DS2 went six and DH went five. DH said the lifeguard gave him tips for getting some good speed on the slide, too. They are so excited! DS2 also got a sword and eye patch for being first down the slide SAB opens at 9 a.m. They said a few people were in the pool area.

And next up, some pictures from our studio... I always like to share them because I always enjoy seeing peeks into the rooms if I've not stayed somewhere before (or even if I have).

 

[nzdisneymom]

I always start my picture taking with the bathroom - I don't know why except maybe because that's where my family heads first when we enter a room!

and then the kitchen area.

 

[nzdisneymom]

And then the rest of the studio.

 

[nzdisneymom]

We are in studio 360 and have the larger balcony. Here are some photos from outside.

See how the unit above ours has the balcony just over it. Not so much privacy here, but I don't know if we even had direct upstairs neighbors. We did have upstairs and over neighbors.

 

[nzdisneymom]

And miscellaneous pictures. This one is from the Solarium.

Waiting for the boat to go to DHS.

 

[nzdisneymom]

And the Mickey ice cream sundae.

 

[itsreally4mommy]

Love the pics. So how was the studio for the 4 of you?

 

[nzdisneymom]

Love the pics. So how was the studio for the 4 of you?

The studio worked out fine for us for a couple of nights, but any longer and it's getting too small for us. Actually we felt like the studio at Beach Club was a little bigger than the one at Saratoga Springs - I'm not sure that it is, but it felt a little bigger to us. Having the larger balcony was nice, too, and I think if we ever stayed more than two nights in a studio, we'd want the larger balcony so we'd have a bit extra room.

Of course our last Disney stay was a 3-night cruise on the Wonder, so maybe that's why the room felt big to us (LOL).

 

[Corinne]

LOL, Cindy, when I read your first installment and you mentioned the balcony I just KNEW it was that room! We had it last year (or the year before) we were either in a 1br or a 2br though. It's huge!!!!!!!!

 

[Starr W.]

The studio worked out fine for us for a couple of nights, but any longer and it's getting too small for us. Actually we felt like the studio at Beach Club was a little bigger than the one at Saratoga Springs - I'm not sure that it is, but it felt a little bigger to us. Having the larger balcony was nice, too, and I think if we ever stayed more than two nights in a studio, we'd want the larger balcony so we'd have a bit extra room.

Of course our last Disney stay was a 3-night cruise on the Wonder, so maybe that's why the room felt big to us (LOL).

We stayed in a 2br at BCV and thought it felt smaller than a 2br at SSR!

 

[nzdisneymom]

We finished packing up and stored our luggage in the car while we headed over to the Magic Kingdom for a while. We figured out the shorter way to the bus stop (cutting through by the Dunes Cove pool and taking the path there was more direct than the way we had gone the day before). We saw the MK bus pulling up, so DH and the boys made a run for it. There were no other passengers on the bus, so the driver waited for us. Whew - I told her that no one told me it was Marathon weekend (LOL).

We arrived at MK and it was hot and busy at the entrance, but once we got in, it was still hot but not congested with people. It was about 10:30 when we arrived. We headed straight for Haunted Mansion where it was a 5 minute wait (sign said 10). It was air conditioned

Then we went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which had a 20-minute wait which was actually 15-minutes. We were in the second car which is always a bit "disappointing" because you can feel the brakes as you start to descend, but we still had fun because we would raise our hands and scream like crazy during the slow parts!

We took a slow walk toward the Liberty Tree Tavern where we had ADR's for 11:55. It was about 11:30 and they had just opened but were not busy, so we went head and checked in. They gave us a pager - that was something new to us - and we waited less than 5 minutes to be paged for our table. Our server was Will from Lake City and he was really great. He said this was the first Sunday in quite a while that they weren't jammed busy. He told us that they switched to pagers instead of calling family names so that especially during the dinners, people could wait outside as it was usually so loud that no one could hear their names anyway.

We had an enjoyable lunch. DH and I both got the Pilgrim's Feast, while DS2 had mac/cheese and DS1 had a fruit cup. We also asked for rolls (and plenty of them), and Will accomodated us with a big basket of warm, soft, delicious rolls. Mmmmm... The boys got ice cream for dessert (DH and I had NO ROOM after the yummy meal). We also bought one of the mugs for DH's Father's Day present. I have one from Cinderella Castle that I love to use for smoothies and such - it's just a way of keeping some Disney fun/magic at home.

After lunch, we strolled over to Pirates where the sign said 10 minutes, but we got the red-thing to change the time. The wait was 15 minutes, but again, it was air conditioned! After we left the Pirates pavilion, I noticed a stage area I hadn't seen before across the way and wondered if they have moved the Pirate demonstration over there.

Next up, we're ready to go, but we last time, we didn't take the train around the park, so we wanted to do it. DS2 used the camera to take pictures around the way, but DS1 wanted to use it, too, so we took a 2nd trip around. Then off to the bus to head back to the Beach Club.

Because we knew we needed to use the restroom before leaving, we got off at the Yacht Club stop as I didn't want to have to "back track" at the Beach Club. I love the restrooms at both the Yacht Club and the Beach Club that are indoors by their restaurants. They are air conditioned (LOL) and they keep fresh washcloths in the baskets. What a nice way to freshen-up before heading home -- a cool cloth for the face and whew - we all felt better! DS2's face was really flushed from the heat, so that helped him feel tremendously better.

We were going to get drinks at the Marketplace to take with us, but decided since we were going to stop for gas at the Hess station ($3.83 for regular), that we'd just get a drink there. What a bargain - -44 oz fountain drinks for 99-cents; we would've paid $2 for a 20 oz bottle at WDW. And the cups fit nicely in the car's cup holders (LOL).

We will definitely stay at the Beach Club again!

Thanks for reading our report.

 

[bub]

Thanks for the report on the short but fun trip. Wish we lived closer and could try a trip like that. I was glad to see the pictures of your family - when you wrote about DS1 and 2, I was at first thinking that they were one and two years old - OK my mistake! I was amazed with the amount they could eat and the rides they tried.

We hope to get to Beaches and Cream in August when we go - for some reason I can never find that place.

 

[mla973]

Thanks for the photos and review. We're headed to our first stay at BCV over Labor Day and can't wait!