Hi all,
We just returned from a 10-day stay at the Beach Club, my second onsite stay at Disneyworld.
We arrived about 3 p.m. on Friday 08/16 and I'd requested non-smoking and full balcony. I had also had them note this was our 10-year anniversary, but honestly didn't expect anything and wasn't disappointed when it wasn't acknowledged. I was disappointed that my balcony request wasn't met but we did have a first floor room with a full patio anyhow. The room was in the very last row of the hotel closest to Epcot gateway and was great for coming and going there, but I must say it was pretty far to just about everything else, except the quiet pool thankfully!
The hotel itself was very nice. Our room wasn't ready when we got there and when they did let us in, they hadn't finished cleaning it. Maid service was okay the remaining days, but it seemed hurried and the beds seemed hastily thrown back together. Better that then the beer bottles and caps one woman told me she found all over her room when she checked in! The room itself was large enough with a roomier than expected entranceway and closet area/sink area. A few stains on the rug but nothing major, the paint was in good shape and I didn't really notice a huge amount of wear and tear that others have talked about of late.
Stormalong Bay was awesome, particularly the slide and the swim area on the Beach Club side. My daughter did try to venture over to the Yacht Club side as she wanted to play in the sand, but she only stayed in there about 5 minutes before she deemed it yucky because of duck poop in the water. It was noisy and croweded, but you could most always find a chair in a pinch and they did check that you were guests and gave out paper bracelets. There was a lot of construction going on to the facade of the YC near the pool area as well as in the middle of the pool area where a gazebo is, so it was quite noisy with hammering and what not and not all that pretty to look at.
Beaches and Cream was a nightmare, crowded and inaccesible for an ice cream after parks closed. We did eat breakfast there one day and it wasn't so bad. The Cape May character breakfast was awesome and is highly recommended.
Overall we enjoyed our stay, it seemed crowded but it was fun. Service was okay, but not what one would expect from a so-called deluxe resort. All said, we'd still stay there again however, mainly because of location but also because it IS a nice place and maybe was just having a bad hair week or something!
That all said, I would like to make another comment. As mentioned above, this was our second onsite stay, the first being last year, same timeframe, but at the WDW Dolphin. I think I qualify as being pretty unbiased and can honestly say that we didn't notice more magic by staying at a disney-owned resort. These two hotels have virtually the same location and each have unique qualities that put one over the other, but I completely didn't find that one has more magic than the other.
In comparison to last year, and aside from the resort differences, we totally noticed changes affecting the total magic of our trip. Last year we had early entry, later closing times, and more rest and relaxation because we got more time mid-day. This year, with the absence of early entry and the earlier hours, it was harder to get a lot done in the morning and take a longer mid-day break. That and transportation was slower to boot. We got everything done we wanted to do and saw everything we wanted to see, but we definitely didn't have the same amount of down time.
Sorry this turned out long, hope I didn't bore you all to death! Please feel free to ask any specific questions...
We just returned from a 10-day stay at the Beach Club, my second onsite stay at Disneyworld.
We arrived about 3 p.m. on Friday 08/16 and I'd requested non-smoking and full balcony. I had also had them note this was our 10-year anniversary, but honestly didn't expect anything and wasn't disappointed when it wasn't acknowledged. I was disappointed that my balcony request wasn't met but we did have a first floor room with a full patio anyhow. The room was in the very last row of the hotel closest to Epcot gateway and was great for coming and going there, but I must say it was pretty far to just about everything else, except the quiet pool thankfully!
The hotel itself was very nice. Our room wasn't ready when we got there and when they did let us in, they hadn't finished cleaning it. Maid service was okay the remaining days, but it seemed hurried and the beds seemed hastily thrown back together. Better that then the beer bottles and caps one woman told me she found all over her room when she checked in! The room itself was large enough with a roomier than expected entranceway and closet area/sink area. A few stains on the rug but nothing major, the paint was in good shape and I didn't really notice a huge amount of wear and tear that others have talked about of late.
Stormalong Bay was awesome, particularly the slide and the swim area on the Beach Club side. My daughter did try to venture over to the Yacht Club side as she wanted to play in the sand, but she only stayed in there about 5 minutes before she deemed it yucky because of duck poop in the water. It was noisy and croweded, but you could most always find a chair in a pinch and they did check that you were guests and gave out paper bracelets. There was a lot of construction going on to the facade of the YC near the pool area as well as in the middle of the pool area where a gazebo is, so it was quite noisy with hammering and what not and not all that pretty to look at.
Beaches and Cream was a nightmare, crowded and inaccesible for an ice cream after parks closed. We did eat breakfast there one day and it wasn't so bad. The Cape May character breakfast was awesome and is highly recommended.
Overall we enjoyed our stay, it seemed crowded but it was fun. Service was okay, but not what one would expect from a so-called deluxe resort. All said, we'd still stay there again however, mainly because of location but also because it IS a nice place and maybe was just having a bad hair week or something!
That all said, I would like to make another comment. As mentioned above, this was our second onsite stay, the first being last year, same timeframe, but at the WDW Dolphin. I think I qualify as being pretty unbiased and can honestly say that we didn't notice more magic by staying at a disney-owned resort. These two hotels have virtually the same location and each have unique qualities that put one over the other, but I completely didn't find that one has more magic than the other.
In comparison to last year, and aside from the resort differences, we totally noticed changes affecting the total magic of our trip. Last year we had early entry, later closing times, and more rest and relaxation because we got more time mid-day. This year, with the absence of early entry and the earlier hours, it was harder to get a lot done in the morning and take a longer mid-day break. That and transportation was slower to boot. We got everything done we wanted to do and saw everything we wanted to see, but we definitely didn't have the same amount of down time.
Sorry this turned out long, hope I didn't bore you all to death! Please feel free to ask any specific questions...
