Newbie Help - Yacht & Beach in August

[aayre]

Hey there,

Taking my wife and 2 girls (9 & 13) in August (16th) for 2 weeks, one week at Disneys yacht & beach and one week at Royal Pacific. We've only been there once and didn't stay in the resort. One concern was the crowds and heat in mid august when booking, although crown calendars say its not as busy??

Is the hotel in a good location to visit the parks and any top tips how to battle the heat ands make use of the hotel location? We only have 6 days in Disney so want to make the most before we go to Universal.

 

[Wood Nymph]

You will find a lot of information about the Yacht and Beach Club on this thread:

Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB RESORTS Information & Questions Updated Info on Page 1 Post 1 & 13, 14 | The DIS Disney Discussion Forums - DISboards.com

There are a lot of helpful people who will answer your questions about the resort on that thread.

In short - You can walk to two parks from this resort which makes it a great place to stay. The second half of August is less crowded than earlier in the summer because many schools are back in session then. It will be hot and rainy, though.

 

[Bahamontes]

I went August 19 this summer. It was Buster Poindexter hot, and it rained a good bit on and off all morning. BC was just wonderful to come home to, as ever, but especially so in these times of park hopping restrictions.

Location is HUGE. I sincerely believe that it can make the trip. It’s so nice (and now essential) to be able to go back to the hotel midday, or hop on Disney transport and be whisked to a park. Imagine being ready to go home and having to pack everything and everyone up, get in line, take a long ride, amd then have to schlep to TTC.

Epcot area resorts solve so much of that. So easy to walk to Epcot, the water and boardwalk are so nice to relax near, and HS is a super quick boat ride, or a walk around Boardwalk (Walking Path Shortcut
If coming from BC, head over to Boardwalk via bridge towards ESPN Club. Walk past ESPN, Ample Hills, Bakery, etc. until you get to the Surrey Bike rental kiosk. Take a left after you pass this, just before the Screen Door store. You'll pass by Wyland Gallery on your right and then take a quick right. Health club and game room will be on your left and you'll come out by the clown slide pool. Stay to the left around the pool and you'll run right in to the pathway to DHS. If you miss the pathway you'll be in the canal!)

No, it’s not particularly convenient to MK. And I realize that the littluns are happiest there. HOWEVER: MK is a madhouse at the moment, with limited entertainment options to thin crowds. The hour leading up to HEA is frenzied, and I think you’d probably want to be out of there by then. So now you have a bunch of ways to get to/from Epcot to MK.

If fireworks at MK are essential, disregard my advice entirely! The trip back to any non-MK resort at park close can seem ENDLESS.

Use the pools. Not just Stormalong, either. YC/BC has some really nice quiet pools to switch things up. Remember just how easy it is to walk to Epcot and back - there is a side entrance/exit to the Beach Club which takes you mere steps, probably 3 minutes, from the International Gateway Entrance. It is near room 1501 - just follow the signs to room 1501 from the lobby!

As for Florida in August, a few items make all the difference. Have a good, packable raincoat that you can don and remove quickly. I keep a pair of flip flops dangling from my backpack - wet shoes are a day ender, so when the rain comes, I bag my sneakers until the worst passes. A PakTowel is a nice bit of relief, too.

 

[PCFriar80]

I went August 19 this summer. It was Buster Poindexter hot, and it rained a good bit on and off all morning. BC was just wonderful to come home to, as ever, but especially so in these times of park hopping restrictions.

Location is HUGE. I sincerely believe that it can make the trip. It’s so nice (and now essential) to be able to go back to the hotel midday, or hop on Disney transport and be whisked to a park. Imagine being ready to go home and having to pack everything and everyone up, get in line, take a long ride, amd then have to schlep to TTC.

Epcot area resorts solve so much of that. So easy to walk to Epcot, the water and boardwalk are so nice to relax near, and HS is a super quick boat ride, or a walk around Boardwalk (Walking Path Shortcut
If coming from BC, head over to Boardwalk via bridge towards ESPN Club. Walk past ESPN, Ample Hills, Bakery, etc. until you get to the Surrey Bike rental kiosk. Take a left after you pass this, just before the Screen Door store. You'll pass by Wyland Gallery on your right and then take a quick right. Health club and game room will be on your left and you'll come out by the clown slide pool. Stay to the left around the pool and you'll run right in to the pathway to DHS. If you miss the pathway you'll be in the canal!)

No, it’s not particularly convenient to MK. And I realize that the littluns are happiest there. HOWEVER: MK is a madhouse at the moment, with limited entertainment options to thin crowds. The hour leading up to HEA is frenzied, and I think you’d probably want to be out of there by then. So now you have a bunch of ways to get to/from Epcot to MK.

If fireworks at MK are essential, disregard my advice entirely! The trip back to any non-MK resort at park close can seem ENDLESS.

Use the pools. Not just Stormalong, either. YC/BC has some really nice quiet pools to switch things up. Remember just how easy it is to walk to Epcot and back - there is a side entrance/exit to the Beach Club which takes you mere steps, probably 3 minutes, from the International Gateway Entrance. It is near room 1501 - just follow the signs to room 1501 from the lobby!

As for Florida in August, a few items make all the difference. Have a good, packable raincoat that you can don and remove quickly. I keep a pair of flip flops dangling from my backpack - wet shoes are a day ender, so when the rain comes, I bag my sneakers until the worst passes. A PakTowel is a nice bit of relief, too.

I recognize those HS shortcut directions!

 

[aayre]

Wow thank you so much for this in-depth reply, means a lot and will be such a great help to us! Thank you!

 

[kylenne]

any top tips how to battle the heat

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Not just water, but Powerade to replenish salts. Take frequent breaks in AC. "Go go go” pacing is a recipe for disaster. I’m a huge proponent of the “rope drop/midday break/evening return” touring style but in the worst of the summer heat it’s the only way to survive imo. Some people manage by taking a lunch ADRs so they’re seated in AC but not me--if I do have one, I go right back to the resort afterwards.

Epcot is more challenging given the later opening time, even with early entry you’re going to run into heat a lot faster, and the lack of shade in that park combined with all the concrete is a lot. I would suggest hitting it mostly at night, and take advantage of the Extended Evening Hours you get as a deluxe guest.

The best investment I ever made was a UV umbrella tbh, it’s indispensible for summer touring because that and a decent neck fan will do wonders to keep you cool and I gave up cooling towels in favor of that combo. Plus the umbrella will do double duty for rain. Some people don’t like walking around the parks with umbrellas but tbh I don’t find it onerous navigating crowds with one at all.

 

[Best Aunt]

I have been there in the summer, and some years the weather is more challenging than others. I have been there when it wasn't so bad; I also have been there when the humidity was brutal.

My memories of the two hottest summers:

One year I walked from Beach Club Villas to Epcot late morning on my arrival day. I think I was heading to the quick service place in Morocco for lunch. I couldn't walk that far. I had to stop to buy a bottle of water at the little shop which is just inside the International Gateway entrance. I couldn't go any further until I drank almost the entire bottle.

One year I was at Royal Pacific, and walked to Hogsmeade Village, which is at the back of Islands of Adventure, in the early evening. I was heading to a private event. By the time I got there, I was desperate for water, but the event wasn't set up yet.

So my advice is: think about where your first stop will be when you leave your hotel. That might be a long stretch of non-stop walking. Make sure you have water with you for that part of the day.

 

[aayre]

Thats really interesting to read, our 2 hotels (Yacht & Beach / Royal Pacific) are pretty much the main reason for booking them in august and spending a fortune! Location I think will be key as our plan too is rope drop - midday chill - park in the evening. However AK I think will be all day due to traveling.

Yacht & Beach Im really excited for, just looked amazing when stood on the bridge in Epcot! Any tips on how to get good rooms and which rooms to be hopeful of getting? Same for Royal Pacific, we've never done Universal, so very exited for that. Planning on 2 days in each park, will that be enough?

Food is the next headache, with no DDP we could be spending a small fortune!

 

[Best Aunt]

Any tips on how to get good rooms and which rooms to be hopeful of getting? Same for Royal Pacific, we've never done Universal, so very exited for that.

How to make a room request at Disney: call 407-W-DISNEY and tell them what you want. Call back again at a later date to make sure your requests made it onto your reservation. Or pay for a Touring Plans subscription; they can send your request by email. When you do online check-in, do NOT do any requests or they will override your previous requests. Keep in mind that the online check-in request options are limited and sometimes don't even apply to your hotel.

What rooms to request at Disney: can't help you there, I always stay BCV. But keep in mind that when it comes to reservations and room requests, Yacht Club and Beach Club are treated as two separate hotels. So if you want advice about rooms to request, you have to specify which one you booked. (Once you're there, you can use the amenities at either one.)

Room requests at Universal: I was going for a convention, and I decided to splurge on Club Level. So I can't help you there, either.

 

[Ricguz]

Hey there,

Taking my wife and 2 girls (9 & 13) in August (16th) for 2 weeks, one week at Disneys yacht & beach and one week at Royal Pacific. We've only been there once and didn't stay in the resort. One concern was the crowds and heat in mid august when booking, although crown calendars say its not as busy??

Is the hotel in a good location to visit the parks and any top tips how to battle the heat ands make use of the hotel location? We only have 6 days in Disney so want to make the most before we go to Universal.

It’s my go to resort. It’s a easy walk to Epcot, and a boat ride, skyliner, or walk to HS. The best pool in any resort at Disney. You can spend all day there.
Easy access to walk the boardwalk with many shops and restaurants. It nice to walk early morning around BCYC, Boardwalk back to BCYC. There are also many choice of restaurants in BC/YC also. August is hot. Do the parks early then go to the pool, back to the parks at night. With Epcot and HS close you can use them as your hopper parks after 2.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

Bring some cooling towels, maybe a few rechargeable personal fans you can purchase on Amazon and water bottles.
You will likely save money not being on the DDP. We did in April. We split more stuff and of course we ordered exactly what we wanted rather than ordering the most expensive things on the menu to break even. Ha We also used gift cards we bought with our Target Red card, so we got a 5% discount with that and used our Disney Visa to pay for meals at restaurants where the 10% discount was given. When we used the DDP we didn't get any of the 10% discounts. I know it's not a ton, but money saved at WDW is money saved! Ha
The best reason to stay at Royal Pacific is the free Express Pass. 4 days at the Universal parks is more than enough. I would recommend the upgrade to park to park tickets for Universal. We found we would bounce back and forth all day long at Universal and ride the Hogwart's Express with Express Pass. Food at Universal is decent, but don't expect WDW table service. You can save some money there by eating more counter service meals. Keep in mind when you are Universal you can wear a waist belt or fanny pack on most of the rides, you can't take backpacks on any of them., which is different than WDW. If not you have to constantly put your backpack in a locker and sometimes you have to pay to do so. I know it's not the most fashionable thing, but wearing a fanny pack does save you time and money.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Food is the next headache, with no DDP we could be spending a small fortune!

There are many reports of people spending a lot less money when paying cash then they spend for the DDP.

 

[MomOTwins]

We stayed at BC in august and don’t make the mistake we made of planning midday breaks at the pool. There are thunderstorms from 2-4pm every day in August, and the pool closes when lightning is spotted anywhere within a certain mile radius. We learned midday through the trip to switch gears and swim at night or in the morning.

 

[aayre]

That seems like the perfect plan, what about food then as if there's no DDP it could cost a small fortune

 

[aayre]

Bring some cooling towels, maybe a few rechargeable personal fans you can purchase on Amazon and water bottles.
You will likely save money not being on the DDP. We did in April. We split more stuff and of course we ordered exactly what we wanted rather than ordering the most expensive things on the menu to break even. Ha We also used gift cards we bought with our Target Red card, so we got a 5% discount with that and used our Disney Visa to pay for meals at restaurants where the 10% discount was given. When we used the DDP we didn't get any of the 10% discounts. I know it's not a ton, but money saved at WDW is money saved! Ha
The best reason to stay at Royal Pacific is the free Express Pass. 4 days at the Universal parks is more than enough. I would recommend the upgrade to park to park for Universal. We found we would bounce back and forth all day long at Universal and ride the Hogwart's Express with Express Pass. Food at Universal is decent, but don't expect WDW table service. You can save some money there by eating more counter service meals. Keep in mind when you are Universal you can wear a waist belt or fanny pack on most of the rides, you can't take backpacks on any of them., which is different than WDW. If not you have to constantly put your backpack in a locker and sometimes you have to pay to do so. I know it's not the most fashionable thing, but wearing a fanny pack does save you time and money.

Thank you very much, real in-depth knowledge there. The Disney visa sounds like a good plan too. May I ask what is the upgrade you're on about at universal? Would the fast passes we already have not do that?

 

[MomOTwins]

That seems like the perfect plan, what about food then as if there's no DDP it could cost a small fortune

Yes, food cost is one of the biggest costs of a disney trip. You have to budget for it like anything else. If you are used to the dining plan, using the cost of the dining plan as a proxy for how much you need to budget can be a good rough estimate. Alternatively, you can dine more offsite and/or buy groceries to save cost.

Thank you very much, real in-depth knowledge there. The Disney visa sounds like a good plan too. May I ask what is the upgrade you're on about at universal? Would the fast passes we already have not do that?

Universal, like disney world, has two ticket options: one park per day tickets, which only give you admission to a single park on each day, and multi-park tickets (called "park hopper" at Disney world and "park-to-park" at Universal) which allow you into more than one park. The prior poster is recommending you pay for park-to-park at Universal. I generally agree it is worth it, since you need that kind of ticket to ride the Hogwarts express train between the two Universal parks.

 

[Eastern]

My biggest tip is quick dry clothing and extra shoes. With the quick dry clothing I would just throw cups of water on myself and let it dry. It's that hot. Cotton will never dry out.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

Thank you very much, real in-depth knowledge there. The Disney visa sounds like a good plan too. May I ask what is the upgrade you're on about at universal? Would the fast passes we already have not do that?

Like the above poster stated.
I know you get Express Pass for free when Staying at RP, but you can purchase either single park tickets or you can purchase park to park tickets. It's basically the same as park hopper and non park hopper at Disney. The park to park let's you go between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure which is what I was recommending. The single park tickets limit you to one park per day. Bouncing back and forth at Universal was worth it IOO.

 

[B-Ride]

My best advice for the heat is to move slowly. Also you can get free ice water at QS locations in the parks. We took 7 of our trips the last week of August and back in the day the crowds were very low. However that has changed in recent years.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Yacht & Beach Im really excited for, just looked amazing when stood on the bridge in Epcot! Any tips on how to get good rooms and which rooms to be hopeful of getting?

Just curious, which resort did you book, Yacht or Beach? And what view category did you book? Both of those will influence the answer on room requests/preferences.