Not thrilled with the Beach Club at all...

[HauntedMansionFan]

So I just got back from my stay, I spent one night at the Beach Club, yes only one night - huge e-night fiasco, but anyway... for what I paid I wasn't really that impressed. The hotel itself was beautiful, or room was a decent size and Stormalong Bay was great, but as far as the quality goes I really wasn't that impressed. I just had the feeling that I would have recieved the same level of service and quality even if we stayed at one of the moderate or value resorts. It is Disney after all. The only reason I knew I was staying at a "deluxe" resort was because it said it on my reservation ticket. We had a room with a king size bed which was really quite uncomfortable, the bed itself almost looked like it was the type of bed that could be pulled down from the wall. As I spent both days there, I kept asking myself what I paid $250 for. Did I miss something? Should I have stayed longer? Did I just get a bad room? Did I go in with my expectations to high? Help!!!!

 

[danacara]

Dude, what was the fiasco with e-nights? Sounds like a good story!

 

[Kay1]

We stayed there once several years ago and had similar thoughts. Nothing bad but the only thing to justify the price was Stormalong Bay, and we only paid $132!

 

[hoosll]

One of the reasons BC is considered a deluxe is the easy (i.e., walking, boat or monorail) access to at least 1 park. The closeness of BC to BW, Epcot and MGM are really what you are paying for plus a kid's club, and other high end amenities such as fitness facilities, close proximity to sit down dining, super pool....

I'm guessing that you stayed off site for the rest of your stay and hoped to enjoy enight by spending a night on site. The different levels of accomodations relate to the on-site resorts. It is really hard to compare the room to one you might rent at a deluxe hotel somewhere else.

Just my thoughts.

 

[daannzzz]

If it looked like the bed pulled down from the wall it is possible you got asigned one of the few rooms that has that configuration. It is called a Sico bed. I saw a picture of one of those rooms and it made it look like a motel.

 

[musicfan]

I always think that when I stay at a deluxe.

 

[Kaitysmom]

This is good to know! I was thinking about upgrading from a moderate to BC, but have a hard time justifying the price. I wasn't all that impressed with GF when I stayed there. It almost seems like bragging rights only as we spend so little time at the hotel anyways. (Last time we stayed at the Poly and got upgraded to a castle view room - that was cool but not worth the rack rate!)

 

[Gillian]

It does sound like you had a king sico room, where the bed DOES pull down from the wall! Did you have a refrigerator?

Although I have not stayed in all of the Disney hotels, it seems to me that in general you don't get a lot for what you pay. Hotels in other areas are less money for about the same thing. I'm not talking about offsite, but rather other cities & tourist areas.

Thanks for letting us know about your experience! Sorry about the May e-night cancellations (is that what you meant?).

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Yeah... I was referring to the cancellation of E-nights when talking about the fiasco. But anyway.... the room did seem a little "motel" like, I wasn't impressed at all. There wasn't a refrigerator in my room, I saw someone ask that. The hallway that our room was located smelled like urine also, it just wasn't a pleasant experience. I did stay off-site for the rest of my stay as I own a house in the Bay Lakes area. So after the cancellation of May e-nights and the lackluster thrill of the Beach Club is certainly going to prevent me from staying on-site again. I didn't feel that the magic was there at all, I felt like it was almost like having bragging rights like someone said.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

I must admit that the Boardwalk was nice, I had never been there before, it was beautiful during the sunset.

 

[WDWguru]

Originally posted by Gillian
Although I have not stayed in all of the Disney hotels, it seems to me that in general you don't get a lot for what you pay. Hotels in other areas are less money for about the same thing.

Location, location location! That's primarily what you're paying for on-site at Disney. That and easier access to parks and facilities, little touches you don't get offsite, etc. Not everyone "gets it" or utilizes the perks, though, and that's okay imho. Everyone will have a different comfort level and be looking for a different experience. That's why there's such a range of accomodations in Orlando - even just on Disney property.

 

[susy]

I had a similar experience at CBR. We had no problems- got all our requests, great CM's, great mousekeeping, BUT we got all that at the ASMo for almost half the price!

The room at CBR was beautiful (just refurbished )and large. However, I didn't really use any of the extra amenities. I did go down the slide at the pool once, but my 4yo is not ready for that. I like the food court at the ASMo better, as well as the bus transportation. Considering a deluxe (AKL) for Sept, but I'm hoping I will not be disappointed. I will wait for FL Res rates and will not pay for more than a standard view, because I don't want to spend the whole time at my balcony trying to see what I'm paying for and being upset if I don't!

 

[cindala]

If I took a standard room at the BC or YC, and put it down by the Jersey shore, that room would go for upwards of $400 a nite. So my rate of $189 is reasonable to me to be on Disney property. Personally, the benefit of having interior corridors alone,(which are MUCH safer than outside corridors) is worth the extra money that I pay for a deluxe. And with some of the mods going for $150 at times, it's not even a topic up for discussion.

 

[Peter Pirate]

One thing to kep in mind is the targeted demographic. Those of us who have to continually evaluate financial considerations, the "is it worth it" scenerio, are not the primary group of individuals being targeted.

The smell of urine commet caught my attention though. This seems very unusual...

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by Peter Pirate
One thing to kep in mind is the targeted demographic. Those of us who have to continually evaluate financial considerations, the "is it worth it" scenerio, are not the primary group of individuals being targeted.

Peter Pirate, I tend to agree with you on this, and I won't elaborate because I'm afraid my comments could get taken the wrong way!

 

[susy]

Even if you have scads of money to throw around (now) you should still get you what you pay for. The Beach Club is adverstised by Disney as a deluxe hotel. I would hate to come away disappointed from a deluxe when I Know I can stay at a value or mod and feel like I got a good deal.

 

[Demosthenes]

I have to agree with sea spray and peter pirate. I think that if you're asking yourself "Is it worth it?" The answer is probably not. I happen to really like Deluxe resorts @ WDW, and for me it is easy to justify the extra cost, but if it's a concern for you, definately don't spend money you will end up regretting.

 

[nwdisgal]

I think that I would mention the urine smell in the hall to the front desk, or maybe the GM of BC. One of the reasons I like Disney resorts, vs. offsite is because of the outstanding mousekeeping. I definately think they should pay extra attention to that because room cleanliness seems to be a frequently mentioned reason for staying on-site vs. offsite for all their resorts - whether it be Deluxe, Moderate or All Stars. It is an expectation of their prime demographic.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

One thing to kep in mind is the targeted demographic. Those of us who have to continually evaluate financial considerations, the "is it worth it" scenerio, are not the primary group of individuals being targeted.

I realize that at 24 I may not be the targeted demographic for the Beach Club or the deluxe resorts at all. Without trying to sound snotty, money isn't/wasn't the issue, I have my own home in Orlando. 10 minute drive to the parks, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, screened in swimming pool and jacuzzi. Again, not trying to sound snotty but for the price paid I expected a little more.

 

[susy]

Even though I still think you should get what you are paying for (Disney says it's deluxe and that's what you should get), I do agree with seaspray and Demosthenes. When we stayed value ($49) or mod ($84), we knew it was well "worth it". With just DH working right now, a deluxe would be a "treating" ourselves and is not the norm. I guess the bottom line is that whether or not you are treating yourself , no hotel is perfect all the time and all of our expectations are different anyway......