The Murphys are LIVE from the BC and GF!!! July 25-August 3, 2015

[TigrLvsPooh]

This is my first comment (ever!) but I was following along all last week (and was at WDW-AKL Saturday to Monday) but I have loved your report! Thank you for all the details and time you took to put this together and Happy Belated Birthday to your son!

Thank you and welcome!!!

 

[mmmears]

The turndown service in the evening is actually a second cleaning. They cleaned the room top to bottom as well as both bathrooms, refreshed towels and toiletries, turned down the beds, made up the sleeper sofa, left extra bottles of water at our bedsides, slippers, lights dimmed, etc.

This is great to hear. This is what we have experienced pretty much everywhere we have stayed except at WDW, yet I keep reading that turndown just means a light towel refresh. IMHO, Disney needs to step up and provide the services they are charging for. I really appreciate your review of the Four Seasons... I would love to give it a try. How far is it from the parks?

 

[DeborahB]

Great review of your experience at the Four Seasons! I'd love to stay there, it looks wonderful!

My DH and I stayed at the Four Seasons Maui for our 25th anniversary and we were upgraded to a suite with club level services. It was amazing! They are top of the line in service.

I've wondered why they decided not to put club level at the Orlando location. Did you ever discuss that during your tour?

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews! Wow what a looonng wait to get home. You all must have been exhausted!

 

[dvc at last !]

I did watch the video - You are a star and so modest about it !
You did a great job on the video.
Your Beach Club, Grand Flo and Four Seasons reviews were very entertaining. I liked your honest opinions.

That was a great vacation - love to hear more !

Is there a trip in the making ?

 

[pixarmom]

I genuinely felt like every single person we encountered wanted to make sure we were happy and had everything we needed. And not in a kiss your behind type of way, but in a real genuine way.

This is exactly why we love the Four Seasons brand so much! Such a hard combination to find - helpful and friendly, but in a really genuine way. Thanks so much for all the detailed information!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I did watch the video - You are a star and so modest about it !
You did a great job on the video.
Your Beach Club, Grand Flo and Four Seasons reviews were very entertaining. I liked your honest opinions.

That was a great vacation - love to hear more !

Is there a trip in the making ?

Always! I'd like to take a solo trip down this fall, maybe a long weekend. Then the kids and I will head down for Christmas. Right now I've got a room in Sugar Loaf booked, but I'm not 100% sure that's what we'll keep. I do love the GF at Christmas time, but the Epcot resorts are closer to the stuff my kids enjoy. It's a tough choice!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Great review of your experience at the Four Seasons! I'd love to stay there, it looks wonderful!

My DH and I stayed at the Four Seasons Maui for our 25th anniversary and we were upgraded to a suite with club level services. It was amazing! They are top of the line in service.

I've wondered why they decided not to put club level at the Orlando location. Did you ever discuss that during your tour?

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews! Wow what a looonng wait to get home. You all must have been exhausted!

I did mention to him that I was a big club level fan at the Disney resorts but he didn't really offer any reasoning as to why they don't offer one at the Four Seasons. They might be afraid that with so many families it would be hard to maintain a lounge without it turning into a buffet. Even though the hotel is very upscale there were still a lot of kids.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

This is great to hear. This is what we have experienced pretty much everywhere we have stayed except at WDW, yet I keep reading that turndown just means a light towel refresh. IMHO, Disney needs to step up and provide the services they are charging for. I really appreciate your review of the Four Seasons... I would love to give it a try. How far is it from the parks?

It is just past Fort Wilderness... if you get to the traffic light where you turn to go towards Port Orleans just look to your left and you'll see the gates for Golden Oak. The Four Seasons is inside there. The closest park would definitely be MK.

 

[dvc at last !]

Always! I'd like to take a solo trip down this fall, maybe a long weekend. Then the kids and I will head down for Christmas. Right now I've got a room in Sugar Loaf booked, but I'm not 100% sure that's what we'll keep. I do love the GF at Christmas time, but the Epcot resorts are closer to the stuff my kids enjoy. It's a tough choice!

We have a trip planned for November 5-11 Food & Wine - our son, daughter and her husband will do the Wine & Dine Half Run.
2 nights at OKW then BCV - if you go then let me know.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I really want to tell you guys the follow-up story to my check-in issues at the BC. As you might remember we were not greeted downstairs when we got off DME, and when we came upstairs and approached the CL CM we were brushed off. (no welcome, no packet, no drink, etc) I attempted to address the issue via email but never got a response from the IPO staff with a phone number or name of who to contact. (We were at the GF by the time I gave up asking) I didn't want to go home without talking to someone because if I've learned one thing about Disney it's never wait until you get home. So I actually went back over to the BC in person. I wanted to go see Teena again anyway, plus we had time to kill on our last day (grabbed an ADR for Beaches & Cream and spent some time at Epcot) so the timing was right. I approached the front desk and asked a castmember if a manager would possibly be available. Luckily I was able to talk to someone and I let her know my experience with check-in. Also I gave her my opinion on a few of the frosty CMs upstairs and our exit past the desks with no goodbye. Minor issues but I wanted to get my opinions across. I also told her that I've stayed at the BC many times and will continue to stay there in the future, but I really felt it was important to communicate to someone in the hopes that things can be improved upon. I didn't mention I was a TA but I did tell her I was concerned new guests to the resort wouldn't know where to go or what to do and would have been majorly put off by the lack of service and/or greeting. The manager was a very good listener and seemed to genuinely care about my thoughts. I told her that I consider the BC to be a home away from home for my family and that I didn't want to come across as upset or disappointed. We had a really nice chat and things were left on a good note. She refunded me the $88 charge for the roll-away bed as a kind gesture and I appreciated it. She said that typically when a CL guest requests a daybed and one cannot be provided they waive the fee anyway. I told her that had also been our experience in the past. I also told her that when repeat guests don't experience the same level of service and/or amenities as previous stays it can be confusing and leave the person feeling they've had a less than magical stay (ie. No birthday card or greeting from the staff). Of course the rooms at the BC are going to be full regardless of keeping veteran guests happy, but I feel they should communicate better when something is going to be taken away (like no more bottled water for example).
I'm glad we talked and I left feeling much better about the whole situation. She agreed there are a few CMs upstairs who require some additional training and that it has caused stress to the more veteran CMs. But we here on the DIS had already discerned that hadn't we????

Anyway, that's basically the whole story and I thought you all would be interested in knowing the resolution.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We have a trip planned for November 5-11 Food & Wine - our son, daughter and her husband will do the Wine & Dine Half Run.
2 nights at OKW then BCV - if you go then let me know.

I'll definitely let you know when I head back down

 

[toystoryduo]

Great trip report, Erika!

The Four Seasons is a beautiful resort. I hope we can stay there one day!

I'm glad that you were able to talk to a manager at Beach Club about check-in and other issues. Yay for a refund for the roll away!

Speaking of Fan's Guide- My DDs are about the same ages as your sons. When my girls were little, they loved watching Fan's Guide! They got to see kids their own age enjoying Disney and Pop Century, which was one of the resorts we wanted to stay at. I can't believe that was 10 years ago! Time goes by so quickly!

Looking forward to your next live trip report! Thanks again for sharing!

 

[dvc at last !]

Glad you took the time to go back to BC to voice your opinions. A friendly talk can get good results.
Thanks for taking us your trip - it was an enjoyable TR !

 

[NicoleLarson]

Glad to know you made it back safe and sound! The four seasons looks and sounds amazing. I'm curious if the regular rooms have all the little extras like the coffee maker, etc. Interestingly enough, I dont think it's rained a drop here since you left! I'm now truly convinced that you have some magical powers of your own!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Glad to know you made it back safe and sound! The four seasons looks and sounds amazing. I'm curious if the regular rooms have all the little extras like the coffee maker, etc. Interestingly enough, I dont think it's rained a drop here since you left! I'm now truly convinced that you have some magical powers of your own!

Yes, the regular guest rooms also come with the same fridge, coffee maker, lighted makeup mirror, hair dryer, marble bathroom, bathrobes, Bose speakers, LED tvs, twice daily maid service, etc. It's just as luxurious!

 

[Ceryssa]

Didn't find this in time to follow along live, but just finished reading and really enjoyed your report! Thanks for inviting us along Glad you had a good trip; I hate the boys got sick I ended up deciding not to book CL for our stay, and sadly this makes me glad I didn't. Really enjoyed seeing the Four Seasons, I've been curious about it!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Didn't find this in time to follow along live, but just finished reading and really enjoyed your report! Thanks for inviting us along Glad you had a good trip; I hate the boys got sick I ended up deciding not to book CL for our stay, and sadly this makes me glad I didn't. Really enjoyed seeing the Four Seasons, I've been curious about it!

I am still a big fan of club level even with the hit and miss castmember interactions. I do feel we get our money's worth with food and drinks. It's nice being able to walk down the hall first thing in the morning and have breakfast. Especially coffee. Then we can take our time getting ready to leave for the day. Now that I know the BC has stepped up their evening offerings I'll probably do fewer dinner ADRs next time. The lounge and food were both huge improvements.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

My beach club report is finally done

https://erika_murphy.silvrback.com/disney-s-newly-renovated-beach-club-resort

 

[Dentam]

Great report! Just a minor spellcheck needed in the title.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Great report! Just a minor spellcheck needed in the title.

Thank you!!!