Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB RESORTS Information & Questions

[Shellyb84]

We go to disney 1 to 2 times a year but we have not stayed at the beach club since 2013. We love the resort but the last couple of times we stayed there and this was before the renovation we had multiple issues with housekeeping as well. It is one of the major reasons why we have not returned to the BC. I am really worried for our upcoming october stay now. I think I am going to ask for an allergy cleaning to ensure our room is properly cleaned before we get there.

Unfortunately this was not the first time we've checked in to a not so clean room at BC. But, this trip once that was finally resolved, housekeeping was great the rest of the week.

 

[disny_luvr]

Returning back to our home away from home to celebrate my son’s 18th Birthday! We’ll be at YC CL Aug 3-6, then going on the Disney Dream Aug 6-10 and winding up the week AKL CL Aug 10-11.

This sounds like an awesome trip! Enjoy and happy birthday to your son!

 

[Mousefan mom]

We are here now—housekeeping has been very good. No complaints there. My only one so far is the refilling mugs—oh my they need a better system here. We are a BC, it’s in the market place. They have free style machines but only 2 and the screen has a mind of its own so it’s a learning curve to figure it out for most guests—hence long cumbersome lines and they close at 11 ish so if you tour later you have no place to refill your mug. Just put a soda machine in the lobby or solarium.

 

[shoreward]

We are here now—housekeeping has been very good. No complaints there. My only one so far is the refilling mugs—oh my they need a better system here. We are a BC, it’s in the market place. They have free style machines but only 2 and the screen has a mind of its own so it’s a learning curve to figure it out for most guests—hence long cumbersome lines and they close at 11 ish so if you tour later you have no place to refill your mug. Just put a soda machine in the lobby or solarium.

These are the refill locations:

• Beach Club Resort: Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar & Grill, Beach Club Marketplace
• Yacht Club: Market at Ale & Compass

The BC Marketplace and Market at A&C close at 11:30 PM. Beaches & Cream closes at 11:00 PM.

 

[Hopefully]

We are here now—housekeeping has been very good. No complaints there. My only one so far is the refilling mugs—oh my they need a better system here. We are a BC, it’s in the market place. They have free style machines but only 2 and the screen has a mind of its own so it’s a learning curve to figure it out for most guests—hence long cumbersome lines and they close at 11 ish so if you tour later you have no place to refill your mug. Just put a soda machine in the lobby or solarium.

IMHO that is one nasty thought. Please don’t put a soda machine in either of those locations.

 

[heatherly]

We arrive on Sat at BC and I’m looking for a place to grab dinner. We aren’t looking for a table service place...just maybe a fun quick service to use our DDP credit. I know we’ll be tired from traveling so don’t want to venture too far. Maybe Boardwalk area? Or maybe Disney Spings? Any fun 1st night spots?

 

[Scott MC]

Oh my gosh...we're getting married in a little more than TWO WEEKS!

That means we're going on our Disneymoon in about 3 1/2 weeks! At the moment, it's our typical trip, and I'm trying to find some special things for us to do. Here's what I've come up with so far, and why we're doing it or not doing it...

Victoria and Alberts: DF is a foodie and an adventurous eater, but I am not. I'm also allergic to seafood and don't eat red meat, so we feel that the menu for me would be extremely limited, and the money might not be well spent.

Highway in the Sky Dine Around: I've read some not-so-pleasant reviews, and even those who enjoyed it, did say that for a fraction of the cost, you could create your own dine-around, so to that end, I'm trying to put together a monorail dine-around and a Crescent Lake dine-around for us.

Tours: We're taking at least one.

Signature dining: BINGO! Here's where we're spending our money. We've got a bunch of these booked...and all at about 5-6 P.M. so as to give us time to walk it off and enjoy nighttime activities.

Spa: Here's where I need some suggestions and reviews. I'd love some spa time...and can't decide between using Ship Shape or Mandara at the Dolphin. I've been to Mandara before and it's really lovely, but Ship Shape is so much more convenient, and a bit cheaper! My only hesitation is, that it seems as if the massage/spa area is just behind the gym. I'm not looking for a situation where I'm getting a massage at the gym, but really a spa experience. Can anyone compare the 2? Also, reviews of couples massages at either spot?

Thanks!

 

[shoreward]

We arrive on Sat at BC and I’m looking for a place to grab dinner. We aren’t looking for a table service place...just maybe a fun quick service to use our DDP credit. I know we’ll be tired from traveling so don’t want to venture too far. Maybe Boardwalk area? Or maybe Disney Spings? Any fun 1st night spots?

Though it's tough to land a reservation at Beaches & Cream, you can very often grab one due to last minute cancellations, one to two days prior to desired date. You just have to be persistent and grab it, if one comes up; I've had the time slot disappear in seconds, due to another guest being quicker than I was.

Beaches & Cream is right at the BC and is lots of fun, as well as having good food and service.

Beaches & Cream uses one table service credit for an entree, beverage, and dessert.

Unfortunately there are not many QS choices onsite or near the BC, without entering EPCOT.

 

[Cluelyss]

We arrive on Sat at BC and I’m looking for a place to grab dinner. We aren’t looking for a table service place...just maybe a fun quick service to use our DDP credit. I know we’ll be tired from traveling so don’t want to venture too far. Maybe Boardwalk area? Or maybe Disney Spings? Any fun 1st night spots?

We often do DS on arrival night and really enjoy Blaze and D-Luxe Burger (both QS)!

 

[IHRTWDW]

So excited just booked my trip for next July!!! I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the new refillable coke machines have diet decaffeinated coke? Thanks!

 

[ninafeliz]

So excited just booked my trip for next July!!! I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the new refillable coke machines have diet decaffeinated coke? Thanks!

yes they do! You can also add flavors to your decaffeinated diet coke . I love the new ginger lime added to regular old caffeine filled diet coke!

ETA the new freestyle ones have it, I'm not sure about the regular ones at Hurricaine Hanna's and Beaches and Cream, I doubt they have caffeine free diet.

 

[iona]

Great question!

I don't know, but I have a friend at the resort now, I'll see if he can ask.

Do you have an upcoming trip?

That would be great - thanks! We're booked for January so I appreciate that things could change again between now and then.

 

[DLgal]

So, I wrote a letter to the GM of the Y&B Club yesterday about our stay. This is what I sent:

Kim Marinaccio,

Hello. My name is XXXXXXX XXXXXX and my family recently stayed at your resort, the Beach Club, from July 7-14. We were in Deluxe Room-Club Level #1557. I wanted to provide some feedback about some issues we encountered, as well as discuss some of the highlights of our stay.

We transferred to the Beach Club from the Contemporary, where we had stayed on the Tower Club Level for the previous 4 nights. The Beach Club is our family's favorite resort, and we were glad to be "home" when we checked in on Saturday, July 7. Our initial encounter with a Club Level Staff member was with Hope, who met us in the lobby and escorted us upstairs. Hope was wonderfully friendly and welcoming, and she continued to engage with us throughout our stay, while we were in the lounge enjoying the evening offerings. Hope is an incredible employee, and she deserves special recognition. The Club Level was the highlight of our stay. We fully enjoyed the expansive food offerings at breakfast, snack time, and evening services. The dessert service was the only thing that was underwhelming. While the deserts were great, the selection was exactly the same every single night. Some more variety would have been welcomed. But, that's a minor complaint. We loved everything else about the lounge, including all the staff who worked very hard to keep the food stocked, dishes cleared, and were always willing to help with anything we needed. The lounge was a clean and comfortable respite. In particular, we were thrilled to see that the lounge was accessible 24/7. Previously, the lounge would close between food service times, so having it open all the time was a definite plus. One thing that would improve the lounge would be a self service beer refrigerator like the Contemporary has. It is a minor inconvenience to have to ask for every beer and wait on the staff member to disappear and come back with it.

We were assigned room #1557, which was a fantastic room. We loved the location close to the quiet pool and the room was large and comfortable. Unfortunately, our housekeeping services were well below basic hotel industry standards throughout our stay. Some examples are as follows: dirty coffee mugs were not replaced numerous times (we would have to wash them ourselves in the sink); we were often missing towels, including bath mats, hand towels, and washcloths; coffee pods were not replenished for the Nespresso machine; coffee accessories, including sugar and half and half were not replenished; room was never vacuumed in 7 days; turn down service was inconsistent, happening only 5 out of 7 nights; the toiletries were never restocked, even after leaving a note specifically asking for more (I ended up finding the housekeeper in the hallway and asking for more shampoo and shower gel and she opened her drawer and let me take what I needed....I should not have had to do that); dirty plates and glasses from the Club Lounge were not always removed from our room. In addition, there were often bags of dirty towels and garbage sitting out in the hallways, left by housekeepers, for hours at a time. We would see them when leaving our room in the afternoon and they would still be there when we came back late at night. It was unsightly and took away from the ambiance of the resort.

Our room was a Club Level room, which is supposed to include an expanded toiletry selection, robes, and slippers. At the Contemporary Tower Club, we received additional toiletries, including sunscreen, dental and shaving kits, shower caps, foot scrub, after sun gel, and mouthwash. We did not receive any of those extras here, and were only given soap, shower get, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. Our housekeeper didn't even have the additional items on her cart. Again, this isn't a "make or break" thing, but for the additional money that the Club Level rooms cost, these extras should be provided in ALL Club Level rooms, not just the ones on the 5th floor.

These housekeeping issues were annoying and not reflective of the standard that Disney should be striving to meet for rooms at this price point. Disney prides itself on having standards that exceed those of the hotel industry as a whole. The housekeeping at this resort, at least in our recent experience, is a major issue that needs to be addressed. What would have otherwise been an absolutely fantastic stay was marred by the shortcomings of the housekeeping staff. Additional training and better communication about how rooms should be cleaned and restocked should be a top priority here.

I know I could have discussed these issues with a manager while we were there, but frankly, I wanted to enjoy my vacation with my family, and do not feel that guests should be obligated to take time out of their vacation to bring up issues that should not even exist at this level of resort. It is not the guest's responsibility to make sure housekeeping is up to par, and I did not want to spend any time speaking to someone who would have simply given me a canned response and perhaps a few extra Fastpasses, which does not address the root of the problem. Instead, I wanted to write to you because you left a letter in our room indicating that you are open to feedback and I know that you have the power to address problems in a real, concrete way. I very much hope that you find this feedback valuable and that you take steps to address these issues so that your resort continues to shine among Disney Deluxe Resorts. It is our favorite (I've stayed at them all), but these kinds of issues really do make me think twice about returning, and that makes me sad. Please keep the Beach Club amazing, so that my family and others can continue to enjoy our stays here.

Sincerely,
XXXXXXX XXXXXX


I received a response within the hour, from Kim. This is what she wrote:

Dear Mrs. XXXXXX,

Greetings from Disney’s Yacht & Beach Resorts.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.

I am sorry to hear that your Resort vacation experience has not exceeded your expectations.

A member of my team will be reaching out to you shortly.

We hope to welcome you back in the future.


Yours Sincerely,

Kim Marinaccio

General Manager


I will let you all know what the outcome of this is, if I ever am contacted by "a member of my team." At least my email was acknowledged and seems like it was actually read.

I really don't expect or want anything to come out of this other than the housekeeping to improve. That is why I didn't complain while there. I am not looking for any "freebies." I feel like our stay was a good value for the price paid (which was heavily discounted, FWIW). I just couldn't let it go without writing an email, our service was so poor, and it is the principle of the matter more than anything.

 

[cwis]

I would request that the room be cleaned before check in and that there be enough towels and washcloths for each person in the room. Sadly it's getting to that point with Disney Resorts all across the property.

If it rains and you can see a puddle Disney will call that a water view so the water view rooms are not all on the 5th floor. If you want a high water view room I'd request that. I think the higher up you are the better the water view. I'm not sure about the king beds.

~NM

Thanks for the tip! I believed all CL rooms were on the 5th floor, though (since the site says “Club Level” and not “Club Level Access”, which I thought was Disney lingo to say “Club Level Lounge, on Another Floor”).

We have Stayed YC CL four times since the referb and received a king room three out of the four times without requesting it...twice water view and once standard view. It appears they have added more king rooms, we have never had one in all of our previous YC stays. Request king bed close to the lounge. We had an awesome water view room just a couple doors down from the lounge.

I didn't think about the refurb! That's good to know they even have some *close to the lounge*! Were all these King CL rooms on the 5th floor?

 

[Candlelady]

So, I wrote a letter to the GM of the Y&B Club yesterday about our stay. This is what I sent:

Kim Marinaccio,

Hello. My name is XXXXXXX XXXXXX and my family recently stayed at your resort, the Beach Club, from July 7-14. We were in Deluxe Room-Club Level #1557. I wanted to provide some feedback about some issues we encountered, as well as discuss some of the highlights of our stay.

We transferred to the Beach Club from the Contemporary, where we had stayed on the Tower Club Level for the previous 4 nights. The Beach Club is our family's favorite resort, and we were glad to be "home" when we checked in on Saturday, July 7. Our initial encounter with a Club Level Staff member was with Hope, who met us in the lobby and escorted us upstairs. Hope was wonderfully friendly and welcoming, and she continued to engage with us throughout our stay, while we were in the lounge enjoying the evening offerings. Hope is an incredible employee, and she deserves special recognition. The Club Level was the highlight of our stay. We fully enjoyed the expansive food offerings at breakfast, snack time, and evening services. The dessert service was the only thing that was underwhelming. While the deserts were great, the selection was exactly the same every single night. Some more variety would have been welcomed. But, that's a minor complaint. We loved everything else about the lounge, including all the staff who worked very hard to keep the food stocked, dishes cleared, and were always willing to help with anything we needed. The lounge was a clean and comfortable respite. In particular, we were thrilled to see that the lounge was accessible 24/7. Previously, the lounge would close between food service times, so having it open all the time was a definite plus. One thing that would improve the lounge would be a self service beer refrigerator like the Contemporary has. It is a minor inconvenience to have to ask for every beer and wait on the staff member to disappear and come back with it.

We were assigned room #1557, which was a fantastic room. We loved the location close to the quiet pool and the room was large and comfortable. Unfortunately, our housekeeping services were well below basic hotel industry standards throughout our stay. Some examples are as follows: dirty coffee mugs were not replaced numerous times (we would have to wash them ourselves in the sink); we were often missing towels, including bath mats, hand towels, and washcloths; coffee pods were not replenished for the Nespresso machine; coffee accessories, including sugar and half and half were not replenished; room was never vacuumed in 7 days; turn down service was inconsistent, happening only 5 out of 7 nights; the toiletries were never restocked, even after leaving a note specifically asking for more (I ended up finding the housekeeper in the hallway and asking for more shampoo and shower gel and she opened her drawer and let me take what I needed....I should not have had to do that); dirty plates and glasses from the Club Lounge were not always removed from our room. In addition, there were often bags of dirty towels and garbage sitting out in the hallways, left by housekeepers, for hours at a time. We would see them when leaving our room in the afternoon and they would still be there when we came back late at night. It was unsightly and took away from the ambiance of the resort.

Our room was a Club Level room, which is supposed to include an expanded toiletry selection, robes, and slippers. At the Contemporary Tower Club, we received additional toiletries, including sunscreen, dental and shaving kits, shower caps, foot scrub, after sun gel, and mouthwash. We did not receive any of those extras here, and were only given soap, shower get, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. Our housekeeper didn't even have the additional items on her cart. Again, this isn't a "make or break" thing, but for the additional money that the Club Level rooms cost, these extras should be provided in ALL Club Level rooms, not just the ones on the 5th floor.

These housekeeping issues were annoying and not reflective of the standard that Disney should be striving to meet for rooms at this price point. Disney prides itself on having standards that exceed those of the hotel industry as a whole. The housekeeping at this resort, at least in our recent experience, is a major issue that needs to be addressed. What would have otherwise been an absolutely fantastic stay was marred by the shortcomings of the housekeeping staff. Additional training and better communication about how rooms should be cleaned and restocked should be a top priority here.

I know I could have discussed these issues with a manager while we were there, but frankly, I wanted to enjoy my vacation with my family, and do not feel that guests should be obligated to take time out of their vacation to bring up issues that should not even exist at this level of resort. It is not the guest's responsibility to make sure housekeeping is up to par, and I did not want to spend any time speaking to someone who would have simply given me a canned response and perhaps a few extra Fastpasses, which does not address the root of the problem. Instead, I wanted to write to you because you left a letter in our room indicating that you are open to feedback and I know that you have the power to address problems in a real, concrete way. I very much hope that you find this feedback valuable and that you take steps to address these issues so that your resort continues to shine among Disney Deluxe Resorts. It is our favorite (I've stayed at them all), but these kinds of issues really do make me think twice about returning, and that makes me sad. Please keep the Beach Club amazing, so that my family and others can continue to enjoy our stays here.

Sincerely,
XXXXXXX XXXXXX


I received a response within the hour, from Kim. This is what she wrote:

Dear Mrs. XXXXXX,

Greetings from Disney’s Yacht & Beach Resorts.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.

I am sorry to hear that your Resort vacation experience has not exceeded your expectations.

A member of my team will be reaching out to you shortly.

We hope to welcome you back in the future.


Yours Sincerely,

Kim Marinaccio

General Manager


I will let you all know what the outcome of this is, if I ever am contacted by "a member of my team." At least my email was acknowledged and seems like it was actually read.

I really don't expect or want anything to come out of this other than the housekeeping to improve. That is why I didn't complain while there. I am not looking for any "freebies." I feel like our stay was a good value for the price paid (which was heavily discounted, FWIW). I just couldn't let it go without writing an email, our service was so poor, and it is the principle of the matter more than anything.

Love it! Hit all the points perfectly.
You will hear from someone soon. I received a call less than 2 hours later, but we played phone tag for a couple of days.

 

[VAtink]

Has anyone had any luck selecting room requests with the online check-in lately? I'm not seeing any options for our upcoming BC trip. Thanks!

 

[natebenma]

Does anyone know if they're still doing Trivia Evenings at Martha's Vineyard and, if so, on what day(s) of the week please?

My friend asked a bartender at Martha's Vineyard.

Unfortunately, trivia was discontinued about a month ago.

I don't know the reason, if it was lack of interest or the change of seasons or something else.

 

[natebenma]

Ale & Compass Breakfast Buffet- Children's Price $13.00

 

[dansdad]

Has anyone had any luck selecting room requests with the online check-in lately? I'm not seeing any options for our upcoming BC trip. Thanks!

Nope. Been completely down for over a month now and even before that is was not working right. Across all resorts, not just BC. As usual, it's best to call the Main Reservations line and have any requests added to your reservation. This can be done any time from the day you book up until 4-5 days out.

 

[Maxie86]

I didn't think about the refurb! That's good to know they even have some *close to the lounge*! Were all these King CL rooms on the 5th floor?

Yes they were all on the 5th floor.