The MURPHYS are LIVE from the Yacht Club!!! (3/19 - 3/27)

[TigrLvsPooh]

Loved the report...sorry you are heading home today
We are doing Crystal Palace for breakfast for the first time on our upcoming trip...can't wait after seeing your pics AND
were did your mom (I am assuming it was your mom) get the purse she has on in the pic in front of the castle???? I LOVE it and want it!!!!
50 LONG days to go till we get there....I am sooooooooooo impatient!!

You will see that style in a bunch of places. They make it in black/white and also khaki/white. You can get the purse in the size she got, or they also have a beach bag/tote size as well. We saw it in Mousegears, the Emporium, and also the Marketplace at AK. They also have matching sandals to go with it. My Mom and I did so much shopping we had to carry extra bags on the plane.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Hi Erika!! Just found you here!!!! We have stayed at the BC on 3 trips and just fell in love with it!! I love SAB for the kids too--and Beaches & Cream.YUM!! Happy Belated Birthday! Quick question...is there much difference really between the YC/BC? I know the color scheme and all is not the same, but as far as the general feel of the place....ok...off to YouTube to see if I can find you there!

The biggest difference I noticed was not only the color scheme but the people. In the BC lobby (and we were down there several times) you always see a lot of families and kids. Lots of strollers, lots of kids running around. But down at the the YC lobby you see more adults and conventioners mixed in with the families and kids. (and not nearly as many people) I think the biggest reason is because of BCV. With the villas you are more than doubling the amount of people walking around.... and I'd guess most of those people have kids. In the BC lobby you have a lot of people waiting around for Cape May, but in the YC lobby you'll mostly find people using their laptops on the couches or having a drink in the bar. It's much more quiet. I'm sure if they had a buffet or a character meal it would change the atmosphere, but the only restaurants near the lobby are the Captain's Grille and the Yachtsman's Steakhouse, so those aren't really pulling in a lot of children. I don't think the BC even has a lobby bar does it? That makes a big difference in the atmosphere as well.

Also the quiet pool at the YC seemed totally dead compared to the quiet pool at the BC (which we walked past everyday).

The BC bus stop is way more crowded as well. When we would get on the bus at YC we'd always have a seat, but when it pulled around the BC half of the people would always have to stand or wait for the next bus.

Also I did laundry one day. The YC laundry had 4 washers and 8 dryers and all were empty and available. I was able to do all our laundry at once and nobody ever came down during the 2+ hours I was in there. So that was really nice.

So I guess there are really a lot of differences when you break it down. For me, I'd have to vote YC over BC. I don't like crowded, noisy lobby areas, I don't like crowded bus stops, and I prefer the quieter more relaxing feel. If BCV didn't exsist that would make a huge difference in the congestion and crowd at the BC I think.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Sounds like you had a magical time and thanks for doing such a nice trip report in progress!I really enjoyed it and never followed a live trip report before. We are YC CL headed this summer and all your gorgeous pictures of thelounge, etc. have me so excited to go. I love the new look of thelounge. Very rich..They lost that dreadful wallpaper from the lounge and replaced it I see. Wish they would take the que and remove it from the rooms!!!! Thanks again, Erika!!

I agree. I was expecting a total renovation of the rooms but basically all they did was put in the flatscreen tvs (which are analog and have a terrible picture) and change the bedding. The sinks, counters, tub, tile, mirrors, etc, were all the same. If I remember correctly, those rooms were completely overhauled in 2002 right before we stayed there in November 02, so I'd say in a couple of years they'll need more drastic work done.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

For our last day at WDW, after we finally got packed and checked-out, we walked over to Epcot. We had about 2 hours to kill before getting on ME. We did some shopping at Mousegears and had lunch at Seasons. I think Seasons is one of the best counter service lunch places in Disney World.

Speaking of lunch, here is where we ate for lunch all week:

Seasons (2)
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Yakitori House
Yak and Yeti
El Pirata y el Perico
Captain's Grille
Boulangerie Patisserie

The only breakfast we ate out of the concierge lounge was at Crystal Palace.

Dinners were: ESPN Club (3 times), and California Grill. The other 4 nights we either ate in the concierge lounge or just had snacks in the park. I know one night I had a brownie from the Main Street Bakery and a Dole Whip and called in dinner. That was the best part of not doing the Dining Plan this time around. We didn't feel like we had to eat at any certain time or place... and if we wanted to just have snacks then that was OK too.

Next trip on the horizon for the Murphys is Univeral/IOA sometime this summer so I can go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!!

 

[MickeyT]

Thanks Erika. Been following daily and imagining the parks as you and your family enjoyed. We are staying BC club level in July and thinking maybe we should have went YC! (But isn't that we Disney planners always do it. Imagine ourselves at another resort. What keeps us coming back!)

Thanks again Erika!

 

[HockeyMomR]

Erika -

Thanks again for sharing!

The YC laundry & quiet pool - two of my best kept secrets. So easy to do laundry at YC, never have I seen it overly busy. Also, YC quiet pool is indeed that...quiet. Great for a break from SAB if looking for a little um quiet.

Yes, I agree, maybe CMs were a little stressed with temporary location of lounge. We have always been so happy with the CMs at Y&BC, so, this could answer as to why they were not as freindly? But I am sorry to hear they did not recognize your birthday.

Again, so enjoyed your report!!!

 

[scottmel]

I agree. I was expecting a total renovation of the rooms but basically all they did was put in the flatscreen tvs (which are analog and have a terrible picture) and change the bedding. The sinks, counters, tub, tile, mirrors, etc, were all the same. If I remember correctly, those rooms were completely overhauled in 2002 right before we stayed there in November 02, so I'd say in a couple of years they'll need more drastic work done.

For anyone else reading this, to add on to Erika, new mattresses and new carpeting were put in YC in November 09....I always like to hear these two things as NEW!!! They dubbed it a soft makeover - hence walls/ furniture the same but drapery was replaced too I had heard...

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

The biggest difference I noticed was not only the color scheme but the people. In the BC lobby (and we were down there several times) you always see a lot of families and kids. Lots of strollers, lots of kids running around. But down at the the YC lobby you see more adults and conventioners mixed in with the families and kids. (and not nearly as many people) I think the biggest reason is because of BCV. With the villas you are more than doubling the amount of people walking around.... and I'd guess most of those people have kids. In the BC lobby you have a lot of people waiting around for Cape May, but in the YC lobby you'll mostly find people using their laptops on the couches or having a drink in the bar. It's much more quiet. I'm sure if they had a buffet or a character meal it would change the atmosphere, but the only restaurants near the lobby are the Captain's Grille and the Yachtsman's Steakhouse, so those aren't really pulling in a lot of children. I don't think the BC even has a lobby bar does it? That makes a big difference in the atmosphere as well.

Also the quiet pool at the YC seemed totally dead compared to the quiet pool at the BC (which we walked past everyday).

The BC bus stop is way more crowded as well. When we would get on the bus at YC we'd always have a seat, but when it pulled around the BC half of the people would always have to stand or wait for the next bus.
I have always found that the bus service for the YC/BC was great!! I like the idea of getting on first and not waiting for a seat!
Also I did laundry one day. The YC laundry had 4 washers and 8 dryers and all were empty and available. I was able to do all our laundry at once and nobody ever came down during the 2+ hours I was in there. So that was really nice.
This is a BIG deal for me!!! I have 3 kids, so 5 people changing clothes every day...sometimes twice if the weather changes adds up so quickly!!! I am use to tons of here anyway...so I always prepare for that!!!
So I guess there are really a lot of differences when you break it down. For me, I'd have to vote YC over BC. I don't like crowded, noisy lobby areas, I don't like crowded bus stops, and I prefer the quieter more relaxing feel. If BCV didn't exsist that would make a huge difference in the congestion and crowd at the BC I think.

Thanks so much!! I appreciate it!

 

[jwwi]

Thank you Erika for a fun report. I hope you will do a live report of Universal this summer. Does your DH get a discount at Disney since he works for ESPN? I like the food at the ESPN club but not sure I would eat there three nights. Maybe it was because of the NCAA tournament?

 

[MickeyT]

Hey Erika,
One more question when you get settled back in. (I hate the week after Disney. I am always saying, 'This time last week I was........').

Could you give us a generic rundown on the club food offerings? We stayed at the Poly last year and even though we didn't make it back every night for the evening offerings it was always a different menu. I have seen posted that they weren't changing out the evening offerings and sticking with same menu every night now at some of the resorts. Wondering how much of that is true and how much is board talk. (Or I misinterpeted!)

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Thank you Erika for a fun report. I hope you will do a live report of Universal this summer. Does your DH get a discount at Disney since he works for ESPN? I like the food at the ESPN club but not sure I would eat there three nights. Maybe it was because of the NCAA tournament?

We hadn't planned on Purdue winning, so we ended up going back twice to watch them play. Then my Mom wanted to watch Kentucky, so we went a third time. Totally not my idea of good food, but we couldn't miss cheering for our teams!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Hey Erika,
One more question when you get settled back in. (I hate the week after Disney. I am always saying, 'This time last week I was........').

Could you give us a generic rundown on the club food offerings? We stayed at the Poly last year and even though we didn't make it back every night for the evening offerings it was always a different menu. I have seen posted that they weren't changing out the evening offerings and sticking with same menu every night now at some of the resorts. Wondering how much of that is true and how much is board talk. (Or I misinterpeted!)

They seemed to rotate the same 6 hot items ... potstickers, duck quesadillas, dumplings, chicken skewers, spring rolls, and bacon wrapped scallops. We were there 8 nights and these were the only 6 things they had, two each night, varying from day to day, starting at 5:00 PM. I much preferred their cold offerings...they just seemed fresher and not deep fried or "frozen-food-like"... those were things like lobster salad (from the Captain's Grille), Broccoli salad, some kind of wild rice salad, cheeses, raw veggies, fruits, crackers, antipasta type meats, olives, etc. The hot aps were just like someone went to Sam's Club and baked a bunch of frozen appetizers, the cold stuff was much, much better. Even the kids joked about the "chicken on a stick" that kept popping up every other night. But don't get me wrong, we ate a lot and saved a TON of money on food. We had that one really expensive meal at the Cali Grill (about $300 by the time we had wine, an appetizer, main entrees, and dessert), so we took advantage of the food for sure.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Erika:

I have a question. I read somewhere that if you ask the CL staff will give you bottles of water. While DH likes soda, I not so much. Is that true? We are staying CL for the first time this summer at the Poly and AKL.

Thanks,
Erika

 

[jwwi]

I can totally understand going to ESPN to watch the games. I love going to watch NFL football, so many games to watch. The tournament sure was exciting this year.

 

[LouiseUK]

Thanks for such a great report - we are staying at the Yacht Club for 2 weeks in Aug/Sept (not concierge though - !), so I'm avidly reading up everything on YC!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Erika:

I have a question. I read somewhere that if you ask the CL staff will give you bottles of water. While DH likes soda, I not so much. Is that true? We are staying CL for the first time this summer at the Poly and AKL.

Thanks,
Erika

No plastic water bottles at the YC. But if you asked for water they would give you a glass liter bottle of Evian to take back to your room.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

On our last night we walked to the bridge between the BC and the Boardwalk to watch Illuminations... here are some pics:

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I also took a TON of little video snipets during the week, sadly my slow uploading sprint card can't handle them all, but here is one of walking back to the YC one night and looking over at the boardwalk:

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

And here are the last few pictures from my camera... walking back from ESPN Club our last night, and then a couple from Epcot on our last day.....

 

[ccgirl]

What a great report. Thank you! I just spent my morning at work reading it all. Needless to say, not a very productive day. I'm so glad you had such a great time. We ate at Cali Grill this past October for our Anniversary dinner and LOVED it. Thanks for your trip report. Oh...I noticed it was LIVE. Was the internet free or did they charge? Thanks again.