Category — w. Most Recent Stuff
Review: Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Page 6
For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas, see this.
THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
Disney’s Beach Club Villas opened in 2002 as the fourth on-site Disney Vacation Club resort.
According to Disney’s web page on the Beach Club Villas, they
“…wrap leisure, elegance and romance into a full-service New England-style Disney Deluxe Villa Resort…
…The nautical allure of the Eastern Seaboard comes alive with architecture that features intricate wooden accents and a soft pastel color palette. Retreat to one of our stately Studios with kitchenettes or one of our spacious Villas complete with a kitchen, living area and a host of home-style amenities. Enjoy charming views from your windows and private porch or balcony.”
Designed by the architect who did the rest of the Epcot resorts, Robert A.M. Stern, the Beach Club Villas share the charming “Stick” architecture of sister resort the Beach Club, but are even more graceful and lovely than the sister resort is.
The Beach Club Villas are in fact as lovely as any other resort at Walt Disney World, and are at least comparable in beauty to the Grand Floridian…and perhaps, because of their smaller scale, even more charming.
The smaller scale, angled facade, and more playful detailing of the Beach Club Villas help it better reflect its roots in domestic architecture.
For example, some of the facades include not only the clapboard siding common at the resort but also towers designed with board and batten siding. A small thing, but one that hints at having a domestic history rather than being a monolith.
The Villas are a lovely sea green, a warmer and more inviting color than the (still-nice) cooler blue of the Beach Club.
Interiors spaces are just as nice, especially the main entry lobby through which guests will walk many times as they access the Beach Club, Epcot, Crescent Lake, and the BoardWalk.
There’s also some fun art…
The Beach Club Villas have many strengths for first time visitors, bringing together the positives of the DVC resorts–extra, more livable space, full kitchens–with those of the Beach Club: access to Stormalong Bay, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The weaknesses of the Beach Club Villas are also shared–many families won’t be in these rooms enough to enjoy their amenities, and the architecture, lovely to adults, is dull to kids.
PAGES: Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- For where to stay, see this
- For your next best choices, in order, see this
- For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
- For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
- For resort reviews, see this
- For the value resorts, see this
- For the moderate resorts, see this
- For the deluxe resorts, see this
- For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
- For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Military/DOD families should look at this
- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!
August 24, 2014 3 Comments
Next Week (August 23 Through August 31, 2014) at Walt Disney World
DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: AUGUST 23 TO AUGUST 31, 2014
The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.
The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic.
For more on August 2014 at Walt Disney World, see this.
August 22, 2014 No Comments
Theming and Accommodations at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas, see this.)
THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
Disney’s Beach Club Villas is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.
Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.
They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.
Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.
The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
- Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas
The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.
Disney’s Beach Club Villas opened in 2002 as the fourth on-site Disney Vacation Club resort.
According to Disney’s web page on the Beach Club Villas, they
“…wrap leisure, elegance and romance into a full-service New England-style Disney Deluxe Villa Resort…
…The nautical allure of the Eastern Seaboard comes alive with architecture that features intricate wooden accents and a soft pastel color palette. Retreat to one of our stately Studios with kitchenettes or one of our spacious Villas complete with a kitchen, living area and a host of home-style amenities. Enjoy charming views from your windows and private porch or balcony.”
Designed by the architect who did the rest of the Epcot resorts, Robert A.M. Stern, the Beach Club Villas share the charming “Stick” architecture of sister resort the Beach Club, but are even more graceful and lovely than the sister resort is.
The Beach Club Villas are in fact as lovely as any other resort at Walt Disney World, and are at least comparable in beauty to the Grand Floridian…and perhaps, because of their smaller scale, even more charming.
The smaller scale, angled facade, and more playful detailing of the Beach Club Villas help it better reflect its roots in domestic architecture.
For example, some of the facades include not only the clapboard siding common at the resort but also towers designed with board and batten siding. A small thing, but one that hints at having a domestic history rather than being a monolith.
The Villas are a lovely sea green, a warmer and more inviting color than the (still-nice) cooler blue of the Beach Club.
Interiors spaces are just as nice, especially the main entry lobby through which guests will walk many times as they access the Beach Club, Epcot, Crescent Lake, and the BoardWalk.
There’s also some fun art…
ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
All Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas have Studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.
Most have Grand Villas as well.
Disney’s Beach Club Villas does not have Grand Villas. The other three room types are covered on this page.
STUDIOS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
At Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Studios sleep five and have a microwave and mini fridge.
The microwave is one of several ways Studios are different from regular rooms at the Beach Club.
- A second distinction is that the second bed is a full fold-out couch, rather than a queen.
- A third is that the third bed is a flip-down that takes away the small table when down. The third bed in standard Beach Club rooms is a convertible couch (some Beach Club rooms don’t have the couch).
- The studios are about 30 square feet smaller than standard rooms at the Beach Club, and they feel even smaller than this, as the bath/entry hall area of the studios is larger than that in standard Beach Club rooms.
These studios go for about the same price as regular standard view Beach Club rooms. I don’t see how the microwave makes up for the smaller living space, smaller second bed and loss of the table when the third bed is in use, so I can’t recommend these rooms over the Beach Club itself for first time family visitors.
A photo tour of a Beach Club Villas Studio begins here.
ONE-BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
One-Bedroom Villas at the Beach Club have a master bedroom with a king bed.
They have as well a full kitchen/dining/ living space, a washer/dryer, and sleep 4 in about twice the space of a studio.
The two additional sleeping spots are on a good-sized but thin fold-out couch in the living room space.
The bath is shared, with access to it from both spaces. The kids on the sofa bed don’t need to enter the master bedroom to get to this bath.
One-Bedroom Villas are among the most comfortable ways to stay at Walt Disney World.
Depending on the price season, these villas are only around 40-50% more expensive than a standard Beach Club room, for twice the space.
The additional space, full kitchen, and living and dining furniture are hard to beat, even though if you are following one of this site’s itineraries you won’t be in your room much to enjoy them!
They aren’t for everyone…but the value is there if you can afford it and your family fits.
A photo tour of a One Bedroom Villa begins here.
TWO-BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
Two-Bedroom Villas add a second bedroom to the amenities of a One-Bedroom, and sleep 8 or 9.
Some second bedrooms are simply connecting Studios. These Villas thus sleep 9, and are depicted in the floor plan above.
Others were designed from the start to be part of a dedicated Two Bedroom Villa, and these–typically–have two queens in their second bedroom, sleep eight, and replace the Studio’s kitchenette with a closet. See the floor plan below.
Two-Bedroom Villas can be either cramped or comfortable, depending both on how you use them and what you are comparing them to.
Like many DVC Two-Bedroom Villas, in Disney’s Beach Club Villas Two-Bedrooms there isn’t enough seating space in either the living room or in the dining spaces for all the people these rooms will fit.
The living room chairs will seat three to four people, with two more chairs available at the kitchen’s breakfast bar.
The dining table will seat five comfortably and at most six.
So if you are filling a two bedroom with 8 or 9 people, things can get awkward, especially compared to the ease with which One-Bedroom Villas fit the people they can sleep.
These space issues are part of the reason why these rooms are only about 50-80% more expensive than One Bedroom Villas, even though they have double the sleeping capacity.
On the other hand, depending on the price season, a Two-Bedroom is only 10-20% more than two standard Beach Club Resort rooms, but provides 50% more space, and, compared to those rooms, all that extra kitchen/dining/living space and furniture.
If your family’s sleeping needs will fit in the bedrooms–that is, if you don’t need to use the fold-out bed in the living space–Two-Bedrooms are a particularly comfortable option.
(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)
The Beach Club Villas have many strengths for first time visitors, bringing together the positives of the DVC resorts–extra, more livable space, full kitchens–with those of the Beach Club: access to Stormalong Bay, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The weaknesses of the Beach Club Villas are also shared–many families won’t be in these rooms enough to enjoy their amenities, and the architecture, lovely to adults, is dull to kids.
PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS
This review continues here.
The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at the Beach Club Villas or anywhere else at Disney World. Contact her using the form below!
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!</p
August 21, 2014 6 Comments
Report: Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World
The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World is the first deluxe-level hotel to open at Disney World since the Animal Kingdom Lodge opened more than 15 years ago, and the first five-star resort ever on property.
Not owned by Disney, it does not share in various Disney hotel guest perks like Magical Express or access to the Dining Plan or FastPass+ booking 60 days out.
It also has its own transportation system and does not use Disney buses for hotel-park transport.
It is supported by some Disney cast members for planning help, but has even less Disney theming than Shades of Green.
I had a chance to stay in it in mid-August, its opening month. I’ll do a do a much more detailed full review soon, but here’s some quick observations:
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL OF THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
The main point is that once you arrive on the grounds of The Four Seasons Orlando, you could be almost anywhere. With next to no Disney design or decorating touches, nor any architecturally playful elements, the overall feel is simply that of a lovely high end resort.
That’s good for some–those who have enough Disney in the parks themselves, or those staying for purposes other than playing in Disney World–a convention, a wedding, simply relaxing at a luxurious resort. But it’s not so fun for others.
ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
You could reserve the nine-bedroom suite that’s available here among the more than 60 suites on offer. For a lot less you could book 20 or so rooms at Pop Century, losing however a certain je ne c’est quoi. Or you could, like I did, book a standard room.
Standard rooms come in two flavors: a king with a couch that folds out into a queen (see floor plan–I’ll have a much prettier floor plan when I do the full review); or with two full beds–what I had, and what the photographs show.
Either choice yields an enormous room–with 500 square feet they are, according to Four Seasons, the largest in Orlando–a simply huge closet, and a nice, though mostly undivided, bath (the toilet is set off in an opaque glass surround).
But I’m not seeing the why of the full beds–at Disney, even the Caribbean Beach Resort is getting queens. Perhaps these rooms are designed for kids, with the expectation that the parents would be in a connecting king room.
But I can’t recommend a full bed room at these prices, and need to check out the comfort of the fold-out couch in the king rooms before I can recommend those for families, either. So I’ll need to return to try out the king room and its fold-out couch.
THE POOLS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
The pool complex at The Four Seasons is better than the pools at any Disney owned resort–yes, better even than Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Clubs.
There’s four pools here: a lovely adult-only infinity pool…
…and then in the separate “Explorer Island” area (see the map above) three more pools: a kids pool and splash and play area that itself is bigger than most Disney World main pools…
…a lazy river pool…
…and a large and long family pool. Here’s the middle of the family pool…
…and here’s the far end.
There’s also dual pool slides, one open and one enclosed, that splash down into their own landing zone near the kid’s water play area. Pool lovers will simply love the offerings at the Four Seasons.
DINING AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
When fully open, there will be five restaurants at Four Seasons: PB&G, the pool bar and grill; Cuban-American dining in Plancha at the golf clubhouse; Capa, a 17th-floor Spanish steakhouse; Ravello, with downstairs Italian dining and an upstairs bar (with its own bar menu, but where you can also order off the Ravello main menu). There’s also a grab and go coffee shop, Lickety-Split.
The only one I had a chance to experience was the Ravello bar, where I ordered a ribeye off the main Ravello menu.
Unadventurous, I admit, but I was here to watch on Monday Night Football each of Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer fighting to make the other one the starter, and–at least before the game started–steak seemed to suit.
It was glorious, by the way (the food, I mean, not the game, nor the quarterbacking)–as nicely seasoned a steak as I’ve ever had…
Anyone can book meals at the Four Seasons…and I suspect many will. I’d suggest you dress for dinner at Ravello, Plancha, and Capa–though I saw plenty of people in shorts in Ravello.
PARK TRANSPORTATION AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
All parking is valet, and getting your car in and out is very straightforward. For those guests who want to use Four Seasons transport to the parks, there’s two options, neither of which I had a chance to test on this visit.
One option is the free shuttles. There’s two free shuttle routes:
- One leaves on the hour and goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), a monorail or ferry ride away from the Magic Kingdom, then the Animal Kingdom, then back to the Four Seasons.
- The second leaves on the half hour and goes to the TTC near MK, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and back to the Four Seasons
The result is twice hourly service to and from the TTC with its easy access to MK (and Epcot), and hourly to the other parks, with some stops in between.
The other option is to pay for town car service, at $16 for Epcot and HS, $18 for MK, and $29 for AK.
THE STAFF AND THE GUESTS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
I have been in a lot of hotels (including more than a hundred different rooms at Disney World itself…), but only have stayed a couple of dozen times at five star resorts–mostly domestic Ritz-Carltons, but also a few InterContinentals and Four Seasons.
People who haven’t stayed in such often have two questions: will the staff treat me like a peon, and how supercilious are the other guests?
I loved, loved, loved the staff here, from the valets through the front desk folk to the pool staff to the Ravello team, and all the other staff I walked by in less structured settings. They were friendly, cheerful, and helpful. They were a little more formal than Disney cast members–it was always “Hello,” not “Hi!”–but they were most welcoming.
The other guests I was a little less keen on. Three vignettes:
- A Four Seasons staff member was touring me through Explorer Island. An overly thin guest walked up and simply straight out immediately interrupted us to demand a drink. The staff member told her she would be right with her, and after the guest walked away, I said to the staff member that she should feel free to take care of that guest and that we could return to our chat later, which is how things unfolded
- Most people know how to wait for an elevator, and in what order to board one when it comes, based on where they are standing in proximity to the doors, as balanced out among men my age by gentlemanly factors. But one tall wiry father with his tall wiry teenage son simply tried to elbow me out of the way to enter the elevator ahead of me. Luckily I’ve spent enough time walking on Oxford Street to know how to tenaciously preserve my little bit of this green Earth
- A short wiry father with his short pre-teen son walked by in matching Speedos…
Now the hotel was not busy during my visit, and on this first visit I did not stay long, so the sample size here of fellow guests encountered is small…but really??
PRICING AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO
Guest rooms here range from $545 to $2,000 per night. Suites range from $1,050 to $12,000 per night. Add taxes and valet parking and soon that adds up to real money.
My full-bed room was at the lower end of that scale, putting it 10-25% higher than the least expensive rooms in the monorail resorts the same time I stayed.
However, now through December 19 the Four Seasons Resort Orlando is offering a buy two nights, get the third free deal, which will put it below the cost of three nights in a monorail resort at standard rack rates. (You still may pay less at a Disney deluxe via a deal.) To book a room at the Four Seasons, start with my friends at Destinations in Florida.
MORE EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO COMING SOON
As noted, I’ll get a more detailed review out later!! Ok, bye…
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!
August 20, 2014 2 Comments
New Celebrity SpokesBaby for The easy Guide
We had a great time at the meet-ups Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to everyone who came–or couldn’t come, but sent their well-wishes!!
Of all the visitors, I myself was most thrilled at the responses of Liam, Celebrity SpokesBaby.
Here’s his reaction to Chapter 6:
…and this is his overall assessment of The easy Guide:
The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit: so easy that even Celebrity SpokesBabies give it a thumbs up!
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!
August 18, 2014 No Comments
Report From a Refurbed Queen Bed Five Person Caribbean Beach Room
Update 9/11: I drove by CB yesterday. Aruba is almost done, with only building 56 in construction. Work has started in Barbados, with Building 11 seeing work.
I had a chance to stay in one of the refurbed five person rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort the last couple of days. I’ll post a full review soon, but here’s some quick notes:
The change from full to queen beds makes these rooms much more livable for everyone.
The sliding wooden doors isolate noise and light from the bath better than the old fabric curtain that used to separate these spaces–among the moderates, this is a feature found elsewhere only at Coronado Springs.
To my eye, they also add more grace to the room than the former fabric curtains. Or they would if I’d remembered to clean my crap off the bed before I took the photo… On the other hand, internally these are referred to as “barn doors,” so you make the call…
And for many, the key feature of the refurb is the addition of a Murphy Bed, which gives another sleeping spot and a new option for five-person families.
I measured the Murphy Bed mattress as 30″ wide by 64″ long. The way it is positioned on top of the bedframe and related to the back framing means that, unlike many such beds, it does not sleep much shorter than this. I’d put a five foot tall kid on this and expect great results. The cushion is 5 inches deep.
The only loss that I see is there’s no more Nemo theming–which used to float lightly as a wallpaper border. But it’s still a Disney-flavored room with that Mickey and Pluto image when the Murphy Bed is down!
Here’s a floor plan–I’ll have a prettier one for the full review!
For comparison, here’s an image of the un-refurbed full bed rooms from my February stay at CB:
Not all rooms get the Murphy Beds. So far as I could see, king rooms don’t, and there will be some rooms with only two queens–see the floor plan for such a room below:
From my walkaround, more than half of two-queen rooms will get the Murphy Bed.
Pirate rooms are not part of this refurb, and thus will retain their full beds. “They will get their own refurb, at a different time,” I was told.
Jamaica is done, and work has started on Aruba. As of my mid-August visit, Aruba 51 was done, 52, 53 and 54 were under construction, and 55 and 56 had not started.
The construction schedule is around 11 working days per room, but these are likely staggered in groups of rooms to keep the various subs productive.
I got different answers on when the renovation would be complete–ranging from “November, we hope” to “by the end of this year” to “mid-2015.” Based on the current pace, the end 0f 2014 is likely the best date to plan for. For a stay in August or September, request Jamaica; after September, Jamaica or Aruba.
By the way, building 54 did not have any barriers, so I didn’t cross any safety line to get the photos of the construction floor plans and schedule!!
More to come later! Ok, bye.
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!
August 18, 2014 32 Comments
