2014/2015 Beach and Yacht Club FAQ, Friends & Fun, Sept 2014-Mayl 2015

[Ninja Mom]

As far as the shopping is concerned I will offer that I had used Garden Grocer in the past. I stopped using them after they did an unacceptably poor job selecting produce for me. I'm still shaking my head at the genius who selected brown, withered, OBVIOUSLY rotten lemons and included them in my order.

When you are at WDW you really don't want to take the time to to call back and forth with a company and take out more time from your busy schedule to make them get your order correct. As part of this wonderful experience I would have had to make a special second trip to Port Orleans Riverside Bell services to arrange delivery of the replacement groceries once they finally arrived (POR was requiring me to appear in person at Bell Services to facilitate grocery delivery. That in and of itself proved to be a nightmare in it's own right...)

So in light of the above experience I strongly DO NOT recommend Garden Grocer. A grocery Delivery company should be able to get it right on the first try and Garden Grocer is NOT that company. I don't have any experience with WEGOSHOP so I can't speak to their success or failure.

Now I take the time to go to WALMART myself. That's the 3250 Vineland rd. Kissimee Florida Walmart on SR 535. This Walmart has a pretty big grocery section, a liquor section and all the old regular stuff that you would find in a Walmart. I love the fact that I can get pool noodles, beer for DH, sun screen and whatever else we were out of or things that people realized on the plane that they forget. All of these purchased are at WALMART prices and not the inflated prices of the local supermarkets that are closest to WDW.

For those of you without a car, taking a taxi to Walmart is a little over $20 each way and I have the number in my cell phone for the WDW APPROVED Mears Taxi service (1-407-422-2222) so I can call for a pick up when I am ready to head back to the resort. There are a number of GYPSY cabs that troll the parking lot of the Walmart. BE SURE TO AVOID THE GYPSY CABS! They usually do not have meters in the cab and the price that they will end up charging you for the ride will be significantly HIGHER as these drivers specialize in ripping off the public. Stories abound of how 1 rate was agreed upon before getting in the cab and then because of Traffic or some other bogus reason the rate will go up with threats of leaving you on the side of the road if that is not 'agreeable'.

Some people recommend Target but I never have any luck with the one at home so I'm thinking it's not going to get much better when I am on vacation.

So to sum it up, I like doing my own shopping at Walmart because I can get things that these shopping services don't always offer and I can get them at rock bottom Walmart prices. The $$ that I spend in Cab fare is well worth the chance to do my own shopping and make my own selections. When I'm cruising the produce section I can take a peep at the grapes and know to pass up on them based upon their surly appearance but hey don't those cantaloupes look sweet!

~NM

 

[focusondisney]

Please add me to the Be Our Guest list: Jan 9-12 YC CL deluxe room. This is Marathon Weekend, but we're going for my DH's birthday, not the Marathon. We went last year, same weekend & were able to get an AP discount at BC CL. Unfortunately, both Y&BC seem pretty booked for that weekend this year. My DH actually prefers YC - I was able to get the Visa discount, but it is a very small discount for the deluxe room. Maybe 8% or so. Oh well, guess that's the price I have to pay for having a husband who likes Disney deluxe resorts as much as I do!


I will keep looking tho. Maybe some folks will leave YC for other resorts when the discount goes public & more inventory will open up at YC. A girl can dream right??

 

[katyj26]

Add me for Jan 29-Feb 6! Yacht Club GV!! First time staying there!

 

[Hopefully]

Thanks for posting this. I am sorry to hear you had poor service, especially after being such a loyal customer. I actually have one of your posts recommending the service on the first page of the thread- I assume you would like me to remove that.

Sadly, Yes Please

 

[kimmy85]

I would be keen to see comments on grocery delivery as this will be the first time in all our stays that we won't have a car to pick up supplies. We will mainly want bottles of water, cases of beer, and some of those small bottles of wine you have in packs of four over there that are just a lovely size for a glass on the balcony! I know there will be some info on the DIS elsewhere and I intend to have a look and a read of it later, but I shall keep a close eye on any comments here.

Hello! Just chiming in here with my experience with Garden Grocer. DH & I used their service for our first trip back in 2013 and we plan on using them again for our 2015 return. We had no problems with their service but I purposely did not order fresh produce - we choose to order the 4-pack fruit cups instead.

Like you, we ordered a case of bottled water, gallons of spring water (for the coffee maker), snacks for the room, and DH's beer. I also like those wine singles in packs of four but GG does not carry them. Although they have a link to request an item, there is a disclaimer that due to Florida law, they cannot accept requests for alcohol (other than what they already carry). They do carry single serve mini glasses of wine called COPA. I gave it a test run here in Mass but didn't care for it.

BC Marketplace does sell the singles (from the 4-packs) but their price is about $7 per single serve bottle (thanks Dee for the research on that)! As I did the first time, 8 little singles of wine will be in my checked bag unless GG adds them to their inventory before then.

Bottom line - until GG gives me a reason not to use them, we will continue with their service but I don't trust anyone with produce since I can be "picky".

 

[WDWHereWeeeCome]

We used Garden Grocer to have some groceries delivered this week and we had a good experience. We got a text message saying they had been delivered as well as a voice mail letting me know and asking me to call if I needed anything.

 

[hill6]

page 44-46

Have you tried again? Still having problems? Posting pictures in general or just this one?

If you want to email it to me, I can post for you.

Will try again this evening. If unsuccessful I will send to you. Thanks for the offer.

 

[gometros]

This time tomorrow we'll be checking into BCV

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

 

[WildGinger]

Hi-We will be checking in earlier than I anticipate our room will be ready. We would like to use the pool. Is there anywhere to get changed at SAB? Thanks!

 

[focusondisney]

Hi-We will be checking in earlier than I anticipate our room will be ready. We would like to use the pool. Is there anywhere to get changed at SAB? Thanks!

Unfortunate they no longer let you use the locker room at the spa. There are rest rooms in the walkway between Yacht & Beach Clubs that are clean & well kept. You can change there. Also there are rest rooms on the pool deck-- kind of to the left as you look at Hurricane Hannah's. If I remember correctly, they may have a changing area there. But I usually find that rest room to be a bit messy/ wetter. More people coming in dripping from the pool. So maybe not the best option.

 

[WildGinger]

Unfortunate they no longer let you use the locker room at the spa. There are rest rooms in the walkway between Yacht & Beach Clubs that are clean & well kept. You can change there. Also there are rest rooms on the pool deck-- kind of to the left as you look at Hurricane Hannah's. If I remember correctly, they may have a changing area there. But I usually find that rest room to be a bit messy/ wetter. More people coming in dripping from the pool. So maybe not the best option.

Thank you!!

 

[dzak1717]

We've used GardenGrocer twice in the last two years and have only run into a snag last september when they delivered a half gallon of 2% milk instead of chocolate milk. After a quick call they delivered the correct item to our room within an hour. We are using them again in Nov and hopefully will continue to have good service.
Having the service while staying in a BCV is definitely worth it. We eat breakfast in our room before heading to the parks except for the 1 character breakfast we have set up. Also to have snacks/water readily available saves money so we don't need to buy items in the park or drink the Florida water.

 

[VFG]

I've been using Garden Grocer twice a year for several years now. I highly recommend them. We had one experience where they forgot our cereal but I called and they straightened it out. No company is 100% perfect.

 

[tarak]

NM, i have the same problem when my mom picks out produce for me. I love the woman to death, but at this point, I only ask her to grab something from the store if it's boxed cereal.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Where we did some food and wine then went on spaceship earth and ran to soarin when we saw a 5 min wait at 8:45. Last we caught the last few minutes of illuminations as we strolled "home". All in all an excellent start to our trip. I'll try to keep up with some live reports since that was the only way I lived through the last few months of waiting.

What a great upgrade!
Thanks for the trip report. I can't believe Soarin' had a 5 min wait! Don't you love the easy walk to Epcot.

 

[Princess Michele]

Please add us to the BOG list for Aug. 11-22, 2015. This will be our first time staying at the Beach Club and our first time at a WDW deluxe resort. I am excited to stay here and I know my kids will love Storm Along Bay. Next August cannot get here soon enough. Thank you.

 

[michyi]

Quick questions... if I already put in a room request on the phone, do I have to put in the request for online check-in? The requests I did on the phone are different than the options online.

If my plane lands in Orlando at 10:20am, what time should I expect to arrive at the resort?

Thank you

 

[MickeyT]

Hi all excited to be writing to you live from the beach club. We arrived yesterday and were magically upgraded from a standard view room to...

Great TR and great photo's WDWHereWeeeCome. Thanks for bringing us along!

So excited.

First time staying with Vacation Club and its at Beach Club. Just a studio, but hey, I've got to start small.

We don't go until December, but I am loving this thread. SOOOO much great information.

Welcome Home!

 

[MickeyT]

Quick questions... if I already put in a room request on the phone, do I have to put in the request for online check-in? The requests I did on the phone are different than the options online.

If my plane lands in Orlando at 10:20am, what time should I expect to arrive at the resort?

Thank you

I would call again at a couple weeks out to make sure they have your request correct. I would think the call would take precendence over the online request.

My experience and of others is around 1 1/2 hours from landing to checkin with Magical Express.

 

[brenbrady]

We used Garden Grocer to have some groceries delivered this week and we had a good experience. We got a text message saying they had been delivered as well as a voice mail letting me know and asking me to call if I needed anything.

We have used WeGoShopping quite a few times and found them very good and we intend to use them on our next trip. My friend just used them in August for the first time and she was quite pleased with their service.