Am I nuts? Disliked Free Upgrade

[ILive4Disney]

We went to check in at ASM on Friday for the weekend....the CM proudly announced it was my lucky day and we were upgraded to Beach Club. At first I was just thrilled...but as the stay went on, I was not so happy about certain aspects. The transportation was difficult, the lack of a food court was a bit of an issue for us and it just didn't feel very "Disney" there. I have stayed in and enjoyed other deluxes, CR and WL...however, this resort just felt HUGE and overall just very inconvenient for what our needs were. My daughters felt the same way and we kept trying to convince ourselves it was in our head. We were sooo incredibly grateful for the upgrade...is is nuts that if that happened again I would say "no thanks"? :ill: I really think I would.:confused: I would try another resort but would not want to stay there again.

[Dream'nDisney]

Hey, everyone has there own opinion on what their vacation should be. Personally, we felt a little chlaustrophobic last time when we stayed at ASMu for one night. It was so much smaller, no hot tub, no nice restaurant, etc. Once we stayed at BC, I can't get my family to stay anywhere else. But then, like I said, to each their own. If everyone liked the same resort, no one would be able to get a room at that resort! :mickey::thumbsup:

[DizneyRox]

Yeah, you're nuts! :D

I think BC is actually one of the better resorts. My first stay, I wasn't so sure, but I found it to be very comfortable and convenient.

I can undersand if you were expecting a food court for your meals that you in effect lost that, and probably spent more on food that you thought you would. BUT, taking that out of the mix, I would pick BC everytime.

I've actually scheduled a few days there to make sure I see Art. If I don't stay there, I do make a point of stopping by.

[ILive4Disney]

LOL...it really could be that it was "new" so I need to give it another shot....I have found that sometimes I need to try a new resort twice before liking it....on the other hand....I had only stayed at ASM once before so who's to say I would have been happy there either :confused: Either way how could I complain, I was in Disney!!

[KH]

Another vote for nuts! ;) We've stayed at the Beach Club twice, and it will always be in our rotation. We love the location, the rooms, the vibe, Beaches and Cream (a whole can!), and the transportation is really quite easy (walk to Epcot, boat or walk to Hollywood Studios, walk through Epcot and monorail to MK, bus to AK). But hey, what's great is that we all have so many choices. As Mark Twain said, "It is not best that we all should think alike, it is differences of opinion that make horse races."

[PixieMagic]

Ha ha - I would do anything for that surprise! We can't afford it but my family could really use the extra room! LMAO:thumbsup:

[SBETigg]

I would have been thrilled, but who's to say it's nuts? You went in expecting one sort of Disney vacation and ended up with something very different. Perhaps if you'd had time to study the resort in advance and plan, you might have become very excited and really loved the upgrade. But to find out upon arrival might have occasioned some sort of let down, in that you didn't get what you were expecting at all. It's understandable.

[Ian]

Sorry ... have to come down in the 'nuts' camp, as well.

You couldn't pay me to stay at ASM ever again, but Beach Club is one of my favorite resorts on property.

[JPL]

I'm joining the nuts umm I mean the nuts opinion ummm scratch that.

Yeah basically give me the Beach Club over a Value any day :thumbsup: Although I can understand how the change could have thrown you off.

[disneydreamer1970]

Oh, I could only dream of an upgrade like that!! :)

Glad you had a good time anyway!

Trish

[Dulcee]

Yeah an upgrade like that and I'd be doing the happy dance my entire vacation.

It is very different from a value though and depending on your style of vacation I could see it being a wee bit upsetting.

[moe513]

Why did you get such a huge upgrade??

[kakn7294]

Hey, it's your vacation so it should be what you want it to be. If you weren't happy at BC, so be it. Not everyone likes every resort and what could be a great place for one family may not be right for another. I would have been thrilled at first too. Would I have stayed thrilled and enjoyed it? Who knows?

[mom2morgan]

Interesting question! I guess I'd be thrilled to have the opportunity to stay in ANY deluxe - that said, I'd never deliberately book the Beachclub because it just doesn't personally appeal to me....If I were booked at POR (where I've stayed before, and which I like) and they offered to bump me to Beachclub, I'm not sure what I'd do...

[mrsgaribaldi]

I don't think you're nuts. I stayed at the Beach Club and didn't care for it either. We were there in 2005 and have never been back with no plans to return to BC anytime soon:mickey:

[mickey&missy]

I don't think your nuts at all! :hug:

I've never stayed at either resort but I completely understand that one ladies cup of tea is different from anothers!

The thing is there is a very good possiblity that you were upgraded because ASM was book to or almost to capacity. DH and I stay at Poly last week (3/23 - 3/27) and in we found a lot of spring break groups, high school and college, inthe parks. I'm assuming with a younger crowd the value rooms would be booked up first. I've heard of a few different people being upgraded from value resorts during the peewee football tournaments in December because values book up first!

Our whole family, 3 rooms worth, was upgraded last year from regular garden view rooms at GF to Sugar Loaf Concierge! That was a lovely upgrade and I'd take it anyday!!

[lindique]

No, you're absolutely not nuts (or maybe I'm nuts too!). It happened to me one time - we were offered the Yacht Club over our reserved POR room. We drove over there, walked around a bit, and turned it down.

First of all, no food court. Breakfast was $20 per person (plus tax and tip) at the restaurant we went to. Not my idea of fun to spend $50 for breakfast.

Secondly, the atmosphere. Yes, the lobby at the Yacht and Beach Clubs are nice, but it's just a lobby. When I go to Disney World, I greatly enjoy walking in the beautiful grounds at the moderates. For a Northerner, to see beautiful trees, flowers in bloom, etc, on the way to the food court or bus stop in Winter is one of the pleasures of being there. The Yacht Club reminded me too much of a business trip-type hotel - the moderates, to me, are more of a vacation resort. Call me nuts too!

[andreallybadeggs]

Let me know when you're going again so I can be in line right behind you when you say "no thanks":D

[PetefromRI]

I'm not a huge fan of the BC,it just felt snooty to us and we also really missed a food court.I would take the trade over a value though.This trip we'll be at the POFQ and I'd rather stay there than the BC but I'll still take the Poly over any of the resorts!

[playdead88]

hey everyone likes something different but with that being said i gotta vote for you being nuts - the beach club is one of our faves! stormalong bay and being able to walk to epcot is what we love the most - plus a character bfast in your hotel - and now on the flip side i have never stayed in a value resort so i dont know how awesome they are - either way you're in disney whats not to love!?

[grumpydude]

BC is just ok:down:not as impressive as WL:number1:

[DreamFinder2]

First of all, I haven't seen a collection of replies from mods/staff since...I don't know when :mickey:

Secondly, I vote "not nuts". I can definitely see that if you're planning for one kind of vacation, that ending up with another - even if the hotel rooms are more expensive - could pose problems. Budgeting for food is such a large part of most of our WDW vacations, not having something as important as a food court at your hotel would be a huge inconvenience.

It'd be hard for any of us to say "no" to an upgrade, though :blush:

[TheVBs]

I'm gonna vote not nuts. ;) I can completely understand feeling that way. I would be thrilled to be offered an upgrade, but it wouldn't surprise me if it threw us like that, or if we were disappointed because we were missing a convenience.

lindique, I love that you went and checked it out first! If we are ever lucky enough to get an offer, I'll be prepared to do the same. :thumbsup:

[Crow]

Are you nuts!?
um actually no.
while i might prefer BC to Allstars cause of the location (Epcot is my fav) I actually dont like it either. some for the reasons you stated. the view for me wasnt too great either last time ( a roof)
Ive stayed there twice; once after reseriving POFQ then the closed it for rehab & offered a deal at BC, 2nd time my last trip.
last time i had the wonderful roof view, pounding next door and in the hall for refurbs.
long walks down the hall.
if based on location, yes Id go w BC but there is no way id pay the rate for there. heck for the price (or better deals sometimes) id go w Swan/Dolphin which i liked better.

[Tigerinvestigator]

:yoda: nuts you are!

[Toad_Passenger]

I would never say anyone is nuts, since I'm a bit nutty myself.

That being said, any chance to upgrade I would probably take in a heartbeat (even if it was a "view" upgrade).

Do they offer these often? I would love my group to get an upgrade to the Poly or WL this go 'round. Couldn't afford to have all the troops at Deluxe, but we could have our arms twisted :secret: if they wanted to move us.

[PlutoPlanet]

I'm sure there is a nice way to say this, yes, you're nuts. The proximity to EPCOT is a big plus. You can walk to the BW in the evening.

[#1donaldfan]

....NOT NUTS !!!!
...if everyone liked the same thing, the same color, the same tastes......we'd have even longer lines at Disney, now wouldn't we ???


.....your just a normal person who didn't see the BC like others do....how's that nuts????:cool:

[Disney Doll]

Yes, the lobby at the Yacht and Beach Clubs are nice, but it's just a lobby. When I go to Disney World, I greatly enjoy walking in the beautiful grounds at the moderates. For a Northerner, to see beautiful trees, flowers in bloom, etc, on the way to the food court or bus stop in Winter is one of the pleasures of being there. The Yacht Club reminded me too much of a business trip-type hotel - the moderates, to me, are more of a vacation resort. Call me nuts too!

I agree! I love walking the resort grounds. Now, that's not to say that I would turn down an upgrade, but I can see where you are coming from. Not nuts! :thumbsup:

[lockedoutlogic]

If I understand correctly you went from Wilderness to Beach Club?

If so...then i wouldn't say you are nuts.

My favorite...probably in order...are Beach, Wilderness, and Animal Kingdom

AKL is the most unique and very shortly will pack a whallup in the amenities department.....
Beach has a one of a kind pool experience that will not be duplicated....it's proximity to two parks and the other crescent lake resorts is also impressive and unlikely ever to be rivaled as far as food/ entertainment at a close range....
Wilderness is the best themed/ constructed resort on WDW property (other than perhaps AKL)...and is a great value for what you have access to/ get at the price...

so those three are interchangeable in many ways to me.....even if all things equal i would choose beach club more times than not

[EeyoresBestFriend]

I'm going with the 'not' nuts group here.
I don't think I would be tempted by another resort when I've booked at mine.(unless it was the king kamea suite at the Poly!) :D I book my resorts for the atmosphere and I don't like very many of the others because of the 'feeling'. I think I might be tempted to try for an upgrade to a preferred room in my chosen resort :D or just stay where I was.
But it sounds like I'm in the minority . . . . :shrug:

[Insanity Clause]

We are staying at POR and I would love it if they offered me an upgrade to BC...basically I would love it if they offered me an upgrade to anywhere. I keep hoping for AKL while hubby wants GF...we can dream right? But BC is a beautiful resort and basically as long as you are at WDW you can't go wrong.

[Cinderelley]

I vote for "not nuts". Stayed at Pop. Then stayed at Poly. I'll take Pop any day over the Poly. The Polynesian just wasn't for me. No desire to stay at Yacht Club, Beach Club or GF. I do want to stay at AKL next though. Then maybe Wilderness Lodge. I would have to give up Pop Century for two trips though. Not sure I could do that.

[LauraleeH]

Yeah, you're crazy, but I'm glad there are crazies like you out there because otherwise all the good resorts would always be filled :thumbsup:

[mermaidmarian]

I don't think you're nuts either. The Food Court is a huge issue for us. We usually eat 1+ meal at the resort and the lack of sizable Food Court with good variety of food choices would necessitate a significant departure from our WDW vacation habits. I also prefer the sprawl of the Mods to the hotel feel of the Epcot resorts. I wouldn't be doing a happy dance if I got upgraded from my favorite location POR to the BC, either.

[thejens]

I love the Beach Club, but I don't think you are nuts. I have a hard time with change and the resorts are very different in ambiance. Though I'd prefer a deluxe any time I must say I am very impressed with the value resorts. I really loved walking outside at ASM and enjoying all the sight and landscaping and little "surprises" along the paths.

[ASweetLov]

I don't think you are nuts at all. I wouldnt like to plan one vacation and then getting there and being upgraded to something I am not familiar with or prepapred for. Also I depend on food courts for most of my meals on my vacation to make my disney vacation more affordable so a resort without a foodcourt wouldnt be right for me.

[tjstrike]

I would most certainly take the upgrade but there's defineitaly more of a "Disney" appeal to the values and moderates than there are at the deluxe resorts. Different strokes for different fokes !! :D

[GrmGrninGost]

Sorry! One more vote for "nuts".

[Kairi_7378]

I'd love to try Beach Club at least once... but... You're not nuts! I think it's nice that you found your Disney Home away from Home at the All Stars. Shows that there is truely something there for everyone.

[Yvette]

I don't think you're nuts.

Depending on who is with you and the "type" of vacation you are looking forward to, BC might not be for you. (Don't get me wrong I love BC). :cloud9:

If you are looking forward to the in your face theming of Pop Century and plan on spending the whole day at the parks, Grand Floridian isn't going to do anything for you.

If you are planning a romantic trip with plenty of resort time I would recomend the Polynesian or CSR or POFQ in the moderate categories.

When I have grandchildren, I plan to spend time at Pop and CBR in the Nemo and Pirate rooms, since that would be more fun for them.

Now, if I'm there for the Food and Wine Festival with some friends, that's a whole different story......:marg:

[brownie]

Sorry to hear it wasn't as great an experience as you would have liked. We really liked our stay at the Beach Club and would enjoy staying there again if it's in the budget. Maybe we'll get offered a free upgrade someday...

[Seasonscraps]

Like a lot of people already said, different strokes for different folks. This is exactly why all the resorts have different themes - to accomodate almost everyone's preference. I can also see where losing access to a food court and trying to work ADRs from a different location could be annoying.

I am sorry you didn't thoroughly enjoy your stay at the Beach Club but at least now you know you don't care for it and you found out on Disney's dime, not yours. ;)

[ILive4Disney]

What was so odd about the whole thing was that my preference has always been a deluxe and any time we can afford it, that's what we do(WL being the fav). I just assumed we'd love it. We've only stayed at All Stars once before...and after pondering it for a week now, my daughters and I have decided we would do it again (only as an upgrade) and just go about things differently. I suppose I just wasn't prepared. Who would have expected such a huge upgrade... As far as values go...I only do those when I have to...and these days I feel lucky to be able to go at all....and there are more "have to" trips than in the past. :mickey:

[TinkerbelleRoo]

I don't think you're nuts in the least. I stayed at the Beach Club years ago, early 90s and then again in the late 90s. Great in the early days, way too overcrowded and not as nice at the second stay. Plus now with all those DVCs cluttering up the resort thanks but no.

And I also would have issues with there not being a food court or even a quick service at the resort.

Now if they were wanting to upgrade me, and offered me Beach, Yacht or Boardwalk (I just don't like that whole area, too congested), I would ask if the Poly or Contemporary were available instead. Those two have quick service and are on the monorail loop. Plus anywhere you want to go from the Poly, you just walk over to the TaTC.

I do find it odd that Beach doesn't have some kind of quick service restaurant though. Especialy if you think of beaches as being casual and not too stuffy.

[CaptSmee]

What the heck kind of upgrade is that?!? Wow! We've been upgraded to a tower room at Contemporary, a savanah room at AKL, but from a value resort to a deluxe!? Wow!

[Magic Smiles]

I so agree with you. I would definitely refuse an upgrade if they were ever to change my reservations from the POFQ. The only one I would accept would be to the Poly. No desire to stay at any of the other resorts.