Stormalong Bay Slide Refurbishment 4/9/12-4/23/12

[MaresHappy]

just learned that :Yacht & Beach Club resorts- The pool slide and a portion of Stormalong Bay Bool will be closed 4/9/2012- 4/23/2012. Guests may use the pool and slide at the Boardwalk Inn in addition to the part of Stormalong Bay that is not closed.
Did not see that at all on Intercot refurbishment notice - and NOT HAPPY - :mad:. This was not disclosed at the time of booking.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Wow, April 8th is Easter. I'm surprised that they would do this kind of refurb the week following Easter. Seems smarter to wait it out a few weeks and let those holiday crowds die down a bit.

[MizMissy]

Wow, April 8th is Easter. I'm surprised that they would do this kind of refurb the week following Easter. Seems smarter to wait it out a few weeks and let those holiday crowds die down a bit.

And, why not refurb during the winter months in preparation for spring break? This makes for unhappy guests at YC, BC and Boardwalk (because of overcrowded pool). This does not seem like good planning at all.

[buzznwoodysmom]

And, why not refurb during the winter months in preparation for spring break? This makes for unhappy guests at YC, BC and Boardwalk (because of overcrowded pool). This does not seem like good planning at all.

Your right. Of all the pools in WDW this one gets the most attention. If it were me I would never have this pool in refurb anytime other than during the slower winter months. Many, many guest stay at these resorts mainly for the pool.

[MaresHappy]

From what has been learned (a co worker is also staying at the same time) - reservations advised a letter will be sent shortly to guests, no further concession(s) being made, other than to offer guests the opportunity to change their location and stay elsewhere, and to confirm that the Boardwalk pool can be used. Reservations mentioned that this was an emergency repair. Personally, I would think if an emergency repair was needed, it would be closed now - just my thought... I do know that in the past, two earlier stays also in the Spring, experienced the slide's shutdown then as well. Exhale..... Glad I know now rather than upon arrival - but would think that Guest Relations in the sprit of goodwill would and should find some means of compensation to guests - a free day at a Water Park, a complimentary meal, or a handful of fast passes. It's the principal, and simply making a gesture to do the right thing.:judge:

[MizMissy]

From what has been learned (a co worker is also staying at the same time) - reservations advised a letter will be sent shortly to guests, no further concession(s) being made, other than to offer guests the opportunity to change their location and stay elsewhere, and to confirm that the Boardwalk pool can be used. Reservations mentioned that this was an emergency repair. Personally, I would think if an emergency repair was needed, it would be closed now - just my thought... I do know that in the past, two earlier stays also in the Spring, experienced the slide's shutdown then as well. Exhale..... Glad I know now rather than upon arrival - but would think that Guest Relations in the sprit of goodwill would and should find some means of compensation to guests - a free day at a Water Park, a complimentary meal, or a handful of fast passes. It's the principal, and simply making a gesture to do the right thing.:judge:

Personally, I think if they are letting you know ahead of time and giving you the opportunity to change resorts, that is more than enough of a good will gesture.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Emergency repair in maintenance does not necessarily mean it's dangerous and must be closed. It often means unforeseen problem and has to be done as soon as possible.

And why watermark compensation, maybe even why compensation? The pool is still open and that slide, though great for kids, is hardly on the level of Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. The most you could ask for is to be able to go to Boardwalk for the slide there.

[floridamom]

I wonder if the decision to send a letter was at all prompted by feedback that the recent monorail daytime downtime came as a last-minute surprise to many MK resort guests. That is why I think it is always a good idea for dissatisfied guests to communicate with customer relations-- not necessarily to "get something out of it," but to ensure that the same issues don't repeat themselves.

I am glad to hear guests have the option to switch resorts (without penalty, I presume). However, at this late date and given the busy season I wonder how much availability there will be for those who try to switch. Not to mention most people probably factored in their hotel location when they made ADR's ages ago. Hopefully the fact that the rest of SAB is open will be a consolation--it really is a great pool.

The first time we ever stayed at the WDW Dolphin, it turned out that their slide was down for repairs. There had been no notification and we didn't learn of this until we walked down to the pool. DH (politely) talked to the manager and was able to have our nightly resort fee refunded. That goodwill gesture was enough for us to feel that our concern about communication had been heard, and we have since returned twice.

[BrerGnat]

I can certainly understand your disappointment, but that slide is notorious for needing repairs. Honestly, I think at this point, they should just remove it and replace it with a new one. We were there in December 2011, and the slide was downright painful to ride. Still fun, but I felt every crack on the way down. Ouch!

The pool is HUGE though. You won't really be missing out on much. There is still plenty of pool to explore. Also, I know that, in the past, they have run a golf cart to shuttle guests back and forth between the BC/YC and BWI for the pool access.

If a pool slide is of utmost importance, and you really plan a LOT of pool time, try switching to another resort.

Personally, I'd still stay there if the slide was out of commission. I'd be happy to shuttle over to BWI if my kids absolutely needed some slide time.

[MaresHappy]

Thanks Natalie; I should have reached that conclusion about the slide needing repairs pretty often. I just had that initial first reaction of "oh no, not again", which has sunk in now. I'm actually more disappointed for the friend and co-worker - I recommended BC so much because I love the resort and the area and think the pool is fantastic, especially for kids. But you are right, the whole rest of the pool is incredible, the whole resort and area are first-rate. I don't want to change resorts, I want to stay there. And most of my ADRs are there and at Epcot, but I am glad to know about it beforehand (and get my cranky over-reactions out of the way now). Thanks (all) for keeping me grounded - sometimes I should just chill before I become a :crab: !!

[Belle94]

While it is certainly not the end of the world, it is a dissapointment. My kids really want a pool with a slide as that is a highlight of a Disney pool to them. The BWI pool is going to be crazy busy. It is already a busy time of year and to add a good amount of people over there from YC/BC/BCV does not sound like a great option to me. Think we may look into switching resorts.

[spoiledraf]

I've gone down that slide twice. Both times I ended up with scrapes all over me. The need to put in a new slide, not repair the old one. But we usually have little ones that can't use it yet anyway as we spent most of our time in the shallows in the sand.

[Yo Mickey!]

love stormalong bay but agree with the others, we stayed in dec 2011 (will again july 2012 and dec 2012) and i had scratches all over my back. same with my kids. hopefully they will just replace it.

i was there a week and a half ago (stayed at bwv) and jogged by there daily. they had the area near the bottom of the slide closed off for refurbishment but it was still open.