Hanging out at Disney Yacht Club (host of Java in Action)
So I arrived at the Resort on Saturday to start vacationing early with my wife. I'm not a big fan of Disney to begin with, so I won't claim to be without bias...but I have some gripes:
- Sodas are $3 for a 12 oz can - which is no big deal, if it weren't for the fact that...
- There is no vending throughout the entire resort. No soda, no snacks. Any purchases for food have to be made through overpriced Disney restaurants or room service. When I go to a hotel, I expect room service and restaurants to be overpriced, but usually you can get a bag of chips and a soda for a couple bucks. Not the case here.
- Internet (from the room) is $10 a day and has all ports blocked (no SSH), and I've had to call tech support twice for connection issues
- Internet (wireless in the lobby) is $4/hour or $10/day - so you have to pay even if you just want to check email quick
- Cable TV here is really bad - there are six (6) stations devoted entirely to advertising Disney resorts or movies, not to mention the normal disney channels and cartoon channels. I'm guessing most people are already paying over $300/day to be here, do they really need to be submitted to more Disney ads? No MTV, no real movie channels (Lifetime doesn't count), no TLC or Discovery. No Pay-per-view or premium movies at all! I realize this is a family resort, but why not provide some R-rated movies for the adults when they kids are in bed?
Maybe I spoiled by the Sheratons I've stayed at while attending No Fluff. Sheraton has always been fantastic with customer service for me, has comfortable beds and I can watch MTV or MTV2.
There are definitely some good things. Service has been good, and there are a lot of pools (some 24 hrs!, with jacuzzi till 11 pm) and a nice lazy river/water park-type area which would be very cool if I had brought my son. The entire river part has a nice sand bottom, which is very cool. There are shuttles to all the Disney park and there is an entertainment area along the boardwalk with a couple bars and touristy shops. There are free boat rides around the lake, which was fun. And the room service we've had has been good - I recommend the chili cheese and chips for late night dining. Our room is nice and spacious and the beds are comfy, and we do have a nice patio for watching activities in the courtyard. There must be a wedding going on every day.
So I'm looking forward to the conference starting tomorrow, and I the resort is quite attractive to those with families. For young couples on some sort of a budget...not so much.