A History in Postcards
After waiting 13 years until adding it's forth and fifth Resort Hotels it was only just over a year until the next two opened, as before these deluxe resorts would be setting on the shores of a lake not far from a theme park... unlike before this time the park they would be near would be Epcot, but these wouldn't be the First resorts to open along the path from Epcot to the then newly opened Disney-MGM Studios, that honor would have went to two hotels NOT owned by Disney the Swan and Dolphin (as mentioned in Chapter 9) . Similar to the Swan and Dolphin the Yacht and Beach clubs afforded the new Disney management team the opportunity to engage some of the famous high end architects in the case of the swan and Dolphin it was Michael Graves, in that of the Yacht and Beach clubs it was Robert A. M. Stern known for seaside homes on the East Coast, who better to design a pair of resorts meant to evoke the feel of a seaside resort? even the landscaping pulls from the New England seaside palette (though not to the extent of excluding the Palm trees of Florida!) These resorts share a marina with a wide array of vessels for rent including a speedboat (that one comes with a driver though!), there's a lighthouse on the end of a pier, that pier serves as a dock for the "Friendships" that transport guests to Epcot and the Studios, there's even a "shipwreck" that cleverly disguises a great water slide into a fantastic sand-bottomed pool area, all this plus restaurants and shops all tied together with the eastern seaboard coastal theme, with all this is it any wonder that the Yacht Club resort is reportedly a favorite of Michael Eisner? If the Yacht Club feels a little "stuffy" to you then theres always the Beach club, it has all the same amenities but with a slightly less formal feel, with more wicker furniture and a sea shell motif. (sources Disney A to Z 2nd ed., Since the World Began p. 123).
Above: Much like the first card offered for the Grand Floridian this card was also done on a paper stock like that of the old "linen" postcards.
These are Beautiful and elegant hotels and as deluxe hotels I would hope that they still offer "free with stay" postcards, but I'm not sure that they do, in fact I'm only aware of one image for each hotel, though in the case of the Beach club I at least have it on two kinds of papers, and would assume that the Yacht clubs cards have probably used the second paper stock type as well since the two hotels are considered "sister resorts" and ran as a single unit.
Above: Much like the first card offered
for the Grand Floridian this card was also done on a
paper stock like that of the old "linen" postcards.
Below: This card was done on a sort of art paper with colored threads that
show in the paper.
Below that: the backs of the two Beach Club cards which better show the
textures, and colors of the papers.
E-mail Me martsolf@mindspring.com
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Last modified by Brian K Martsolf at 26-Jan-2008 07:56 AM