I just returned from a week a the Yacht Club on Sunday. The globe in the lobby hadn't been returned as of the day I left (two days ago from this post). But I have some additional information on the status of the globe. I was commenting on the missing globe to my girlfriend the day that we checked into the Yacht Club. We were coming down from our room to go out to our car, and came upon three Disney managers having a conversation in front of the entrance doors. Two were obviously listening to the other one as he spoke, and as we walked by, that gentlemen turned to us and said hello. I took the opportunity to ask him what had happened to the globe in the lobby. He explained to us that the globe was starting to have issues both moving and with the finish. He stated that it needed some maintenance and tlc, and that there really aren't any local companies that are able to do that work on a globe of that size. Therefore, he said that the globe had to be shipped a great distance away to have the work performed. I asked if it would definitely be returning and he said that indeed it would, and should be back within the next few weeks to it's place in the lobby. He was very confident in his story and was looking me directly in the eye the whole time he spoke to me, so I'd like to think that he was telling me the truth.
My girlfriend later in the week spoke with "AL", he's one of the greeters who stands in the lobby when you enter and is dressed in full nautical attire. We call him and the other gentlemen who does the same roll when AL's not there "the admirals"...
My girlfriend asked Al what he thought about the globe being gone, and he stated that he believed that it needed a refreshing, but he felt that management probably just sent it onto storage and replaced it with the table and flowers that are there now. He didn't seem to believe that it would be coming back... but again that is probably just his opinion.
I will also make another post listing all of my positives and negatives of the newly refurbished rooms, as we stayed on the fourth floor in a newly refurbished room overlooking the pool and lake last week.