We’ve had the opportunity to check out several Walt Disney World Resorts from value to deluxe. Today I’m sharing 5 reasons we love Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and a few why we don’t.
5 Reasons We Love Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
1. The Pool
Stormalong Bay was my boys’ favorite part of Disney’s Yacht Club. This 3-acre water park is shared with the Yacht Club’s sister resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort. The crown jewel of the water area is the life-sized shipwreck that features one of the tallest waterslides at Walt Disney World.
Once Quinn worked up his courage to take the plunge for the first time, he was hooked. We had to drag him away kicking and screaming at bedtime. Just kidding. 😉 He was rather reluctant to leave the pool area though and still asks to go back to that water slide when we talk about Disney World.
Don’t worry there’s a kiddie slide for you scaredy-cats and the little guys. Stormalong Bay also features a lazy river and multiple pools including a beach entrance pool full of sand perfect for building sand castles.
2. Epcot Area
As fun as Stormalong Bay is, I actually love Disney’s Yacht Club because of its proximity to the parks. It’s crazy close to Epcot and decently close to Hollywood Studios. Both parks can be accessed via a boat ride or walking.
As Disneyland Resort regulars we much prefer walking to parks if possible. The Boardwalk Resort and Beach Club Resort are also in this sweet location!
3. Spacious Rooms
Room sizes vary by resort and layout but you will definitely get more space at deluxe resorts. It’s surprising how far an extra 100 square feet goes for storage and breathing room in your hotel room.
Our room featured 2 queen beds (vs. doubles at lower level resorts) and a day bed. I don’t NEED a desk or a patio while at Disney World but having them both means we will have more space for breakfast in the room. The space difference was completely obvious when we moved from the Yacht Club Resort to Pop Century (a value resort) on our last trip.
4. Beaches and Cream Soda Shop
Beaches and Cream is a very popular dining spot at Walt Disney World, and many people make an effort to eat there even when staying elsewhere. Hamburgers, grilled cheese, and other hot off the grill items are offered but the clear draw is the ice cream. If you’re looking for the infamous Kitchen Sink (8 scoops of ice cream smothered in every topping they offer), this is place! It can be hard to grab a seat but ice cream is available to go, enjoy it by the pool or back at your room like we did.
If your family is into character dining, you can head next door to the Beach Club Resort for the Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast at Cape May Cafe. It features Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy!
5. Proximity to the Boardwalk Resort
The Boardwalk Resort is located across the lake and offers some additional dining choices including a pizza window, bakery, hot dog cart and the ESPN zone restaurant. You can also rent bikes over there including the fun surrey style bikes for 2, 4 and 6 people! We had a blast renting a 4-person bike with the kiddos. The boardwalk area around the lake is perfect for biking. Just prepared for a few slight hills that will not feel slight while carting kiddos along. 😉
3 Reasons We Don’t Love Disney’s Yacht Club
Of course, no hotel is perfect, so I’m also sharing a few reasons why we don’t love staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.
1. Price
The Yacht Club is a deluxe resort which means it’s pricey. Every time I look it up, it’s priced at $400-$500 a night. If you watch for special offers you could get it down a little more reasonably but just know that wouldn’t be the norm. In our case, we were part of the Disney Social Media Celebration which made the rate slightly more reasonable.
2. Transportation to the Parks
The Yacht Club Resort is an awesome location for visiting Epcot and Hollywood Studios but NOT so great for the other parks. Bus transportation is provided to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs. Unfortunately, this resort shares the bus with 2-4 other resorts in the area which means at busy times, you might have to wait for another bus if the first one is already full.
3. No Food Court
The quick service food options are limited. The market at the Beach Club Resort (next door) and the pool area bar between the two resorts are the only quick service options available. Some people prefer sit down meals but for budgeting, timing and squirrely kid purposes, we much prefer counter service/food court options.
Bonus Reason: Stuffy
As you might expect by the name, the theming of the resort is that of a New England-style yacht club. Very nicely themed, you might say luxe but not very fun. The lack of Disney theming isn’t a deal breaker for me but it might be for some people.
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Walt Disney World Resorts
This post was originally published February 13, 2016.
Tara says
Also, no playground! 🙁 Disney Parks website says all their resorts have a children’s playground, but this property sadly does not. I know the parks are nearby, but when you have little ones its a great feature to have when you’re just hanging on property for the day or after dinner.
Karen says
That is a bummer. We love playgrounds at hotels too! Maybe there is one at Beach Club? We didn’t look for a playground when we were there.