Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts
On the shores of Crescent Lake sit the sister resorts Yacht Club and the Beach Club. Both resorts share the same amenities, most popular being the pool complex, Stormalong Bay.
Both resorts are in the Deluxe category, and therefore are some of the most expensive accommodations on Disney property. While expensive, the location is one of the best, both resorts are within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
The Yacht Club, due to it’s designation as a conference hotel, and it’s more somber design, tends to be thought of more as an “adults” resort, while the Beach Club is generally thought of as more of a resort for families with kids. Children are, of course, welcome at both! The Beach Club does tend to get more hectic, especially with Cape May Cafe being in the lobby, while the Yacht Club is usually much calmer. I will note, when I was a kid, I loved the Beach Club and was not a fan of the Yacht Club, but now as an adult, I much prefer the Yacht Club!
The Rooms:
The rooms at both resorts are a good size, most have two queen beds, a handful have king beds. The king bed rooms typically have a pull-out sofa, and some of the queen bed rooms have one as well.
The Beach Club rooms are more light and airy in their design, while the Yacht Club rooms have darker tones.
The Yacht Club is the most recently refurbished, with renovations occurring in 2017. During that renovation the carpet was removed and faux wood floors were put in. It is definitely more noisy than in the past with the hard floors now, especially if you have a connecting room, however that can be mitigated by putting a towel on the floor to cover the gap between the bottom of the connecting door and the floor.
The Beach club still has carpeting in its rooms, although being refurbished a while ago the rooms are starting to show their age.
The entrance to a refurbished Yacht Club Room. Barn door to vanity area on the left.
One of the perks of the Yacht Club is the barn door separating the vanity area and the main room. This makes it much easier for families to have additional privacy while getting ready.
Most of the king bed rooms at the Yacht Club only have showers, no bath tub, and a handful of the queen bed rooms also only have showers. The Beach club rooms almost all have bath tubs.
The Rooms at the Yacht Club:
The Rooms at the Beach Club:
Almost every room at the Yacht Club has a full balcony, I believe there are two rooms with either no balcony, or a small one. At the Beach Club many rooms only have the juliette balconies, which are only big enough for one adult to stand on, so if having a full balcony is important to you, considering booking the Yacht Club, or make your top request at the Beach Club be a full balcony.
The Location:
These location of these resorts is one of the best on property. The Beach Club is the closest to Epcot, the walk is roughly 5 minutes, unless you take the “secret” entrance which will cut the walk down a bit. The walk from the Yacht Club is about 8-10 minutes. You can also walk to Hollywood Studios from both, the walk takes about 20 minutes, and potentially a bit less if you’re coming from the Beach Club and cut through the pool courtyard at the Boardwalk.
Besides being within walking distance to two parks, the Boardwalk is also right in the backyard! There are a number of dining and entertainment options on the Boardwalk that make it a great location to explore! The Swan and Dolphin resorts are also in walking distance, which offer even more dining options!
Transportation:
The transportation options from the Yacht Club and the Beach Club are the same. The following is the free transportation for each park/location:
Magic Kingdom: Bus
Epcot: Walk or Boat
Hollywood Studios: Walk, Boat, or Skyliner
Animal Kingdom: Bus
Disney Springs: Bus
Typhoon Lagoon: Bus (will need to transfer)
Blizzard Beach: Bus (will need to transfer)
You can also pay for an Uber or Minnie Van to get around. Uber tends to cost much less than Minnie Vans, however the Minnie Van will drop you off closer to the parks, especially at the Magic Kingdom where they will drop you off at the Disney bus loop instead of the Transportation and Ticket Center like the Uber will.
The Yacht Club and Beach Club do share buses. In the morning they typically won’t share for the Magic Kingdom, and may or may not share for the Animal Kingdom. During the day and at park close they will share buses, and occasionally the Boardwalk will also share. Stops go in the following order: Yacht Club - Beach Club - Boardwalk (if sharing with Boardwalk).
Dining:
One of the biggest complaints I hear about these resorts is the lack of quick service options. While that is true to an extent, there is no large cafeteria like at the value resorts, you certainly will not go hungry staying at these resorts!
Both the Yacht Club and the Beach Club have a variety of grab and go and a small menu of hot items in their stores, the Beach Club Marketplace, and the Market at Ale and Compass. There is also the pool bar, Hurricane Hanna’s, which has a variety of quick service items. You also cannot forget about the walk-up window at Beaches and Cream!
There are also lounges at both resorts. The Beach Club has Martha’s Vineyard, and the Yacht Club has Crew’s Cup and the Ale and Compass Lounge. These typically don’t open until later in the day, usually around 3 or 4, but they do offer some great options for a quick meal.
Each resort also has table service dining. The Beach Club has Cape May Cafe and Beaches and Cream, while the Yacht Club has Yachtsman Steakhouse and Ale and Compass.
Beyond the options at the resorts, there is also a ton of options in the area. The Boardwalk has a number of places to eat, like the Flying Fish and Trattoria al Forno, as well as quick options like the pizza window.
Last, but certainly not least, is Epcot! One of the main reasons I recommend getting park hopper tickets if staying at the Yacht Club or Beach Club is so you can hop over to Epcot in the evenings for so many options for dinner! Beyond the restaurant options in Epcot, there is almost always a festival going on these day, so you can spend the evening snacking at the food booths!
