The Disney Yacht Club Resort is a deluxe resort in the Epcot resort area. This is a review of the Disney Yacht Club and how it works for a family vacation.
When I had the chance to stay here for a conference, I jumped at it! I wasn’t disappointed in my decision! It is absolutely gorgeous and the pool is worth it alone! Read on to find out more!
The Yacht Club Lobby and Check-In
When entering the lobby, you are met by a massive globe, definitely the most eye-taking showcase of the room. It’s a beautiful lobby, with a nautical theme.
The globe is the centerpiece of the lobby at Disney’s Yacht Club.
We were met immediately upon check-in and the cast members were very pleasant.
Check-in is typically at 3 pm. We actually arrived 4 hours prior to check in and our room was already available for us! We were able to go ahead and go in our room to get settled before we hit Magic Kingdom in the afternoon.
(If you room isn’t ready, they will keep your luggage for you up front at bell services so you can do whatever you please!)
Another view of the Yacht Club lobby, looking at the staircase.
The Yacht Club Room and Video Walkthrough
We had a standard room, and these have been refurbished in 2017.
The room is spacious with the continued nautical theme. My son and I loved the curtains with their stars and constellations on them.
We had two queen beds, which were the most comfortable beds ever! I think I slept better there than I usually do at home!
View of the beds in the Yacht Club Standard Room.
There is a desk and a couch. The couch does expand out into a bed, but we didn’t test it out.
A coffee bar is set up as you enter the room, complete with a Keurig.
The closet is spacious! It has plenty of hanging area and clothes hangers.
The bathrooms have a separate area for the vanity and sinks. The toilet and shower in a room alone. There is no tub (at least in the standard room).
As far as amenities goes, you have the small personal sized shampoos and conditioners (value and moderate resorts now have the large bottles attached in the showers). They also provide a small container of aloe, which was very welcome after enjoying the amazing pool.
The Yacht Club Amenities includes the personal size body wash, shampoo, conditioner, vanity set, and even aloe!
Here is a walk through of the Yacht Club Standard Room. I’m new to videos, so I promise I will get better with these! (This is my FIRST official video for the blog!)
Stormalong Bay
The highlight of the Yacht Club, particularly for a family, is the 3-acre pool area, Stormalong Bay. This pool is shared with the Beach Club Resort.
Looking across the lake at the Yacht Club and you can see the ship wreck of Stormalong Bay!
One of the great things about sharing this pool with the Beach Club is that you can take part in their awesome restaurant Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, which has a walk-up area to order to-go ice cream!
The Beaches & Cream Soda shop is right near the pool shared by the Yacht Club and the Beach Club.
We had an amazing milkshake complete with a chocolate cupcake on top!
Our strawberry Minnie milkshake was the perfect pool break!
It features a life-sized shipwreck that has an amazing water slide. There’s a fantastic lazy river as well.
My son at the waterslide exit at Stormalong Bay!
The pool is sand bottom. There is basically a zero-entry to the children’s pool as the sand gently goes into the water. There is always plenty of plastic buckets and shovels around as well, so the kids can build sandcastles to their hearts content.
This pool is truly like a mini-waterpark and makes a day at the resort special.
I loved this pool so much that I’d go spend time at the resort without even going to the parks!
Other Pools Available at the Yacht Club
If you aren’t interested in the main pool, and would like a bit more quiet when you are poolside, there are 3 other pools you can enjoy. Complimentary towels are provided at all pools.
Transportation at the Yacht Club
As I mentioned previously, Epcot is a short walk away (a 7 minute walk). Hollywood Studios also has a walking path but it’s a bit longer around 20 minutes.
You can also take the Friendship boat to Epcot and Hollywood Studios is a short boat ride away as well. Hollywood Studios takes about 12 minutes via boat, and Epcot is about 7 minutes. The boats run every 15 minutes.
You can catch the Friendship boat to Hollywood Studios and Epcot at the lighthouse outside of the Yacht Club resort.
To get to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, you can take the bus system. Disney Springs is also available via bus. The buses are shared with a few other resorts.
In Fall 2019, the Disney Skyliner Transportation, a gondola system, will also be available from the Yacht Club to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
If you aren’t interested in the free transportation, or you need to get to a reservation quick, you can always take a Minnie Van.
Dining Options at the Yacht Club
Between the Beach Club Resort and the Yacht Club, there are plenty of dining options. The dining options include: the Yachtsman Steakhouse, Cape May Cafe, Beaches & Cream, and The Market at Ale & Compass, to name a few.
The Market at Ale & Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club. Great to pick up snacks and sandwiches.
We found being so close to the Boardwalk a definite perk of the Yacht Club! It’s a beautiful stroll around the lake, and opens up several more dining options to you! So, you will not be far from great food during your stay!
Yacht Club Conference Center
While many aren’t going here for the conference center, I did attend a conference while there. The conference center is gorgeous as well.
It’s not a long walk from the resort like some conference centers are. You simply walk out the front door and down a sidewalk, and you are there.
Would I stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort again?
That’s an absolute yes!! The pool alone makes the stay worth it (though you can get that at the Beach Club Resort as well). However, the walk to Epcot would make it my main choice during an Epcot festival such as the Food and Wine festival.
I hope this review of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort helps you decide if this is the right resort for your family’s Walt Disney World vacation! I hope you have a magical trip!
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I enjoyed reading your review for this! It sounds like you all had a great experience!
Oh wow – this place looks incredible! I had no idea Disney offered options like this. This makes Disney look much more appealing to me!
This Yacht Club resort looks like the perfect family accommodation: functional, gorgeous design and amazing pool. Perfect!
Not something I would do, but I can see how it is totally awesome for families! It is great when all the logistics are all together and convenient!
Yes that pool looks insane! Also love that globe…wondering if it is too big for my living room…