Honest Review of Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Are you curious about Disney’s Beach Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL? This deluxe Disney hotel sits in a prime location right on Crescent Lake near the Disney Boardwalk.
Since it offers easy access to Epcot, multiple dining options, and amazing amenities, it’s easy to see why the Disney Beach Club is so popular for visitors at Walt Disney World. If you’re looking for a Disney hotel that’s close to the parks and that includes plenty of fun things to do when you don’t have park tickets, Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a really great option.
In this post, we’ll provide a full review of the Beach Club Resort at WDW, including information on the rooms, transportation, dining, and activities available. So, continue reading below for the ultimate guide to one of the best Disney deluxe resorts: Disney’s Beach Club Resort!
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Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Beach Club Resort sits in a prime location within walking distance of Epcot. When you visit the Beach Club (as well as other Epcot resorts), you’ll find a beautiful body of water called Crescent Lake that sits right in the middle of the hotels. Guests can walk all the way around the lake, which gives them access to numerous resorts and entertainment options.
The northern side of the lake holds Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Beach Club Resort, and Beach Club Villas. The southern side of the lake is where you’ll find the Disney Boardwalk, the Boardwalk Inn, and the Boardwalk Villas. The western part of Crescent Lake holds the Swan and Dolphin resorts while the eastern side includes the short walkway to Epcot.
Restaurants
When staying at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, you have really easy access to the dining options at the nearby Disney Boardwalk, Swan Hotel, and Dolphin Hotel. Additionally, the Yacht Club and Beach Club are home to multiple restaurants that you can access without leaving resort property.
- Cape May Cafe – offers a character meal breakfast buffet and sit-down dinner with no characters
- Beach Club Marketplace – features to-go items and menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Beaches and Cream – available for lunch and dinner with reservations highly recommended
- Martha’s Vineyard – offers appetizers and full bar
- Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill – pool restaurant with full bar and lunch/dinner options
- Ale and Compass – sit-down restaurant in the Yacht Club that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (also available to-go)
- The Market at Ale and Compass – quick service restaurant at Yacht Club with to-go items and menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Yachtsman Steakhouse – fine dining restaurant at the Yacht Club that is open for dinner
- Crew’s Cup Lounge – bar at the Yacht Club that features a small dinner menu and full bar
Overall, we really enjoy the dining options at the Beach Club. Hurricane Hanna’s and the Beach Club Marketplace are super convenient when you need a quick bite to eat.
Ale and Compass offers a great menu for a sit-down meal, and Beaches and Cream is one of our absolute favorite spots on Disney property!
Transportation
Many first time visitors to WDW wonder if the Disney Beach Club is on the monorail. While this resort does offer multiple modes of transportation, the Beach Club does not sit on the monorail.
Instead, guests at Disney’s Beach Club Resort will find easy access to the Skyliner, buses, water taxes, and walking paths. Below, we will discuss the easiest ways to get from the Beach Club to other Disney parks:
- To Magic Kingdom – You can access the Disney buses in front of the hotel. The ride to Magic Kingdom should take 15-20 minutes.
- To Epcot – Exit the Beach Club toward Crescent Lake and turn left. Epcot sits just a five minute walk away!
- To Hollywood Studios – You have several options for getting to Hollywood Studios. We find the quickest option *usually* is walking. Hollywood Studios sits just under a 20 minute walk from the Beach Club. You can also ride a Friendship Boat to Hollywood Studios. However, by the time you wait on the boat to make stops, this method can take longer than walking. You could also walk toward Epcot to catch the Disney Skyliner. With this method, you should be able to reach Hollywood Studios in just over twenty minutes.
- To Animal Kingdom – You can hop on one of the Disney buses to get to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. This is roughly a ten-minute ride.
- To Disney’s Boardwalk – You can make the five-minute walk around Crescent Lake to easily reach the Disney Boardwalk.
- To Disney Springs – You can take a bus to Disney Springs, which typically takes 15-20 minutes.
It’s important to note that you may have to wait up to 20 minutes for a Disney bus to pick you up at the resort. This is one of the reasons why Disney’s Beach Club is one of our favorite hotels on property.
Guests can skip the Disney buses altogether when traveling to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. And the ride to Animal Kingdom is super short once the bus arrives. The transportation options and ride times as a whole really can’t be beat!
Beach Club Rooms
Disney’s Beach Club Resort offers several different room types that you can choose from. If you are looking for a regular hotel room, you can choose between a room with a king bed or one with 2 queens. Some of these also include a daybed, which means that you can sleep up to 5 guests.
When booking a room at the Beach Club Resort, you have the option of a standard view, water view, deluxe room, or resort view room. Additionally, Disney’s Beach Club features club level rooms that allow you to access the exclusive club lounge. Here, you’ll find small bites and drinks during certain times of the day.
You can book a regular hotel room with club level access, or you can try to snag one of the Beach Club’s suites that includes club level perks. For additional information about the Beach Club rooms, we highly recommend checking out our Review of a Disney Beach Club Room. In that post, we provide photos from one of our stays at Disney’s Beach Club Resort along with information on how we watched the Epcot fireworks from our balcony.
Speaking of balconies, one of the main differences between Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and the Beach Club is the balcony space in the rooms. All of the rooms at the Yacht Club feature full sized balconies, while most of the Beach Club’s rooms offer standing-only Juliet style balconies.
While you can request a full sized balcony at the Beach Club, it may not always be granted. For more information on the differences between the two sister resorts, you can check out our post on Disney’s Yacht Club vs Beach Club.
22 Things to Do at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
In addition to the superb location of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, we also love staying here due to the incredible activities and entertainment options that are available. You can find so many fun things to do besides the parks when staying at this Epcot hotel. Some of our top picks for best things to do at the Disney Beach Club Resort include:
- Float through the Lazy River – The Beach Club’s main pool, Stormalong Bay, offers many fun features. One of our favorite things to do at the pool is to grab (free) tubes to float along the lazy river.
- Enjoy a Character Meal – Check out Cape May Cafe during breakfast/brunch when it becomes Minnie’s Beach Bash. Guests can meet Goofy, Minnie, and Donald while they dine at the breakfast buffet.
- Enjoy Ice Cream – Disney’s Beach Club is home to one of our favorite WDW restaurants, Beaches and Cream. While reservations can be difficult to snag at this popular dining spot, you can access the walk-up window to order shakes and ice cream to-go.
- Watch the Epcot Fireworks – We recommend walking to the bridge that connects the Disney Boardwalk to the Beach Club Resort to enjoy the nightly Epcot fireworks show. You can even grab some ice cream to enjoy during the presentation.
- Go Fishing – Book a fishing excursion on Crescent Lake for a truly unique experience while staying at Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
- Ride the Skyliner – Since the Disney Skyliner sits just outside of Epcot’s International Gateway entrance, you can easily access it from the Beach Club Resort. Just take the short (less than five minutes) walk toward Epcot and hop on the Skyliner for free!
- Ride the Water Taxi – The Disney water taxi picks up visitors near the Yacht Club. You can ride this free boat to the Disney Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin Resorts, Epcot entrance, and Hollywood Studios entrance.
- Build Sandcastles – Did you know that Stormalong Bay features a shallow, sand bottom pool and beach area? Kids love digging in the sand and splashing around in this section of the pool.
- Play at the Arcade – Lafferty Place Arcade offers lots of fun games for kids and adults to enjoy. This is a particularly great place to spend time at Disney when it’s raining.
- Rent a Pontoon Boat – Spend time on Crescent Lake on your own private pontoon boat. Guests can rent boats from the marina near the Yacht Club.
- Slide on the Waterslides – Stormalong Bay features two separate water slides for guests to enjoy. The main waterslide stretches from the pirate ship and across the Beach Club boardwalk to the main pool. You’ll also find a smaller slide that’s perfect for toddlers and small kids at the entrance to the main water slide.
- Roast Marshmallows – Visit the nightly campfire to roast marshmallows during your visit. You can even purchase S’mores Kits for a few dollars.
- Get in a Workout – Disney’s Beach Club offers a large fitness center for guests to use during their stay. Ship Shape Health Club is even open 24 hours a day, so you can squeeze in a workout at any time.
- Hang at the Disney Boardwalk – The Disney Boardwalk is full of amazing activities and entertainment options and is just a short walk away from the Beach Club. You can read more about this fun spot in our post on the Best Things to Do at the Disney Boardwalk.
- Play Mini Golf – Stroll over to Fantasia Gardens and Miniature Golf Course where you’ll find two 18-hole courses. This fun spot is located near the Dolphin and Swan Resorts.
- Explore the Jogging Paths – If you’re not into running or jogging on vacation, you can spend time strolling along the jogging paths at the Beach Club. You’ll find lots of great spots to take pictures and may even catch some surprises along the way.
- Play Beach Volleyball – As you walk along the boardwalk in front of the Beach Club, you’ll notice a sand volleyball court. This is a great spot to pick up a game with friends or family. You can also often join a game of volleyball at Stormalong Bay Pool.
- Watch a Movie – Each evening, Disney Beach Club guests can watch a movie under the stars. These family friendly movies are a great way to unwind after a long day.
- Attend a Pool Party – Each afternoon, Stormalong Bay hosts fun poolside activities like hula hoop competitions and limbo.
- Play Tennis – Guests can find tennis courts near the Yacht Club’s quiet pool. While technically located at the sister hotel, the tennis courts are just a short walk away for Beach Club guests and are free to use.
- Take a Fireworks Cruise – Take in the sights and sounds of the Epcot fireworks show from your pontoon boat on Crescent Lake.
- Swim Laps – If you’re looking for a quieter poolside experience to swim laps or relax, check out the leisure pool at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. You’ll also have access to the quiet pools at Yacht Club and Beach Club Villas.
Disney Beach Club Resort Prices
Since Disney’s Beach Club Resort is classified as a deluxe hotel, it typically comes at a higher price than other value or moderate level resorts. While the Walt Disney World website states that the average cost of a room at Beach Club is over $800, we have never come across such high prices.
My family and I typically stay at the Beach Club for under $500 per night. Sometimes, this price is well under $500. If you are open to booking a room at Disney’s Beach Club Villas, you can often rent Disney Vacation Club points for a fraction of the regular room price. The Villas side of the resort offers access to the same amenities and dining options as the Beach Club Hotel. And the two buildings are just a short walk away from each other.
If you are curious about renting DVC points, we highly recommend checking out David’s Vacation Club Rentals. We have used this reputable website numerous times to stay at deluxe hotels at Disney World for the price of a moderate resort. You can check out the cost calculator on David’s website here, or you can read more about the company in our post on the best DVC rental sites.
FAQ
Below, we wanted to include some of the most frequently asked questions about Disney’s Beach Club Resort. If you have a question to add to the list, feel free to comment below.
Yes, you can visit Disney’s Beach Club Resort without a reservation. However, you will not be permitted to park at the hotel unless you’re a registered guest or you have a reservation at one of the hotel’s restaurants.
If you want to visit the Disney Beach Club without staying there, you’ll want to use the Disney transportation system (Skyliner, boat, bus) to reach the resort. It’s also important to note that visitors do not have permission to use the Stormalong Bay pool.
Walt Disney World has a resort-wide rule that guests are only allowed to use the pool at the hotel in which they have a reservation. Stormalong Bay is particularly strict with this rule as guests must receive a special wristband in order to access the pool area.
Yes, Stormalong Bay includes a lazy river and tubes. You’ll also find life jackets available to use for free during your stay. The lazy river at the Disney Beach Club is quite deep in spots (8 ft), so it’s important to note that you can’t walk through it.
Disney’s Beach Club used to offer room service for guests. However, at the time this article was written, in-room dining had not returned to the Beach Club.
Yes, the Beach Club has a gym located near Stormalong Bay pool and the arcade.
Yes, Disney’s Beach Club Resort features a 24 hour laundry facility located near the Tidal Pool.
Yes, the rooms at Disney’s Beach Club feature mini refrigerators.
Is Disney Beach Club Worth the Money
Our overall review of the Disney Beach Club is that it’s one of the best deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World. While the price of the room may cost more than other nearby hotels, the amenities are absolutely amazing.
If you plan on spending time at the resort during your Disney vacation, Disney’s Beach Club is one of our top picks for hotels. The Stormalong Bay pool offers so many impressive features that are unmatched at any other Disney resort pool.
Plus, the close proximity to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, the Disney Boardwalk, and the Skyliner make the Disney Beach Club totally worth the money. If you’re concerned about the price, don’t forget to check out the cost calculator at David’s Vacation Club Rentals to find a nearby room for a fraction of the price.
You’ll still get all the access to the amazing amenities at the hotel. We hope you have a magical time visiting Disney’s Beach Club Resort! What are your favorite things to do at Disney’s Beach Club Resort? Comment below to share with us!
