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Beach Club Resort Review

Beach Club Resort Review

The Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World is nestled right behind Epcot. In fact, it is so close to Epcot, you can use a special entrance into Epcot (the International Gateway) that you can easily walk to. This hotel makes it into the elite classification of a Deluxe Disney World Hotel. I am such a fan of staying at this resort, not just because of location but also this resort nods to the area I grew up, New England. It has a beautiful beachside theming and gives off a tranquil vibe.

The Beach Club also shares its amenities with its sister resort the Yacht Club. That is not a knock against the resort in any way however, this resort made the top of our list of best pools at Disney World. Let’s dive into our Beach Club Resort Review.

Quick Facts on Beach Club Resort

Classification Deluxe Resort
Located Behind Epcot
Check-In: 3:00 p.m. / Check-out: 11:00 a.m.
Total Number of Room: 910
Mini Fridge: Yes
Coffee Maker: Yes
Free WiFi: Yes

Check-in at this hotel is a breeze. I was able to complete the entire check-in process online with My Disney Experience before I even arrived at the resort. The day of arrival I got a text message when my room was ready and I was able to sail right into my room when I arrived. Though I will note that they were running a little behind and my room wasn’t available until like 4 pm that day. I wasn’t stressing over it because there is always bellhop. I was able to check my bags and head to the parks! Of course, Hollywood Studios and Epcot were so close it was just a matter of figuring out which one to pick. 

Beach Club Rooms

I was surprised at how big our room felt! Plus the rooms had been clearly recently renovated. I was eyeing over the hardwood tile wondering how it would look in my own house. The rooms still have that nod to all the beachy vibes with modern touches all woven in nicely. It was straight out of one of the many HGTV shows I watch.

There was no shortage of plugs in the room for my multitude of electronics I trucked along on my trip. Plus I was super thankful with all my extra early morning plans that they even put a Keurig machine in the room with a stash of k-cups.

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Note, there are also DVC rooms available at the Beach Club Villas as well. These rooms are even closer to Epcot and you can use your Disney Vacation Club points to pay for a stay here. 

Room Video Tour

Here is a video look at the room we stayed in at the Beach Club. This a standard room. 

 

 


 

Dining Options at the  Beach Club

Beach Club Marketplace

This is the one and only quick service dining spot for the Beach Club Resort. They have a super limited menu, mostly flatbread pizzas. There is also a selection of some grab and go items. 

Cape May Cafe

This buffet is the only sit down here at the Beach Club. During breakfast, it is a character meal with Minnie Mouse called, Minnie’s Beach Bash Character Breakfast. Then for dinner, it turns into the ultimate seafood buffet. My husband hates it every time we walk by here because you can smell all the seafood which is one of his least favorite meals. But if you are a seafood fan this is a great stop.

If you don’t mind the extra walk over to the Yacht Club we also recommend looking into eating at the Yachtsmen Steakhouse, Ale and Compass, or Beaches and Cream. Another short walk takes you to the Boardwalk area, which also has a selection of quick service and sit down meal options.

Resort Recreation at the Beach Club

Stormalong Bay Pool

First off let’s talk about the best thing there is at this hotel, the pool. The main pool here at the Beach Club is Stormalong Bay. This pool is shared with the Yacht Club. However, as we mentioned earlier this is still our top-rated pool out of all at the Walt Disney World Resort. The top highlighted features of this pool is a lazy river, a sand-bottom zone, and a water slide.

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If you plan on spending a lot of pool time while on your vacation you are going to want to consider staying at the Beach or Yacht Club. 

Location and Transportation at the Beach Club

Walking and Boats

Looking to jump right into the park every morning? The Beach Club as we have already mentioned is within short walking distance to Epcot. I found it took me about 5 minutes to walk into the park from the lobby. You can alternatively also take a boat over to Epcot as well. The boat is just a quick 5-minute ride over to the same back entrance of Epcot you can walk to.

Disney Friendship Boats

A little lesser known tip is you can actually also walk to Hollywood Studios. It’s going to be a bit of a haul, around a 20-minute walk, but it is doable. Sometimes when walking, due to the boat stops at the hotels, I have beat the Friendship boat that goes back and forth from the Epcot resorts to Hollywood Studios. Since the walk is a little on the long side we like taking the boat and getting a chance to cool down. The boats stop at the hotels every 15 minutes and is about a 25 minute journey from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. 

While we are talking about walking, you are also right on the Boardwalk. This means you can walk to the other hotels along the Boardwalk as well as the restaurants like ESPN Zone, Flying Fish, Trattoria el Forno, and Big River Grill.

The Buses at the Beach Club

To head to the Magic Kingdom your fastest bet is to take a bus. Though it is possible to walk all the way through Epcot and hop on a monorail over to the ticket and transportation center. The Animal Kingdom as it is with every Walt Disney Resort is a bus ride away as well. If you are looking to get to the two water parks at Disney World then the bus is the only free way to get there. 

One of our favorite bus hacks when staying at the Beach Club is you can catch a bus to the Boardwalk or Swan and Dolphin and walk back to the resort from there. So this way you just catch whichever bus you can get on first and wait the least amount of time on your return trip from the parks.

If you have an early morning pre-park open dining reservation remember, you can always call upon a Minnie Van to take you anywhere on Disney World property. A cheaper option would be to opt for a rideshare app like Uber or Lyft. The concierge desk at your hotel can also help you arrange a taxi.

The Verdict on Disney’s Beach Club

Overall as far as our Beach Club Resort Review goes, we loved our stay here. I also prefer picking the Beach Club over the Yacht. The vibe at this hotel isn’t as stuff as the Yacht Club can sometimes come off as. Since we enjoy popping in for evenings at Epcot during our mini-vacations this is the closest resort to that park.