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Disney’s Beach Club Resort

Disney’s Beach Club Resort is known for its convenient location, large pool area, and proximity to EPCOT. From its signature French limestone floors to the nostalgic seaside retreat feel, the Beach Club is a fan-favorite resort. While we love all of the resorts at Disney World, this one is our favorite. We even rank it high on our list of the best hotels at Disney World.

As far as need to know, the Beach Club is a deluxe resort in the Epcot Resorts Area. It’s one of four resorts within walking distance of Epcot’s International Gateway. Beach Club is connected to sister resort Disney’s Yacht Club. While each resort has its own attributes that share a massive pool area known as Stormalong Bay. Having two resorts in one combined area is definitely an advantage. We discuss Disney’s Yacht Club separately on a dedicated page.

Below, we’ll discuss a few critical details for your stay at Disney’s Beach Club. Then, we link to our most valuable content, which provides in-depth discussions, photos, and videos on specific aspects of the resort.

a view of the Beach and Yacht Club from across Crescent Lake

The Basics of Disney’s Beach Club

Here are a few basic things you’ll want to know about the resort:

Housekeeping at Disney’s Beach Club

  • Rooms at Disney Deluxe Resorts receive daily full housekeeping service.
  • For Disney Vacation Club Members who utilize their Member Points or Member Cash Discounts at a Disney Vacation Club Resort, a complimentary trash and towel service will be provided on the fourth day of their stay. If their visit extends beyond eight nights, they will also enjoy a full cleaning service on the fourth day and a trash and towel service on the eighth day.
  • Non-Disney Vacation Club Members (not renting points) staying in rooms at Disney Deluxe Villas can expect daily full housekeeping service during their stay.

About Disney’s Beach Club

If you’re considering a stay at Disney’s Beach Club, you’re in for a treat. This is a resort that’s practically perfect in every way. Almost.

Disney’s Beach Club offers a casual elegance with New England charm. It’s reminiscent of a beachside inn offering a dose of nostalgia for seaside vacations past. This is not just a place to stay but rather an emotional journey to a time and place where you couldn’t wait to dip your toes in the sand. You can do that here in the resort’s sand-bottom pool or on the white sand beach along the lake. For this vacation, the theme parks will have to substitute for the ocean.

During your stay at Disney’s Beach Club, you’ll want to be aware of the available amenities. For example, the resort has one of the best locations in Walt Disney World. But if you aren’t aware of what’s a few steps beyond the property, you might go out of your way to get around. Beach Club sits within the Epcot Resorts area. You can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the hotel. You can also walk, boat, or take the Skyliner to other nearby hotels for dining and entertainment.

This is just one of the many positives of staying at the Beach Club. There are, however, so many other things you need to know. So, with those thoughts in mind, we’ve created this resource guide for Disney’s Beach Club Resort. It is meant to be a library that houses all the information you need to plan a stay.

If you prefer a trip report style, you might also enjoy our review of Disney’s Beach Club. We try to stay at each of the resorts at Walt Disney World at least once every two to three years to keep our coverage as updated as possible. We pay out-of-pocket for our stays. Therefore, the information we provide is at our expense and from our experience.

The resort sits on Crescent Lake, a large body of water in the center of the Epcot Resorts Area. Other resorts along the lake include Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Yacht Club, and the Swan and Dolphin Hotel. Disney’s Yacht Club is connected to Disney’s Beach Club. The Beach Club is the softer side of the resort, while the Yacht Club is more nautical.

These sister resorts are unique because they each have their own amenities. Yet, they share the combined feature pool area, Stormalong Bay. Other than location, having access to Stormalong Bay is among the top reasons to stay at Disney’s Beach Club.

Combined, Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club have close to 1200 guest rooms. Beach Club is home to approximately 583 of those rooms. Disney’s Beach Club Villas has an additional 280 units.

Disney’s Beach Club Villas

Disney’s Beach Club Villas is a Disney Vacation Club Resort. Therefore, it operates differently from the average Disney Resort Hotel. Disney’s Vacation Club members have the first choice of rooms when reservations become available. However, it is rare for rooms to fill up, so Disney makes these rooms available on a cash basis to regular resort guests. That said, because of the location and smaller size, this DVC Resort often sells out quickly.

Therefore, you do not have to be a DVC member to stay at this or any other Disney Vacation Club Resort. The villas will have the conveniences of home and are more similar to a condo than a standard hotel room. If you end up in the villas, don’t forget to check out Ariel’s statue while you’re there.

Benefits of Staying at the Beach Club

Guests of Disney’s Beach Club Resort can participate in Disney’s early theme park entry, a perk extended to all Walt Disney World Resort guests. Additionally, deluxe resort guests are privy to extended evening hours on select nights at select parks.

Early Theme Park Entry: This perk allows resort guests to enter any Walt Disney World theme park 30 minutes before officially opening to the general public. This early entry provides several advantages:

  1. Lower Crowds: Being among the first to enter the park allows you to experience popular attractions with shorter wait times. This will help you check off must-see rides and experiences ahead of the crowd.
  2. Photography Opportunities: If you love capturing the magic of Disney, the early hours provide a fantastic opportunity for photos in front of iconic landmarks with fewer people in the background.
  3. Cooler Temperatures: Morning hours are often cooler, making outdoor activities more comfortable. But if you visit during cooler weather, don’t forget a jacket!

Extended Evening Hours: Guests of deluxe and deluxe villa resorts will have the opportunity to stay in some parks later on select evenings. Most of the year, we see this perk offered at Epcot on Monday evenings and at Magic Kingdom on Wednesday evenings. However, the schedule does change from time to time.

Here are a few other resort amenities.

  • Complimentary Wi-Fi
  • Complimentary Parking
  • Valet Parking (Extra Cost)
  • Online Check-In (You can usually go straight to your room upon arrival with this service, as long as your room is ready. We stay in the resorts often and have had good luck with early check-in.)
  • Dry Cleaning Services (Check with the front desk or bell services.)
  • Laundry (See our guide to doing laundry at Disney’s Beach Club for a list of locations, pricing, and tips.)

For more amenities specific to the resort, see our overview of Disney’s Beach Club Amenities.

Accommodations

Disney’s Beach Club Resort offers a variety of rooms. Most of the resort’s standard rooms sleep up to five guests. Standard rooms offer a resort view (resort, parking lot, or garden view), or you can upgrade to a water view. A water view is usually a view of a quiet pool, Crescent Lake, and a few rooms offer views of Stormalong Bay.

One other important distinction is that not all rooms at Disney’s Beach Club have full-size balconies. Some have small-step outs called Juliette balconies. If having a full-size balcony is important, you’ll want to request one or possibly consider staying next door at the Yacht Club.

See our overview of Beach Club Accommodations for more on room types. You might also like to preview photos of a resort view room at Disney’s Beach Club in our photo report.

a room at Disney's Beach Club

The Stone Harbor Club

In addition to regular accommodations, all deluxe resorts offer what’s called Disney World Club Level. The Beach Club’s Stone Harbor Club is located on the fifth floor. Guests staying at the club level will be placed on this level. You’ll have to scan your room key or Magic Band in the elevator to access this floor.

As a club-level guest, you’ll be privy to the Stone Harbor lounge, which is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. They have multiple dining periods, including a hot breakfast with continental offerings, snacks, light appetizers, and night desserts with cordials. We have stayed club-level at this resort many times. If you want to learn more, read our review of the Stone Harbor Club at Beach Club.

Dining Options at the Beach Club

Between the Beach and the Yacht Club, you’ll have plenty of options for dining. Here is a summary of the dining options on the Beach side of the resort.

Beach Club Marketplace is the resort’s quick-service location, combined with the hotel gift shop. We aren’t crazy about the Beach Club Marketplace for hot entrees, but you can at least find Mickey waffles for breakfast and a decent selection of grab-and-go offerings.

Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill: This quick-service doubles as the resort’s poolside bar. This is your go-to place if you need an order of chicken nuggets and fries for the kids. They also have a variety of sandwiches, burgers, and beverages. Read more about Hurricane Hanna in the following reviews:

Beaches and Cream: This poolside table restaurant serves ice cream and the famous “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” sundae, which feeds a small army. You can also order comfort food like burgers, fries, onion rings, and similar diner-style items. It’s a true guilty pleasure, especially if you save room for dessert.

Martha’s Vineyard: This is the resort’s lounge that’s open every evening. Its appetizer menu allows guests to easily combine a few items to make a meal. We enjoy dining here, but prefer the menu at the neighboring Crew’s Club a bit more.

Cape May Cafe: This restaurant is a character breakfast by day and a seafood buffet (no characters) at night. Given its popularity, reservations are highly recommended. See the following reviews for more details:

Yacht Club Restaurants: Ale and Compass Restaurant, Crew’s Cup, The Market at Ale and Compass, and Yachtsman Steakhouse

Refillable Mugs at Disney’s Beach Club: This guide details everything you need to know about refillable mugs at Disney’s Beach Club. It shares photos of the locations where you can refill them, current pricing, and whether or not they’re worth it.

Coffee Options at Disney’s Beach Club: This guide shares coffee options in the room, at the resort, and nearby.

See the complete list of Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club Restaurants for more details.

Recreation

Disney’s Beach Club is one of the best resorts for recreation. During our stays, we’ve explored almost every inch of the resort. If we hadn’t, I doubt we would be aware of how much there is to do, and I have a feeling that most guests aren’t.

Aside from the location, many guests choose this resort to access Stormalong Bay. This pool area is similar to one of the water parks. It has a water slide, multiple kiddie slides, a lazy river, a sand bottom, and so much more!

Other recreation at Disney’s Beach Club includes the resort’s quiet pools: the Tidal Pool and the Dunes Cove Pool. We have a separate article that discusses Disney’s Beach Club Pools.

Additionally, the resort has a jogging trail around Crescent Lake. It’s 0.80 miles long, with options to add on at certain places. Or you might prefer to work out in the Ship Shape Health Club, the resort’s fitness center. Tennis courts are also available on the Yacht Club side of the resort. Other recreation includes the Lafferty Arcade, which is between the hotel’s gym and Beaches and Cream Restaurant. A volleyball court is on a grassy lawn near the resort’s entrance.

Most evenings, a Movie Under the Stars is held on the white sand beach near the shipwreck pool. We recommend enjoying this offering on an evening off from the parks. We have a separate article that details how to enjoy a Movie Under the Stars at Disney’s Beach Club.

Shopping

As mentioned earlier, the Beach Club Marketplace serves as the gift shop for Disney’s Beach Club. That guide provides an overview of what you can expect to find, including photos of sundries that were available on our last stay.

Merchandise Reports:

Transportation

Regarding transportation, guests can walk to Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Epcot is within a short distance of Epcot (about 8 minutes), while Hollywood Studios is a bit further (about 15 minutes). If you prefer, you can take a Friendship Boat to either theme park or the surrounding resorts. However, the walk to Epcot’s International Gateway will be shorter than the boat ride.

Bus transportation is provided to the following locations:

  • Magic Kingdom
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  • Disney Springs
  • Water Parks

You can also walk to the Disney Skyliner station. It runs between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You might take it to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, or Art of Animation Resorts. We have a guide that teaches you how to efficiently use the transportation options at Disney’s Beach Club. We consider it the most beneficial guide when planning a trip to this resort.

You might also enjoy some of the following route details:

Disney’s Beach Club Bus Schedule: Find out the average times for the bus routes at Disney’s Beach Club.

To and From the Beach Club PDF Guide: This article provides a resource that you can use on your vacation for getting to and from the Beach Club.

How to Get From Disney’s Beach Club to the Polynesian: We explore the best way, plus alternatives for traveling to the Polynesian from the Beach Club.

How to Get to the Contemporary from Disney’s Beach Club: We discuss the best ways for traveling to the Contemporary from Disney’s Beach Club.

How to Get to the Grand Floridian from Disney’s Beach Club: Learn how to travel to the Grand Floridian when you’re staying at Disney’s Beach Club.

The Quickest Way from Disney’s Beach Club to Hollywood Studios: We tested three options to find out the fastest way to get to and from the theme park.

Secret Entrance at Disney’s Beach Club: This side door entrance to Disney’s Beach Club will save you a few steps on the way to Epcot. You’ll want to be aware of this option when it’s super hot or raining.

See How The Beach Club Stacks Up

Planning a Disney World vacation? These guides can help you compare hotels, pools, and even off-site options:

Our Latest Coverage of Disney’s Beach Club

Here is some of our more recent coverage of Disney’s Beach Club:

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In the Comments

What do you think of Disney’s Beach Club Resort? Do you have any questions? Let us know below in the comments. Visit Resorts Gal again soon for more resort insights.

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