Beach club - need your advice

qv09vvp

Disney or Bust
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Jun 12, 2003
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All I can think is wow! We've never stayed here and amazingly have the first part of our stay there. Will be 2 young at hearts and two twenty something's . Would.love your tips about anything and everything! Does the pool live.up to the hype and do.y'all think thats.even an option for end of November? Where would you request a room--If the plan is to walk to studios but catch the bus to mk and ak? What About the boardwalk area ...recommendations for anything cool for.eating, drinking , entertainmenr?

Sorry. I never thought we would get to stay here and I really would like to investigate the whole resort ! Thank you in advance.
 
All I can think is wow! We've never stayed here and amazingly have the first part of our stay there. Will be 2 young at hearts and two twenty something's . Would.love your tips about anything and everything! Does the pool live.up to the hype and do.y'all think thats.even an option for end of November? Where would you request a room--If the plan is to walk to studios but catch the bus to mk and ak? What About the boardwalk area ...recommendations for anything cool for.eating, drinking , entertainmenr?

Sorry. I never thought we would get to stay here and I really would like to investigate the whole resort ! Thank you in advance.
Keeping in mind your ages- The pool is fun for kids with the sand bottom. Adults love it too. Beaches and Cream is great for a fun dessert. Get the kitchen sink. The best secret breakfast in Disney World is at the Yacht Club. And the fastest easiest breakfast is at the Beach Club.
Definitely walk, or should I say stroll the boardwalk. That’s the best thing to do there… take a stroll at night. If you like a night time cocktail or wine, again given your party, the Yacht Club’s got it.
We walk to Epcot. We will also walk to Hollywood Studios. But if we see the boat, we jump on- make sure it’s going the right direction. We Uber to the other parks, but the bus is really easy too.
With the proximity to Epcot, we always think of how can we take advantage. We end many of our nights there. We take pastries back for morning. We get an early start there some days, etc.
Enjoy!
 
All I can think is wow! We've never stayed here and amazingly have the first part of our stay there. Will be 2 young at hearts and two twenty something's . Would.love your tips about anything and everything! Does the pool live.up to the hype and do.y'all think thats.even an option for end of November? Where would you request a room--If the plan is to walk to studios but catch the bus to mk and ak? What About the boardwalk area ...recommendations for anything cool for.eating, drinking , entertainment?

Sorry. I never thought we would get to stay here and I really would like to investigate the whole resort ! Thank you in advance.
Congrats on your upcoming first stay! So excited for you!

Stormalong Bay draws a lot of strong reaction. Most think it's the best hotel pool at WDW. Other's think it's overcrowded and overhyped.

Our last stay there was mid-November 2020. The weather was in the high 70s at that time, which meant the pool did not get crowded until later. Here's what it looked like at opening at about 10 AM. It can be tough to get seats, so try the pool early at least once so you have a better chance of getting a seat you like.

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IMO, the best thing about the Beach Club is being able to easily walk over to the World Showcase, drink "around the World", and then walk back to the room.

The rooms are relatively close together. From a location perspective, I would not consider one particularly better than other to walk to Disney Hollywood Studios. (This was one of your questions.) Try the "Room Finder" feature on touringplans.com to see what the view is like from various rooms.

I have never walked to DHS from BC. It takes time to walk around Crescent Lake (the lake between the Beach Club and Boardwalk) to get to the Boardwalk path to DHS, so we always take the boat.

In terms of things to do at the Boardwalk (another one of your questions), we enjoy sitting outside having dinner and a drink at Big River Grille. Here's the view from our table the last time we ate at BRG (May 2021):

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Keeping in mind your ages- The pool is fun for kids with the sand bottom. Adults love it too. Beaches and Cream is great for a fun dessert. Get the kitchen sink. The best secret breakfast in Disney World is at the Yacht Club. And the fastest easiest breakfast is at the Beach Club.
Definitely walk, or should I say stroll the boardwalk. That’s the best thing to do there… take a stroll at night. If you like a night time cocktail or wine, again given your party, the Yacht Club’s got it.
We walk to Epcot. We will also walk to Hollywood Studios. But if we see the boat, we jump on- make sure it’s going the right direction. We Uber to the other parks, but the bus is really easy too.
With the proximity to Epcot, we always think of how can we take advantage. We end many of our nights there. We take pastries back for morning. We get an early start there some days, etc.
Enjoy!

I'm staying at Beach Club for the first time as well on Thursday and I'm pretty psyched! I'm intrigued by the best kept secret breakfast at YC - just wondering if you mean table service? Or a specific dish?

Thanks!
 
We love, love staying at the Beach Club. One of my home resorts.

Great input here already. Epcot is literally right there and wow, what a great convenience. We also walk most of the time to DHS - it is a little longer walk but not bad if the weather is good (no rain/100 degrees). We have never walked to DHS to take a MK or AK bus. Just too much out of the way.

We never request a specific area or room here. Views are not all that great even though we have gotten a decent view here and there.

I am not sure what you mean, do you think it's even an option for end of November. Do you mean try to stay here with points 7 month window/waitlist? If so, it is gotten harder and harder to get Beach Club at the 7 month window and waitlisting. Many years ago, my sons had some success in the waitlist. The last few years, no luck.

We spend a lot of time at the pool, we normally stay at Stormalong Bay in the morning. Grab lunch and then move to the quiet pool. DH will go in the pool, me not always. Needs to be really warm but enjoy being out there.
 
I'm staying at Beach Club for the first time as well on Thursday and I'm pretty psyched! I'm intrigued by the best kept secret breakfast at YC - just wondering if you mean table service? Or a specific dish?

Thanks!

I’m guessing they mean Ale & Compass. I haven’t been there but people rave about it. (It’s table service.)
 
We love, love staying at the Beach Club. One of my home resorts.

Great input here already. Epcot is literally right there and wow, what a great convenience. We also walk most of the time to DHS - it is a little longer walk but not bad if the weather is good (no rain/100 degrees). We have never walked to DHS to take a MK or AK bus. Just too much out of the way.

We never request a specific area or room here. Views are not all that great even though we have gotten a decent view here and there.

I am not sure what you mean, do you think it's even an option for end of November. Do you mean try to stay here with points 7 month window/waitlist? If so, it is gotten harder and harder to get Beach Club at the 7 month window and waitlisting. Many years ago, my sons had some success in the waitlist. The last few years, no luck.

We spend a lot of time at the pool, we normally stay at Stormalong Bay in the morning. Grab lunch and then move to the quiet pool. DH will go in the pool, me not always. Needs to be really warm but enjoy being out there.
I was talking about the pool being a real option to use at the end of November. lol :)
 
I was talking about the pool being a real option to use at the end of November. lol :)

Where are you from? For Floridians....it's probably too cold, but I once saw people swimming and it was 40 degrees outside, they were from NH and said it didn't bother them. Just FYI, all pools are heated. End of November is really a crap shoot weather wise. It could be a high of 50, it could be 80. It could be both during your stay. Most likely lows in the 50s, highs in the 70s. But layers are your friend at this time of the year. Note, that the slide is across the BW (not the BWI hotel, just the walkway between the resort and the lake) and it does get chilly over there since it's right on the lake. SAB is fairly sheltered so it says pretty warm as long as there's sunshine. Hopefully that makes a bit of sense. As a pp suggested check out the BC/YC thread, TONS of great very up to date info on there.
 
We have had great luck with the weather during the months October, November, December and yes, January. But it really changes day to day. There are times where I will go in the water - and it's hot/weather is warm - my DH always goes in. He can tolerate it more than me so I am guessing it is usually warm enough to go in. Many people do.

At home, the water in our pool needs to be at least 82. I never go in the ocean unless we are cruising during the summer months. Can't go by me though because I see plenty of people in the water.:rolleyes: I always bring bathing suits and spend half a day almost daily - it is very warm out. I bet you would be fine unless Florida is having a cold spell.
 
I'm staying at Beach Club for the first time as well on Thursday and I'm pretty psyched! I'm intrigued by the best kept secret breakfast at YC - just wondering if you mean table service? Or a specific dish?

Thanks!
The Ale and Compass is known for its dinner but it also has a delicious sit down breakfast. It’s logistically much easier for us folks that stay there to get a chance to enjoy it. So if you like a good sit down breakfast and have a morning to spare, check it out. The menu is online- the kids love the bacon pancakes, say what!!!, and I love the crab cakes benedict.
The Beach Club marketplace has a great fast/get you out the door breakfast. Chow down and catch the bus. Biscuits bacon eggs and coffee is all I need. 👍👏🏼
 
The pools at Disney are Heated. I have seen people in them when it is in the 50s... November can swing either way one year i went in November it was in the 90's everyday BUT not like 90's all day as it was cooler in the morning and night. Another time in November it was in the 70's which meant 50's in the morning or night.
As far as things to do I can not comment much on the BC itself as we like the other side for those who like a fast fun slide :banana: Anywho. Make sure to check out the Bakery and the Pizza window if you like NY Pizza it is really good but also very popular these days....... so expect a 30-40 minute wait after you order although it can take less time. The best place to see the Fireworks are the Benches by Atlantic dance on the BW side 😇 but they get taken about 20-30 minutes before. You can also stand on the bridge by Swan and Dolphin walking towards YC form BC also a great view. BW also has a New ice cream place that may be worth a look. Also on the BW side is a few snack think nachos pretzels etc/ Drink Margaretta places only open at night. Always great to get something and enjoy the FW from that side.
 
The Ale and Compass is known for its dinner but it also has a delicious sit down breakfast. It’s logistically much easier for us folks that stay there to get a chance to enjoy it. So if you like a good sit down breakfast and have a morning to spare, check it out. The menu is online- the kids love the bacon pancakes, say what!!!, and I love the crab cakes benedict.
The Beach Club marketplace has a great fast/get you out the door breakfast. Chow down and catch the bus. Biscuits bacon eggs and coffee is all I need. 👍👏🏼
Trattoria al Forno also has a tasty sit-down breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised with them during our last trip. We are planning to try Ale and Compass for breakfast later this month when we are there.

The YC Market place is one of my favorite quick-serve breakfasts. We usually pop over there a couple of times during our trip when we are staying at BWV. They also have some really good sandwiches for lunch and dinner!
 
The Ale and Compass is known for its dinner but it also has a delicious sit down breakfast. It’s logistically much easier for us folks that stay there to get a chance to enjoy it. So if you like a good sit down breakfast and have a morning to spare, check it out. The menu is online- the kids love the bacon pancakes, say what!!!, and I love the crab cakes benedict.
The Beach Club marketplace has a great fast/get you out the door breakfast. Chow down and catch the bus. Biscuits bacon eggs and coffee is all I need. 👍👏🏼

You had me at crab cakes benedict! We'll probably end up doing breakfast sandwiches at the marketplace on our way to rope drop, but man those crab cakes sound good.
 
I fall into "it's the best pool at Disney" camp. Although, our favorite time to go is at night after we're back at the parks and it's a bit less crowded. You can see the Epcot fireworks from the bridge near the entrance to the world showcase. I liked the breakfast at Trattoria al forno (on the boardwalk side) a lot. We ate dinner at Ale and compass and loved it - it felt more secluded and was quieter. The food was really good. A room location will probably even itself out between walking to Epcot, HS, and then taking the bus to MK/AK. If you like walking, the walk around the boardwalk is really nice, but I could see it being long distance-wise if you're not a fan of walking for any reason.

If you need to be at the park for rope drop, give yourself plenty of time to get to the bus stop. I'm not sure if the resorts have their own buses due to COVID, but at least pre-covid times, the bus served the yacht and beach club. I also think there are people who are staying at the Swan and Dolphin who walk over to use the transportation too, so sometimes in the morning it gets crowded.
 
Pool is awesome. We stayed on the YC side by their quiet pool and we loved that at night before bed. Ale & Compass Breakfast was very good. We enjoyed walking to Disney Studios & Epcot.
 
Trattoria al Forno also has a tasty sit-down breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised with them during our last trip. We are planning to try Ale and Compass for breakfast later this month when we are there.

The YC Market place is one of my favorite quick-serve breakfasts. We usually pop over there a couple of times during our trip when we are staying at BWV. They also have some really good sandwiches for lunch and dinner!

Love it. Avocado toast and press pot coffee. Maybe a mimosa if it’s a pool day.
In terms of food, best character breakfast (Character breakfast currently not happening).
 












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