Disney's YACHT & BEACH CLUB RESORTS Information & Questions
- Thread starter natebenma
- Start date
My favorite view from Yacht Club is looking out at Crescent Lake and the Boardwalk and also seeing the lighthouse/boat dock. I just requested that for my September stay as I’d rather have that than a pool view.
cjlong88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2019
Thank you! May I ask, how did you phrase your request with the CM?
I asked them if they could make a note on my reservation that I’d like a view of the lake and/or boardwalk/lighthouse. The CM was happy to do it and I figure the person assigning rooms will know what we want if it’s available.
I’ve had garden view before and had a pretty good view of the lighthouse/boat dock so this time we booked water view and I wanted to request it as it’s my favorite.
cjlong88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2019
Thank you so much! That’s exactly the type of view I think everyone in our party would want.
You’re welcome and I hope you get a great view!
bookbunny
I LOVE POP Century & Beach Club!!!
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
You can also use Touringplans.com. You can add a request to your reservation.
Buzzed Lightbeer
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
So our family of four just got back recently from a nine-night stay at Beach Club. For those that do not wish to read the short novel I am about to write, the long and short of it is we had a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend BC to just about anyone. That’s not to say there weren’t a few little hiccups along the way, however…
We stayed club level at a Disney resort for the first time this trip, and for the most part feel it was overwhelmingly positive and something we’d like to repeat (should we plan future Disney vacations that is - I’m dying to do so, but my wife did mention that as our kids are getting older, and we’ve always talked of traveling abroad as well, there’s at least a chance this could have been it for awhile). Upon check-in we just happened to get to the 5th floor (club level) and speak with the concierge for the first time as they were opening up the Stone Harbor Club (the club level lounge) for hors d’oeuvres. It was a fantastic way to begin our vacation, as the food was good and we were served multiple drinks. We got our first round ourselves, but the extremely attentive cast members kept offering us refills even as we sat for a bit. There was a pretty decent selection of beer and wine on display. Our kids loved that there was always ice cream available, including Mickey cookies and cream sandwiches (something we’d later see being sold in the parks for I believe $6.25 each). All in all, the hors d’oeuvres serving window of 5:00-7:00pm seemed to be the highlight in terms of the club lounge. We felt you could pretty easily make this dinner if you wanted, and even did so one evening. It also served as an opportunity to “pre-feed” our youngest prior to dining reservations many nights, as they’re a bit of a picky eater. Breakfast was also good, with a nice mix of hot items, cereal, yogurt, and bagels/ bread. The lounge opened for just coffee at 6:30am, and then was open for full breakfast from 7:00-10:30 am. This suited us well both for mornings when we were planning to rope drop parks, as well as the mornings we were sleeping in a little. Snacks were available from 11:30am-4:00pm each day, and while this was fine it was arguably the weakest of the serving windows. There were typically various chips and cookies as well as little candies available during this time, but nothing really substantial. Desserts were from 8:00-10:00pm, and there was always a decent variety of attractive mini treats available. We could also get alcoholic beverages from any of the staff (including the concierge) pretty much any time we wanted, we just had to request it. The menu seemed to be on a three day rotating schedule as best we could tell, so I suppose that could get boring for some that stay for an extended time period like we did. Still, it treated us very well. There were times the lounge was pretty busy and during those times it all felt a little less convenient and desirable to be there, but I was nonetheless impressed by how well it was all staffed and how quickly food items were replenished. We also enjoyed both breakfast and dinner at Cape May, dinner one evening at Beaches & Cream, as well as dinner at Ale & Compass (YC).
As for our room itself, we were in 5636. It served our purposes well, with two queen beds as well as a sofa that easily converted to another twin-sized bed. Mousekeeping was great and tidied up and refreshed things every day. We discovered that our balcony provided a pretty much perfect view of the Harmonious fireworks in Epcot, and enjoyed this many evenings. We did have the issue I’ve seen mentioned here before, that of the blinds on the balcony door leaving a gap that allowed sunlight to come into the room pretty early in the morning. This wasn’t a huge deal for us, but do feel it’s noteworthy. The bathroom was small but nice, and little things like having a retractable clothes line to place wet swimsuits was appreciated, as were the double sinks and large mirror just outside the bathroom. We mistakenly left several of our youngest’s clothing items when we departed, and BC reached out via email after finding them and we‘ve already received them back home. Our son enjoyed the arcade, though it’s relatively small and probably not a place you’d feel compelled to visit more than once or twice. Still, it was nice that it was there. We did not do a ton of just general exploration of the resort, but what little we did revealed a pleasant atmosphere everywhere we went.
This brings us to Stormalong Bay, which for many is the star of the show. It certainly was for us, as most days we found at least a little time to take a dip and enjoy the sand bottomed pool (this really felt good on feet that were tired from walking all over the parks). The water slide was another favorite aspect for us, particularly the kids. We rented a cabana for two of the days we were there, and while this was overall a great experience, it also represents perhaps what I would deem some of the biggest challenges BC needs to work on. The cabana itself was laid out pretty well, with a small couch and two comfy padded chairs, as well as two padded wicker lounge chairs just outside the cabana itself.
We were in cabana 1 both times, which in some ways felt like the best one - in particular the fact that it opened directly to a sandy beach area, which is where the two lounge chairs were located. Some of the others seemed to open up to grass and/ or concrete, whereas we could simply walk over sand to get to the pool. However, this location also proved to be a bit of an issue for us. For those that don’t already know, the cabana section contains four cabanas and is located over by the Yacht Club, at one extreme edge of the pool complex. There is a sign on the ground indicating this area is for cabana users only at the primary entry point, as well as a smaller sign posted on a gate nearby that theoretically serves as a private entrance/ exit for cabana users (convenient to get to the water slide, which is located relatively close by). Further, cabana guests receive different looking wristbands than non-cabana guests when checking in, which are pretty easy to distinguish by color at a quick glance. There is a check-in desk within the cabana area where you get your distinctive wristbands, and it seemed like a cast member is generally supposed to be stationed there. In spite of all this, we had multiple instances of people that were not in a cabana freely wandering through the general area. At times I noticed that there were not any cast members at the check-in desk during these moments, but there were also several instances when there were and I didn’t once see any attempt to redirect. Not a big deal, but then there were also times that people chose to cut through the area directly outside our cabana as a shortcut to where they or their group were seated in chairs in the nearby beachy area. One person in particular apologized after doing so, but then went on to do it again multiple more times. At one point they called for their daughter to come to them, and the girl (maybe nine-ten years old or so) asked how she was supposed to get to her. Her mother instructed her to come right through the roped-off area immediately adjacent to our cabana. It struck me because it was clear the girl could see this was an area she wasn’t supposed to cut through, yet her mother told her to do so anyway. She then apologized yet again as her daughter came through. The most comical instance was when an older woman who may or may not have been a little tipsy at the time literally walked right though the middle of our cabana to join her family at the aforementioned chairs in the beach area, even though she had to force her way through our two chairs which were situated immediately next to each other and one of the curtains on that side was closed. Her family apologized profusely, and while we got a bit of a chuckle out of it I realize not everyone that pays extra for the privilege of renting a private cabana may necessarily feel the same way, which is why I mention all of this. This just happened to occur at a time when only my wife was there (who relayed the story to me), but does raise concerns about security as we had things like cell phones out in the open charging. First world problems for sure, but I do feel like the cabana area needs to be both better demarcated somehow as well as better enforced in terms of who is permitted there and who is not. The enforcement aspect seemed to clearly be the issue that most needs addressing.
All in all we loved our stay at the BC, and feel the location is perfect for anyone that tends to want to spend a lot of time in Epcot. Hollywood Studios is easy enough to get to, with both the boats and the Skyliner nearby (you can walk as well, but given the fact that it was in the mid-high 90s and humid just about every day we were there we limited our walking to the parks themselves as best we could, aside from the short walks to and from Epcot). If Magic Kingdom and/ or Animal Kingdom are more your jam, BC may not feel quite like the slam dunk choice as it did for us. We went to both parks once, and while getting there and back certainly wasn‘t a bad experience, it was drastically different than the ease of just strolling into Epcot.
We stayed club level at a Disney resort for the first time this trip, and for the most part feel it was overwhelmingly positive and something we’d like to repeat (should we plan future Disney vacations that is - I’m dying to do so, but my wife did mention that as our kids are getting older, and we’ve always talked of traveling abroad as well, there’s at least a chance this could have been it for awhile). Upon check-in we just happened to get to the 5th floor (club level) and speak with the concierge for the first time as they were opening up the Stone Harbor Club (the club level lounge) for hors d’oeuvres. It was a fantastic way to begin our vacation, as the food was good and we were served multiple drinks. We got our first round ourselves, but the extremely attentive cast members kept offering us refills even as we sat for a bit. There was a pretty decent selection of beer and wine on display. Our kids loved that there was always ice cream available, including Mickey cookies and cream sandwiches (something we’d later see being sold in the parks for I believe $6.25 each). All in all, the hors d’oeuvres serving window of 5:00-7:00pm seemed to be the highlight in terms of the club lounge. We felt you could pretty easily make this dinner if you wanted, and even did so one evening. It also served as an opportunity to “pre-feed” our youngest prior to dining reservations many nights, as they’re a bit of a picky eater. Breakfast was also good, with a nice mix of hot items, cereal, yogurt, and bagels/ bread. The lounge opened for just coffee at 6:30am, and then was open for full breakfast from 7:00-10:30 am. This suited us well both for mornings when we were planning to rope drop parks, as well as the mornings we were sleeping in a little. Snacks were available from 11:30am-4:00pm each day, and while this was fine it was arguably the weakest of the serving windows. There were typically various chips and cookies as well as little candies available during this time, but nothing really substantial. Desserts were from 8:00-10:00pm, and there was always a decent variety of attractive mini treats available. We could also get alcoholic beverages from any of the staff (including the concierge) pretty much any time we wanted, we just had to request it. The menu seemed to be on a three day rotating schedule as best we could tell, so I suppose that could get boring for some that stay for an extended time period like we did. Still, it treated us very well. There were times the lounge was pretty busy and during those times it all felt a little less convenient and desirable to be there, but I was nonetheless impressed by how well it was all staffed and how quickly food items were replenished. We also enjoyed both breakfast and dinner at Cape May, dinner one evening at Beaches & Cream, as well as dinner at Ale & Compass (YC).
As for our room itself, we were in 5636. It served our purposes well, with two queen beds as well as a sofa that easily converted to another twin-sized bed. Mousekeeping was great and tidied up and refreshed things every day. We discovered that our balcony provided a pretty much perfect view of the Harmonious fireworks in Epcot, and enjoyed this many evenings. We did have the issue I’ve seen mentioned here before, that of the blinds on the balcony door leaving a gap that allowed sunlight to come into the room pretty early in the morning. This wasn’t a huge deal for us, but do feel it’s noteworthy. The bathroom was small but nice, and little things like having a retractable clothes line to place wet swimsuits was appreciated, as were the double sinks and large mirror just outside the bathroom. We mistakenly left several of our youngest’s clothing items when we departed, and BC reached out via email after finding them and we‘ve already received them back home. Our son enjoyed the arcade, though it’s relatively small and probably not a place you’d feel compelled to visit more than once or twice. Still, it was nice that it was there. We did not do a ton of just general exploration of the resort, but what little we did revealed a pleasant atmosphere everywhere we went.
This brings us to Stormalong Bay, which for many is the star of the show. It certainly was for us, as most days we found at least a little time to take a dip and enjoy the sand bottomed pool (this really felt good on feet that were tired from walking all over the parks). The water slide was another favorite aspect for us, particularly the kids. We rented a cabana for two of the days we were there, and while this was overall a great experience, it also represents perhaps what I would deem some of the biggest challenges BC needs to work on. The cabana itself was laid out pretty well, with a small couch and two comfy padded chairs, as well as two padded wicker lounge chairs just outside the cabana itself.
We were in cabana 1 both times, which in some ways felt like the best one - in particular the fact that it opened directly to a sandy beach area, which is where the two lounge chairs were located. Some of the others seemed to open up to grass and/ or concrete, whereas we could simply walk over sand to get to the pool. However, this location also proved to be a bit of an issue for us. For those that don’t already know, the cabana section contains four cabanas and is located over by the Yacht Club, at one extreme edge of the pool complex. There is a sign on the ground indicating this area is for cabana users only at the primary entry point, as well as a smaller sign posted on a gate nearby that theoretically serves as a private entrance/ exit for cabana users (convenient to get to the water slide, which is located relatively close by). Further, cabana guests receive different looking wristbands than non-cabana guests when checking in, which are pretty easy to distinguish by color at a quick glance. There is a check-in desk within the cabana area where you get your distinctive wristbands, and it seemed like a cast member is generally supposed to be stationed there. In spite of all this, we had multiple instances of people that were not in a cabana freely wandering through the general area. At times I noticed that there were not any cast members at the check-in desk during these moments, but there were also several instances when there were and I didn’t once see any attempt to redirect. Not a big deal, but then there were also times that people chose to cut through the area directly outside our cabana as a shortcut to where they or their group were seated in chairs in the nearby beachy area. One person in particular apologized after doing so, but then went on to do it again multiple more times. At one point they called for their daughter to come to them, and the girl (maybe nine-ten years old or so) asked how she was supposed to get to her. Her mother instructed her to come right through the roped-off area immediately adjacent to our cabana. It struck me because it was clear the girl could see this was an area she wasn’t supposed to cut through, yet her mother told her to do so anyway. She then apologized yet again as her daughter came through. The most comical instance was when an older woman who may or may not have been a little tipsy at the time literally walked right though the middle of our cabana to join her family at the aforementioned chairs in the beach area, even though she had to force her way through our two chairs which were situated immediately next to each other and one of the curtains on that side was closed. Her family apologized profusely, and while we got a bit of a chuckle out of it I realize not everyone that pays extra for the privilege of renting a private cabana may necessarily feel the same way, which is why I mention all of this. This just happened to occur at a time when only my wife was there (who relayed the story to me), but does raise concerns about security as we had things like cell phones out in the open charging. First world problems for sure, but I do feel like the cabana area needs to be both better demarcated somehow as well as better enforced in terms of who is permitted there and who is not. The enforcement aspect seemed to clearly be the issue that most needs addressing.
All in all we loved our stay at the BC, and feel the location is perfect for anyone that tends to want to spend a lot of time in Epcot. Hollywood Studios is easy enough to get to, with both the boats and the Skyliner nearby (you can walk as well, but given the fact that it was in the mid-high 90s and humid just about every day we were there we limited our walking to the parks themselves as best we could, aside from the short walks to and from Epcot). If Magic Kingdom and/ or Animal Kingdom are more your jam, BC may not feel quite like the slam dunk choice as it did for us. We went to both parks once, and while getting there and back certainly wasn‘t a bad experience, it was drastically different than the ease of just strolling into Epcot.
Ricguz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 6, 2000
BC/YC has been our go to hotel for the last 15 years. Love the CM, CL both on the BC and YC sides. Lately we have been staying at YC CL and have been pleased. Going back in December 2022. Thanks for a wonderful review.
focusondisney
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 7, 2009
I hope you mentioned this to a CM while there or that you‘ll contact guest services & let them know. You paid a lot of money to have a reserved area just for your family. The CMs assigned there need to do a better job of reacting to guests who don’t respect the cabana boundaries.
I’m glad you enjoyed your stay otherwise.
Buzzed Lightbeer
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
Glad you enjoyed it! Here are a few pics I still have of the menus, in case it’s helpful.
Buzzed Lightbeer
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
Thank you for the kind words! Perhaps we’ll try YC sometime too, I’m curious as to what the true differences between the two are.
Buzzed Lightbeer
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
We did not while there, though I’m thinking I will contact guest services at some point soon and relay how things went with the cabana. The truth is we really weren’t even there that long of a time cumulatively, as there was thunder just a couple hours after we arrived at the cabana the first day, and we stayed maybe five hours the second day. When I consider the ratio of number of times we witnessed/ experienced people coming through that technically should not have been permitted to do so versus the amount of total time we spent there, it isn’t too good. Definitely an area BC/ Disney can improve upon, as I imagine our limited time there doesn’t represent a huge outlier.
Ricguz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 6, 2000
The differences as I see is that BC has fewer full balconies, and more people traffic. YC is more quiet, full balconies, tiled floors in rooms, not rugs. BC CL maybe a little bigger, can’t remember but with the YC rooms I have had on CL perfect view of Epcot fireworks.
Ricguz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 6, 2000
Thanks for the menus. Since we have been at BC/YC, it’s seems more hot food items have been added to the breakfast menu. Dinner seems the same.
Buzzed Lightbeer
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
Very interesting, thanks! I realize I’m not positive if we had a “full” balcony or not. It was a small table and two chairs, enough room to maneuver around but not a ton of it. Given that we had the blinds on the door issue I’m thinking though that perhaps there may be a true full balcony that is bigger? Not sure, though. When you say the YC rooms had a perfect view of the Epcot fireworks, I’m curious if it was different than the view we had. We could see any of the fireworks that went high in the sky clearly, though perhaps just bits of the lower-aimed ones. It really was a great view, but the section of the BC that was opposite the courtyard from us did partially obstruct, I suppose.
parith1114
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
Does anyone have a room recommendation for std club level room? We would prefer not to share the giant balcony, and would really like the extra bed.
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