On our very first family trip to Disney World in December 2011 we stayed at Disney’s Beach Club Villas. Since then we have made the rounds staying at several Disney World properties, Bay Lake Tower being a favorite. Feeling nostalgic—and paired with a great Annual Passholder discount—we booked a room at Disney’s Beach Club Resort for our last minute weekend trip.
Location
Disney’s Beach Club Resort is located on Crescent Lake and is walking distance to Epcot’s International Gateway.
Overview
Beach Club Resort is decorated with shell and beach accents, a theme found throughout the resort. It has a relaxed, easy vibe and plenty of comfy seating in the lobby area.
If you do online check-in you will receive a message with your room number. Once you have the room number you may go directly to your room. Your MagicBand acts as your key.
Pro tip: The Beach Club Resort elevators (not the villa elevators) are tucked behind a wall right before you reach the Beach Club Marketplace. We arrived late at night and embarrassingly could not find the elevators for a few minutes.
What we loved about our stay at Disney’s Beach Club
Stormalong Bay
We don’t usually go to pools (we try to spend every waking hour at the parks), but when you are at Disney in the heat you need some pool time. Beach Club’s pool has a huge water slide, a lazy river, and sand that coats the entire bottom of the pool.
You can walk to Epcot
Being able to walk from your resort to any theme park at Disney World is a plus in my book.
Beaches and Cream
Beaches and Cream is a popular table service restaurant at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. I highly recommend making Advanced Dining Reservations as close to 180 days ahead as possible. We were able to grab two spots at the counter without a long wait, but that was only because we arrived at 2 p.m.
The menu has yummy diner-type food, but the star of the show is dessert. Beaches and Cream is known for its “Kitchen Sink Sundae” which is a ridiculous ice cream concoction served in a mini kitchen sink. Since I’m pretty sure we couldn’t manage that monstrosity, I instead opted for my favorite treat – a scoop of ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies. Yum!
Do you want your treat to go? Walk right up to the carry out counter and place your order. There is a limited menu for takeout, but it should still give you plenty of choices. Then you can enjoy your treat while you walk around the resort, hang by the pool or beach, or have a late night snack in your hotel room.
The Beach
The area behind Disney’s Beach Club Resort has a small beach overlooking Crescent Lake and the Boardwalk area. There are large porch swings where you can sit and sway while the kids play in the sand. We made sure to get a little sand between our toes one last time before we caught the Magical Express back to the airport.
Room
I booked the cheapest room I could find for this impromptu trip. We were confirmed for a standard garden- or woods-view room. Imagine my surprise when I walked into a large room with a king-size bed, fold-out couch, mini-fridge (no freezer), desk with chair, and a balcony with two chairs!
Please note: This classification of room can be any of the following configurations – 2 Queen Beds and 1 Day Bed or 1 Queen Bed and 1 Twin-Size Sleeper Chair and 1 Day Bed or 2 Queen Beds or 1 King Bed and 1 Day Bed or 1 King Bed.
I absolutely loved our room. My only disappointment had to do with the window coverings. The window and door leading out to the balcony had roman style shades. Although nicely decorative, they did nothing to keep out the early morning sun.
Parking
Self-parking is complimentary for resort guests while valet parking costs $33 per night at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas
Transportation From Beach Club To Disney Parks
Epcot
When staying at Beach Club you can either walk or take a short boat ride to Epcot’s International Gateway. We always walk, because the boat doesn’t save you many steps.
Hollywood Studios
To get to Hollywood Studios you will take a boat from the launch behind Beach Club. Make sure to pay attention to the signs so you take the right boat.
Everywhere Else
To get from Disney’s Beach Club Resort to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, or the water parks you will take a bus in front of the resort.
Overall Impression
The beachy decor and relaxed feel of Disney’s Beach Club Resort was a welcome change from the modern decor of Bay Lake Tower and Disney’s Contemporary Resort (although I still love Bay Lake). I hope that this Disney’s Beach Club resort review fully reflects our wonderful experience there.
If you plan on spending time hanging out at the resort, Disney’s Beach Club is a great choice for you. The sand bottomed pool, beach area, Beaches and Cream for treats, and a breakfast with Minnie at Cape May Cafe make Beach Club a great home base for your Disney World Trip.
Have you stayed at Disney’s Beach Club Resort? What did you think?
Do you need more help planning your Disney World trip? Check out other Disney World tips and tricks in my Disney World Guides.
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