We have always loved staying in the Bay Lake area at Disney World. We’ve previously stayed at the Dolphin/Swan and the Beach Club Resort, so we were excited to try out the Yacht Club.
It did not disappoint! From the minute you walk in, there is a relaxing feel. It smells wonderful and the lobby is inviting. It’s not as big and grand as some of the other Disney Resort lobbies, but very beautiful and the decor fits the name. It has a smaller feel than the Beach Club, which we found we really enjoyed.
I don’t know how it happened, but the room location we were given was AMAZING. Chip at the front desk congratulated us on the room we got. Who knew we’d get so lucky. We were on the third floor with a direct view of Bay Lake, the Boardwalk and Epcot. We were able to watch the fireworks at Epcot from our room. It was priceless!
We had two queen beds with a pull out couch. This room would comfortably sleep a family of 5 but you hold 6 if your kids are still young. They have recently remodeled their rooms which look amazing. They have the minimalist feel and are spacious. There is also a dresser and closet to put away your clothes if you want to.
The floors are hardwood, which I prefer compared to carpet. The wood bed frames were raised and had space underneath to store luggage which came in very handy. The bathrooms had a double vanity that is separate from the toilet and shower. The shower was very nice with an overhead rain shower head and shower wand. They also had great water pressure (hey, I have long hair I need that pressure to get all the soap out). Unless you have a favorite shampoo or body wash, no need to pack it. Their products are great and the lotion smells wonderful. They provide mouth wash and cooling gel for those Florida sunburns, ha.
There is a nice coffee bar with a Kuerig, K-Cups and either ceramic mugs or to go cups. Underneath the coffee bar is a nice sized mini fridge. I liked the fact that this was separate from the rest of the room and had it’s own space.
The only thing I believe that should be added is bathrobes. The AC worked extremely well and it would have been nice to have for getting ready in the morning or lounging.
One of the nice things about the deluxe resorts is you have inside room entry and every room has a balcony or patio. That comes in handy when your child goes to bed at 8 pm and you’re not ready. Fun to enjoy a cocktail on the balcony and enjoy the view.
Our last stay was at Art of Animation. Great theming but there were just so many people. The rooms did not block noise, you’d hear people all night long and the doors slamming. The Yacht Club was very quiet and the doors had the soft close to them. A must if you have a child napping!
There are multiple places to eat at the Yacht Club (see links below). You also have direct access to everything at the Beach Club and the restaurants along the Boardwalk. Sometimes its nice just to eat at your resort after a long day at the parks. There is something for everyone. You can have a nice sit-down meal, grab a burger or a quick meal.
The pool was so much fun. It is shared with the Beach Club so can get a little busy, but it is quite large. There are sand areas for kids to make sand castles, area to float on the lazy river, play some water volleyball or water slides. There is a large water slide that comes out of a pirate ship. It is so cute and my son loved it! There is also a smaller slide behind it that little kids can do on their own while you relax in the water. The staff does a lot of fun games poolside for the kids. You could spend a whole day just at this pool which was nice because this trip was extremely hot. We usually would go to the parks until lunch time, then come back for a nap and pool time. This turned out to be a perfect thing for us. We found that we could get in a lot of rides in the cooler morning hours then escape the crowds and heat later.
From this resort we could walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We really enjoy eating dinner at Epcot, so this was really nice. Hollywood Studios is a little longer walk, but you can make it in 15 minutes. There are boats that go to both, so if you aren’t up for walking that is an option. You will need to take a bus to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We didn’t make it to Animal Kingdom this trip, but the bus ride to MK was only 10 minutes. The bus stop is right out front and was never too crazy. We were always able to get on the first bus.
Overall this was a fantastic resort for how we like to do Disney World. We enjoy trying new places to stay, but this one is going to be hard to beat. I hope you enjoyed my review. If you have any questions, shoot me an email. I’d love to help.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/ale-and-compass/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/yachtsman-steakhouse/
We had dinner here one night. It’s a nice steak house, but is appropriate to bring your kids. The waiters were awesome and made my son feel special. The food was excellent. We started with the Charcuterie board, shared the rib-eye with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. For dessert we all shared the Cookies and Cream Brownie Bar…YUM!
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/beach-club-resort/cape-may-cafe/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/beach-club-resort/beaches-and-cream-soda-shop/
We have not eaten here but have gotten dessert! They have the best shakes. You can just walk in and order dessert items. You’ll need a reservation because it is a small diner.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/ale-and-compass-lounge/
This is a fun place to sit down and have drinks.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/crew-cup-lounge/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/marthas-vineyard/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/ale-and-compass-market/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/beach-club-resort/beach-club-marketplace/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/beach-club-resort/hurricane-hanna-grill/
This is located at the pool. We had lunch one day. They serve the kids meals in a sand bucket. It’s so cute. This is also were I stocked up on my Frose’.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/room-service-private-dining/
