Should You Stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort?

Last week, MickeyBlog took you on a magical evening visit to Disney’s BoardWalk Inn.

Today, let’s go across the bridge to discuss the other resort nestled behind EPCOT.

Should you stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort?

I’m about to explain why the answer is yes.

About Beach Club Resort

For more than 30 years now, some Disney fans have known about the secret hotels past the International Gateway.

That’s the official name for the rear entrance to EPCOT, which used to be a secret among Disney diehards.

Since the inception of the Disney Skyliner, the secret is out.

Everyone knows about the International Gateway now.

Similarly, I suspect that you’re aware of Beach Club, a Disney property with a name that explicitly describes its theme.

You’ll walk past sand and even a shipwreck as you head to this hotel lobby.

Beach Club offers some of the best amenities at Walt Disney World, so let’s go ahead and discuss them.

The Location

While the path from the International Gateway to EPCOT is decidedly more crowded in the 2020s than any other previous decade, it’s still a relatively short, secluded walk to the hotel.

Parts of Beach Club are legitimately just a five-minute walk from the International Gateway. I know this because I’ve timed it.

The walk to the hotel lobby takes a little longer, which circles back to the odd shape of this property. It’s wide more than it is deep.

The location plays to your advantage, as you can be in and out of the World Showcase in a matter of minutes.

A Beach Club stay opens up the entirety of EPCOT to you.

During one hotel stay, my wife slept in, so I rope dropped Soarin’ and was back in the room by 9:45 a.m.

That statement alone speaks volume about the convenience of Beach Club.

There’s one other advantage I’ll discuss in a later section.

The Restaurants

Every family who visits Disney World regularly develops a routine.

You discover favorite experiences that become an annual tradition.

For my family, two of them exist at Beach Club, and they’re both meals.

My wife and I often dine with my brother’s family at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop.

The burgers here are divine, but the real draw is the ice cream.

It’s a throwback malt shop, which means you’re going to order a milkshake… or something more extreme.

I often rave about the Kitchen Sink here.

If you don’t know what that is, I warmly encourage you to find a TikTok.

We also love having breakfast with Minnie Mouse at Cape May Cafe.

It’s a summery, all-you-care-to-enjoy meal where Minnie and friends come to your table and entertain you.

There’s no better way to start your Disney day than with a character meal.

The one drawback is that a long night at the World Showcase and the wrong liquor decisions could make this morning experience a bit rough on your constitution.

The Shop / Dining

I just discussed the restaurants at Beach Club, but I saved one for now.

Beach Club Marketplace belongs in its own category, since only a part of it is a restaurant.

When you enter this area from the hotel lobby, you’ll be standing in a shop.

You’ll notice a wide array of Disney merchandise, including plenty of apparel.

You can probably find several items that could be in my closet in this space.

There’s something to be said for convenience, folks.

Also, the unique Beach Club merchandise is perfect for summer since it’s so beachy.

Should you keep walking toward the middle of the marketplace, you’ll encounter more conventional Disney merchandise, the kind you’d expect at World of Disney.

You may notice some snacks near the counter as well.

That’s the sign that you’re crossing over into the restaurant side of Beach Club Marketplace. We happen to love this restaurant because it’s an ideal grab and go location.

Also, people using the Disney Dining Plan can fill their mugs at the fountain drink station.

When you stay here, you’ll love this restaurant for two reasons.

It’s perfect for a quick breakfast, and you can always pick up a slice of pizza.

Sometimes, when you’re tired after a long EPCOT visit, the World Showcase feels forever away, even though it’s not.

A mediocre slice of pizza can work like a health item at in a video game in restoring you to 100 percent.

Stormalong Bay

Stormalong Bay is Disney’s best pool in the world. Full stop.

Anyone who argues that point is someone who also will try to tell you to put on your sunglasses at midnight.

This is less a pool and more a small-scale water park.

Stormalong Bay has everything you could imagine at a giant pool, including a lazy river.

Honestly, when I’m staying at Beach Club, odds are pretty good you’ll find me tubing down that lazy river.

It’s one of my favorite places in Orlando.

Demand for Stormalong Bay is so outrageously high that you must stay at Yacht and Beach Club to enter this area.

Cast Members stand at the entrance and verify hotel reservations. It’s that closely guarded.

Since there is a bar / quick service restaurant here named Hurricane Hanna’s, you can spend the afternoon drinking, dancing, swimming, and sunbathing.

Access to the Other Hotels

In addition to the World Showcase, Beach Club is also a short walk from two hotels.

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort adjoins Beach Club and even shares access to Stormalong Bay.

I think of the properties as fraternal twins, and Disney even calls this the Yacht & Beach Club Resort area.

You can also walk across the bridge to bypass the water and find yourself at Disney’s BoardWalk.

So, you might as well visit Disney’s BoardWalk Inn while you’re here.

Then, we have the boat access, which can take guests to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or the International Gateway at times when you don’t feel like walking.

People who like to visit other hotels can also ride the boats to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort.

Beach Club is weirdly hidden from the public view and yet still in the heart of the action in the EPCOT area.

That combination of isolation and amenities enriches a hotel stay.

The Reasons You May Prefer Other Hotels

The most lost I’ve ever gotten at Disney World was trying to find my hotel room at Beach Club.

Do you know what the worst part is?

I’d already stayed at the hotel five or six times by then.

Did that experience help me? Absolutely not.

Folks, I’m not kidding when I say I wound up in the lobby at Yacht Club.

The interior corridors of Beach Club are Kafka-esque in some places.

Honestly, in my experience, it’s less than 10 percent of the hotel, but when you get lost here, there’s only one thing to do.

Find a door to the outside and then come back in at a different location. Trust me on this.

That’s a minor inconvenience at an otherwise amazing hotel, one where I obviously stay often.

Still, I should mention the other negative, which is that Beach Club is a Deluxe Tier Resort.

It’s probably one of the seven or eight most expensive places at Walt Disney World.

I view it as getting free mini water park access with the price of purchase, so the higher room rate doesn’t bother me.

You can speak with a MickeyTravels agent to learn your options and decide for yourself.

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Feature Photo: Disney