What I Like and Don’t Like About Beach Club
Choosing your Walt Disney World hotel requires information you may not have.
Until you’ve stayed at every property, you won’t know what you like.
I can help because I have stayed at all these places, including several times at the location we’ll discuss today.
Here’s what I like and don’t like about Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
Like: The Theming
You can guess this hotel’s theme from the name.
Disney has really emphasized the beachy elements, straight down to recreating a life-sized shipwreck.
As you walk past Crescent Lake, the setting gradually adapts the color scheme and vibe of Beach Club, complete with white sand on one side.
You can grab a beach chair here and then sit back, relax, and enjoy a gorgeous Florida afternoon.
Once you enter the hotel lobby, the beachy theme will reveal itself anew, with gentle, relaxing pastels hidden in plain sight around you.
I once spoke with a Cast Member working in the lobby who had grown up in a northern beach community.
She marveled at how accurately Disney had created that same concept in a hotel by an artificial body of water.
When a Cast Member who has worked at a job for several years remains in awe of the theming, that speaks volumes about its greatness.
Like: The Location
As much as I love Beach Club itself, what impresses me the most is its location.
This may seem trivial to you until you stay there a few nights.
Holiday Decorations – Disney’s Beach Club Resort
After that, you may never want to choose a different Disney World resort. It’s that addictive.
Beach Club resides a five- to ten-minute walk from the International Gateway at EPCOT.
When you stay in one of the rooms closest to this theme park entrance, you’re basically closer to the World Showcase than you would be at Soarin’.
I’m not joking. Beach Club isn’t technically inside EPCOT itself, but it’s close enough that I’m splitting hairs by discussing the difference.
Beach Club – Skyliner
Importantly, you’ll walk past EPCOT’s Disney Skyliner station on the way to the park entrance.
So, you can hop on the Skyliner and head to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or go resort hopping at one of the hotels on the route as well.
Since EPCOT also hosts a Monorail station by the front entrance, Beach Club guests have easy access to every theme park except Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
You’ll never need to ride the bus to any of them unless that’s your preference.
Speaking of which, this hotel also offers boat transportation to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.
So, this hotel’s logistics are arguably the best at Disney World.
Dislike: The Hotel Layout
The worst I ever got lost at Disney World was trying to find my hotel room on my first night at Beach Club.
We’d arrived later in the day, and it was still in the era when you checked in via the hotel lobby.
Disney’s mapping software negates this issue today… unless you’re at Saratoga Springs.
At the time, the front desk clerk gave us a map, but it raised more questions than answers.
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
So, we spent an hour that evening walking in a circle as we navigated the labyrinth of our hotel building.
At one point I ended up standing beside a very confused construction worker who told me I shouldn’t be there.
Beach Club Lobby
Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell me how to get to my hotel room, so I was lost for another 20 minutes after that.
This is an extreme example that we’ve thankfully never repeated, but it does tell a story.
Photo: disneypicture.net
Some of Beach Club’s buildings feature twists and turns that are difficult to track.
Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to the unique nature of the hotel layout, but it legitimately took multiple trips.
Photo: Disney
I want to emphasize that this won’t be a problem for you now that My Disney Experience can lead you directly to your room.
To this day, those negative memories influence my opinion of Beach Club, though.
Dislike: The Noise
My truth in advertising is that I struggled to come up with a second negative at this hotel.
Beach Club is spectacular and one of my favorite places, confusing layout notwithstanding.
I think about it like a hot tub in that once you get used to it, you love it.
Still, I will warn you that one seeming positive can be a negative.
I’m about to gush about the pool here, and for this reason, I always try to book a room with a pool view.
Disney has generously accommodated me in this request multiple times, which has somehow turned into a negative at least once.
We had a room overlooking the pool, and after 24 hours, we identified the downside. People are having such a great time that they scream and laugh a lot.
This place can get very loud when you stay in certain rooms. Realistically, this negative isn’t likely to impact you, as most rooms don’t overlook heavily trafficked areas.
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
In fact, some of them face foliage… as I learned that one time I got hopelessly lost.
These areas are quite quiet, which makes this criticism one that only applies to about 10 percent of the hotel.
Also, I should stress that it never gets anywhere near as loud as the BoardWalk view rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn.
Like: Stormalong Bay
Why do people happily put up with the noise in the pool view rooms at Beach Club?
The answer is simple: Stormalong Bay is the place where we all want to be.
Disney is aware of this fact and has taken steps to secure the pool for the hotel guests only.
Ostensibly, pool hopping is a no-no these days, anyway. However, few hotels actually enforce it.
At Stormalong Bay, you’ll need a Magic Band or other proof that you’re staying at Beach Club (or Disney’s Yacht Club Resort) to get past the velvet rope.
Why does Disney treat Stormalong Bay like it’s the hottest club in Hollywood? Calling this place a simple pool undersells it.
Stormalong Bay
I visited several tourist trap water parks that were smaller in scope than Stormalong Bay, and that’s not hyperbole.
The pool area is large enough to house an entire lazy river, and it doesn’t even encompass the entirety of the pool itself.
Frankly, nobody should ever stay at Beach Club unless they plan to spend a sizable amount of time at Stormalong Bay.
This pool is the best at Disney World, and it’s not even close.
Like: The Location
Photo: Disney
Several Deluxe Tier Disney resorts host exemplary restaurants on site.
Still, Beach Club distinguishes itself in this category, especially for my family, due to three unique offerings.
Beach Club Marketplace combines a general store with a Quick Service restaurant, which sounds ludicrous on its face.
In my experience, the utility of this place is tough to beat, and we love it at breakfast or when we need a quick slice of pizza.
Photo: Disney
Cape May Cafe hosts a Minnie Mouse character breakfast in the mornings.
It’s legitimately one of my wife’s favorites. She adores the photo ops of the characters wearing their most charming beachwear.
For my part, this is one of my favorite buffet breakfasts, which makes this place an easy compromise choice for us when debating Advance Dining Reservations.
Photo: Disney
At night, Cape May Cafe transforms into a seafood buffet of the highest quality.
You’ll get a tremendous bang for your buck here, as Flying Fish, the seafood restaurant across the lake, could cost you double.
Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club
Finally, my family’s go-to lunch option has remained Beaches & Cream Soda Shoppe for 15 years now.
We always know what we’re getting at this retro restaurant that recreates burger and milkshake joints from the 1950s.
Photo: Disney
As the name implies, Beaches & Cream serves decadent ice cream treats, including the iconic Kitchen Sink.
You’ll know when someone orders it because alarms sound in the restaurant.
This is one of many charming but familiar aspects of a Beach Club stay and explains why we’re so loyal to this hotel.
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Feature Photo: Disney
