Staying at the Beach Club at Walt Disney World Resort
We recently returned from our latest visit to Disney World, and this time we chose to stay in a Lagoon/Pool View room at the Beach Club. We’d visited the Boardwalk area before, of course, but we hadn’t stayed in a resort there. Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was the fresh, clean scent of the lobby. Each of the resorts has it’s own distinct fragrance in the lobbies, in case you didn’t know. The lobby is very open, with seashore décor and it lets out on the opposite side onto a walkway that looks upon the lagoon. We were given our room number and directed to the elevators. Up on the third floor, we followed signs to our room. To be honest, it was a bit of a maze, as the resort is very long and the hallways wind around. We went allllllll the way to the very end of the building and were so pleased to find that we had rooms at the very front of the resort directly overlooking the beach and lagoon, looking across at the Boardwalk.
The rooms have a seaside feel to them, with accents of shells and ships, and in white and blues.
On top of that, we had rooms directly next to the stairwell exit which lets you out on a small path that in about 10 feet connects to the 2 minute walkway to the International Gateway entrance for Epcot. What does this mean? It means that instead of trekking the hallways of the resort, we simply exit and walk two minutes to get into Epcot. Very handy for evening dining or to pop in for a snack from the France Pavilion! We also preferred using this exit to walk to the pool, because the walk takes you right along the beach before curving back in to the pool area. Entering this area, you are required to scan your Magic Bands to prove you are a resort guest. This pool is fantastic and Disney wants to make sure they keep it from getting overcrowded with non-Beach or Yacht Club resorts guests. Speaking of the pool – it’s named Stormalong Bay and it’s pretty amazing. First of all, it’s huge. It’s got several different areas and it never felt crowded while we were there. Second, it’s not just a pool – it’s also a lazy river, a sand bottomed play shallow area and has two waterslides, one big and fast and one small for little kids.
Pirate Themed Waterslide
The pirate ship themed large waterslide is fast and fun with lots of twists and turns. It was near impossible to get my son to leave this area when it was time to go back to the room! My daughter, who is 5, was too afraid of the big slide, but luckily on the other side of the sidewalk from the pool, where the stairs are for the large waterslide, there is a small kiddie pool with a fun pint sized waterslide. She spent her entire pool time here, up and down up and down, ever tiring of it!
Quick Service Locations
There are two quick service locations that we used several times here. Hurricane Hannah’s is poolside and kid’s meals ordered here come in sand pails! The other is the Beach Club Marketplace, which is a combination of a gift shop and a food service area. It has meal options but also sells small grocery type items, like cartons of milk, cereal boxes, juice, soda, lunchmeats and more. It’s a good place to grab a few things to keep in the room.
Beaches And Cream At Disney Beach Club
It’s also home to Beaches and Cream, famous for their huge and delicious sundaes. We didn’t manage to be brave enough for the Kitchen Sink sundae, but we did try a few others and they were fantastic. If you are so inclined, there is a table service meal located at Cape May Café, although we didn’t try it out this trip. It’s a character breakfast option and then a Clam Bake for dinner. The resort is right next to it’s sister resort, the Yacht Club. It’s also right across from the Boardwalk Inn, which means a quick walk over the bridge gives you access to several restaurants and shops along Disney’s Boardwalk. The Boardwalk Bakery is a favorite for an afternoon treat, and they also serve breakfast and lunch items.
Ending The Day
In the evening, you’ll find all sorts of street performer acts out on the Boardwalk, and it’s lit up beautifully. From the Beach Club, you can also see some of the Fantasmic! fireworks each night, as you can see the Hollywood Tower of Terror of Hollywood Studios from here. We were able to see these from our room. To the left of the resort, you can see some of the fireworks from Illuminations at Epcot, although the view is partially blocked. Of course, it’s just a quick walk into Epcot from here, so if you are back at your resort before 9pm on any given day and have park hoppers, by all means just walk in and watch the full show! Overall, we really enjoyed this resort.
The one downside is that the International Gateway is about as far away from Future World as possible, meaning you are a distinct disadvantage if you plan to head to Test Track or Soarin’ first thing in the morning. I’d plan to either get Fast Pass+ reservations for both (on different days – they are both Tier 1 attractions and you can only get one on any particular day) or take a taxi to the front gates (just a few minute ride) to have the same advantage as the other guests lining up for rope drop, if you plan to ride one of them standby.
