I could not discuss Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts without the other. In fact, these sister resorts are commonly referred to as Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort.
This article will discuss Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club’s entertainment, dining & shops, and Stormalong Bay. For an overview of Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club, their theming & vibe, location, and transportation, check out this other article.
Disney’s Yacht Club (YC) & Beach Club (BC) Resorts are Epcot area’s Disney Deluxe Resorts, cushioned perfectly in front of the picturesque Crescent Lake and its Bayside Marina, complete with white sandy beaches.
They are within walking distance or a convenient boat ride to Disney’s Boardwalk area, Epcot’s International Gateway entrance, the Skyliner, and Hollywood Studios.
Dining & Shops
My favorite perk of staying at either Beach Club or Yacht Club is that it really feels like you’re getting the benefit of having two resorts in one. This is especially the case as it applies to the fabulous restaurants and shops.
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop serves American diner food, but is famous for its desserts, particularly their shakes, ice cream, and famous Kitchen Sink Sundae, which is made with 8 scoops of ice cream, and every topping that they have in-house. There’s also some fun shenanigans that happen when you order it, which I will keep as a fun surprise.
For our last family trip, I tried desperately to snag a Beaches and Cream reservation for our check-in day. Adding to my desire to eat there was that my husband had never eaten there, and I really wanted him to experience it.
It was a last-minute trip (planned within 60 days), so we were at a disadvantage at grabbing a reservation. Of course, there were no openings when I checked, so I set up a dining alert and was notified 2 days before our trip of an opening and got it!
I share this story because I am keenly aware that if I couldn’t grab this reservation, we wouldn’t starve on our arrival day. There are so many other *fantastic* dining options within walking distance.
If you look at the Disney website, currently the Dining tab will list restaurants and shops for both Disney’s Beach & Yacht Club resorts, which include:
- Cape May Cafe
- Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
- Beach Club Marketplace
- Martha’s Vineyard
- Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar & Grill
- Ale & Compass Restaurant
- Ale & Compass Lounge
- The Market at Ale & Compass
- Yachtsman Steakhouse
- Crew’s Cup Lounge
That’s not even including the options at Disney’s Boardwalk, which is a 2-minute stroll away. These include:
- AbracadaBar
- Big River Grille & Brewing Works
- BoardWalk Deli
- BoardWalk Ice Cream
- BoardWalk Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas
- The Cake Bake Shop Bakery by Gwendolyn Rogers
- Flying Fish
- Pizza Window
- Trattoria al Forno
Also a 2-minute walk from the Yacht Club side are the restaurants of the Swan & Dolphin Resorts. Sidenote: While the Swan & Dolphin Resorts are not owned or operated by Disney, your Smart Moms Authorized Vacation Planner can bundle them in a Disney vacation package for you.
So, again, if you are staying in this area, you will not starve. And the dining options are exceptional, and plentiful! If you don’t have a reservation, it is possible to snag walk-up availability by checking with the host or in the MyDisneyExperience app. I do this quite frequently at Trattoria al Forno, my favorite Italian restaurant at Disney, and at Ale & Compass. Heck, even the grab-and-go pizza window is excellent!
Epcot is footsteps away, so you could also, in theory grab, food from any of the food booths there too!
Stormalong Bay
Stormalong Bay is the best pool complex on Disney property: prove me wrong.
If pool time is a priority for your family, or if you’re traveling to Disney in the summer months. Stormalong Bay is THE POOL. Period.
Stormalong Bay is a 3-acre, 795,000 gallon water complex shared by Beach & Yacht Club. To call it a pool is a gross understatement. It offers a lazy river, the silkiest of sandy bottoms, an elevated tanning deck, 3 whirlpool tubs, a life-size Shipwreck that doubles as a 230-ft water slide, a miniature Shipwreck slide and pool, and more friendly Cast Member Lifeguards than I’d ever seen in one place.
It is bustling 365 days a year, as it is heated to 82॰ year-round, from open-to-close. In fact, I have some pretty cool video of it steaming in the late evening from my last November visit.
If quieter pools are more your thing, Beach & Yacht Club offer 3 “leisure” or “neighborhood” pools: Tidal, Admiral, and Dunes Cove pools.
Entertainment & Ending Your Disney Day the Best Way
The locals, Annual Passholders, and Disney pros know that the best way to end our Disney day is at the Boardwalk. I will start by giving credit for most of this to Disney’s Boardwalk, but it is oh, so close to Beach & Yacht Club!
For guests 21 and over, The Atlantic Dance Hall plays hits from the 80s and 90s to today, while Jellyrolls is a dueling piano bar. AbracadaBar is my favorite bar on Disney property ~ its themeing plays nod to literal magicians. Try the “Peppers Ghost” cocktail ~ which is inspired by the Imagineer’s trick used in films and rides like The Haunted Mansion.
There are also acrobatic entertainers and musicians that play outdoors, it is so fun to watch!
Lastly, there are several benches surrounding Crescent Lake. I was quite surprised the first time I caught Harmonious, Epcot’s fireworks show, while strolling after dinner at Trattoria. Beach & Yacht Club’s sandy beaches have lawn chairs and are a great area to get off your feet and to enjoy fireworks! The Boardwalk Resort has a large lawn to relax on and do the same.
For our last family trip, we turned in early on our last night because we were Disney tired. We watched fireworks from our patio. It was lovely to be able to relax, and to create memories from one of our favorite Walt Disney World resort rooms: Disney’s Yacht Club. Because aren’t building memories the reason we go on vacation with our loved ones?
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