Disney’s Beach Club Resort review

You’re also extremely close to the Skyliner station here, which means you can very conveniently get to Hollywood Studios as well. If you’d rather take a boat to Hollywood Studios that’s an option too.

For Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom there are buses available. The ride isn’t too bad to either of them – I timed it as being about a 14-18 minute ride to both Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. Keep in mind that at times Beach Club does share buses with Yacht Club, so you may have two drop-off points (and depending on which order they do it, that can increase your travel time).

Plus, the location of the Beach Club on the Boardwalk means you have a plethora of dining options (and drinking options – there are tons of bars and lounges within walking distance!).

The Beach Club itself is fairly small, so you can get around anywhere within the resort typically in just a few minutes. this is in contrast to some of the bigger, more sprawling resorts like Port Orleans Riverside or Saratoga Springs.

Not sure where to start when planning your Disney World trip? Feeling overwhelmed with all of the information and how to keep track of everything?

Consider vacation planning printables – over 60 pages of trip planning, including a budget worksheet, guide to characters, trip comparison worksheet, a look at the dining plans, info about Disney Lightning Lane passes, daily itineraries, packing checklist, and much more.

Get your printables here

Themeing

Disney’s website describes the Beach Club as a “charming, casual New England-style beach resort.” I’d say this is pretty accurate! It feels more laid back than its sister resort, the Yacht Club.

I’ve not really spent much time in New England beach towns, but I have visited a few mid-Atlantic coast towns (think Cape May and Rehoboth Beach), and it very much felt like that. My one friend, not really knowing the theme or background of the resort, commented that the place reminded him of where we stayed in Rehoboth. I think that’s how you know Disney did a good job with the themeing!

It’s also supposed to feel like the turn of the century (early 1900s). I think this is probably most evident in the architecture, but you’ll probably get the vibe throughout.

The color scheme is mainly light blue and white, with some other shades of blue and pastel colors. Artwork and small details are pretty much all beach inspired – think seashells, waves, etc.

And outside of the sort, you’ll even find a small beach! Don’t swim in the water, but you can enjoy the sand or some of the beach chairs and benches in the area.

My only complaint when it comes to themeing and decor is that it didn’t feel like they carried the theme over to the rooms much. There were hints of it, but overall the room itself felt fairly plain.

At Beach Club, you’ll find:

• Cape May Cafe (character breakfast buffet & dinner buffet)
• Beaches & Cream Soda Shop (table service + to-go window)
• Beach Club Marketplace (quick service)
• Martha’s Vineyard (lounge)
• Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill (pool bar + quick service)

During my stay this trip I tried out every dining location except Martha’s Vineyard. I had also been to Beaches and Cream in the past, so that was a repeat visit.

If you love ice cream, easy access to Beaches & Cream is a huge benefit! They have food as well, if you’re looking for burgers or grilled cheese for dinner. But the ice cream is really where it’s at. If you’re group isn’t up for the Kitchen Sink, they have some great sundaes. The No Way Jose is a true standout.

Cape May Cafe is a fun character breakfast, where Minnie and her friends are in their beach attire. The food is your typical breakfast buffet, but it’s good, and the character interactions are fun. Dinner there is a seaood-heavy buffet, though I’ve never tried it. I do love seafood, so maybe I’ll have to give it a go at some point!

The quick service option, Beach Club marketplace, is pretty small. It’s just okay – I think you’re probably better off elsewhere. But in a pinch it’s fine. I got the caprese sandwich for lunch one day and it was good but not great.

Hurricane Hanna’s also has some basic food options, though I didn’t try any of them. I shared one drink, since most of my pool time was pre-marathon so I didn’t want much alcohol. I went with the Blueberry vodka Lemonade. This was definitely up my alley! Hurricane Hanna’s has the standard Disney pool bar drinks, plus a few specialty options.

On the non-DVC side, you have mostly standard rooms. There are also what Disney calls “deluxe rooms,” which are slightly bigger and have a pull-out queen sofa bed, which means they can sleep up to 6 people.

There are also a number of Club Level rooms at the Beach Club, which has options ranging from a standard room with club level access to 1- and 2-bedroom suites, plus a VP suite and Presidential Suite.

Over on the DVC side, you have a number of studio rooms, as well as 1- and 2-bedroom villas.

There was nothing really wrong with the rooms. They just didn’t feel like anything special to me, and were light on the themeing. There were a few very minor things that I prefer in a stay that I didn’t have here, but many of those may not matter to others.

One of my favorite things about staying at a deluxe resort is being able to spend some time on the balcony. The DVC studio balcony wasn’t super accessible for us because the pull-down bed was almost always in use, and accessing the balcony door was pretty much impossible when that was down. Many of the regular rooms have a small “Juliet” balcony that you can barely stand on. There are some rooms with regular balconies, so if that’s important to you I would definitely put in a request for it.

Read my full room tour of the Beach Club DVC Studio room here.

Really, Stormalong Bay feels like a mini-water park. It’s quite large, with several sections of pool. There’s a lazy river around the edge, several hot tubs, and the best waterslide on Disney property. It even looks like a pirate ship! It’s much more exciting than you might expect. There’s also a sandy beach area near the pool for kids to play in.

They had plenty of lounge chairs, and you can easily grab a drink from Hurricane Hanna’s. They also offered poolside service, so if you wanted a drink (or even food) servers occasionally came around to take your order.

Though Stormalong Bay is clearly the star of the show, if you want to get away from the crowds, though, Beach Club also has two smaller “quiet” pools. These are your standard, rectangular pools, but if you just want a relaxing swim it’s there for you. Plus each of them had a hot tub. We spent about 45 minutes at the hot tub in the pool area near the Villas, and were the only ones there for almost the entire time. Private pool and hot tub is nice, too!

Like all of the Disney resorts, they have your typical events and activities happening. These include things like movie night by the pool, an arcade, playgrounds, and a nightly campfire. Most of the resorts have a few “passive activities” you can take part in at anytime, including a scavenger hunt and nature walk.

In addition, at Beach Club you can take part in:

• Guided painting
• Arts & Crafts
• Silent Disco
• Boat rentals
• Yo Ho Let’s Glow party
• Poolside cabana rentals

Keep in mind that these are subject to change, and some of them might require an extra fee.

As a deluxe resort, Beach Club has a fitness center available. If you’re looking for other fitness options, there’s also tennis courts and volleyball courts. Being on Crescent Lake, there are a few other fun opportunities at Beach Club! You can book a guided fishing excursion or rent a motorboat.

Would I stay at Beach Club again?

Certainly I would never ever complain about staying at Beach Club if I had the chance. But if money were no option, it wouldn’t be my first choice (or even second or third choice).

For me personally, I feel like the best option would be to stay at Yacht Club, as I preferred the rooms there but can still get all the same perks and access all the same facilities (especially Stormalong Bay!). If I really wanted this location, I also quite like the Boardwalk resort.

And because money is an option for me, I didn’t necessarily feel like it was the best bang for the buck. Beach Club is pricey, and reservations are hard to get so you don’t often find discounts here. There’s a reason why it was the last of the Disney resorts I stayed at, and it’s not because I didn’t want to.

I know a lot of people love Beach Club, and I definitely enjoyed it! But it’s ultimately not quite my vibe, and there are places I love more. But it has a lot going for it, from the great pool to the location and so much to do nearby. Definitely don’t pass it up if you’re interested!

What do you think of my Beach Club resort review? Have you stayed there?