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Theming and Accommodations at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

by Dave

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, see this.)

THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

There are currently 8 official Disney owned and operated deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World. In their recommended order for first time family visitors, they are

All but one of these also offer Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) studios and villas, all for rent to the general public–see this for more on the Disney Vacation Club resorts. The Yacht Club is the only one with no DVC offering, but next door sister resort the Beach Club offers the Beach Club Villas.

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort opened in November 1990, and in 2017 completed a badly needed refurb, with significant changes to its guest rooms, and an update of its gift shop and one of its dining venues.

According to Disney World’s website, the Yacht Club

“…[features] lush landscaping and the formal grace of a grand New England yacht club.

“Designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern—known for his East Coast beach houses—this splendid 5-story Resort transports Guests to the summertime Shingle Style hotels of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. (Sister resort Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a more relaxed, pastel-toned edifice next door; the 2 share many amenities.)

“Public areas, guest rooms and suites are adorned in dark wood and wicker furniture, portholes and simulated captain’s wheels. Cast Members are decked out in ship’s crew regalia, including navy blazers and captain’s hats.”

The architect (and former Disney board member) Stern on his own website also talks about the Yacht Club in its context with the Beach Club:

“While both hotels draw their inspiration from America’s architectural past, each has a unique identity.

The Yacht Club is reminiscent of the rambling, shingle-covered seaside resorts that were built toward the end of the last century in New England towns such as Newport, Marblehead, and Bar Harbor.

The Beach Club is lighter, more airy in expression. It is modeled on the many Stick Style cottages and resorts that could be found in towns like Cape May, New Jersey.”

(For more on Stern’s role in Walt Disney World, see this.)

In the past, I have (correctly, back then) claimed that these two resorts just aren’t that different. Yet while the Yacht and Beach Clubs remain more like one another in theme, style, decor, and layout than are any other pair of deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World, the room refurbs completed at the Beach Club in 2015 and the Yacht Club in 2017 have led to a significant divergence in their guest room offerings.

On the map, The Yacht Club rooms and lobby are on the left, the Beach Club rooms and lobby on the right, and in between is shared space used for restaurants, kitchens, and other shared support activities.

Above this central shared space on the map is the convention center, labeled as the Yacht Club convention center (and being expanded) but in fact shared by both hotels, and below it the shared spectacular pool, Stormalong Bay.

Note that the room wings are essentially mirror images of each other. Until the recent refurbs, the room layouts and furnishings themselves were identical (other than colors and details).

Room layouts, after the refurb, remain the same–no walls were added or moved–and each has the same basic characteristics, offering in the same square footage equivalent bath, hall, and bedroom space, and sleeping four on two queens or five on two queens and a daybed.

The Yacht Club has always offered more reliably better balconies–too many balconies at the Beach Club are either small, or so tiny as to be essentially unusable. But the refurb has added many other livability advantages to the Yacht Club rooms (and one or tw0 possible disadvantages) that Beach Club rooms don’t have.

Livability advantages now in the Yacht Club but not the Beach Club include the following–all perhaps small, but adding up to something:

A sliding door between the sink area and the entry hall, adding noise and light isolation
A pocket door between the sink and bath areas, easing movement between these two spaces
More structured and flexible closet storage
Point-able high intensity reading lights, handy for reading my book and limiting the effect of reading lighting on the other occupants of the room
Many more storage drawers
A much larger TV
Space under the beds high enough for you to stick your luggage there

The potential disadvantages of the new rooms are two: first, the shower curtain on the tub has been replaced with sliding clear doors, making it harder to bathe kids (or your brother-in-law, after he incurred the typical sequelae of Drinking Around the World); second, the top of the queens is so now so high–around 30 inches–that some will need to do the Fosbury Flop to get into it.

For those for whom the disadvantages noted don’t matter, the Yacht Club rooms are unambiguously better than Beach Club rooms.

Now the Beach Club is warmer, prettier, airier, more appealing to kids, and closer to Epcot, so for many families it will remain the first choice among these two.

But for most who are not powerfully drawn to the Beach Club theming, the quality of the Yacht Club rooms will make up for its duller and more stuffy theming. (To do a test drive of these rooms yourself, a photo tour of a Yacht Club room is here, and a photo tour of a Beach Club room is here.)

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

All Disney deluxe resorts have standard rooms; concierge rooms, which Disney calls “club” rooms; and suites. (See this for more on suites at Walt Disney World.)

At Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, standard and club/concierge rooms sleep either four or five, in two queen beds, or two queens and a day bed.

Standard rooms are well appointed and nicely proportioned, and unlike at the Beach Club, almost all come with substantial balconies.

There’s a detailed photo tour of a standard Yacht Club room later in this review.

King bed rooms that sleep two or three (the third on the day bed) are also available.

Standard and club rooms can be booked with Standard views, Garden or Woods Views, and Lagoon or Pool views. Lagoon or pool view rooms view either Crescent lake or a pool. Garden or Woods view rooms see forests or landscaped areas. Standard rooms have views of something else–the front drive, a roof, the back of the convention center.

No rooms are bookable as Theme Park Views, but many rooms that look over Crescent Lake can see the higher parts of IllumiNations, Epcot’s evening show.

You can request such a room over the phone.

CONCIERGE ROOMS, DELUXE ROOMS, AND SUITES AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

I generally advise against special room types for first-time visitors, as they won’t be spending much time in their rooms. However, they may be well worth it for families intending to spend more time at the Yacht Club Resort than implied by this site’s itineraries.

TikimanPages.com has a great discussion of the value of concierge rooms here. Though focused on the Polynesian, it applies to any deluxe resort.

Most Yacht Club concierge rooms (Disney calls them “club” rooms) are the same size as the rest of the resort’s rooms. However, there’s also an option called a “Deluxe” rooms, and several types of two-bedroom suites.

Deluxe rooms don’t offer any more sleeping capacity–they just give you more space, and more separate spaces, for your family to live in. Deluxe rooms (which used to be called junior suites) are about 60% larger than standard rooms, and include two queens and a semi-private sitting area.

The two-bedroom Turret Suites have an unusual shape and layout–with one of the bedrooms connecting the other spaces.

There’s also two-bedroom Presidential and Admiral suites, each with ~2000 square feet and the two-bedroom Captain’s Deck Suite, with ~2400 square feet.

For more on suites, see this, and for more on larger families seeking deluxe options, see this.

Note that to all the capacity figures above you can add a child under three in a crib. A crib fits nicely between the dresser/TV and the closet.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

This review continues here.

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OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

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April 18, 2017 2 Comments

Photo Tour of a Standard Room at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

by Dave

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A ROOM AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Standard rooms at the Yacht Club are being refurbed, with the renovation expected to be complete by the end of 2017. This tour is of an un-refurbed room from my March 2017 visit. I’ll have a renovated room to show later this year, but expect it to be near identical to a refurbed Beach Club room, except for colors and details.

Renovated or not, these standard Yacht Club rooms sleep either four on two queens or five on two queens and a sofa that converts to a bed. These photos (and the floor plan) are of a five-person room.

As is typical, when you enter the room the bath is on one side and the closet on the other.

On the closet side you’ll first find this small set of drawers…

…expanding the storage available in the room and handy to the bath. The coffee maker may be on top of it, or on the desk.

Next comes the large closet.

Here’s one side.

Note the ironing board etc. on the other side of the closet. There’s also a small safe set in the closet–all Disney rooms have small safes, some smaller than others.

On the other side you’ll find the bath, starting with a pair of sinks.

In a separate space you’ll find the toilet and tub.

Deeper in the room you’ll find two queens on one side, and in the rooms with the fifth sleeping spot, the desk is on this side too.

Here’s the beds from the back of the room…

…and a close up of one of the beds.

There’s a small shelf on the bath wall, and this bedside table between the beds…

…with a bit of storage.

Here’s the desk:

It includes a small rolling table that plays multiple roles: perch the kids on the couch or bed and roll it up to them for dining, or use it as a better-height laptop table.

Note the worn edges. These rooms badly need their current refurb.

On the other side of the room you’ll find the TV and dresser, and in five person rooms a couch–maybe I should call this a daybed?

The TV side from the back.

The dresser includes a mini-fridge…

…and four smallish drawers–making the extra drawers near the bath that much more valuable.

Here’s the couch.

Take off the throws and it’s a bed. I measured it at 72″ long by 30 inches wide, with a 6 inch cushion.

The arms are right on the cushion, so it sleeps shorter than the mattress length implies–but it is comfortable!!

The balcony.

On my latest stay our balcony had distant views of IllumiNations…

…but other stays here have had less good views–this one was of the roof of the central back-of-the-house kitchens shared by the Yacht and Beach Club.

There’s some nautical theming in the room–e.g. the sailboats on the shower curtain, the wheel in the headboards, and the 12 Meter race above the couch.

Some other nautical and Disney touches:

These rooms are nicely proportioned and have all the right furnishings. They are tired, though, and need their refurb!

DINING AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

This review continues here!

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April 18, 2017 No Comments

Dining at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

by Dave

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, see this.)

DINING AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

If you check Disney’s website, you’ll find it notes a host of dining options at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. Of these, about half are in the nearby and connected Beach Club, and several are bars.

At the Yacht Club proper you’ll find two table service restaurants, one uninteresting, and the other great for steak lovers but, at least for dinner, hardly anyone’s idea of family dining. In addition, there’s a weak set of quick service options in the newly-reimagined gift shop.

The table service offerings at the Yacht Club are near the lobby at the side towards the Beach Club.

You’ll find here the great (but expensive) Yachtsman Steakhouse, menu here. The review from our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

Also in this area is the simpler, less expensive, and more family- (and wallet-) friendly Ale & Compass.

Ale & Compass replaced the old Captain’s Grille in late November 2017. Disney suggests it offers “New England comfort food and classic seafood dishes in a gastropub-inspired restaurant that’s reminiscent of a cozy lighthouse.” The menu is here, and here’s review from our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

The next-door Beach Club has two more table-service options, the fun but low-capacity Beaches and Cream and the Cape May Cafe with a character breakfast and dinner seafood buffet.

There’s a couple of bars at the Yacht Club as well.

The lobby bar, Crew’s Cup, has some nice nautical details, and more dining choices than you might expect.

The larger new Ale & Compass Lounge is down the hall, closer to the Yachtsman Steakhouse, and also has meal options.

Also new in 2017 is The Market at Ale & Compass, which combines a gift shop with an espresso bar and limited counter service offerings.

You’ll find here lots of cold dining options…

…limited hot food…

…and lots of shelf stable snacks and beverages…

…including coffee and a couple of Coke Freestyle machines.

In my mid-November visit–before Ale & Compass re-opened–the Market had just instituted a morning omelet bar…

…and an evening carving station.

I’ll check in January to see if these are still offered (or if you’ve stayed at the Yacht Club since Ale & Compass opened, let me know if these were offered during your visit using the comment form below).

More dining and bars are available at the Beach Club, on the BoardWalk, and–a little more distant–at the Swan and Dolphin.

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

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April 18, 2017 No Comments

A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: Casey’s Corner

by Dave

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

CASEY’S CORNER AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

By Jim Korkis

When Disneyland opened in July 1955, at the end of Main Street just at the beginning of the Hub was a quick service food and beverage restaurant called the Refreshment Corner, sponsored by Coca-Cola. It was so popular and beloved that when the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, a similar shop was put in the same location on the end of Main Street, also sponsored by Coke.

Originally, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola were served at both Disney theme parks, but in 1982, Coke made arrangements to become the sole provider and has remained so for over the last thirty-five years.

When Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, the traditional shop was instead dubbed Casey’s Corner, referencing the 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Thayer about the fictional over-confident ballplayer for the Mudville team who famously struck out. Disney even made an animated cartoon based on the poem as part of the compilation feature Make Mine Music (1946).

The Casey’s Corner concept for the venue that sold soda and hot dogs was brought to Florida with the renovation of the northwest block of Main Street and the opening of the revised shop on May 27, 1995. The outdoor sign even incorporated the 1888 date of the Thayer poem in the baseball since it also aligned with the turn-of-the-century theme to Main Street.

Every detail in the newly rehabbed restaurant was to help reinforce the connection, from the Cast Member vintage baseball player costumes (with umpire style aprons) to the “Enter” and “Exit” signs made to look like baseballs and the vintage baseball and Coca-Cola memorabilia displayed throughout the space. Classic Coke light fixture chandeliers decorate the interior.

Many of the props on display, including jugs of Coca-Cola syrup and baseball team mugs, trading cards and pennants, are authentic antiques from around the turn of the 20th century.

One of the framed photos on the wall depicts a team wearing jerseys representing more than one team and even women players poorly disguised as men. These people are the Imagineering team who worked on the Casey’s Corner (and Main Street Athletic Club) project in 1995.

In addition to Coca-Cola products, the location also serves traditional hot dogs (a popular treat at baseball games) and gourmet designer dogs like chili dogs, Chicago-style dogs, and BBQ pork slaw dogs at a premium price. Also available are corn dog nuggets, French fries, cotton candy, ballpark nachos and Cracker Jacks, just as someone might find at a ball game concession stand.

Originally, there was a big screen running a loop of excerpts from Disney animated cartoons that were sports oriented and with bleacher seating for people to watch and eat.

In 2014, that screen and bleachers were eliminated in order to expand the indoor eating area with more traditional seating. At the same time, the outdoor eating area doubled its size, with new walkways and red and white umbrellas representing the colors of Coke.

Outside, two fiberglass lifesize statues of old-time baseball players provide a photo opportunity. Also outside, just like at Disneyland, is a piano where a performer occasionally tickles the ivory keys and entertains the guests with ragtime music and familiar Disney tunes.

* * * * *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Gremlin Trouble! The Cursed Roald Dahl Film Disney Never Made, Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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April 14, 2017 No Comments

Next Week (April 15 through April 23, 2017) at Walt Disney World

by Dave

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: APRIL 15 TO APRIL 23, 2017

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on April 2017 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/15/-4/23/17

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 4/15, 8a-11p 4/16 and 4/17, 8a-12MN 4/18 and 4/19, 8a-11p 4/20, 9a-11p 4/21, and 9a-10p 4/22 and 4/32

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-9.30p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/15-4/23/17

Saturday 4/15 Morning: Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 4/16 Morning: Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Monday 4/17 Morning: Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 4/18 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 4/19 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 4/20 Morning: Epcot, Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Friday 4/21 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 4/22 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 4/23 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/15-4/23/17

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: noon and 3.30p 4/15 through 4/20; 3p 4/21 through 4/23

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/15-4/23/17

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 4/15 through 4/20; 9p 4/21 through 4/23

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 8.30 and 9.45p 4/15 through 4/22; 8.45p 4/23

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/15-4/23/17

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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April 13, 2017 No Comments

Photo Tour of a Standard Room at the Disney World Dolphin

by Dave

For the first page of this review of the Disney World Swan and Dolphin, see this.

REFURBED STANDARD ROOMS AT THE DISNEY WORLD DOLPHIN

Rooms at the Dolphin completed a refurb in 2017, and this photo tour is of a refurbed room. The main elements of the refurb were a simplified bath, new dresser and table, and different fabrics and finishes. Refurbed rooms have kept the full beds and single sink that make Dolphin rooms less family-friendly.

The room layout is traditional with a bath on one side of the entry and a closet on the other.

The closet is large but not as engineered for capacity as are those in Swan rooms.

Next to the closet is a small station with a coffee service on top and a shelf below. The mini-fridge that used to be here has shifted into the main room.