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

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 covered in detail earlier in this review. King bed rooms that sleep two or three (the third on the day bed) are also available.

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.

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort opened in November 1990, and in 2009 completed a major renovation. Word is that a badly-needed refurb is coming soon.

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.)

Well, I have a couple of issues with this.

First–and yes, do laugh at me for arguing with Stern, the master, about his signature Shingle Style–vernacular Shingle Style has a few more curves than the Yacht Club. Rounded turrets and eyebrow dormers are common elements missing in the Yacht Club.

But more to the point–these two resorts just aren’t that different.

Yes, the Yacht Club (above) is a tad more formal, and yes, the Beach Club (below) is a hint lighter. …but some of the discussions about these two resorts make it sound as though they were comparing the Grand Floridian and the Wilderness Lodge.

In fact, the Yacht and Beach Clubs are more like one another in theme, style, decor, layout, and rooms than are any other pair of deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World.

And this makes a bit of sense, considering that they are really just one building with mirror-image hotel wings.

See 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 shared convention center, and below it the shared spectacular pool, Stormalong Bay.

Note that the room wings are essentially mirror images of each other, and of course the room layouts themselves are identical.

What’s different between the two resorts in terms of theme is a set of small choices of decoration and decor, which do establish a difference but just don’t add up to much.

Here’s what we say about this in our book:

So yes, the Beach Club is the better choice for most families.  But if you need Stormalong Bay or the easy access to Epcot, but can’t get into the Beach Club, don’t let the talk of formality keep you from bringing your kids to the Yacht Club. Yes, there is a tiny difference, and yes the Beach Club is preferable–but the Yacht Club is just fine for families!

MORE ON DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

The Yacht Club Resort is one of 5 (or 7, if you count the Disney Vacation Club resorts separately) resorts within walking distance of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

(Boats also go to the both; most take the boat to the Studios–no faster than walking, but easier.)

These resorts–the Beach Club, Yacht Club, BoardWalk Inn, Swan, Dolphin, and the DVC Boardwalk Villas and Beach Club Villas–share a number of strengths thanks to their location.

The biggest strength for first time family visitors with kids is the ease of access to Epcot and (to a lesser extent) the Studios. The other theme parks are served by buses with multiple stops.

Another great strength is their pools. All these resorts have fun, kid-friendly pools. The pool shared by the Beach and Yacht Club, Stormalong Bay, is the most kid-appealing among the Disney owned and operated resorts.

A strength they share for adults is their easy access to table-service dining options. These include the restaurants within the nearby resorts as well as those along the BoardWalk, and for those with tickets and/or park hoppers, the dining venues in Epcot itself.

Another strength for adults is a convenience store with normal, not Disney, prices within walking distance.

Dining options for kids, and counter service in particular, are more of a problem.

The three Disney resorts have exactly one counter service location among them–a thin set of offerings in the Beach Club’s gift shop.

Of the table-service restaurants, only Beaches and Cream, a soda, ice cream and burger shop near the Beach Club part of Stormalong Bay, has delightful kid appeal, but it is tiny hard to reserve, and commonly packed.

(Character dining is available in the Beach Club for breakfast, but is uninteresting compared to most other character meals.)

The Yacht Club Resort’s strengths for first time family visitors are Stormalong Bay and its easy access to Epcot.

The Yacht Club Resort’s principal negatives for first time family visitors are its relative lack of kid appeal and its poor access to counter-service dining options.

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(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 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) from my May 2014 visit are of a five-person room. (For a four person room, see the second page of the Beach Club review–rooms at the Yacht Club are identical except for decorations.)

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

Somewhat unusually, in 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.

Here’s a closer view of the 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 other side…

…and a close up of one of the beds.

Here’s the desk.

As is typical in the Disney deluxe resorts 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.  The Yacht Club rooms are badly in need of a refurb–which is expected to be completed in 2017.

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 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…

..and the view from mine of the roof of the central back-of-the-house kitchens shared by the Yacht and Beach Club…Most views are better than this!

There’s some nautical art in the room–e.g. the 12 Meter race above the couch…

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

MORE ON DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

This review continues here!

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OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, one of the Epcot resorts, is the seventh best deluxe resort at Walt Disney World for first time family visitors.

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.

Among the deluxe resorts, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort–where we last stayed in May 2014–has a lot of positives. 

It stands out for sharing with sister resort the Beach Club the best pool on property, sharing with the Beach Club and the BoardWalk Inn convenient access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and also sharing with these resorts a short walk to dozens of table service dining options located in these resorts, at the Swan and Dolphin, on the BoardWalk, and in Epcot.

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

FLOOR PLANS AT THE YACHT CLUB

Standard rooms at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort are sized in the middle of the deluxe resorts.

They are larger than those at the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge, but smaller than those at Disney’s Polynesian Resort and the other monorail resorts.

Most of these rooms sleep five–two each in two queens, and another in convertible sofa. Four person rooms with two queens, and rooms with one king bed are also available.

The Yacht Club floor plan above is for a five person room–for an example of the layout of four person rooms, see the review of the Beach Club.

You can add to this capacity of five a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.

DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is the seventh-best deluxe resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.

Kid Appeal.

• Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal. The Yacht Club has comparatively little architectural kid appeal
• None of the moderates do.
• All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, its Pop Century Resort, and its Art of Animation Resort–have strong kid appeal.

The kid appeal of the Yacht Club Resort, such as it is, comes from its pool, not its design, architecture, or theme.

Stormalong Bay, the pool that the Beach Club and Yacht Club share, is the most fun and kid-appealing pool at Walt Disney World.

Otherwise, nothing about the design or architecture of the Yacht Club shouts out that it was built for kids. It is in fact rather austere.

Convenience. Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is the seventh-most convenient of all the Walt Disney World resorts in carrying out the itineraries for first-time family visitors on this site.

All of the Epcot resorts are convenient to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Epcot is a moderate walk from the Yacht Club, and the Studios are a longer walk or a boat ride away. (Epcot can also be accessed by boat.)

The other two parks are accessed by buses, which are shared with some of the other Epcot resorts.

Compared to the Beach Club, the Yacht Club has slightly more boring architecture and theming, a slightly longer walk to Epcot, and the complete absence of any counter-service dining.

There’s space within the Yacht Club footprint for a significant counter service option, on the right side (as you walk away from the lobby) of the windowed corridor along the right side of the gift shop.

(The image is of a family looking for counter service options in a different part of the resort.)

The wetlands currently in this footprint suggest such a counter service option would need to be carefully engineered–perhaps even cantilevered.

But the addition of one substantial counter service to the Epcot resorts, with the scope of say Mara at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, would be a huge increase in the livability of these hotels, which now have only minor options at the Beach Club and on the Boardwalk.

On the other hand, unlike the Beach Club, almost every room at the Yacht Club has a full balcony.

Best places to stay. This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms.

This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.

The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.

On the map, the Yacht Club Resort is on the left, The Beach Club is center-right, and the Beach Club Villas are at the top right. The walkway to Epcot is at the far right, and the boat dock shared by the Beach and Yacht Clubs is at the center in the lake.

The room areas of the Yacht Club–at the left on the map–are in a long, narrow building with only two elevator banks, one central, and one on the left side.

As a result, some rooms on the left side of the Yacht Club can be a hike from the main pool and central services and restaurants area–and from Epcot.

So you should ask for a room as close to Epcot as possible. The current room request form won’t allow for that–but you can call and ask!

BEST FOR:

Any first time family visitors who can afford it, but can’t get into or don’t want to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort or the Beach Club.  Here’s what we say in The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2017 about the difference between the sister resorts the Yacht and Beach Club:

WORST FOR:

Families seeking the highest degree of kid appeal. Families too large to fit even its 5 person rooms. See this for more on large families at Walt Disney World.

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

This review continues here.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JULY 12 TO JULY 20, 2014

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic.

For more on July 2014 at Walt Disney World, see this.

[Read more →]

There’s lots of stuff that’s new or different at Walt Disney World that I haven’t gotten around to posting about yet, although I’ve done a ton of notes, revisions or rewrites on the affected pages. Here’s the scoop.

WILDERNESS LODGE POOL CLOSURE

The main pool at the Wilderness Lodge will be closed for rehab 9/3 to 11/27/14.

This makes it a much less good alternative to the Polynesian for those who had been targeting it because of the Poly pool closure.

Wilderness Lodge guests will still have access to the small pool by the Villas, and also to the main pools at fellow Bay Lake resorts the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. The Contemporary pool is a boat ride away and dull; the Fort Wilderness pool even duller, and both a boat and bus ride away.

NEW TIERING AT EPCOT AND HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

In early June–the day after we published The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit–Disney changed the FastPass+ tiering at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At Epcot, Maelstrom was taken out of Tier 1 and Living with the Land was added to it, and at Hollywood Studios The Great Movie Ride was shifted into Tier 1.

We immediately revised and republished the book, and within days I’d revised all the itineraries and To-Do Lists on this site to reflect the new approaches.

CHANGE TO BASIC EXTRA MAGIC HOURS PATTERN

Effective next week Disney changed the “routine” day for evening Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom from Sunday to Saturday, and the first weekly morning EMH at the Animal Kingdom from Mondays to Sundays.

There are exceptions to this new patterning–e.g. holiday weekends and weeks, the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and others. Check the calendars for your dates.

Luckily, this did not require another set of itinerary changes right after I updated everything for the new tiering…

FOOD COURT AT ALL-STAR MUSIC TO CLOSE FOR RENOVATIONS

The food court at All-Star Music will be closed for rehab from 8/1 to 12/20/2014.  The arcade will be temporarily converted into a grab and go location, and buses will be available to take guests to the food courts at Movies and Sports (which are also within walking distance).

Sports went through this last year–and because it’s my job to suffer for you, I tested it then, and discovered it to not be that big a deal…

CANDLELIGHT PROCESSIONAL NOW AVAILABLE FOR BOOKING

The first tranche of 2014 Candlelight Processional narrators has been announced, and the Candlelight Processional package is now available for booking.

The claim that LeBron James will be narrating the Candlelight Processional via a live video link from his new home in Cleveland is, I think, just a rumor. But it is true that Sharon Stone is on the schedule–here’s what’s announced so far:

• Jodi Benson November 28 and 29, 2014
• TBD November 30 to December 2, 2014
• TBD December 3 and 4, 2014
• Whoopi Goldberg December 5 and 6, 2014
• TBD December 7 to December 8, 2014
• TBD December 9 to December 11, 2014
• TBD December 12 to December 14, 2014
• Sharon Stone (NEW!) December 15 to December 17, 2014
• Ana Gasteyer (NEW!) December 18 to December 20, 2014
• Marlee Matlin December 21 to December 23, 2014
• TBD December 24 and 25, 2014
• TBD December 26 and 27, 2014
• Steven Curtis Chapman December 28 to December 30, 2014

Because after all, nothing quite says “Christmas” like people throwing holiday-themed panties at Sharon Stone…

HARRY POTTER

The second part of the Wizarding World, Diagon Alley, opened this week. I’ve updated all my Harry Potter stuff, beginning here. I’m sure I’ll be changing it as operational patterns become clearer and after I get a chance to visit and review it.

Expect Disney World to be a little less busy in the mornings…

FREE KINDLE VERSION OF EASY GUIDE CONTINUED

As announced earlier this week, we will be continuing to provide the Kindle version for free to those who buy the paperback version of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit.

The easy Guide is already the most up-to-date Disney World guidebook available–and the first written from the ground up around FastPass+ and My Disney Experience.

Since we will revise and update the Kindle edition throughout 2014, it will continue to be the most up-date Disney World guidebook available. For the sort of updates (and typo corrections!!) I mean, see this.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Besides all this, a couple of other odds and ends from the past month:

• In June I had a chance to try out and review the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Anna and Elsa meet and greet, and the re-opened Festival of the Lion King
• Also in June and July I published the re-reviews of the Contemporary Resort and Beach Club Resort. I should finish the re-reviews of the Yacht Club and BoardWalk Inn this month–and thus will have stayed in, and re-reviewed, all the deluxes in the last 12 months
• I stayed in the All-Star Music Family Suites again in June, and re-did the review of those too…

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Josh and I did an interview with Matthew Peddie, News Manager for WMFE, Orlando’s National Public Radio affiliate, at the end of June which (after the couple of weeks it took to edit out my clumsier expressions) was broadcast this morning.

The main topic of course was The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, but we also talked more broadly about Disney, Universal, and Anna and Elsa!  Check it out.

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