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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, click here.)

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT

Disney’s Beach Club Resort opened in November 1990, and in 2015 completed a badly-needed renovation.

According to Disney World’s website, the Beach Club Resort is

“a New England-style Disney Deluxe Resort, shaded by broad oak trees and lapped by the gentle waters of 25-acre Crescent Lake.”

As we will see in a minute, the “New England” reference is a bit of a crock, but in general the theming is meant to evoke summer beach houses and old-fashioned sea-side vacation resorts.

The Beach Club, its sister resort the Yacht Club, and the nearby BoardWalk Inn (across Crescent Lake above) were all designed to water-side themes by Robert A. M. Stern, a noted architect who was deeply involved in multiple properties during the Michael Eisner years at Disney.

Stern’s website notes that the Beach Club is “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.”

Note that Cape May is not a New England beach town–nor is Stone Harbor, which is in Cape May County, New Jersey–and after which the Beach Club’s concierge lounge is named. In fact the Beach Club is themed to the New Jersey summer beach homes of denizens of the Philadelphia Main Line.

Calling it a “Jersey-style Disney deluxe resort” may have lost the point to those not familiar with these levels of Philadelphia society. My mom’s favorite sister married into such a family, so as little ones we summered frequently with them in their cottage at Stone Harbor.  I will shortly embark on a campaign to get Disney to refer to the Beach Club as a “Jersey-style… resort,” in memory of my mom and her favorite sister (both here).

STERN, EISNER, AND DISNEY WORLD HOTELS

Stern had designed Eisner’s parents’ apartment (Michael Stewart’s DisneyWar, p.  62) and gained fame for many later residential designs, including “lavish re-creations of turn-of-the-century shingle-style beach cottages…in wealthy enclaves like the Hamptons” (DisneyWar 80-81).

He later joined Disney’s Eisner-era board of directors, and was later dean of Yale’s School of Architecture.

The Beach Club was part of a renaissance of architecture and hotel options at Walt Disney World following Michael Eisner’s becoming Disney’s CEO in 1984–but this renaissance was not so completely an Eisner thing as it sometimes is made to seem.

You’ll see here and there references that imply that before Eisner, Disney World had only two options for guests to stay overnight: the Polynesian and Contemporary.

For example, you could infer this from p.63 of DisneyWar, which also quotes pre-Eisner chairman Card Walker as saying “Disney is not in the hotel business.”

Well, pre-Eisner, under Walker, Disney World had 5 on-site overnight options, was expanding these existing overnight options, and was planning even more hotels.

In place were the Polynesian and Contemporary, the Golf Inn (later re-named the Disney Inn, and then transformed into Shades of Green), the Fort Wilderness campgrounds, and the Walt Disney World Village resort area–the original parent of what are now known as the Treehouse Villas.

Both Fort Wilderness and the Polynesian had been expanded before Eisner came on board, and before his arrival the Grand Floridian was being planned. Also being planned then were an early version of what later became the Wilderness Lodge, and a never-built monorail resort called the Mediterranean Resort. (Koenig Realityland116; Jim Hill, The Kingdom that Never Came.) Moreover, Tishman, as per its contract with Disney, was designing two hotels that it would own for Disney World.

From the beginning, Disney World was intended to have many more overnight options than it opened with.  (See the second half of this for early Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon plans.) A recession in the 70s delayed these plans, but did not eliminate them.

That said, Eisner was absolutely right when he wrote in his autobiography Work in Progress that when he arrived at Disney in 1984 “no initiative [at Walt Disney World] had more promise than building new hotels.” (213.)

At that time there were no value resorts, no moderate resorts , no Disney Vacation Club resorts, and no Epcot resorts.

The Disney-owned and Stern-designed Yacht and Beach Club opened in November 1990, followed over the next 12 years by the Stern-designed BoardWalk Inn and Villas, and the Beach Club Villas.

The Yacht and Beach Clubs “became Eisner’s favorite hotels at the resort, the ones where he himself stayed.” (DisneyWar 81.)

The Yacht Club and Beach Club are in fact two sides of one ginormous building, with prettier decor at the Beach Club. Other than balconies–where the Yacht Club shines–rooms used to be similar, but after each of their latest refurbs, standard rooms at the Yacht Club are a bit more livable for most.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT

All Disney deluxe resorts have standard rooms; concierge rooms, which Disney calls “club” rooms; and suites.

At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, standard and club/concierge rooms sleep either four or five, in either two queen beds, or two queens and a fold-down day-bed. See the detailed overview of standard Beach Club rooms with photos here.

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

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 Beach 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. An image of the evening spread in the Beach Club’s Stone Harbor Club Lounge is above.

Most Beach 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 both one and two-bedroom suites.

We’ve never purposely pursued concierge rooms at the Beach Club, but twice got upgraded into them–once into a regular concierge room, and once into a one bedroom suite.

Some photos from our November stay in a one bedroom suite:

The sitting room in a one bedroom suite:

The bed side of the king bedroom in a one bedroom suite:

The suite floor plans that follow are old, but I’m not aware of any better…

Deluxe rooms (and most one-bedroom suites) don’t offer any more sleeping capacity–they just give you more space, and/or more separate spaces, for your family to live in.

Most one bedroom suites are one and a half or two bays wide, and most two-bedrooms three bays.  The exceptions are the one-bedroom Vice Presidential Nantucket suite, which is two and a half bays, and the two-bedroom Presidential Newport suite, twice the size of the Nantucket.

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.

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

This review continues here.

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT

• Overview and summary of Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Theming and accommodations at the Beach Club
• A photo tour of a Beach Club room
• Dining at the Beach Club
• Amenities at the Beach Club
• Stormalong Bay, the Beach Club’s main pool

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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We’d noted earlier that those who purchased the paperback version of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit during June could get the Kindle version free as part of Amazon’s “Matchbook” program.

Since we plan to keep the Kindle version updated–the next revision to the Kindle should come out shortly–this is a really good deal, as you will have both a hardcopy where you can scribble, circle stuff, make notes in the margin, have Anna sign, etc., while also having access to the most up-to-date stuff as well.

Disney changes all the time…plus we have some typos…and updating the Kindle lets us keep up.

Well, we’ve decided to continue that policy.

So any people who bought, or will buy, the paperback will get free access to the Kindle version and its updates until further notice! (Once you have the Kindle, you’ll always be able to get our updates on it–what we’ve changed is the end of June deadline for getting access to it for free.)

There’s a full list of our updates and typos here. Also on that page are links to the large color versions of our charts, graphs and maps–larger, more readable, printable.

Note that on the changes page, all the updates from June 11th have already been made not only in the Kindle version but also the paperback version.  Changes from July 6 (and future updates as needed) will show up only in the Kindle version.

Finally, below is a cool bit of artwork, suitable for pinning, sharing, or posting on your own site!

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(For the first page of the review of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, click here, and for the first page of the review of the Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, click here)

STORMALONG BAY AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT

Stormalong Bay is the pool complex shared by Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts. It’s the best pool at any Disney-owned hotel, and the crown jewel among the amenities at these two interconnected hotels.

Stormalong Bay is commonly referred to as a “mini water park.”  That’s an almost comic stretch.

Yet even so, it does begin to mark the difference between this pool and the other pools at the Disney World resorts.

There’s no theming in particular, nor any lush setting–although the setting is fine, especially on the Beach Club end, with the pretty facades of the Beach Club on one side, and Crescent Lake on the other.

Rather, what Stormalong Bay offers is fun and flexibility–it has everything you could reasonably ask of a resort hotel pool–and then even more! (The photos that follow are from three stays–the Beach Club Villas in March, the Beach Club in April and the Yacht Club in May 2014–thus the different skies…)

There’s five basic areas to Stormalong Bay–three large pools, each with its own distinctive offering, a great bar and grille, and a remarkable slide.

Let’s begin with the shipwreck on the beach, lower right on the map–which many casual passers-by don’t even realize is part of the pool complex.

The shipwreck is actually the starting point of the two water slides at Stormalong Bay. In the image you can see people going up the spiral staircase to the slides.

A smaller slide for youngsters splashes down to this small pool near the beach.

The longer slide goes through what seems at first to be a dismasted mast and splashes down into Stormalong Bay proper. On the map, the slide entry is into the pool labeled “Play Pool,” at the far right side–hidden in the trees.

Despite the slide landing, the play pool is a favorite of both adults and families. It has a whirlpool area (top right, cordoned off with float lines in the image)…

…an area to play something like pool volleyball…

…and lotsa plain old swimming and sunbathing space, including two hot tubs on the upper left near the Beach Club, one of which you can see in the image.

Here’s the same hot tub at night.

Also near the Play Pool is a two story structure on whose upper deck you’ll find a shady place to relax…

…but also a few sunny spots places to sunbathe. This structure, a bit of a respite from the rest of Stormalong Bay, tends to attract adults and older teens.

Next is the pool bar and grill Hurricane Hanna’s–the only part of Stormalong Bay accessible to those not staying at the Yacht or Beach Clubs (or Beach Club Villas).

Hurricane Hanna’s has a more extensive menu than most deluxe pool bars–very helpful given the limited counter service among the Epcot resorts (although its capacity is low and lines can thus be long).

Another view of Hurricane Hanna’s and its seating area.

The next pool is the Lazy River pool.

Here it is at night. A constant current flows through the pool. You can either grab a tube or noodle and float dreamily in circles, or, if you are a better person than I am–and I think we both know that you are–get some great exercise by swimming against the current.

Next is the Sand Pool, with another hot tub between it and the Lazy River Pool.

The Sand Pool has sandy shores and a sandy bottom, and is much loved by toddlers. Red play buckets are available from Hurricane Hanna’s.

The Sand Pool from another angle.

Stormalong Bay is a great pool, worth exploring over multiple days. But don’t forget your MagicBands. Only confirmed guests of the Yacht Club and the Beach Club and Villas are allowed in, except at Hurricane Hanna’s.

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, click here.)

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S BEACH 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

1. Polynesian
2. Wilderness Lodge
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge
4. Contemporary
5. Grand Floridian
6. Beach Club
7. Yacht Club
8. BoardWalk Inn

Many 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. At the Beach Club, the offering is the Beach Club Villas.

You enter the Beach Club into a two story lobby where you’ll find check-in and concierge services.

It has a small area where you can try to distract the kids from their small devices to a larger one.

While there is nothing special about this lobby, it does have some charming touches.

Further down by the elevators is the gift shop.

…with even nicer window displays.

In this gift shop is also what passes for the only counter-service at the Beach Club (although the pool bar has a more varied menu than most, including burgers)–too small, with too thin a menu.

At least the cold food section of the gift shop is better stocked than that of most other Disney World gift shops.

There’s more on dining at the Beach Club here.

Seating is outside the gift shop, between it and the Beach Club Villas…

…and also in an area right next to it known as the Solarium.

There’s some nice art along the hall to the Solarium.

The Solarium has a coffee shop that operates from quite early to 12.30p.

Next to the gift shop is a space with some kids activities.

Outside the lobby you’ll find a woody-style memento of olden day beach transport…

…and then further on the left you’ll find some of the actual transport, a bus stop with shared buses to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

Boat service near the Yacht Club will take you to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Because of how far the dock is, most Beach Club guests walk to Epcot but take the boat to the Hollywood Studios.

The marina is also in this area…

…and lovely beaches front the lake these resorts circle, Crescent Lake.

The beach at night.

On the beach you’ll also find a firepit for early evening s’mores.

Several wings of the Epcot side of the Beach Club are set back from Crescent Lake, and have large areas in front of them where play is welcome–although you don’t see such play nearly as much as on the BoardWalk Inn’s green.

There’s also three quiet pools in the complex. One is a hike–at the far end of the Yacht Club–and not worth the walk. There’s a tennis court near it.

Another is on the Epcot end of the Beach Club…

…and the third–and best–is back by the Beach Club Villas.

But most people, when they think of pools at the Beach Club, think of Stormalong Bay.

STORMALONG BAY AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT

This review continues here!

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT

• Overview and summary of Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Theming and accommodations at the Beach Club
• A photo tour of a Beach Club room
• Dining at the Beach Club
• Amenities at the Beach Club
• Stormalong Bay, the Beach Club’s main pool

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JULY 5 TO JULY 13, 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 June 2014 at Walt Disney World, see this, and more on July, see this.

[Read more →]

Josh, co-author of The easy Guide, will be on the WDW News Today Radio show tonight about 9p–when you really should be outside chasing fireflies or illegal fireworks.

Besides answering questions (mostly about me I expect) he’ll have also some great giveaways–check out his post here for more on both the giveaways and how to listen to the show!

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