Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Disney's Yacht Club Resort brings back memories of the grand summer houses and yacht clubs on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island in the late 19th-century, complete with lighthouse.

Rating: 4 stars
Rooms: 621 rooms & suites
Rates: from $335 to $780 Check rates

Address: 1700 North Epcot Resorts Boulevard, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Area: Epcot Resort
Nearest airport: Orlando International (MCO)
Map: Click to view

Inside, the Yacht Club is more elegant than its sister resort, the Beach Club Resort, with beautiful hardwood floors and nautical decorations like antique world globes.

The Yacht Club Resort sits on the shores of Crescent Lake and is adjacent to Disney's Vacation Club Beach Club Villas and Disney's Beach Club Resort with which it shares some of its facilities including the mini water park, Stormalong Bay.

It is about a 10 minute walk (less than a mile) from the International Gateway entrance to Disney's Epcot theme park and about a 30 minute walk from Disney's Hollywood Studios.

If you don't fancy walking then both parks can be reached by boat.

Across the Crescent Lake from the Yacht Club Resort is Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort. The Walt Disney World Dolphin and Walt Disney World Swan are also close by which gives you access to plenty of additional entertainment and restaurants.

Rooms/Suites

The accommodation in the Yacht Club Resort is in a series of 4 and 5-storey buildings, decorated in New England gray and white clapperboard. All rooms have either private balconies or if at ground level may have patios.

Like the Beach Club resort, all rooms have a nautical theme with striped curtains, ships wheel headboards, white wooden furniture and yacht scene bedspreads and wallpapers.

Standard rooms will sleep 4 to 5 (plus a baby in a crib) on two queen beds and a day bed (some rooms are available with a king sized bed instead at no extra charge). French doors lead to a private balcony or patio.

With the standard rooms, there are two views; Standard View overlooking the gardens and grounds or Water View overlooking Stormalong Bay (water park), Crescent Lake or the quiet pool.

There is also a range of Concierge Club rooms and suites (see sidebar for additional amenities). Some of the suites are not located on the Concierge floor but all suites have access to the Regatta Club.

The suites are available with either 1 or 2 bedrooms. Those suites with extended balconies give views of Stormalong Bay and Crescent Lake.

The 1 bedroom Junior suites sleep 4 and have 2 queen-size beds plus a daybed sofa in the sitting area and a single bathroom and extended balcony.

The standard 2 bedroom suite has 2 baths and sleeps 4.

The Turret suite sleeps 8, has 2 bedrooms with 2 queen-size beds in each, 2 baths, balcony plus a living area and is located in the Tower.

The Vice Presidential Commodore suite has 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths (jacuzzi) plus a kitchen and sitting area and sleeps 6.

The Admiral suite is bigger and sleeps 6 with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 living areas, dining room and 3 balconies.

There is also the Presidential which sleeps 6 with 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 2 living areas, dining room, 3 balconies and a whirlpool tub.

Finally, there is the Captain's Deck which sleeps 6 and is the largest and most expensive suite at the Yacht Club. It has 2 bedrooms, the master has a king bed and Jacuzzi bath plus large living area, full kitchen, second seating area and large garden view patio.

Dining

As well as the restaurants at the Yacht Club Resort itself, there are also the next door restaurants at Disney's Beach Club Resort plus other nearby Disney resorts on Crescent Lake and the World Showcase restaurants at Epcot are only a few minutes away.

The Yacht Club Galley café offers American-style meals througout the day with buffet and a-la-carte breakfast and a-la-carte lunches and dinners. If you are after a character breakfast, then the Cape May Café next door at the Beach Club Resort has an all-you-care-to-eat character dining breakfast hosted by Goofy and friends.

The Yachtsman Steakhouse is open for dinners only and serves steaks such as filet mignon and thick-cut Porterhouse steaks as well as fresh seafood cooked from an an oak-fired grill in the open kitchen.

If you are after a light snack to take out then the Beach Club Marketplace offers made-to-order sandwiches plus packaged sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages or you can head for Hurricane Hanna's Grill by the Stormalong Bay water park where you can get burgers and hotdogs as well as a poolside full-service bar.

The Yacht Club Resort also has a lounge, the Crew's Cup Lounge which opens in the evenings to serve cocktails and hors d'oeuvres plus beers and ales from around the world.

Recreation

One of the highlights of the Yacht Club Resort is Stormalong Bay, a 3 acre mini water park complete with a beached shipwreck which is shared with the next door Beach Club Resort.

Stormalong Bay features the ShipWreck water slide, flowing rivers and sandy bottomed areas, a children's wading pool and water slide plus a 24 hour children's playground. Tubes etc. can be rented from a beach shack.

If you need somewhere a little calmer, then there is a separate quiet Yacht Pool and several "hot tub" spas.

There is a white sandy beach along the Crescent Lake shoreline but you cannot swim in the lake as it is used for boating.

You can rent a Pontoon Boat, a Canopy Boat or Sea Raycer by Sea Ray from the Bayside Marina. Disney also offer specialty cruises such as the Albatross Treasure Cruise for children ages 4 to 10.

Tennis fans can play on one of two hard courts (racquets and balls are provided) whilst joggers and walkers can take advantage of the various jogging trails around Crescent Lake (0.8 mile loop) past five Epcot area Disney Resorts.

There is also a volleyball sand court and opportunities to go fishing (catch and release only).

Guests can take advantage of the Yacht Club's Ship Shape Health Club where you can work out on state-of-the-art exercise equipment like Nautilus and Hammer Strength exercise machines or enjoy a massage treatment or relax in a spa. There is also a steam room and sauna.

For children aged 4 to 12, there is evening supervised activities at the Sandcastle Club where they can play computer games and watch Disney movies plus dinner and snacks are provided.

There is a video game arcade, the Lafferty Place Arcade near the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop.

Amenities

The Yacht Club Resort offers (along with the Beach Club Resort) a host of amenities including:

• room service (including pizza delivery)
• concierge service
• rooms and facilities for guests with disabilities
• free parking, valet parking (charge applicable)
• minibar, iron and ironing board, wall safe
• coffee maker and microwave (available on request)
• refrigerator (available on request)
• TV with Disney Channel and ESPN
• babysitting and childcare services, Pak-n-Play Crib available
• laundry facilities/services (coin operated)
• bath robes and hair dryer
• voice mail, wireless internet access (surcharge for high-speed access)
• Wedding Gazebo
• Ship Shape Health Club
• Periwig's Barber and beauty shop
• Fittings and Fairings Clothes and Notions store plus Beach Club Marketplace shop for merchandise, swimwear, resort wear, books, suncare, snacks and beverages (Beach Club Resort)

Meeting Facilities

The Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts share a 73,000 square-foot convention center, two ballrooms and a total of 21 breakout rooms plus Business Center and meeting planner's office.