Yacht Club Resort in Walt Disney World is a Deluxe Resort located within walking distance of Epcot. It is themed to make guests feel like they are on a ship and caters to business clientele. It also shares a convention center and pool with Beach Club.
Resort type: Deluxe
Price: $487 to $728 and up
Room size: 381 sq feet
Sleeps: 5 in a Standard Room. Each adult is an extra $25 (first 2 are free)
Room count: 630
Room features: 2 queen beds (or one king size bed) and a day bed, a table with 2 chairs, a desk with a chair, refrigerator, coffee maker, small safe and double vanity.
Room options: Standard (parking lot), Water View or Garden View. There are also Club level rooms available.
Food options: Yacht Club has 3 lounges, a quick service and 2 table service restaurant. Room service is also available.
Ale and Compass Lounge – Open from 6 am to 11 pm for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Ale & Compass – Stop in Disney’s Yacht Club for the Ale & Compass Restaurant, enjoy Seafood and classic New England comfort foods in a casual, cozy dining setting.
Crew’s Cup Lounge – Open from 12 pm to 12 am. Located near the Yachtsman Steakhouse.
The Market at Ale & Compass – This Quick Service service offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also adds convenience with on-the-go items and Coca-Cola Freestyle machines for refillable mugs.
Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill – Opens at 11 am and serves grilled food and beverages
Captain’s Grille – A table service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Yachtsman Steakhouse – A signature restaurant that is open nightly for dinner. A glassed-in kitchen allows guests to watch their meal being prepared.
Pools: Stormalong Bay is a 3 acre mini-water park with pool that is shared with Yacht Club. It features a waterslide, lazy river, a sandy bottom, hot tub and kiddie pool.
There are locker rentals available by Stormalong Bay.
Quiet pool is located at the far side of the resort. It is open 24 hours a day.
Pool towels are provided in the room to take to the pool.
Activities: Nightly movie on the beach; Pool party at 3:45 pm; Poolside activities from 1-3:30 pm; Health Club and Spa Services ($); Boat and Bike Rentals ($); Ceramics on Wed. from 1:30 – 3:30 pm ($); Arcade; Tennis Lessons ($); Guided Fish Excursions ($)
Amenities:
24-hour front desk
atm
check-in and guest service
childcare service
complimentary wifi
covered bus stops
daily mousekeeping
designated smoking area
dry cleaning
fridge
gift shop
hair dryers
handicap accessible rooms
health club
ice machine
ironing boards
irons
kiddie waiting area in lobby
laundry facilities
luggage service
Magical Express
mail services
merchandise delivery and pickup
online check-in
outdoor smoking areas
resort airline check-in
safe
spa
valet parking
wake- up call service
Official Dog Policies: Guests of this resort may bring their dogs for an additional $75/per night, limit 2 dogs per guest room.
When you complete online check-in at Yacht Club, you can choose from the following options:
- Corner Room
- Upper Floor
- Near Elevator
- Ground Floor
- Lower Floor
Fittings and Fairing Clothes and Notions: offers resort specific items, yacht inspired clothing, popular Disney souvenirs, snacks, sundries and health and beauty items.
Overnight parking is $24.
Transportation: Walk to Epcot, boat to Hollywood Studios or take a bus
Distance from parks by bus:
- Animal Kingdom – 6 miles
- Hollywood Studios – 1 miles
- Epcot – 3 miles
- Magic Kingdom – 7 miles
Address: 1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Phone: 407-934-7000
Featured Reviews:
This review comes from my reader Julie…
I’m attaching a picture of my husband and I at the Liberty Tree Tavern from 2005. It made for such a nice break in a hot day when we went there! :) We stayed off-site on that trip, but I can also post exterior shots of the Yacht Club from that trip because my husband and I walked to the Boardwalk for lunch from Epcot one day and took some pictures along the way. I will look and see if I can find any interior photos from Yacht Club, and if I find them, I will send them in a separate email along with any other dining pictures from MK. I am also including a couple of pictures from the terrace at Cosmic Ray’s at MK. It was so crowded and a little chaotic inside, but we had no trouble getting tables outside (there are 2 terraces). It is much more peaceful outside, is shaded, and has a nice view of the Castle. I included one picture from lunch (of my son at our table) and one at dinner of him and me with the Castle lit up in the background).
As far as staying at the Yacht Club, I am a little rusty on our visits, but we stayed their 2-3 times. The 2 I distinctly remember were after Christmas 1991 or 1992 for 1 night and Summer 1997 for 2 or 3 nights. It’s possible we stayed there a third time in between, but I am not completely sure. The time we went for 1 night, we were blessed that my dad was the national sales manager for his company, and as such he arranged the annual sales meetings for his company. Whenever they would decide where they were having a meeting, he would do a site inspection trip to check out various hotels. Anyhow, they had a meeting planned at Disney, and he had to check out a bunch of different hotels anyway (they would put him up free, since they hoped to get the business), so he took the whole family along with him on that trip. :) We stayed a night at the Swan, 2 nights at the Dolphin, a night at the Yacht Club, maybe a night at the Beach Club, a night at the Contemporary, and a night or 2 at the Marriott on International Drive (it was kind of confusing (we accidentally tried to check into one on the wrong day!), but very cool to stay at the different hotels). I say this mostly to explain why we only were there one night. The second trip we spent a few nights at the Yacht Club before meeting up with my siblings and spouses and sharing a rented condo in Kissimmee for a week after that (I was on sumer break from college at the time). Anyhow, with all that in mind, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability based on the 2 trips:
-The first time it was chosen as an option for the sales meeting, so that was the only reason. The second time it was chosen because we liked it so much. The decor is really nice, everything is very luxurious, the concierge was awesome, service was great throughout. We also love its proximity to Epcot.
-The rooms are bright and airy with a nautical theme (but not overdone). They aren’t huge, but they are fairly roomy. I stayed there as an adult with my parents and as a teenager with my parents and my sister, and both times we had plenty of space in the room and the bathroom. It also had a nice balcony and a great view of the resort. My mom and I loved the decor (my mom joked that she might like to take some elements of the room as inspiration for my parents’ house).
-Because we never stayed very long, we didn’t take advantage of all the amenities, but they have some nice shops, and great walking paths around the resort. Also, the proximity to the Boardwalk is a major bonus, since there is a lot to do there, and you can walk or take the boat.
-No food court. We had breakfast in the concierge lounge every day and had 1 meal, I think, in one of the restaurants on one trip, but I don’t really remember it. We are the type to spend most of our time at the parks.
-Buses are only to the Magic Kingdom and the water parks. Boats to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, although you can just walk to Epcot if you are feeling up for it (Beach Club is a closer walk to Epcot, but Yacht Club isn’t too bad). I much prefer the boats to buses. I feel like you don’t wait as long, they are more roomy, and you have such a nice view along the way, but we never had to wait that long for the bus to and from the Magic Kingdom while we stayed there.
-I would absolutely stay there again, but in my current situation, I can’t really afford it, plus with small kids (almost 2 and 4) it might be more worthwhile if we were going to
splurge to stay along the monorail line to be closer to Magic Kingdom. Of all the Disney hotels I have stayed at, though, this one is definitely my favorite.
You might consider staying at Boardwalk Inn.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
When I worked at a travel agency several years ago, my boss took me and another employee to Disney. We stayed at the Yacht Club Resort and it was wonderful! We were only at Disney for a few days so we were on a schedule as we were taking tours of properties and other Disney benefits — it was a trip for us to learn about Disney, after all! But we did have to sleep and the room was great! I shared it with another girl but it was definitely big enough to accomodate a family. Very nice and spacious. The resort itself was beautiful. I loved the attention to detail. It really gave you this Cape Cod, Nantucket, nautical feel. There was a small section of beach outside the resort with lounge chairs and enough sand to give you the experience. We ate breakfast at the resort and, of course, it was wonderful! Catching a bus to the parks wasn’t bad. We went in September on Labor Day weekend so the parks weren’t as crowded as they normally are in the summer. The one thing I loved was the availability to the Boardwalk. It was truly a unique experience! There are all sorts of things to do and the atmosphere is wonderful! As far as whether or not I would stay there again, if there were no limitations, I definitely would. Since I went courtesy of my boss, budget wasn’t an option. However, going on my own the expense certainly limits me to which resort I choose. Usually it’s the Value Resorts which are still nice, clean and offer ammenities we can enjoy like a pool and the food court as well as access to the buses. Another factor would be that, when you’re in Disney, you’re in the parks most of the time. The only thing the room is really used for is sleep — that’s just my personal thought on the matter. If I were staying at Disney for more than a week and my finances would allow it, I would consider staying somewhere like the Yacht Club. I hope this helps for those who read it. The fact of the matter is that Disney can be enjoyed regardless of budget. But if you are blessed to be able to take advantage of the Deluxe resorts, I say go for it!
We just got back from the Beach Club, but I have previously stayed at the Yacht club a few years back…Being that they share most amenities a review for the Yacht could go for the Beach as well…
Why did you choose this resort? We love the proximity to Epcot (especially for Dinners!!) and Stormalong Bay. My family is really into the nautical/beach theme.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? When we stayed at the Yacht, the room was large enough to accomodate myself, brother, mother and grandmother. The set-up of the room was great, especially having the sinks outside the bathroom so more than one person could get ready at a time and having the balcony was fantastic!
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? Storm-along Bay is by far the best amenity this resort has to offer! Our daughter is only 2, but she loved playing on the sand bar in the kids section! Plenty of activities for kids, like the campfire and movie on the beach!
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? No food court, but Beach Club Marketplace was a quick stop. We were on the delux dining plan so we didn’t really use it much. We did eat at Hurrican Hannah’s (great veggie wrap), Captains Grille (I wasn’t impressed, although I heard great reviews from others), Yachtsmen Steakhouse (Amazing food!! If you want to have a nice dinner, definitely try it out!), Beaches and Cream (nice sized lunch), Cape May Cafe (dinner seafood buffet was great!) On the club level lounge, they had some tasty appetizers out at night…they usually had this sweet and spicy chili dipping sauce out for various things and it was SOOOO good!
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? Buses were not bad, usually a 10 minute wait at most. Word of warning on the Downtown Disney Bus going back to the resort…it is the longest ride you will EVER be on! The wait for a bus to show was about 20 minutes, then we stopped at Typhoon Lagoon, Swan, Dolphin, Boardwalk, then Yach/Beach…overall it was about an HOUR to get back. I’d reccomend catching a resort boat to Port Orleans, then catching a bus from there to Epcot/HS and walk to Yacht. You will get there faster! 5 minute walk to Epcot, 20 minute walk to HS (although they had boats to both, it was faster to walk to Epcot and the same amount of time to HS).
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. We loved this resort. I would choose Yacht over Beach Club if you like a quieter atmosphere, the lobby is very classy and laid back (but still kid friendly). Beach Club has Cape May Cafe right in the lobby so it tends to get loud and busy during breakfasts and dinners. If you spend a lot of time at the pool, this is the resort for you! And plus there are a lot of great dining choices on site or within 5 minutes (Epcot and Boardwalk)! I don’t think we would choose any other resorts ever again…we found our Disney home :)
My family and I stayed at the yacht club in 1998. Unfortunately what got us there to such a beautiful hotel was a very bad car accident my mom and I were involved in, one in which I was told I may never walk right again. We received a settlement and of course when I did walk the first place I wanted to go was Disneyworld! It was the first time my children had ever been. They were 2 and 5. My mom went with us to celebrate. We chose the Yacht club because of my large interest in the nautical themes and lighthouses lol. I was so excited when we arrived. When we went to check in they had somehow messed up our reservations and had no adjoining rooms or even two rooms to give us (remember my mom was with us). For compensation they put us on the concierge floor. Beautiful room we were kind of squeezed in there with five of us but we managed quite nicely. There was a wonderful room that had food in it 24/7 it seemed and all we had to do was walk right down the hall for breakfast or a snack, which came in quite handy when we went back to the room for mid-day naps. I certainly enjoyed the fact it also had a tv and places to sit back, cause I do not nap during the day, so while everyone else laid down I spent some nice quiet time. We had a wonderful meal at the Yachtmens restaurant, still the best place to get a steak in my opinion. They were very accommodating at the Yachtmens with our children, very helpful in giving them something to snack on while we waited for the main meal. The swimming of course is the main attraction for young ones and we spent plenty of time at the pool. They loved the slide, and if you time it just right you can ride the lazy river and watch parts of illuminations, which we did several times. Of course we had to try the kitchen sink at Beaches and Cream which my son had all over him!
The staff at the hotel was extremely kind, helpful. My daughter fell in love with the concierge on our floor, he helped us several times with reservations and at one point she bought him a pen with “her money” cause she thought he needed one also had her picture taken with him. He was asking her alot of questions abt her fave things and one day on our return to the room we found an autograph picture of her fave character with her name on it. She was never so excited to think Minnie knew her name. I really don’t remember abt the buses so it must have not been to bad or else I would have some memory, although I do know we struggled with a double stroller on and off the buses, but that was expected and never caused us to lose our tempers. We really enjoyed the boat ride to Epcot and MGM it was the children’s fave mode of transportation and a good place for my youngest to doze. I LOVE this hotel and if I ever have the money I will stay here again.
It was the only option for us actually. We went to WDW because my husband was picked to present a paper he wrote at a conference that was being held there. The Yacht Club was the resort picked for conference attendees.
The rooms were very nice, at the time we were a family of 4 and my mom and brother met us there and had an adjoining room which was really nice. The beds were so comfy, but we had no view of anything which was annoying.
The pools, as many have said, were amazing. The kids, 15 mos. and 4 had a blast there. The snack shack by the pool, the whole atmosphere was wonderful and very high-end resort like.
There was a character dinner, but the food itself was OK, nothing special really, the characters were fun,hung out with all the guests for quite some time.
The bus stop was right in front of the resort, and the ride was not far at all.
The only reason I would not stay here again is price, we didnt have to pay because we were invited, but on own bill it’s just too pricey for what it is and I would want a resort as close to the magic kingdom as possible.
Just stayed at the yacht club this May for our second time. It was one of the worst hotel experiences we have ever had in Disney. We checked in late and were given a room that was never cleaned from last guests and had to switch rooms at 11pm with a 2 year old and being 4 months pregnant. Our new room had a phone that didn’t work and terrible housekeeping. The house keeping was noisy, yelling down the halls, vacuuming into walls, scraping furniture along neighboring patios every morning at 8:30am. You can not enter pool complex without a room key and if you forget it there is nothing that can be done to help you besides you going to get your key and coming all the way back. Very inconvenient although it is nice that only guests can use pool.
The rooms are roomy, bright and nice. We had two queen beds, a little sofa and a view of the boardwalk. The bathroom was tiny and you had to squeeze all the way in to shut the door without hitting your leg.
The quick service is located in the beach club which is a very far walk from all areas in the yacht club. There is a very minimal selection of foods to choose from just sandwiches, salads, pizzas and some togo items. Very disappointing especially if you are on any kind of restricted diet. The sandwiches didn’t come with chips, fries or anything either.
The sit down restaurants were all good but typical deluxe hotel prices which can set you back quite a bit eating at them each night. Beaches and cream also offers some food items but was twice as expensive as quick service for the same basic food choices. We were disappointed in the food choices here.
We liked the convenience of the boat rides or walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios but experienced long walks to the boats and then long waits. The bus stops were fairly far and again typical waits.
There were activities by the pool each afternoon and campfires, marshmallows and movies on the beach at night but not much else to do for families besides enjoy the sand bottom pool. The lazy river is hardly that. You have to rent a tube and bring it to the one small circular area of pool that barely moves.
Overall I would not stay here again with children. It was far to walk to everything, especially to refill your mugs and to get food, few good food choices if you didn’t want a sit down and not a lot to do if you don’t plan on visiting the parks everyday. It is beautiful but for us not the best choice out of all the deluxe hotels, especially at the price they charge.
Why did you choose this resort?
My husband picked it. I honestly am not sure what exactly lead him to it other than he loves Epcot.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable?
We are a family of four and our youngest had just turned two when we stayed so we fit perfectly. There was supposed to be a Pack n Play in the room but there wasn’t so I called the front desk and they brought us a regular crib. It was great. We got a surprise upgrade at check in to a Water View room. I had heard that ‘Water View’ at the YC could mean that you had to stick your head out from your balcony and stretch just to see a tiny bit of water but our room was on the second floor and looked directly out over the lighthouse and was truly a Water View room. It was also a corner room and the extra windows provided a lovely view of the Wedding Gazebo. I have not complaints about the room or Mousekeeping or anything.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one?
The one complaint here was that we had purchased the Deluxe Dining Plan and it included the refillable mugs. We were a long, long walk to the refilling station at the Beach Club. Once when they were just about to open, the lounge filled them for us – because they are just awesome like that :) I loved the boat ride to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. Mousekeeping was fantastic. We used room service several times as we had the DxDP and we had more credits than we could use. They were great and the food very yummy.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods?
N/A
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time?
At the Yacht Club:
Rarely much of a crowd or wait for the buses. The weekend was a little busier but nothing that was a problem. Walk to the bus stop was easy and not a long way.
At the Parks: They were sometimes longer in arriving {or so it seemed} at the parks and were often a bit more crowded but I have seen much worse.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason.
I would LOVE to stay there again. It was one of the best weeks of my life and truly a vacation of a lifetime. We rate the Yacht Club a very strong 9 out of 10. The only reason really for not giving a ten is not having a refilling ‘station’ for the mugs and I wish the gift shop had been open a little bit longer.
Thanks for letting me share. :)
My family loVES Yacht Club! It is always our top pick as my husband is in love with their pool and slide. This will be our 3rd stay at the Yacht clu and we leave in 34 days for a 10 night stay! Last year we booked two regular water view rooms and were upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite on concierge level! This is always our top pick. We love the close proximity to 2 parks and the quiet peacefulness that surrounds this hotel! Love it!!!’
■Why did you choose this resort? I love the pool!
■What were the resort rooms like? They were dark colors like rustic. Very spacious.
Were they big enough for your family? Yes, we had about 6 people.
Did you find them to be acceptable? Yes
■What were the amenities of the resort like? The pool was great. I loved the lazy river and the sand covered floors of the pool.
What was your favorite one? Pool
■What was the food court like? NA
Any favorite foods? I liked the character breakfast
■How were the resort buses? Great!. I loved the water taxis too.
What was your walk to the bus stop like? It was very close. It was a nice walk to Epcot also.
How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? Close to the gates.
How far was the walk to the gates?Close to the gates.
How crowded were the buses at any given time? Always found a seat!
■Would you stay at this resort again? No
If not, please provide a reason.I much would rather stay at the Beach. I just found it more welcoming. The colors were brighter.
My family and I just got back from a trip to Disney World in May! We had a wonderful time and that included our accomidations at the Yacht & Beach Club.
In my group, there was my husband, myself and our two young boys (5 & 3.) We were also meeting my parents there (both in their mid 60’s and very active.)
My parents were kind enough to book this trip for everyone. The Yacht & Beach Club was choosen primary due to the proximity to 2 of the 4 major parks and because of the pool. My parents have vacationed at other Disney properties over the last 10-15 years and they felt this would be the best option for all of us.
The resort rooms were lovely and a decent size for my family of four. My parents stayed in an ajoining room. In the morning, we could open our doors and enjoy a quick breakfast together in our rooms but then we could also close the ajoining door when my little guys went to bed each night. It worked out great!
The rooms had a very tasteful and clean nautical feel. There was a double sink vanity located outside of the bathroom. It was nice having the toliet seperated from the sinks.
The only downside to our room was it’s location within the resort. I think our rooms were at the furthest end from the main lobby as they could possibly be. There were no side entrances or exits, so everytime we needed to go to the lobby or even to get ice, we had to trek quite a ways. But we did get used it this pretty quickly and it really became a non-issue by the end of our stay.
One of the best parts about this resort, besides the mini-grocery store and the character dining located inside the resort, was the pool complex. It was amazing!! A++++! Neither of my boys know how to swim but they love being in a pool anyway. This resort has a HUGE area of their pool that goes from zero entry to maybe 2-0″ at its deepest. The boys could get around on their own and they felt like kings. I wasnt worried about them either because I was able to see them, even though this area was so large. Another feature that we loved was this particular pool had a sandbar right in the middle! The boys could build sand castles or hide their treasures in the sand. The pool also had a sand bottom. It was great! This part of the pool was in addition to a whole other section for older kids. At that pool, there was Top 40 music was playing over the speakers and lifeguards/cast memebers entertaining the teen crowd with games and activities in and out of the pool. (We snuck over to that area to made some great Mickey Mouse tie-tied t-shirts! Very cute!)
There is also an incredible water slide that goes through the pool complex that any child or adult would love!
One other favorite amenity would have to be the nightly campfire/roasting of marshmellows and the movies on the beach. This was a HUGE hit with all of the kids I saw and a great place to wind down after a busy day at the parks.
There were several places to eat on site, but no food court. We had a character breakfast and ate at a place by the pool that were both really great. The on site mini market also came in handy when picking up quick bites to go or even breakfast items to keep in our room.
We were able to take advantage of the boat service between our resort of either Epcot and Hollywood Studios. I dont think we ever waited more than 10 minutes for a boat, even when it was really busy. We did make the walk to Epcot once and that was easy to do. The little boys liked taking the boat, so that became the preferred method of transportation for those parks. We were able to pick up a bus at our resort that took us to MK or AK. Both were easy to find and we had no trouble getting onto buses to return to our resort at the end of the day. It was all very easy!
My husband and I would LOVE to stay at this resort again, if we can afford it! It was pricey, but we felt it would be worth it if we were paying ourselves. The pool alone was worth it! My boys loved it and it provided a great place to rest and recharge for the next busy Disney event!