Here is our Our Review of The Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World. On our January 2013 trip to Walt Disney World, we were able to stay in a Villa at the Beach Club (thanks to an awesome friend who was able to rent us her DVC points). We absolutely loved this resort! From the Captain who met us at the door to help us check in to the proximity to Epcot, it was truly a wonderful resort!
When we checked in at 11 am, our room was not ready. But luckily we were able to check our carry on luggage with luggage services (the rest of our luggage was transported by Magical Express) and head to the parks because they now text you your room number when it is ready! When they texted us around 3 pm that the room was ready, we were able to head to the room and use the key cards they gave us at check in without having to go to the front desk again. Talk about convenient! Plus our luggage from the Magical Express was waiting on us when we got to the room, which is one of my favorite parts about staying on Disney property.
The 2 bedroom villa was fabulous! The decor was very coastal inspired and the room was very spacious. We had one room with a king size bed and whirl pool tub, a second room with a queen size bed and pull out sofa and then the center room with the kitchen, table and another pull out sofa. There was plenty of room to spread out without having to worry about tripping over one another.
We chose to cook the majority of our meals in the room, so the kitchen was used frequently. We cooked all of our breakfasts, the majority of our lunches and 4 of our dinners which saved us a ton of money verses what we would have paid in the parks. Plus it was a different experience not having to worry about where to eat and reservation times on this trip. Will we do it again? Maybe, but definitely not every single time we go. We are all about doing what works for us in the moment.
The pool at the Beach Club was absolutely amazing and we were blessed with incredible weather while we were there so the family was even able to swim a few times without freezing. The kids loved taking a break mid-day to swim and refresh before heading back to the parks in the evening.
Being close to Epcot was wonderful. We were able to spend the mornings in one park and the evenings at Epcot enjoying the countries. We never spend as much time as we would like in the World Showcase, so on this trip we felt like we were free to spend as much time as the evenings allowed. Plus it was nice being able to call it a night (especially after Illuminations) and walk back to the resort room without having to board a bus (standing room only? No thanks!).
We have stayed at the values (Pop Century) and we have stayed deluxe (Polynessian just me and hubby and now at the Beach Club) and let me tell you, staying deluxe is a completely different experience. For starters, there is the person waiting on you to walk you straight to check in when you arrive on the Magical Express (love this!) and during the day, they usually have a Cast Member by the buses making sure everything is running smoothly. We never had a single issue with the buses! We had a seat every single time we rode and we didn’t have to wait long for a bus to arrive either.
There are also less people at deluxe resorts since they don’t have nearly as many rooms as the values. Plus the deluxe resorts are older, so their bus loading zones are closer to the exit of the parks. Awesome perk! The only disadvantage that I have found is there is not as many counter service offerings at a deluxe resort as at a value. Most deluxe resorts have their own (or multiple) table service restaurants.
So where will we stay next time? Who knows! We wouldn’t mind staying at Pop Century again and we definitely wouldn’t mind staying at the Beach Club again. Each Disney Resort has it’s own unique things to offer and we are enjoying exploring them all.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
Beach Club Villas are my absolute favorite. It will be very hard for me to stay anywhere else! So glad you got to experience it.
SO glad you enjoyed Beach Club! My eldest son works in Concierge there; and, in my totally unbiased opinion, this resort is “tops!” HA!HA! :) — To save money, we do stay at Pop Century a lot; however, Yacht & Beach Club has got to be one of the best resorts ever! I just love it there!
We stayed at Saratoga Springs last time we went to Disney-when Disney Vacation Club properties were included in the Interval time share exchange club. We had previously only stayed in value properties when at Disney-Music and then Movies. Rooms seem bigger when your kids are little plus we didn’t spend much time in the room. The last trip we had a kitchen and we spent more time in the room. Our exchange was a 1 bedroom and compared to all other vacation club exchanges we have done, this was by far the smallest living area we’ve experienced. The kitchen was big enough and the bedroom and bathroom were all good sized-especially the shower! There was a huge entry way area which seemed like a waste-the room could have been better used in the living area. We put all of the luggage there and maybe that’s what that area is for but it just seemed like a wasted design opportunity. We rented a car and found it easier to just drive to all the parks except MK. Since Saratoga is right down the street from Downtown Disney we went there several times and the kids loved it. I thought the pools at Saratoga were not as nice as some of the other resorts. Overall if we have kids with us staying at a condo/vacation club is the best option given the kitchen and the extra space.
Wow! I only keep up with pics of your family that you post on the website, and it amazes me that your daughter has grown into such a beautiful young lady! I’m so used to seeing her as a little kid, but no more. She’s beautiful. (And you’re looking great too, by the way! :)