Disney Beach Club Resort Review- Walt Disney World Disney Vacation Club

Walt Disney World's Beach Club Resort is located in a prime location near Epcot and Hollywood Studios making it one of the most desired resorts on Disney property. Our Disney Beach Club Resort review will cover everything you need to know about the Disney Vacation Club villas, dining, pools, and if this resort is worth the price!

Disney Beach Club is a popular resort and if you want to stay at this Walt Disney World resort you should book in advance. It also boasts one of the best pools on property!

Keep reading to see why we love this resort for its convenient location and its amenities.

Disney Beach Club Overview

The Villas at Walt Disney World’s Beach Club Resort is a true home away from home. After just one stay, we were absolutely convinced as to why this resort is popular. I immediately fell in love with its coastal ambiance. Whether you're looking for a home base to park hop or even just do a resort-only stay, the Villas at Disney's Beach Club Resort really do have it all. This Disney Beach Club Resort review will explore the resort from top to bottom and show what makes this resort so desirable.

Read more about my experiencing buying into Disney Vacation Club in our guide.

Disney's Beach Club Resort is located in Orlando, Florida. The villas were opened in 2002 and quickly became a crowd favorite.  This deluxe resort is steps away from Epcot and a short walk to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Beach Club Villas are known for having the best location of the 16 Disney Vacation Club Resorts. 

From the moment you enter its quaint and gorgeous lobby, you’re immediately transported to a turn-of-the-century beach resort along the New England coast. With its beautiful wood beams and ocean breeze scent, the lobby is a great appetizer to the rest of this sophisticated, yet relaxed, resort.

Being one of the smaller DVC resorts, many appreciate its boutique feel that doesn’t overwhelm you. Our Disney Beach Club Resort review took place during the week of Thanksgiving and we really enjoyed seeing the holiday decor throughout. 

The Beach Club Resort is even famous for its life-size carousel made of chocolate that sits in the middle of the lobby entrance during the Holiday season.

Let's explore more in this Disney Beach Club Resort Review!

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Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Accommodations 

The Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Resort boasts a total of 282 rooms, including deluxe studios, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom villas. Note that some of the 2-bedroom villas are considered lock-off villas where the second bedroom is actually a studio unit attached to a 1-bedroom villa. 

The villas were last renovated in 2016 and at the time of this Disney Beach Club Resort review, they were beginning to show some need for a refresh. Luckily, Disney has a refurbishment schedule across its Vacation Club resorts that runs on a 7-year schedule. Refurbishments are given the “soft” treatment with only minor cosmetic changes or “hard” refurbishments where major renovations are performed.

The Beach Club Villas were set to be refurbished in 2022, but that has since been delayed with no official date set. 

On our last visit, we did a split stay. A split stay is when you split your trip between different resorts or room categories. We stayed in a studio and a 1-bedroom villa. Let me just say that we were not disappointed!

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Studio Villa

The studios all come with a fully stocked kitchenette, including a mini fridge, coffee maker, toaster and microwave. While the studios still do not have their pre-pandemic coffee mugs and silverware, they do offer disposable items. This does the job considering you won’t be cooking large meals in this type of unit. 

Our studio villa did not have a scenic balcony view but it did provide for a nice space to sip some coffee before heading to the parks. Most of the villas will either offer a woods/garden view or a pool view. The balcony we had here was equipped with two chairs and a side table.

All villas are balcony rooms with sizes and shapes varying throughout the resort.

The studios sleep 5 with a queen bed, a sleeper sofa and a small pull-down bed inside of the TV console that is perfect for the kids. The bathroom was spacious enough with a separate tub and toilet room. If you’re traveling with little ones, you’ll appreciate having the tub instead of a walk-in shower.

The closets come with a vacuum, a nod to the more home-like atmosphere, and extra linens. Here’s a tip: if you bring a collapsible hanging closet organizer and hang it in your closet, you can get more bang for your storage buck! 

The rooms complement the coastal beach theme seen in the lobby with light blue colors throughout the linens and artwork. After a long day at the park, it was great to come home to a relaxed and peaceful space. 

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: 1-bedroom Villa

The 1-bedroom villas really came through with such a wow factor. Upon entering the room, you really felt like you were in a home away from home. I mean, isn’t that the point of owning a Vacation Club resort?

The 1-bedroom villas include a large kitchen with a full size stove, oven, dishwasher, coffee maker, refrigerator. A quaint breakfast bar is off the kitchen perfect for those homemade Mickey waffles.

The living room, with its beautiful hardwood flooring, was very spacious. It included a pull out sofa, a chair and a large TV that welcomes you with the familiar Walt Disney World Resort information channel.

Right off of the living room sliding doors is the large balcony that connects to the bedroom. We were lucky to have a view of the exclusive DVC pool, Dunes Cove pool. Taking advantage of the large balcony, we made it a point to enjoy a charcuterie board with a glass of champagne!

As opposed to the deluxe studios, the 1 and 2 bedroom villas do come equipped with ceramic plates, silverware and even pots and pans.

Back inside, the bedroom is very large with a king-size bed, a small desk and a second television. This time around, we had lots of storage for clothes, including a small walk-in closet.

If you’re in need of some relaxation, the bathroom’s soaking tub was perfect for a spa-like moment. Don’t forget to pack your bubbles!

Another nice feature of the villas is the separate stand up shower room with a second sink. It’s a perfect way for families to all get ready in the morning without sacrificing privacy. The toilet also sits in its own separate room.

Lastly, the villa comes with a full-size washer and dryer. No need to bring your own soap, the resort will provide that for you. For guests in studio rooms, laundry services are available on the 4th floor. It was awesome to pack and return home with a suitcase full of clean clothes!

Disney Beach Club Resort Review of Amenities

Aside from its 5-minute walk (or 4 if you’re extra excited to get to that rope drop!) to the Epcot Resort, the resort offers many other amenities that are sure to please visitors of all ages. 

Before leaving the DVC wing of the resort, there are two areas to read, catch up on email, or make those last-minute Genie reservations. First, and the nicest in our opinion, is the Breezeway. As you can see from the pictures, it’s a large and exquisitely decorated sitting area with lots of cool artwork. When writing this Beach Club Resort review, I appreciated seeing the woodwork carried from the lobby into this space. We often saw guests using this area or even walking through to get to the Dunes Cove pool.

The second area is the Drawing Room, complete with comfy seating, a pool table and a TV. Here’s a tip: this place was always quiet and fairly empty. If you’re staying in a studio and feeling tight, this is a perfect place to bring down a board game and feel like you’re at home with more space. 

Once inside the main building you can find the Beach Club Marketplace. More on the food later, but for now this is the Resort’s only gift shop. While it’s not terribly large, it does provide all of the essentials like snacks, medicine, clothing and even some nice Beach Club merchandise. I totally splurged and got myself one of the exclusive Vineyard Vines Beach Club sweaters! 

Outside of the main building, the Ship Shape Salon and Fitness Center is the perfect spot for those of you looking to burn off that kitchen sink from Beaches & Cream. While on this trip we did not take advantage of this, we did swing by and it looked great with lots of equipment.

Other standard resort amenities include:

• Resort Transportation 
• Minnie Van Service 
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Self and Valet Parking 
• Online Check-In
• ATM and Banking Services
• Designated Smoking Areas
• Housekeeping Services 
• Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services 
• Mail Services 
• Merchandise Delivery and Pickup 
• Resort Concierge 

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Dining  

Disney’s Beach Club Villas offers five different dining options, on top of the in-room dining options that are available. The five restaurants include the Beach Club Marketplace, Cape May Café, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Hurricane Hanna’s Grill and Martha’s Vineyard.

Beach Club Marketplace 

The Beach Club Marketplace offers hot breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's also stocked with essential pantry staples like milk, eggs, bread and fruit. The food here is nothing to write home about. We mostly used it to grab some fruit before heading to the parks.

Fortunately, the Marketplace does offer a refillable mug station. This popular option allows you to buy a Disney branded 16-ounce insulated mug with free refills of either fountain drinks, tea and coffee throughout your entire resort stay. No reservations are needed, but you can order ahead through the MyDisney Experience App or and grab something to go.

Cape May Café

Cape May Café is Beach Club’s only sit-down table service restaurant and plays with the same pastel and neutral colors seen in the lobby decor. Recently announced, the restaurant will soon host Minnie and all her friends for an all-you-care-to-enjoy character breakfast. Character breakfasts are an awesome way to meet lots of Disney characters, right at your table, without the lines you’d normally see in the parks. See our full Cape May Café review for more details about this experience!

A dinner buffet is also served and keeps with the theme of the resort by offering a selection of great seafood options. If that’s not your thing, non-seafood options are also available. You’ll hear that Cape May Café gets mixed reviews. This Beach Club Resort review did not include a visit to Cape May Café. However, as restaurants return to their pre-pandemic services, we’re eager to give it a try. Reservations are recommended and can be made online 60 days prior to your resort stay.

Beaches & Cream Soda Shop

Perhaps one of the most famous Vacation Club resort restaurants, Beaches & Cream is a great diner-themed spot serving lunch and dinner with lots of fun dessert options (here comes that kitchen sink!). Recently renovated and expanded in 2019, the restaurant serves classic diner food, but really what makes this place special are the dessert options.

The restaurant serves lots of creative desserts with the most famous being the kitchen sink. It’s really what it sounds like, a large metal sink/bowl brought to your table and loaded with eight scoops of different ice cream flavors and tons of toppings. Save your appetite because this thing is huge! If that’s too much for your party, opt for the mini kitchen sink that comes in a souvenir mini plastic sink decked out in full Mickey colors.

Here's another tip: During our Disney Beach Club Resort review, we enjoyed the mini sink option and then saved it to now use it as a catch all in our villa. It’s the perfect place to put those magic bands!

Reservations are highly recommended for Beaches & Cream, but the restaurant does have a quick service window just outside with limited menu options. Beaches & Cream is a crowd favorite with lots of positive reviews so you really can’t go wrong, especially if you’re looking to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill

Hurricane Hanna’s is the pool bar located in the sprawling Stormalong Bay pool area. The restaurant is stacked with a full bar, perfect for a fun umbrella cocktail, and some snack and food options. Menu items vary, but you’ll mostly find burgers, sandwiches and salads. I had the banana cabana cocktail and it was fantastic. 

Martha’s Vineyard

After a long day at the park you might be looking for a nightcap. Martha’s Vineyard is a small lounge with a full bar serving more seafood options as well as classic bar food. We actually visited the lounge before heading to dinner elsewhere and it was a great spot for a pre-dinner drink. The decor is nothing special, (think traditional country club vibes) but it did get pretty busy with couples and families.

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Pools

The pièce de résistance of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and the reason we chose this as our home resort, is the out-of-this-world Stormalong Bay. This is by far the largest and most popular of all the Vacation Club Resort pools. This was honestly the most exciting part of our Disney Beach Club Resort review. I could write a separate review of just this pool alone, but if you enjoy swimming or even just taking in some sun, this pool will not disappoint.

Shared with Disney’s Yacht Club Resort right next door, this three acre pool, or I could easily say water park, boasts a zero entry sand bottom pool, three whirlpools, jacuzzis and a 230-foot-long water slide built into a replica of a sunken ship. Stormalong Bay even has a lazy river!

The lazy river even includes free inner-tubes to enjoy. This was a great perk considering how much we spend at Walt Disney World. If you have small children, note that the entrance to the waterslide is across the walkway and outside of the pool area.  

We never struggled to find a deck chair throughout our stay. The pool area also features a cool sundeck high above the rest of the grounds. Up there, we found a pool table as well as more seating. This area was mostly empty. So, if you’re looking for some quiet time or just want to be away from the crowds, this is the spot. We did see the pool team putting on activities and games for kids of all ages.

The pool also had ambient music playing, but don’t worry, it wasn’t loud or obnoxious. Cabanas are available to rent, though I will say the location of these was not great as they were tucked away a little further towards the neighboring Yacht Club side of the grounds.

As I mentioned, Hurricane Hanna’s is located right in the middle of Stormalong Bay. You will need to receive a wristband to enter Stormalong Bay and show each time you exit the perimeter. You must be a guest at either Disney’s Yacht or Beach Club Resort in order to enter Stormalong Bay.

Disney Beach Club Resort's DVC Pool

If you’re looking for a more peaceful vibe, then head on over to the Dunes Cove pool. This pool is reserved exclusively for Disney Vacation Club guests and is still fairly large. The Dunes Cove pool even offers a jacuzzi that is perfect for your feet after a long day of walking.

At the time of writing this Disney Beach Club Resort review, there were no activities in this pool. I will say that the location is great being that it’s nestled among the Vacation Club villas. From the pool, you’re able to really appreciate the New England architecture, as well as the variety of balconies available at the Beach Club Villas.

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Activities

As is typical in other Vacation Club resorts, the Beach Club Villas offers a good selection of activities to do on your non-park days. On select nights, Movies Under the Stars is offered to all guests. This takes place right on the beach of Crescent Lake (Crescent Lake is the body of water that sits right in front of the Beach Club Resort). Bring a blanket and come to watch a favorite Disney movie.

Also on the beach, is a nightly campfire area where a cast member will come and light a fire for guests. It’s perfect for s’mores or even just to relax by a cozy fire.

Being that the Beach Club Villas are situated on the water, guests are also able to rent pontoon boats right on the pier in front of the adjacent Yacht Club Resort. While this isn’t technically exclusive to the Beach Club, the proximity does make it easy for guests to enjoy this activity. The Beach Club also offers tennis and volleyball courts. 

If you’re looking for an early morning run to start your day, then the jogging trails around Crescent Lake and beyond are the best way to take in the surrounding resorts. A loop around the lake is 0.8 miles. If you’re looking for more distance then take a different trail that runs along the edge of Disney’s Boardwalk Resort all the way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, be careful when running on the boardwalk. The water they use to spray down the boardwalk in the morning can make the wood slippery. 

Another perk of the Beach Club’s location is taking full advantage of its proximity to the neighboring Boardwalk Resort. Also situated along Crescent Lake, you can easily walk over to the Disney's Boardwalk resort area and enjoy all of the bars, restaurants, shops and attractions there. This makes for an easy night out without having to worry about transportation.

Community Halls are widely loved by Vacation Club owners where cast members host fun activities and crafts for kids. Unfortunately, the Beach Club Villas does not offer one. Resort activities do change and new additions are added periodically.

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Transportation 

Last, but certainly not least, we have to talk about the transportation options at Disney’s Beach Club Villas. While technically all Vacation Club Resorts offer transportation options, the Beach Club really stands out as having the best options for getting from point A to point B. 

Disney Beach Club Resort Walking Options

As mentioned above, you can’t beat the less than five minute walk to the International Gateway entrance at Epcot. Epcot has two entrances and this back entrance usually has fewer crowds with security usually moving very quickly.

If you’re headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then I’d also recommend going by foot. The walk from the Villas is only about 20 minutes and can get you there faster than most other options. If you’re following me, that’s already two parks that are accessible by foot from the resort! Being able to walk to two parks was a huge benefit in this Disney Beach Club Resort review. 

Disney Beach Club Resort Friendship Boats

Disney’s Beach Club Villas also offers complimentary friendship boats from Crescent Lake to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Swan and Dolphin Resorts, Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and Epcot. Honestly, the only destination that is worth hopping on for is Disney’s Hollywood studios given that everything else is easily within walking distance. That said, they are still a cool feature to the resort and admittedly, a lot of fun. 

Disney Beach Club Resort Bus Options

Complimentary bus shuttle service is available to most of the Walt Disney World attractions. This includes the shopping and dining destinations of Disney Springs. Given the proximity to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, no buses are offered for these two parks.

One unique feature of the Beach Club Villas is that often during peak times the buses are not shared with any other resort. This means you get nonstop service to wherever your destination is.

That said, the mornings we used the shuttle to head to the parks we did have to wait upwards of 20 minutes for a bus. So, if you’re looking to get there quickly be sure to plan out your pickup time accordingly. Schedules are often posted at each of the bus stops on large monitors. The bus stop for the Beach Club Resort is directly in front of the main parking lot.

Disney Beach Club Resort Skyliner Options

The newest mode of transportation is the new Disney Skyliner. The Beach Club Villas are technically not a Skyliner resort. This means that the annual dues for the resort do not include maintenance of the Skyliner. However, a station for the Skyliner is literally steps away from the Beach Club Villas, right next to Epcot’s International Gateway. The Skyliner can take you to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

For a resort that’s not considered a Skyliner Resort, you cannot beat the easy access to so many locations! We used the Skyliner to pop over to the Riviera Resort. It was awesome to not have to get on a bus or take a rideshare service. This is a huge perk for this resort that not many others can boast.

Disney Beach Club Resort Parking

If you’re driving into the resort, complimentary parking is available for Vacation Club members or for $25 dollars per night. Valet service is also available for $33 dollars per night.

Disney Beach Club Resort Review: Disney Vacation Club

Since the Villas at Disney's Beach Club Resort are part of the Disney Vacation Club, I have to include in this Disney Beach Club Resort review some key points. The villas are currently selling at $265 per point direct from Disney. Buyers do have the option of buying resale at a lower price per point through a third party broker. Its current ownership deed is still set to expire in 2042, but it still stands as one of the most popular Vacation Club resorts.

If you’re someone who enjoys vacationing at a Disney Resort, then the Disney Vacation Club could be a great money-saving option for you. If you’re not quite ready for that commitment, renting points is another option where you can get a sample of what a Vacation Club membership experience is like.

Luckily, we've got two trusted partners that are the perfect for renting DVC points. The DVC Rental Store and David's DVC Rentals is your one stop to having you in a DVC villa in no time! The DVC Rental Store has the largest member base around so you'll find the most rental listings here than any other site. They don't require payment upfront and even include a peace-of-mind cancellation policy. With David's Rentals, you're going to potentially find a lower price with the same secure process that renters should have. David's will require payment upfront, but after that you have nothing else to worry about other than packing your bags!

For reference, out of the 16 Disney Vacation Club Resorts, nine are located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, one in the Disneyland Resort in California, one in Vero Beach, Florida, one on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and one on Oahu, Hawaii.

Disney Beach Club Resort Review and Overall Impression

The Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Resort exceeded my expectations. Truth be told, we chose to purchase this resort as our home Vacation Club resort without ever having seen it in person and we were not disappointed! You really can’t beat its prime location as well as the Stormalong Bay pool. I really enjoyed writing this Disney Beach Club Resort review. We highly recommend this resort for anyone who enjoys feeling like they’re in the middle of the action. I can’t wait to be back this November! 

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