Staying at Yacht Club Resort With Family — Is It Worth It + Photos

December 10, 2021December 12, 2021 Stan

My family of 4 stayed at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort for $650 a night, and it’s my favorite hotel.
The pool area was perfect for my boys, and we spent some time there every day of our trip.
You can’t beat the prime location near the BoardWalk, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios.

As a travel agent at Marvelous Mouse Travels, my first decision when planning my clients’ trips (and my own) is picking the perfect place to stay.

I visited Disney World with my family of four for the 50th-anniversary celebration, and we chose the Yacht Club Resort for its prime location, expansive pool, and beautiful theming.

Even though it cost $650 a night, here’s why it was totally worth it:

The resort makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the New England seaside

lobby decorations at the yacht club resort disney world — The lobby had a lot of things to look at.

After flying in from Chicago and riding the Magical Express to the resort, check-in went smoothly.

The lobby is beautiful, with nautical decor and daily fresh flowers.

view of the back of the yacht club resort disney world from the back of the pool — The resort is perfectly themed.

The whole place smells like the seaside, and the exterior is impeccably kept.

The attractive landscaping gives it the look of a sweeping New England escape.

Our room was bright and inviting, and it even had a balcony

hotel room at disney world yacht club resort — The room was clean and bright.

Our standard room was clean and bright, with a pool view, hardwood floors, and nautical accents.

It had two queen beds, plenty of storage for all our clothes, a safe, and a TV. Plus it was equipped with a

mini-fridge

and a single-cup Keurig coffee maker.

There was also a bathroom (stocked with toiletries) with a double sink and separate areas for the shower and toilet.

view from hotel room in yacht club resort disney world — We had a nice view from our room.

The best part of the room was the balcony overlooking the pool, where I sat every morning to have my coffee.

The pool is a major selling point of the resort

aerial view of the pool at the yacht club resort disney world — My kids loved all the activities at the pool.

The Yacht Club’s pool, Stormalong Bay, is by far the best on Disney resort property.

We spent some part of each day at the pool. My kids loved the sand play area, pirate-ship slide, and volleyball court.

We also ate at the pool’s quick-service restaurant, Hurricane Hannah’s, at least once a day. The bacon cheeseburger and chili-cheese fries aren’t to be missed.

photo of an empty yacht club pool cabana next to a photo of kari lounging on the cabana chairs by the pool — The cabana experience was relaxing and fun.

One day of our trip, we rented a cabana at the pool and enjoyed being pampered with individualized service — including drinks and treats.

Nothing is better than being sandwiched between Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the BoardWalk

view of disney boardwalk from the yacht club resort — We could walk to so many entertainment spots from our hotel.

The Yacht Club’s location is its best amenity.

It’s adjoined to the Beach Club Resort, which offers an ice-cream shop, arcade, and additional restaurants.

It’s also less than a 10-minute walk to Epcot, which allowed us to go back and forth throughout the day and pop over in the evenings for the park’s Harmonious dinner event and International Food and Wine Festival.

carnival games at the disney boardwalk — We were able to eat and play some games on the BoardWalk.

The hotel is a short walk from Disney’s BoardWalk, where we enjoyed dinner, carnival games, and ice cream.

One day, we also walked over to play a morning round of mini golf at nearby Fantasia Gardens.

Basically anywhere we wanted to go, our transportation options were plentiful.

view from under the disney skyliner gondolas — We could take boats, buses, and gondolas to the parks.

There were walking paths to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, boats to Hollywood Studios and resorts, Skyliner gondolas to Hollywood Studios and resorts, and buses to the other parks (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) and Disney Springs.

We had a great experience and never had to wait more than five minutes for a bus. The My Disney Experience app was particularly handy for tracking when the next ones were set to arrive.

Like any good resort, the Yacht Club also has incredible dining options

bluberry pancakes from ale and compass restaurant at yacht club — I loved the pancakes at Ale and Compass.

The Yachtsman’s Steakhouse is the resort’s fancier table-service restaurant, and there’s also the Ale and Compass, which serves breakfast and dinner.

We ate a delicious breakfast at Ale and Compass one morning before heading to the parks — the blueberry pancakes were especially good. There’s also a lounge next door that’s great for evening drinks.

The Yacht Club Market, connected to the gift shop, is another quick-service option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast sandwiches and bowls were quick and great for early mornings.