Disney's Yacht Club Resort - Things To Know Before You Go

Is a stay at Disney's Yacht Club Resort perfect for you and your Walt Disney World travels?

Relax at Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Disney's Yacht Club Resort is an amazing addition to the deluxe resort collection at Walt Disney World. It's a wonderful experience for those looking to find a relaxing resort when park hoping. Part of the EPCOT Resort area, The Yacht Club Resort is nestled between Disney's Beach Club and BoardWalk Resort. I was lucky enough to be pixie dusted with a resort upgrade and went from a weekend at the French Quarter Resort to one at Yacht Club. I learned a lot with my resort change and here are all the adventures I had at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.

Will you be checking in at Disney's Yacht Club on your next trip?

Getting To And From The Parks:

Located just outside the main lobby entrance, Disney's Yacht Club Resort has buses to and from Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs. Weather allowing, travels to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is done by boat.

Catch the boat at Disney's Yacht Club Resort

The boats dock at The Yacht Club every 15 - 20 minutes to take guests to either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Depending on which park you are heading to, the boat will make a stop to pick up guests across the pond at BoardWalk Resort and The Swan and Dolphin Resort before heading to the park. This makes the trip to either Hollywood Studios or EPCOT feel a little too long but the boat ride is a great way to sit back and slowly float to the parks.

Grab the bus or book a shuttle service for traveling around Walt Disney World

For this trip, my mom and I took advantage of walking to the International Gateway and Hollywood Studios. We really enjoyed walking to and from the parks when we stayed at The BoardWalk Resort, so we were excited to have this amenity again at Yacht Club. The International Gateway is really close to these EPCOT Area Resorts and within minutes, you're entering the park by the Skyliner station. Since you're so close to the Skyliner, it does make it easy to then resort hop to the Riviera Resort to grab coffee at Le Petit Cafe.

Boat Drinks & Dining

Having stayed at BoardWalk Resort on my previous trip to Walt Disney World, I assumed I would have a similar experience at Yacht Club. Like other deluxe resorts, there was not a food court with the quick service counters. Instead, there were options for table service dining, mobile orders, and some quick service locations throughout the property.

Ale & Compass at Disney's Yacht Club

At Yacht Club, there really is only one Quick-Service option, The Market at Ale & Compass. It has an area with prepackaged and premade items. This was great for breakfast on the go and a quick snack grab before hitting the parks. We mobile ordered breakfast sandwiches from here on one morning and it worked out fine. We did not venture over to the Beach Club Marketplace or BoardWalk locations, but it was nice knowing that there were lots of options in the area, if we needed a change of menu. I did miss The Blue Ribbon Corn Dog Stand that's offered on the other side of the the boardwalk.

The Catch of the Day at Ale & Compass

Specific to Yacht Club, there is the Ale & Compass Restaurant and Yachtsman Steakhouse. Each table service location is accompanied by a lounge, Ale & Compass Lounge, and Crew's Cup Lounge. We did dinner at Ale & Compass, and this may be my new favorite location for seafood. My mom and I each enjoyed the catch of the day, which happened to be a flavorful fillet of salmon. We had just got off the Disney Cruise and were spending a few days at Walt Disney World before heading home, and this may have been our favorite meal of the entire trip.

Fireworks & Boardwalk Entertainment:

I do not love being in the Fireworks crowds in the parks. Fireworks can easily be seen from the EPCOT Resort Area. As you stroll along the boardwalk, you can find a great out-of-park view of the Fireworks between The BoardWalk and Yacht Club Resorts and on the bridge you cross as you leave The BoardWalk and head towards EPCOT.

During my fall stay at BoardWalk Resort we found out there were live entertainers with midway games, jugglers, and even magic shows on Thursday to Saturday nights from 6:30pm - 10:30pm. We did not see this at Yacht Club, but could have easily made our way to the resort across the bay to take part in the evening festivities.

Resort Day Fun

We only spent two nights at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, so we took advantage of being in the parks on those days. However, this resort has plenty to offer for those relaxing at the resort for the day.

Enjoy a stroll at Disney's Yacht Club Resort

My favorite thing about the EPCOT Resort Area is that there is so much within walking distance. Yacht Club offered two cozy lounges, the Ale & Compass Lounge and Crew's Cup Lounge. Between the lounges and cozy lobby at this resort, there are plenty of locations to sit back and relax with your drink of choice. On of my favorite Disney Bars is AbracadaBar at Disney's BoardWalk Resort, so I appreciate that this option and the lounges at Disney's Beach Club Resort are so close to take advantage of.

The Stormalong Bay Pool was open during our stay. This pool has recently seen a lengthy closure for routine maintenance. While we did not dip our toes in the pool, it appeared to be a cool place to relax. With Hurricane Hanna's Waterside Bar and Grill, is one I could easily spend the whole day poolside at Disney's Yacht Club.

Stormalong Bay Poo at Disney's Yacht Club

Watch Out For runDisney Weekends

We had had no intention of staying at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. A pixie dusted upgrade relocated us to this location. Lucky for us, we were at Walt Disney World to participate in the runDisney Wine & Dine Weekend. The course for the 10k race has included a section along the Yacht Club's boardwalk the past two years. That being said, if you're staying at Yacht Club Resort, your morning may start with the sound or runners racing past your room around 5:30am and supporting families standing along the boardwalk with signs, cowbells, and cheers for their participant.  Be sure to check the runDisney calendar before booking here in November, January, February and April if you're not a morning person and would prefer to sleep in.

What do you think? Is a stay at Disney's Yacht Club Resort on your Disney bucket list?

Have you already stayed here? What did you enjoy about your visit?

Let us know in the comments below.

Photo Source: Walt Disney World Adults Only