Walking distance to Disney World!
Written: Jul 15 '04 (Updated Feb 26 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, location, location, pool facilities, clean and creative public areas
Cons: Food service options were few, somewhat loud at night, sharing buses
The Bottom Line: I promise you'll like it! A relaxing change of pace, Disney-style.
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| chelledun's Full Review: Beach Club Resort |
I am a proud veteran of over thirteen trips to Disney World in the past 22 years. While all were exciting and memorable, none of the other Disney accommodations have even come close to the quality of the Beach Club, which I just visited for the first time in July, 2004. There are a variety of reasons why this hotel enhanced our trip, so I will evaluate a few different areas of service and amenities.
1. Hotel Grounds and Atmosphere
Guests are greeted by the airy, spacious, and well decorated lobby. Ceiling fans create a cool breeze and sandcastle artwork and flower arrangements serve as decoration. Unlike some of the other Disney hotels, the subtle pink and green color scheme of the Beach Club does not seem dated. The Beach Club units are festively colored blue and teal and in excellent condition. Many of the rooms face a beautiful lakefront and beach area. We felt relaxed and cool as soon as we entered the lobby.
2. Pool Facilities
This deserves a category by itself, as the pool grounds are probably the single best reason to book this hotel, particularly for families with children. Even us 'big kids' loved the pool area. Themed as a sunken pirate ship with a surrounding lagoon, the pool area features over 3 acres of lazy river, pools of various length, and a very long water slide. The pool actually has a sand bottom, which is very unique and makes walking around in the water a lot more fun. There is an area for young children to build sand castles right in the water, and wristbands ensure the facilities are limited to guests of the Yacht and Beach Clubs to prevent overcrowding.
3. Rooms
Significantly more spacious than rooms at moderately priced resorts, the Beach Club's rooms are tastefully decorated. Our standard room featured two queen beds, a tv, telephones both in the main room and bathroom, ample dresser space, a daybed, and a writing desk. Note that only a portion of rooms feature a full balcony (ours did). Regardless of the room category you suggest, it is worth repeated requests to ensure receiving a room with a balcony. Ask both when making the reservation and upon check-in. The decor is similar to that of the lobby and is festive without being overwhelming. The only complaint I have to offer is the lack of sound proofing in the walls, as we could frequently hear our neighbors and the traffic from the elevator.
4. Dining
This is perhaps the hotels biggest area of needed improvement, particularly for families with young children. There is no food court for either the Yacht or Beach Club. The Cape May Caferestaurant serves food buffet style for both a character breakfast and dinner. While the food is good, it is pricey (around $25 for adults for dinner, for example). Also, reservations are basically necessary and it is rather time consuming. There is continental breakfast offered at a stand next door, which is handy. However, the main problem comes at lunch. The only facilities available for lunch are the pool bar, Hurricane Hannah's, and the fun 50's style Beaches and Cream diner. However, this creates waits of up to 90 minutes for lunch for those who want do dine inside at the diner, and there are really no other options. The sister property, the Yacht Club, offers a very formal steakhouse for dinner and a semi-formal galley for lunch. Still, the properties basically have no quick, affordable, lunch or dinner option for busy touring families.
5. Location!
The wonderful location of the hotel was probably our favorite feature. The World Showcase gates of EPCOT were only about a five minute stroll. MGM Studios were a convenient boat ride or a fifteen minute walk away. The Swan, Dolphin, and Boardwalk are all within walking distance, creating much more access to night time entertainment. In addition to these attractions, bus service is also available to the Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island. However, at the time of our visit, the Beach Club was sharing buses with the Yacht Club, Swan, Dolphin, and Boardwalk! This made for crowded bus rides with numerous stops, so I would advise driving to at least Downtown Disney and Blizzard Beach, if you decide to rent a car. Hopefully this situation will be remedied in the near future.
Overall...Our trip was enjoyable and relaxing. The facility caters to a wide variety of guests, and I think both adults and families with children would greatly enjoy a stay here. This hotel is quite possibly the best in the Disney resort family!
If this was helpful, check out my other Disney Reviews!
Hotel Reviews
Coronado Springs: http://www.epinions.com/content_100521381508
Grand Floridian: http://www.epinions.com/content_175155351172
Attractions
Stitch's Great Escape: http://www.epinions.com/content_175365852804
The Living Seas (Finding Nemo Update):http://www.epinions.com/content_175503478404
Peter Pan's Flight: http://www.epinions.com/content_148621332100
Dinosaur: http://www.epinions.com/content_147863932548
Theme Parks
Blizzard Beach: http://www.epinions.com/content_150122565252
Pleasure Island: http://www.epinions.com/content_148432457348
Magic Kingdom for Adults: http://www.epinions.com/content_173013175940
Recommended:
Yes
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