Photos: Inside New Rooms at Yacht Club
Following its latest refurbishment, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort has redesigned rooms, which are one component of a resort-wide re-imagining of this Walt Disney World hotel. In this post, we’ll review the new rooms, share some photos, and thoughts on the changes at Yacht Club.
While other changes are still underway throughout the resort, it’s worth noting that the room refurbishment at Yacht Club is now entirely finished. I suppose this is good or bad news depending upon your opinion of the new rooms. Either way, there’s no need to request an old or new room. They’re all new.
This was yet another stop on our recent Walt Disney World “vacation” during which we stayed in 6 different new or newly-refurbished rooms. Given that the room refurbishment coincides with a convention center expansion, I was not exactly optimistic about what we’d find at Yacht Club…
This is because the changes at Yacht Club are, in large part, aimed at making it more appealing to the convention-going demographic. Elsewhere at Walt Disney World where the goal has been making rooms more appealing to non-families or non-fans, the result has left something to be desired.
We’ve harped on this in the past, so I won’t rehash it all here. Basically, the more ‘mainstream’ Walt Disney World makes a hotel room, the less-themed the result. There have been some exceptions to this, and these room designs have been a bit hit or miss. At least, from my fan perspective. Conventioneers and others might (and do) disagree.
Anyway, let’s take a look at the old rooms before we offer further commentary:
Fairly bright and airy, albeit having a 1990s quality to them. Personally, I liked these rooms, but I wouldn’t say they fit well with the Yacht Club’s aesthetic in common areas, which is generally more stately and sophisticated.
Now, let’s take a look at the new rooms:
Perhaps it was because my expectations were low going in, but I loved this room. If anything, I would say it is more themed than before, with excellent use of navy blue and beige contrasted against white, which really looks sharp in the context. The color palette alone reinforces the nautical theme.
Beyond that, there’s an extensive use of dark woods, which really give the room an air of sophistication. It reminded me of the interior of a Brooks Brothers, oddly enough. There’s also a variety of textures, the extent of which might be tough to ascertain from the photos.
Most notably, there are small rivets or other ship fastenings throughout, including on the dresser and other furniture. Then you have the headboards, mirror, and desk. Some of the nice features of the room now include a built-in ironing board, wood floors, abundance of storage (including under-the-bed room for luggage), and Keurig coffee makers.
The attention to detail in the new Yacht Club rooms is incredible, and all of it works to cement the theme. If your idea of a good Walt Disney World room includes an infusion of characters, you will be disappointed. Aside from a couple of them hidden in constellations on the curtain (a really cool curtain, by the way), the room is devoid of Disney IP. Fine with me, as I regularly stress that Disney characters are not “theme.” Really, the only thing I dislike is the framed pictures on the walls (too modern and ‘artsy’), but the rest works well.
One thing that I think most definitely was a mistake was not putting a runner on the bed. As mentioned in our Pop Century New Rooms post, I think the beds look naked without this, and it’s an industry-wide trend I hope stops. Imagine how much better this room could look with the simple addition of a runner that looks like the throw pillows on the couch.
During our visit, we spoke with a higher-level Cast Member at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort who indicated that they had solicited a lot of feedback, particularly from conventioneers, prior to making the updates to the room.
Generally speaking, this is not particularly noteworthy. Disney regularly prefaces whatever decision is being made with, “Due to feedback from our guests…” Often, it’s used as cover to justify decisions that are going to be unpopular with fans.
What’s interesting here is that the Cast Member was clear that this feedback was actively sought from convention attendees, as opposed to families or other demographics. Supposedly, Disney created multiple different test rooms to aid in the redesign, too.
While we absolutely love the new style, I can envision a couple of complaints. The new style is a bit dark and drab; I think this is appropriate, as that’s the visual style of the resort as a whole, and if you want to brighten it up, opening the curtains fixes that.
I think this will also lead to people finding the rooms stuffier or less inviting. The older rooms were no doubt lighter and had more of a quintessential ‘fun’ Disney vibe to them, but I still think these rooms are nicer and more appropriate thematically.
Moreover, I think most business and convention-going guests, these new rooms will be a very welcome improvement, even if they don’t win over some Disney fans. Among hardcore fans and repeat families, Yacht Club is not a particularly popular resort. Like any resort, it has its fans, but many people regard it as stuffy and less kid-friendly.
I don’t see these changes moving the needle one way or the other for families. On the other hand, I think the changes make Yacht Club much more compelling for conventioneers, adults without kids, and those looking for a room that’s more understated.
While I liked the old room at Yacht Club, it look was starting to feel a bit tired and some of the rooms were worse for wear. The changes are nice upgrades, and make it feel more commensurate in quality with the high nightly price being charged.
(Note: If you’re wondering why the sheets aren’t discolored, the furniture is not trashed, and there’s not feces spread over every inch of the walls, it’s because we were here before Yacht Club became a post-apocalyptic canine wasteland. Now that Yacht Club is dog-friendly, we can only assume it looks like a worse version of Parkside Hotel & Suites now. Walt is rolling in his grave. Smh.)
Beyond the room changes, the hallways and some common areas have also been refurbished and look great. Some areas of Yacht Club were looking a bit worse for wear, so these refurbishments are very welcome.
As noted, Walt Disney World is currently expanding the Yacht Club convention center facility to nearly 100,000 square feet. Speaking of which, this DisneyMeetings.com press release details the other upgrades being made to improve the convention experience at Yacht Club. (It’s also an interesting read to see how Walt Disney World markets itself to conventioneers, I think.)
The dining scene at Yacht Club is also in the process of changing. The Market at Ale & Compass has already opened, with the next steps being a re-imagined lobby lounge and new concept for the former Captain’s Grille, which will become Ale & Compass Restaurant. Too bad none of these changes entail a fully-fledged counter service restaurant or food court. (Yacht Club is admittedly not the best spot for that, but one of the Crescent Lake resorts could use one!)
Overall, the Yacht Club room refurbishment seems like one of those rare times a change has been made in a Walt Disney World hotel that will please both the fan and non-fan constituencies. Conventioneers will appreciate the modern and fresh-looking rooms that are well-appointed and classy. Disney fans who were likely to book Yacht Club before will appreciate that there’s still a lot to the themed design. I’m sure there are still legitimate quibbles to be made with these new rooms, but frankly, I didn’t spot anything that I’d consider even remotely major. From my perspective, this is a job exceptionally well done by Walt Disney World.
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Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our take on the new Yacht Club rooms? Would you stay here, or is this resort off of your radar due to the refurbishment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The dog policy is news to me, and not good news. I try to stay in hotels that exclude pets.
Specifically, is the Beach Club also welcoming dogs?
And generally, what is WDW’s policy about pets in their hotels?
Love the new rooms – especially the new hard floor trend. Stayed at Yacht Club for the second time in May. The room had had a leak and the carpet was wet in spots which made the room damp and smelly. We love the location of the resort and will definitely be back with the upgrade.
Agree with most of your thoughts on the room, not mentioned are the lights on the clothes hanger rods, loved having that light. We are very pleased with no runners or decor pillows on the bed. We always took them off and stuck them in the closet . Do not like taking clean bedding and putting dirty pillows and runners on the bed. I assume that they were never cleaned with new guests. We like the the new floors seem like they easier to clean than carpet and am comfortable walking around on them with bare feet. Our room did not have the sand issue. The pocket door to the vanity sinks is great, my husband closes them in the early morning and I can sleep in, no light in the room and the noise is cut down. Thumbs up from us on the new rooms.
So how far along are they on the renovation process…are all the rooms completed yet??? We’re checking in on Saturday 21 Oct>
Yeah, certainly not an apocalyptic wasteland. Ha-ha! However, it did affect these people: “I’m so disappointed about this policy. We had a trip planned for the Yacht Club club level, where we have never stayed before, in just a few weeks and had to switch because our 9 year old son has an extreme phobia of dogs. The only option available to us was a regular room at a different resort and we lost the club level (which we planned our dining around), swimming in the sand-bottomed pool and walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It’s already hard enough for our family to go places because of dogs, so we were really looking forward to a dog-free atmosphere.” (copied from elsewhere)
We just stayed in a renovated room this weekend, and oh my goodness, we loved it so much! That rainfall shower is incredible – showered twice a day just because of it (oh, and it was grossly hot, too). Also, the pocket door to the toilet/shower is really great (we stayed the night before in an unrenovated Pop Century room, and the bathroom door swung inward so you had to squeeze between the toilet and bathtub to shut the door), and also like the sliding barn door to close off the sink area. The spa soaps in the room are super nice, the hairdryer is great. The beds are sooooo comfortable! It feels so much more expensive, the dark woods are very nice! I liked the appearance of the hardwood. We wondered if housekeeping prefers them to carpet – it might be more difficult to clean?
Did they have the mint foot lotion in the rooms?
Does dog friendly also mean cat friendly? Just sayin’
( lol )
I know this came up during the Pop Century discussion, but I found the lack of carpet in the rooms to be loud. We stayed there in September. We had a bad room location overall (by the elevator and housekeeping station), but the sound from the upstairs room was really amplified by the lack of carpet.
I had never stayed in the Yacht Club before, but I enjoyed the decor and the rooms, overall. I still think it’s a miss that the fine dining overlooks the pool, considering the clientele they are looking for.
My husband and I stayed here last month for the first time. We liked the rooms very much except we had one semi-comfy chair besides the desk chair with a king bed. I had expected a sofa or at least a love seat in the room. We had a sofa in our room at GF last year. Everything else was great! I have a hard time getting a good night sleep in any bed other than my own, but slept just fine at Yacht Club. I did feel the hallway carpet and colors were uninviting. Construction was going on at the resort, but didn’t bother us at all. We will definitely stay at Yacht Club again.
Yeah…I don’t know why they made the decision to *not* have a sofa in the king rooms when there’s more room for them than in the queen ones. Really an odd decision, I think.
Hey Tom! Great report on the room refurbishments! I think that this hits the nail on the head. I have really been excited for the changes at Pop and CS, but this refurb at Yacht is a slam-dunk! (Space Jam theme plays in head.) Question: is the couch a pull-out? It looks like it in the pictures. Would be nice for bigger families!
Forgot to mention that–yes, it is!
Thanks, Tom!
You pay the big bucks to stay in these resorts, because it is Disney, looks like any hotel room, anywhere, sad!
As the saying goes, it’s “location location location” that you’re paying for. The location of the Yacht Club is my favorite in WDW because of it’s proximity to the Boardwalk, and the short easy walk to EPCOT, and reasonable walk to DHS. I personally love the new decor, because although I am a Disney fan, I absolutely hate busy, visual clutter in rooms where I am going to sleep! Sure, themes are fun, but I want my sleeping quarters to be tranquil and calm. I say good job WDW on this renovation!
I agree with Jill about the overreaction to dog – friendly status. We’ ve stayed in many dog-friendly hotels, and did not see/smell any difference.
You forgot to mention they replaced the beds and the old lumpy pillows. They are as good as the contemporary beds which my son always says was so comfortable. However, the beds move on the platforms which with kids is a pain.
However, was a big upgrade imo. The wood floors are nice but sand from the pool gets everywhere and the maids were not cleaning them up well. Nothing worse than sand all over when walking around.
Oh and they upgraded the quick cafe so you don’t have to walk to beach for a decent quick breakfasts
I wonder if the bed replacement happened over time, partially before this? The bed we had on our previous stay at Yacht Club was pretty good.
One thing we noticed this trip (but maybe haven’t mentioned) is that the pillows in every single new room have been great.
Wood floors and sand are the worst. At home, no matter what we do, our floors perpetually have a grittiness to them from sand. It annoys me to no end, and I can never not wear socks.
Non-Disney-related, but have you tried a robot vacuum? We have a Neato Botvac and run it most days on our hardwood floors. It was a necessity for me when we switched from carpet to hardwood (no sand here, but German Shepherds and cats).
Tagging on to Kevin’s comment: I have a Eufy RoboVac and LOVE IT! I live on the beach in NC, and it does a fantastic job picking up sand from my hardwoods, which are saw cut so that’s an even bigger accomplishment. I let it roll while I’m at work (and my puppy is at daycare… it scares him), and my floors are all nice and vacuumed when I return. Granted, not “clean” like you would get when mopping, but that’s true with any vacuum. They’re expensive, but Santa’s Elf (my husband) brought one for me for Christmas last year with Black Friday deals. Real Steal!
I’ve actually been trying to get a robot vacuum for a while, but keep getting shot down (for good reason) because our dog goes berserk when *anything* moves on the ground.
Not only does he bark like crazy when said item moves, but if we put whatever it is away, he will whine at that closet for a good 2+ hours. Unfortunately, our only recourse at present is diligent sweeping by hand.
Oh Lordy! I thought I was seeing those photos the wrong way round! The first one is all bright n breezy & obviously yacht themed, the second is so boring it could be any hotel in the world! How disappointing.
I agree, I would rather stay in the rooms of before, much more fun which is what the Disney Parks are all about.
Is this the first WDW to use the Keurig coffee machine? I wish they all would, it would make it easier for guest to bring their own favorite choices. Any chance for a picture of this new found coffee maker for us that need a good cup of Joe before we subject the general public into seeing our faces? Thanks Tom et al for the continuing work of educating and entertaining us with your DTB.
100% agree on theme vs ip. One of the main reasons I pick various resorts is too experience something beyond conventional hotels. Guess that is why I love AKL, POLY, & WL to name a few. The new rooms at Yacht Club capture the theme well, at least according to pics. IP certainly has its place at a resort for example Disneyland Hotel. I like it but I prefer the “theming” of Grand Californian. Maybe the should build a deluxe along the lines of the DLH in Orlando.
‘Disney Decor’ definitely has its place. Disneyland Hotel, I’d agree, is one such place. Art of Animation is another resort that’s really fun and works well for what it is.
Where ‘Disney Decor’ is problematic is at resorts with existing, clearly-defined themes that drop thematically-rich elements for hidden mickeys and things of that sort because that’s easier, and many people view it as good enough. (This also is not to say that theme and Disney decor cannot co-exist–they absolutely can.)
I hate this new trend towards stark white bedding that looks like a hospital bed. I guess after so many years of “Special Reports” and blacklights showing the horrors of hotel bedding it was inevitable that eventually the industry would strip them down to the bare minimum so guests can immediately see that it’s clean. I’m not sure how a runner takes away from that, but hopefully at some point the twin impulses of theming and cleanliness can find a happy medium. The new Copper Creek villas seemed to have done a decent job on that level, which is why it’s so frustrating to see the runners gone here and at CSR and Pop.
Virtually everyone I know (and plenty of people I don’t) dislikes the trend of no bed runners. I cannot imagine it sticking around very long. I agree that the beds at Copper Creek look so much better with the runners–hopefully that’s the direction WDW starts to go.
As a mom, I love the stark white bedding! There is a practical purpose here. Imagine how much easier it will be to find stuffed animals, books, magic bands, little socks, etc. that temporarily disappear in the night? The fewer pieces of bedding and lighter colors there are on a hotel bed, the better!
I totally agree! I hate the new direction they are going with renovations being so stark. I actually loved the old Yacht Club rooms, aside from the carpet. It looks like the Mickey lamps are also gone 🙁
I like the new look overall, but really hate the choice in bedding. It feels too much like what you’d see on a hospital or dorm room. There’s no color, no accents, not even a plush comforter. Its not inviting in the least bit.
Even a simple colored edging or trim accent would have helped.
There are ways to do clean and polished without stripping down to sterile and uninviting. The poor choice in bedding just kills the entire impression for me. I’d pass on sleeping here for that reason alone.
I agree with you regarding the bedding, but I guess my response to it is not quite that strong.
Funny everyone here has complained about the bedding (I do to!!!), but it seems in your article that’s what “guests asked for?”. I know this is just a little cohort of people but wouldn’t the ones willing to spend that much money in a hotel room look much more like the ones who actually follow a “Disney” Forum which all agree the bedding is just terrible?
Ha, I don’t know if the lack of a bed runner is something that ‘guests asked for’ specifically. I’m betting how it occurred is Disney showed guests a variety of features in model rooms, and asked them to rate said features, which formed the basis for the final room.
A bed runner might have never been an option one way or the other.
Funny, I had the same reaction. New room looks good and definitely more in line with the common areas. Hallways look especially good.
That bedding is off. It’s so white, sterile, and boxy, making the mattress look like a brick. I guess as long as it’s comfortable, that’s what really matters?
We stayed in a renovated room in July and loved it. The 12 USB ports alone were enough to convince me of its greatness.
Going to disagree with the dog comments though. I think everyone is overreacting just a tad about it.
I dunno…until you can offer definitive proof to the contrary, I am going to assume that Walt Disney is, in fact, rolling in his grave over this news.
In retrospect, I don’t think I’d ever seen the inside of a Yacht Club guest room, and your before photo absolutely surprised me. I would have expected a room more in line with the post refurb decor. The previous decor definitely did not match what the common areas portrayed. I give Disney two thumbs up on this update.
I had the same thoughts!