Yacht Club Resort Stay Report
As Walt Disney World’s phased reopening continues, so too do our hotel stays. In this resort report, we return to Yacht Club to check out the new health safety protocol, enhanced room cleaning, dining, Stormalong Bay pool crowds, and more.
Our stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort was at the beginning of September 2020, shortly after the hotel’s reopening. We booked this ‘strategically’ on the very first day of maximum savings offered by the Florida resident and Annual Passholder “Rediscover the Magic” room discounts.
We were initially a bit apprehensive about choosing these dates; there are only two brief windows where the largest percentage off from that deal intersects with the lowest rate seasons at Yacht Club. Consequently, we worried there might be a surge of locals and APs booking for the same dates, taking advantage of a rare opportunity for Yacht Club at under $300 per night. Our fears turned out to be totally unfounded…
This ended up being the least-busy we’ve ever seen Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. I would say it was the least-busy we’ve seen the Crescent Lake area, but that distinction still goes to our stay at the BoardWalk Villas the night those reopened back in June.
However, this experience at Yacht Club came really close to that. Definitely less busy than our August stay at Caribbean Beach or prior visits to other hotels in the last month. It’s pretty clear that off-season has arrived at Walt Disney World and we’d expect this to continue with a handful of exceptions (Labor Day weekend being the big one) through October.
Anyway, let’s start the Yacht Club stay report with a look at our room…
My first move when entering any Deluxe Resort room at Walt Disney World is racing to the balcony to check out the view and seating arrangement. This is a relatively ‘new move’ that’s driven by our stays the last couple of years in the Crescent Lake area.
BoardWalk Inn, Beach Club, and Yacht Club are home to some “quirky” rooms due to the configuration of the resorts. For the most part, this is a good thing. These rooms have personality and are different from their standard counterparts. However, we’ve had some poor luck with balconies on this front, getting a couple of rooms with standing-only balconies or other unusable options.
So imagine my surprise when I open the balcony door and there’s balcony as far as the eye can see. Finally–payment for our patience! Or so I thought.
Then I saw another guest in the corner of “our” balcony. It turned out this large terrace was actually a shared balcony for 4 different guest rooms, making it a bit awkward to use. It would’ve been awesome for a large group booking a block of rooms, but that wasn’t our situation.
Oh well. I still enjoyed the balcony and used it both early in the morning and late at night, never really “encountering” our neighbors again. Back inside, here’s a look at the enhanced cleaning sign.
We noticed a couple of spots where our room’s cleaning clearly was not so “enhanced,” but we didn’t really care. (Of course, it’d be nice if the room were clean–but it doesn’t bother us from a health safety perspective.) Personally, I wish Disney would emphasize what they’re doing in terms of ventilation and air filtration rather than so much focus on hygiene theater.
Another look at the room. We are both big fans of the new rooms at Yacht Club. That’s an unpopular opinion, but our take is that there are a lot of subtle details–both thematic and dashes of Disney–that most guests miss.
We’ve been highly critical of Walt Disney World’s recent room redesigns, but Yacht Club’s is an exception to that. These rooms are actually under-appreciated. The details are better, the functionality is markedly improved, and the rooms are now a better thematic match with the resort as a whole. They aren’t perfect, but they’re an upgrade.
On that note, it’s interesting how personal preferences change over time. There was a time when I strongly favored Beach Club, feeling it offered the kind light-hearted “vacation mode” escape perfectly befitting Walt Disney World.
I still sort of feel that way and prefer Beach Club, but the gap has narrowed tremendously. There are also several aspects of Yacht Club that are more to my tastes–with the rooms being the biggest example of this. (I’m not a fan of Beach Club’s new rooms.)
Bouncing to dining, here’s a look at the Market at Ale & Compass, which is Yacht Club’s counter service restaurant and gift shop.
Mobile Order is available here, but so too is ordering at the counter. This is a suitable option in a pinch (we did a late night meal here after “forgetting” to eat dinner in EPCOT during this stay), but it’s nothing special.
The table service Ale & Compass Restaurant has also returned, and it was pretty busy for dinner–even relatively late at night. It was somewhat odd to see the lobby totally devoid of guests but Ale & Compass with a “full” (reduced capacity) house. This is pretty common at resorts right now, and is due to a lack of options and earlier park closing times.
As we’ve noted countless times, we’re only dining outdoors at Walt Disney World to err on the side of caution. Several readers have asked how more ‘open air’ restaurants fit with this. I don’t have the necessary expertise to offer a definitive assessment, but I’d personally feel more comfortable dining somewhere like Chef Mickey’s than the Wave, for example. Though the difference is less pronounced, I’d also favor the better-ventilated Ale & Compass over Beaches & Cream.
This comes down to a mix of personal risk tolerances, mitigation, and reward. My desire to dine at Chef Mickey’s is less than zero, so I’m willing to take no level of risk to dine there (I suspect the greatest danger at Chef Mickey’s is still the food).
By contrast, I want to dine at Yachtsman Steakhouse with every fiber of my being, even though it’s unquestionably higher risk. It’s not yet open, so “thankfully” I don’t have to make that tough decision yet.
That’s not meant to be flippant. Realistically, society is unlikely to ever return to zero levels of risk when it comes to all of this. Daily life will become safer over time for a variety of reasons (again, this is a temporary abnormal rather than new normal), but the best case still likely involves non-zero risk when doing certain things, such as dining indoors.
Part of what’ll happen is that risk-taking will increase over time as we collectively grow fatigued and habituated to this. Obviously, different people have different risk tolerances–that’s already evident. Mine just so happens to be influenced by steak. Even then, I wouldn’t yet be comfortable dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse if it reopened today. (I can still daydream!)
Moving along, one thing I love about staying at the Crescent Lake resorts is getting up before sunrise for quiet strolls and, if conditions are right, frantic photography.
Thanks to a comedy of errors, this stay was not conducive to that. After waking up a little late, I was in a hurry to get out of the room…and didn’t realize I wasn’t wearing a face mask until in the lobby. I raced back to the room and grabbed it, losing about 5 minutes in the process.
As a result of our balcony ‘situation’, I choose to leave my camera bag in the room overnight instead of leaving it on the balcony like normal. The huge difference in temperature meant my lenses were fogged up for a good 10-15 minutes once down by the dock.
Once my photography gear finally did warm up and the condensation went away, I discovered that my battery was dead. It had three bars left as of the previous night, so I can only assume this was due to the dramatic temperature change.
Honestly, I’d rather have multiple impediments than just one. A single error is frustrating because you’re so close but still just as far away. Many problems enters the realm of ‘comic mishaps’ that are easier to laugh off.
In any case, all of the sunrise photos here are previously-unedited ‘file footage’ from our last stay at Yacht Club. The sunrise this particular morning sucked anyway.
The bigger issue with the dead battery was that I hadn’t taken most of the photos I needed for this post. We spent the previous day enjoying our time at Yacht Club, not overly fixated on photos.
The plan was to grab most of what I needed the following morning, which is pretty par for the course. Have fun one day, document the next. Consequently, much of what you see here was shot with my iPhone. (Pretty remarkable how much phone camera quality has improved in recent years!)
Both Stormalong Bay and the quiet pools were totally uncrowded throughout our stay.
There were times when the quiet pools had literally no one in them, and Stormalong Bay was the least busy I’ve ever seen it outside of winter. Definitely slower than normal, even for an off-season weekday.
Expect that to change on weekends, as we’ve already seen more Floridians doing “staycations” when off work.
That’s probably also when Walt Disney World will see more Annual Passholders from the South taking advantage of the exceptional discounts.
However, it’s still good news to see significantly fewer people in Stormalong Bay. Our last couple of strolls around Crescent Lake, the pools at BoardWalk Inn and Beach Club were all packed.
Reopening Yacht Club means more guests staying in the Crescent Lake area, but it appears to us that the increased pool capacity is far greater than the increase in people.
Finally, a quick note about transportation as there have been recent questions about it. The FriendShip boats around Crescent Lake and to/from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT are not currently operating. Neither is the EPCOT monorail line between the front of that park and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Neither the boats nor the EPCOT monorail have reopening dates. We don’t have any insight as to when they’ll resume, but our guess is Spring 2021 at the earliest. Perhaps Christmas/New Year’s, but that seems doubtful.
Ultimately, another great stay save for the ongoing balcony bummers and my unforced error with sunrise photography. Yacht Club continues to move its way up my list of favored Walt Disney World resorts; it truly is underrated in a number of ways. With convention business nonexistent for the foreseeable future, hopefully the discounts continue to flow at Yacht Club.
Thanks to a mix of hotel deals and low occupancy, plus our supply of DVC points and the likelihood that 2021 will be difficult to book with those points, we’re planning on doing several stays over the next 4 months. So, hopefully you enjoy these resort reports! Next up are Pop Century and Disney’s Riviera Resort. Let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see from those properties.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort since it reopened? What do you think of all the modifications? Experienced Stormalong Bay? Have any anecdotes of your own to share with regard to the pools or rooms? Will you be booking a resort reservation for Walt Disney World this fall, or are these rules/restrictions/policies going to cause you to postpone? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We just stayed at Yacht Club from 9/3-9/4. It’s been a dream of mine for over 20 years to do that pool and it finally came true. Spending $300/night is a tough ask but with the crowd levels where they were, it was worth it. The weather worked out for us and we had plenty of pool time.
We had an updated room and loved it. Way nicer inside than the room at Kidani we moved to afterwards. It might seem like a small detail, but the lighting makes a lot of difference for me. Yacht Club had daylight and LED lights; Kidani had VERY orange-y bulbs and it felt very dark and dingy.
It felt dead there on Thursday but then even as early as 9am on Friday, there were always 5-10 groups of people waiting in the lobby to check in for the holiday weekend. We were at the pool until 2 that day and still never had the feeling it was anywhere close to approaching being crowded.
To note, they changed Stormalong Bay hours: they were 9-9 on 9/3, then moved to 10-10 on 9/4. No notice of the change though – the signs even had the 9-9 hours posted while we were waiting outside the gates at 9:30 for the lifeguards to come open the pool at 10. (The same thing happened at Kidani, too – 9-9 hours on 9/4 but then they moved those with no notice to 10-10 on 9/5 … and we were stuck outside waiting a second time.) I understand extending the pool hours over a holiday weekend, but why does it have to come at the expense of opening an hour later? … especially when you know there are a lot of guests there that weren’t able to get park passes.
Other than that blip, the Yacht Club stay was fantastic. I’d love to say I’d be back there, but the price is going to be a problem for us. The location is great for getting to Epcot or MGM, but it’s a catch-22: if I’m taking advantage of the location by walking to the parks, I’m missing out on their pool.
Hey Tom,
Can you please take pics of the food that they are selling at Pop Century when you stay there? Thank you!
Diann J.
Tom – If there was a phrase that is overly used and prone to fear it is “ the new normal”. Thank you so much for using the phrase “temporary abnormal”. We are going to get through this if we all work together.
Tom, thank you for the insight with regard to the Yacht Club. It has been a dream of mine to stay there but it is not affordable. Pop Century is my favorite along with Swan and Dolphin. I thought the rooms at the Yacht Club would be more spacious, but I was not impressed when I saw the pictures that you posted. We have been to Disney several times and always Hotel Hop to see what other places have to offer. The lobby of the Yacht club is warm and inviting and the grounds are beautiful.
I am glad I kept reading before replying! I was worried the end times were upon us when it sounded like you were giving an edge to Chef Mickey’s over, well, anything. 🙂
That shared balcony is sketchy. I would not like that at all especially given it is not cheap to stay there. I’ve been to YC both before the redone rooms and after. Prefer the new rooms immensely. Very functional and nice. Good post Tom.
They tried sticking our group with that balcony and we asked to move. No privacy at all!
Tom- Thank you. Your reasoning and written expression of it is light years above most of what one can find on WDW. COVID-19 raises the stakes for WDW reporting and you provide what’s needed. We wish/hope that most people and also want to err on the side of caution, but are continually surprised to learn otherwise. We also find nothing compelling about dining at indoor restaurants at this point, even for good steak. Similarly, we don’t find vacationing via airplane compelling for the foreseeable future and so, being in the NE, opted to cancel our annual pass. Is WDW addressing ventilation issues? There is clearly much that could be done and that would be generally helpful in reducing germ transmission even when COVID poses less of a threat. This would be a great time for Disney to lead by example–support research into what’s helpful in terms of HEPA filtration and/or UVC sanitation. Install accordingly. Does anyone there listen to you?
Great post,Tom!
It looks like you had stormalong bay, all to yourselves 🙂 how have the pool crowds been since reopening, morning vs. evening? We have a split stay coming up at Coronado springs, followed by, 8nights at Riviera villas.
Has anyone experienced the wait times for the boats or buses from Wilderness Lodge? We are trying to decide if we should move our reservation next week to Bay Lake Tower. Thanks!
The Yacht Club is our favorite resort!! We love the smell the most lol.. and the overall area, feeling, and look. Being within walking distance to Epcot is fantastic. I hate that the boats aren’t running yet but I can understand why. I think the Yacht Club is often underrated.. that it seems “stuffy” as compared to the Beach Club, but it has that homey feeling to me. I am so sad that we have changed our plans from November of this year and pushed it back to next year. I am seeing all of your wonderful posts and pictures, but my husband and I are afraid to book our once every two/three years trip when we feel like we won’t be able to do all the things we normally get to do. So sad, but I know things will get better. Any big changes going on for the 50th anniversary next year? I think it will be cool to say we went that year, so holding off may be good for that reason.
We leave in three weeks for a stay at the Yacht Club. We originally had park reservations for Epcot and The Studios. Having gone to The Studios last week we decided on Epcot And Animal Kingdom. What dining options are currently available in the hotel and immediately area. We have breakfast booked at Ale And Compass and we’re going to eat at Epcot but wanted to know what other choices we had.
Love this timely post! I just recently secured a stay at the Beach Club Villas with my AP discount for Oct. 26-30. Thanks for the info.
BTW- I also got a discount code through my email.
Staying the week of September 13. I’ve planned the week, but it’s not too late to make some daily park changes. I there only for the low crowds, so I’m avoiding the weekends. I wonder if I should hit Magic Kingdom on Monday (the 14th) before the Halloween decorations hit on the 15th. Thoughts? Thanks!
I don’t think you need to strategically plan around the Halloween decorations to avoid crowds. Worst-case is there’s a slight spike in bloggers and vloggers whatever day that happens, but even that is only a few dozen people.
There’s also a reasonable probability the decorations go up a day or two early, which is something you can’t plan for, anyway.
Thanks, Tom! Really, really appreciate your advice. When I saw the AP reservations hit max levels on the 15th for MK, I got a bit concerned about the rest of the week. Thanks again!
We are staying at Yacht Club in a couple weeks. We have an early breakfast reservation at Riviera one morning. We won’t have a car, so what is the best way to get there? Thank you!!!
If it’s before the Skyliner starts operating (and it probably is), car is literally the only option for getting there–either a rental, Uber/Lyft, or taxi.
The best way to get from Yacht Club to Riviera would be walking to the Epcot Skyliner station and riding the Skyliner to Riviera. However, if your “early” breakfast reservation is before the Skyliner starts running for the day, then you’d need to take a Lyft or taxi.
Thank you for the Yacht Club report. I am looking forward to your Riviera review and whether or not you think it is “worth it.” The rooms are beautiful, but it is hard to justify the high point/monetary cost. I have not stayed there, but I have been on a DVC tour at the resort. I thought the resort was beautiful, but it did not feel like “home.” We left the Riviera tour and went to check in at Kidani Village. We looked at each out and said, “Now, this is home.”
I have trips booked for the last week of September and November. I am hoping Annual Pass sales resume by then as I am getting increasing anxious that I will be canceling a trip. (Our DVC passes expired at the start of the closure.) Thank you for allowing us to live vicariously through you and Sarah while we await our trips.
We already have a Riviera Review from our previous stay there: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/riviera-resort-review/
I’m not even sure what added insight will come out of another stay at the Riviera. We’ve been there several times since June, and I haven’t seen anything particularly noteworthy. One of us really likes the rooms. The other wishes we were doing a BoardWalk view stay instead.
I absolutely love RIVIERA! My main complaint is the view of Caribbean Beach Resort. I wish Riviera was a 100% epcot Resort with views of Epcot instead.
Family and I will be doing a stay at Yacht (for the first time) Thanksgiving week.
Jason, thanks for your comments on the Riviera. I’m doing an upcoming split stay, starting the week at the Riviera and ending at the Poly Villas. Both are new for me and I’m excited. I’ve stayed at the Yacht Club a few times since the remodel. I really love the Yacht Club. The views of the Boardwalk are fantastic. Being able to walk to EPCOT and Hollywood is a huge plus. The number of restaurants is also great. I’m almost convincing myself to change my resort plans! Hope you have a great vacation.
Thanks for the review. My family and our friends are booked at the Yacht Club next year in August, and we are hoping for a room discount or dining plan to be made available. Since we do not know what the new norm is for August vacations, what do you think the odds are for getting some kind of discount next year??
“what do you think the odds are for getting some kind of discount next year??”
Pretty good.
Staying at Beach Club in late September. With Friendship boats out of service, would you recommend Skyliner, bus, or walking to get there before 10am? Secondly, what were the hours for Stormalong Bay during your visit? Would like to know if we can do a day at MK til close & still swim that night. TIA!
Sorry, getting where from where?
Stormalong Bay hours are 9 am to 9 pm. (That could change though–definitely more demand for the evening hours than the morning ones.)
From Breach Club to DHS in time from rope drop to enter the Rise lottery
Walking will be fastest–without a doubt. Have fun!
Love the pictures and all of your posts
Thanks for the kind words!
I made a reservation for Beach club and accordingly made plans for Epcot and HS. As Disney then announced Beach club was not reopening I was hoping they’d move me to Yacht club – but they “upgraded” me to Grand Floridan. Can’t complain at that as such but it makes it more inconvenient for my park choices
Personally, I’d take the GF upgrade, but if you really would prefer to be at Yacht Club, consider calling and speaking to someone. You’d be requesting a downgrade (price-wise), so I’m sure they’d be willing to accommodate.
Good to hear. We are arriving at the Yacht Club mid November. I sure hope the pool is just as deserted as your photos show! (And the weather is conducive to using it!)
It’s always a pleasure to read your posts.
Thanks, Tom! Love the pictures and thoughts on your visit. The Yacht Club is great. I’m visiting mid-September and would be open to a split stay. Does your stay strategy change with the reopening conditions?
Only if you’re planning on staying at Swan & Dolphin. Otherwise, split stays are currently working as normal–have fun!
Darn it! If only I would have known you were at Yacht Club! I just left Boardwalk! I would have gotten your autograph and a quick pic! We stayed 8/28-9/5 and the Boardwalk Villas were very quiet as well as the boardwalk and the theme parks! We walked on everything in under 20 minutes- the longest part was the trek from the entrance to the attraction! It was HOT!! Your recommended cooling towels saved the day!! Made unbearable heat tolerable! Overall, low crowds, low prices at resorts (we rented DVC points) Thanks for updates Tom!!
Awesome to hear you had a good trip–looks like you got out right before the holiday crowds hit, too (so good timing there). The heat has been even more brutal than normal, but the low crowds & waits have made up for it!