Disney's Beach Club and Villas Resort (Disney Deluxe/Deluxe Villas Resort) Reviews and Ratings - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Personal Review: We really adore the Beach Club. It offers upscale amenities with a laidback attitude, which results in a very relaxing stay. We enjoy both the regular guest rooms and the villas. We prefer the Beach Club over both the Yacht Club and the BoardWalk due to its more relaxed ambience.
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Of all the resorts I have stayed in this by far is in my top 2 of resorts. Probably because I love Epcot and you are just steps, yes just steps away from the International Gateway.
The lobby wasn't as grand as I thought it would be. It's rather small for such a large resort. The hallway rugs are gorgeous! I know that sounds weird to say but they really are pretty,as are the sconces that hang down the hallway with the little seahorses holding the lights up. The different shades blues and greens of the resort just set my mind to RELAX, very soothing to me.
Our room was located on the bottom floor facing the other wing of the building near the quiet pool. We were happy not to have a parking lot view as some people have had and did not like. Rooms were large and very pretty. The bathroom was the usual.
You can't beat the pool area for this resort. It really is like a small water park with a huge slide, lazy river and a sand bottom part for the little ones to dig around in. It can get a little crazy with people but rest assured only quests of the resorts (Beach Club & Yacht Club) are allowed in.
One thing that was bothersome was the refillable mug stations. There weren't any! You had to wait in line at Beaches & Cream to have your mug filled. If you ever been at Beaches & Cream it's a great place to eat but always packed full of people. I think they have changed it so you are able to fill them in the lobby store and I welcome that change.
The beach area is very nice with chairs and hammocks to lie in. Although you are not allowed to swim in the lake it is still nice to sit by. One night while we were there they were showing a movie on a huge blow up screen right on the beach. The kids were going crazy for it!
Transportation can't get much better! Not only do you have the option to walk over to Epcot you can take a boat as well. The same boat makes the rounds to all the resorts it's near as well as a stop at Disney's Hollywood Studios (formally know as MGM Studios). Buses take you to every park.
A short walk around the lake is the Boardwalk with lots of restaurants and shopping to be had. Near the Swan and Dolphin hotel is Fantasia Mini Golf which gave us a nice calm way to end our day.
The Beach Club Resort is a favorite of our family, especially as the kids have grown older. My first trip to the BC was back in 1994 with my parents, but for my family, we've stayed there in May 2003, May 2004, April 2005, and August 2006. As you can see, we keep going back!!
There's nothing more fun that walking into the lobby of the BC, and being greeted by Art the Greeter!! He's a mainstay at the BC, and such a great man! He even signed my DS's autograph book on our last visit!!
We have spent time in both standard rooms and waterview rooms at the BC. One thing that both have going for them is the size of the rooms. Plenty of room to spread out and not be on top of one another! Also having the daybed in the room is another great feature! We've also had full balconies and the "mini" balcony and I much prefer the full balcony so you can go out and relax on it. Our favorite room so far as been a 1st floor room, overlooking the quiet pool. While it was quite a walk from SAB, it was much closer to Epcot and made for less walking at the end of a long day.
Of course, one of the best things going for the BC is it's location. You just can't beat being able to walk into two parks (we have walked to MGM - sorry DHS)! And having the Boardwalk and it's amenities just across the way is another plus.
I cannot say enough good things about SAB. We have yet to go to a water park, mainly because the hotels that we've stayed at have such great pools. There's something for everyone at SAB. A kiddie slide, the big Pirate slide (which is just as fun for adults as it is for kids), the whirlpool section to spin you round and round. Just swimming along the lazy river section, and of coursing, hanging out under the waterfalls When the kids were younger, we spent the majority of our time in the shallow section, making it easier for the kids so they could swim (and touch bottom at the same time). Plus there is a great area for making sandcastles! Now that they are bigger and better swimmers, we're able to experience the rest of SAB, and love it even more!
The BC has some great food options. With the renovation/creation of the BC Marketplace, this has turned out to be a fabulous option. From grabbing something quick, to refilling your mug, to getting some gelato! Hurricane Hannah's is another great option when you're hanging out at SAB. And who can forget Beaches & Cream! Great burgers and onion rings, and don't forget to leave room for ice cream. We've also eaten at Cape May Cafe for both breakfast and dinner. Both offer a wide variety of options that would suit everyone
If you haven't stayed at the BC resort, I'd highly recommend it!
I had the opportunity to stay at the Beach Club Villas (the DVC portion of the resort) thanks to the kindness of a great friend. We stayed in a one-bedroom villa that was spacious and attractive.
The one bedroom had a king sized bed and a TV. The main room had a small kitchen, with dishwasher, full-sized fridge, and a washer/dryer. There was also a pull-out sofa bed and TV, plus a small dining table.
My son was completely enamored of the pool -- Stormalong Bay is like a mini water park and absolutely blew us all away.
The proximity to Epcot is the biggest draw of all. So magical just to walk a few minutes and be inside a park (and the reverse is great when you leave -- no waiting on a long line for a cramped bus!)
We dined at the Yachtsman Steakhouse and had a great meal with unparalled service. We also did the character breaksfast at the Cape May Cafe and found the food to be the best breakfast buffet on property, hands down!
This resort seriously makes me want to become a DVC memer!
The drawbacks are that the buses to the other parks are a little slow and you share them with other resorts. The boat to MGM is nice, but also slow. The theming is spot-on in terms of a "beachy" Atlantic Coast resort, but with a very low-key Disney/Mickey vibe, which might not be appealing to everyone. Also, the fireworks from Epcot are very loud -- the finale will shake you out of your chair if you're not expecting it (but that's true of several resorts on property.)
DH and I love BC! We've really come to appreciate it's muted splendor. The location can't be beat if you're an Epcot fan...it's so relaxing to stroll back to BC while the masses are flooding the main entrance after Illuminations
We also love the beach access. Of course swimming is prohibited, but being able to stretch out on a lounge chair and put your feet in the sand is a small vacation on it's own.
Cons: The bus service. We've found that the deluxe resorts across the board (maybe with the exception of AKL) have horrid bus service. Many of them share and that's no exception at the BC. The busses are sporadic and then they stop at the Boardwalk, and the Swan and Dolphin.
Price-this is definitely one of the pricier deluxes
Pros: Location location location. So close to Epcot There's really nothing like feeling as though you're sleeping in Epcot's backyard!
Lots of food choices! With several eateries at the Yacht/ Beach Club, you're also just a few minute walk from the deliciousness that the Boardwalk has to offer.
Stormalong Bay-best pool on property.
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Suzie
Move over Picasso!
Last edited by Suzie&Jay; 01-09-2008 at 10:49 AM..
Beach Club is one of my faves. The walk to Epcot is almost nonexistent, and to MGM is only aboutm 15 minutes (faster than the boat). Access to the Boardwalk with all its restaurants is another plus. The pool is the best at WDW. The theming is fabulous. The rooms are a very nice size. We had an Epcot view last time. My only complaint is that it is very pricey
We really loved the Beach Club itself. SAB was amazing, you can't beat the walk to Epcot, and the rooms are very comfortable.
Everything was better than we expected...with the exception of customer service. We visited the first 2 weeks of December 2007 and found many of the CM's at the Beach Club suffering from a case of indifference. In the past, we've become accustomed to nothing short of exceptional Disney Service, but the CM's of the Beach Club (primarily Front Desk, Valet, Concierge, maintenance and BC Marketplace) fall short of making the mark. Unfriendly and apathetic are two words that I wouldn't hesitate to use describe the cast members.
The only possible negative I could think of about the facility itself is that the lobby itself is rather small and clausterphobic. Since the BC is a popular 'resort hop' destination, you'll always find it a bit crowded (especially in December). However, there are plenty of other public areas that are very enjoyable and peaceful - search them out.
I truly hope that our experience is the exception and not the rule. However, if excellent Disney Level Customer Service is important to you (especially from a Deluxe Level Resort) you could be disappointed.
Although we loved the BC resort facilities themselves, I'm sorry to say we won't return due to the poor service.
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Countdown to April/May 2014 Boardwalk Inn.....3 Generations trip with my mom (first trip) and DS9 (fourth trip). DS's gonna show his Gramma the world!
Last edited by dizzparkmom; 01-09-2008 at 08:00 PM..
Disney Beach Club Villas is our DVC home. We've stayed here several times, the last one being November 2006.
The lobby is on the smallish side, but it feels more like you're walking into a home instead of a sprawling resort. I really like that you walk in the front doors and you can see out the back doors.
I find the rooms are very comfortable and spacious, especially the 2 bedroom villas. Having the washer and dryer in the room is the best thing, really it is, especially if you have kids! This allows you all to pack alot less clothes, which leaves room for more souvenirs!
I only wish that the fold out sofas would be a little more comfortable.
The bathrooms are very big and the sink outside is the best thing.
The newly remodeled Marketplace gets a mixed review from me. While I like the offerings: gelato, sandwiches, groceries; the resort merchandise is lackluster at best.
I can only think of 1 con with this resort and that's is the bus sharing thing. I could see sharing with Yacht Club and Boardwalk, but to share with the Swan and Dolphin too? That's 5 resorts and makes for some very, very long rides.
We are DVC Members and the Beach Club Villas are our favorite location to stay. We like the accessiblility to Epcot for all the eateries there as well as the accessibility to other things.
You can walk to Epcot through the back entrance, so much shorter lines. You can even then take the monorail from Epcot to Magic Kingdom. You can take a boat to MGM/HS. A bus to all else, but you have to bus it at times from whereever you stay.
The Storm Along Bay pool is the best. It has a sand bottom, a childs section, current river section, slides, waterfalls...etc. We usually don't go to water park if we stay here.
We love the room service if you have to use it. The Villas are accessible to the rest of the resort as well as Yacht club and the Board Walk. You can walk to Swan and Dolphin as well, although we never have.
The biggest con would be that the bus does stop at 5 resorts total. Swan, Dolphin, Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach club. You do hear the fire works from Epcot at night, but that does not bother us. The other is that you can get a room that is very far from the elevator, so LONG walks to your room.
Other than that, I have nothing bad to say. As for Magic. I think anything Disney does has Magic. It does feel like you are at the beach and especially when there is an actual beach outside.
__________________
Janelle Brookman
Mommy to Elizabeth
Wife to Michael
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We stayed at the Beach Club for the first time just last month (Dec. 2007) and loved it. We were in room 4611 (I think ). The first room we were given had a teeny balcony, and we had requested a full one. So I called the front desk and within 5 minutes we had another room with a full balcony. It was a water view room so our view was of the beach in front of us and then the water. I loved sitting out there on the balcony.
The resort itself is beautiful. We loved the smell of the gingerbread carousel in the lobby.
The room was clean and spacious (even for our family of 5).
Everyone was extremely pleasant and kind. On our first night, we tried putting our 2-year old in the bed to sleep, but that didn't work so well. A portacrib was brought to our room at 1:00 in the morning. They were so nice about it. Then we all slept great for the rest of the week!
The location just can't be beat. We walked over to Epcot just about every day. Even when we went to other parks during the day, at night we'd stroll over to Epcot and walk around the countries, shop, etc. Such a short walk. We also walked over to the Boardwalk and enjoyed that as well. And we never waited long for the boat to MGM, or the buses to MK or AK or DTD.
We all loved the beach, pool area, sandy bottom, slide, etc. at the Beach Club as well. We spent time there on several afternoons in between park activities.
Not sure when our next trip will be, but I think we'll be staying at the Beach Club again when we go back.
While our usual resort is the Yacht Club, we spent a few nights over at the Beach Club Concierge in October to go down for a long weekend.
I will say that I loved the theme and decor more than the Yacht Club. Done in pastels and had a softer look to it than of the Yacht Club. It does a great job fitting with the beach theme and another perk is that it does share the same pool as the Yacht Club. Another perk to this resort over the Yacht Club is that in their store, you can get coffee, soda, snacks and whatnots...the Yacht Club doesnt offer that. Always nice to be on the "loops" of resorts and if you have energy left at night to do a walk over to the Boardwalk and check out some side shows.
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Kim
"I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."-- John Bingham
This resort comes a very close second to the Boardwalk Villas as my favourite Disney resort. We spent an exceptionally enchanting two weeks here in a lovely studio that overlooked Epcot with a great view of the nightly fireworks.
You certainly can't beat the location. From the villas, it's a very short walk to the International Gateway and World Showcase. We found the staff here to be accommodating and friendly. The ambience was wonderful. Although the lobby is definitely not huge, the other public areas are spacious and comfortable. We found the bus service to be excellent during our stay but we only had to share with the Yacht Club while we were there.
The pool has to be experienced to be believed. Stormalong Bay is nothing short of amazing and it was also handy that one of the hot tubs is inside so that it was still easy to use even during inclement weather. Having a character meal right there at the hotel was also a lovely perk. And it was an excellent character meal at that. And we're totally addicted to the ice cream concoctions to be found at Beaches and Cream.
Since we're DVC members, the room charge was not an issue for us. In conclusion, I think that the Beach Club Villas is hard to beat as a relaxing, magical place to stay while at WDW.
Joy
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1968 - Disneyland
1976 - Offsite
1984 - Offsite
February, 2003 - All Star Music
August, 2003 - Animal Kingdom Lodge & Wilderness Lodge
December,2003 - Wilderness Lodge
December, 2004 - Beach Club Villas
August, 2005 - Port Orleans, French Quarter
November/December, 2005 - Old Key West
July/August, 2006 - Disneyland Hotel
January, 2007 - Boardwalk Villas
We rented points at the Villas which ended up being affordable to our wittle budgets, otherwise we never would have been able to stay. This is our favorite LOCATION of all, being able to walk to Epcot/MGM is divine. Being able to stroll home from World Showcase after Illuminations is my favorite way to spend an evening, and even better when there are still nightlife activities happening on the nearby Boardwalk The resort's atmosphere is not-my-style....if we were ever to rent points in this area again, we'd go for the peppier Boardwalk resort especially when it requires fewer points to stay. Sadly we never got a chance to swim in Stormalong Bay, but we did have a nice view of Spaceship Earth from our room.
For me, the location of this resort is its main benefit.
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Last edited by simbarel; 05-10-2008 at 05:22 PM..
Reason: it didnt save my ratings
I stayed in a studio at BCV from May 4-8. I arrived at the resort at 10:00 am and my room was ready! When I got to my room there was a Mickey head towel creation on my bed. What a great way to start my stay! My room was a pretty far walk from the elevators on the 4th floor. It was clean and well maintained. There was a light bulb burnt out, but when I mentioned it to the bellman he said he would call engineering for me. When I returned to my room later that day it was fixed.
The best thing about my room was that I had an Epcot view and could see the high fireworks from Illuminations from my balcony. I over looked a road, but with the trees that were planted I didn't even know it was there until my third day when I ate lunch on my patio and heard car noises in the distance. It was really fairly quiet.
I enjoyed resort. Art should be declared a National Treasure. If you stay here be sure to make some time to meet him and have a conversation. He is one of the most gentle, posistive people I have ever met. SAB is so relazing. I spent a couple of afternoons enjoying all of the amenities there. Yes - even 52 years olds enjoy water slides! The only restaurant I ate in was the Deli at Beach Club Marketplace and it was fine. They have a decent selection and I got plenty of use out of my refillable mug.
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When the kids were younger, we spent the majority of our time in the shallow section, making it easier for the kids so they could swim (and touch bottom at the same time). Plus there is a great area for making sandcastles! Now that they are bigger and better swimmers, we're able to experience the rest of SAB, and love it even more!
There was also a pull-out sofa bed and TV, plus a small dining table.
Suzie
Love the Beach Club :)
My room was a pretty far walk from the elevators on the 4th floor. It was clean and well maintained. There was a light bulb burnt out, but when I mentioned it to the bellman he said he would call engineering for me. When I returned to my room later that day it was fixed. 
The only restaurant I ate in was the Deli at Beach Club Marketplace and it was fine. They have a decent selection and I got plenty of use out of my refillable mug.
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