Should You Stay at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club During the Pool Refurbishment?

If you enjoy spending time at Epcot a little more than anywhere else on your Walt Disney World vacations, you might consider staying at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club. We can’t get enough of either resort. However, someone recently asked if we would stay there during the upcoming pool refurbishment. In case you missed it, here’s the announcement from Disney:

This question gave me pause, but ultimately, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at either of these resorts, even if Stormalong Bay were closed for refurbishment. Why? We stay at Disney’s Beach Club for two reasons: the pool and the convenience factor. I have often stayed at the Beach Club to get to and from Epcot for special events like Festivals, Disney After Hours, and new attraction openings. Last year, we stayed at the Beach Club for the start of the Christmas season at Walt Disney World. We were so busy during our stay that we never used the pool.

However, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip or you’ve been considering upgrading to the Beach Club for some time, you’ll probably want to wait until the resort is operating at its full potential. When visiting with friends and family, we tend to stay at the Beach or the Yacht Club because of the pool. Most of our days are spent at Stormalong Bay, and we tend to visit the parks at night. We also plan more park visits to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on those trips because of their proximity.

Both the Beach and Yacht Club are only a short walk to Epcot. The map below shows the walking distance from the Yacht Club’s lighthouse to Epcot’s International Gateway. It’s 0.34 miles, which amounts to about an 8-minute walk. If you stay at Beach Club, you’ll shed about two minutes off that walk.

I cannot tell you how nice it is to exit the International Gateway at the end of the evening after seeing Luminous: The Symphony of Us, Epcot’s fireworks spectacular. But I’ll try.

Imagine leaving the park and walking past the longest line you’ve ever seen of guests waiting to board the Skyliner. You walk a few more feet, and you’re at the Beach Club. Okay, you might have to walk down a long hall to get to your room. But you’re not waiting in line. Before you know it, you’ve had a hot shower, and you’re tucked in bed with a quick snack while your favorite Disney cartoons are playing on the television. Wow. You realize you might still be en route to your resort if you stayed elsewhere. This is great!

It is great, and other than Stormalong Bay, this is the primary reason we repeatedly stay at the Beach and Yacht Club. So, while not having the pool is a downer, you still have one significant advantage when staying at the resort. Now, if you plan to spend a decent amount of time at the pool during your vacation, you should put the Beach or Yacht Club on hold. You might consider our list of the best Disney Resort pools if the pool is a deciding factor.

Again, we’re at Disney often, so my answer to this question might not be right for you. But hopefully, it provided enough information for you to make the right decision!

In the Comments

What do you think? Would you stay at a resort when the pool is closed? Is the Beach Club on your hotel bucket list? Let us know in the comments or on social media!