Hi all! Jordan reporting back after her February 2023 Disney World trip and boy do I have a lot to share with y’all! In short – it was great . . . minus an icky stomach bug. But you know what the best part about having a stomach bug at Disney World is? It’s the staff, who go above and beyond to ensure that you are being taken care of. It was so nice to know that Disney World resorts, and the Yacht Club in particular, are prepared for this sort of thing. I can’t imagine how many times the stomach bug has made its way through the resorts. Infinity times? But whether it’s been one time or one million, they sure knew what to do, and went above and beyond to ensure our experience was still (somehow) magical.
The Yacht Club is Ryan’s favorite resort (it’s one of mine, but we’ll get to that later) because of the location, but it now is his favorite for other reasons, too. This trip, we stayed on the fifth floor, which is the Regatta Club at Yacht. All Disney World Deluxe resorts have a “club level” floor, which is basically just a fancy-shmancy floor with extra perks, but I have never seen the value in staying at one before, until our amazing travel planner snagged us a room. And all I have to say is . . . TAKE MY MONEY! I realize that these club level floors are expensive, and they are not Disney must-dos. However, they ARE an added expense that can surprisingly save you some money when it comes to dining, and you feel the benefits when you return to your clean room every day after the parks and crash on your warm, freshly-made bed. The personal concierge saved us so many trips to the front desk; the cast members were such a cheerful sight every time we stepped off the elevator. However, a deep-dive into the club level floor at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is coming in another blog post that will be available shortly, because there is truly too much to cover here.
When we pulled up the Yacht Club, it was like coming home after a long trip away. Immediately, we were helped out of the car and our luggage was swept away as we were welcomed into the lobby. This resort received a pretty expansive remodel in 2021 that continued into 2022 with a refurbishment of the floors, and everything felt very new and clean and extravagant. I find it so funny that some Disney World fans classify The Yacht Club as stuffy. In my opinion, The Yacht Club feels like an upscale resort that you might find in the Northeast and is reminiscent of those early Mickey cartoons. Sure, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and it isn’t the most character-heavy resort on property, which can be a bummer for the kids if they want that immersive resort experience. But stuffy? No. Between its killer pool (which it shares with Beach Club), its incredibly location on The Boardwalk, and its beautiful lobby and guest rooms, I find it to be one of the best resorts on property. In fact, I find it hard not to stay there every time I visit.
This New England style hotel boasts a “plush lobby replete with nautical touches and (the) . . . whimsical Storm Along Bay,” according to the official Disney World website, which seem to be its most appealing qualities. However, I am just as enchanted with the kid-friendly touches, like the small TV nook in the lobby where kids gather to watch OG Disney films as their parents check in, and the sweet gift shop, Ale & Compass, with its preppy polos and frilly skirts. In my opinion, The Yacht Club makes you feel like you’re worth a million bucks.
The rooms themselves are spacious, clean, and certainly continue the theme-ing throughout the rest of the resort. With two queen beds and a sofa that spun itself into a twin for Ryder, we had so much space to spread out and really relax. This may just be a “girl thing,” but I loved the lighting in the bathroom – it was great for doing make-up – and I really loved that the sink and toilet/shower were separate from one another. This small detail makes a difference when multiple people are staying in one room. We also hooked up our Disney+ account to the TV, which was easy to do, and were able to enjoy all of our Disney favorite
Now, let’s move beyond the design itself. The cast members at Yacht Club are next level; we didn’t have one bad interaction. Everyone we passed greeted us in the hallways, and after a bout of the stomach bug (THIS WAS SO DEPRESSING), they cleaned our rooms twice a day and even gifted Ryder with a plush Mickey, a coloring book, and a personal note. They REMEMBERED we were sick, which was a HUGE help.
While we never could move our lunch and dinner reservations successfully after being thrown off by the bug, we weren’t charged the cancellation fee due to being under the weather, and at 12:00 AM one night, when Ryan was getting sick, the front desk opened up the gift shop for me so I could purchase anti-nausea medication. When I say that the service at the Yacht Club was next level, I am not lying. Everyone was smiling and genuinely seemed grateful that we chose to stay there.
I can’t definitively say that Yacht Club is my favorite Disney resort. I am stuck – I am as equally obsessed with The French Riviera, because it’s so luxurious and new, and you truly feel like you’re staying in a fancy French hotel (have you seen those bathrooms?). But what I will say is that every time I return to Disney, I struggle to stay anywhere else.
Overall, I give Disney World’s Yacht Club Resort the following scores:
Hotel Exterior: 9/10
Hotel Interior: 9/10
Staff: 10/10
Cleanliness: 9/10
Convenience: 10/10
