Besides the awesome pool at the Yacht and Beach Club there is a lot to really enjoy about being over on this side of the "World". The Yacht and Beach Club are virtually connected and seem as one long resort with slightly different theming...they just kind of blend together. You can just keep walking and access one directly from the other and not realize you left one behind. Across the lake or lagoon is the Boardwalk Inn Resort and Boardwalk Villas, and the Swan and Dolphin are also right in that area so there are a lot of shopping and dining options all within a few minutes walk of each other.
The fabulous pool, Storm along Bay is shared between the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, there are some good restaurants in the Y/BC itself, upscale and character meals and a few in between. The location of these resorts is great for access to EPCOT and DHS by boat or walking path. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to walk to the International Gateway at EPCOT and a bit longer to make it over to DHS walking along a path that goes right by the water ways the boats use. We really enjoy the convenience of being able to walk vs wait in a line for a Friendship Boat.
Walkway to International Gateway for EPCOT entry
Walkway in front of the Yacht and Beach Club that heads to EPCOT...
From near the International Gateway looking back toward the resort area....
In the evenings my family likes to head over to the Board Walk where street performers entertain crowds. Another fun thing to do at the BW is rent a surrey bike. This is one of my kids' all time favorite things to do in WDW...believe it or not haha....they LOVE pedaling these things around the lake. The littlest one used to sit in the basket and ring the warning bell & yell "WATCH OUT CRAZY DRIVER COMING THROUGH" to pedestrians on the walkway....while the rest of us struggled to pedal the bike up the hills. The worst hill is past the Yacht Club - many many times we had seen people have to get out and push their bike up this one....we always laughed until it happened to US. If you don't get enough speed rounding the bend toward that hill - forget it- you have to get out and push. We have a lot of fun memories of those surrey bikes......with kids a lot of their best times are the simple laid back things. Swimming, the biking, taking pontoon boats out and cruising around, playing in the sand on the beach, or even just the walk between a resort and park...lots of chat and laughs happen during those walks. It doesn't always have to be about a park.
The Boardwalk is very peaceful during the day but comes alive after dark
The Yacht and Beach Club are the originators of the movies on the beach. They show a Disney movie on the beach between the resorts every night - weather permitting. It was always something my kids looked forward to doing after a day at a park. Pull up a lounge chair and sit and enjoy the Disney sights & sounds across the lake while keeping one eye on the giant movie screen.
Beaches and Cream....oh boy....we had some good eats there LOL. Over the years my kids ALWAYS always wanted to order the kitchen sink...but seriously by the time we've had burgers and fries a small sundae - if even that- is all I could squeeze in....but there was a time we broke down and ordered the Kitchen Sink..... it looked and tasted delicious for the first couple minutes....until it turned to sludge and we were sooooo full.
Before...us all happy and feeling good....posing with the marvelously yummy looking dessert....
After..... we all looked like this in one way or another..... but my daughter is good at emoting for the camera LOL
"No Way Jose"....my all time B&C favorite.....
Banana Split and Chocolate Waffle Cone.... too many choices, too little time!!!
The Yachtsman Steakhouse is wonderful. We've always had a great meal there. They have a neat dessert for kids where they can paint on white chocolate and decorate cupcakes...so even though it's a "nice" restaurant they do have a childrens' menu and some tasty & entertaining options for the little ones. It's Disney, after all.
Cape May Cafe is a really terrific and often overlooked character breakfast. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Chip and Dale are in their beach wear and visit each table for photos and autographs. The tables are covered in white paper and when you check in the children are given crayons and the "go ahead" to get creative. It's a fun place and the food is better than many of the other character breakfasts. Dinner at Cape May is a clam bake. I am not a seafood fan...but there are many other options & I've always enjoyed a meal there. No characters at dinner, though.
If you're out at the pool and get hungry, Hurricane Hannahs is the place to be. They have sandwiches, burgers, chicken nuggets, etc. The kids meals are served in sand pails with shovels.
If you are considering staying at one of these resorts, but are concerned you'll miss the Magic Kingdom area too much.....think about doing a split stay. That's often our routine. We stay a few days at the Yacht Club and then move to a Magic Kingdom area resort. While at the YC, we visit EPCOT and DHS. Once we move to the MK area we are all over the Magic Kingdom. Moving resorts is very easy. Disney will transfer your luggage when you check out. It is very hassle free and we've done it on numerous trips without incident. A split stay feels like two very different vacations in one.
OK...I could go on and on...*obviously* LOL....but I want to show some photos of the Yacht and Beach Club and that resort area. So I am saving room for those pics!!
The EPCOT resort area is a lot of fun for families with the neat pools, dining, and recreation options and the close proximity to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you are interested in a free quote for any of the Disney resorts, please email me at Channing@TravelWithTheMagic.com Disney is running some fantastic deals right now thru summer. Let me show you how you can save up to 45% on your resort stay!
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