My family has been fortunate to stay at a number of different resorts at Walt Disney World. They all have their positives and negatives. One of our favorite resorts is Disney's Beach Club Resort. In fact, we love it so much that we had never even bothered to stay at the sister resort: Yacht Club. For our trip over the New Year's holiday, we decided to give it a whirl.
We arrived around 2:00 and there was a little wait at the Front Desk. However, Cast Member Mark came over to us with an iPad when he saw we were waiting and quickly escorted us up to the 5th floor, where the 'Regatta Club' is located. The cast members there were really helpful getting us checked in. They also went ahead and proactively checked that each of our Magic Bands was working and we never had a problem with them during our stay.
Our room was ready! We dropped our bags and went to get snacks in the lounge.
Regatta Club has the following services: Coffee starts at 6:30; Breakfast 7:00-10:00; Snacks 11:30-4:00; Appetizers 5:00-7:00; Desserts & Cordials 8:00-10:00. Mark told us that they had recently expanded the food offerings at each of the service times.
We ate breakfast in the lounge most days and found the food to be plentiful and fresh. Each day had the same basic offerings plus one unique hot item. The basic foods were a variety of breads to toast, mini bagels with lox, oatmeal with toppings, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruits, juices, a variety of yogurt. The rotating hot items included crepes with fruit and whipped cream, mini bread puddings with creme anglaise, and mini quiche. As with all the lounges I have experienced, there was also brewed coffee, and decaf, plus a Nespresso machine for espresso and latte along with flavor syrups. A variety of tea bags was also provided.
Snacks were the least interesting foods during our stay. It was chips, veggies and dip and mini pita with red pepper hummus. Also available was a variety of cookies. Juices, tea, lemonade and water were available as well as cans of soda, tonic and club soda.
Appetizers were delicious! We could make a light dinner out of them for sure.There was a cheese selection each day, plus a hot item like chicken nuggets with sauces, meatballs with rolls or pulled pork and coleslaw with rolls. On the meatball night, they also had little caesar salad wedges. With the chicken nuggets, we enjoyed two great salads: one was a farro salad and the other featured chick peas. All was delicious. We had a choice of several red and white wines as well as beer available.
For desserts, they rotated a cupcake, either chocolate mousse cups or Mickey flourless chocolate mini cakes (both gluten free) and other mini desserts like key lime tartlets. Guests could also choose vanilla or chocolate ice cream at any time. Cordials were kalhua, Bailey's Irish Cream, DiSaronno.
Overall, we really enjoyed Yacht Club and the Regatta Club. We could walk to Hollywood Studios or EPCOT or take the Skyliner from the EPCOT station. The resort was quiet and well-appointed. While we didn't use the pool this time, Stormalong Bay is a spectacular pool as well.
Mary Graham is a Vacation Specialist with Coasters & Castles Travel. Her family has enjoyed vacations to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line and with Adventures by Disney. Contact her at: mary@tripsbymary.com to start planning your trip!