DVC Review - The Beach Club

 Please welcome back Brandon, my college friend and fellow Disney fanatic and DVC member!

Hello All!  I have been given the exciting task of reviewing the different DVC resorts. My wife and I, along with our daughter, Alice, are slowly getting to our goal of staying at all the DVC resorts, so today, I am going to start with the place we stayed at most recently: Disney’s Beach Club Villas.

The Beach Club is located right next to the Yacht Club Resort but you can immediately tell this place is a little more upscale than even some of the other DVC resorts. All DVC resorts have similar layouts and floor plans, and this place is no exception: beautifully decorated rooms with beach flair. Pastels and whites accented the very spacious one-bedroom villa we stayed in. 

Sitting room at the Beach Club

Common amenities in a one bedroom (or larger) DVC villa include: a full kitchen, washer, dryer, and a whirlpool.  The master bedroom has a king bed which was incredibly comfortable and so large that one night Alice slept between us, and her legs couldn’t reach to kick my back! Comfort like this is something we have come to expect in all the DVC resorts though, so let’s talk about what makes Beach Club different.

Alice!

 The Beach Club has the most popular pool in all of WDW, Stormalong Bay. The bay is more like a mini water park than a pool with a large shipwreck on one side, where the broken mast is actually a waterslide into the sand bottomed pool. Yes, you read that right. It is a zero-entry, sand bottomed pool. The pool is divided into several sections, including a great kid section where the sand rises up out of the water and the kids can play and build sand creations. Alice loved the sand once she got used to walking on it. The only downside to this pool is that it is ALWAYS crowded. You have to show your room key (the first numbers on your room key identify your resort!) to get in and they give you a bracelet. Pool hopping is not allowed at Stormalong. Not to worry though, there are at least two other, more secluded, pools on the resort that are never as crowded for those who just want to relax!

As with every DVC resort, there are great food options at The Beach Club. They have the Yachtman’s Steakhouse, which is a top steak house, a couple of nice lounges to have your adult beverages at, Captain’s Grille, and of course, Beaches and Cream. Beaches and Cream is an ice cream shop and soda fountain. We had some great ice cream there, but none of us were brave enough to try the Kitchen Sink. That is 8 scoops of ice cream with every topping in the store along with an entire can of whipped cream. I didn’t see anyone order it either, or I would have definitely taken a picture. We decided to partake in the seafood buffet at Cape May Café. This was a great setting, with all you can eat crab legs, fish, sides and more. It was about $30 a person and the price changes based on the market, but it was great. My dad and I ate until we were sick, and the little desserts they sell, especially the Oreo bon-bons, are pretty great!

Lastly, the thing we loved most about the Beach Club is the location. My wife’s favorite resort is the Animal Kingdom Villas, but we have to drive everywhere from there. We have no patience for the bus system. This was not the case at Beach Club. Both Hollywood Studios and Epcot are within walking distance. And the Epcot trail takes you into the back entrance right into the World Showcase, which is our favorite part of Epcot. The rest of WDW is also bus accessible if you have patience for that sort of thing. All in all, Beach Club was one of our favorite DVC experiences so far! Let me know if you have questions regarding Beach Club or DVC and I would love to help out!

Have a Magical Day!

Brandon