Reviews of Beach Club Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by SNC Review Date: 11/30/2014
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
We stayed here for 3 days as part of our Honeymoon at Disney (Started at the Poly, then BC, then AK Lodge). Let me preface this by saying my immediate family and I have stayed at the Beach Club 3 times prior to this, including concierge level suites, and never had a problem. I could not wait to get to the BC and share the experience with my husband who had never seen it. That quickly ended at check-in. We were received without any of the warmth or welcome we experienced at the other two deluxe resorts on our trip. The gentleman behind the desk did not even acknowledge it was our honeymoon (wearing buttons and on the reservation) and then showed me where our room was to be on the map and kept asking "Is that ok?" which should have let me know something was up to begin with. We walked to the room and then they started testing the fire alarm, so the whole walk was extremely noisy rather than peaceful. When we opened the door to our room the room smelled terrible, like dirty socks! I have never experienced this at the BC, or any other resort, but the smell was so strong that I immediately returned to the front desk and asked politely to be moved ( I have never ever done this before). My room request had also not been granted. I had asked 6 months earlier for a room right on the first floor facing the quiet pool. The reservation attendant on the phone had assured me that this was a fine request for my room category, but when I returned to the desk, the gentleman at the check-in desk at the Beach Club stated that my category (Garden View) did not include rooms right on the quiet pool. I pointed out the request, and he said "Yeah, I see that in the computer…" I asked if I could pay for an upgrade to that level. He said yes and informed me it would be $300 more. I said fine (it was our honeymoon and my husband loves to swim laps!). He then had to call reservations to change the room. Upon hanging up the phone he starts showing me the map and says, ok, so it's on the second floor near the elevator. What?! That is totally the opposite of what I asked for. I then asked for my original request of a room on the quiet pool. He then tells me in a condescending tone "You have to understand…it's Thanksgiving." I told him, I was very Aware, as we were there to celebrate our Thanksgiving AND our Honeymoon. He then told me that our room category originally did not include that, and I said they had verified it by phone. He mentioned that was not his fault, but an error on the part of the reservations person. I really did not like being spoken to like a little kid rather than a grown woman. At one point, he even asked if he could call the room and talk to my husband to talk him into the 2nd floor room! (So bizarre, I said No). Eventually, we did get our room on the quiet pool, but not until it was a total upset for me. While there we enjoyed the quiet pool and Stormalong Bay, which is the biggest selling point for this place, and the nice walk to Epcot. The Check-In experience, however, totally soured my love for the BC. I could not believe I was spoken to that way after being a loyal customer and being on my honeymoon. They also weren't very happy at Check-out either, and didn't even ask about our stay. Beach Club front desk really needs to get it together in terms of customer service. Mousekeeping and the gift shop people were excellent.
Pros:
Great Pool, Easy Walk to EpcotCons:
Terrible Check-In Experience, Cold Impersonal FeelingReviewed by jeconk Review Date: 12/27/2017
Rating: (5) Recommended
Review of the Beach Club Resort – December 2017:
We have stayed in French Quarter, Bay Lake & Boardwalk before and must be spoiled because this was my least favorite stay at a Disney Hotel. Too many little things added up.
First, you can't beat the location. It is a quick walk to the International Gate at Epcot or to the Boardwalk and either a short boat ride or 15 minute walk to Hollywood Studios. The boat dock is closer to Yacht Club than beach club but still very easy to get to. The building color and grounds are very nice and the bus stops are close to the front door.
Now for a breakdown of the various areas of service:
A.) Transportation: Obviously walking to EPCOT & Boardwalk are great perks, but to get to Future World/front gate/monorail at Epcot, you have to walk through part of International Showcase (and according to one boat Captain, it is a mile to the front.). The walk to Hollywood Studios is longer but the “Friendship Boat†service is very efficient coming and going. The boat Captains are well trained and loading/unloading are quick.
The bus service at Beach Club however is another story. Beach Club shares a bus route with Yacht Club and Y.C. is picked up and dropped off first. Many times in the morning this meant that busses to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom were already full of Yacht Club guests when they arrived at Beach Club. It would take several busses to pick up the crowd waiting at Beach Club due to busses already being full. (and Beach Club guests were usually the ones who had to stand on the busses.). Strange how a DVC resort at Beach Club gets the second string on bus service.
Because of the design of the busses, those in wheelchairs require longer periods of loading & unloading and take out many seats. Unfortunately I heard many groans and complaints when busses pulled up to a stop with a person in a scooter waiting (or coming up to a bus stop with a scooter person waiting.) When my father was there in 2007, they had specific busses for handicapped/scooters and that prevented the time lost by regular busses (and the grumblings.) As more and more scooters appear at Disney, they may want to rethink that option.
B.) Check-in: Here is where another problem arose. We had arrived very early that morning and gave our luggage to bell services while we went to Hollywood Studios. We had completed online registration so we just waited for our room assignment. At 2:00 p.m., we went back to the hotel and inquired about the room and were told that our room was not ready but they would text us when it was and we could walk around the complex. At about 3:45, we were finally notified that our room was ready. Even though they knew we had arrived, it still took 8 hours for our room. (even with an 11:00 a.m. check out of the previous guests, it was still 4 ½ hours for our room.)
C.) Front Desk/Bell Services: These were all efficient, friendly and answered your questions. We had arrived early and bell services held our luggage for most of the day until we received our room assignment and they arrived with our luggage within minutes of our call.
A special shout out to the guys at the airline/luggage check in. They were friendly, helpful and it appeared they enjoyed their jobs. They made it a very great experience…even though you were checking out….lol.
D.) Housekeeping: Another area that was lacking on this trip. As stated above, our room was not ready until 3:45 and in reality, it was not ready as it appears no supervisor check was completed. Things that were wrong: No shampoo, soap, etc were left. No wash cloths and only 2 hand towels. (we had to call twice to get these items and when they finally came, they brought “bath towels†instead of wash cloths. (they got the hand towels right….). It appeared the carpet was not vacuumed. I will say that the bathroom appeared to be properly cleaned however.
E.) Room/Bathroom: The room was typical Disney resort room with two very comfortable queen beds and a fold out couch. We didn’t need to use the couch as a bed but if we had it would have made things very tight to move through. Two of the wall outlets however were missing covers. While the vanity area was spacious and had two sinks and plenty of shelf space, the toilet/tub area was smaller than others we have been in. The tub/shower had good water pressure but the water never got really hot (even with the cold turned off.). Since I have a bad back, soaking in a hot tub of water is helpful but was not really possible.
While there were plenty of computer/phone jacks on the credenza, the desk and the night stand, the problem came with the electric plugs. The plugs on the nightstand are very close together (like a power strip) and this made it impossible to plug two large plugs into it. Only one plug would work unless both were the small type.
The closet location was nice as was the safe. The refrigerator location sometimes made it tough to use (why do the doors to the cabinet and the refrigerator open opposite directions??)
The elevators were very quick and you did not have to wait long for one going up or down.
F.) Public areas: These areas are much nicer than those at Boardwalk or Bay Lake. Lots of spaces around the hotel to sit, relax, socialize, read, etc. (lobby, solarium, patios, etc.). While the marketplace is a nice place for purchasing drinks and snacks, the food choices are extremely limited. There is no food court at Beach Club (or Yacht Club or Boardwalk) and so your choices are sit down restaurants (like Cape May Café) or “fast food†type meals from the Marketplace.
We did wander over to both the Marketplaces at Yacht Club & Boardwalk and both appeared to have more merchandise selections than Beach Club while the Yacht Club Marketplace and Boardwalk Bakery have more choices. (but still not as good as a Food Court.)
Obviously the grounds around Beach Club are very pretty and the ability to see the lights of Boardwalk are nice as well.
Overall, Beach Club is a very pretty resort in a good location but it had a lot of “minor†things that added up to a not as good experience. I still rate French Quarter, Bay Lake Tower & Boardwalk above Beach Club.
Pros:
Location can't be beat, boat service, poolCons:
Poor Bus service; Housekeeping issues;Reviewed by wb17449 Review Date: 12/04/2013
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
We stayed here Thanksgiving week. Over all our many visits to WDW, we have almost always stayed at the BC. But this will be the last. Although the staff was friendly throughout the stay, we had issues this trip. The toilet overflowed the first time it was used. Maintenance came quickly and pronounced that all was well after plunging and snaking. But the thing never seemed to be right. Halfway into the trip, we noticed small ants around the sinks. As we had no food anywhere near the sink and no beverage cups with sugary drinks nearby, where the critters were coming from is a mystery. We were on the 3rd floor, room 3630. I reported it to the front desk. As for the Beach Club Marketplace, nice food options for lunch and dinner, but breakfast options are very small. We ended up heading to other hotels or to Epcot for breakfast. It just seemed to me that the BC is looking a bit tired.
Pros:
Location close to EpcotCons:
limited counter service breakfast options; ants; and overflowing toiletReviewed by 5busyrussells Review Date: 09/25/2014
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
I was disappointed. Maybe there was too much hype surrounding the pool, etc., that my expectations were too high - but I doubt we will return to the Beach Club. In the past, we have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, and I found myself wishing we were there this visit. The ability to walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk was the biggest plus, the pool was nice but not worth the extra cost. I found the hotel to feel to "busy" all the time. Every time we walked through the lobby there were kids running everywhere. Even our kids commented on how disorderly it seemed to be. On arrival, our room was ready, but none of our magic bands worked, so we had to wait until the problem was fixed to be able to go to Magic Kingdom as it would not recognize our dining reservations or Fastpasses. But I believe that problem was system-wide, not just a Beach Club problem. The pool was not available the first day we were there, which was disappointing as the kids wanted to swim for a bit before heading to MK. They ended up going to one of the quiet pools. I think the rooms are in desperate need of remodeling - they look very worn. All in all, for a vacation in excess of $5K, I think I would try the Polynesian next time, although we probably will return to Port Orleans Riverside. It was much quieter and after busy days at parks, to return to yet another busy place, Beach Club, felt like there was never any down time.
Pros:
Proximity to Epcot and BoardwalkCons:
Too "busy", not worth the extra expenseReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/25/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
We like staying at the Beach Club but it's definitely mostly about location. Everything is fine there, but many of the other Deluxe resorts compare favorably. There is no substitute for location however and the easy access to Epcot is wonderful.
Pros:
LocationCons:
Dining OptionsReviewed by mouserrificmom Review Date: 03/01/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
This is a beautiful resort. I have no genuine complaints, but I will say the service is not quite what we have grown accustomed to at other Disney locations. I have long wanted to stay at the Beach Club having admired it for so long on visits to dine at either Cape May Cafe or Beaches and Cream.
The location is really ideal - a very quick walk to Epcot via the International gateway, easy walk or boat to HS and a short bus ride away to either the MK or Animal Kingdom. The lobby is exquisite. Boardwalk Resort is a favorite of mine, but the lobby at Beach Club is far more spacious and inviting. It is not unusual to see people relaxing in one of the little nooks with sofas.
The service is what leaves me scratching my head. Typical of Disney, the cast members were all very pleasant, but atypical of Disney, they were not very accommodating or concerned. We arrived early, certainly NOT expecting to have a room ready and planning to go straight to Epcot after checking our luggage into Bell Services. We arrived around 10 a.m. We had to visit the desk because my traveling partner and I wanted to separately link our Magic Bands as we were each paying for our own things separately. It took some time to get all of that sorted out and properly attached to each of our MDE accounts as the room was booked only under mine. It was a pleasant exchange with a helpful cast member.
I found it unusual that we had not received a room ready notification by 3 as we had arrived so early and had no special requests. I noticed however that i had a voice mail message at around noon and upon listening to it realized that the front desk had called because the bands were not properly linked (which we noticed at Epcot when trying to make purchases). I was asked to visit the front desk upon returning, which I did around 3:30 and the Magic Band situation was rectified, but the room still not ready.
I wasn't terribly upset but my travel companion is less patient than I am. She asked why the room wasn't ready and was just sort of shrugged off with no sense of urgency. We were tired, having left our home airports at around 6 a.m. At 4:00 she asked again and was told again that the room wasn't ready but they would put us in a different room if that would be acceptable (well, of course, why didn't you just assign us to a different but available room when we arrived, or when we returned at 3:30 after the official check in time?)....and so at 4:12 we FINALLY had a room assignment and went to our room. The room matched the category we had booked (Standard garden view)
The rooms are lovely, we were in a Garden View standard on the 4th floor. It was very heavily wooded, but I could see the very top of Spaceship Earth from our balcony. The room had a weird cut into it, like a block to accommodate an HVAC system or something so perhaps that is why they were trying to wait to give us a full size room? We are used to a small table and chairs in our Disney Rooms in addition to the desk, but this room had none and no room for it because of this weird block by the balcony door. It was a single door and a single window and that was all that there was room for. On inspection, one of the lights was not working. On our checkout day, Housekeeping Knocked on the door at 9:17 am hoping to begin service ..... we confirmed with her that it was our understanding that checkout was at 11, she was pleasant but obviously disappointed that we had not yet cleared the room.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience, but in all of our other years of travel and resort stays, the cast members have ALWAYS gone above and beyond to accommodate and meet our travel needs and expectations. Here we definitely felt an attitude of "you get what you get and you don't get upset". I love the resort, so I may try it again and hope for a better experience, but I have heard similar reports from others so we may go back to just visiting and admiring the Beach Club from afar.
Pros:
Fabulous location and atmosphereCons:
Not quite up to par compared with other Disney locationsReviewed by JerseyShoregirl13 Review Date: 01/10/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
Very nice resort, but prefer Contemporary. The slide had ridges in it which hurt my back. It was very hot mid-September and the pool was too warm to cool me.
Pros:
Surprised with Concierge level room, with view of pool complexCons:
Miss taking monorail around Disney World, did not feel like Disney World without the monorail.Reviewed by 1283alex Review Date: 05/23/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
Stayed in DVC timeshare - everything was great - only con was really crowded pool area - not much room to walk around - pool chairs bump up close to pool's edge -
Maintenance did enter our room while we were out to do some type of repair (not requested by us) and left all the curtains open, etc. (we were on ground floor - anyone could walk by & see our belongings) - Upon returning we immediately noticed that someone had been in the room - complained to management & they were very apologetic - overall very nice hotel - would stay her again
Pros:
good rooms + restaurants+ proximity to EpcotCons:
crowded pool area - maintenance entering roomReviewed by Audrey83 Review Date: 05/02/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
I stayed at the Beach Club for four nights 4/21-4/25/13, this is my second time staying at this resort.
The best part by far about staying here is the amazing Stormalong Bay. You will not find a better pool on Disney property. They are strict on checking room keys to get in, which is a plus for guests staying there. The room was very spacious and clean, but I think it was rushed by housekeeping as there were some linens and other basic items missing. Not a big deal, but some things do matter when you're paying Deluxe Resort prices.
The cons- I noticed while walking through the hallways there was paint chipping and scuff marks on the room doors. It doesn't make sense why Disney can't spend a little money to do some basic up keeping. Also, the carpet in the hallways seems outdated and could use a good cleaning.
Other than a few issues, I really enjoy staying at the Beach Club and would stay again just to be close to Epcot and the wonderful pool.
Pros:
pool, distance to EpcotCons:
poor up keep of hallways, lack of quick serviceReviewed by GrandmaJen Review Date: 09/12/2022
Rating: (8) Not Recommended
Just stayed here 9/6-9/11. It is beautiful and the rooms are spacious. It doesn't scream Disney, you'll only see hints of Mickey in the hallway carpeting or in the Marketplace. Dining options are limited at the resort. Yacht Club is next door but they are not connected, you have to exit one to get to the other. Great location for Epcot. Not a lot of variety in the Marketplace for food or souvenirs.
