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11 Reasons to Stay At The Beach Club Resort, WDW Orlando Florida

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

11 Reasons to Stay At The Beach Club Resort, WDW Orlando Florida

Enjoy New England-style elegance and easy access to theme parks at The Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

The Beach Club Resort is a deluxe category resort at Walt Disney World. The light, bright and airy resort is the perfect base for a theme park holiday due to its many perks.

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

Shared amenities

The resort shares many amenities with its more formal sister, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, which expands its offerings of recreational activities and eateries.

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

Early Entry into the theme parks

Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels can take advantage of a 30-minute early entry into Walt Disney World theme parks every day.

Valid theme park admission, park reservation and Resort ID are required.

Walking distance to Epcot

One of the best features of Disney’s Beach Club Resort is its close proximity to Epcot. The resort is a 10-minute walk from the International Gateway entrance of the World Showcase at Epcot.

Friendship launch to Disney Hollywood Studios

Take the Friendship boat to Disney Hollywood Studios. The Friendship service is shared with the other Crescent Lake resorts and can take up to 20 minutes.

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

Disney Bus Transportation

Most areas throughout Walt Disney World Resort—including theme parks, water parks, Disney Resort hotels and the Disney Springs area—are accessible by complimentary bus transportation. The bus stop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort is located across the canal, between the entrance to the Resort hotel and the Convention Center.

Ride the Disney Skyliner

Cruise around Walt Disney World Resort in an aerial gondola. These themed gondolas are a 10 minute walk from the Beach Club Resort, outside the entrance to Epcot.

Swim at Stormalong Bay

The incredible 3-acre water wonderland at Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a solid reason for staying at the resort on its own! Stormalong Bay is an incredible outdoor recreation area featuring a life-size shipwreck, pools, lagoons, one of the highest hotel waterslides at WDW, a lazy river, two kiddie pools and three whirlpool spas.

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

Guests of the hotel can access the three all-ages pools (each with a whirlpool spa) located throughout Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts.

Beach Club Resort WDW Florida Beach Club Resort WDW Florida Beach Club Resort WDW Florida

Beaches & Cream Soda Shop

This retro-themed soda shop and ice cream parlor is the place to grab a meal or one of their famous desserts, including the “Kitchen Sink”, which is a huge bowl in the shape of a kitchen sink, filled with ice cream, cookies, candy, cake, whipped cream and fruit.

Beaches and Cream Soda Shop WDW

Offering nostalgic favourites such as flavored sodas, malted milkshakes plus burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and old fashioned sundaes, the Soda Shop is a popular spot so make sure to book well in advance.

Beaches and Cream Soda Shop WDW

Light and airy rooms

Disney’s Beach Club Resort has a wide range of rooms and suites that sleep up to six adults, rooms and suites with Club-Level Service that sleep up to 7 adults, deluxe studios (sleep up to 5 adults) and 1- and 2-Bedroom Villas (sleep up to 8 adults).

WDW Beach Club Resort

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Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast

Enjoy a fun character dining experience at Cape May Cafe with Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast.

Cape May Beach Club Resort WDW

Beach Club Marketplace

Start your day with a breakfast sandwich or Mickey waffles. Then fuel up on lunch and dinner with a selection of macaroni and cheese dishes, hot or cold sandwiches, or refreshing salads. You can also buy basic snacks and drinks and a wide range of souvenirs.

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Beach Club Resort
1800 Epcot Resorts Blvd. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
disneyworld.eu/resorts/beach-club-resort

Read about staying at Disney’s Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World.

Get more tips on visiting Walt Disney World Resort.

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Walt Disney World Tips For First Timers

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Best Attractions at Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort

Garden Grill Restaurant Character Dining at EPCOT

Cinderellas Royal Table Dining Experience at Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World

Rainforest Cafe® at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Be Our Guest Restaurant Magic Kingdom

Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties: Pre-Party

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant Hollywood Studios WDW

Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast at Disney’s Beach Club Resort

Beaches & Cream Soda Shop

11 Reasons to Stay At The Beach Club Resort, WDW Orlando Florida

‘Ohana Best Friends Character Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch

6 Reasons to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

6 Reasons to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Polynesian Resort

6 Reasons to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Enjoy the spirit of the South Pacific at the Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Located near Magic Kingdom park, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a Disney Deluxe Resort hotel with beaches, pools, shops and several dining options.

Polynesian Resort

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is known for its island ambiance, with tropical palms and lush vegetation.

Polynesian Resort

The resort is quite spread out, with rooms spread among several buildings, so it can be a bit of a walk to get from your room to the main building and amenities and to transport to the parks.

There are plenty of great reasons to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Early Park Entry

Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can take advantage of a 30-minute early entry into Walt Disney World theme parks every day.

Valid theme park admission, park reservation and Resort ID are required. Get more info here.

Access to the Resort Monorail

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is situated on the Resort Monorail. The free Walt Disney World Monorail System has 3 separate lines that travel throughout Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is two stops away from the Magic Kingdom park and three stops to return.

The Monorail is, in our experience, the fastest way to get around Walt Disney World.

wdw monorail map

The Resort Monorail makes the following stops:

Magic Kingdom park
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC)
The EPCOT Monorail and the Express Monorail originate at the TTC and offer express round-trip service to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom park.

Two excellent pools

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has some of the best pools out of the Walt Disney World hotels.

Polynesian Resort

Lava Pool
Make a splash at this pool which features a towering volcano, a waterfall and a thrilling 142 foot-long waterslide. A zero-depth entry point, similar to a beach, slopes gently into the pool making for easy entry and exit. Nearby, a lounge and bar offer refreshments and snacks.

Polynesian Resort

Oasis Pool
Nestled amid a lush garden, this all-ages leisure pool promises a more tranquil swim for those looking to relax and unwind.

Polynesian Village Campfire Activities

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort offers a range of activities around the grounds, our favourite being the marshmallow roasting over campfire.
Located on Seven Seas Lagoon Beach 6:30-7:30pm – Monday, Wednesday, Friday

DOLE Whip from Pineapple Lanai

Dole Whip Polynesian Resort

A huge plus for us was the delicious frozen DOLE Whip on tap at the resort from Pineapple Lanai, located just outside the great Ceremonial House.

‘Ohana Restaurant On-Site

Ohana Polynesian Resort

The ‘Ohana restaurant inside Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort serves Polynesian-themed family-style meals.

We loved the Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch, an American breakfast feast influenced by Polynesian flavors, with visits from Disney characters.

Read more about our experience at the ‘Ohana Character Breakfast.

Ohana Polynesian Resort

Room types offered at this Resort

Rooms and Suites (sleep up to 5 adults)
Rooms and Suites with Club-Level Service (sleep up to 5 adults)
Deluxe Studios (sleep up to 5 adults)
Bungalows (sleep up to 8 adults)
Bungalows feature a fully-equipped kitchen, so you can prepare meals and snacks from the comfort of your villa, separate bedrooms, a washer and dryer, a private deck and plunge pool.

Polynesian Resort

We stayed in a Deluxe Studio, with the benefit over a standard room being the additional bathroom and a kitchenette which helped us make make meals in our room.

Polynesian Resort

Deluxe Studios feature a sleeper sofa, one queen bed and one pull-down bed.

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Direct Transport Options

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort offers the following transport options:
Monorail
Ferryboat (Ferryboats connect Magic Kingdom park to the Transportation and Ticket Center.)
Bus (Catch the bus to Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and other hotels.)

Polynesian Resort Polynesian Resort Polynesian Resort Polynesian Resort Polynesian Resort Polynesian Resort Polynesian Resort

Get more info on staying at the Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

 

The DVC Point Rental System Explained

The DVC Point Rental System Explained

Stay at Disney hotels around the world for less by booking a Disney Vacation Club Rental (aka DVC Rental). Save around 30-50% off Disney premium hotels by booking a room through the DVC point rental system. 

The DVC Point Rental System Explained

On our recent trip to Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, we saved a lot of money by using the DVC point rental system. It was daunting to try a system that wasn’t through the official hotel channel, but worked out extremely well so I can now highly recommend it.

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, Oahu, Hawaii

The basics of DVC Point Rental

People buy points from the Disney Vacation Club, like a timeshare arrangement. They are then the owner of these points. If they aren’t using the points themselves, the owner may choose to “rent” the points to a rentee, in exchange for payment. The amount of the payment is determined by the number of points needed for the reservation. The cost per-point is agreed upon by both parties – or by a third party who mediates between the two. The owner of the points then makes a reservation for the rentee under the rentee’s name. 

The rentee also benefits from free parking, which is included for Disney Vacation Club members. At Aulani, parking costs $37USD per day so it’s quite a saving.

One other cost-saving benefit is paying no taxes or resort fees (except for in Hawaii where there is a very small tax on the room that is paid at check in. It was about $19 from memory). Free wifi is also included.

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, Oahu, Hawaii

Where to rent DVC points from

While you can rent points directly from members this can be a riskier exchange. I prefer to rent Disney Vacation Club points from either DVC Rental Store or David’s Vacation Club Rentals. I used the later on my last trip. Both are reputable businesses and are pretty similar, however DVC Rental Store has a few advantages do not require a deposit to search for availability and they offer point protection (insurance). I was extremely happy with David’s however and I would use them again.

You can use this tool to search for resort availability before even contacting DVC Rental Store or David’s.

Some of the sites require a refundable fee of $50 -$75 USD to perform the search for room availability. If they find you an available room then the amount is applied to the overall rental price. If there is no availability found then the money is refunded.

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, Oahu, Hawaii

DVC Point Rental = lack of booking control

This was the biggest concern for me (after the concern about the booking not going through at all). Since the owner of the points booked the room for us, we had no control over the reservation whatsoever. I put in a request for the type of room we wanted, which the broker (David’s) passed on to the renter, who passed it on to the resort. It gets quite convoluted, fast. Luckily we got exactly the type of room we were after, but we didn’t know what we would get until we arrived. Likewise if we had wanted to make any changes to the reservation, we would have had to go through the broker to ask the owner to submit any changes for us again. You cannot call the Disney Vacation Club directly as they will only speak with the member themselves. 

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, Oahu, Hawaii

Pay in advance, no refunds given

This is a biggie – you must pay the full amount of the booking upfront, and there are no refunds given. I highly suggest looking into travel insurance and dig into the details to make sure it covers timeshare rentals like this. 

Which resorts can you book?

Disney has three types of resorts – value, moderate and deluxe. The Disney Vacation Club villas are located at the deluxe resorts only. This includes Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, the Grand Californian at Disneyland, at WDW the Polynesian, Contemporary & Grand Floridian at the Magic Kingdom, Disney Beach Club, Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West  and Saratoga Springs. The other resorts (value and moderate) have cheaper rooms that might be on-par cost wise with renting DVC points at these deluxe resorts.

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, Oahu, Hawaii

Included amenities with DVC point rentals

Staying on points at a Disney hotel means you get all the benefits of a traditional booking, plus a few extras.

Free parking
In Florida, free transportation from the airport through Disney’s Magical Express
Magic Bands
Booking Fastpass + 60 days in advance
Booking dining reservations 180 days in advance,

The Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at Disneyland California

When to book to secure a room

Getting the room you want requires being extremely organised and booking ahead – 7-11 months is ideal. There’s a limited supply of rooms on offer. The reason for this is that a perk of ownership for a Disney Vacation Club Member is that they are able to book a room at their home resort (the resort they own the points at) 11 months in advance. At 7 months out, every DVC Member is able to book at any resort, so the remaining rooms get booked quickly at this point.

We booked 11 months out to secure our room at Aulani.

Staying in a DVC Villa: what to expect 

The rooms are a bit different to the traditional hotel rooms. Our studio was basically the same as it had a queen bed and a pullout couch, plus a mini-fridge and microwave, however the larger rooms have extra amenities like a full kitchen in a 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom or grand villa plus a washer/dryer.

Housekeeping is performed on days four and eight rather than daily. Stays seven nights or less days receive “Trash and Towel Service” on day four, where housekeeping empties the rubbish and puts in new bin liners, brings fresh towels, replaces shampoo, facial soap and bath soap, paper towels and toilet paper, coffee, sugar, cream, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, sponges, and laundry detergent as needed.

Stays eight nights or longer receive a full cleaning on day four that includes changing the bed linen, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen/kitchenette, and Trash and Towel Service on day eight.

If you need extra towels or amenities you can call housekeeping and they will be brought to the room. While there may be an additional charge listed for this service, it’s often given for free. If you would like daily housekeeping, you can request it at the front desk for an additional fee. 

The Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at Disneyland California

Staying on DVC points: our experience

We have stayed at Aulani as regular visitors and through using the DVC point rental system and definitely noticed a bit of a difference. Using the DVC points we were able to line up at the from desk in the DVC member queue which is shorter, and were greeted effusively “back home” by the cast members. At the pool we were given a sparkly band for DVC members only which was a lot prettier than the regular bands! While the cast members are always extremely friendly and courteous I did notice they were even friendlier than usual when they knew we were DVC.

Related posts

Read more about our most recent stay at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa here.

Read a full review of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa here.

Read a full review of the Grand Californian Hotel here.

Get tips for Disneyland first-timers here.

Read about celebrating Halloween at Disneyland here.

Find out about celebrating the holidays at Disneyland here.

The DVC Point Rental System Explained