We talk about resorts a lot but there’s more to a resort than just the rooms. We’re talking about our favorite Disney resort pools! We tell you which ones we love and where you can find them!
Happy listening!
Sometimes when planning dining reservations for a Walt Disney World vacation people focus on restaurants in the parks. Fortunately, there are many, many choices outside of the parks and if you plan correctly going to a dining reservation outside of the parks doesn’t have to take a lot of time out of your day. Of if you aren’t planning to visit a park you can still have plenty of fun and even meet some Disney friends!
Magic Kingdom Resort Area:
Grand Floridian Resort has two very unique character meal options both at the same restaurant, 1900 Park Fare. For breakfast you can meet Mary Poppins, Alice, the Mad Hatter, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh. For dinner you can meet up with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drizella.
Also at the Grand Floridian there is Victoria & Albert’s a very upscale restaurant, having an AAA Five Diamond rating since 2000. There is also the highly coveted Chef’s Table at Victoria & Albert’s which features 13 courses and the chef personally conversing between courses. This is definitely a bucket list item!
Photo via Disney.com
Citricos Dining with an Imagineer is a very unique option outside of the park. Who wouldn’t love to pick the brain of a Disney Imagineer? This is your chance to ask questions and learn about the behind the scenes of Walt Disney World.
Within the Wilderness Lodge you will find the Whispering Canyon Café, a buffet with some shenanigans. If you love great food, a neat atmosphere and sassy and fun cast members you will want to make the trip to Wilderness Lodge for this family style bottomless platters! Just be careful when you ask for ketchup or straws!
In the Polynesian Village Resort there is a unique character meal featuring Lilo and Stitch as well at Mickey and Pluto in Hawaiian gear. Lilo is not featured anywhere else so if you have a person who loves Lilo and Stitch this is THE place to go!
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is located at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness and boasts an amazing dinner show with great food, fun, vaudeville comedy, singing and dancing. And of course Strawberry Shortcake! There are multiple shows each day in different price categories based on your seat. You can read Tara’s review here.
Epcot Resort Area:
Another great character meal option is at the Beach Club, Cape May Café! This is a character meal for breakfast only and features Minnie and friends in their beach attire! So if you are in Epcot or Hollywood Studios or staying at an Epcot are resort this is a fantastic option that isn’t as well-known as other character meals. You can read a review right here!
Photo via Disney.com
Beaches and Cream in the Beach Club boasts more than just ice cream. This old-fashioned soda fountain has a full menu of burgers, salads, sandwiches, and soup. But most people are coming for The Kitchen Sink. This creation has scoops of 5 different types of ice creams, every topping imaginable plus a whole can of whipped cream. You will need the whole family to finish this monster! But beware when you order it you will cause some heads to turn since the whole restaurant will light up as this treat makes its way to your table.
Todd English’s bluezoo located in the Dolphin Hotel is a sleeper choice. It is a pricey dinner, so maybe for a special occasion this is a great choice. It has won numerous awards and does awesome seafood as well as plenty of beef, chicken and pork dishes to keep everyone happy. They even feature a pretty great kid’s menu if you are bringing the whole family. The restaurant itself is beautiful and you will want to get dressed up for this dinner.
Photo via Disney.com
Check back soon for more dining suggestions on the Animal Kingdom Resort area and Disney Springs!
I have always loved the Crescent Lake Resorts (otherwise known as Epcot or Boardwalk area resorts) and have had a special affinity for the Boardwalk Inn (or villas). On my last trip to Disney I decided to shake it up and stay at The Yacht Club. I had never stayed at The Yacht Club and even though I had enjoyed my last stay at The Beach Club I knew it was in need of some TLC and refurbs (and looky there it is being refurbished so I am happy to go back!)
I checked into the Yacht Club during the mid-morning hours and though there was a line they did send out a Cast Member to start those waiting on thinking which room they would want. She had an iPad type app that showed available rooms per category. So we got to pick based on that and we picked the best location we have ever had which was second floor right off the open lobby mezzanine. It was awesome because there is a staircase to run up and down from the lobby and the café and you only had to wait on the elevator when you were so tired there was no more running the stairs left in you! So we checked our bags and got our magic bands activated because we had no time to waste seeing the room as we had ADR’s and FastPass+’s to get too. I mention this because one con of this trip was at the end of our long first day when we went to our room for the first time the magic band would not work though it had been promised that it was working. So we got to use those stairs and go up and down and wait as they figured out why…it took a good 20 minutes but finally we were in our room.
I love the decor of all the Epcot area resorts because the rooms are light and airy and they
remind me of being at the beach. The Yacht Club continued this theme with only maybe one difference I found the decor to still be light and airy but might be a tad bit more
masculine. Lots of ships and anchors and Captains, etc. to be found throughout the resort and in the rooms but the beds were comfy and the rooms were first class.
In the middle of the lobby during the day stands the Yacht Club’s Captain, a real cast member dressed as a ship’s captain that is there during the day as an information beacon. On our first wake up morning we went to the lobby and were looking for coffee and a bagel type place so I walked up to the captain and asked him “Do you work here?” which I am sure he hears 100 times per day but he still thought it funny and pointed across the lobby to the small bar area that has coffee and croissants in the morning.
The best thing about The Yacht Club for me is the location. You are walking distance to Epcot (and some crazy people walk to Hollywood Studios as well) but for us we boat ride over to DHS and it is worth it to save the feet the 20 minute walk! But you can walk quickly into the International Gateway to Epcot and be in France within a few minutes or take the boat if you are not in a hurry.
What do kids think is the best part about staying at The Yacht Club? That is hands down Stormalong Bay, the massive pool area and lazy river The Yacht Club shares with The Beach Club. Also, dining is shared between the two with two of my favorites being able to get too quickly – Beaches n Cream (the best burgers and ice cream in WDW) and The Yachtsman Steakhouse which is a wonderful, upscale steakhouse.
Would I go back to The Yacht Club? Yes! I have heard from others that some of their rooms are needing some additional TLC as well and I think that we must have been lucky because our room had recently been renovated. But, I loved the locale and all that it offered so next time you are thinking to stay somewhere around the Boardwalk area take a look at the Yacht Club…you will not be disappointed.
Dole Whipped 