Disney World Yacht Club Resort Review
Review of Walt Disney World's Yacht Club in Orlando
Jan 12, 2009
First and foremost, Disney World's Yacht Club staff get what many hotels do not. A hotel is not judged by guests based on number of stars or how high the rate is. It is based on two primary factors: the attitude of the staff and the little things.
Disney Yacht Club Resort Staff
The staff at the Yacht Club Resort were constantly smiling and helpful. Consistency in front-line friendliness is not an easy thing to pull off.
With a typical night's stay in the $400s, it's almost compulsory to do so. Still, Yacht Club went above and beyond. Any moment they spotted a guest with a difficulty, one would spot a staff member eager to bend over backwards to help.
Little Things at Disney Yacht Club
As far as the little things go, many hotels underestimate the power of this. There is a lot to be said for little touches, and sometimes it's a little thing that cost a hotel pennies that sticks fondly in the mind of the guest.
Yacht Club Resort has a mix of those, such as sun burn gel in the bathrooms and giving coloring books and crayons to the pint-sized guests at check-in.
The only real problem was it became more obvious in areas where the Yacht Club missed the mark on little things, such as paid high-speed internet that didn't work part of the visit on one computer and all of the visit on another. The room safe was also so small as to be almost useless, and a hotel of this price point should probably already have updated to flat screen TVs.
Disney Yacht Club with Kids
Obviously, any official Disney resort will be family-friendly. The only real complaint would be the age limit for the parents' night out Sandcastle Club (ages 4 to 12), but it's quite commonplace to find no organized activities for children younger. There is babysitting available, but it's through a third-party company.
Some of the key, and most valuable, kid and family oriented amenities include:
- On-site coin-operated laundry
- 24-hour playground
- Simulated beach and pools
- Walk, stroller or ferry boat over to Epcot or Disney Hollywood Studios
Splurging for Club Concierge Level
If it is doable in your budget, the Club Concierge Level amenities are a great splurge. If you have kids, one of the biggest reasons if to simply avoid the added expense and nuisance of buying every snack and meal at a restaurant.
Club Concierge Level guests get exclusive access to he Regatta Club, which has complimentary food and snacks out most of the hours of the day. Even during the brief times between food being placed out for visitors, the concierges working the space happily grabbed pretzels and goldfish crackers for hungry children.
The two concierge desks there are also a benefit, and they can assist you with reservations as well as provide you with DVDs to borrow and watch in-room. Guests are also able to buy tickets to an exclusive guided tour of Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
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