Our first stay at Disney’s Beach Club was like no other stay we’ve had at Disney before. I’ll start with the review of the resort and room. The room was Uhh-mazing! I loved everything about it. We stayed in a dedicated 2 bedroom and the girls were thrilled to sleep in separate beds…even though the next morning they wound up together! The decor really flows through with the theme of the resort. It truly captures the art deco theme they were going for and I felt completely immersed in it. The comfort of the beds and pillows was wonderful. (in other resorts the beds and pillows were not always comfortable) The showers and bathrooms were very luxurious and functional. The kitchen had everything we needed to prepare quick meals. The placement of some of the pots was unexpected so we didn’t find it as easily the first time we went to prepare lunch but we found them for the next meal. The amount of dishes and utensils was much more than we would need. Unfortunately, there is not a full size refrigerator but there was still plenty of space!
Now the pool… Stormalong Bay lived up to every single hype that has been created. It was great and we all had a wonderful time! Before we arrived, we were told the slide was going to closed so we were a little bummed when we were checking in. Imagine our surprise and the kids happiness to walk onto the pool deck to find it open! The kids had a fantastic time on the slide! My only gripe with the slide is that the kids have to actually leave the pool area, cross the boardwalk to the Beach & Yacht Club to get to the entrance of the slide staircase. They have to run through groups of people to do all of this. There wasn’t even cast members patrolling or directing “slide traffic” to the direction of the slide. I was not comfortable. So Vadim or myself made sure the kids were getting to the slide. After they spent the day on the slide, Vadim helped them discover the lazy river. They were in heaven. The sand bottom was also a huge hit with them! Although they did loose a couple of dive toys. They cannot wait to go back!
The resort itself was just beautiful and the cast members were very friendly. MUCH less interaction though then prior to Covid. But that’s to be expected…I just hope things get a little more “normal” soon.
Food options: Welp, since a lot of restaurants on property are still closed and the ones that are open are operating at reduced capacity, and reservations are not being made until 60 days before your trip, it’s VERY hard to get a meal reservation. Unlike any trip we have ever taken to Disney World, we arrived without ANY reservations anywhere. Luckily, there was the poolside bar for lunch on our check in day and then amazingly, Vadim was able to snag a Beaches and Cream reservation! The rest of the time, we got in room dining from Ale & Compass.
Poolside Bar – There was a cast member taking food and drink orders and I assumed it was a poolside bar but the bill showed up as Martha’s Vineyard. Either way, we ordered 4 burgers and fries. All was cooked perfectly and it was all very tasty.
Beaches & Cream – We were so excited to get this one. We have always wanted to try it. Walking to the restaurant, we knew we would get “The Kitchen Sink”. But we also wanted something more. The girls and I got their grilled cheese with tomato soup and Vadim got the Ruben. It may have been the best grilled cheese I’ve had. The girls preferred Vadim’s grilled cheese from home. The tomato soup was good…a little “pasty” though. Vadim really enjoyed his ruben! The kitchen sink was everything everyone has always said it was. Lots of yumminess in a giant raised bowl. We had the most amazing server names Larry. He went above and beyond what was expected. He couldn’t stand to see our little one not eat so he brought her yogurt with sweet strawberries on top. Then when I mentioned it was the first time she was trying ice cream, he went in the kitchen and had them make her a special mickey mouse ice cream bowl. She loved it! It was all very sweet!!
In room dining from Ale & Compass – We had breakfast and then dinner from there. It was mediocre. There was nothing special about the food. The kids liked their frittatas and chicken strips. Vadim and I got the rib eye steaks…they were a bit over cooked and under seasoned. It was all just very bland and nothing special. I expected more coming from Ale & Compass…plus, they are encouraging you to use their in-room dining at this time. For the price, I don’t feel the quality was there.
While this trip was very short (only 2 days) we found ourselves actually bored in our room. There aren’t any activities in the resort except for the pool. So if you’re not heading out to the theme park, be prepared to either sit by the pool or your room.
The sanitizing and social distancing was pretty much what I expected. Disney is doing an awesome job at all of it. We felt very comfortable the whole time we were there.
All in all, it was a great stay in a beautiful room and resort. We are hoping things start normalizing because we really miss everything from characters, to character dining to the fireworks…everything that has made Disney magical in the past.
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