Walt Disney World Resorts: Intro to Deluxe Resorts - International Gateway
If you're just joining us, welcome. You've caught us in the middle of a series that will deep dive into every resort at Walt Disney World. We've already discussed value and moderate resorts, starting with an introduction to how they work in general, and then providing cheat sheets the following week for each category. It is time to move on to deluxe resorts. And this is where we find ourselves overwhelmed, to be honest, because Disney has double the amount of deluxe resorts than any other individual category of resort.
So we've decided to break things up a bit by area of the resort, or, when that fails, type of resort. This week, we'll be discussing the three deluxe resorts that are just outside of EPCOT's International Gateway. These resorts are all located on a waterway that connects EPCOT with Disney's Hollywood Studios, and are all walkable to each other and to EPCOT or Disney's Hollywood Studios.
As a reminder, everyone who stays at a Walt Disney World Resort gets the following:
Early theme park entry
Complimentary Walt Disney World transportation from your resort to the theme parks
If you have a Magic Band, keyless entry to your resort hotel room
Earlier ability to make dining reservations (at 60 days out from the FIRST day of your stay, you can make reservations for your entire length of stay up to 10 days)
Earlier ability to make Lightning Lane reservations each day if using Genie+ (at 7am rather than at park opening)
Staying inside the "Disney Bubble" and being served by Disney Cast Members for your entire vacation
In addition to that, EVERY Disney resort is going to have these amenities:
Pools
Quick service food on resort property
Laundry (you pay, but there are facilities)
A gift shop
Wifi
Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts, Explained
Deluxe resorts are the most expensive and luxurious resorts Disney has to offer the typical guest (by typical, we mean those guests who are not Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members). These resorts can be easily recognized by a few features:
Proximity to theme parks (in many cases you can see, if not walk to, a theme park)
Transportation options other than bus (in most cases)
Multiple table-service dining locations
Rooms that are accessed by interior corridors, and that have private balconies in most cases
Larger rooms than moderate resorts
Suite options and club-level options
Larger buildings, in general, and grand lobbies
Evening magic hours - this is a 2-3 hour period of time where ONLY deluxe and DVC resort guests can be in the park, usually after park closing. Rides are open during this time.
In addition to those common perks, you generally find more amenities at deluxe resorts, such as the option to book a "club-level" room, marinas with boat rentals, a spa or fitness center, multiple lounges, and other amenities that are unique to each resort. Like moderate resorts, each deluxe resort has a very developed theme and landscaping to match that theme.
The price of staying at a deluxe resort, as you may already have guessed, is almost always more than that of staying at the most expensive moderate resort. And depending on the room type and perks you select, the sky seems like it's the limit. Moderate resorts, again, range from $250-$450 per night, depending on the time of year. So with deluxe resorts, you can typically expect to find rates of more than $450 a night. However, promotions can allow for excellent deals on deluxe resorts.
In total, there are eight deluxe resorts (we are not yet counting DVC-only resorts or resorts that are operated by those other than Disney):
Contemporary Resort
Polynesian Village Resort
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Beach Club
Yacht Club
Boardwalk
Wilderness Lodge
Animal Kingdom Lodge
The Contemporary, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian resorts were the first resorts built on Disney property, and all share a monorail route with stops at the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center. They are all nestled on the Seven Seas Lagoon, and you can see the Magic Kingdom from parts of these resorts.
The Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk resorts are located right outside of EPCOT's "back door", the International Gateway. You can walk to EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios from any of these resorts.
The Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge resorts are very similar in architecture, as you can probably guess by their names. Both feature multi-story lobbies with huge timber rafters and totem poles. However, the Wilderness Lodge is themed to the Pacific Northwest and is located nearer the Magic Kingdom than any other theme park. The Animal Kingdom Lodge, on the other hand, is themed to Africa, and is located a 5-minute bus ride away from the Animal Kingdom theme park, sharing a back savannah with that park's savannah.
These are the groupings we'll use to discuss each of these resorts, and this week, we will talk about the International Gateway resorts.
A Brief Explanation of Club-Level:
Something you will find at most deluxe resorts if the option to upgrade to a club-level room. Sometimes this means the room is also nicer, but most times, it simply means you get access to certain amenities. Club-level rooms are typically kept to one wing, floor, or building of a resort.
One of the main perks of a club-level room is access to the club lounge. The club lounge is simply a room with tables and chairs that provides refreshments at designated times throughout the day. There is almost always cold water and soda available, and then throughout the day, snacks and small items are put out. We're not just talking some chips and cookies. Usually there are desserts made at the resort, and hot items, often unique to the resort. You may also find alcoholic beverages. The key here is you can go into the lounge and eat all you wish at no additional cost (aside from your club upgrade).
Often, club-level rooms also come with a more private check-in area so you don't have to wait in longer lines in the main lobby, and a concierge who can secure dining reservations and help with you vacation planning while there.
Looking at the boardwalk from Disney's Beach Club resort at sunset
International Gateway Resorts
The International Gateway is also known as EPCOT's "back door". It is a second entrance to EPCOT, located between the UK and France pavilions of World Showcase at that park. The three resorts we'll discuss this week are right outside that entrance, walkable to EPCOT. A waterway also runs between the World Showcase Lagoon and the parking area of Disney's Hollywood Studios, and this waterway connects these resorts as well. This means, these resorts are connected via boat or walking to both EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios. The skyliner stations for both parks are also located in this area. Nearer EPCOT is the EPCOT skyliner station, and then nearer Disney Hollywood Studios is the station for that park. Again, both walkable from these resorts. It should be noted that while the skyliner stations are convenient, use of the skyliner itself may not be particularly useful for these resorts since the EPCOT line is not connected to the Hollywood Studios line, and to walk to the skyliner station for both of these destinations is almost equivalent to just walking to that park. In other words, the skyliner here is really only useful for resort hopping (with connections to the Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, and Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts).
There are three Disney-owned and operated deluxe resorts in the International Gateway area:
Disney's Beach Club
Disney's Yacht Club
Disney's Boardwalk Resort
The Yacht and Beach Clubs are right next to each other and share some amenities. They can be seen as sister resorts, much the way the Port Orleans Riverside resorts are sister resorts. The Boardwalk resort is also very nearby, but is different enough to not be considered a sister resort of the Yacht and Beach Club.
Our Take on the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
We're going to tackle these two resorts together since they are similar in layout and share some amenities. The Beach Club and Yacht Club are located right next to each other on Crescent Lake, the Beach Club being the closest to EPCOT's International Gateway, and the Yacht Club just beyond that. From the Beach Club, EPCOT is about a 5-minute walk. From the Yacht Club, EPCOT is closer to a 10-minute walk.
Both resorts were built in 1990, and are themed to the New England Seaboard, with the main difference between the two being the level of formality incorporated into the theme. The Beach Club is light and breezy with shuttered windows and has a beach cottage feel. The Yacht Club is a bit more formal, relying on navy blues and anchor, sailboat, and compass imagery to evoke a more refined nautical feel.
From the Beach and Yacht Club, you can walk or boat to EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios, the Swan & Dolphin resorts, and the Boardwalk resort. Transportation to other theme parks is offered via bus.
One of the main draws of both resorts, aside from their proximity to EPCOT, is Stormalong Bay, the shared waterpark that serves as the shared main pool of both these resorts. Guests who are not staying at the Beach Club or Yacht Club resorts may not enter Stormalong Bay. Stormalong Bay is like a small 3-acre waterpark. There is a waterslide housed in a shipwreck, a lazy river, and an area of water jets. There are several secluded hot tubs as well. But perhaps the most unique feature is the sandy bottom of the entire pool so you feel as though you are truly at the beach. There is no pool quite like this at any other resort on Disney property, so if a pool is the main draw, strongly consider the Beach Club or Yacht Club.
Both resorts also share the Ship Shape Massage Salon and Fitness center. The fitness center is available to guests of these resorts without an additional fee. Salon and Spa appointments (which are mostly facials or massage) must be reserved and do come at an additional cost. As of this writing, the salon and spa portion of this location is currently closed and Disney's web site is directing people to the Grand Floridian. It is unknown whether this will eventually re-open, however the fitness center remains open.
Part of Stormalong Bay's scenery
Disney's Beach Club Resort
The Beach Club Resort has about 450 rooms, the majority of which are water or garden view. Square footage in these room is about 380 square feet, making them smaller than those of the monorail loop resorts we discussed last week. Rooms have two queen beds and a daybed, and a private balcony. There are also 68 club-level rooms. Additionally, several suites are considered club-level: 7 1-bedroom suites, 6 2-bedroom suites, 1 Nantucket Vice Presidential Suite, and 1 Westport Presidential Suite. Club-level rooms will be slightly larger than other standard rooms. The standard club-level room is 400 sq feet and comes in configurations of 2 queen/1 daybed, 1 queen/ 1 pull-out chair, or 1 king/1 daybed.
This resort has 2 lounges, 2 quick-service locations, and 2 table-service locations, which doesn't seem like much, but bear in mind, the Yacht Club is an easy walk away and has more locations available as well. As is common with a deluxe resort, there is also 24/7 room service with a full menu. Here is the dining that can be found at Disney's Beach Club:
Martha's Vineyard, a lounge
Hurricane Hannah's Waterside Bar & Grill - Located near Stormalong Bay, it offers grilled items, burgers, and drinks
Beach Club Marketplace - This is your typical resort quick service location. While values and moderates have food courts, deluxe resorts typical have a smaller counter service place. This place offers breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, pizza, and the like.
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop window - This quick service window attaches to the table service Beaches & Cream restaurant, and you can get ice cream, cookies, and sodas to go.
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop - This table-service location is known all around Walt Disney World and guests come out of their way to come here and have the "kitchen sink", a humongous sundae with one of every scoop and every topping served in a literal kitchen sink. This table service location is themed to a 50s soda shop and does offer more than just ice cream, including salads, burgers, and sandwiches, but the real draw, arguably is the sodas and the ice cream sundaes.
Cape May Cafe - This table-service location hosts a character breakfast in the mornings and an all-you-can-eat clambake in the evenings. The character breakfast here, while tucked away, often gets good reviews as being one of the best values, and features the Fab Five characters (Mickey and friends).
In addition to access to Stormalong Bay, there is another quieter pool on the far end of this resort, nearest EPCOT. There are also two jogging trails, one which goes by the Boardwalk resort, and the other that goes around Crescent Lake, the lake that the Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk Resort all are situated around. There are volleyball and tennis courts, with equipment available to be rented. Tennis lessons are also offered for a free. There is an arcade, and a complimentary showing of a Disney movie each night (either under the stars, or, this resort has a spot indoors in the event of inclement weather), and the possibility of a campfire on the beach on certain nights. Guided fishing excursions are available for an additional fee, as well as the Albatross Treasure Cruise - a cruise for kids that will take them to various "ports" around Disney property to search for treasure.
Finally, the Beach Club Marketplace is the standard resort gift shop where you can shop for gifts, sundries, and some grab and go items.
Inside the lobby of Disney's Yacht Club Resort
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
Situated right next to its sister resort, the Beach Club, the Yacht Club continues the Eastern Seaboard theme, but in a slightly more refined fashion. While the Beach Club invites families to put on some bathing suits and relax, the Yacht Club is more of a "polo shirt" kind of place. Of course, it being Disney, casual attire is certainly acceptable. The lobby of the Yacht Club has rich woods and is decorated with things that evoke shops and navigating waters in a ship, and it is blessedly quiet. Directly across from the lobby doors is a pier with a lighthouse at the end of it, which serves as the boat dock for the Yacht and Beach Club resorts on Crescent Lake.
There are 621 rooms at the Yacht Club, about half of which are water or garden view rooms. Rooms are about 380 square feet. A standard room has two queen or one king bed, and some rooms include a day bed or a twin-sized sleeper chair. All rooms have a private balcony or patio, and double sinks in the bathroom.
Club-level rooms and suites are located on the fifth floor and provide access to the Regatta Club where refreshments and light snacks are served, and you'll have access to a concierge. Standard rooms are the club-level are very similar to other standard rooms. There are also the following suites: deluxe suite, turret suite, 2-bedroom suite (2), the commodore vice presidential suite, the presidential suite, admiral suite, and captain's deck suite. Don't let the names of suites confuse you. The 2-bedroom and deluxe suite sleeps 4 (whereas a standard room sleeps 5), the turret suite sleeps 8 (making it the largest), and all other suites sleep 6. The captain's deck suite, however, has the most square footage of all the suites.
Dining offerings include 2 lounges (including the one at Stormalong Bay), a grab-and-go market, a quick-service location, and 2 table-service restaurants, one of which is a signature dining restaurant. In room dining is also available 24/7. Here's the details:
The Market at Ale & Compass - This is a grab-and-go marketplace which includes a freestyle beverage machine, and fresh foods prepackaged, like sandwiches, and other snacks.
Ale & Compass Lounge - This is your typical quick-service location, offering breakfast items, and pizza, sandwiches, burgers and the like for lunch and dinner.
Crew's Cup Lounge - Located next to Yachtsman Steakhouse, this lounge offers a limited menu and drinks (which appear to be heavy on the scotch, bourbon, and beer side). It is open only in evenings. You can get a bourbon flight here.
Hurricane Hannah's - mentioned previously, this is the poolside lounge at Stormalong Bay, which offers grilled items and drinks
Ale & Compass - Located off the main lobby, this table-service location serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dinner includes New England favorites like clambakes or seafood pie, steaks, and other delicious dishes. Having dined there recently, we have to put in a plug for this place... some of the best food and service at reasonable prices!
Yachtsman Steakhouse - This is the resort's signature dining table-service restaurant, including a show kitchen where you can see your food being prepared. As the name implies, this is a place for a great steak. This restaurant does have a dress code prohibiting swimsuits, tank tops, hats, torn clothing, offensive clothing, etc.
Recreation at the Yacht Club is pretty much the same as at the Beach Club. In addition to access to Stormalong Bay, this resort also has another pool, this one located at the far end of the resort away from EPCOT. Jogging, tennis, volleyball, fitness center, fishing excursions, treasure cruise, and everything else we listed under the Beach Club is accessible by this resort as well.
This resort is also where the marina can be found (which can be accessed by the Beach Club as well). Pontoons, Sea Raycers, and Boston Whaler Montauks can be rented here for a fee. This marina is also the boarding point for a private, reservable, EPCOT fireworks cruise for up to 10 people, or a private 1-hour cruise around Crescent Lake and World Showcase lagoon during the day.
This resort's shop is Fittings & Farings, which, in addition to the typical gift shop and sundries fare, also offers clothes by Nautica and Polo (I wasn't kidding about this being a Polo shirt place).
Yacht Club's marina lighthouse, with the Boardwalk Inn Resort in the background, from the beach at the Beach Club Resort
Our Take on Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort
Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort is themed after Eastern Seaboard boardwalks, complete with dining and amusements. Therefore, this is not only a 378 room resort, but also a destination for dining, drinking, and entertainment. It is much, much smaller than Disney Springs, and yet has more commercial space on offer than any other resort. It also shares space with Disney's Boardwalk Villas, which are a Disney Vacation Club property.
Like the other resorts on this list, it is an easy walk or boat ride to EPCOT. You can also take a boat or walk to Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the other resorts around Crescent Lake. Like the other resorts, you can also walk to the skyliner station at the International Gateway, which will give you access to Disney's Riviera Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Centry, and Art of Animation, if you like resort hopping. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are accessible via bus.
Rooms available include standard and water view rooms. Water view rooms have a view of Crescent Lake, but also of the boardwalk itself, meaning they can be noisier at night. At the club level, there are also deluxe rooms which are slightly more spacious than a standard room. A typical room has 2 queen beds and a daybed, or a king-sized bed and a daybed and is 371 square feet, making it slightly smaller than average for a deluxe resort. All rooms have a private balcony or patio and double sinks in the bathroom. Concierge level rooms include standard rooms, deluxe rooms, boardwalk view rooms, and garden suites and allow access to the concierge lounge where food and drinks are served throughout the day. The concierge lounge at Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort has a balcony with good views of EPCOT's fireworks.
Garden Suites, one of the club-level type rooms, are unique in that they are two stories. There are 14 total garden suites, and all but 3 are accessed by a private yard. The yards are separated by white picket fences and contain rose gardens. The 3 that do not have a private yard have private balconies. Garden Suites have a living space with a queen-sized pull-out sofa, 1/2 bath, and wet bar on the first floor, and a king bed, and full bath with jacuzzi (and TV!) on the second floor. Most of these are completely separate from the main building so you would have to walk outside to access to the club lounge and other amenities.
It is important to note that not all rooms are in the building that overlooks the boardwalk itself. Like most resorts, there are outer buildings, and it's very likely you might get one unless you pay extra to have a water view or boardwalk view.
Dining and shopping options are the Boardwalk Inn Resort eclipse those of any other resort because it is intended as a destination for dining outside of EPCOT. That means you will find other Walt Disney World Guests, as well as locals, at many of the eateries and lounges here. Restaurants and shops change once in a while, but here is our best listing of what's available currently:
Shopping:
Dundry's Sundries - This is what you would call the lobby gift shop, though because there are so many other shops, it's mostly sundries and items with the resort's logo.
Disney's Character Carnival - On the boardwalk, this features Disney themed merchandise
Thimbles and Threads - On the boardwalk, this features clothing
Screen Door General Store - On the boardwalk, this is a grocery and snack shop
Wyland Galleries - On the boardwalk, this is a beautiful art shop
ESPN Club Store - Located in the ESPN Club, this features ESPN merchandise
Dining:
Ample Hills Creamery - On the boardwalk, this is the first location outside of New York of a Brooklyn-based ice cream company known for creative takes on ice cream.
Belle Vue Lounge - This is not on the boardwalk, and serves as the resort's coffee shop and continental breakfast stop in the morning, and full-service bar in the evening.
Big River Grill & Brewing Works - On the boardwalk, this table-service restaurant serves microbrews and pub fare.
Boardwalk Bakery - On the boardwalk, this is a quick-service location that serves baked goods and coffee drinks.
ESPN Club - On the boardwalk, this table-service restaurant is a sports bar with TV's aplenty showing sports. It features typical sports bar fare like burgers, appetizers, and drinks.
The Flying Fish - On the boardwalk, this is a signature table-service restaurant, only open for dinner, and featuring fish. It also has an extensive wine menu, an open kitchen, and, if you want to splurge, a chef's table experience.
Trattoria Al Forno - On the boardwalk, this table-service location is one of the most popular Italian restaurants at Disney World. For lunch and dinner, Italian food is served, featuring mozzarella made fresh daily, and wood-fired pizzas. For breakfast, it is a character-meal experience typically featuring Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn Rider, though characters sometimes change. The breakfast is called "Bon Voyage Adventure", so one can expect characters known for adventures. Trattoria Al Forno also has a quick-service pizza window on the boardwalk.
Leaping Horse Libations - This is the typical pool bar, which serves burgers, hot dogs, and libations by the main pool.
Carts - On the boardwalk, there are typically stand-alone carts and kiosks that serve coffee, funnel cakes, hot dogs, and other amusement park fare.
Jelllyrolls - On the boardwalk, enjoy a drink and live entertainment with dueling pianos. There is a cover charge.
Abracadabar - This bar located between Flying Fish and Trattoria Al Forno is themed to the golden age of magic. Enjoy a drink and perhaps see illusions.
As you can see, the dining and shopping options at the Boardwalk Inn are seemingly endless. Add to that you can walk to any of the other deluxe resorts around Crescent Lake, or, with admission to EPCOT, enjoy the nearby World Showcase dining options, this resort truly is a foodie's dream. Finally, as with all deluxe resorts, there is 24/7 room service available.
This resort has three pools. The main pool, dubbed Luna Park, features a rollercoaster themed waterslide and children's play area. The quiet pools can be found on different ends of the resort, one near the garden view rooms, and the other nearer the DVC Boardwalk Villas.
The fitness club, called Muscles and Bustles Fitness Club is located near Luna Park and is included for guests of the resort during their stay. Guests of other resorts may also pay a fee per day to access this club. In addition to the typical weights and fitness machines, there is a steam room, sauna, tanning bed, and massage services available.
There are two lighted tennis courts which need to be reserved. Equipment, not just for tennis, but also for the pool, videos for the room, and even bikes and surrey bikes, can be rented at Community Hall. And if you didn't manage to get enough steps in just by walking around the theme parks, there are lovely jogging trails around Crescent Lake.
The boardwalk is unique in that entertainment can also be found, especially at night, all along the boardwalk itself. This includes anything from jugglers, magicians, and midway games. The dance hall is also really a dance hall, Atlantic Dance, which features a DJ most evenings.
If you enjoy night life and live entertainment without having to leave the comfort of your resort, the Boardwalk Inn Resort might be the best resort for you.
That wraps up the details of the International Gateway Disney resorts. If you're wondering where the Swan and Dolphin play into this, know that they are coming. They are not actually official Disney resorts but they are probably as close to being Disney resorts as a non-Disney resort can get, so we'll be covering them separately! As you can tell, the Internal Gateway area is an interesting community of resorts, all of which are incredibly convenient to each other and to EPCOT. Next week, we'll share with you the cheat sheets for these resorts, and then we'll be moving on to the other remaining Disney deluxe resorts. If you want to be notified when new articles are posted, follow us on Facebook! Until next time...
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