Why Kids LOVE Summer Break Trips to Disney’s Beach Club

Disney’s Beach Club Resort might be your one-stop shop for summer break fun. Here is why it will be the most memorable summer trip ever.

Disney World During the Summer

Walt Disney World is most accessible to many families, including working families with school-aged children, during summer break. However, some people hesitate to visit Disney World during the summer thanks to the sweltering Florida heat. People worry they will be miserable and enjoy the parks less.

However, it is certainly possible to enjoy a pleasant and memorable summer break vacation in Walt Disney World despite the heat. One of those ways is selecting the perfect hotel.

Here is why I (Katie) would absolutely recommend a summer break stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort for families with children of all ages. You might find you love the resort as much as the theme parks!

Disney’s Beach Club Resort

I don’t know about you, but I love taking long family vacations during Summer Break. And what better way to enjoy some poolside fun than at Diseney’s Beach Club Resort or Disney’s Beach Club Villas (DVC)?

Disney’s Beach Club Resort is an EPCOT area hotel. Our KTP writing team LOVES EPCOT Area Resorts. You can see why right here. It is one of Walt Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts, which means there are larger rooms with more sophisticated theming as well as nice amenities.

Here are 5 reasons Beach Club ended up being the PERFECT summer break vacation destination for kids. Better yet, most of these benefits also work if you want to plan a trip to Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.

Stormalong Bay

For one thing, Disney’s Beach Club Resort has access to the best pool area on Disney Property. In addition to quiet pools, Beach Club Guests are granted access to Stormalong Bay. It is more than just a pool, it is a 3-acre water park!

Kids can enjoy fun in the sand because Stormalong Bay has its own beach and a zero-entry sandy bottom pool. Kids can spend the day building sand castles and splashing in the shallow sand pool to their heart’s content, so don’t forget to bring some beach toys if your little ones love to play at the beach.

Next, there is a lovely lazy river to float along. You will have to wait for other families to give up their tubes before you hop aboard, but soon enough you should be floating merrily along.

Another impressive part of Stormalong Bay is its massive Flying Jib Water Slide. Head across the way to Shipwreck Pool where you can climb atop the mast of a life-sized shipwreck replica and zip down a 230-foot-long waterslide. It is one of the highest slides at any Walt World Resort hotel pool. It carries you all the way across the walkway and sends you splashing into the main swimming pool area.

There is also a mini slide for smaller visitors who aren’t feeling quite up to trying out the big slide. It is in Shipwreck Pool.

Once you have had your fill of the waterslide, be sure to check out Bubblin’ Bay. It is an offshoot of the pool where you exit the slide. It has currents for you to enjoy spinning around in.

Also, from about 1:00-4:00 every day, Cast Members provide games and entertainment for children. Poolside resort activities are common at Disney Pools, and my family has participated in many of them. But, we have never had as complete an experience as the one at Stormalong Bay.

The Cast Members had typical games and activities, but they also had some things up their sleeves that made it feel a little like summer camp including a cannonball contest that THEY participated in (clothes and all) and a parade to the Flying Jib where every child got to ride the slide.

You may have so much fun that you don’t want to leave. Your kids might not want to leave either, especially when they hear their cast member friends talking about the opportunity to make their own Mickey tie-dyed t-shirts (for an extra cost) or enjoy a free marshmallow roast and movies under the stars.

Read more about why Stormalong Bay is the best Disney World pool HERE.

Ease of Access to the Parks

Fortunately, another GREAT thing about Beach Club is that it provides ease of access to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It makes a dip in the pool and a quick trip to the parks afterward pretty seamless. After all, what could be simpler than walking directly from your room to EPCOT? Simply take the path and enter via International Gateway. You will walk right in between France and the United Kingdom.

Also, if you decide to enjoy EPCOT’s nighttime spectacular, you can position yourself near International Gateway and walk straight back to your room afterward from World Showcase. Of course, if you skip it and decide to enjoy rides instead, you still have the benefit of walking right back to your room. Kids LOVE not having to wait around for a crowded bus to fall asleep on at the end of the night.

Also, if you like boats, you can hop aboard a boat and head to and from the Beach Club. However, it is often quicker (though less charming) to walk instead.

If Hollywood Studios is your preference, the Disney Skyliner makes it simple to get there as well. Simply step on at the Skyliner Station and sail there. The flight will go by quite quickly. Just remember that you will have to transfer at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

The location makes it easy to say yes to a quick jaunt to hop aboard Slinky Dog Dash or watch Fantasmic! after a nice day at the pool!

It also makes midday breaks a breeze. If you rope drop and wear yourself out, you can go relax and recharge during lunch and head back to the parks as the heat of the day wears off. You can leave the parks when the heat starts becoming unbearable and return after the hottest parts are gone without eating up a lot of your day waiting for buses.

Plus, many kids LOVE the Skyliner. Some of them consider it a must-do attraction. If yours fall into this camp, it will be fun for them to be able to enjoy it throughout the trip.

Access to The BoardWalk

Sure the theme parks are great, but have you ever enjoyed an evening at Dinsey’s Boardwalk? Just across the way from Beach Club, you will see Dinsey’s Boardwalk, and it comes alive with FUN every evening. Best of all, it is COMPLETELY FREE to enjoy.

It is a short stroll from Beach Club to Boardwalk. I was surprised at how much my children absolutely LOVED it the first time we visited. Now it is a must-do for us if ever we stay in the EPCOT area resorts.

The big draw for them is all the evening entertainment. As evening draws near, Boardwalk Buskers perform acts along the BaordWalk. The offerings vary nightly. However, you may see performances from the Juggling Jacks, a mother-daughter duo who perform a juggling act infused with daring stunts.

You might also catch the BoardWalk Bouncers! They perform trick jump roping. Be prepared for impressive routines full of flips, more flips, and plenty of laughs. You might even see a floating statue!

Know that some acts welcome audience participation from both kids and adults. Some kids really love a chance to be part of the show. But, they love it anymore when their parents are called upon to participate.

If you are hungry, there is plenty to eat. In fact, you can enjoy some of Dinsey’s best Italian food at Trattoria al Forno. If seafood and steak are what you are craving, head to Flying Fish, one of Disney’s most underrated experiences.

And, if you prefer something quick, you can easily enjoy the Pizza Window, which serves up standard Disney quick-service pizza. For a sweet treat, follow it up with a trip to BoardWalk Ice Cream.

There are also some experiences to enjoy at an extra cost including an Arcade (although the one at Beach Club is better), midway games, and Surrey bike rentals. For even more to see and do at the Boardwalk, head over here.

Great Summer Dining Options

The Beach Club also has dining that kids love. One of the options is Cape May, which offers a DELIGHTFUL character meal at breakfast.

You will get to meet Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy in their beach wear while you enjoy a breakfast buffet filled with lots of options that kids love. You can see a full review of the meal here.

Next, be sure to stop by Beaches & Cream Soda Shop for a meal your kids will want to repeat. It serves up classic soda fountain items like burgers, hotdogs, and sandwiches. You can see a review of why kids love it right here.

But, the dessert is the standout here. Not only do kids’ meals come with ice cream as an option, but there are lots of ice cream creations to select from. In fact, Beaches & Cream serves so much ice cream that they go through over 200 cans of whipped cream a day!

But, the most glorious and memorable creation of all is none other than the legendary Kitchen Sink. This dish comes in three flavors: original, chocolate lovers, and Neopolitan. It is made from scoops upon scoops of ice cream with every topping in the house and a whole can of whipped cream.

It allegedly serves 4, but my family of 4 could NOT finish ours. We sure did have fun trying! You can read a whole review of the Kitchen Sink experience here.

There is also an ice cream window open all day and late into the evening. Kids will love being able to enjoy cool treats there as well. Finally, if you want great, kid-friendly quick service options, be sure to head to Hurricane Hanna’s Grill at Storm Along Bay. You can find kids options like chicken tenders and burgers. Also, for an amazing poolside treat, enjoy the frozen grapes.

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours

While it is subject to change, one perk that we hope Walt Disney World will continue offering is Extended Evening Theme Park Hours for Deluxe resorts. As a Deluxe Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort is in on this perk.

Typically, this means that you receive 2 extra hours in one of Walt Disney World’s theme parks on select evenings. Magic Kingdom and EPCOT both participate. The trend has been for EPCOT to offer Monday evenings and for Magic Kingdom to offer Wednesday evenings.

This is especially nice because it means you have an extra shot at those Virtual queues. Kids who love attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy and TRON will enjoy an extra chance to ride. Moreover, there are reduced wait times during Deluxe extended Evening Theme Park Hours. This is when my kids love to enjoy their favorite attractions on repeat with little to no waiting!

If you want a great summer trip where you can enjoy your resort just about as much as the parks, head over to Disney’s Beach Club Resort. It is a perfect setting to slow down the hustle and bustle of a typical Disney vacation and relax a bit. It can make your Disney World vacation feel more vacation-y.

Have you stayed at Disney’s BEach Club Resort? Did you enjoy your stay? Let us know in the comments. And, be sure to pass this story along to your friends who are looking to enjoy summertime in the Magic!