Walt Disney World has introduced a pool closure of Stormalong Bay at Yacht & Seaside Membership Resorts in 2025. This covers dates & particulars, plus different information about ongoing & upcoming building work round Crescent Lake, suggestions for these planning holidays throughout this timeframe, and extra. (Up to date March 8, 2024.)
Let’s begin with the large information, which is the pool refurbishment at these two Deluxe Resorts. Right here’s the authentic official announcement by Walt Disney World: In an effort to repeatedly improve the Visitor expertise, we refresh our choices every now and then. From January 2025 by means of Might 2025, Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts shall be closed for routine upkeep. Company might even see or hear building work round Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool throughout daytime hours. Throughout this time, company of Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts are welcome to swim on the Tidal, Admiral and Dunes Cove leisure swimming pools.
Right here’s the up to date official announcement by Walt Disney World: From January 2025 by means of June 2025, Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts shall be closed for routine upkeep. Company might even see or hear building work throughout daytime hours. Throughout this time, Company are welcome to swim on the Tidal, Admiral and Dunes Cove leisure swimming pools.
Whereas a number of the different verbiage has modified, the important thing distinction is that the refurbishment has been quietly prolonged till June 2025. It is a huge deal from our perspective, because the closure is creeping into the warmer and busier summer season season when company usually tend to be making resort reservations on the idea on the swimming pools.
Only a heads up for anybody who already has a reservation at Yacht and Seaside Membership or is planning to make one. Except beneficiant reductions are provided otherwise you’re not “pool individuals,” we’d extremely suggest wanting elsewhere. (As mentioned in higher element under.)
This isn’t the one venture occurring across the Crescent Lake Resort Space. Disney’s Seaside Membership Resort and Villas is present process refurbishment. Throughout this time, all resort facilities will stay out there.
This is because of a delicate items refurbishment on each the lodge facet and the Disney Trip Membership wing of the Seaside Membership. Many of the resort rooms have already emerged from this, and never a lot has modified. There’s new carpet within the hallways, and contained in the room the carpet has been changed by a laminate flooring.
There’s additionally new furnishings–chairs and sofa–in addition to new curtains, Donald Duck wall artwork, and different refreshed surfaces. That’s all I observed. These rooms had been bland earlier than, and so they’re nonetheless fairly bland now–however minus carpet and plus higher on-theme paintings. All of this shall be wrapped up properly earlier than 2025, although. (This was fairly near being finished late final yr, so it would already be completed.)
It positive looks like there’s been perpetual building at Yacht & Seaside Membership for the final couple of years. All small scale stuff, but it surely’s persistent and might be annoying in case your room is impacted. (Talking from expertise.) There have additionally been quite a lot of begins and stops, as Walt Disney World drags out building seemingly in all places.
Regardless, we’re undoubtedly anticipating this work to be completed earlier than the Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool closure commences. It stays to be seen whether or not extra tasks are scheduled between every now and then, although. Not a lot left to redo at both resort, besides possibly Huge River Grille and Brewing Works. Probably yet one more new idea at Trattoria al Forno? (Fingers crossed for a greater ice cream store!)
It’s the same story throughout Crescent Lake at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. Renovations are additionally occurring right here in each the common resort rooms and DVC villas. I stayed on the lodge facet in one of many new rooms not too long ago, and didn’t see or hear any room building. That doesn’t imply it’s not taking place–BoardWalk is a big lodge–but it surely looks like it’s fairly near accomplished. About the one factor I did discover contained in the lodge is a foyer restroom being closed–hardly earth-shattering building information.
The larger deal is what’s taking place exterior alongside the turn-of-the-century promenade. Repainting is happening to facades all all through this space and different refreshes have been taking place. Blue Ribbon Corn Canines can also be slated to open quickly in a meals cart alongside the water.
The largest venture on the BoardWalk is the brand new Cake Bake Store Restaurant being constructed to switch ESPN Membership. This was initially slated to open in Late 2023, however now Summer time 2024 appears extra seemingly. But when that continues at its present snail’s tempo, possibly Cake Bake Store building will nonetheless be ongoing in early 2025 when Stormalong Bay is closed!
Lastly, there’s what just isn’t but introduced. Clearly, there are the unknown unknowns, and we now have no clue what these could possibly be. Very useful and insightful, I do know!
Then there are the identified unknowns. On that entrance, it’s attainable that the Disney Skyliner gondolas–which join EPCOT’s Worldwide Gateway to Riviera Resort, Caribbean Seaside, Artwork of Animation, Pop Century and Disney’s Hollywood Studios–will shut in early 2025.
Walt Disney World hasn’t made any official bulletins but, however the Skyliner went down for refurbishment early final yr and early this yr. In 2022, the Skyliner was closed from January 23 by means of January 28. The gondolas went down for refurbishment January 22-29, 2023. The longest closure simply occurred this yr, from January 16 to 27, 2024.
This isn’t an enormous deal for those who’re staying at a Crescent Lake Resort. The Skyliner technically serves EPCOT, not these resorts. You may nonetheless use the FriendShip boats for transportation to Worldwide Gateway or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or you possibly can stroll. The Skyliner is the least environment friendly transportation for attending to DHS from Yacht & Seaside Membership or BoardWalk–it’s actually solely helpful for attending to the aforementioned Skyliner resorts. (To do breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace or dinner at Sebastian’s Bistro, for instance.)
However, the ‘double-whammy’ of the Stormalong and Skyliner closures actually makes these resorts much less enticing–particularly at something approaching full worth. (For what it’s value, we undoubtedly would not keep at Caribbean Seaside, Artwork of Animation, Pop Century, or Riviera Resorts throughout the Skyliner closure–these resorts are extra dependent upon the gondolas, so the refurbishment is a brutal blow to them.)
Circling again to the pool venture, the scope of the refurbishment work on the Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts has but to be revealed. Walt Disney World signifies that it’s routine upkeep, which we now have no cause to dispute.
The most effective latest comparability might be the Dig Web site at Coronado Springs, which was refurbished about a couple of agos for a similar period of time. That pool was basically simply refreshed and had routine/preventative upkeep finished. It emerged wanting contemporary and like-new, however not essentially completely different.
The important thing distinction between the Dig Web site (or another latest pool venture) and Stormalong Bay is location. This sprawling pool complicated is actually in Yacht & Seaside Membership’s central courtyard, with a excessive share of rooms straight overlooking the pool. The closure will nearly actually influence some company staying at Yacht & Seaside Membership, even those that didn’t plan on packing their speedos.
Final summer season, we did a keep at Yacht Membership in a water view room at a time when ‘routine’ upkeep was occurring. To my recollection, it wasn’t even listed on DisneyWorld.com. And but, our balcony was out of fee as cherry pickers had been typically exterior and building staff used the balcony to color the outside of the lodge. This shall be a special venture, however the same thought. Level being, don’t e-book a water view room at Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts from January to June 2025.
Frankly, we’d hesitate to e-book Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts in any respect from January by means of June 2025 except vital reductions are provided. And on condition that the closure was simply prolonged from Might to June over a yr prematurely, I wouldn’t e-book these resorts throughout the month of June 2025, interval. Maybe it is a matter of Walt Disney World erring on the facet of warning and the refurbishment shall be finished by early June…however having seen the tempo of tasks these days, I’d be extra apprehensive a couple of late reopening than an early one.
Should you’re questioning why Walt Disney World is saying the pool venture up to now prematurely, it’s to attenuate/keep away from giving out restoration or relocating company to completely different resorts. Publishing pool closure dates within the distant future has grow to be frequent follow because of this–the swimming pools are cited as one of many high causes individuals e-book particular resorts.
Nowhere is that extra true than at Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts, the place Stormalong Bay is the largest promoting level. That’s extensively considered as the most effective pool in all of Walt Disney World (together with by us–and we don’t suppose it’s even a remotely shut name).
To every their very own, however we predict that if Stormalong Bay is unavailable, Yacht and Seaside Membership aren’t “value” the identical nightly charges. This could be akin to not having the monorail whereas staying on the Up to date or the wildlife all going to the vet whereas staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Whether or not Walt Disney World affords a deeper low cost or not at Yacht and Seaside Membership for these dates relies upon nearly fully on what number of different company “agree” with us and vote with their wallets by reserving elsewhere. Promotions are dictated by demand (or lack thereof), so it might go both manner. With the closure introduced this far prematurely, we’d anticipate to see an precise influence on Yacht & Seaside Membership bookings. It’s attainable reductions will hit 30-40% off throughout these months, however too early to say for positive. We’ll preserve you posted–and reminders of the Stormalong Bay refurbishment because the 2025 closure attracts nearer.
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Your Ideas
What do you consider Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Seaside Membership Resorts closing for routine refurbishment in January by means of June 2025? Do you want these Deluxe Resorts, or do you like the cheaper choices? Some other enhancements you’d prefer to see Disney make to Stormalong Bay? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation of the tasks? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
