Resort of the Month — July 2026: Disney's Yacht Club

July's resort pick comes down to one thing: the pool. Disney's Yacht Club, on Crescent Lake between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, shares Stormalong Bay — and in the heat of a Florida summer, that's the single best amenity at any Walt Disney World hotel.

Stormalong Bay

It's a three-acre mini water park shared by the Yacht and Beach Clubs: a sand-bottom pool you wade into like a beach, a lazy river, whirlpool spas, and a real waterslide built into a shipwreck. It got a full refurbishment that wrapped in 2025, so it's freshly resurfaced and in excellent shape. Best of all, it's exclusive to Yacht & Beach Club guests, so it never draws the all-property crowds. In July, this pool alone justifies the stay.

Location

You can walk to EPCOT's International Gateway in well under ten minutes, then catch a Friendship Boat or the Skyliner from there to reach Hollywood Studios. Two parks essentially in your backyard, no bus required — which in July means you can retreat from the heat and get back into a park fast.

In a July heat wave, the right hotel pool isn't a nice-to-have — it's the plan. Stormalong Bay is the best one Disney has.

The honest caveat

Be straight with yourself before booking: the Yacht Club is in the middle of an exterior refurbishment running through late 2026, so expect some scaffolding on parts of the building, and the signature Yachtsman Steakhouse is closed for its own refurb until August. The pool, the recently refreshed rooms, the lobby, and the location are all unaffected — but if a construction-free exterior or that specific steakhouse matters to you, factor it in.

Why July specifically

Stormalong Bay plus walkable EPCOT plus air-conditioned everything makes this a near-perfect summer base camp: do a morning park, retreat to the best pool on property through the afternoon heat, then stroll back into EPCOT for dinner and fireworks.

This July

Book the pool. Everything else is a bonus.