If you’re checking into Disney’s Yacht Club Resort or Disney’s Beach Club Resort this week, don’t head straight for the boat dock without checking your transportation plans first.
Disney has temporarily taken away one of the most convenient ways to travel from these EPCOT-area hotels.
The FriendShip boat dock shared by Yacht Club and Beach Club closed Monday, August 17, for maintenance. The closure is currently expected to run through Friday, August 21, and FriendShip boats will not serve the two resorts during that window.
It’s only a temporary closure, but it affects transportation to several places that Disney guests regularly visit.
A Popular Disney Transportation Option Is Unavailable
Part of the appeal of staying at Yacht Club or Beach Club is location.
Guests aren’t dependent on buses every time they want to leave their resort. FriendShip boats normally provide transportation to EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s BoardWalk, and the Swan and Dolphin hotels.
Now, guests will have to use other options while Disney works on the dock.
That may sound like a major headache, but the EPCOT Resort area has one huge advantage: almost everything nearby is connected by walking paths.
Walking May Become the Best Choice
Guests heading to EPCOT probably have the easiest solution.
Both Yacht Club and Beach Club sit close to EPCOT’s International Gateway. According to the report, guests can expect roughly a 10- to 15-minute walk to the entrance.
Disney’s BoardWalk is also accessible by foot.
Guests can follow the nearby walking paths into the BoardWalk area, which includes dining, shopping, and entertainment.
Those same paths can get guests to the Swan and Dolphin hotels as well.
That makes this closure much easier to manage than it would be at a Disney hotel without nearby walking routes.
However, not everyone wants to add more walking to a Disney World vacation. Families with small children or guests returning from a long park day could especially notice the loss of boat service.
Disney Is Running Buses to Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios requires a slightly different plan.
Disney is offering direct bus transportation from Yacht Club and Beach Club to Hollywood Studios while the boat dock remains unavailable.
There are other choices.
Guests determined to use the FriendShip boats can walk to Disney’s BoardWalk and board from the dock there.
The Disney Skyliner provides another route, although it certainly isn’t the most direct one.
Guests can walk toward EPCOT’s International Gateway and use the Skyliner. That journey involves traveling toward Disney’s Riviera Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort before transferring to the Hollywood Studios line.
For most guests, simply boarding the direct Hollywood Studios bus should save time.
The Closure Shouldn't Last Long
There is an important distinction here: Disney isn’t permanently eliminating FriendShip boats from Yacht Club and Beach Club.
This is a maintenance closure with a scheduled end date.
Disney currently plans to keep the dock closed through August 21.
Once that work finishes, the expectation is that normal transportation can return.
Until then, guests need to adjust.
Disney World vacations already involve plenty of planning, and transportation changes can throw off carefully planned mornings. Knowing about this closure before leaving the room could prevent an unwanted surprise.
For the next several days, Yacht Club and Beach Club guests still have plenty of ways to reach EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and the surrounding hotels.
They’ll just have to do it without one of the resorts’ most convenient free transportation options.
