Disney World Resorts Near Epcot: Are the Walking Distance Hotels Worth It?

Overview of Disney World Epcot Resorts

Disney’s Yacht Club

• nautical theme and is nestled along Crescent Lake. If you are staying at any of the Epcot hotels you should take an evening walk around the lake. It is beautiful.
• standard rooms and club level rooms making this one of the most expensive Disney resorts.
• Prices start around $700.00 a night.
• on-site dining including character dining at Cape May Cafe and a breakfast buffet option (without characters) at Ale & Compass. I recommend making reservations for any table service restaurants at Disney World.
• Disney’s Yacht Club and Disney’s Beach Club share the Stormalong Bay pool and Shipwreck pool that have a sand bottom and a lazy river.

Disney’s Beach Club Resort & Villas

• Disney’s Beach Club is the closest resort within walking distance to Epcot but it is not much further to the Yacht club since they are next door to each other.
• standard rooms, 1-bedroom, 2 bedroom, and club level accommodations.
• New England themed resort and much of the on-site dining options are shared with Yacht Club.
• Nightly Rates start at $400 a night.

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn & Villas

• Boardwalk Inn offers standard rooms and the Boardwalk Villas offer studio and 1-2 bedroom accommodations. They are on the same property and include the same amenities, unless you are staying at club level.
• short walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It takes around 10-15 minutes. There are on-site dining options, as well as a fun carnival themed pool and daily activities.
• Room rates start around $600 a night.

Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, & Swan Reserve

Although on Disney property, the Walt Disney World Swan, Walt Disney World Dolphin, and the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve are Marriott run hotels. Guests wanting to use Marriott points can use them for their stay. This can be huge savings if you are on a budget.

These hotels are deluxe hotels and include early theme park entry and extended evening hours for hotel guests.

The rooms at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are standard rooms that you would expect at a Marriott resort. They range from standard size to larger rooms.

There is also an option to request a rollaway bed which was a huge help for our family of five. We were able to fit nicely and have a bit more space than a standard Disney resort room.

The resorts are very nice with a pool and water slide, a basketball court, beach volleyball, and more daily activities. It is also walking distance to the Fantasia Mini-Golf.

The biggest negative for us is that it doesn’t have the same Disney feel as staying on-site. It has the huge perk of being able to walk to Epcot but it doesn’t feel Disney.

The hotels host many conferences and inside felt more corporate than families. If being in the Disney bubble doesn’t matter to you or you are using points to visit Disney I would recommend staying here.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

• moderate resort that has standard rooms that include 5th sleeper sofe
• beach and pirate themed, swimming pools, on-site restaurant
• Nightly rate starts at $250.00/night.
• Least expensive Epcot resort
• Caribbean Beach resort is not walkable to Epcot but it is a short Skyliner Ride to the park.

Disney’s Riviera Resort

• deluxe resorts in the Epcot resort area
• French riviera with a Fantasia themed splash area and pool
• standard rooms as well as 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom villas. Disney’s Riviera Resort is also part of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). This is a timeshare program guests can buy into. You do not need to be a DVC member to stay at the Riviera Resort.
• Quick service and character dining on-site
• Nightly rate starts at $500.00 a night
• Riviera Resort is not walkable but has easy Epcot access along the Skyliner.
• Read my review: Disney Riviera Resort Review

Perks of Staying at a Disney World Epcot Hotel

When comparing the cost of staying at a deluxe or moderate resort compared to a value or off-site option I find it helpful to know the perks of staying at an Epcot hotel.

• Early Theme Park Entry
• Extended Evening Hours (All Deluxe Resorts)
• Can Walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios
• On-site sit down restaurant options.
• Easy access to multiple resorts for different dining options.
• Free Parking at the Resort (Except for WDW Swan, Swan Reserve, and Dolphin)
• Daily activities led by cast members
• Complimentary transportation to and from Disney theme parks.

It is a short walk to Epcot from the Epcot hotels that are located near the International Gateway entrance along Crescent Lake.

These include Disney’s Beach Club, Disney’s Yacht Club, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels.

Guests can also walk to Disney’s Hollywood Studios from the above resorts. It is a bit of a long walk though so keep that in mind when visiting with small children or those with mobility issues.

How To Get to Disney Parks from Epcot Hotels

If you are staying at the Epcot Hotels and want to visit other places on Disney property Disney transportation has you covered.

Disney’s Epcot hotels offer bus transportation, Friendship Boats and the Disney Skyliner to get to the theme parks, Disney Springs, and the Disney water parks.

The best way to check is to ask a cast member or go on the transportation tab on My Disney Experience app.

How to Save Money on Disney World Epcot Hotels

I was surprised to learn that the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels were Marriott hotels and we could use our Marriott points to book. This made it much more accessible for us to book a stay at the Walt Disney World Swan resort.

I am definitely a beginner when it comes to using points for travel but were were able to earn 5 free nights using our Marriot Bonvoy Card. Typically there is an amount of money you need to spend to earn the rewards.

The resort does have a daily resort and parking fees so be sure to include those in your budget.

If you do not have points but want to be close to Epcot consider staying at one of the value resorts along the Disney Skyliner.

Disney’s Pop Century and Disney’s Art of Animation resort are value resorts at Disney World. They are not within walking distance to Epcot and are not considered Epcot hotels, but because they are on the Skyliner I consider them a great alternative.

The gondola ride from Pop Century and Art of Animation is about a 20 minute ride. You will need to get off at the Caribbean Beach station and get on the Epcot line but it is very easy.

Are the Disney Epcot Walking Distance Resorts Worth It?

The honest answer depends entirely on how much time you plan to spend at Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Book a walking distance Epcot resort if:

• Epcot is your primary park. Especially during Food and Wine or Flower and Garden Festival when you want to pop in and out throughout the day
• You want to walk back to your resort for a mid-day break without waiting for transportation
• The BoardWalk and Crescent Lake atmosphere matters to you. Evening walks around the lake are genuinely one of the best free experiences at Disney World
• Extended Evening Hours are important. Beach Club, Yacht Club, and BoardWalk are all deluxe resorts with access to these extra hours

Consider a Skyliner resort instead if:

• Budget is a primary concern- Pop Century and Art of Animation give you Skyliner access to Epcot at a fraction of the cost of a Crescent Lake resort
• You plan to visit all four parks equally. The bus transportation from Skyliner resorts to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom is comparable to what you’d experience from the Epcot area resorts
• You have a family of 5 who needs connecting rooms or a family suite, better options exist at value price points

My honest experience:

We used Marriott points to stay at the Swan and it was worth it to save the money on accommodations. I prefer being in the Disney bubble and this would not be my go-to but for that trip it worked.

The location is extraordinary, the walk to Epcot’s International Gateway takes minutes and the BoardWalk at night is magical, plus using points is an incredible value, but I would choose a Skyliner resort as a compromise if I was trying to stay within a specific budget for my Disney trip. Plus I would rather spend less on accommodations and more on dining and Lighting Lane.

Final Recap

It is worth taking the time to research and compare prices of all the resorts you are interested in for your Disney Trip. Every Disney resort stay we have ever had has been magical for our family.

Disney World offers special discounts throughout the year so if you have your heart set on one of these resorts consider being flexible with your dates to make a stay work.

Overall you can’t go wrong choosing a Disney resort for your Disney trip. Each one offers something special and unique to help you have a magical vacation.

Traveling as a family of 5? Read our Best Disney Resorts for Families of 5 for our complete comparison across every resort tier.

Planning your full Walt Disney World vacation? Our Walt Disney World Guide covers everything.

Thank you for reading my post! This post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Although we try to provide the most up-to-date prices, we do not guarantee prices listed on our site. At times we are compensated or hosted by destination and brands. All opinions are honest and my own. If you would like to learn about how I work with affiliate partners you can read more here.

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