One of the most popular swimming spots in Walt Disney World will be seeing an extensive closure so here’s what to know!
Anyone who visits Walt Disney World knows about the bevy of amazing swimming spots there are. Sure, there are the water parks of Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach but there’s also the great pools at the various Disney resorts. Some of them are just as great as anything in the water parks to stand out nicely.
The best of them all would have to be Stormalong Bay. Shared by the Yacht and Beach Club, this 3-acre area has been the key reason to stay at the resorts since they opened in 1991. There’s so much here from the waterslide coming out of a shipwreck to the sandy bottom of the pool, the wave pools, the whirlpool and more.
The pool is so popular that Disney had to quickly institute a rule that only Yacht and Beach Club guests can use it, no one else. They still retain a huge following, which is why this news may be jarring to many guests.
Disney themselves have reported that "From January 2025 through June 2025, Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts will be closed for routine maintenance. Guests may see or hear construction work during daytime hours. During this time, Guests are welcome to swim at the Tidal, Admiral and Dunes Cove leisure pools.“
There’s no specific date on when in January the closure happens but it could be as early as the first week of the new year. The renovations are part of a wider makeover of the Yacht Club that Disney announced this past May. It's also typical for WDW to have pools closed for a bit in the winter when there's less need for them for maintenance.
This can be a huge shift for guests as Stormalong Bay has always been a drawing point for the Yacht and Beach Clubs. Granted, the pools at WDW aren’t as popular in the winter or early spring but still pull folks in. It’s possible Disney may try to speed things up so the Bay is reopened in May before the larger renovations are complete.
It’s a shame to have such a fantastic area closed down for a six-month span, but such things are typical for Disney and their resorts. Hopefully, this gives Disney time for some needed maintenance to make the Bay even better for guests. For now, anyone wanting to stay at the Clubs will have to make do without Stormalong Bay until mid-2025 due to Disney’s new decisions.