Two staples of our ‘best of’ lists of Walt Disney World restaurants, and two of my favorite dining rooms from an ambiance perspective, are closing for multi-month refurbishments that will likely reimagine their interiors and (maybe) introduce new menus. Here’s the latest, followed by our commentary.
These closures are at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and are the latest in a bigger-picture overhaul that has involved everything from guest rooms (see Review: Refined Redone Rooms at WDW’s Most Sophisticated Resort) to the porte cochere, and currently concerns the exterior and will soon extend to one of the quiet pools. Before digging in, let’s cover Walt Disney World’s official ‘construction bulletin’ regarding the hotel:
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is undergoing visible exterior maintenance through late 2026, which will impact views from various locations throughout the resort, and at times, require alternate paths of travel. As part of this work, the Admiral leisure pool will be closed for routine maintenance through early May 2026. Guests may see or hear work in the area during daytime hours until the refurbishment is complete. Most dining and resort amenities will remain available.
What I can add about the exterior work is that we didn’t notice it during our Christmas-time stay at all. It’s possible we just missed it, but we drove and parked at Yacht Club and spent extensive time around the hotel, and didn’t once see anything. What we did notice was the two times in one night that the hotel was evacuated because the fire alarm went off, but that’s another topic entirely–and one covered at length in Our Two Hotel Horror Stories at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World has now announced that Yachtsman Steakhouse will also receive a refurbishment during this multi-year, multi-phase overhaul of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. In addition to everything else already happening, Yachtsman Steakhouse will close in May 2026 for a refresh, with reopening expected by August 2026. Guests may see or hear daytime work until the refurbishment is complete.
An exact closure date has not yet been announced for Yachtsman Steakhouse. The restaurant has normal operating hours as far out as the calendar goes, but it only goes through March…and by my math, that’s a couple of months before May 2026.
With shoulder season starting in mid-April and summers being less busy, there’s no real obvious closure date. It could happen at the very beginning of the month, or after Memorial Day. Neither would surprise us. But if this is a major dining room overhaul (as expected) and the goal is having it done by August 2026, early May seems more likely than later in the month. Although August is the target, Disney will definitely want this done before mid-September, which is when convention season gears up.
Prior to that, Crew’s Cup Lounge will close February 23, 2026, with reopening expected in May 2026.
In all likelihood, Walt Disney World is staggering these closures so that Yacht Club is not down two restaurants simultaneously. Meaning that Crew’s Cup Lounge will reopen and Yachtsman Steakhouse will close shortly thereafter.
During the closures, other dining options remain available around the connected Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, including Ale & Compass, Beaches & Cream, Cape May Cafe, as well as quick-service dining at Beach Club Marketplace and the Market at Ale & Compass.
For Signature Dining, there’s also Flying Fish over at BoardWalk, not to mention a wealth of other restaurants within walking distance around Crescent Lake. Or inside EPCOT’s World Showcase. Or over at the Skyliner resorts, inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios, etc.
What’s interesting here is that Crew’s Cup and Yachtsman Steakhouse share a kitchen, and the staggered work would seem to suggest that work will not be done on the kitchen during the latter’s closure. But there’s no guarantee of that, as they could also use runners from Ale & Compass, or not serve hot food during the closure of Yachtsman Steakhouse.
Our Commentary
Honestly, I’m disappointed by this news. And frankly, a little worried. There’s no concept art for the new interiors or even the suggestion from Walt Disney World that they’re being modernized, so this might seem like an overreaction. That we should be in ‘wait and see’ mode, especially after the successful room redo and the refreshed lobby. That’s a more fair and measured take, but it is not my reaction.
From my perspective, we’ve already seen what a refreshed restaurant at Yacht Club looks like, and that’s Ale & Compass. Although Ale & Compass has grown on us a lot over the years, that’s entirely due to the menus. We’ve just gotten used to the interior. It’s still bland and boring.
Granted, that was redone like a decade ago, and Walt Disney World’s approach to interior design has evolved a lot since then. So there’s at least some reason to believe it won’t be the template for the refreshes at Yachtsman Steakhouse and Crew’s Cup Lounge. (I feel like I’m talking myself out of disappointment and fears in real-time, as I write this.)
At the same time, I’m still anxious about these projects because Crew’s Cup Lounge already is perfect on the interior and Yachtsman Steakhouse is pretty close to perfect. The latter has touches of datedness, I’ll grant its critics that, and it could use a light refresh. But Crew’s Cup shouldn’t be touched. It stands the test of time, and I’m highly skeptical there’s anything Disney can do to make its interior better. They’re more likely to make it worse.
We have strong personal attachments to both locations, which could explain why I feel a little “protective” of them–especially Crew’s Cup. Longtime readers might recall that Crew’s Cup Lounge used to be one of our favorite dining spots in all of Walt Disney World.
There was a time when we dined at Crew’s Cup more than any other restaurant at Walt Disney World, save for perhaps Sunshine Seasons and Cosmic Ray’s. We stopped going there as much as prices exploded and they removed their best menu items, but resumed again more recently thanks to the incredible Prime Rib Sliders.
The one thing about which I’m optimistic when it comes to this project is the likelihood that Crew’s Cup Lounge will emerge with a refreshed menu. While those Prime Rib Sliders are fantastic, that’s the only unique menu item here that’s memorable.
Contrast that to the menu a decade ago, which was one of the best in all of Walt Disney World, and there’s clear room for improvement. And since multi-month closures and refreshes are usually accompanied by new menus, I’m bullish on that. I’d expect the Prime Rib Sliders and Yachtsman Signature Bread to remain, but everything else could be removed and replaced. There’s the potential for that to be a big win.
I’m less willing to gamble on changes to the lounge itself. The inside of the Crew’s Cup is sophisticated and upscale–exactly what you’d expect from the Yacht Club. It has an abundance of masculine woods, and reminds me of a quiet place Teddy Roosevelt would come for some whisky after a long day of sculling. Even if you don’t get down with rowing, it’s the perfect place to decompress during a day at EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You will frequently find me here during football season, watching the Detroit Lions.
Much of this style is carried over into the adjacent, and much larger, Yachtsman Steakhouse. The restaurant has a distinct New England nautical style; its dining rooms are light and airy, punctuated with rich woods, knotty-pine beams, warm lighting, and nautical touches.
One of the things we’ve appreciated about Yachtsman Steakhouse is that it’s still allowed to be itself, free of any totally unnecessary “modernization.” Other fans might look at the interior and find its appearance dated, and the upcoming refurbishment overdue.
We fiercely disagree. Yachtsman Steakhouse is completely on theme, and has a delightfully personable and warm atmosphere. At the same time, we can recognize that the writing has been on the wall for a while. I’ve been worried about Yachtsman Steakhouse getting the modernization treatment since Ale & Compass, and that was a decade ago.
At this point, I probably should be relieved that it’s happening now–when Disney has developed a defter touch with this stuff–than back in 2016-2018 when the output was underwhelming. Fast-forward to 2026, and Walt Disney World has been doing a much better job–the results might actually be good, however unnecessary.
My other worry at this point is that the character of the restaurant will fundamentally change. That Disney will aim more upmarket with the new menu and reimagined restaurant, transforming Yachtsman Steakhouse into a more modern and chic concept. That would make sense given Yacht Club’s status serving the conventioneer crowd, which makes up a huge slice of the hotel’s business. Fancy and pricey restaurants are, unsurprisingly, popular among those paying with OPM.
What we love about Yachtsman Steakhouse is that it’s one of the few unpretentious Signature Restaurants. You’ll see a range of patrons here, from families to well-dressed convention guests to older locals who have been dining at Yachtsman for years.
Whereas there’s no way we’d take our well-behaved toddler to Citricos or Narcoossee’s, we would at least consider an early seating at Yachtsman Steakhouse. (Haven’t done it yet, but it’s on the table for a ‘last meal’ at the restaurant in its current form.)
Yachtsman is more like a supper or country club, whereas most other Signature Restaurants in the hotels are akin to haute cuisine establishments. Unlike a lot of fine dining restaurants that have redone their menus, Yachtsman Steakhouse has a different ‘goal’ and approach. At least, for now.
Yachtsman Steakhouse is, as its name suggests, a steakhouse through and through. It’s expensive, obviously, but it isn’t trying to push the envelope and offer a ‘revolutionary’ steak experience. Instead, it’s going to deliver a great meal that leaves you so full you’re ready for bed immediately after. If you somehow manage to leave hungry, that’s on you.
Sometimes it’s nice to have a steak the size of my head accompanied by a huge pile of potatoes. Nothing fancy. Just a delicious cut of beef, perfectly-prepared in a traditional manner, accompanied by more carbs than I should eat in a week. The kind of meal that will leave me happy in stomach and spirit, ready to go to bed and get the best night of sleep possible. Food doesn’t always need to be a carefully-curated culinary experience or whatever; sometimes great food can just be a warm hug.
Ultimately, I hope that my fears about these projects end up being completely unfounded. That the interior refreshes are expertly-executed with a focus on attention to detail and thematic integrity, without compromising on character. That the inevitable menu changes don’t alter the character of either location, but instead are upgrades.
There’s a reason Yachtsman Steakhouse is on our list of the 26 Best Restaurants at Walt Disney World in 2026–ditto Crew’s Cup being one of the Best Bars at Walt Disney World–I hope both maintain their places on those lists. Better yet, I’d love to see Crew’s Cup make the cut on the overall list, where it would’ve been a decade ago.
We generally love Yacht Club and find it to be an underrated hotel. The resort has a certain air of stateliness and sophistication, with rich woods, dark colors, leather furniture, and an antique-looking globe, and an abundance of yachting decor to reinforce the theme. We love the new rooms and had planned on making this one of our ‘regular rotation’ hotels going forward. Whether that happens might hinge on the outcome of these restaurant refurbishment projects. We’ll keep you posted!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Walt Disney World undertaking multi-month restaurant refurbishments at Yacht & Beach Resorts? Optimistic or pessimistic about the likely changes coming to Crew’s Cup Lounge and Yachtsman Steakhouse? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
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