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You are here: Home / Blog / Review: The Market at Ale & Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club

Review: The Market at Ale & Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club

June 8, 2017 ~ 7 minutes read20 Comments

If you were to ask me, “Josh, what does the Crescent Lake area need more than anything?” “Sandwiches” would probably not be near the top of my list. Yet here we are.

The Market is located just off of the lobby on the opposite side of Captain’s Grille, Crew’s Cup, and Yachtsman Steakhouse.

If you’re entering from the front entrance, you’ll take an immediate right. From the back entrance behind me, you’ll walk towards the front desk and then take a left.

Apparently, the globe is out for refurbishment – it’s been a couple of months.

At least the flowers are pretty. If Disney used fakes, I think the room rates would go down by at least half. Just this arrangement would cost several hundred dollars from a florist.

The Market takes up the space formerly occupied by Fittings and Fairings, some of the merchandise of which has been relocated to a corner of the lobby.

A new store is expected to open next month.

Back to The Market, which seems to principally be a grab-and-go location, though a menu of hot sandwiches and coffee is available.

Here’s that menu in stunning quality.

Inside the cooler:

Larger: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports14/the_market_yacht_club_disney_cooler.jpg

Larger: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports14/the_market_yacht_club_disney_cold_sandwiches.jpg






A lot of this stuff actually looks pretty good, including items like the Shrimp Cocktail and Tomato Basil Hummus Cup, in addition to an impressive array of salad dressings. The snack credit situation is a little uneven as items like the $5.79 Curry Chicken Salad Cup are snack credits while items like the $5.79 Tuna Salad Cup are evidently not. The location has been open for more than three weeks, so the inconsistency isn’t first week jitters.

Is Halo Top good? A pint is 240 calories versus 1000+ in the Haagen-Dazs.

The lineup of packaged goods is equally impressive.

Larger: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports14/i_dont_know_about_moon_cheese.jpg

Pricing on a lot of the items is surprisingly un-terrible. These “Epic Bites – Salmon Bites with Maple and Dill” sound kind of gross, but they’re around $6.50 in stores and $6.99 here at The Market. You almost can’t afford not to pick up a 2.5 oz. bag.

If sweets are more your thing, The Market offers several options in classy, minimalist packaging. Those are Lemon Blueberry Macarons on the lower left.

Some more interesting snacks with an emphasis on being allergy-friendly.

Swiss Granola – a good source of protein.

Falafel Chips – a good source of fiber.

Fruit – money that could be put towards hamburgers.

Larger: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports14/banana_chew_banana_bites.jpg

A good source of potassium.

Lovely Candy Co. –  A good source of chew.

Snickers. This is still America.

As is typical of resort stores, the wine selection is pretty decent at prices that aren’t a whole lot more than your local Total Wine, though some of these bottles are 375ml.

But the Conundrum Red runs $23 at the store, so $27 here is more than reasonable. The Martin Ray is $25 at Total Wine, so $29 here seems more than reasonable. On the other hand, the Kung Fu Girl is $13 at the store or $19 here at The Market. So the more you spend, the more you “save.” On the other hand, beer pricing remains atrocious. A single can of Blue Moon runs $9, which is more than a 6-pack would cost at the store.

Fresh pastries and other items are available.

I’ve heard particularly good things about the brownie bites on the bottom in the middle there.

Sticky Buns and the Spinach & Feta Pastry.

Toasters and microwaves are available for guest use.

As with a number of recent quick service refurbishments, Coke Freestyle machines are present.

Theming might be a little questionable here. Property-wide, Disney is transitioning to a lot more of a “clean” look. A lot of the whimsy has been removed during recent resort room refurbishments and that seems to be creeping into public spaces as well. The changes to Sassagoula Floatworks over at French Quarter come to mind as a prime example. I’m not sure you could come up with a more anemic aesthetic if you tried. Functional, yes, but without a single Disney touch as far as I can tell. This could just as easily be a failing coffee shop anywhere in the U.S.

Power and USB outlets are provided underneath the bench seating just in case inspiration strikes and you’re able to add a quick scene to that screenplay.

The convention center expansion at the Beach/Yacht Clubs is expected to add 28,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including a 16,000 square-foot ballroom. It seems like The Market at Ale & Compass was devised with convention guests in mind with the emphasis on the “Disney-upscale” grab-and-go items.

I ordered the $8.49 “Ham & Cheddar Sandwich – Ham and Cheddar Cheese served on a Pretzel Roll.”

The small sandwich sits kind of sad in the middle of the plate.

It looked like the sandwich was pulled out of the refrigerator intact and simply reheated, which gave the pretzel bread an uneven amount of done-ness. It was appropriately soft and chewy in the middle, but the edges were all kinds of hard, crunchy, and overcooked. Without any sauce or spread to speak of, there wasn’t much flavor outside of the straightforward saltiness of the ham and cheese. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but it would be below average for the airport, if that offers any insight into the overall portion/quality.

The $8.49 “Spicy Italian Panini – Capicola, Mortadella, Ham, Provolone, and Giardinere [sic, probably] served on a Baguette” was a significant improvement.

This pressed sandwich had the perfect bread-to-stuff ratio. It’s packed with meat and cheese with a thin, crispy layer of bread to hold everything together. The giardiniera added a bit of a spicy quality that contrasted nicely with the meats and cheese. It was easily the best item we tried. Very satisfying.

But if you’re flexible in where you grab your sandwich in the Crescent Lake area, it’s hard to recommend The Market over BoardWalk Bakery, where you could pick up this “Roast Beef and Salami Sandwich with Provolone, Sweet Pickled Peppers, and Herb Mayonnaise on House-made Ciabatta” along with a side for $12. The outdoor seating overlooking the water is incredibly pleasant so long as it isn’t raining or terribly hot. In other words, expect a fresh review in October.

The packaged dessert options looked très presh, so I grabbed this Lemon Cheesecake.

To give you an idea about sizing, that is not a mutant blackberry. And at $4.59, I was expecting the cheesecake to have a really deep, rich flavor. But it didn’t – just a sort of semi-sweet, bland cream cheese flavor with a touch of lemon. The texture was also more crumbly than anything. Would not recommend.

The Carrot Zucchini Bites were like little muffins with eight in the bag for the $4.99 price. There’s much more of the carrot going on here than the zucchini, with some of the spice you’d expect from a carrot cake, but without the sugary sweetness. They had a fresh quality to them, but at more than 50 cents per 2-bite “bite,” they’re a pretty easy skip. But if you’ve got a snack credit to burn, they would be enjoyable alongside an afternoon cup of coffee.

Speaking of which:

The Toasted Marshmallow Latte sounds similar to the Mission to S’mores drink available at the Magic Kingdom Joffrey’s.

Nothing says “buy my kitchenware” like the dark.

With modest goals in mind, The Market at Ale & Compass seems to achieve what it sets out to accomplish. Certainly, convention guests will find convenience in the ability to pop in and grab a sandwich or a snack in just a couple of minutes, with some upscale touches that they’re probably used to seeing at other events. Since the Yacht Club did not previously offer a quick service option in-house, resort guests should appreciate the ability to head down to the lobby level and pick something up without having to head outside to the Beach Club Marketplace, Hurricane Hanna’s, or all the way over to the BoardWalk Bakery. Hot breakfast items may be particularly welcome.

And given the space constraints, this may be as much as Disney could do, though you’d think if they could find 30,000 square feet to add on to the convention space, that a quick service the size and scope of Captain Cook’s might be possible. But more options is always better and The Market should offer a quick, no-nonsense experience in a relaxed setting. Is it worth seeking out? Perhaps not, unless you have some snack credits to burn. There are some tasty treats you could pack away for the return flight/drive home.

Personally, you’ll find me at Yachtsman with a couple of those A5 Wagyus. I’m a growing boy.

The Yacht Club bag was particularly cute.

Ahoy!

We may have already seen this stuff.

We’ll visit Beach Club briefly to check out trivia next.

Last modified: June 8, 2017 Filed Under: Blog

Comments

  1. Jaimie says

    June 8, 2017 at 1:10 pm

    I love Halo Top! Favorite flavors: Peanut Butter Cup, Birthday Cake. I see WDW carries both.

    Reply
  2. Pixarprincess says

    June 8, 2017 at 1:45 pm

    Halo top for what it is is pretty darn delicious. Is it ice cream in the traditional sense? eh questionable, it is more ice-y. But it satisfies that craving without making you hate yourself lol!

    Reply
  3. Helen Parr says

    June 8, 2017 at 2:17 pm

    Have to add that Moon Cheese is one of my favorite snacks. No carbs, high in protein, and very tasty. No doubt they got these from a sound stage in New Mexico. Actual moon cheese is garbage.

    Reply
  4. Tony says

    June 8, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    We need you to try the Moon Cheese

    Reply
  5. Miriam says

    June 8, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    I love Moon Cheese!

    Reply
  6. Jen B says

    June 8, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    The trend to remove themeing lately is my pet peeve. The rooms at YC and BC were recently refurbed to hardly any theme at all and now this. Same thing at the POFQ QS like you mentioned. I don’t get where they are going with this. I will be interested to see how the QS at CB turns out, if it is done in the same minimalist manner. Seems odd, I wonder who is driving this change? Some VP that likes laminate flooring and hates comforters?

    Thanks for the review Josh! Great photos of the layout. #bringbacktheglobe

    Reply
    • Tim says

      June 8, 2017 at 7:28 pm

      We’ve been noticing the trend towards plainness as well. It’ll be a bummer if this is the new normal for renovations going forward. I suppose they are concerned about being too “childish” compared to “real world” hotels? I hope they realize that a big part of the appeal in a Disney Resort is experiencing environments you can’t find elsewhere. The new aesthetic can be found in every new hotel, coffee shop, mall, etc. in any large city in America. I guess more guests find comfort in that being the vibe at Disney now as well?

      Reply
      • Kelly says

        June 9, 2017 at 9:23 am

        yeah, It’s really disappointing. I’m not saying you need to always be staring at a mickey head everywhere you go, but I think there’s a way to be both stylish and comfortable but retain the themeing. I think the Poly DVC rooms strike a decent balance between “style” and “theme”. There’s actual colors, some nice theme touches like the Tiki lamp and the stylized birds artwork as a call out to the tiki- room, and there’s still a sense of “fun” though out the room. I wouldn’t say no to a bit more theme there, but I think the Poly stuff came out really well. But I look at the new wilderness DVC stuff and it all just looks too minimal and clean.

        I think it’s part of the reason why AKL is one of my favorite resorts to stay at- it has a theme it commits to from top to bottom, and it manages to do it in a (what I feel) respectful and well thought out way.

        Reply
  7. dusty cheatham says

    June 9, 2017 at 5:45 am

    wow I guess I need to get out more. or eat healthy..josh ? what is your favorite q.s. item .

    Reply
  8. Erika says

    June 9, 2017 at 11:03 am

    The Epcot resorts are still SCREAMING for a simple quick service. Example: Last visit staying at Boardwalk. Kid got sick. Needed to eat dinner somewhere quick and easy and not fancy. Ended up at ESPN club because that was all they had. Not the atmosphere desired. The flashing from ten thousand TV’s was not helpful for a sick kid. IF ONLY there had been a simple quick service restaurant. Grab and go is NOT acceptable. Gluten free people do not want grab and go sandwiches. Same goes for breakfast. I hope someone actually listens and turns one of the ridiculous night life places on the Boardwalk to a really nice quick service place with lots of choices (especially allergy friendly ones) and tons of seating because people from 3 hotels will flock there. The ESPN club would be a good location because it is close to the other 2 hotels.

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      June 10, 2017 at 2:27 am

      Agree 100% !!

      Reply
  9. Melinda says

    June 9, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    Wherefore art thou, Tofutti chocolate?

    Reply
  10. Amber says

    June 9, 2017 at 3:27 pm

    Love that beach bag! Wish I had seen it on my recent trip. Great review as always!

    Reply
  11. Jeff says

    June 9, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    What a rollicking, fun, crazy atmosphere!
    Just screams Disney World..

    Reply
  12. Kim says

    June 9, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    Mutant blackberry. These sorts of observations make my day. Loving all these recent posts!

    Reply
  13. Amanda M says

    June 12, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Here’s a review some guy did of the Halo Top flavors. http://junkbanter.com/2016/10/20/review-ranking-17-halo-top-flavors/

    Reply
  14. Glen says

    June 12, 2017 at 10:11 am

    Halo Top is AWESOME!!!! It’s not as rich and cream as premium ice cream, but for 1/4 the calories it fills a need. Peanut Butter Cup and Sea Salt Caramel are very good.

    I stayed at Lowes Sapphire Falls resort in April for a work trip. This new market is a carbon copy of the grab and go at the resort.
    https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/things-to-do/dining/new-dutch-trading-co/index.html
    Seriously Disney, this is not what you expect from a themed location.

    Reply
  15. JC says

    June 12, 2017 at 11:32 am

    I loathe Coke Freestyle machines. These create annoying lines of kids at suburbia quick service wonder how these will work at Disney. But I know some think think they are great.

    Reply
  16. Jenn says

    June 12, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    Moon Cheese and Epic jerky?! I’m in heaven! And Halo Top is really good.

    Do you think those snacks might make their way to other resorts?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Review: The New Market Quick Service at the Yacht Club - yourfirstvisit.net says:
    June 8, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    […] Note that Josh has a longer and more detailed review of the offerings at The Market here. […]

    Reply

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