Disney's BOARDWALK INN Information & Questions

[cincystamper]

My 68 year old mom and I are planning a 2018 trip and are thinking of staying here. We're hoping to go during the Flower & Garden Show and thought it'd be nice to be able to just walk to Epcot whenever we wanted to. She does use a rollator, but it's mostly for balance and in case we have to stand in lines (her knees do better if she can sit in lines instead).

Any suggestions or advice for room categories or requests? We know nothing about the Boardwalk area in general, so I'm taking my time to read through this thread in detail and appreciate all your posts so far!!!

 

[jlundeen]

My 68 year old mom and I are planning a 2018 trip and are thinking of staying here. We're hoping to go during the Flower & Garden Show and thought it'd be nice to be able to just walk to Epcot whenever we wanted to. She does use a rollator, but it's mostly for balance and in case we have to stand in lines (her knees do better if she can sit in lines instead).

Any suggestions or advice for room categories or requests? We know nothing about the Boardwalk area in general, so I'm taking my time to read through this thread in detail and appreciate all your posts so far!!!

Sounds like a great trip, and I'm sure she would enjoy Epcot...however, it's a little deceiving when you look at the maps and hear people talking about just walking to Epcot's International Gateway...while it certainly is do-able, as is the walk to Hollywood Studios, if someone has limited mobility, or tires easily, it can be a pretty daunting walk - especially if there is humidity. While I don't use a rollator, there are many times when I choose the boats over walking, and save my endurance for the day...just a thought.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

^^^Love the photos! It looks like the room we had, with our balcony being right above the boardwalk Bakery. And those food offerings look divine! Congrats to your wife for running the race, and congrats to you for not crying hysterically because you didn't get to stay at BWI with her (you didn't cry, did you?!?!?!)

Haha... no tears, although my (spoiled?) DS6 was upset that "mommy got to go to BWI before me." Either I'm raising a good WDW fan or I've created a monster, not sure which.

Wow! Great pictures! Did she have an oversized balcony? I've heard that the 3rd floor has big balconies, whereas the 4th floor has normal sized ones. The only "con", if there is one, is that the 4th floor is club level so those on the 3rd floor have to "travel". We have the Deluxe Room-Club Level category booked for December...your pix make me want to request your room! TY

From what I've been able to piece together the 3rd floor Deluxe Room balaconies are bigger than the 4th floor. I don't have a good sense just how much bigger, but it seems a bit. She didn't have a way oversized balcony, but fine for two people to sit and enjoy a beverage and BW views.

My wife's only real complaint was the distance to the lounge. Thanks to some friends over on the CL thread I was able to tell her to find the "secret staircase" which saved them some time. Otherwise she said coming/going to the lounge via the elevator was pretty rough and somewhat confusing. Although with the looks of those lounge offerings, I'm like

 

[cincystamper]

Sounds like a great trip, and I'm sure she would enjoy Epcot...however, it's a little deceiving when you look at the maps and hear people talking about just walking to Epcot's International Gateway...while it certainly is do-able, as is the walk to Hollywood Studios, if someone has limited mobility, or tires easily, it can be a pretty daunting walk - especially if there is humidity. While I don't use a rollator, there are many times when I choose the boats over walking, and save my endurance for the day...just a thought.

Definitely not opposed to taking a boat - it's one of our favorite things to do! We're going to be pretty relaxed on this trip, so I figured the whole walk/boat/something else transportation question is something we'll play by ear when we get there, depending on how we feel at the moment. Thanks for your advice!

 

[bartleyosu]

help! We are staying June 2 to June 4th. I booked BWV studio as cheaper at time. Now the Inn standard room is a little cheaper. Which should I choose? Never stayed here, but I love BC.

 

[cyb]

help! We are staying June 2 to June 4th. I booked BWV studio as cheaper at time. Now the Inn standard room is a little cheaper. Which should I choose? Never stayed here, but I love BC.

It depends on how many people are in your party, the villa has a queen bed and a pullout sofa and a daybed I think it also has a microwave which could be handy, the Inn has either 1 king or 2 queens and a daybed and no microwave, it depends which is more important to you.

 

[Best Aunt]

From dvcnews.com:

Deluxe Studio Villa

359 sq ft

Living Area / closet:

• One queen-size bed and one full-size sofa bed with 2 pillows each
• One convertible Murphy Bed / table
• Flat panel TV player with remote
• Two side chairs
• Coffee table
• Iron & ironing board
• Portable crib
• Wooden clothes hangers
• Electronic wall safe
• Luggage rack
• Private porch or balcony with parsons table and 2 chairs

Kitchenette:

• Wet bar sink
• Small refrigerator
• Microwave
• Toaster
• 4 cup coffee maker
• 2 packs of coffee, sugar, artificial sweetener
• 4 paper plates & bowls, 4 sets of plastic flatware, 4 glasses, 2 coffee mugs
• Can opener
• Ice bucket
• Dishwashing liquid, sponge
• Paper towels

Bathroom:

• Combination tub / shower
• 4 towels
• 2 washcloths
• 2 hand towels
• Bath mat
• Hairdryer
• Toiletry pack including hand soap, bath soap, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner
• Facial tissues, toilet paper

 

[Best Aunt]

From disneyworld.com re Boardwalk Inn:
2 Queen Beds and 1 Day Bed or 2 Queen Beds or 1 King Bed



From touringplans.com re Boardwalk Inn:

The BoardWalk Inn’s 371 Deluxe rooms measure 371 square feet each. Most contain two queen-size beds with hardwood headboards, an upholstered sleeper sofa, a cherry desk and chair, a mini-fridge, a coffeemaker, and ceiling fans. Decor includes yellow-and-white-striped wallpaper and striped green curtains. Closet space exceeds that in other Disney Deluxe rooms. Most rooms have balconies. Alarm clocks were removed in 2016 in favor of phone- and table-charging stations.

Each Disney's BoardWalk Inn Resort room is furnished with the following:

• Two queen beds
• Dresser with 3 medium-size drawers
• Love seat
• Table with 2 chairs
• Full-length mirror (on bath door)
• WiFi wireless Internet access
• Flat-panel TV
• Mini fridge
• Coffee Maker
• Ironing board and iron
• Hair dryer
• Digital thermostat
• In-room safe
• Tiny bottle of H2O-brand shampoo, and bar soap

The mini-fridge is a dorm-style unit that sits under a counter or desk. It's more like a beverage chiller than a refrigerator in that it'll keep drinks cool, but you're not going to freeze popsicles or make ice cubes in it.

BoardWalk Inn's bathrooms aren't big, but they also aren't as small as the ones you'll find in Disney's moderate or value resort rooms. Luckily you won't feel claustrophobic in your room's bathroom. Water pressure in the shower is average - probably less than what you get at home, but still enough to get your hair clean. Eventually.

A separate dressing area next to the bathroom includes two sinks, and enough counter space to fit most of the toiletries you would need. A 1500- watt, wall-mounted hair dryer is provided, but it's not very powerful; bring your own if you've got lots of hair. The dressing area includes a sliding door that separates it from the sleeping area. Combined with the bathroom, this means that 3 people can get dressed at the same time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

From dvcnews.com:

Deluxe Studio Villa
359 sq ft; sleeps up to four guests plus one under age 3

....

This layout is the old dedicated studio, not the newer renovated studio. It shows the old deacon's bench that was placed where the door would have been to connect to a studio. It's similar, but not the current layout. Plus the round table and chairs are gone. When the murphy bed is folded up, you get a table in front of the television.
Here is a more current layout. It sleeps five guests now with the addition of the murphy bed. The murphy bed is smaller than a twin sized bed (shorter and narrower).

 

[tricia]

I'm getting anxious now. I can officially say I am leaving THIS MONTH!!!! The last possible day of the month, but still this month, lol.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Sorry for the dumb question but...is the International Gateway entrance to Epcot open at rope drop? If so, do CM's just guide you to Future World since World Showcase doesn't open until later?

 

[jlundeen]

ve

Sorry for the dumb question but...is the International Gateway entrance to Epcot open at rope drop? If so, do CM's just guide you to Future World since World Showcase doesn't open until later?

Yes, the IG opens at Rope Drop - you can walk into World Showcase between France and UK...(only thing open is the French Bakery - can't go beyond that). The rest of France, UK and Canada are not open, so you just walk/sprint past them...obviously, you will not be first in line at Soarin' or any of the FW attractions, as the folks at the Main Entrance have a much shorter sprint.

 

[gometros]

For the Inn side, the ground floor does not open onto the Boardwalk. You would need to go up to the 2nd floor (same as lobby), then go downstairs to the Boardwalk(different stairs). If you have someone on an ECV, the elevator to the 2nd floor from the rooms is not the elevator to get to Boardwalk. I learned this the hard way. (At least I have not heard of the remodeling adding a ground floor access to the Boardwalk.)

Thanks for that clarification, Goofy. Yes, I was talking about the villas side.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

ve
Yes, the IG opens at Rope Drop - you can walk into World Showcase between France and UK...(only thing open is the French Bakery - can't go beyond that). The rest of France, UK and Canada are not open, so you just walk/sprint past them...obviously, you will not be first in line at Soarin' or any of the FW attractions, as the folks at the Main Entrance have a much shorter sprint.

That's exactly the info I needed! Thank you so much. We don't have Soarin' fast passes so it looks like we'll drive/park at the main gate then! Or maybe we'll ride the bus one way and walk back to BVI.

 

[gometros]

That's exactly the info I needed! Thank you so much. We don't have Soarin' fast passes so it looks like we'll drive/park at the main gate then! Or maybe we'll ride the bus one way and walk back to BVI.

There's no bus from the Boardwalk to EPCOT. Just the boat to the IG. From what I've heard, since the third theater opened, if you get the at rope drop, even coming from the IG, the wait should not be that bad.

 

[LisaCM614]

That's exactly the info I needed! Thank you so much. We don't have Soarin' fast passes so it looks like we'll drive/park at the main gate then! Or maybe we'll ride the bus one way and walk back to BVI.

We love RD at IG. We have had wonderful success at arriving at 8:15AM -8:30AM and we are on Soarin' right away after they let us in to the park. We do not run but do walk with a purpose although we have been known to snap some pictures on the way. I hope you'll love Rope Drop at International Gateway as much as we do. Please give it a try! It is a wonderful start to the morning.

 

[preemiemama]

There's no bus from the Boardwalk to EPCOT. Just the boat to the IG. From what I've heard, since the third theater opened, if you get the at rope drop, even coming from the IG, the wait should not be that bad.

We actually went on after a 10am breakfast at Garden Grill and only waited about 25 mins. This was in July! The third theater makes a huge difference in wait times, as does the third track at TSMM in Hollywood Studios.

 

[Best Aunt]

This layout is the old dedicated studio, not the newer renovated studio. It shows the old deacon's bench that was placed where the door would have been to connect to a studio. It's similar, but not the current layout. Plus the round table and chairs are gone. When the murphy bed is folded up, you get a table in front of the television.
Here is a more current layout. It sleeps five guests now with the addition of the murphy bed. The murphy bed is smaller than a twin sized bed (shorter and narrower).View attachment 223142

I deleted the studio layout from my prior post. I assume the rest of the description is ok. If not, please let me know and I'll delete that part, too.

 

[Liberator]

We stayed the night of Feb 14 - 15 in a studio (rented points). The room was clean but we felt a little cramped, but that may only be because we moved from the Poly Villas that morning. The studios there are so huge...

We got a village green view on floor 2, I think it was the third room on the right on that floor. We really liked the colour scheme of the room.

It was directly above a shop, under a roof. We were happy with the location, it was just a few steps from the lobby. I was afraid that it will be terribly loud at night because in the day all the talking from below was echoing under the roof. But it was very quiet at night.

All in all I was not overly impressed about the resort. It is very picturesque, clean and bright, yes, but I was just not overly happy to be there. I was a little sad about that because my expectations were different. It was just not my cup of tea.

But the location was exciting. We were on the Boardwalk in the evening and enjoyed the entertainment. The walk to EP and HS underlines the ideal location.

I would recommend the Boardwalk Villas to a friend, but I prefer to try another resort next time, maybe Yacht Club

 

[Harambe]

All in all I was not overly impressed about the resort. It is very picturesque, clean and bright, yes, but I was just not overly happy to be there. I was a little sad about that because my expectations were different. It was just not my cup of tea.

Don't feel bad. This is how I felt when we stayed at GF. Just didn't jive with the place! I think that is why it is great that WDW offers so many choices in resorts. I hope your disappointment didn't ruin your trip - seems you would have enjoyed it more if you did BWI first, and then the Poly!