Boardwalk???

[DisneFamily]

Can you guys tell me about the Boardwalk?

The one time we attempted to go, it down poured as we pulled in, ugh!

I see all the different places to eat, but what is the “Go To”?
What is the to do with my DS7?
Do we have to pay for parking?
TIA

 

[Farro]

So there are restaurants:

Flying Fish
Trattoria Al Forno
Big River Grill (I may be wrong on name)
ESPN
Plus some more quick service type places. Also more restaurants in Beach/Yacht and Swan/Dolphin. There are lots of shops, ice-cream, it's pretty, and you can rent bikes.
There are carnival/boardwalk type games open in the evening and they have strolling entertainment - magicians, jugglers, etc. - also at night.

In my opinion, unless you are specifically going there for an ADR, I don't think it is worth making a special trip as there really isn't all that much to do that will take more than an hour or so.

 

[k5xs]

Farro listed the eatery selection.

The rental bicycle surreys are fun. Being on a boardwalk is kinda cool. There are occasional street performers too.

As a point of reference, though, Disney Springs has a lot more to offer in all categories. (Except the boards...)

 

[rwdavis2]

There is really not much there other than restaurants.

 

[Marionnette]

Can you guys tell me about the Boardwalk?

The one time we attempted to go, it down poured as we pulled in, ugh!

I see all the different places to eat, but what is the “Go To”?
What is the to do with my DS7?
Do we have to pay for parking?
TIA

There is no charge to park at the Boardwalk but you will need have a dining reservation at one of the restaurants to be able to park most of the time. Boardwalk parking is very limited and they regularly deal with parking scofflaws who use BWI and YC/BC parking for free to be able to access DHS and Epcot. I would expect them to become even more strict when SW:GE opens, especially since F&W will be running concurrently in Epcot.

 

[deedubb]

Ample Hills Creamery. Get the ice cream flight as it's a bargain.

 

[WhitneyMB]

We enjoy spending some time strolling along the boardwalk, when we're there for an ADR, but I agree that I wouldn't make a special trip without planning on eating. Some people like to park hop from Epcot to HS by boat, and stop at the Boardwalk for a few minutes to relax and grab an ice cream cone.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I wouldn't make a special trip over there. If I already had an ADR, I might spend a few extra minutes looking around, but nothing to really keep me there.

 

[hammie59]

To be honest, I wouldn't go out of my way to go there. Not much going on in the day and nightime entertainment is usually a magician or juggler. If you are staying at an EPCOT resort, it’s great to have it as an option and we love being able to hang out there. You can also just walk over from Epcot thru the international gateway to check it out. Also, I’m not sure you can park there without an ADR anymore.

 

[writerguyfl]

I concur with the general comments here. It's probably not worth a special trip.

It can be a nice detour for an Epcot park day. As hammie59 notes, you can easily visit via the International Gateway.

 

[seashoreCM]

Probably better not to make a restaurant reservation (ADR) at Boardwalk. There is a high chance of getting there and not being able to get a parking space even with an ADR. Boardwalk is currently one of the worst parking problems at Walt Disney World.

Whereas without a reservation, if you could not get a parking space you could just drive out and go somewhere else.

 

[TOBS2010]

I stayed there as a teenager a few years after it opened and remember there being so many more activities than there was this last summer when we were there with my kids. That said, we had a really great meal at Trattoria Al Forno for dinner. All of our food was great, it was a good atmosphere with kids and the service was great.