Flossbolna
Sea days are just so relaxing!
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
Thoughts on the Boardwalk
So, let's continue with some real TR stuff. We stayed at the Boardwalk, and so I thought it made sense to include some report about our experience there.
Room:
We had a studio which was perfectly ok. It was in good shape. We really liked the kitchenette. Not that we used it much, mainly the toaster for bagels (and some very expensive bread we bought at the Boardwalk store) and the microwave for warming up cinnamon rolls from the Boardwalk Bakery. But it was great to have a sink to properly wash the refillable mugs and to have a proper place to store food.
Katharina got to sleep on the sofa bed (there must be some advantage to being the DVC owner, so I got the real bed). I think she found it comfortable enough.
The room's location was partly great and partly horrible. We were on the second floor (this the same floor as the lobby) overlooking the Village Green which is the lawn between the boardwalk and the hotel lobby, just above the Wyland Gallery. The good thing was that we were close to nearly everywhere. The bad thing was that our room was hidden behind some archways. Therefore it was rather dark. When we were sitting on the balcony, we could still look out and being behind the arch gave us even some privacy, so it did not feel like everyone walking towards the lobby would stare at us... After we got to the room I even asked about changing it, but they said that nothing was available. We could have moved the next day, but would have had to pay a cleaning fee and we did not really want to unpack. But I think in a future stay I would do that. It wasn't really bad, it's just not something I want to have again, even though the location was absolutely perfect and we did love that.
Housekeeping:
I was really afraid that I would hate not having daily housekeeping. For me this is one of the luxuries of travel and I love getting my bathroom cleaned every day. However, it turned out that I did not mind it as much. I still would prefer if they came for a full clean every three or four days and I actually think I might splurge for that on future trips. We got a full clean on our fourth day and that was perfect, but then only trash and towel service after that.
However, the cleaning itself was efficient and they left us plenty of towels!
Pool:
On one of the very first days we once checked out the quiet pool at the Boardwalk Villas. And somehow we thought it had a strange atmosphere too quiet maybe? So we ended up only going to the main pool with the scary clown!
We loved that slide and went on it quite often unless the line of kids was too long. We did feel a bit strange being the only grown ups among 15 kids or so...
I was a bit afraid that the pool party would really be annoying, but it was not at all. It was not loud at all, so it just added some party music.
A few days it was rather chilly and we only went down to the pool to lie in the sun and read. That was really nice at well and we never found the pool to be very crowded.
Overall I am really surprised how much I liked the pool. It was never a feature of the Boardwalk that attracted me the most, but then during the very chilly German winter this year I would daydream about it...
Food and Drink options:
I feel that the Boardwalk is very different from all other WDW resorts in that regard.
First, we did miss having a counter service restaurant. I liked the convenience of those at the other resorts I stayed at.
Because of the lack of CS restaurant the refillable mugs can be refilled at odd places. And you never refill them yourself. You just show them your mug and then you get a paper cup with the drink of your choice. We did refill the mugs at the Boardwalk Bakery, at Seashore Sweets (the candy store), at Bellevue Lounge (the bar) and at the pool bar. Mostly it is basic soft drinks, coffee and tea. But the variety of soft drinks is smaller than at the self service stations at the other resorts., but at the pool bar you can also get ginger ale for your refillable mug for free.
We did take our mugs with us twice when we went for a walk around the lake and got drinks at the Beach Club. I like the citrus ice tea they have from the self serve machines and was really happy that I could get some there!
We did get a sandwich at the Boardwalk Bakery on our last day and it was actually very delicious, but that was the only time we bought food there. It just wasn't that convenient for us.
We did get breakfast pastries from the Belle Vue Lounge a few mornings, but at one point got very tired of them. We would have loved to have a CS for breakfast like at the AKL.
What I liked were the many dining possibilities within walking distance. No bus transfers involved, just really easy to get to. And two of my favourite discoveries were actually breakfast at Fresh in the Dolphin and dinner at the Fountain at the Dolphin (more about dining experiences in a later update!).
Location:
I never thought I would become such a fan of the Boardwalk location!
I think we once took the boat back home from Epcot on a chilly evening, mainly because the boat was just about to finish taking guests on board when we passed it, so no wait at all for us. And once we took it back from DHS. Otherwise we walked to and from Epcot and DHS every single time. However, this might be a particular preference of Katharina and me since we both walk a lot in our daily life. Also, since we never do full days in the parks, we aren't on our feet for hours and hours.
I also liked the atmosphere of being in a resort area. As I said, we did venture to the Beach Club twice. Once just for a walk in the evening (I think it was the evening we arrived and we felt after 10 hours sitting on a plane we needed to stretch our legs) and then one afternoon we wanted to sit at the beach and read. I love AKL because it makes you feel so secluded and you can truly believe that you are in Africa. I always thought that at the Epcot resort area the proximity of the other resorts might take away some of the theme. But that really wasn't the case for me, it is just so beautiful there in general.
Merchandise:
I really wanted to get a Boardwalk fridge magnet. I had seen some very pretty ones years ago and nearly bought one then, but did not because it felt wrong to buy a magnet from a resort where I did not stay at. But when we got to the Boardwalk there was not one single piece of resort specific merchandise, just some boring DVC stuff. However, a few days before the end of our trip, this display appeared magically in the small shop just off the lobby:
And I got my magnet!! It is rather cute:
So, let's continue with some real TR stuff. We stayed at the Boardwalk, and so I thought it made sense to include some report about our experience there.
Room:
We had a studio which was perfectly ok. It was in good shape. We really liked the kitchenette. Not that we used it much, mainly the toaster for bagels (and some very expensive bread we bought at the Boardwalk store) and the microwave for warming up cinnamon rolls from the Boardwalk Bakery. But it was great to have a sink to properly wash the refillable mugs and to have a proper place to store food.
Katharina got to sleep on the sofa bed (there must be some advantage to being the DVC owner, so I got the real bed). I think she found it comfortable enough.
The room's location was partly great and partly horrible. We were on the second floor (this the same floor as the lobby) overlooking the Village Green which is the lawn between the boardwalk and the hotel lobby, just above the Wyland Gallery. The good thing was that we were close to nearly everywhere. The bad thing was that our room was hidden behind some archways. Therefore it was rather dark. When we were sitting on the balcony, we could still look out and being behind the arch gave us even some privacy, so it did not feel like everyone walking towards the lobby would stare at us... After we got to the room I even asked about changing it, but they said that nothing was available. We could have moved the next day, but would have had to pay a cleaning fee and we did not really want to unpack. But I think in a future stay I would do that. It wasn't really bad, it's just not something I want to have again, even though the location was absolutely perfect and we did love that.
Housekeeping:
I was really afraid that I would hate not having daily housekeeping. For me this is one of the luxuries of travel and I love getting my bathroom cleaned every day. However, it turned out that I did not mind it as much. I still would prefer if they came for a full clean every three or four days and I actually think I might splurge for that on future trips. We got a full clean on our fourth day and that was perfect, but then only trash and towel service after that.
However, the cleaning itself was efficient and they left us plenty of towels!
Pool:
On one of the very first days we once checked out the quiet pool at the Boardwalk Villas. And somehow we thought it had a strange atmosphere too quiet maybe? So we ended up only going to the main pool with the scary clown!
We loved that slide and went on it quite often unless the line of kids was too long. We did feel a bit strange being the only grown ups among 15 kids or so...
I was a bit afraid that the pool party would really be annoying, but it was not at all. It was not loud at all, so it just added some party music.
A few days it was rather chilly and we only went down to the pool to lie in the sun and read. That was really nice at well and we never found the pool to be very crowded.
Overall I am really surprised how much I liked the pool. It was never a feature of the Boardwalk that attracted me the most, but then during the very chilly German winter this year I would daydream about it...
Food and Drink options:
I feel that the Boardwalk is very different from all other WDW resorts in that regard.
First, we did miss having a counter service restaurant. I liked the convenience of those at the other resorts I stayed at.
Because of the lack of CS restaurant the refillable mugs can be refilled at odd places. And you never refill them yourself. You just show them your mug and then you get a paper cup with the drink of your choice. We did refill the mugs at the Boardwalk Bakery, at Seashore Sweets (the candy store), at Bellevue Lounge (the bar) and at the pool bar. Mostly it is basic soft drinks, coffee and tea. But the variety of soft drinks is smaller than at the self service stations at the other resorts., but at the pool bar you can also get ginger ale for your refillable mug for free.
We did take our mugs with us twice when we went for a walk around the lake and got drinks at the Beach Club. I like the citrus ice tea they have from the self serve machines and was really happy that I could get some there!
We did get a sandwich at the Boardwalk Bakery on our last day and it was actually very delicious, but that was the only time we bought food there. It just wasn't that convenient for us.
We did get breakfast pastries from the Belle Vue Lounge a few mornings, but at one point got very tired of them. We would have loved to have a CS for breakfast like at the AKL.
What I liked were the many dining possibilities within walking distance. No bus transfers involved, just really easy to get to. And two of my favourite discoveries were actually breakfast at Fresh in the Dolphin and dinner at the Fountain at the Dolphin (more about dining experiences in a later update!).
Location:
I never thought I would become such a fan of the Boardwalk location!
I think we once took the boat back home from Epcot on a chilly evening, mainly because the boat was just about to finish taking guests on board when we passed it, so no wait at all for us. And once we took it back from DHS. Otherwise we walked to and from Epcot and DHS every single time. However, this might be a particular preference of Katharina and me since we both walk a lot in our daily life. Also, since we never do full days in the parks, we aren't on our feet for hours and hours.
I also liked the atmosphere of being in a resort area. As I said, we did venture to the Beach Club twice. Once just for a walk in the evening (I think it was the evening we arrived and we felt after 10 hours sitting on a plane we needed to stretch our legs) and then one afternoon we wanted to sit at the beach and read. I love AKL because it makes you feel so secluded and you can truly believe that you are in Africa. I always thought that at the Epcot resort area the proximity of the other resorts might take away some of the theme. But that really wasn't the case for me, it is just so beautiful there in general.
Merchandise:
I really wanted to get a Boardwalk fridge magnet. I had seen some very pretty ones years ago and nearly bought one then, but did not because it felt wrong to buy a magnet from a resort where I did not stay at. But when we got to the Boardwalk there was not one single piece of resort specific merchandise, just some boring DVC stuff. However, a few days before the end of our trip, this display appeared magically in the small shop just off the lobby:
And I got my magnet!! It is rather cute:
Nice review you mean you didn't take turns with you sisiter on the sleeping arrangements?? What would your mother say about this??? 
You should always share with your sister.... 
I have to admit, that clown gives me the creeps.
You don't wake me up.... for ANY reason except fire. 
