12 day trip to the Boardwalk...AWESOME!!!

[Joeblack]

Just returned from our 12 day trip to the boardwalk. I will post detailed dining reviews in the next days. In the meantime, just some comments.

Standard studio had a better view than some preferred. In the future, I will try to get only standard views. The point difference does not justify paying extra points for a "preferred view"

Studio size was more than adequate for our party of 2 adults and one baby. I read the "tiny room" thread and was amused by it. IMHO, unless you are a couple with 2 children older than 14, a studio is enough. The room was much more comfortable than any deluxe hotel regular room.

The refirgerator was bigger than I expected. Could fit in gallon of water, milk, fruits, bread and more.

The boardwalk was UNBELIEVABLE. I had never seen it so full of people, jugglers. magicians, musicians, families in surrey bikes..... It was the best place to go for the holidays considering the ridiculous crowds in the parks (more on that in another thread).

I am happier than ever that I own at the Boardwalk. The themeing is gorgeous and the location is the best of all the resorts in WDW, let alone DVC resorts. Twice we just walked to Epcot and then took the monorail to the Magic kingdom...way faster than either taking a bus or driving. We walked to Epcot and MGM a couple of times and also took the boat which is always pleasant.

Service was very good with everyone getting out of their way to help. Check-in was a breeze. Valet parking was incredibly convenient. All I had to do was call from my room and the car would be waiting for me outside when I got out.

On Christmas day we were left a red bag with goodies and christmas candy...a very nice detail. My DD was given a balloon every day as we got out. The fireplace always lit, the beautiful decorations, Santa taking pictures with the children and many other details made the boarwalk area and our stay a very magical one.

There was some repair work being done, but everything looked perfectly well maintained. The only thing that needed to be re-touched was the point where the elevator wlls meet the elevator floor. I called it to the manager's attention and was told it would be repaired. Hope they do.

All in all, it was a marvelous vacation. To all DVC members, I congratulate you for a great investment. Even more so if you are lucky to own at the Boardwalk Villas.

 

[Pluto4President]

I'm glad you had an awesome trip. Here's wishing you many more!

 

[Lesley]

Glad you had a great trip! It's wonderful to hear that you were so impressed by the BWV....it makes me look forward to our trip even more. We have 5 nights in a studio and 5 in a 1br with our 2 kids (turning 7 and almost 2)....I was getting worried that the studio wouldn't seem like home.

Thanks for the report...I can't wait to hear more!

 

[wdwnut]

hi: glad you had a good trip. we love the bw as well.

Lesley: once you stay in a 1br, it will be hard to go back to a studio. after the first time we stayed in a 1 br, my dh said he never wants to have to stay in a studio!

 

[Boo]

sounds great. can't wait to get there at the end of Feb. We will have a baby too, well a toddler. Any advice or things we should be aware at BW in regard to that? thanks!!

 

[scott.campbell]

Glad you had a great trip. We love the BW too, can't wait till our return in July.
Doing the cruise this year as well as a stay at Vero.

Can't wait.

A question for you all. My son is 4 years old, so we find the studio fine for our needs.
I keep reading post's about how great the 1 bedroom units are, but is it really worth the point difference when a studio is sufficient?

 

[jcodespoti]

scott,
thats a tough call. I can tell you this for shorter trips we get a studio. for longer ones we get a 1BR.

Joe in CT

 

[scott.campbell]

Thanks for the reply Joe.

As we travel from Scotland, we normally visit for 2 weeks, split usually between the BW and Vero.

 

[Joeblack]

Scott:

Last year DW and I spent a week in a 1-BR before my child was born. We stayed there because we had to change our studio reservation suddenly when we found out my wife was pregnant.
Without a doubt it was beautiful and very comfortable but I felt lile it was more than we needed. The jacuzzi was a big plus after a night in the parks in the freezing weather (we went in January) and so was the washer/dryer. Another advantage of the 1 BR is that it has a king size bed instead of the queen size bed the studio offers. The kitchen, we didn't use since we make eating out part of our vacations. In this trip we didn't miss the washer/dryer too much. The service is offered free for guests in the first floor. As for the jacuzzi, there was a regular shower/tub where we could take baths with our baby. The refrigerator and micowave were very useful for breakfast, cold drinks or a quick night bite

I truly don't agree with the statement that it is hard to go back to a studio after being in a 1-BR or bigger. I did go back and came to the conclusion that until my family grows, I will be staying in studios. Besides, point-wise they give you the most bang for the buck.... If you pay rack rates, a 1-BR is only about 40%-50% higher than a studio, but when points are used, the 1-BR costs 100% more.

It was my second time staying at the BWV and I had never seen it full with energy and entertainment. It was probably the holiday season. I hope it is that way when I go bak in July.

wdwnut: One thing you should ask for when you get to the Boardwalk is request a ful crib. It was big, but it was very comfortable and safe for our baby and way better than the satndard small cribs the units come with. Another thing to consider is to bring swimming pants for your toddler to use the pool.

As I said before, our standard view had as much of a water view than our preferrred view last year. We overlooked the canal and the boardwalk entrance while last year, we overlooked luna park.

Finally, the "hike" some people say they have to take to get to the rooms. I must have been lucky the two tiomes I have stayed there becasue the walking distance from the elevator to our room was no more than 30 seconds. I did go around the floor to see how bad it could have been and I guess the longer you have to walk has to be around 2 minutes....not bad after so many mickey bars, turkey legs, dole whips and candy apples.

Aby other question you might have, I'll be happy to answer.

 

[scott.campbell]

Joe, thanks for the info.

Can't wait till our return home in July. Don't know who is the most excited DS, DW, or me.

 

[CherylA]

I'm particularly enjoying reading about your experiences at a BWV studio with a little one because I will be doing the same for my next trip. (baby will be 6-months) How old was your baby for the trip? Wondering if you used the kitchenette for warming bottles etc for the baby or if your baby breastfeeds and if he/she does how did that work out in the parks? Also wondering about laundry facilities for studio people. We are renting our DVC points will will still be able to use this free laundry area or is it for DVC members only? What kind of a schedule or typical day did you have with your baby? Did you spend much time in the parks? Did he/she sleep in a stroller much of the time or stay awake to take it all in? Thanks for your help in advance.

Cheryl

 

[zurgswife]

Joe
we always get a standard view room and are convinced that they have been the best views yet. We go home again in March to a two bedroom and are curious what our standard view will hold.

I also agree that the hike is given to much thought. I've been in one of the rooms that is two from the end of the hallway and don't think the hike is to long. Like you said it helps with the exercise program.

 

[Bennet]

Hey Joe:

Thanks for sharing your positive thoughts.

As my lovely wife said:

Like you said it helps with the exercise program.

We ate at Jiko and needed to walk a little extra! LOL

 

[Joeblack]

Cheryl:

Our baby was 7 months old and she enjoyede everything much more than we thought. Actually, with all the stimulation we really saw lots of positive changes in her. You will enjoy the trip with your baby immensely. Of course there are certain saccrifices you have to make as well. For example, trying to time your baby's naps with your meals (we were 80% successful with it), and of course, you might not be able to stay out very late, but IMHO, the rewards far outweight the sacrifices.

There is no kitchenette in the studio. Only a microwave and a refrigerator. What we did was boil water in the microwave and then warme the baby's bottle in the hot water. ALso, in all of the restaurants, thje wait staff were very accomodating to the baby's needs. They let us walk in with the stroller whjen the baby was sleeping and would bring us warm milk upon request.

The laundry facilities are free for all Boardwalk guests. Almost nobody uses them. They have coin slots, but you don't ened to use coins. You just turn them on and either go bak to your room or wait there while watching TV. What you have to bring yourself (or buy in dispensers in the walls in the laundry room) is detergent and fabric softener.

As for the schedule. We pretty much woke up at about 8 am and would head out to the parks by 9:00 am. By then, the parks were terribly crowded. By noon, they were unpleasantly mobbed. What we did was go to as many attractions as fastpass would allow us and in the meantime, soak up in the christmas atmosphere and eat in the parks' restaurants. Besides that, we toured the resorts, downtown Disney and used the resort's pools.

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to go for the regular visitor, the Florida Resident or DVC members. One time visitors should avoid this season altogether adn try to go in a lower season.
If I had been a person who was spending his savings to go to WDW and try to see and do everything in the parks, I would have been totally frustrated and pissed off becasue the crowds were just intolerable. Many days, all the restaurants in Epcot were sold out for lunch and dinner at the beginning of the day. Luckily, I had made PS way in advance.

We took our trip with calm and decided to use our anual passes and jsut breathe the festive atmosphere. That, and our baby's happy and surprised face made this trip the most memorable experience.

 

[Granny]

JoeBlack....

Thanks for starting yet another positive post about a DVC experience. I know you thoroughly enjoyed a stay at VWL as well.

As is often pointed out, each DVC home has something to offer if we are willing to openly experience it. Your enthusiasm reminds me of why we joined DVC in the first place.

THANKS!

 

[Lesley]

For Cheryl regarding nursing babies...
My dd was exclusively nursed and was not yet on solids when we visited WDW with her at almost 6mo. I can't tell you how simple this made the trip! There was really no need to plan or pack anything special for her (besides diapers and a babysling). She let me know when she was hungry and we would either sit down and rest so she could eat, or I could latch her on while in the sling and keep going. Nursing shirts were a big help...as well as the sling...I don't think anyone knew I was nursing at all...whether we were sitting or on the go. Actually she was so interested in everything going on around her that she didn't nurse much during the day but nursed most of the night (works for me since I could sleep through it).

She slept in the sling a lot. We really didn't use the stroller for her at that age....and at WDW it would be more difficult because of the number of places you have to park the stroller and take the baby out. We had it with us but our then 5yo used it most of the time. The sling is really an arm saver on those occasions when the baby must be carried....and my dd slept really well all snuggled up like that.

As joe said there are so many interesting sights and sounds at WDW that the babies have a great time....I would only worry about a baby who doesn't enjoy a lot of stimulation.

Have fun! My dd will be taking her second WDW trip in just 2 days...she's 22mo now...I can't wait to see how it goes this time!

 

[CherylA]

Thank you Joe and Lesley for your responses. It makes me so much less nervous about going to Disney with an infant when I have so much information and know what to expect and how to plan. Thanks again!

cheryl

 

[raidermatt]

Joe- Thanks for posting your experiences. We are making our first trip home in May (14 nights), and you have only helped to increase our level of anticipation. In particular, thanks for the commentary on the transportation and the Boardwalk.

The standard views were gone when we made our reservations, so we just went preferred. We'll see how "preferred" it turns out to be.

Also, thanks for the comments about room size. Our last trip with our then 2 year-old son was at CBR, and the room size was fine for us. He'll be 3 1/2 this time, but you've convinced me we'll be fine.