Boardwalk and Epcot question

[poonchkie]

I have never been to the Boardwalk so I don't know how it works there. We are planning one day to hit the Boardwalk area in the late afternoon and then to finish up at Epcot and catch the fireworks. We will probably be at the Boardwalk for 2 to 3 hours, have an early snack and stroll around as we have late PS for dinner at Epcot. We have our own vehicle so we plan on driving from our hotel, but where do we park? Is there a place to park if you are just visiting the actual Boardwalk or is it just for guests who are staying at that resort? Does it cost any more money if you have already paid for parking in the morning at the Magic kingdom? Would it be better just to park at Epcot and walk over to the Boardwalk or vice versa?

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I'll try to answer some of your questions.
The Boardwalk itself is a Disney resort. It is a combination of the Boardwalk Inn and the Boardwalk Villas. There are no restaurants inside the resort.
The Boardwalk resort is (of course) in the area called Boardwalk. There are numerous restaurants that anyone can use in this area. There are some stores along the boardwalk also. From my understanding most of the activity in the area is later in the day and in the evening.
Across the lake you can walk to the Yacht/Beach club resorts. There are stores and restaurants inside both of them. The Swan/Dolphin resorts are also in the same area.
I'm not really sure that you can spend 2-3 hours in the Boardwalk area unless you are eating at one of the restaurants (which I understand you will not be doing).
You are certainly free to go in and look at the hotels and shop. As for parking, you can either park at the Boardwalk since they do have parking for visitors. You can then walk (5-10 minutes) or take the Friendship boat to Epcot. Or you might want to park at Epcot and walk(or boat) to the Boardwalk area. It is a very short distance from the International Gateway of Epcot.
From the Boardwalk area you can also walk beyond the Boardwalk resort to get to the Studios. Again, you can also take the Friendship boat there as well as to Epcot. Note that if you are a Disney resort guest there is no charge for parking at any of the theme parks. If you are staying oustide and have paid already for parking you just show your receipt. You only pay to park once a day at Disney.

Hope this helps.....

 

[tkd lisa]

On our last Disney cruise, we spent several hours wandering around the boardwalk. We just told the gate guard that we wanted to visit the boardwalk, and he showed us where to park. It was a pretty good hike from the parking lot to the actual boardwalk.

We wandered around the boardwalk, walked over the the Yacht and Beach Club, had a light meal at Beaches and Cream, and rode the boat around it's circuit. All told, it probably was about 3-4 hours, and we had a nice relaxing time.

 

[CarolMN]

Please don't park at the Boardwalk if you paln to go to EPCOT. It is often very difficult for resort guests to find a space because of all the people who park there to go to EPCOT. There have been recent reports that the security personnel at the entrance kiosk are now turning away guests who are not staying at either the BWI or BWV. Those guests are being directed to an ungated lot across the street (which is quite a hike to the BW area).

In any event, there really isn't much to do on the Boardwalk until early evening, except eat or shop. Most of the "specialized" carts and entertainment activites do not begin until then.

My advice is to park in the main lot for EPCOT and enjoy a few attractions there during the late afternoon. Then stroll over to the Boardwalk to eat and enjoy the early evening hours and afterwards, return to EPCOT for IllumiNations. The BW is an easy 10 minute walk from EPCOT's WS entrance.

Best wishes -

 

[metus]

The Boardwalk does have surrey bikes for rent. The last time I was there, many families were pedaling all over the boardwalk, and each one was having a better time than the last. You can also stroll over to the yacht/beach club and rent little boats to take out on the lake in front of the boardwalk.

 

[swilphil]

There are carnival games and entertainment on the Boardwalk in most nights. I read somewhere that Sunday and Monday are the nights off, but during nonpeak times it may even be only on Fri and Sat. nights. There's not at all much to do there during the day.

I agree park at Epcot, and you can stroll through World Showcase, then head to the Boardwalk and back to Epcot for fireworks. Some good restaurants on the Boardwalk are Spoodles and Flying Fish Cafe.

 

[poonchkie]

OK, maybe we have change our plans. It was our understanding that there were things to do at the Boardwalk at all times of the day. We will probably spend an evening there for dinner and rent bikes or something.

What if we went to Magic Kingdom in the day and then finished up at the Boardwalk. Can we get there by monorail? Or if we started at MGM, could we just walk there and what would we do with our car? We are trying to figure out the best way to see a park and visit the Boardwalk but don't know how to work it out. Any suggestions what park to do it with and where to park to make it easiest at the end of the evening? We are staying off property so must drive to WDW.

 

[kidd_freeper]

I am interested in this as well:

If I visit MGM, and stay for Fantasmic, I know I can walk to the Boardwalk. I wonder though, if we spend several hours at the Boradwalk, how hard will it be to get back to the car? How late does the boat keep going to MGM? How lat do the MGM trams run? Even if I walk ALL the way back to my car, can I get out of the parking lot without alerting a lot of security pepole?

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by kidd_freeper
I am interested in this as well:

If I visit MGM, and stay for Fantasmic, I know I can walk to the Boardwalk. I wonder though, if we spend several hours at the Boradwalk, how hard will it be to get back to the car? How late does the boat keep going to MGM? How lat do the MGM trams run?

In my experience, the boats run until about an hour after the park closes. The trams stop at about the same time.

Even if I walk ALL the way back to my car, can I get out of the parking lot without alerting a lot of security pepole?

My advice is to just move your car over to the Boardwalk after Fantasmic - I doubt you will have a problem finding a parking place once IllumiNations is over (about 9:30 pm). It's amazing how the lot empties after that.

If Fantasmic is over a lot earlier than Illiminations (you didn't say what time of the year you will be there), just take your time getting back to the car.

The parking at the Boardwalk is meant for those enjoying the BW clubs and activities as well as for guests of the BWI & BWV resorts.

Best wishes -