Boardwalk During The Day

[jhaig]

We need a "down day" on our next trip and I was thinking about checking out the Boardwalk. We plan on doing Downtown Disney at night, so is there enough to do or see over there during the day to make it worth our while?

 

[kymom99]

It is pretty quiet over there during the day. We went one day in June and rented one of those surrey bikes. We were able to ride around the lake without having to dodge many people at all.

 

[gojoe]

I would think about doing it the other way. Boardwalk doesn't really wake up till dark. Downtown Disney is the same day or night. Maybe more crowded at night. There is mini golf on the other side of Swan-Dolphin Fantasia Gardens You could also rent a boat at Beach Club.

 

[schoen]

The Boardwalk is pretty quiet during the day, and there are just a few shops, mostly Disney, but one Wyland Gallery. It is within walking distance of the Fantasia Garden putt-putt course, so checking out the shopping and playing golf might be a great way to spend an afternoon.

 

[Pakey]

I don't even think there's enough at night to make an evening out of it; there's certainly nothing during the day. While I love staying at the Epcot resorts for their location , I would not travel to the area for a down day.

 

[jhaig]

I would think about doing it the other way. Boardwalk doesn't really wake up till dark. Downtown Disney is the same day or night. Maybe more crowded at night. There is mini golf on the other side of Swan-Dolphin Fantasia Gardens You could also rent a boat at Beach Club.

That may be the way to go. Shop with lighter crowds in the morning at DD then go to BW for the evening. Maybe we'll just have to do dinner at Yachtsman too

 

[kathie859]

We need a "down day" on our next trip and I was thinking about checking out the Boardwalk. We plan on doing Downtown Disney at night, so is there enough to do or see over there during the day to make it worth our while?

The activities don't start until evening so other than walking around the resort, there's nothing to do. Maybe this would be a good day to tour a few resorts that you've wanted to see. AKL is nice and there's the animals, the GF has a lovely lobby area and the Poly has nice grounds to walk thru.

 

[nicki.momof3]

I usually love the advice I get on DIS. Last Christmas I took the recommondation and planned an evening at boardwalk to do all the "activities". It was so boring. There was a few shops and really nothing to interest our kids or us. We ended up going back to Epcot within an hour. Epcot was great.

Adding a day onto your tickets is usually only a few dollars. I personally would not waste my time at teh boardwalk.

Now DTD is great in the evenings. There are great bands and performers. We can easily spend an entire evening there and we do.

 

[jhaig]

I usually love the advice I get on DIS. Last Christmas I took the recommondation and planned an evening at boardwalk to do all the "activities". It was so boring. There was a few shops and really nothing to interest our kids or us. We ended up going back to Epcot within an hour. Epcot was great.

Adding a day onto your tickets is usually only a few dollars. I personally would not waste my time at teh boardwalk.

Now DTD is great in the evenings. There are great bands and performers. We can easily spend an entire evening there and we do.

My problem with that is that we're gonna be there 12 days. We already have a 10-day ticket plus a day planned at Typhoon Lagoon. I can't just add another day since I think the max. number of days you can get a ticket for is 10. I would have to pay full price to add 1 more day. I love Disney, but not that much

Maybe a dinner at Yachtsman then some night golf at Fantasia Gardens, followed by a Boardwalk walk-thru.

 

[jhaig]

The activities don't start until evening so other than walking around the resort, there's nothing to do. Maybe this would be a good day to tour a few resorts that you've wanted to see. AKL is nice and there's the animals, the GF has a lovely lobby area and the Poly has nice grounds to walk thru.

I've also thought about resort-hopping, but I worry that that defeats the purpose of a "down day". I get the feeling that we would be gassed from running around so much, especially since we usually run around at the parks anyway. I don't wanna sit poolside all day either - -I can do that at home. Just looking for a happy medium I guess.

 

[cvjw]

We stay at the Boardwalk Villas regularly, and never have understood why people always talk making a special trip to the Boardwalk to spend time. It is a great area if you are staying there, but I would not make a special trip to see it.

If your ticker is correct and you are staying at the BLT, rent some mice boats for a couple of hours. That is one of our most favorite things to do at BLT. When you rent the boats from the Contemporary, you can drive them out into the 7 Seas Lagoon, and see the MK, Poly and GF. You can also drive them back by the Wilderness Lodge and the old River Country. It is great fun.

 

[siskaren]

I've also thought about resort-hopping, but I worry that that defeats the purpose of a "down day". I get the feeling that we would be gassed from running around so much, especially since we usually run around at the parks anyway. I don't wanna sit poolside all day either - -I can do that at home. Just looking for a happy medium I guess.

According to your ticker, you're going to be there late November, early December, which means the hotels will be deocorated for Christmas. In particular, I bet your kids would love the gingerbread house at GF and the chocolate and gingerbread carousel and the train display at BC. The Christmas displays are in the lobbies, so it's not like you'd be traipsing all over the resort to check them out.

 

[kymom99]

I have never bben to Ft. Wilderness, but I bet your kids would enjoy some of the things over there. It would also be easy to get to from the Contemporary.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I agree that the BW is fun if your staying there but I wouldn't make a special trip to see it. Its pretty dead during the day. If you do want to check it out, I'd go after a day at Epcot after the park closes. You can watch illuminations from France and the just walk over to the BW area or take the boat. If DHS is still open you can take the boat there and then catch a bus to your resort.

Have you thought about Seaworld? At Christmas they have double the shows as after 5 pm they switch to the Christmas themed ones and I was really impressed with them. So you get double the fun...We are going back this December. We went December 15th last year and the crowds were perfect. Or a day at Discovery Cove would be fun too.

Or you could do the luau at he Poly, we liked that or the Hoop Dee Doo Revue... and just have a relaxing evening.

 

[21hearts]

The Boardwalk is okay but even at night I think you'd spend an hour there maybe a little longer. DTD is huge and by 11am most or all of the shops are open. We usually do lunch and then go shopping in the afternoon before it gets crazy (and it does get crazy there). They do have some entertainment at night (bands I think) but for us its not worth the crowds. We'd much rather shop without the crowds. To each his own through.

I will say my family has been at Epcot and needed a break so we went over to the Boardwalk for lunch and walked around the resort a bit. We let the kids out of the stroller while it wasn't crowded and just went slow. It was a nice break.

 

[OKW Lover]

Add us to the chorus of folks that find BW dead during the day. Yes, its got a nice atmosphere and you can spend a half-hour or so just doing the walk around the lake, but after that you're pretty much done. Night is a bit more interesting but still not a "destination".

 

[nicki.momof3]

OK - I understand why no parks.

I would do one or more of the following:

1. Swim (pools at disney are warm in the winter months)
2. Plan a day at DTD - have a nice lunch, shop, they have great bands, singers, street performers at night. Lego store is always great for kids. If you are into pin trading, the trading post is wonderful.
3. Add +more to your pass - hite the waterparks, mini golf, disney quest
4. We always go at Christmas, while I don't love resort hopping (bores the kids), I do like to see the beach club and GF.
5. Plan a dinner at the hoop de do review. It is such a great show and a fun way to fill an eveing.
6. Sea world / universal

 

[sjs314]

I would definitely pass on the BW during te day unless you want to go there for lunch, we enjoy getting a pizza at BW Pizza and sitting at one of the outdoor tables near the water. BRG is also an excellent place to have lunch and sit outdoors. ESPN could offer some good food and down time if you have sports fans in your group, memorabilia in the restaurant, lots of TV's to view games and a very good ESPN store located on the BW.

The BW is quiet during the day the entertainers only come out at night

 

[DizzDoll]

I agree with the OPs about finding a different destination for your down day. We've been to the BW many times, both walking through on our way to MGM (boardwalk practically empty) and just a leisurely stroll around during the evening. You can enjoy maybe 2 hours there, tops, then you'll be looking for something else to do. This is where I come in (hahaha). Consider going over to Ft. Wilderness, visit with the horses at the Tri-Circle D Ranch (are your kids young enough to enjoy a pony ride? This is where you'd go for that). You can also go for a horseback ride (again depending on the ages of your children), which is a nice walk through the woods. There's no trotting or cantering/galloping, just walking. Perhaps take a horse-drawn carriage ride through FW and enjoy a meal at Trails End - or waaay better yet, make a reservation for Hoop De Doo. You can rent surrey bikes and cycle through the trails and check out the wildlife. You can also rent the above mentioned sea-raycers and tool around. There's more to do over at FW than meets they eye. Plus it's gorgeous over there. Good luck in your decisions!

 

[suemom2kay]

The first time we visited the Boardwalk was when we weren't staying there.

They have acts that are cute. My daughter always gets picked because there are no crowds. There is a juggler and a few others and they are fun. There are funnel cakes, a beautiful view of the lake. You could ride a friendship boat to DHS and back.

I'm not sure why everyone thinks you need HOURS of fun to cap off your down day, but you do not.

After spending the day at DTD, you'll enjoy the quietness with a small amount of entertainment at the Boardwalk. Really do you want more than an hour or so if it is your down day.

Go to the Boardwalk, worst case scenario... if you don't like it, you can walk over to the WSC and take a stroll through the countries.

As long as you don't have an expectation of a mecca of entertainment, you will be fine. We love spending a little time at the Boardwalk.