Boardwalk Inn or Wilderness Lodge?

[PoohBearFamily]

Considering these two resorts, at club level, for a 4 night stay. They're similarly priced, and we have not stayed at either so not sure what we'd prefer. We have four kids, 10 and under. Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[mrsap]

We love both resorts, but the food selections at each CL are different. I definitely recommend watching YouTube videos and see which resort is more fitting for your family. Enjoy!

 

[T00dles]

Both are fantastic, but with four kids 10 and under, I'd lean toward Wilderness Lodge. It's more contained and relaxed, with a cozy, woodsy atmosphere that feels like a true escape. The boat to Magic Kingdom is a big plus, especially with young kids.

BoardWalk is beautiful and fun, but the layout is more spread out and can feel busier. The easy walk to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is a huge plus. So if your kids are big Epcot or HS fans, BW may be a better fit.

You really can't go wrong -- but for kid-friendliness and access to MK Wilderness gets the edge for us.

 

[Dave006]

We have four kids, 10 and under. Any recommendations? Thanks!

Where are you planing to spend the most time with your kids. In the parks, which one most or longest period?

The WL CL has more kid friendly food options vs the BWI CL. They have a nighty make your own Sundae Bar in the evening. They have two (2) great pools with an easy to navigate slide in the large pool in the courtyard, and the Boulder Ridge pool is a great Zero entry pool. How young is your youngest since the WL has a great Splash pad ?

The BW has a great pool with a very long side to wear out kids, and a great fenced kiddie pool.

Dave

 

[PoohBearFamily]

Thank you for the responses! I am now leaning WL because our youngest two would likely love the splash pad/zero entry pool, and I imagine we'll do MK at least twice during our trip. Is it hard to get to Epcot or HS from WL? We won't have a rental car.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Is it hard to get to Epcot or HS from WL? We won't have a rental car.

nope. Disney runs buses to both from WL. You will need to fold strollers for boarding.

 

[PoohBearFamily]

nope. Disney runs buses to both from WL. You will need to fold strollers for boarding.

Thank you!!!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

I just realized both of these resorts can be booked by renting DVC points! What website is the best to book through?

 

[Lewisc]

I just realized both of these resorts can be booked by renting DVC points! What website is the best to book through?

You can't rent points for club level at either resort.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

There are people on these boards here that rent out their points and that’ll be much cheaper than going through a company. You’re taking on a little more risk, but as long as the person has been on these boards a while and has good references you should be fine. But as someone else said, you can’t rent club level and for 6 people you’d need a two bedroom or two studios, unless one persons under 3 then a studio in either resort would work (BW snd Boulder ridge studio sleeps 5 plus a baby, copper creek only sleeps 4) For kids, I recommend WL over BW.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I’d recommend WL over BW for families with an interest in MK, in general. Closer to that park and the hotel theming is of more interest to the young at heart.
For DVC rental, I’d check the rental forum on this site first. You can usually do better, price wise as the above poster noted.
Have fun.

 

[jeters_boy]

They're both awesome! Can't go wrong either way.

I might lean WL around Christmas/Thanksgiving and BW for spring/summer.

Enjoy!

 

[hardcorestitch]

Considering these two resorts, at club level, for a 4 night stay. They're similarly priced, and we have not stayed at either so not sure what we'd prefer. We have four kids, 10 and under. Any recommendations? Thanks!

If I picked between the two resorts, I would say Wilderness Lodge. There are lots of activities and interactive elements for your kids to experience, most notably the Geyser near Bay Lake. The onsite food selection at Wilderness is also quite exquisite, much better food experience compared to BoardWalk. You can still experience BoardWalk's nighttime events via Disney Transport though if you're into that. Your dining options are also expanded on these same Disney Transport buses as you're within range of the monorail resorts and their restaurants.

 

[NYCgrrl]

The onsite food selection at Wilderness is also quite exquisite, much better food experience compared to BoardWalk.

I’m having a hard time comparing the offerings at WL to those within range of the Broadwalk. As well exquisite is not a word that comes to mind for me when discussing those eateries; more like comfort food. Of course, WDW has something for everyone.

 

[sndral]

I just realized both of these resorts can be booked by renting DVC points! What website is the best to book through?

Renting DVC points is very different from reserving a room with Disney & there are additional risks.
DVC is the time share arm of the Disney Co.. When you rent DVC points you are paying a private entity who will use DVC timeshare points they own to book your vacation, or they’ve already made a spec. reservation & will rent it to you. Thus, if there’s a problem Disney won’t help you, it’s very much a case of caveat emptor.
The risks are - you could be scammed, someone could impersonate an owner & abscond w/ your money - I’ve read of this happening on FB.
The reservation is controlled by the owner up until you check in, thus an owner can cancel it at any point - so you are trusting that the owner won’t do that.
DVC can cancel a reservation if the owner runs into financial difficulty & doesn’t pay their dues or their loan, or the owner sells their contract & DVC cancels all pending reservations made w/ points from that contract.
A new risk IMO, is that DVC may be scrutinizing commercial renting of DVC points. Although renting of DVC points is allowed, commercial renting of DVC points is forbidden. Starting in June owners making reservations must attest that the reservation is for personal use. At this point there’s a lot of confusion among owners about what is & is not allowed & no one knows what will happen if DVC decides a reservation was not made for personal use .
The rules around cancelling/changing a DVC reservation are very strict - so if something comes up & you want to change your dates, the owner, even if willing to try to do so, may be unable to modify your reservation.
There are private owners who rent out their points here on DIS & on FB & there are big middleman companies who’s business is to broker/match owners w/ renters to facilitate renting - they make their profit from skimming a couple of dollars per point on each rental they facilitate. If you search you’ll likely find the brokers’ web sites.
Whether you’ll save money v. just reserving through Disney typically depends on what discounts Disney is offering v. how many points it’ll take an owner to reserve your villa & how much they’re charging per point.

 

[Headless]

When are you staying? While I haven't seen the boardwalk lobby during the holidays yet WL is BEAUTIFUL. Plus the ability to boat over to MK is also a huge plus.

If you are thinking of renting DVC points yes heed the above warning but if you are sure of when you are going it's a great way to see resorts you might not be able to at a better price at times. Renting here on the boards is also a positive experience I'm benefitting from in 2 short weeks (added to my stay)

If you are renting points look at all your options. a lot of wonderful resorts with amazing amenities. Its all about when you want to go and what you want to experience.