Boardwalk Inn - Tell me anything!!!

[April]

We have stayed at the Contemporary, Poly, Caribbean, Coronado, Shades of Green, Dolphin, BWI and now DVC members at BWV. We love the location at the BW the best. You have many choices for food, shopping and entertainment with four other hotels and two parks close by. It may be a little walk (or boat ride) to MGM and Epcot, but this is vacation, relax and enjoy! (ESPN has great wings! Boardwalk bakery is a must! Beaches and Cream for Sundaes!)

 

[goodferry]

I have to agree with Dopey420 on the A/C being the best at BWI, we kept it absolutely chilly in our room while it was steamy hot outside, it was always perfect!
We never had any transportation issues, thought the bus system worked perfectly and ran quite frequently. I do wish they had bus service to MGM, the boat is SOOOOOOO SLOW and the walk is long, we got lost trying to find the walkway, so that added to the length We had a great room with a view of the lake and the Boardwalk, the only night we heard any noise at night was the night we forgot to close the doors to the balcony. We could see Wishes from our balcony and would walk around to the concierge lounge to watch Illuminations.
The deluxe rooms are really nice. The staff was nice enough to show us some of the different room configurations, and the deluxe rooms are very large, plenty room for our family of six
It is a very adult feeling resort, but different from the Yacht Club and Grand Floridian. It is whimsical enough to keep it from being stuffy, but it is still very elegant.

 

[D&R love Disney]

I think you will love the Boardwalk. We've stayed in the garden suites twice and had fantastic rooms and service. We love 1205 since it has a balcony instead of a patio. The huge shower and jacuzzi tub are incredible. We've also had great service with the concierge staff.

A great place for a drink is the Belle Vue Lounge, inside it's quiet or you could sit outside and watch the activity on the Boardwalk below.

 

[Tinkaroo]

I love hearing all of these stories! DH and I are staying at the BWI for a couple of nights in early December, after we stay at the WL. My parents and brother are also renting a 1 BR villa at the BWV for around the same time period.

I agree, I hadn't heard a lot about the BW, but after I saw pictures of it decked out for Christmas, I just couldn't resist!

 

[thompsonsstation2dis]

I was so excited when I logged on tonight to see all of the replies!

Dopey - I cracked up when I read that about the A/C! It sounds like my kinda place!!!

Goodferry - I have read and reread and....read again...your trip report & BWI review. Thank you so much! I had a blast ready your posts!!

D&R - Tell me more about the Garden Suites! Is the floor plan the same if you have a balcony vs the patio? Are there chairs if you do have a patio?

I'm so glad to know there are BWI fans out there! We've only stayed at the Poly, but this trip we didn't need to be close to MK and wanted to be close to Epcot.

 

[Clotho]

Hubby and I stayed at BWI last September, just before Ivan (Sept 13ish). We loved it, and I would totally stay there again. We chose it for the all the reasons everyone says they love it: amenities and proximity! It was great to have restaurants and stores right in our hotel, with its own beautifully themed appeal. Things were slowish when we were there, and we were told it always is this time of year. Slowish meaning there weren't that many entertainers on the Boardwalk until Friday or Saturday night, Jellyrolls was dead until the weekend and then too busy, and there is also a dance club down that end, but it was never busy. Not even on the weekend! But when the Boardwalk is all lit up, and there are jugglers and piano players bringing peals of laughter on the night air, it is totally magical.

Someone here said the walk was long to Epcot. This is no reflection on them, as I have no idea who they are, but I think only older or less mobile people would find the walk long. It was very quick, faster than the boats (from load, to travel, to unload), though when your feet are sore from days and days of walking, sometimes the boat is just THE way to go, and tends to be cooler thanks to air conditioning or open window breezes! Also, there is a boat to MGM from that dock which is just wonderful. Riding along the River, seeing the other hotels along the way...really fun and relaxing. But be warned that the boat does not come that often to get back from the MGM. If you see one at the dock loading up, run to catch it or you'll have a wait!

The rooms were top notch, though a little bright for us (white and light blue everything). We had a little veranda overlooking the quiet pool that was delightful. The staff was great (funny, the person who checked us in was our only complaint, too. She was new, though, and slow and stammering the whole time), and I even got my stuffed animals "playing" in the room thanks to the housekeeping staff. If you don't know what I mean, and want to know, just ask. They have fridges in every room, and a nice little table and chairs in the corner. Beds were comfy and everything was clean and well maintained. Fresh feeling.

Have a great time!

 

[ADisneygirl]

BWI is my family's favorite resort! You are right when you say that there isn't much chatter about it here on the DIS. I always felt like it was my little secret place, only a select few of us realized how beautiful, elegant and relaxing a resort it is.

The location can't be beat. The walk into Epcot's international gateway makes you feel like you are staying in Epcot's backyard! The Friendship boats that take you around Cresent lake to the different resorts there and to Epcot and MGM are relaxing to ride when your feet are tired from walking the parks all day. There are a lot of dining choices all around the Boardwalk and at the neighboring resorts. The only thing we wished was that there was a food place within the BWI to get a little something without leaving the actual building. There is the Belleview Lounge inside, which offers a continental type breakfast of coffee, muffins, fruit, cereal, etc. from like 6am - 10am. Items are sold a la carte. Many people do not even realize this place offers any coffee or food in the am because it is a place for drinks only in the evening. Good for a quick bite on the way out or to sit and relax in one of their overstuffed chairs and enjoy the english library look the place has.

Try and get your kids down to the pool before the slide opens. It is usually quite empty early in the day, and maybe your kid will get to be the Keister Coaster Kid of the Day like mine did. We were swimming early, and no one else was in the pool with us. The lifeguards were milling around, getting things in order. Then they called my teenage daughter over and asked her if she'd like to be the first one down the slide that day and be the "Keister Coaster kid". She was up for it, and she was quite the sport. They gave her a red clown wig to wear and a red nose, and let her on first to officially open the slide for the day. Then she got a little certificate too! It was really quite cute and she enjoyed the whole act.

Don't forget to eat at ESPN, my DH and DS favorite place! We have even met a few sports celebrities in there during their little show they put on live Friday evenings around 6.

We are trying CBR this trip on Thanksgiving. Want to say we've been to them all! But every year we manage to include a trip back to the BWI. Have a wonderful time at our favorite!

 

[smfnj]

... But it does not seem like much activity on the boards for the Boardwalk.....It will be our first trip to Disney since 2002 - our first just the two of us & the first at BWI. It is our anniversary so we have splurged on a Garden Suite.

Welcome to the Dis.

Be sure to check out BW info on Debs site if you haven't already:
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_bw.htm

We've stayed at the Poly 18-20 times, once at DL (Dixie Landings, I refuse to use that other name) and 7 or 8 times at BWI.

I suprised my wife last August with a quick 2-day 25th anniversary trip to BWI. Be sure to call the front desk 2-3 days before you go (407-939-5100) and have them put on your reservation that it's a trip for your anniversary.

The first night we came back from the parks we had a big Mickey balloon next to a cardboard framed and autographed picture of the Big-Cheese himself and a "Where The Magic Lives" certificate, we thought this was very nice.

The next afternoon we came back to the room the table had a plate of truffles and a LARGE chocolate bar with a boardwalk picture on it wrapped in celophane.

After dinner at Portobello they brought out an anniversary cake, we had a hard time eating 1 piece between the 2 of us.

This was a whirlwind trip for us, we usually stay 7-12 days, but we had a wonderful time.

steve