Boardwalk View Villa's

[surgefest]

We will be staying in a BWV villa for the first time on our next trip, and very excited about that! Who else has and what advice or tips can you give?? Do all floors have a balcony even the bottom?? can you see the epcot fireworks from most balconys? Any other tips would be great! pictures would be awesome too! THanks!

 

[ktbugsmom]

You will love BWV... my family does. The location is excellent. You can walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot - which is a great perk. They also have a boat, but we rarely use that.

All of the floors have balconies (above the first floor) and I believe all first floor units have patios - but you may want someone to confirm that. We always request a "high floor" and hope we get the 5th.

We request the high floor because we book at 11 months out and get a Boardwalk View room. From these rooms - you can see the higher fireworks at Epcot. The view is a little better on the upper floors. I have been told that some "standard" view rooms can see the Epcot fireworks as well - but we have only stayed in a standard room once and could not see them.

Some don't like that there is not a counter service restaurant on site. But, there are plenty of other restaurants within walking distance - plus Epcot is close by too. But, if you get to your room and want a snack - options are limited. We plan for that - so it does not bother us, but I have read many complaints about this.

Also, if you are back at the room and decide on a whim you want dinner reservations at 7pm (Spoodles, Flying Fish, Yachtsman at Yacht Club, Cape May)... good luck. We tried this in January (slow season) - could not get in any place until 9pm. (we had reservations elsewhere and were too tired to all the way over to a different area) Luckily, ESPN does not take reservations and we were able to get a table pretty quickly. That was fine for us.

Another hint - make use of the Community Center. We always get busy and forget. they have great crafts for the kids. The quiet pool is right there - so you can spend an afternoon just lounging, doing crafts, playing air hockey etc.

We love Boardwalk for many reasons, but one of our favorites is the location. We love going to say Magic Kingdom in the morning, then relaxing at the room/pool in the afternoon, then heading over to Epcot in the evening for dinner. We love that we can watch Illuminations, then walk back without a hassle. Or - we can watch them from our balcony with a glass of wine.

The hallways are long and cold. The counter service is lacking. The bus to MK stops too many times and the return bus stops at BWV last (4 resorts first!) Morning coffee can be tough to find (bakery gets veyr busy and some don't know about the Bellvue Lounge) - but it is still our favorite.

 

[murcor]

You will love BWV... my family does. The location is excellent. You can walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot - which is a great perk. They also have a boat, but we rarely use that.

All of the floors have balconies (above the first floor) and I believe all first floor units have patios - but you may want someone to confirm that. We always request a "high floor" and hope we get the 5th.

We request the high floor because we book at 11 months out and get a Boardwalk View room. From these rooms - you can see the higher fireworks at Epcot. The view is a little better on the upper floors. I have been told that some "standard" view rooms can see the Epcot fireworks as well - but we have only stayed in a standard room once and could not see them.

We were at the far end of the hall, very last room, next to Jelly Rolls, boardwalk view. Looking to the right we had an awesome view of the fireworks.

Perfect for people watching with our morning coffee and in the evening.

Some don't like that there is not a counter service restaurant on site. But, there are plenty of other restaurants within walking distance - plus Epcot is close by too. But, if you get to your room and want a snack - options are limited. We plan for that - so it does not bother us, but I have read many complaints about this.

This is true, it would be nice to have a quick service option.

Also, if you are back at the room and decide on a whim you want dinner reservations at 7pm (Spoodles, Flying Fish, Yachtsman at Yacht Club, Cape May)... good luck. We tried this in January (slow season) - could not get in any place until 9pm. (we had reservations elsewhere and were too tired to all the way over to a different area) Luckily, ESPN does not take reservations and we were able to get a table pretty quickly. That was fine for us.

We walked right up to Big River Grill in January and got a table on the boardwalk.

Another hint - make use of the Community Center. We always get busy and forget. they have great crafts for the kids. The quiet pool is right there - so you can spend an afternoon just lounging, doing crafts, playing air hockey etc.

Checked it out and there were kids in there having fun.

We love Boardwalk for many reasons, but one of our favorites is the location. We love going to say Magic Kingdom in the morning, then relaxing at the room/pool in the afternoon, then heading over to Epcot in the evening for dinner. We love that we can watch Illuminations, then walk back without a hassle. Or - we can watch them from our balcony with a glass of wine.

Love the boardwalk balconies

The hallways are long and cold. The counter service is lacking. The bus to MK stops too many times and the return bus stops at BWV last (4 resorts first!) Morning coffee can be tough to find (bakery gets veyr busy and some don't know about the Bellvue Lounge) - but it is still our favorite.

We had to laugh about the long hallways....you hear everyone say it...and they are long
We were at the far end of the hall, very last room, next to Jelly Rolls, boardwalk view. We used the steps, quick down to the boardwalk or pool quick up to the room.

*and I wish I would have know about the Bellvue Lounge for coffee

 

[ktbugsmom]

Murcor,
I actually like the long hallways. We request our room WAY down the hallway and usually get it. I think most don't want that walk - so usually our request is fulfilled. We were 3 doors from the end in January.

Yes - the Bellvue lounge is open around 6:30am for coffee, donuts, etc. You can get re-fills here, but need to buy your mug in the Bakery. Then in the evenings, it turns into a lounge with cocktails. We have not tried it in the evenings.

If you go to the lobby and walk straight through like you are going to the Boardwalk Inn side - it is right there by the elevators. I love it. Several tables and chairs. It looks out over the green area by the boardwalk. The CM working there was wonderful. Since I was there every morning by 6am, she would start the coffee right away when she got there to get me a cup!

Big River Grill - we have tried it a couple times and have not been too impressed. Nothing terrible, just nothing great. I guess maybe ESPN is more kid friendly too (we have an 8 year old), so we didn't even try to go there last time.

 

[jade1]

Any other tips would be great! pictures would be awesome too! THanks!

 

[hakepb]

All of the floors have balconies (above the first floor) and I believe all first floor units have patios - but you may want someone to confirm that. We always request a "high floor" and hope we get the 5th.

I had a standard view ground floor 1BR, and we had a patio. (blocked by shrubbery, not railing) Every morning a little sun beam found its way through the trees and balconies to my patio. I would move my chair into that wonderful FLA sunbeam, sit down and enjoy my morning java. :
That's the life!

 

[byoung]

The boardwalk views are the best in Disney, IMHO. Pay the extra points for them when staying there.

 

[surgefest]

how many resorts does the boardwalk share busses with?? and which parks?? aaaaaaaaaaaaand in what order are the stops?? i looooove being able to walk to both parks. thats going to be great. and the lounge is a good tip also. i didnt realize you can use your mugs there..

 

[REL1203]

The boardwalk views are the best in Disney, IMHO. Pay the extra points for them when staying there.

It cost the same number of points as a Preferred room right?

 

[ktbugsmom]

REl1203,
Yes, Boardwalk view rooms are the same points as other preferred views at BWV. But, they are much harder to get because there are fewer of them. I always call at 11 months out to get guaranteed Boardwalk view.

Surgefest,
BWV shares the buses with Yacht and Beach Club and Swan and Dolphin. Going to the parks, if memory serves, it stops at Swan and Dolphin (can't remember which is first), then heads out. Coming back from the parks, it stops at Swan, Dolphin, Yacht Club and Beach Club - then finally BWV. Again - I can't remember the order, but it is the Swan/Dolphin group first... which if we were smart, we would just get off here and walk over the bridge back to BWV. Much faster. For some reason, I always forget to get off.

 

[FLYNZ4]

I have seen various bus routes based on what I assume is park attendance.

Sometimes as posted... there is one bus route that services all 5 resorts (Swan, Dolphin, YC, BC, BW). Other times I have seen two seperate routes... (Swan, Dolphin, BW) and (YC, BC). I have also seen some other configurations... including BW on a private route.

/Jim

 

[Disneyhappy]

REl1203,
Yes, Boardwalk view rooms are the same points as other preferred views at BWV. But, they are much harder to get because there are fewer of them. I always call at 11 months out to get guaranteed Boardwalk view.

Surgefest,
BWV shares the buses with Yacht and Beach Club and Swan and Dolphin. Going to the parks, if memory serves, it stops at Swan and Dolphin (can't remember which is first), then heads out. Coming back from the parks, it stops at Swan, Dolphin, Yacht Club and Beach Club - then finally BWV. Again - I can't remember the order, but it is the Swan/Dolphin group first... which if we were smart, we would just get off here and walk over the bridge back to BWV. Much faster. For some reason, I always forget to get off.

Is the Swan/Dolphin bus stop really closer to BWV than the BW bus stop? That maybe a good option for us since we will have a scooter in our group and I believe only one wheelchair/scooter is allowed per bus? I am concerned about being able to get a bus for the MK if BW is the last bus stop. If Swan/Dolphin is the first stop and a closer walk from the BWV, we may walk over there instead.

 

[REL1203]

Is the Swan/Dolphin bus stop really closer to BWV than the BW bus stop? That maybe a good option for us since we will have a scooter in our group and I believe only one wheelchair/scooter is allowed per bus? I am concerned about being able to get a bus for the MK if BW is the last bus stop. If Swan/Dolphin is the first stop and a closer walk from the BWV, we may walk over there instead.

The Swan/Dolphin bus stop is certainly not closer in terms of feet, just you can gett off sooner and get to your room faster since you can get off, walk across the bridge, and get to your room by the time the bus finally gets to your resort.

 

[ktbugsmom]

REL1203 - thanks for clarifying that! Swan or Dolphin (never remember which!) is just the first stop on the way back to BWV- and then you make 3 other stops before you get to BWV. So - I could essentially be in my room by the time the bus finally got all the way around!

 

[jade1]

The Swan/Dolphin bus stop is certainly not closer in terms of feet, just you can gett off sooner and get to your room faster since you can get off, walk across the bridge, and get to your room by the time the bus finally gets to your resort.

Not so sure, with a scooter it is further because you need to go to the elevators. If your room is down near Jelly Rolls-it is likley closer to Swan than BWV bus stop, and you can go in the back entrance and up the stairs.

 

[jekjones1558]

BWV bus stop order changes all the time. We only take the bus to MK. Almost always when we are there the bus stops at BW, then S & D, then MK. On the return it has been BW then S & D. Y & B have had a separate bus. Bus stops must depend on the time of year and crowd levels as well as the time of day.

 

[FLYNZ4]

BWV bus stop order changes all the time. We only take the bus to MK. Almost always when we are there the bus stops at BW, then S & D, then MK. On the return it has been BW then S & D. Y & B have had a separate bus. Bus stops must depend on the time of year and crowd levels as well as the time of day.

Jean,

I have seen the exact same route configurations that you have mentioned... but I also have seen all 5 resorts being served from a single bus.

/Jim

 

[Starr W.]

Jean,

I have seen the exact same route configurations that you have mentioned... but I also have seen all 5 resorts being served from a single bus.

/Jim

When we were at BCV in January(MLK weekend) all 5 resorts shared the AK bus. MK buses were Y&B and BW S&D. I think that was the same configuration at Thanksgiving also for MK.

 

[culli]

BWV bus stop order changes all the time. We only take the bus to MK. Almost always when we are there the bus stops at BW, then S & D, then MK. On the return it has been BW then S & D. Y & B have had a separate bus. Bus stops must depend on the time of year and crowd levels as well as the time of day.

Is it feasible to get to EPCOT and take the monorail to MK or it that just too long and the bus faster?

 

[crisi]

Is it feasible to get to EPCOT and take the monorail to MK or it that just too long and the bus faster?

Yes, its feasible. Yes, the bus is faster. We do it coming back all the time, going its tougher because the IG doesn't generally open (unless its an EE morning at Epcot) until long after we want to be on our way. We often take the monorail back and swing through FutureWorld knocking off one of the attractions on the way (or pick up a Fastpass to use in the evening).

Note that its quite a walk from the monorail stop at Epcot to the Boardwalk.