Boardwalk Villas Tips and Tricks!

[CaliforniaGirl09]

We were just there a few weeks ago and stayed at BWV for the first time (our home resorts are BLT and VGC). We loved it! We ate at both Trattoria and the bakery. We miss the characters at Trattoria, but the breakfast was excellent. I think we had the egg bagel sandwiches from the bakery 3 or 4 times--they were yummy and fast. Have fun!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Well, I wouldn’t say never. The Spoodles breakfast buffet had amazing variety, and IMO was the best breakfast buffet ever offered on property. I miss it so...

if only there were time machines for certain things....I feel the same way regarding no more biscuits and gravy for breakfast at POR-that was not a fun discovery in 2019-especially since Disney puts the gravy on the side (I have severe acid reflux issues so I have to control how much of something I use and the POR cast members at Riverside Mill would give me just enough in a bowl on the side-it was perfect)

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

We were just there a few weeks ago and stayed at BWV for the first time (our home resorts are BLT and VGC). We loved it! We ate at both Trattoria and the bakery. We miss the characters at Trattoria, but the breakfast was excellent. I think we had the egg bagel sandwiches from the bakery 3 or 4 times--they were yummy and fast. Have fun!

I also will miss the characters at Trattoria-especially since the day we went Merida was there as well as Rapunzel, Eugene, Ariel and Eric! But it is still amazing food so I am pretty sure we will attempt an ADR for that!

 

[toodycat]

There are no restaurants in the BWI/BWV buildings, but you can buy your meals at the BW restaurants. (We always make our own breakfast if we stay at a DVC resort.) However, the Boardwalk Bakery is quite good for a quick breakfast, although sometimes crowded. You can also go across to dine at the Beach and Yacht Club resorts.

 

[808blessing]

Or be at Epcot within 10 mins!

 

[Chuck S]

There are no restaurants in the BWI/BWV buildings, but you can buy your meals at the BW restaurants. (We always make our own breakfast if we stay at a DVC resort.) However, the Boardwalk Bakery is quite good for a quick breakfast, although sometimes crowded. You can also go across to dine at the Beach and Yacht Club resorts.

OKW doesn't have restaurants in the same buildings as guest rooms, I don't think SSR does, either. BLT has the lounge on top. but it really isn't a restaurant, as such...but it is connected via the bridge to the main hotel. So this isn't anything unusual for many DVC Resorts, and most time shares.

 

[LSchrow]

Some ideas:
Check out Community Hall - they have crafts, arcade & video games, billiards, ping-pong, etc, plus DVDs to rent.
Sitting on the back balcony, or in the alcove below it, is so restful.
There is only one bank of elevators, but lots of stairwells that led to different places (they're fun to explore).
Try to eat at Big River Grill outside on the BW - it's one of our favorite things to do in all of WDW!
Stroll around Crescent Lake, stop into Sea Breeze Point (gazebo) & bask in the scent of gardenias.
Boardwalk Joe's has good margaritas, & Abracadabar is great for some adult time.
Movies & Morning Yoga are on the Village Green (the back of the resort). Check the Activity Board for days/times.
The Bakery now has chocolate & vanilla soft serve ice cream, & their freshly baked treats are really tasty!
The Screendoor sells some groceries, & you get the 20% Blue Card DVC discount (excluding alcohol)- good if you only need a few things. Just like any other resort, you can place a grocery order with WalmartGrocery, Instacart, etc if you prefer. As mentioned, Speedway has good prices on beer.
Even the worst BW views are better than many of the best views elsewhere, so enjoy some time on your balcony.
While I can't personally attest to it, I've heard from quite a few people who love good pizza that the pizza window has vastly improved, & is worth a stop.
Fantasia Gardens is about a 10-15 minute walk, & so much fun!!
Try to walk to Epcot & Studios at least once. The walks are lovely.
Others have spoken to the area restaurants, but also remember that the Skyliner is also nearby if you wish for some yummy food at the Riviera.

And try to take some time to look around the resort lobby: the Nanny Chairs, the Hippocampus Electrolier (which had a globe with a time capsule inside, to be opened on 10/1/2021 - it's currently stored away), Lucy the Elephant (look for Mary Poppins!), the miniature carousel (which rotates & plays music), the Castle paintings, the Mutoscopes (flip-picture machines), etc.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Well, I wouldn’t say never. The Spoodles breakfast buffet had amazing variety, and IMO was the best breakfast buffet ever offered on property. I miss it so...

My son did his college internship at Spoodles... and we purchased DVC with his castmember discount in 2001

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Some ideas:
Check out Community Hall - they have crafts, arcade & video games, billiards, ping-pong, etc, plus DVDs to rent.
Sitting on the back balcony, or in the alcove below it, is so restful.
There is only one bank of elevators, but lots of stairwells that led to different places (they're fun to explore).
Try to eat at Big River Grill outside on the BW - it's one of our favorite things to do in all of WDW!
Stroll around Crescent Lake, stop into Sea Breeze Point (gazebo) & bask in the scent of gardenias.
Boardwalk Joe's has good margaritas, & Abracadabar is great for some adult time.
Movies & Morning Yoga are on the Village Green (the back of the resort). Check the Activity Board for days/times.
The Bakery now has chocolate & vanilla soft serve ice cream, & their freshly baked treats are really tasty!
The Screendoor sells some groceries, & you get the 20% Blue Card DVC discount (excluding alcohol)- good if you only need a few things. Just like any other resort, you can place a grocery order with WalmartGrocery, Instacart, etc if you prefer. As mentioned, Speedway has good prices on beer.
Even the worst BW views are better than many of the best views elsewhere, so enjoy some time on your balcony.
While I can't personally attest to it, I've heard from quite a few people who love good pizza that the pizza window has vastly improved, & is worth a stop.
Fantasia Gardens is about a 10-15 minute walk, & so much fun!!
Try to walk to Epcot & Studios at least once. The walks are lovely.
Others have spoken to the area restaurants, but also remember that the Skyliner is also nearby if you wish for some yummy food at the Riviera.

And try to take some time to look around the resort lobby: the Nanny Chairs, the Hippocampus Electrolier (which had a globe with a time capsule inside, to be opened on 10/1/2021 - it's currently stored away), Lucy the Elephant (look for Mary Poppins!), the miniature carousel (which rotates & plays music), the Castle paintings, the Mutoscopes (flip-picture machines), etc.

All of these are awesome! We love Fantasia Gardens and intend on going back! We specifically chose Boardwalk Resort Area so we could walk to EPCOT. My mom unfortunately can't do long long walks at times due to arthritis and achilles heel issues, but that is what the friendship boats are for (she may go on the skyliner-may be the operative word there. she does good on coasters but not height related stuff) and we love a good boat ride. Plus if we have to , Mears and Uber have been very awesome to us. We have walked around before and eaten at Trattoria al Forno in the past for breakfast so its good to know there are a couple of options. We have been wanting to visit abracadabar for a long time (this will be the third or fourth trip since I've turned 21 so we really like checking out the various bars around WDW and UOR now). Where is the Screendoor exactly and do we know if it's open? Granted a lot can happen in the months before our trip but rather be safe then sorry! We have visited Seabreeze Point and know a couple who got married there-its gorgeous! Fun story regarding pizza for us-our 2015 trip we couldn't get anywhere for dinner at DHS-thankfully we found ABC Commissary (one of the best quick services on property in our opinion) and managed to get those amazing burgers and chicken sandwiches. That was around 5 pm and we continued our day on through Fantasmic. As we were on the bus back to POR (which was crammed i still don't know how our driver did that that night-even pre pandemic that was a yikes) my mom had an idea and didn't tell my dad and I just told my aunt to stay with her. Since we had a preferred room, I ran back to get our drink cups and headed to Riverside Mill (all of a minute walk) and saw them at the pizza section. That was the best that night. While we love Via Napoli, we always talk about that giant pizza we had at 10 something at night. And the chairs! Ive seen them. I always look for the carousel as I was in a production of Carousel that is near and dear to my heart. But now I have to find Lucy especially since Mary is one of my favorites it should be easy to do! Thank you again for these awesome suggestions-we are just happy to be going somewhere after the chaos of the past year and change.

 

[LSchrow]

Where is the Screendoor exactly and do we know if it's open?

Screendoor (groceries) & Thimbles & Threads (souvies, etc) are different rooms/areas in the same store, and they are fully open. They are directly on the BoardWalk, around the corner from the Wyland Gallery (which is pricey, but an interesting place to browse if you enjoy Disney/marine art & better jewelry). Tip: Screendoor has a bakery case filled with goodies from the Bakery, and the lines are usually much shorter than the Bakery.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Screendoor (groceries) & Thimbles & Threads (souvies, etc) are different rooms/areas in the same store, and they are fully open. They are directly on the BoardWalk, around the corner from the Wyland Gallery (which is pricey, but an interesting place to browse if you enjoy Disney/marine art & better jewelry). Tip: Screendoor has a bakery case filled with goodies from the Bakery, and the lines are usually much shorter than the Bakery.

Thank you!

 

[Best Aunt]

Tip: Screendoor has a bakery case filled with goodies from the Bakery, and the lines are usually much shorter than the Bakery.

Pre-COVID, I would always check out the cupcakes in the Screendoor store bakery case as well as the cupcakes in the Bakery. The selection was not the same. I haven't been since the Pandemic began, so I can't comment on the current situation.

 

[RapunzelRN]

Pre-COVID, I would always check out the cupcakes in the Screendoor store bakery case as well as the cupcakes in the Bakery. The selection was not the same. I haven't been since the Pandemic began, so I can't comment on the current situation.

I can say that having been recently, the Screendoor bakery case had a huge selection of treats and better IMO thank the Bakery itself. More of a variety!

 

[Geomom]

I can say that having been recently, the Screendoor bakery case had a huge selection of treats and better IMO thank the Bakery itself. More of a variety!

That's great news! We were there in early August and the case was empty then. We'll be at BWV from 4/17-4/24, looking forward to getting stuff there! I wasn't enthused by what I was seeing for mobile order at the bakery, glad to know there are more choices at the shop!

 

[crisi]

My biggest piece of advice....learn where the stairs are and where they go. Do it first. Hopefully, you like stairs.

No matter which floor you are on at the Boardwalk, your stay will involve stairs or elevators. The lobby and bus stop are on the second floor - the Boardwalk and pool are off the first floor. The elevators are fairly small and by the lobby - during midday they are usually fine - but during park open and close, they are filled with strollers and ECVs. If you can take stairs, you will find your stay is much easier.

We've always breakfasted in room, and lunch in the parks, so the lack of an interior facing restaurant has never been an issue for us. We have picked up cinnamon rolls the night before from the bakery for breakfast - pop them in the microwave to warm them up for a bit. We do love Flying Fish for dinner. And Blue Zoo over in the Dolphin - if its still there. One of the best parts of staying at BWV is that you can make dinner reservations at a dozen places in the nearby hotels or Epcot and walk back from dinner. Hopefully by October, we will be in a herd immunity state and WDW will be normalized.

If you are a fast walker - you can beat the boat to the Studios. But its a longish walk and you might not want to walk that much at Disney. The walk to Epcot is almost always worth it - although walking back is sometimes too many steps at the end of a long day.

 

[crisi]

It cracks me up when I hear people list "Needing to Walk Outside for Restaurants" as being a negative for BWV when the same holds true for all the other WDW DVC Resorts with the exception of Riviera, Wilderness, and the non-cabin rooms at Cooper Creek.

Unfortunately, Breakfast Variety has never been a strong suit at the Boardwalk.

VAKL (although Kidani only has Saana, which is great - but they NEED a QS). Mara at Jambo you need to go outside to get to IIRC. And you can get to the restaurants at the Contemporary from BLT without going outside .... they aren't close. But yeah, BWV regularly gets dinged for something that is really common at Disney resorts. I think in part because the Boardwalk is unprotected - and many of the other DVC resorts at least have covered areas between the rooms and the restaurants. Or you are in a completely different building at many of them so OF COURSE you need to go outside.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

In addition to the feature pool, there are two quiet pools - that took us a while to figure out. The inn quiet pool is over by the cottages. The villas' quiet pool (kinda on the pathway to DHS) also has the community center. Not sure how they're handling in COVID times but I believe I saw you can rent bikes (regular bikes not the surrey bikes) there now and in the before times they had ping pong and other activities.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I can say that having been recently, the Screendoor bakery case had a huge selection of treats and better IMO thank the Bakery itself. More of a variety!

Good to know Thank you!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

In addition to the feature pool, there are two quiet pools - that took us a while to figure out. The inn quiet pool is over by the cottages. The villas' quiet pool (kinda on the pathway to DHS) also has the community center. Not sure how they're handling in COVID times but I believe I saw you can rent bikes (regular bikes not the surrey bikes) there now and in the before times they had ping pong and other activities.

Ah the bikes....3 people and one of them doesn't know how to ride (that would be me yes I am a full grown adult I just don't have the desire) We actually did them at POR and while it was fun and gorgeous.....3 people and one who pretty much uses a stationary bike if she does was not good lol.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

My biggest piece of advice....learn where the stairs are and where they go. Do it first. Hopefully, you like stairs.

No matter which floor you are on at the Boardwalk, your stay will involve stairs or elevators. The lobby and bus stop are on the second floor - the Boardwalk and pool are off the first floor. The elevators are fairly small and by the lobby - during midday they are usually fine - but during park open and close, they are filled with strollers and ECVs. If you can take stairs, you will find your stay is much easier.

We've always breakfasted in room, and lunch in the parks, so the lack of an interior facing restaurant has never been an issue for us. We have picked up cinnamon rolls the night before from the bakery for breakfast - pop them in the microwave to warm them up for a bit. We do love Flying Fish for dinner. And Blue Zoo over in the Dolphin - if its still there. One of the best parts of staying at BWV is that you can make dinner reservations at a dozen places in the nearby hotels or Epcot and walk back from dinner. Hopefully by October, we will be in a herd immunity state and WDW will be normalized.

If you are a fast walker - you can beat the boat to the Studios. But its a longish walk and you might not want to walk that much at Disney. The walk to Epcot is almost always worth it - although walking back is sometimes too many steps at the end of a long day.

We know about the stairs to the main floor and i use stairs on the regular at work and for exercise plus I am the youngest and fastest so if need be I got this. We are also big on safety so we always look for all available exits when we get to a place. We are breakfast people but also on the go people so who knows what this trip will entail and who knows hat can happen in the time we are scheduled to go (heck we dont even know what could happen 5 minutes from now!)
See my dad and I are fast walkers and my mom is not but we love a boat ride-however if it is for a boarding group you bet we are power walking haha!