Boardwalk Villas

[KCMiller]

Hi, there!

We're staying at the Boardwalk Villas in October, and I would love any and all tips, tricks, hints and all round reviews of this resort.

Thanks so much!

KC

 

[Desnik]

You picked a great place to stay!! We have been to the BWI once and this Nov. will be our second time at the BWV. The location is the best!! We just love the decor and ambiance of the resort. The boardwalk games and entertainment at night are so much fun. We love hanging out there at night, getting icecream and soaking up the atmosphere. It is kid friendly but, not overrun by kids. We felt very comfy with our kids there. If you have kids make sure you stop by the community hall by the pool. They have all kinds of activities, board games, movies playing, movies to rent and a popcorn machine. Also if you want to rent a boat just walk over to the YC marina. We always walk to Epcot and MGM. We beat the boat everytime! We do like to take the boat from MGM back to the BW. Nice and relaxing. If you are staying in a studio and want to do some laundry, it is free and the facility is near the fitness center. The pool is awesome and so is the slide. If you like it alittle quieter, try the quiet pool. The restaurants are also great but you have to go to Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club. The best burgers and ice cream!! Also, we like to get a bite at the pizza window on the BW next to Spoodles. I love the meatball sub there. Is there something in particular you wanted to know? I still have my "Boardwalk Bugle" which has a ton of info about the resort. We really love this resort!!

 

[eljojo]

What is the "Boardwalk Bugle"?

 

[Desnik]

It's kind of like a newspaper that they give you at check in. It gives info like the names and type of food at the restaurants and hours. Recreation info, and lots more.

 

[eljojo]

Cool, too bad they don't give it to you beforehand - who has time to read at WDW, lol.

 

[4407mark]

KC - we first stayed at BWV when we got married and enjoyed it so much that we purchased our Disney Vacation Club points there about five months later.

As others have said, it is a beautiful resort. Beware that on the villas side (there is also the Boardwalk Inn), it can be a long walk to your room from the elevators depending on where you are located. Boardwalk views are nice although the Boardwalk is very active at night and that can mean some noise which is only a problem if you have young kids trying to go to sleep. Pool views are wonderful, standard views are actually very nice as well.

BWV are a short walk (less than 10-15 mins) from the International Gateway to EPCOT, and about a 20 min walk from MGM. Friendship boats run a circuit from the International Gateway to the Boardwalk to the Yacht and Beach Club to the Swan and Dolphin to MGM and back again so you can always ride on the water if you prefer.

We always enjoy ourselves there - if you have more specific questions, just PM me. Enjoy!

Mark

 

[MicheleC]

We were contemplating DVC for years, but it was all sewn up the first time we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas. We purchased on that trip and have stayed the past 3 years since! Don't miss the yummy stuff from the bakery in the morning for a quick bkfst and the nightly entertainment is great for the kids (and the adults). Riding the boats to the parks is a great perk. Its just overall a great place to stay. We have liked the boardwalk view although found it a little noisy one year when we were right by the dance clubs. We stayed in a standard view room last year and had a great view of Illuminations every night. Have a great time!

 

[dreamscometrue47]

We were at BWV this past April, and loved the location. We also walked to Epcot and MGM in the mornings. The boat back from MGM at night is the way to go; it may be slow, but it's very relaxing after a long day. The Boardwalk itself is awesome; just loved the bakery!

We had a Boardwalk view, and once we closed the balcony doors, we couldn't hear a thing. I would get that view again with no problem.

The only complaint I had was that our particular 2-bedroom unit was in need of some refurbishment. It was clean, but the furniture was really worn and in not great shape. When we commented about it to guest services, they mentioned that the villas would be undergoing some refurbishment in the next year or 2.

You will really have a wonderful time at BW.

 

[eljojo]

How late are the dance clubs open? I've just had visions of us being kept awake till 3 a.m. with loud music and rowdy patrons!

 

[Desnik]

Jellyrolls- 7pm-2am
ESPN- 11:30am-1am Sun-Thurs. 11:30am-2am Fri. & Sat.(appetizers only after 11:30pm)
Atlantic Dance- ??? Not sure, it doesn't say on the paper work I have. I would assume it's the same hours as Jellyrolls.

 

[eljojo]

Is there a certain room I should try to get to avoid the noise? I am a super light sleeper. But I would also love to be able to see the fireworks.

 

[Desnik]

When we stayed at the BWI we had a standard view booked. I requested non smoking, full balcony, and view of Illuminations. Our room was perfect!! All our requests were made. We could see the Eifel tower and all the higher fireworks from Illumin ations. You could also hear the music. The view was of beautiful gardens and the garden suits. We just walked down the stairs and we were a very short walk away from the quiet pool. We had our requests on our original ressie and I also faxed 3 days before we left.

When we were at the BWV we had a studio and for the life of me I can't remember what the view was ! It was a preferred view and as I think about it I think we had a view of the water where the walk way to MGM is. It couldn't have been that great if I hardly remember it!!!LOL It was quiet.

This coming trip we have a gauranteed BW view. We have kids and I'm not too worried about the noise. The only light sleeper is me and we usually go to sleep late. We like to be in the middle of it all and love to people watch. Can't wait!!!

If you are staying at the Inn I would suggest standard view and request what I did. It is not gauranteed but, you should get what you want. Just put them in order of importance.

 

[KCMiller]

This sounds like the perfect resort! We are staying in the DVC area (god bless the person who thought of renting points!), and we can hardly wait!

Thanks for the input - anyone else?

KC

 

[KCMiller]

I know it's bad form to bump yourself, but I had a followup question.

I'm confused about the 'view'. If a standard view gives you a view of Illuminations, what does the upgraded view give you? A view of the Grand Canyon? I'm trying to think of something better than seeing the fireworks . . ..

KC

 

[MicheleC]

The preferred views are the boardwalk, which is really nice to look out over the water and watch the boats and stuff; and the pools (I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong), which is o.k. as well. I just can't stop thinking about the great room we had which was standard view and the view of Illuminations was great and the balcony was even nicer than our Preferred room, boardwalk view. I enjoyed both views though. If anyone wants room ideas, the room we had in Standard, 1-bdrm was 3117 and the room we had in boardwalk view was 5001 (great room but it is the farthest room from the elevator and quite a hike!)

 

[MinnieGi]

Just wanted to say we love the BWV's!!! We have our third trip booked there for Feb. '05. We love the convenient location, the atmosphere, restaurants, & entertainment on the Boardwalk, & the villa rooms.

Have a great time!

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by KCMiller
I know it's bad form to bump yourself, but I had a followup question.

I'm confused about the 'view'. If a standard view gives you a view of Illuminations, what does the upgraded view give you? A view of the Grand Canyon? I'm trying to think of something better than seeing the fireworks . . ..

KC

If you are staying at the BWV on points, there are three categories of "views":

Standard view

Preferred view - Pool/Garden

Preferred view - BW

Standard views overlook the front entrance and the driveway leading up to it. There is a lot of nice landscaping between the rooms and the driveway/entrance. Some (not all, and not most) of these rooms have views of the higher level fireworks from IllumiNations. If you have a standard view and want a fireworks view, ask for an upper floor across from the bus stop.

The two preferred views cost the same numbr of points.

If your reservation confirmation letter says Boardwalk view, your room will overlook the Boardwalk. All of these rooms have views of the higher level fireworks from IllumiNations. They all have a view of the EPCOT ball as well, and some guests report that they can also see Wishes fireworks from their balconies. Some guests say these rooms are noisy, especially after the clubs close. Others say there is no problem if you close the balcony doors. (I will know after our next trip. Can't wait)!

If your preferred view confirmation letter oes not say Boardwalk view on it (and those rooms book very quickly as soon as the reservations window opens), you have a Pool or Garden view. These rooms will have views of the main feature pool - Luna Park, or the quiet pool/Community Hall building, or a view of the Swan/Dolphin hotels and the canal leading to MGM. A few of these rooms have a view of some of the fireworks from Fantasmic.

Many of the rooms with the "so called" best views are quite a hike from the elevators. Howver, the rooms that are farther from the elevators have less hallway traffic and are among the quietest arooms to be found anywhere on site. (JMHO - based on many stays at the BWV, LOL).

BWV (and all of the DVC resorts) no longer accept room request faxes - too many to read. Ask the member to call MS and note your requests on the reservation. Make sure they are listed in the order of importance. Most people put their smoking preference first. General requests are much more likely to be met than very specific ones.

HTH.

Best wishes -

 

[Poorman]

If you have a standard view room, request as far from the elevator as possible, over looking the bus stop and 4th floor. You will be able to see Illuminations everynight. These rooms are very quiet and if you don't have kids and want to go to the quiet pool, just walk down the stairs and out the door and you are there.

 

[Desnik]

Just wanted to add that when we stayed at the Inn we had a standard view booked. We had a view of the higher fireworks from Illuminations and saw the Eifel tower from the WS. We did not look over the parking lot or bus stop. We had a beautiful view of the gardens and garden suits which are located just before the quiet pool. We couldn't see the pool because of the trees, but we saw beautiful flowers, gardens, benches. We also had a full balcony. I believe we were on the 4th floor, and yes we had a long walk to the elevators. There were stairs a few feet away that we took right out to get to the quiet pool.

Also, someone emailed me a question, but my response keeps getting sent back. I figure the answer could help someone else reading this thread. The question had to do with how do I know my BW view is gauranteed. Simply because it says it on my ressie!LOL
I rented points from a DVC member and had preferred view, BW view booked when the ressie was made. I'm not sure if you are staying at the Inn if a BW view can be gauranteed, actually I don't think so. Also if you book a water view, that doesn't mean you will be over the BW. You could be looking at the pool, or waterway that has the walkway to MGM.
Hope this helps someone and the person who emailed me.