BoardWalk was just ok... did I miss something?

[Lorilais_mommie]

We just returned from our 1st spilt stay...
My family of 4 stay at BWV studio for 5 nights before moving on to the VGF

I was so excited when our Waitlist for the BW view came through. I read all the hype and how difficult it is to get into. Although we enjoy the view, I don't think we will be going back anytime soon.

There is as a few things I didn't realize...

1.When the reviews say LONG hallways... They mean LLLLOOONNNGG hallways!
We had a young child and stroller with us, so 4 flights of stairs were not an option most days.

2. Everything is on the board walk... Other than a small shop inside. We had to walk out the boarwalk to get something to eat. Lack of seating is another issue once you get something to eat or drink.

3. Can be a long walk for little legs to/from Epcot or HS.
Since your choices are boat or walk. We often found ourselves walking (seemed faster then boat by the end of the day) My two DDs found walking to the parks harder has the week went on..


I can see where the draw would be if you planned to be in HS or Epcots world showcase everyday. But other than that What's the benefit of staying at the boardwalk??????????? other than getting a good work out..

Ps. My girls did love the pool... But they love the pool and splash zone at AKL better.

 

[nalajms]

I can see where the draw would be if you planned to be in HS or Epcots world showcase everyday. But other than that What's the benefit of staying at the boardwalk???????????

That's the biggest draw for us. We like to spend a few hours in the AM at the parks, go back for nap, then head out to dinner. Being able to quickly go to WS for dinner is great! The security lines are no where near as long.

And my kids are just now starting to enjoy the boardwalk evening entertainments. They were especially great when it rained during our last trip. They had the acts in the lobby


As for walking, I don't think it's any more than going from VGF out to the monorail or GF QS. And we've been very lucky at AKV and have always gotten rooms near the lobby. I can only imagine the first time we get that last room at Kidani at the end of the building away from Jambo!

 

[wdrl]

One of the nice things about DVC is that there are now 13 resorts and everyone can have their own favorites. A resort that is high on my list could be low on your list and we can each be happy. At least you can say that you've tried BWV and have decided, at least for now, to use your points at other resorts.

 

[supersnoop]

I didn't think the hallways would be that long on the Boardwalk View side. We were at the complete other end, second room from last, and the hallways seemed long, but not "LLLLOOONNNGG." The walk-ability to Hollywood Studios and Epcot is the biggest benefit, but that's probably not as big a deal (or maybe a drawback) when you have small children.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We stayed at BWV for the first time this weekend and loved it. However, DD is almost 15, and we made a conscious decision to focus on Epcot and DHS. We either walked or took the boat - easy walk and I love the boats.

We tried all new restaurants and finally made it to Typhoon Lagoon. We had a remodeled room on the 5th floor standard view -- both balconies were impeded by a tree view but I wasn't there for the view so it did not matter. We would definitely stay again.

 

[gdrj]

We just returned from our 1st spilt stay...
My family of 4 stay at BWV studio for 5 nights before moving on to the VGF

1.When the reviews say LONG hallways... They mean LLLLOOONNNGG hallways!
We had a young child and stroller with us, so 4 flights of stairs were not an option most days.

2. Everything is on the board walk... Other than a small shop inside. We had to walk out the boarwalk to get something to eat. Lack of seating is another issue once you get something to eat or drink.

3. Can be a long walk for little legs to/from Epcot or HS.
Since your choices are boat or walk. We often found ourselves walking (seemed faster then boat by the end of the day) My two DDs found walking to the parks harder has the week went on..


I can see where the draw would be if you planned to be in HS or Epcots world showcase everyday. But other than that What's the benefit of staying at the boardwalk??????????? other than getting a good work out..

Ps. My girls did love the pool... But they love the pool and splash zone at AKL better.

Fortunately there are many resorts to choose from.
Our home resort is BW so we are biased.
1- The long hallways, for me were never something that really made me not want to stay. Of course I do remember carrying a sleeping child and wishing we had a closer room that night.
2- While we we walk to EPCOT at times, the boats run frequently, with little ones I would not walk to parks. We like the flexibility of having EPCOT and HS with so many dining choices.
3- We like the atmosphere of the the boardwalk, hopefully you got to see the entertainers on the boardwalk (kids usually enjoy).
4- renting bikes and mini golf on the other side of the swan and dolphin are also options.
5- The community center for kids near the quiet pool has things the kids enjoy.
6- Are kids would nap in strollers as we strolled EPCOT and enjoyed a beverage or two
7- a Boat ride or stroll to Beach Club for Beaches n Cream

Those are a few of things that come to mind.

 

[bwvBound]

Our #1 reason for enjoying Boardwalk Villas: Easy walk to the Dolphin Conference Center, the Swan Conference Center, the Yacht Club Conference Center and, should the conference need it, the Boardwalk Conference Center. We've attended so many events in these facilities over the past 20 years that we view this collection of hotels as a "campus" -- we get excited for learning just by seeing the Dolphin! Meeting up with friends, attending the large Keynote/General Sessions or smaller breakout sessions, sigh ... Heaven!

While we aren't thrilled with the Boardwalk dining options, we do pop into Epcot for dining provided we have active APs.

 

[drusba]

Boardwalk view, many restaurants easy to get to, nightly entertainment, and easy access to two parks are what makes it for us. There is only the small store inside but both the large store and the main pool are on the BWV side of the resort. As far as the walks, including both along the hallways and to the parks, it can be hard with small children but we find the BWV walks short since staying at Kidani, which you likley should avoid in the future because the walk from lobby to room can be almost three times the distance of the longest walk from lobby to room at BWV. In reality, the DVC rsorts in general can have long walks, e.g., OKW and SSR can have significant walks to pools, restaurant and bus stops; with VWL and BCV you have to walk to the main resort to get a rerstaurant, store, main pool, or transportation; at BLT you have a long walk to MK and you have to go to Contemporary for stores and restaurants; at VGF you have a long walk to the main building for restaurants, stores, buses and monorail, and that walk from VGF to the main GF building is about the same distance as the longest lobby to room walk at BWV. The "LLLLOOONNNGG" walk down the longest hallway at BWV is actually no longer than many of the walks done outside to get to ameneties from other DVC resorts but it feels longer when doing it inside.

 

[Julylady]

During dinner tonight I asked my 10 and 13 years old nieces to name their favorite Disney resort. They both picked Boardwalk! Why? They loved the entertainment on the Boardwalk, the pool, and that they could walk to two parks.

 

[Antonius215]

My absolute favorite resort is the Boardwalk. I love the walk/boat ride to two parks even more than the monorail to two parks while staying at BLT (I'd love to have a BLT while staying at the BLT). The halls can indeed be long, but our home resort AKV also has long hallways, as do others.

I think what I love best about DVC is that there are so many options. Now that our youngest is 5 we choose where we stay based on our current needs, when my wife and I stay without the kids we choose differently. Try them all and find your favorite. You may find that over the years it changes and you will be back at the Boardwalk - especially during the Food and Wine Festival!

 

[paults]

We just returned from our 1st spilt stay...
My family of 4 stay at BWV studio for 5 nights before moving on to the VGF

I was so excited when our Waitlist for the BW view came through. I read all the hype and how difficult it is to get into. Although we enjoy the view, I don't think we will be going back anytime soon.

There is as a few things I didn't realize...

1.When the reviews say LONG hallways... They mean LLLLOOONNNGG hallways!
We had a young child and stroller with us, so 4 flights of stairs were not an option most days

At least it's inside and cool. try the hallsways at AKV

2. Everything is on the board walk... Other than a small shop inside. We had to walk out the boarwalk to get something to eat. Lack of seating is another issue once you get something to eat or drink.

When you were at VGF where did you eat, you still had to go outside to get something.

3. Can be a long walk for little legs to/from Epcot or HS.
Since your choices are boat or walk. We often found ourselves walking (seemed faster then boat by the end of the day) My two DDs found walking to the parks harder has the week went on..


I can see where the draw would be if you planned to be in HS or Epcots world showcase everyday. But other than that What's the benefit of staying at the boardwalk??????????? other than getting a good work out..

Ps. My girls did love the pool... But they love the pool and splash zone at AKL better.

 

[suebeelin]

The first time we stayed at AKL kidani we had the last room of a long hallway. We have a kid that does. Not. Sleep. Well. At. All. (Never slept in a stroller, car, etc). He was 2 at the time and we almost lost out cool between the busses and the long walk to our room. We were miserable.

We now stay within walking distance to 3 out of 4 parks. We bought BLT and BWV just bc of our kid's very VERY bad sleep. Everyone is different and has different priorities

Note- although we hated the AKL theming and dark rooms, I appreciated how dark it was for my sons sleep. Light keeps him awake or wakes him up. Any light. This kid used to hit his face screaming for the "red" (tail lights) to go away when he was 2/3. To say his sleep stressed me out is an understatement. We put towels and pillows around the drapes at BWV.

Our son is now 5.5... He sleeps much better than ever, but it's still worse than 90% of kids his age.

I have another son who is now 2. I had assumed all kids were like my first (or I did or didn't do something to make him sleep so poorly).

Nope. It's just how he is wired.

But I digress. We chose our resorts bc we needed to walk to the resorts most of the time. Everyone is different!

 

[disneynutz]

We just returned from our 1st spilt stay...
My family of 4 stay at BWV studio for 5 nights before moving on to the VGF

I was so excited when our Waitlist for the BW view came through. I read all the hype and how difficult it is to get into. Although we enjoy the view, I don't think we will be going back anytime soon.

There is as a few things I didn't realize...

1.When the reviews say LONG hallways... They mean LLLLOOONNNGG hallways!
We had a young child and stroller with us, so 4 flights of stairs were not an option most days.

2. Everything is on the board walk... Other than a small shop inside. We had to walk out the boarwalk to get something to eat. Lack of seating is another issue once you get something to eat or drink.

3. Can be a long walk for little legs to/from Epcot or HS.
Since your choices are boat or walk. We often found ourselves walking (seemed faster then boat by the end of the day) My two DDs found walking to the parks harder has the week went on..


I can see where the draw would be if you planned to be in HS or Epcots world showcase everyday. But other than that What's the benefit of staying at the boardwalk??????????? other than getting a good work out..

Ps. My girls did love the pool... But they love the pool and splash zone at AKL better.

All that you reported are facts about the BWV's. Sounds like AKV is a better choice for future stays.

Bill

 

[cluvsdisney]

I totally agree with you about the long hallways. I know the walk from here to there at other resorts are just as long or longer, esp when they are in different buildings, but there's something about the never ending indoor hallway there that just kills me. Otherwise, I love the resort! We stock our room with essentials so that eases the need to go out to the Boardwalk sundry shop. But there is so much right there with a variety dining, entertainment, lounges, parks, and a great pool. We LOVE going to the Belle Vue Lounge for a night cap. We went to the new Italian restaurant last week and it's now one of our faves. It feels like home when we go there.

 

[tjkraz]

We own points at the BoardWalk and really like it...but I think transportation is one of the more overblown "benefits" of staying there. Especially with young kids where you're pushing those strollers up and down the hills. Given average transportation times, you can make it from resorts like SSR and OKW to Epcot or Hollywood Studios via bus in about the same amount of time. (It's particularly tedious if you're headed for Future World at Epcot and have to walk all the way from the rear of the park.)

Benefits are a little more obvious later in the evening since bus waits can be lengthier at park closing.

Still, all things considered, I'll take a 20-30 minute bus ride over some of those 15-30 minute walks.

I'm also not a huge fan of the BoardWalk view. I've done it a couple times so it's marked off my bucket list. But speaking as a light sleeper, the noise down on the BW tends to be more than I care to hear by 10-11pm. In most other areas, you'll still get boat horns most of the day but that quickly becomes white noise to me.

But those are pretty much all the negatives IMO. The setting of the BoardWalk area is unparalleled at WDW. We didn't have issues with walking to restaurants. Stairwells are spaced out enough to help us avoid elevators in many cases.

 

[hakepb]

With a stroller... If you get ground level, then BWV is fairly convenient (no stairs/elevator needed to get to boats or busses). And you can roll a stroller onto a boat which is much nicer than busses.
The outside amenity entrances are different and less than ideal during a downpour. At least now, there is a DIY rapid refill station in the bakery.
Over Christmas, I stayed at POR, and was enjoying the sights as I walked around that resort. One night we walked from EPCOT to BWV to see if there was any DVC merchandise. As I walked into the Villiage Green, it struck me, "this is a LOT nicer than the (lovely) POR"

 

[Simba's Mom]

One of the nice things about DVC is that there are now 13 resorts and everyone can have their own favorites. A resort that is high on my list could be low on your list and we can each be happy. At least you can say that you've tried BWV and have decided, at least for now, to use your points at other resorts.

So true! DH walked into BWV once and said "Don't you dare ever make me stay here!" If he had his way, he'd stay at OKW every WDW trip. And on the other hand, I'll bet there are people who'd stay at BWV every trip if they could, and would NEVER want to stay at OKW. My favorite resort is BCV, but I know other people who don't like it-no views, just no reason to stay there. Glad we have 13 resorts to choose from.

 

[ProTraderColin]

We just returned from our 1st spilt stay...
My family of 4 stay at BWV studio for 5 nights before moving on to the VGF

I was so excited when our Waitlist for the BW view came through. I read all the hype and how difficult it is to get into. Although we enjoy the view, I don't think we will be going back anytime soon.

There is as a few things I didn't realize...

1.When the reviews say LONG hallways... They mean LLLLOOONNNGG hallways!
We had a young child and stroller with us, so 4 flights of stairs were not an option most days.

2. Everything is on the board walk... Other than a small shop inside. We had to walk out the boarwalk to get something to eat. Lack of seating is another issue once you get something to eat or drink.

3. Can be a long walk for little legs to/from Epcot or HS.
Since your choices are boat or walk. We often found ourselves walking (seemed faster then boat by the end of the day) My two DDs found walking to the parks harder has the week went on..


I can see where the draw would be if you planned to be in HS or Epcots world showcase everyday. But other than that What's the benefit of staying at the boardwalk??????????? other than getting a good work out..

Ps. My girls did love the pool... But they love the pool and splash zone at AKL better.

How did the Grand Floridian compare? Pros/cons?

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

How did the Grand Floridian compare? Pros/cons?

We loved the GFV a!
I'm sure the walking was about the same from our room (at the villas) to the MAIN GF lobby as from our boardwalk villa room to its main lobby. However add on having to walk out to the boardwalk for anything we needed is the added difference.
We were at one of the far ends of the Boardwalk.. So if we forgot something in the room, it was a great deal to have to go back for it. And the endless hallways really did zap Our disney happy go lucky mood.

At the GFV Not having to walkout to the boardwalk for food/drink station or the wait for a boat. Helped A LOT..
The GFV a has drink station next to the pool and I believe there is a small quick service there. Defiantly closer compared to where our room was at the broadwalk to the bakery.

Also due to where the elevator at the boardwalk is.. The pool is much closer to the room at the GFV a than the room we had at the boardwalk.

The night we realized broadwalk was not for us (at least at this time) was for the exact reason another poster said..
Carrying a sleeping child down the never ending hallways, And then when all I really wanted was to Sip a soda on my BW view balcony finding out the closest place to get my refillable mug filled was clear back on the opposite end of the boardwalk. That just did me in..

I'm still happy we got to try it out.. We have been there, done that.. Won't be repeating it anytime soon.

And yes I'm happy there are so many DIFFERENT dvc reports. I'm sure what doesn't fit my family now, fits another.

My cons with the GFV..
The elevator in the Main GFV is VERY slow..
Kids splash area was down.. :-(
Pushing stroller up the steep ramp to get to the monorail at MK..

 

[DenLo]

I am beginning to think that most DVC resorts have long walks for small children or their parents that are either pushing the stroller on carpeting or carrying the child after the complaints get to be too much. Long walks at WDW is just a fact of life and the one returning to the room after a day in the park is the hardest. I think what matters is if you love the resort enough to overlook any faults. And since DVC has a wide variety of resorts you should be able to find one that you like. It also helps to be near the entire families' favorite park.

BTW to the OP, BWV did nothing for us either, but we tried it out in two different rooms.