Boardwalk worth $650 more than POR over 5 day trip?

[Miffy]

I voted for POR. It's beautiful there, it's $650 less, there's a great boat ride to DS, and they have a food court. And you'd save $650.

 

[KenHutch]

That's a tough choice. Last year I finally went deluxe (AKL) and I am afraid the deluxe bug had bitten me. We normally stay at FQ but after our June trip when some people spilled mixed drinks on my daughter she is saying never to FQ ( she is death on the subject of booze ). I am leaning towards The Poly for the same reason as you. Location. Being that close to 2 parks means a lot that monorail thing has me thinking. When we did AKL the girl said we were 5 minutes from AL and up to 30 from almost everything else. I think I would spend the money and go deluxe. Its easier on my 10 and 18 year old they aren't spening their money they are spending mine.

 

[TJA]

Basically trying to decide between the two. Love walking to EPCOT from Boardwalk and we will be spending a lot of trip at EPCOT but $650 is a lot more souvenirs etc. Basically budget will allow either but Boardwalk will mean less spending elsewhere during trip. Just curious what others would do with this choice.

It is just myself and my 12 year old daughter going on this trip. We are fortunate in that we have been to Disney quite a bit over the past several years (about once a year) so there is no 1 big thing we absolutely have to see or to purchase, (at least until Galaxy’s Edge opens of course lol). We have stayed at both POR and Boardwalk in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed both. For me it is the easy access of BW that is my favorite thing that has me leaning that way. We do spend some time at the resort as well as at Disney Springs but i would say most time is going to be at parks with a lot of that at EPCOT. If we were to change to POR we would probably change those touring plans a bit with more time at DS but would not change significantly.

Given that it's just the 2 of you going, you'll fit just fine in the POR room (room was tight for our family of 4), and you already know POR has a great food court. Would you be in a preferred room there? I do not like being "away" from the main building, personally, not sure what your feelings are. Also, I don't really like the several bus stops inside POR, especially at night after the parks. Those are my pet peeves; however, they may not be YOUR pet peeves. As far as BWI and the Epcot resort area in general, I do love being able to walk to 2 parks. For me, that trumps almost everything else. I do think I'd spend the extra 650 to stay at BWI in the end mainly due to convenience. We tend to end our nights somewhere in the countries at Epcot, and I've much rather walk back "home" than walk to the front of the park to take a bus back.

 

[DVCjj]

Absolutely worth it.

 

[Lou'sMommy]

I think it would absolutely be worth it, especially if you have park hopper tickets. My daughter (14) and I took a trip with just the two of us this past New Years. She did most of our trip planning this time so we spent tons of time at Epcot which is her favorite park. It was wonderful being able to just walk over to Epcot anytime we wanted. We tended to end a lot of days there no matter what park we visited earlier in the day. It was great for dinner, snacks, shopping, or just looking around. Also, it is great being able to walk (or take a short boat ride) to the Studios. We spent an unplanned evening there that we really enjoyed. I don't think we would have made the effort if it had involved riding buses. Also, we enjoyed the street performers at the Boardwalk - and of course the ice cream at Ample Hills.

 

[bumbershoot]

We normally stay at FQ but after our June trip when some people spilled mixed drinks on my daughter she is saying never to FQ ( she is death on the subject of booze ).

That could literally happen at any resort, though. At BW I was in a half hour long line for margaritas and it was sloshing over the sides when I carried it away. Poly has trader sams. Etc.

When we did AKL the girl said we were 5 minutes from AL and up to 30 from almost everything else.

Maybe it’s 5 minutes from AK if you’re a bird. But it takes longer to drive there and definitely longer to bus it there. And it’s never taken 30 minutes to *drive* anywhere on property for us.

 

[Disneypro1]

Not at all POFQ and Riverside IMHO, is two of the best resorts WDW has. GREAT pools and wonderful grounds.
SAVE the money 650 is substantial.
The only resort i would spend 650 more than a moderate is Disneyland hotel in DLR.

 

[Donald Duck888]

I just want to say thank you to all those who have voted and shared their thoughts. It has been very interesting reading all the thoughts on this choice. I am still learning toward BWI basically based on its location. We almost always end our park. Days with an evening at EPCOT especially with the Flower and Garden occurring while we are there. It is a tough choice though as we both also love POR but I think the location/transportation thing will probably win out. Thanks again to all who have posted.

 

[denecarter]

Your question made me really start weighing the pros & cons of Beach Club for our Spring Break 2020 trip. One night’s deposit for a standard room was $680. If we did POFQ or AoA LM, we’d save enough to pay for a Dooney & Bourke bag each night based on guestimated room rates.

 

[Daisy72582]

I voted for Boardwalk as well even though I think POR is a really pretty resort. We also love the easy access to Epcot and even spent quite a bit of fun (kid-friendly) nights on the boardwalk during our last trip. And you are so close to Beaches and Cream if you stay at Boardwalk!!

 

[cobright]

Basically trying to decide between the two. Love walking to EPCOT from Boardwalk and we will be spending a lot of trip at EPCOT but $650 is a lot more souvenirs etc. Basically budget will allow either but Boardwalk will mean less spending elsewhere during trip. Just curious what others would do with this choice. Thanks.

I love POR, and $650 is a serious chunk of $$ but... In your shoes I would be inclined to go with BW. One of the best parts (for my family) of staying at a deluxe is the better access to the parks. Walking distance to Epcot. Boat to DHS. More buses everywhere else. You'll average an extra hour in the parks a day staying at BW over POR. If that were the only benefit, I would say to book POR and budget an extra $40 a day for Uber to and from the parks. But like you, I'm a WDW regular and I can't think of that many more souvenirs I just have to have.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

As others have said, for me it comes down to touring style. If you like to spend time at the resort, I'd pick boardwalk. If you are commando-ing it and only looking for a place to shower and sleep, then I'd pick POR. For me, boardwalk is my least favorite of the deluxes, I'd pick POR and spend the money on other things. (But if the discussion were POR or beach club, it'd be a much tougher choice for me hahaha)

 

[nkereina]

A 5 day trip is on the short side for us, so convenience would be the deciding factor in our resort choice. Boardwalk is a great choice for that. Personally, I'd rather spend the money on improving the overall trip with a nicer resort, more dining options, more convenient location than spend that money on stuff to bring home that I don't need.

That said, I also would not want to be penny pinching on the trip. If Boardwalk is going to max you out to where you need to share a burger and fries for dinner, don't do it.

 

[meggiebeth]

I’d go for BWI if you can afford it. $650 sounds like a really reasonable upgrade cost too IMO!

 

[goofy4prez]

I had the exact same decision to make for our upcoming trip before our Disney cruise. I originally booked our stay at POR and after thinking about it a few days, switched to the WL and then a couple weeks later made the switch to BWI. My reason for the decision? Location, Location, Location. Being located within walking distance of Epcot and HS was well worth the extra cost of staying at BWI.

 

[smmco]

Basically trying to decide between the two. Love walking to EPCOT from Boardwalk and we will be spending a lot of trip at EPCOT but $650 is a lot more souvenirs etc. Basically budget will allow either but Boardwalk will mean less spending elsewhere during trip. Just curious what others would do with this choice. Thanks.

It depends. We've stayed deluxe, club level and moderate. It depends on the trip and the budget. As far as location goes I have found that I can take lyft or uber when I stay in a moderate and still come in way under the cost of a deluxe. If money's no object I would probably stay Club level at the Poly every time. We like to cruise and travel internationally so we do whatever fits in the budget at the time. POR is a great resort and so is BWI . I don't think you can go wrong.