BWI - Buyers remorse

[jenjersnap]

Yay, I love this thread!

BWI vets, do you have any specific room request suggestions? I have read that one downside to BWI is the single bank of elevators for the entire building. I would like to ask to be near(ish) them, but fear we get a view over the entrance. Much prefer an inner courtyard. Unfortunately, touring plans room view finder isn't accurate for room type.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with boardwalk...just saying

 

[StaciaRae]

Following along also! I've never been to Boardwalk, but seriously considering it for our 1/2018 trip. Our first choice is WL, but we'll be going to Epcot and HS, so BW seems so convenient - also we're planning a lot of downtime at the resort so I think it'd be nice to be right on the boardwalk. I'm unsure though . . . so I'm very interested in what others have to say about Boardwalk.

 

[kboo]

We got a great rate at BWV (cash reservation through Disney) in 2015 and we loved it! We also wanted BC and to try an Epcot area resort, and we liked it so much that a) that stay got us started thinking about DVC and b) thinking long and hard about whether to go for an MK resort or an EP resort. As PPs have said, the pool is lovely and not crowded; the scary clown slide is fun, and we liked having the Boardwalk right out the door. It was easy to get a light meal on the BW rather than paying to sit down in a restaurant. And the area is just so pretty at night! It was the first resort where we stayed that felt "removed" from Disney in a good way - that there was plenty to do without going to the parks, and that was more peaceful than the CR, which was really our only onsite experience at that point.

Our 3.5 yo dd loved the grounds and it was so convenient to walk to EP and DHS. I can't really speak to the BWI side, but the resort was really fun and we are seriously considering a second DVC contract there. And the CMs were amazing. (I lost our luggage, we wanted to get a room close to our friends who where arriving a day later, etc.)

 

[ktate82]

I would suggest checking through Cheap Tickets or Orbitz. They had rooms open for our stay at Coronado at a cheaper rate than booking directly through Disney. Had we booked direct, our only options were a junior suite where Cheap Tickets had standard rooms. When I asked about it, Disney told me Cheap Tickets and Orbitz takes a block of rooms to book, so those rooms are out of Disney's inventory. There is also a a discount code for both (we used ESCAPADE for Cheap Tickets) that made the room even cheaper than booking direct. We booked on Saturday and today I called Disney and got our reservation numbers to link into MDE and called Magic Express to add that as well. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it as we got the resort we wanted and saved some money.

 

[mouserrificmom]

I did try this . . . there is no availability for any room type on the Disney Site or the 3rd party sites I checked (cheaptickets, expedia) at ALL for Beach club for our dates and I am not really interested in doing a split stay.

I will keep checking - plenty of time left until August, but honestly, after watching BWI videos and reading through what all have posted here, I am feeling far less like I am "settling" and looking forward to staying at the Boardwalk!

 

[Missymoe4]

As someone who swears by the MK resorts being the best on property, I was surprised by the Deluxe resorts over by Epcot. In fact, I decided to do a triple-split stay between Contemporary, Beach Club, and Polynesian. Last year I stayed one night at the Yacht Club, and fell in love with the "old Disney" feel. I enjoyed the cast members, the food, the pool and the walk to Epcot. I enjoy the Boardwalk at night and find it so much fun to be around other adults relaxing and having some food and drinks. A highlight of my trip to the Boardwalk is selecting one child to "win" a prize for (I shouldn't say I win it, instead, I purchase it and my brother attempts to win the prize). Anyhow, the area is a great escape from the parks. I LOVE the MK resorts, but I find myself really wrapped up into the MK and feel like I'm missing something when I'm not in the park. I could really relax in the Epcot resorts.

Maybe it would be good for you to give it a go at the BWI. Weren't their rooms remodeled last year? That's a great perk! It's always so chill in the area, another plus if you need to escape.

 

[spiceycat]

never stayed in BWI half - but LOVE BWV - especially doing the food/wine festival... the scary clown, got told was on the way out - Disney did not want anyone to be frightened by that horrible clown. Now I think it is being replaced by a friendly one (not sure).

really think your younger kids will love the BWV area - they have a much better play area (near the main pool, or was) than BC has. Now if the work is being done on the main pool - really need to see where they are doing it - then at times in the pass - you got taken to SLB.

 

[mouserrificmom]

never stayed in BWI half - but LOVE BWV - especially doing the food/wine festival... the scary clown, got told was on the way out - Disney did not want anyone to be frightened by that horrible clown. Now I think it is being replaced by a friendly one (not sure).

really think your younger kids will love the BWV area - they have a much better play area (near the main pool, or was) than BC has. Now if the work is being done on the main pool - really need to see where they are doing it - then at times in the pass - you got taken to SLB.

Well now, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds!!! I was actually a bit surprised that nothing was done about the clown in the fall with all the media about clowns ... does anyone love the clown?

 

[WDWOswald]

DUDE! Boardwalk Inn is MY FAVORITE resort! The music, the atmosphere, the theming, the rooms, the entertainment, the dining, crescent lake, even the pool is wonderful. Everything about that resort is top notch and it has no real faults. CSR is cute but it's a joke compared to the boardwalk.

 

[Hikergirl]

Beach Club was my favorite resort until I stayed at BWV with dh last fall. I don't really know why, I just really liked it. The pool isn't as big and exciting as SAB but that was ok for us. I liked the atmosphere on the boardwalk at night and in the morning. I know you could just walk over from BC but it was nice to just be over there.
I'm hoping to go back to F&W every couple years and stay at BW.

 

[Mrs.Milo]

We are DVC Boardwalk and have also stayed on the BWI side, our absolute favorite on property and have stayed at all of the Deluxe except AK. Our last BWI stay was Feb in a standard room, and it was fantastic, huge and overlooked the courtyard. 2 full queen beds and a queen sleeper, very large bathroom. Room 4292. There are 3 pools at the Boardwalk but the clown pool is our family's favorite, gotta try the slide! Hope you love it.

 

[Shanti]

I have budgeted for and can pay for the Boardwalk, I am just worried because it isn't a resort I ever really wanted to stay at - and so close to the Beach Club that I adore that I may be disappointed and the kids really wouldn't know the difference. Please tell me it will be totally worth it to stay there!!

The Boardwalk Inn (not the Villas) has the loveliest resort rooms on property, imo. It's an elegant resort that really does have a Gilded Age, whimical boardwalk style throughout. The inner courtyards are also pretty. In terms of theming & charm, it's a great hotel.

My son & I also really enjoy their spiral slide. I actually like it better than SAB's flying jib slide, because this slide doesn't scrape your back.

We loved our stay in a standard room at the Boardwalk last summer, & hope your family will, too.

 

[kmv]

We love BW. It's a bit smaller than some of the other resorts and we really like that. Location is perfection!

 

[mouserrificmom]

Well - I went online today to see if the ROL dining packages opened up for August and noticed the Passholder discounts were out. I was SHOCKED to see that despite the fact there were none for the GP discount, Poly Standard WAS included for my dates!!! I was also able to shave another 320 off of my current reservation at BWI. The discount is pretty good, but would cost me a little more than my existing reservation at BW. Had it happened a week ago I would have switched without hesitation but all of your feedback gave me pause - and I decided to stay at the Boardwalk after all!!! Thank you all!