BWI reviews?

[jesmegmom]

I have reservartions for BWI in Jan. I was torn between Poly, BWI & WL. I choose BWI because we have never stayed there. We also have never stayed at WL. Just read the reviews from ALLEARS and they are horrible. Can ya'll tell me if I should change my reservations or keep them. Thanks for all the help. Mom, Dad, 2 daughters 7 & 10.

 

[MartDM]

I've read many great reviews of BWI here on this board...do a search on it & you'll find tons of information. You might also want to check out the BWI Information thread.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Short story: Don't like BWI.

Long story: Reserved and paid for a water-view room, smoking requested. Confirmed day before. Brought paperwork along, gave to check-in guy. Reminded him we needed it to be smoking. Got to room and had courtyard view, non-smoking.

Back down to desk (second trip back downstairs, as first time we tried to get into concierge there was nobody at the desk and nobody answered the phone they had there to call and get somebody to come to it)...they said that we'd get switched the next day and would send up an ashtray. The hassle involved gets even longer...but we didn't get switched the next day and gave up after that.

After many calls and emails, the $ for the water view was never refunded.

The fridge was missing from the room and they told us they were out of them. After a few calls (finally to Disney, not the hotel itself, which told me I was out of luck) I got not one, but two fridges brought to the room.

I found a half-eaten bag of popcorn and a cookie with a bite out of it behind the throw pillow on the little couch.

It was a flipping nightmare of a stay. I know a lot of people have wonderful stays there and am sure it was just a pile of very bad luck on my part, but it'll be a looooong time before I head back.

The place is pretty enough, but it doesn't do anything for me. The rooms are nice.

There is no restaurant inside...you have to go down to the Boardwalk for whatever you want. But they have room service.

The pool can be a major pain to get to if you aren't staying near it.

Sorry so long.

 

[TigerKat]

We'll be staying there on our next trip and I've been very impressed with everything I've heard and read. Of course not everyone has a magical stay every time they go, but I'm really looking forward to staying there. I would also suggest reading the FAQ & Info thread, as I found a lot of great info there. Hope you have a great time!!

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

I haven't stayed in the Inn, but I have had many wonderful vacations in the Villas. We just love the Boardwalk. The CMs are friendly, the decor is just beautiful and there are so many advantages to staying there.

Epcot and MGM are just a short walk or boat ride away. The selection of restaurants within walking distance is just amazing. 3 of our 4 favorite places are so close .. Spoodles, Flying Fish and Yachtsman Steakhouse.

Be sure to take some time to soak the atmosphere of the Boardwalk. We love sitting on the benches and watching the boats come and go. Another great place to relax is on the balcony off the lobby in the wicker rocking chairs.

 

[tink55]

I love the Boardwalk Inn, it's my whole family's favorite. We have also stayed at Yacht Club, Beach Club, Grand Floridian, Pot Orleans FQ, and Port Orleans Riverside. Believe it or not, I would take BWI over GF any time! I love the room decor, the pool, the Boardwalk entertainment, the restaurants (especially Spoodles), the walk to Epcot and MGM, and the freindly CMs.

I sympathize with the other poster who had problems, though. Sometimes you just get the short end of the stick, especially with housekeeping. We had similar problems at Beach Club and don't plan to go back there any time soon.

 

[sfbank]

We love the BWI also! We have only tried the WL otherwise and it was nice but we prefer the BWI. As other posters have said the ambience and entertainment can't be beat. Can't wait until we are there again-not too long now!! ENJOY!!

 

[ADisneygirl]

The BWI is my family's favorite. We love the location, the pretty rooms, the elegant feel of the resort. You should do a search or read the FAQ thread to read a lot of reviews from DIS'ers.

I do sympathize as well with the posters who say they had a terrible stay there. I find that at every Disney resort you can have the total polar opposite experiences, based on room cleanliness, mousekeeping, room location, etc. It is very subjective and I believe every review that someone posts describing a bad resort stay. We disliked CBR on our first and only stay there, but people there at the same time reported loving it.

I hope when you stay at my favorite resort your trip is magical and all that you expect it to be.

 

[antmaril]

BWI is my family's favorite, too. We are staying there in January for the third time. We like the theming, rooms are very nice and the location cannot be beat.

 

[paladin]

BWI is our favorite also. IMHO you just can't beat the location.

As to reviews, there isn't a single hotel that won't have both positive and negative reviews - some people will love a hotel, some won't; some people will have a great trip with no problems, some will have issues.

 

[HOGFAN]

we have stayed there twice. DH really loves this resort. I prefer the Poly.
Of course he is a big EPCOT fan and loves the convenience.

 

[Tara]

HUGE BoardWalk Inn fan here! I have a hard time choosing between it and the Grand Floridian -- those are the only two resorts I've stayed in more than once each. I think the place is utterly charming, and the location is superb.

 

[jesmegmom]

Thanks for all the info. I feel better now. Just getting scared with the variety of reports. We love the Poly, but just wanted to try something new. The kids are almost 8 and 10 1/2, so the convience of the monorail for an afternoon break isn't needed as much. But I'm thinking I will miss the monorail. Any more on the Boardwalk? Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[disneymd33]

The Boardwalk is my absolute favorite place to stay! I love only having to take a bus to Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney (you can walk over to Epcot and take the monorail to Magic Kingdowm. A lot of walking, but I just love the monorail rides!) I also like coming home from the parks and still having things to do. I love Jellyrolls and if you get a chance to pop in, DO IT! It's such a fun atmosphere! Don't worry about staying at the Boardwalk, you'll have a great time!

 

[goofy4tink]

Back in '03, while staying at the Polynesian, we traveled over to BW to check it out...love checking out the other resorts. Well, long story short...my dh stopped at the DVC desk, unbeknowst to me, on our last day at the Polynesian. Gave them our phone number. When he told me what he had done, in the limo going back to the airport, he told me he would buy DVC, but only at BWV!!! No interest in any other place. Ah.....sure, I'm going to turn that down. NOT. We love it there, it's our favorite spot to be. You can't be the proximity to both Epcot and MGM, the clubs that are right there, some terrific restaurants, and the boardwalk at night is a hoot!!!
Every resort is going to have some bad reviews. The Polynesian is a much loved resort, but we found it just wasn't our cup of tea. But BW is, in a big way!!