(CLOSED) Disney's BOARDWALK INN and VILLAS Information Thread ~2012~

[Kathymford]

Hi, Kathy. Nice to see you over here.

It's like I'm following you around!! ha.

 

[nascargirl]

KerryCM-Say Hi to all the peeps. Enjoy your time and looking forward to seeing you in December with Clare.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I'm back from my Disney vacation where I spent part of it (3 nights) with DH and the kids at BWV in a 1 BDR. Here's my opinion of the things we utilized:

Room - Love the 1 BDR villas! So much room. And we even had a big balcony that both rooms opened up to. There were a couple odd things - the bedroom was warmer than the other room. So if DH and I wanted to stay cool, the kids were even colder in the other room. It wouldn't have been so bad if they provided more blankets for the pull out bed. I did pull the extra blanket out of the closet but the next day housekeeping took it with them when they cleaned the room. I could have asked for more but didn't realize it until late at night the second night. Also, the washing machine and dryer were loud but I noticed that at WLV too. And as with every single Disney room I've stayed at in the past few years, the outlets were too few and in need of replacement because they are too loose! Seriously, I wonder how they pass inspection!

Hotel layout - I liked that you could go inside the resort from end to end and even from the villas to the inn. But there aren't a lot of elevators. We were on the 4th floor and occasionally this was annoying but we were happier getting in the A/C and to our room a bit quicker than walk to the elevators then to our rooms.

Check In - Barely a line at 2pm! But our room wasn't ready. Housekeeping was cleaning it so we waited, but it took them an hour. We got the text saying it was ready but housekeeping was still in the room with engineering when we got there. They asked us to wait another 5 minutes. None of it was a big deal but it gets frustrating to wait (and I knew check in was at 4pm but they said it would be ready soon so I opted to wait in the lobby). I also had a room only reservation and they had to charge the remaining nights. I asked to put my Disney rewards card toward the balance and they wouldn't do it Well, I knew I would be charging items to the room anyway, but that was silly because I should have been able to use it.

Check Out - You don't have to even tell anyone but I did just so they could get housekeeping in the room. It was quick and painless.

Bell Services - They shipped my luggage from CSR to BW and I just tipped on both 'ends'. That was fabulous!!! When we departed though, we gave our bags to Bell services and went to a park. When we got back, they told us we had to go outside to the front to get our bags. There were 6 people standing at the inside bell desk and they wouldn't help. So DH stook outside in a line in the hot weather and he was not happy. Turns out we were 'outgoing' so we had to use the outside kiosk. It felt more like they didn't want us anymore and we weren't good enough to use the 'inside' desk. I know it is the 'way things work' but it did not make DH happy and he's pretty even keeled.

Food - The Boardwalk bakery has some great options for quick service and in general, there is so much to eat around the BW and the nearby resorts. But I do like a quick service spot at a hotel that is in A/C with seating inside too and BW does not have that.

Main pool - This was not good. It was smaller than I expected and the slide hurt my bum. It does have those sections that are not seamlessly put together. I'm a small woman so I wasn't putting any undo pressure on the slide or anything. I went on it once and that was it. The pool was also way too warm and I didn't have that issue at CSR so I know it is possible to have a decent pool temp in July in FL. The pool bar was really dirty so I was not impressed with it. I did order a couple drinks and they were good but I avoided touching too much at the bar.

Villa pool - This was better. We really enjoyed swimming here and using the community hall and activities. I recommend using this pool more. You can still walk easily to the pool bar since the two pools are practically next to each other.

Housekeeping - I've had worse at Disney so the average housekeeping we received seemed fine. Nothing special or outstanding to report. Nothing horrendous either.

Location - Wow! It was AWESOME to walk to both HS and Epcot!!! LOVED this!!! We did take some buses and had good luck with them. In fact, we missed our Blizzard Beach bus by just seconds. There was a transportation guy there (is this new???) and he got the next bus that pulled up to take us to BB!! It was some nice pixie dust.

Overall - This is a tough call. After CSR for 6 nights, BWV was a vast improvement! We enjoyed the room and since we were mostly going to Epcot and HS, it was a great location! The ambience is very Mackinac Island (for you Michiganders) and even reminded me of the Tower of Terror Hotel if it was in the hey day. Compared to the other resorts I've stayed at, it was better than all the values (ASM) and moderates (POR, CBR, CSR). It was better than the Dolphin too (and the old Disney institute). It had different pros and cons from BC and WLV so I'd probably lump them altogether as to liking them all the same. As a resort, AKL almost tops my list but the location is my least favorite. So while I would rank AKL over BW for the resort itself, BW beats AKL in terms of location. But our favorite is still the Poly. In fact, we have come to the conclusion that the Poly is what 'makes' a Disney vacation so enjoyable for us. We enjoyed BWV immensely but we would choose the Poly first next time. I'm glad we got a chance to try it though!

Thanks again to everyone who answered all my questions before I left!

 

[Kathymford]

Bell Services - They shipped my luggage from CSR to BW and I just tipped on both 'ends'. That was fabulous!!! When we departed though, we gave our bags to Bell services and went to a park. When we got back, they told us we had to go outside to the front to get our bags. There were 6 people standing at the inside bell desk and they wouldn't help. So DH stook outside in a line in the hot weather and he was not happy. Turns out we were 'outgoing' so we had to use the outside kiosk. It felt more like they didn't want us anymore and we weren't good enough to use the 'inside' desk. I know it is the 'way things work' but it did not make DH happy and he's pretty even keeled.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying here. Doesn't bell services transfer your luggage for you from one resort to another? Or you didn't have them do that. Now I'm confused...

 

[WDWKOOK]

I'm back from my Disney vacation where I spent part of it (3 nights) with DH and the kids at BWV in a 1 BDR. Here's my opinion of the things we utilized:

Room - Love the 1 BDR villas! So much room. And we even had a big balcony that both rooms opened up to. There were a couple odd things - the bedroom was warmer than the other room. So if DH and I wanted to stay cool, the kids were even colder in the other room. It wouldn't have been so bad if they provided more blankets for the pull out bed. I did pull the extra blanket out of the closet but the next day housekeeping took it with them when they cleaned the room. I could have asked for more but didn't realize it until late at night the second night. Also, the washing machine and dryer were loud but I noticed that at WLV too. And as with every single Disney room I've stayed at in the past few years, the outlets were too few and in need of replacement because they are too loose! Seriously, I wonder how they pass inspection!

Hotel layout - I liked that you could go inside the resort from end to end and even from the villas to the inn. But there aren't a lot of elevators. We were on the 4th floor and occasionally this was annoying but we were happier getting in the A/C and to our room a bit quicker than walk to the elevators then to our rooms.

Check In - Barely a line at 2pm! But our room wasn't ready. Housekeeping was cleaning it so we waited, but it took them an hour. We got the text saying it was ready but housekeeping was still in the room with engineering when we got there. They asked us to wait another 5 minutes. None of it was a big deal but it gets frustrating to wait (and I knew check in was at 4pm but they said it would be ready soon so I opted to wait in the lobby). I also had a room only reservation and they had to charge the remaining nights. I asked to put my Disney rewards card toward the balance and they wouldn't do it Well, I knew I would be charging items to the room anyway, but that was silly because I should have been able to use it.

Check Out - You don't have to even tell anyone but I did just so they could get housekeeping in the room. It was quick and painless.

Bell Services - They shipped my luggage from CSR to BW and I just tipped on both 'ends'. That was fabulous!!! When we departed though, we gave our bags to Bell services and went to a park. When we got back, they told us we had to go outside to the front to get our bags. There were 6 people standing at the inside bell desk and they wouldn't help. So DH stook outside in a line in the hot weather and he was not happy. Turns out we were 'outgoing' so we had to use the outside kiosk. It felt more like they didn't want us anymore and we weren't good enough to use the 'inside' desk. I know it is the 'way things work' but it did not make DH happy and he's pretty even keeled.

Food - The Boardwalk bakery has some great options for quick service and in general, there is so much to eat around the BW and the nearby resorts. But I do like a quick service spot at a hotel that is in A/C with seating inside too and BW does not have that.

Main pool - This was not good. It was smaller than I expected and the slide hurt my bum. It does have those sections that are not seamlessly put together. I'm a small woman so I wasn't putting any undo pressure on the slide or anything. I went on it once and that was it. The pool was also way too warm and I didn't have that issue at CSR so I know it is possible to have a decent pool temp in July in FL. The pool bar was really dirty so I was not impressed with it. I did order a couple drinks and they were good but I avoided touching too much at the bar.

Villa pool - This was better. We really enjoyed swimming here and using the community hall and activities. I recommend using this pool more. You can still walk easily to the pool bar since the two pools are practically next to each other.

Housekeeping - I've had worse at Disney so the average housekeeping we received seemed fine. Nothing special or outstanding to report. Nothing horrendous either.

Location - Wow! It was AWESOME to walk to both HS and Epcot!!! LOVED this!!! We did take some buses and had good luck with them. In fact, we missed our Blizzard Beach bus by just seconds. There was a transportation guy there (is this new???) and he got the next bus that pulled up to take us to BB!! It was some nice pixie dust.

Overall - This is a tough call. After CSR for 6 nights, BWV was a vast improvement! We enjoyed the room and since we were mostly going to Epcot and HS, it was a great location! The ambience is very Mackinac Island (for you Michiganders) and even reminded me of the Tower of Terror Hotel if it was in the hey day. Compared to the other resorts I've stayed at, it was better than all the values (ASM) and moderates (POR, CBR, CSR). It was better than the Dolphin too (and the old Disney institute). It had different pros and cons from BC and WLV so I'd probably lump them altogether as to liking them all the same. As a resort, AKL almost tops my list but the location is my least favorite. So while I would rank AKL over BW for the resort itself, BW beats AKL in terms of location. But our favorite is still the Poly. In fact, we have come to the conclusion that the Poly is what 'makes' a Disney vacation so enjoyable for us. We enjoyed BWV immensely but we would choose the Poly first next time. I'm glad we got a chance to try it though!

Thanks again to everyone who answered all my questions before I left!

I think that was more than a 'mini review', Tinkerbellie16. Thanks for covering all the important TR ground! Will you be posting some photos, too? It sounds like you and your family were much happier in the Epcot area than at CSR. It's so nice being able to walk right over to DHS and Epcot.

Did you book a BB at the Poly or are you going to wait until after the Poly room rehab is done?

 

[pmdeve]

Tinkerbellie thanks for the great review! We just booked a one bedroom villa for October and I am soooo excited.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying here. Doesn't bell services transfer your luggage for you from one resort to another? Or you didn't have them do that. Now I'm confused...

Sorry, it was late at night when I wrote it and I confess I was falling asleep So it probably did not make sense. I stayed at CSR for the first 6 nights. When we left, we were going to BW. So I called Bell services at CSR and they picked up my luggage at my room. They even took the water, grocery bags, etc! I tipped $10 (I had 9 'bags') to the guy that came to my room at CSR. When I got to BW at 2 pm, the luggage was already there. Bell services asked me to call from my room to have the luggage delivered. I wasn't anxious to have anything out of my bags so that was fine. They delivered the bags right away when I called from the room and I tipped that bell services person another $10. Tipping is obviously optional and so is the amount but I stuck to the school of $1 per bag. It was really painless for me since I never had to deal with my luggage upon departure of one Disney resort to the arrival of the next.

I think that was more than a 'mini review', Tinkerbellie16. Thanks for covering all the important TR ground! Will you be posting some photos, too? It sounds like you and your family were much happier in the Epcot area than at CSR. It's so nice being able to walk right over to DHS and Epcot.

Did you book a BB at the Poly or are you going to wait until after the Poly room rehab is done?

For me, that was mini And so sorry but I took no photos of BW. I never use 'scene' photos for my personal use so I only take 'people' photos and I'm not really good at even doing that!

We did not book a bounceback. Next year we have some other vacations planned and NO Disney I might end up there in May for a work conference and I won't say 100% we won't go in 2013 but with the other vacations, I don't think we can afford Disney too.

Tinkerbellie thanks for the great review! We just booked a one bedroom villa for October and I am soooo excited.

The 1 BDR Villas are amazing!!! I really love being able to get laundry done, have a freezer and fridge, use a microwave, and have all that room for everyone! The bathtub with the jets in it is so nice for everyone. While last year the kids would take baths together, they are 'older' now and won't do that but they did enjoy separate baths. And DH and I were able to take one too

October is a fabulous time to go to WDW too - you'll have better temps. It's still warm enough to swim and wear shorts but not so sticky hot that you are sweating all the time (like last week ). And the tour groups aren't there. OMG - I had more than my share of run ins with some tour groups. I had to tell some boys that were pestering me at night at CSR they needed to find an adult. Luckily they walked to their room without arguing although at first they claimed they didn't speak English (after they were just yelling at me to give them a dollar). And I had to have 2 people removed from the Soarin line. They cut to be with their group and I said something (and turns out the CM also told them they couldn't cut before I said anything). Then several times group leaders tried cutting into entrance/exit lines with their entire group behind them. And the worst was when one of the leaders was scurrying by us so fast that they pushed and tripped my daughter. I was

Oh, total tangent! But you get my drift. DH and I agree that October is our FAVORITE time to go to WDW!!!

 

[AirGoofy]

I'm back from my Disney vacation where I spent part of it (3 nights) with DH and the kids at BWV in a 1 BDR. Here's my opinion of the things we utilized:

Thanks again to everyone who answered all my questions before I left!

Great mini report. Sorry you hurt something on the water slide. We love BWV for the location, BLT as you said for the Poly, just feels like WDW.

 

[HARASW]

.................From everything I hear, the CMs at Inkeepers Club are some of the best.

They truly are!!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

...It wouldn't have been so bad if they provided more blankets for the pull out bed. I did pull the extra blanket out of the closet but the next day housekeeping took it with them when they cleaned the room. ...

Did you look in the storage space in the sleeper sofa for the blanket? I know the first time we had that type of sleeper sofa, we couldn't find the blanket or the pillows. Until we found them in the storage spot in the sleeper sofa. You flip it from the back and as it flips you see the holder where the blanket and pillows are.

 

[sfbank]

HARASW-I second that! CMs at the Boardwalk Innkeepers Club are the best. Can't wait to see them in 8 days

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Did you look in the storage space in the sleeper sofa for the blanket? I know the first time we had that type of sleeper sofa, we couldn't find the blanket or the pillows. Until we found them in the storage spot in the sleeper sofa. You flip it from the back and as it flips you see the holder where the blanket and pillows are.

DH did the sofa bed so I can't say if anything was there although after he pulled it out, he did find pillows to put on it. I found the extra sheets and blankets in the hall closet the first day. He's gone to harvest for a couple weeks so I'll try to remember to ask him about it when I see him again.

 

[psac]

DH did the sofa bed so I can't say if anything was there although after he pulled it out, he did find pillows to put on it. I found the extra sheets and blankets in the hall closet the first day. He's gone to harvest for a couple weeks so I'll try to remember to ask him about it when I see him again.

That's not something you ever hear in New york city! Glad you mostly enjoyed the trip, too bad about some of the hassles. I agree the 1BRs give a TON of room. Also about the bedroom being warmer than the living room, I had to wear a sweatshirt when watching TV in the living room, so we would have the bedroom nice and cool for sleeping. My wife likes it cool, so you can figure out how it ended up that way.

After a two stays around the contemporary over the last two years (one in CR, the other BLT), I agree having something like the Contempo Cafe would be a big "nice to have" at the Boardwalk. Even the kinda crappy Marketplace at the BC was good to have there, as well. Maybe somehow connecting an internal entrance to the Bakery would suffice. But I'm sure they won't ever make that expense.

As you mentioned, the location just totally can't be beat. It is a big part of what makes the Boardwalk our favorite (along with the atmosphere, theming, friendly CMs, nice rooms, etc.)

 

[Tltorrez]

The 1 BDR Villas are amazing!!! I really love being able to get laundry done, have a freezer and fridge, use a microwave, and have all that room for everyone! The bathtub with the jets in it is so nice for everyone. While last year the kids would take baths together, they are 'older' now and won't do that but they did enjoy separate baths. And DH and I were able to take one too

We love the 1BDRs too. This year we're taking the in-laws so I booked a 2BDR. MIL was a little concerned about not having their own room, so I said you have a choice - I can book two regular rooms or you can have the kitchen plus w/d. I think it was the washer that sold her.

And you just can't beat the location. We're doing a split stay to try out AKV. 8 nights at BWV and 4 at AKV - Kidani. So I arranged the schedule with AK and an off-day at the end. But that last day will be Vote Day and I know I'll be kicking myself if we have to take a bus to Epcot.

 

[annakate27]

Any one have any luck requesting adjoining deluxe club level rooms at BWI. I have been trying to chat online with Disney CM and from what I understand there are only 2 at BWI that adjoin. Anyone have any pictures or request them and get them or not? Basically looking for any information. Thanks

 

[WDWKOOK]

Any one have any luck requesting adjoining deluxe club level rooms at BWI. I have been trying to chat online with Disney CM and from what I understand there are only 2 at BWI that adjoin. Anyone have any pictures or request them and get them or not? Basically looking for any information. Thanks

There are photos of the Deluxe room on the first page. A CONNECTING room would have a door that can be unlocked to gain access to the other Deluxe room. An ADJOINING room is just one Deluxe room next door to another. I don't know what the breakdown is of BWI adjoining Vs. connecting Deluxe rooms.

This is from the first page:

DELUXE CLUB LEVEL ROOMS sleep up to 6 and have 2 queens and 1 queen sleeper sofa. The Deluxe Room adds a seating area with a queen sleeper sofa, chair, coffee table, another flat screen TV and dresser. Rooms 3227 and 3229 adjoin. There are 10 Deluxe rooms: 5 are on the 4th (CL) floor and 5 are on the 3rd floor. All have views of the BoardWalk/Crescent Lake and are 644 square feet.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

That's not something you ever hear in New york city! Glad you mostly enjoyed the trip, too bad about some of the hassles. I agree the 1BRs give a TON of room. Also about the bedroom being warmer than the living room, I had to wear a sweatshirt when watching TV in the living room, so we would have the bedroom nice and cool for sleeping. My wife likes it cool, so you can figure out how it ended up that way.

After a two stays around the contemporary over the last two years (one in CR, the other BLT), I agree having something like the Contempo Cafe would be a big "nice to have" at the Boardwalk. Even the kinda crappy Marketplace at the BC was good to have there, as well. Maybe somehow connecting an internal entrance to the Bakery would suffice. But I'm sure they won't ever make that expense.

As you mentioned, the location just totally can't be beat. It is a big part of what makes the Boardwalk our favorite (along with the atmosphere, theming, friendly CMs, nice rooms, etc.)

DH goes up every summer for 3 weeks with the kids. DH's family has a family run farm and ranch up in Montana. They cut sun up (when the dew point lowers) to sun down as long as it is hot and dry (they can't cut if the wheat and the equipment is wet). Here are some pics:

DH took this from his combine as they were traveling from one field to another. That's my BIL in the pic.

This is one of the combines loading wheat into the transportation truck. Definitely 'big sky' country!

We love the 1BDRs too. This year we're taking the in-laws so I booked a 2BDR. MIL was a little concerned about not having their own room, so I said you have a choice - I can book two regular rooms or you can have the kitchen plus w/d. I think it was the washer that sold her.

And you just can't beat the location. We're doing a split stay to try out AKV. 8 nights at BWV and 4 at AKV - Kidani. So I arranged the schedule with AK and an off-day at the end. But that last day will be Vote Day and I know I'll be kicking myself if we have to take a bus to Epcot.

The washer/dryer is the best!!! Too funny about the voting day

 

[mbrown027]

Hi everyone, just wanted to hear from previous guests of the BW and ask the all important question....Are the beds comfortable?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi everyone, just wanted to hear from previous guests of the BW and ask the all important question....Are the beds comfortable?

At BWV? Sure. Including the sleeper sofa.

 

[psac]

At BWV? Sure. Including the sleeper sofa.

Agreed.