(CLOSED) Disney's BOARDWALK INN and VILLAS INFORMATION THREAD

[Ziggy]

Yep, just call and ask them to add that request to your reservation. The room assignor will see it as long as it's in there at least 5 days prior to arrival. You can still do OCI and designate any credit card you'd like. When DD checks in on the same reservation, the card you designated in OCI will be used for charges to the room. When you check-in they may ask to see the card, I can't recall because I've only done OCI (for the fun of it) with CL stays and they were room-only reservations. If you made your reservation with the WDTC, they should have asked if you wanted to use that same credit card for charging while staying at BWV, but you can designate it on OCI, too.

Thank you so much, this thread is great!

 

[psac]

Hi all, I've been following these threads for a while and have found them to be very helpful in planning our Boardwalk trip! We will be staying at the Boardwalk July 29-Aug 6 for our Disneymoon! So excited! I do have one question. DF and I typically stay at value resort, and we always loved coming back from the park and grabbing something to eat in the food court. I know there isn't anything like that at the Boardwalk. Are we going to be disappointed or will places like Boardwalk Bakery make up for it? Thoughts, opinions from any food court fans?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

Along with what the others have said, there is also ESPN and Big River Grille, which will cost you more than the food court, but the quality should be much better. There is also the pizza window outside Kouzzina (which we didn't like the one time we tried it late at night, but others have said they like it a lot), and the food stand nearby that has burgers and hot dogs, but I don't know how late they're open.

 

[psac]

Thank you so much, this thread is great!

We try to keep up with the Cha-Cha-Changes.

 

[TaraPA]

Has anyone ever rented fishing gear at Community Hall? DS16 loves to fish & the excursions are pretty pricey, around $250...but I saw you can rent equipment at CH. I was wondering how much it was & where do you fish - in the canal between BW & Swan?

 

[mamaprincess]

We were able to add an additional night on to our bwv reservation and we also changed from kidani to BLT for the last 2 nights of our split stay. We will be at BWV for 5 nts from July 11th-16th and BLT for 2 nts from July 16th-18th. We will be going over to FW for Chip n Dale's camp fire on the 16th and going to MK on our last day so this works out perfectly.

 

[Steven41782]

We had a great Boardwalk Villas Vacation last week. We were in Studio 5057 with a view of the village green, Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, Epcot ball and the Beach Club. Here are some ramblings:

Arrival

We arrived by Magical Express from the airport. The bus was waiting for us when we arrived and we were off within minutes. First we dropped off some folks at Caribbean Beach and then went to the Boardwalk. We stayed at Caribbean Beach last year and that was enough for us. We were glad to not be staying there, but to each his own.

Check-in

We arrived to check-in around 12:30 PM. I went to the online check-in line and stood for about 3 minutes before someone came up to me and walked me to the concierge desk. This was a nice touch to get me through the process faster. Everything was in order, but our room was not ready. I thought maybe it was a good sign, because we had requested the village green view. The gentlemen who checked us in was pleasant and provided suggestions for lunch.

Dining

Our party included an infant and 3 year old, so we did not book many TS restaurants. We enjoyed our food from Picabu at the Dolphin and Boardwalk To Go, which was right on the Boardwalk. I ordered roast beef sliders at the Boardwalk Bakery and the bread was inedible. I ordered a milkshake at the Seaside Sweets and it was more like a drink. The complete wrong consistency. It was $6, so I was disappointed. It was our last night and raining, or I would have went back for a refund or a redo. Our service at the ESPN Club was VERY slow. There were several parties who were in and out before us, so we more than likely it was our server and not the restaurant's fault. While we all enjoyed our food at The Land in Epcot and the Plaza on Mainstreet, overall, I believe the Quality and taste of the food at most WDW food locations is slipping.

Transportation

The boat service to Epcot and DHS was constant and timely. BONUS: We didn't have to collapse our double stroller to board. They are so cumbersome, but necessary. We never waiting long for buses to other locations. I will say there is a stoplight on the way back from Magic Kingdom that would be red for 7 solid minutes. We had an AWFUL experience waiting on a DHS bus at the front of Epcot. The waiting area to the DHS bus is not covered and is across the street (must use a crosswalk) from the nearest shelter. Well, it was raining and when a bus would show up, by the time we got across the street from the shelter, the bus had departed. This was frustrating. We later learned that the boat from Epcot at the International Gateway goes to DHS. So, word from the newly wise...use the boat service.

Studio:

We thought the Studio was great. It was very close to the elevator, so we were happy! (we've read the horror stories of long walks) The kitchenette was a perfect place to store our snacks. The lamp by the sofa was missing a light bulb and the light over the kitchenette sink did not work. We discovered both of these about halfway through our trip and as we had not utilized them to that point, we decided it wasn't worth the fuss to get them to come fix it. The bed was comfortable enough and we used bed rails on the small daybed? for our 3 year old. We didn't know if the rail would work with it or not, but to our surprise (and the maid's surprise), it did! The balcony was a great place to watch Illuminations and Wishes. We also had some conversation time out on the balcony after the kids were asleep.

Pool:

The pool was a hit with our 3 year old daughter and 10 year old nephew. They allowed my daughter to go down the slide with her puddle jumper (float) on. We were surprised at her bravery. We ate at the pool bar for one meal. The turkey sandwich and chips was a good choice. They gave us free soft drinks in a plastic cup after we flashed our resort mugs. DW said she felt like the bartender wanted a tip for filling the mugs, but she wasn't prepared to tip. I told her 18% of free is $0. As much as people talk about the clown at the pool, it was really unobtrusive. It's definitely there, but not something we noticed the whole time.

Common Areas:

We enjoyed the village green view because it provided for great people watching. People would play soccer, have a picnic, dance, cut flips and horse around on the village green. Then, some people would yell at their kids, "don't walk on the grass!." I want everyone here to know that you CAN walk on the grass and the village green is there for you to use!

We thought the lobby was elegant in a simple way. The carousel music was cool to listen to. We also enjoyed the replicas of the roller coaster and of the Disney Dream ship. Just outside the lobby were rocking chairs that offered a place to relax and reflect.

Community Hall was also better than I expected. My daughter did a Mickey Tie Dye T-shirt one afternoon. My nephew and I played Foosball, PlayStation and PacMan while she did her craft. A Disney movie was playing on the jumbo sized TV. It really was a cool hangout.

Check-out:

We had bell services take our bags to Resort Airline Check-in. The bellman was very efficient and personable. Magical Express was right on time for pickup.

Overall:

The Boardwalk is our new favorite Deluxe resort and it's tied with the quaint and food court possessing Port Orleans French Quarter for our favorite resort of all. I know some of the things I mentioned above were critical, but it's human nature to point out the bad, I think. Overall, we had a fantastic vacation with excellent accommodations!

 

[Ziggy]

We try to keep up with the Cha-Cha-Changes.

You're all heroes

DW said she felt like the bartender wanted a tip for filling the mugs, but she wasn't prepared to tip. I told her 18% of free is $0.

I've never ever thought of tipping the bartender on the mugs although I've always sent the kids for the refills.

 

[TaraPA]

Great review Steven - thanks!

 

[psac]

Great review Steven - thanks!

Totally agree, thanks for the long and detailed review. It's always good to hear the good and the bad, and I'm glad there was a lot more of the former than the latter!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you so much, this thread is great!

You're welcome and it's all the thoughtful posters that make it great

We try to keep up with the Cha-Cha-Changes.

Hey, I heard that

Has anyone ever rented fishing gear at Community Hall? DS16 loves to fish & the excursions are pretty pricey, around $250...but I saw you can rent equipment at CH. I was wondering how much it was & where do you fish - in the canal between BW & Swan?

I don't have an answer, but hopefully someone will comment.

We were able to add an additional night on to our bwv reservation and we also changed from kidani to BLT for the last 2 nights of our split stay. We will be at BWV for 5 nts from July 11th-16th and BLT for 2 nts from July 16th-18th. We will be going over to FW for Chip n Dale's camp fire on the 16th and going to MK on our last day so this works out perfectly.

I'll update the BB for you. BLT is amazing and your plan sounds great.

We had a great Boardwalk Villas Vacation last week. We were in Studio 5057 with a view of the village green, Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, Epcot ball and the Beach Club. Here are some ramblings:

Arrival

We arrived by Magical Express from the airport. The bus was waiting for us when we arrived and we were off within minutes. First we dropped off some folks at Caribbean Beach and then went to the Boardwalk. We stayed at Caribbean Beach last year and that was enough for us. We were glad to not be staying there, but to each his own.

Check-in

We arrived to check-in around 12:30 PM. I went to the online check-in line and stood for about 3 minutes before someone came up to me and walked me to the concierge desk. This was a nice touch to get me through the process faster. Everything was in order, but our room was not ready. I thought maybe it was a good sign, because we had requested the village green view. The gentlemen who checked us in was pleasant and provided suggestions for lunch.

Dining

Our party included an infant and 3 year old, so we did not book many TS restaurants. We enjoyed our food from Picabu at the Dolphin and Boardwalk To Go, which was right on the Boardwalk. I ordered roast beef sliders at the Boardwalk Bakery and the bread was inedible. I ordered a milkshake at the Seaside Sweets and it was more like a drink. The complete wrong consistency. It was $6, so I was disappointed. It was our last night and raining, or I would have went back for a refund or a redo. Our service at the ESPN Club was VERY slow. There were several parties who were in and out before us, so we more than likely it was our server and not the restaurant's fault. While we all enjoyed our food at The Land in Epcot and the Plaza on Mainstreet, overall, I believe the Quality and taste of the food at most WDW food locations is slipping.

Transportation

The boat service to Epcot and DHS was constant and timely. BONUS: We didn't have to collapse our double stroller to board. They are so cumbersome, but necessary. We never waiting long for buses to other locations. I will say there is a stoplight on the way back from Magic Kingdom that would be red for 7 solid minutes. We had an AWFUL experience waiting on a DHS bus at the front of Epcot. The waiting area to the DHS bus is not covered and is across the street (must use a crosswalk) from the nearest shelter. Well, it was raining and when a bus would show up, by the time we got across the street from the shelter, the bus had departed. This was frustrating. We later learned that the boat from Epcot at the International Gateway goes to DHS. So, word from the newly wise...use the boat service.

Studio:

We thought the Studio was great. It was very close to the elevator, so we were happy! (we've read the horror stories of long walks) The kitchenette was a perfect place to store our snacks. The lamp by the sofa was missing a light bulb and the light over the kitchenette sink did not work. We discovered both of these about halfway through our trip and as we had not utilized them to that point, we decided it wasn't worth the fuss to get them to come fix it. The bed was comfortable enough and we used bed rails on the small daybed? for our 3 year old. We didn't know if the rail would work with it or not, but to our surprise (and the maid's surprise), it did! The balcony was a great place to watch Illuminations and Wishes. We also had some conversation time out on the balcony after the kids were asleep.

Pool:

The pool was a hit with our 3 year old daughter and 10 year old nephew. They allowed my daughter to go down the slide with her puddle jumper (float) on. We were surprised at her bravery. We ate at the pool bar for one meal. The turkey sandwich and chips was a good choice. They gave us free soft drinks in a plastic cup after we flashed our resort mugs. DW said she felt like the bartender wanted a tip for filling the mugs, but she wasn't prepared to tip. I told her 18% of free is $0. As much as people talk about the clown at the pool, it was really unobtrusive. It's definitely there, but not something we noticed the whole time.

Common Areas:

We enjoyed the village green view because it provided for great people watching. People would play soccer, have a picnic, dance, cut flips and horse around on the village green. Then, some people would yell at their kids, "don't walk on the grass!." I want everyone here to know that you CAN walk on the grass and the village green is there for you to use!

We thought the lobby was elegant in a simple way. The carousel music was cool to listen to. We also enjoyed the replicas of the roller coaster and of the Disney Dream ship. Just outside the lobby were rocking chairs that offered a place to relax and reflect.

Community Hall was also better than I expected. My daughter did a Mickey Tie Dye T-shirt one afternoon. My nephew and I played Foosball, PlayStation and PacMan while she did her craft. A Disney movie was playing on the jumbo sized TV. It really was a cool hangout.

Check-out:

We had bell services take our bags to Resort Airline Check-in. The bellman was very efficient and personable. Magical Express was right on time for pickup.

Overall:

The Boardwalk is our new favorite Deluxe resort and it's tied with the quaint and food court possessing Port Orleans French Quarter for our favorite resort of all. I know some of the things I mentioned above were critical, but it's human nature to point out the bad, I think. Overall, we had a fantastic vacation with excellent accommodations!

Steven, thanks for posting your detailed review. I love an honest review and yours fits the bill and is helpful to others. Thanks!

 

[PoohCorner71]

Has anyone ever rented fishing gear at Community Hall? DS16 loves to fish & the excursions are pretty pricey, around $250...but I saw you can rent equipment at CH. I was wondering how much it was & where do you fish - in the canal between BW & Swan?

Hey Tara -- I saw this on the Boardwalk page of the wdwinfo...they don't mention the fee for the 2 hour tour, but it seems to confirm fishing gear is indeed for the canal...

"Two hour guided fishing tours are offered every morning on Crescent Lake and Lake Hollywood but require 24-hour advance notice. The fee includes all fishing equipment, as well as complimentary snacks and beverages. Fishing equipment is also available to rent (at Community Hall) for those who just wish to fish along the side of the canal"

 

[TaraPA]

Hey Tara -- I saw this on the Boardwalk page of the wdwinfo...they don't mention the fee for the 2 hour tour, but it seems to confirm fishing gear is indeed for the canal...

"Two hour guided fishing tours are offered every morning on Crescent Lake and Lake Hollywood but require 24-hour advance notice. The fee includes all fishing equipment, as well as complimentary snacks and beverages. Fishing equipment is also available to rent (at Community Hall) for those who just wish to fish along the side of the canal"

I saw prices for that 2-hour tour somewhere...maybe Allears.net...that's the one that is $250+....I did also find by Googling that there is a $30 kids fishing excursion...not sure what age a "kid" is...I will email Concierge & ask. I'll post back if I get any info!

 

[TaraPA]

I found this:

Junior Fishing Excursion
(Kids' Fishing Around the World)

The Junior Fishing Excursion is a 1 hour long excursion available for Guests ages 6-12. Pickup is available from the following resort marinas and locations:

Disney's Contemporary Resort
◦
Sat. & Sun. only; 10 - 11am


Disney's Polynesian Resort
◦
Sat. & Sun. only; 10 - 11am


Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
◦
Sat. & Sun. only; 10 - 11am


Disney's Wilderness Lodge &Fort Wilderness Campground
◦
Sat. & Sun. only; 10 - 11am


Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
◦
Mon. - Fri. only; pickup between 10 & 10:15am

◦
Community Hall is at Disney's BoardWalk Resort -- BoardWalk Villa side near the quiet pool

◦
Mon. - Fri. only; pickup between 10am & 10:15am


Call the Resort Recreation Reservation Center at (407) WDW-PLAY (407-939-7529) for reservations and information.
◦
Ages: 6-12

◦
Price: $28.16 (plus tax) per Guest

◦
Locations and Times: Pick up areas may vary - please call for hours and locations

◦
Guests may not bring their own food, beverage, or coolers aboard

 

[rebeccaariel]

Steven, thanks for posting your detailed review. I love an honest review and yours fits the bill and is helpful to others. Thanks!

Agreed! It's nice to hear about both the good and the not-so-good

 

[abk96]

Thanks Steven for your review. I agree that the CH is a cool hangout. When my kids were younger they used to love it there.

 

[mademluc]

You're all heroes

Just for one day

 

[psac]

People have been posting pictures of a Poly iPhone5 case. If anyone sees one for the Boardwalk any time soon, please post a pic!!

 

[sfbank]

It is finally here! We are on our way to the airport to head to my happy place I will post updates on the current happenings

 

[Ziggy]

It is finally here! We are on our way to the airport to head to my happy place I will post updates on the current happenings

Have a lovely time, can't wait for the updates

 

[nascargirl]

Have an awesome time. Your forgot to send me your pre-trip report yesterday from work.