Resort Thread Disney's BOARDWALK INN Resort

[TraceyL]

USB ports are good! One less travel adapter to pack

 

[Sandi]

Oh yes - PLENTY of places to plug devices in! USB ports and plugs abundant throughout the room.

So I was there last month and do not recall seeing any USB ports next to the bed on the nightstand. The clock radio was gone, for which I was glad. I plugged in my charger and used that for my iPhone. There were ports on the dresser and on the desk/table. (At least that's my recollection.) I like to have the phone within easy reach and sight.

 

[w84no1]

Oh yes - PLENTY of places to plug devices in! USB ports and plugs abundant throughout the room.

I doubt it is enough for my family We have 4 tablets, 2 phones, 4 fitness trackers, and 2 external batteries to charge each night. I bought a slim powerstrip to connect the travel adapters

 

[SwanVT2]

We had an amazing vacation and it’s tough to be back at work. Just wanted to give a brief review.

I used the Touring Plans fax request service and we pretty much got what we wanted. It was a different floor (which turned out to be better!), but it was one of the rooms in the exact location I wanted. Below is an afternoon view and a sunrise view:
View attachment 175536



View attachment 175535
This was our first stay on the inn side -- we had stayed at a 1 BR villa a couple of years ago. Without a doubt, this is my favorite resort. I love the pool, the boardwalk area, walking to 2 parks. We utilized the Belle Vue Lounge for both breakfast and for evening drinks (happened to strike up a conversation one night with someone who only lives 30 minutes away from us -- @disneynut , come out of lurkdom if you’re out there!). We rented a surrey bike. We ate at the ESPN Club for lunch, Trattoria al Forno for dinner, the Boardwalk to Go kiosk and Leaping Horse Libations 2-3 times, and stopped at Ample Hills Creamery twice (delish!).


We saw plenty of entertainers, including one rainy night inside the BWI next to the Belle Vue Lounge. Bus transportation was really good for us, but we were obviously walking/boating more than taking a bus.

How was the food? What would you recommend out of all the Boardwalk places you ate (it will be me, DH, and DD 4). Thanks!

 

[rcraw45425]

Thanks we've been at the Poly the past few times and while they have the strip on the desk to plug in I always found myself fighting for an outlet on the nightstand thanks to the clock. And if my husband comes along I may as well give up, he travels with a sleep mate sound conditioner and also a CPAP. (refuses to use the sound conditioning app on his phone!). This means one less thing to pack

 

[Music City Mama]

How was the food? What would you recommend out of all the Boardwalk places you ate (it will be me, DH, and DD 4). Thanks!

I'm not a picky eater, so I liked everything! The only thing that I was slightly disappointed in was the size of my entree at Trattoria al Forno. I'm not a big person, but I have a big appetite and the portion was just so small to me (it was a ravioli dish that was one of the daily specials). It was good, just not very filling. DH had the linguini and clams and his portion size was normal, IMO.

We were surprised at how much we liked ESPN Club. My 9 year old got the wings appetizer as his meal and I've never seen wings like this. Very big/meaty!

I guess it just depends what you like. There are so many choices in the area. We like Captain's Grill at the Yacht Club, especially for breakfast, and I've eaten at all of the Swan/Dolphin restaurants and they're fabulous. I know everyone raves about the Boardwalk Bakery, but a few of the sandwiches on their menu are the same ones they serve at Leaping Horse Libations (pool) -- and that was more convenient for us.

 

[HollywoodTowerHotel]

We got our ME tags today!

One day closer to the Boardwalk!

 

[heidijanesmith]

On another note.......does anyone have any current info on what food offerings are available in the CL lounge? I found some info on the CL forum but it seems like it was a few years old and I didn't know if the items have changed or not.

We stayed last Oct CL level and thought the food was very good. There was an amazing potato soup that alternated with a tomato soup. There were different rotating appetizers, I can not remember what they were, but we were happy. There was always a selection of fruit and cheeses. Kids uncrustable PB&J, chicken nuggets and corn dog nuggets.

 

[lffam]

I posted this over at my trip report here
http://disboards.com/threads/we-had...e-and-then-some.3479438/page-11#post-55959573

but thought it might be useful here also so will repost it here.

Travel times

Before I get to our final day at WDW, I thought I would post something about travel times. One of the biggest unknowns for us when we went to WDW the first time in 2013 was getting around. We were only used to Disneyland and had just walked from hotel to park etc. We had heard about buses and boats trips, taking 20mins to get from hotel to park, long waits for buses to arrive, while we are much wiser about it now, it was really hard for us to fathom back then prior to experiencing it. When we stayed at Wilderness Lodge for the first time we quickly started to see the size of it even right from the first entry into the WDW area.I had kept a log of travel times to and from the Wilderness Lodge that trip which I posted here.

I tried to the same for this trip. The table below detailing the times taken for travel from and to Boardwalk Villas/Inn in most cases. I wasn’t always as diligent as I could have been when it came to recording the times, but here is what I did record and I’ll post it in the hope that it helps some others.

I didn't record every trip nor did I always note down the time we arrived at the stop as you can see from the table. Apart from the first day, we always walked to Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

I hope it is of use to some people here.

 

[WDWKOOK]

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR BWI/BWV DADS!​

I'm so excited! I just booked a long weekend solo getaway at BWV in July 8-11! I was so happy to get a DVC room at my favorite resort. 32 days until I'm home!!

How exciting! I'll log your dates in POST 1.

Just booked May 4-12, 2017 in a studio villa with a Boardwalk view. Can't wait to stay at our home resort. Need to figure out when to tell DH that I did this. He didn't want to hear anything about our September trip the other week.

Is today the tell-all day? I'll log your dates

I will be staying at BWV, in a boardwalk view studio from July 24-Aug 11, this is my first stay at the Boardwalk. Does anybody know if your room is on the first floor can you exit through your patio to the Boardwalk, or do you have to exit through the hotel?

Congratulations and I'll add your dates to the BoardWalk Bulletin.

On another note.......does anyone have any current info on what food offerings are available in the CL lounge? I found some info on the CL forum but it seems like it was a few years old and I didn't know if the items have changed or not.

@renes, quoted below, was just upgraded. Maybe they can help you, although they were only there one night.

We had an amazing vacation and it’s tough to be back at work. Just wanted to give a brief review.

I used the Touring Plans fax request service and we pretty much got what we wanted. It was a different floor (which turned out to be better!), but it was one of the rooms in the exact location I wanted. Below is an afternoon view and a sunrise view:

This was our first stay on the inn side -- we had stayed at a 1 BR villa a couple of years ago. Without a doubt, this is my favorite resort. I love the pool, the boardwalk area, walking to 2 parks. We utilized the Belle Vue Lounge for both breakfast and for evening drinks (happened to strike up a conversation one night with someone who only lives 30 minutes away from us -- @disneynut , come out of lurkdom if you’re out there!). We rented a surrey bike. We ate at the ESPN Club for lunch, Trattoria al Forno for dinner, the Boardwalk to Go kiosk and Leaping Horse Libations 2-3 times, and stopped at Ample Hills Creamery twice (delish!).

We saw plenty of entertainers, including one rainy night inside the BWI next to the Belle Vue Lounge. Bus transportation was really good for us, but we were obviously walking/boating more than taking a bus.

Thank you for posting about your stay and your great photos

We're staying in a studio at the BWV for the first time from July 8-10! DH and I must be mad because this will be our third trip this year.

In the past, I've typically hated the BWI because every time I've stayed there, it has been noisy and the rooms were always a little damp/musty. I want to give it another chance, especially since I've never stayed in a villa before, so are there any tips for requesting quieter villa areas? Or any other tips generally? I'm scouring this page of course, but thought I'd ask too!

Congratulations! I'll log your dates.

We were at BWI last Wednesday for one night, 5 women, 2 standard rooms booked. We got upgraded to CL Boardwalk view, rooms 4225 & 4227. Major pixie dust! My GF loved the rooms and overlooking the boardwalk. And also the lounge, the staff was as awesome as I remembered my last stay in CL Oct 2012. One of the rooms was deluxe, was great for our "relaxing" in the afternoon. I also introduced them to Belleview lounge and sitting on the balcony enjoying a glass of wine at night after Illuminations. This is our annual beach/Disney trip and I think next year we will be booking club, easier when splitting 5 ways. The day we checked out, I contacted my TA about Nov stay at BWI to see if CL available, sadly it is not. Trips like this reinforce why our favorite resort is BWI and why our family loves Disney!

What a great upgrade! Those short stays are notorious for being more likely to get upgraded. What were your impressions of the lounge offerings?

I posted this over at my trip report here
http://disboards.com/threads/we-had...e-and-then-some.3479438/page-11#post-55959573

but thought it might be useful here also so will repost it here.

Travel times

Before I get to our final day at WDW, I thought I would post something about travel times. One of the biggest unknowns for us when we went to WDW the first time in 2013 was getting around. We were only used to Disneyland and had just walked from hotel to park etc. We had heard about buses and boats trips, taking 20mins to get from hotel to park, long waits for buses to arrive, while we are much wiser about it now, it was really hard for us to fathom back then prior to experiencing it. When we stayed at Wilderness Lodge for the first time we quickly started to see the size of it even right from the first entry into the WDW area.I had kept a log of travel times to and from the Wilderness Lodge that trip which I posted here.

I tried to the same for this trip. The table below detailing the times taken for travel from and to Boardwalk Villas/Inn in most cases. I wasn’t always as diligent as I could have been when it came to recording the times, but here is what I did record and I’ll post it in the hope that it helps some others.

I didn't record every trip nor did I always note down the time we arrived at the stop as you can see from the table. Apart from the first day, we always walked to Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

I hope it is of use to some people here.

What a great chart, @lffam! Thank you for posting it here. I'm going to add it to the TRANSPORTATION chapter

 

[rcraw45425]

Hey WDWKOOK, can you put my daughter and I down for July 1-4, BWI, CL standard view please?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hey WDWKOOK, can you put my daughter and I down for July 1-4, BWI, CL standard view please?

I'd be happy to!

 

[rcraw45425]

I'd be happy to!

thanks, all of this talk of potato soup and tomato soup has us excited!

 

[hill6]

Is today the tell-all day? I'll log your dates

Not today. We have a birthday soon and then our anniversary in October. I may wait till we are there for our anniversary (we are at Beach Club Villas) and say I can't wait till we stay there in May. I got that look from him when I said I have an important question about our trip in September last weekend. He would give a look "like really". I already got the magnet in with important dates. It is in plain sight. Lets see if he sees it.

 

[GC&S]

Our recent stay at BWI (6/8 - 6/15) This was our second stay at BWI.

We did online check in and was greeted the minute we stepped off ME with a person with a computer asking if we did online checkin. We REALLY wanted to get inside as we had been up since 3 am and we were hot. So we said yes and moved inside. He followed us and said our room wasn't ready but they would text us. I really missed checking in and having someone say Welcome home!! I did go to the front desk to get my dd a birthday button and asked for an information packet but there wasn't anything spectacular in it. It just wasn't exciting not doing in person check in.

We were in room 4296 standard room. I didn't make any room requests. We just aren't in the room that much to really care how far it is from the elevator, what floor, the view, etc. It was a nice room. We faced the quiet pool area and our view was a huge tree.

The room was nice. I missed the clock radio and kept meaning to call to see if we could get one but we normally didn't get back to the room until midnight so never did call. No complaints about housekeeping. First time we didn't get any towel animals but they did move DD's stuffed animal around the room. Loved all the charging ports.

Not really bothered by the construction. The pool was nice - one day the water was TOO warm and it wasn't as refreshing as we wanted it to be. It was hot that day and everyone was huddled in the pool's shady area. DD loved the clown slide. I really like the pool bar.

We watched Star Wars one evening on the lawn. We had ice cream at the new place and it was good but expensive. I don't think their milkshakes are worth $8. Service was slow - 4 people behind the counter but only one was scooping (and there was a long line). We went to the Fountain at the Dolphin and loved it there. We got cupcakes and eclairs at the bakery. YUM!

Two nights it rained and the entertainment moved inside which was interesting. Side note - the boardwalk gets really slippery when wet. I was wearing flip flops as was DD and we both slid all over the place.

Loved walking to HS and Epcot. We averaged 12-15 miles a day according to my Fitbit.

We walked to the gas station right by BWI and got a case of water and 4 qts of milk for around $12. People who work there are super nice.

It was a nice stay and if we got a good rate we would stay there again. Oh - loved the screens at the bus stop with the arrival times of the busses. That was new to us.

 

[got15]

Hey WDWKOOK would you please put us down for our first trip to BWI CL November 27-Dec 2! Can't wait to celebrate!

 

[rcraw45425]

IPO emailed me quickly, soups currently are beef with barley and clam chowder (NE style I assume)

 

[Juliet25]

Our recent stay at BWI (6/8 - 6/15) This was our second stay at BWI.

Two nights it rained and the entertainment moved inside which was interesting. Side note - the boardwalk gets really slippery when wet. I was wearing flip flops as was DD and we both slid all over the place.

OMG, that happened to me too! I was going to throw out my flip flops as I thought they were just too worn down, but I haven't had any problems since arriving back home. I almost had some nasty spills at the BW. Definitely be careful! The rain and the humidity makes for a slick surface.

 

[pas130]

IPO emailed me quickly, soups currently are beef with barley and clam chowder (NE style I assume)

It is NE clam chowder, at least it was in April and even in the heat it was delicious

 

[rcraw45425]

Great to hear, DD19 loves potato and tomato (their previous soups) so I was hoping for them. Then I read on here that it was beef with barley and she was less than pleased. She's good with clam chowder though, if we have time to stop for a cup! (Super quick trip,as always, thats how we justify going so often)