Resort Thread Disney's BOARDWALK INN Resort

[gogo]

Third night. Beef barley soup, mickey waffles with chicken inside(!), can't remember what else -- something none of us liked which explains why there are no pictures!
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My kids were very excited to see mickey waffles....until they bit into them - lol.
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This was not our favorite night for food. We enjoyed the minestrone soup much more than the beef barley. Just our personal taste, though, as I'm sure many enjoy the beef barley. And the mickey waffles were an awesome idea, but the chicken seemed strange inside them. I didn't mind them and I did eat a couple, but the rest of my family did not care for them.

Here are a few misc pictures of afternoon treats and morning breakfasts.
View attachment 180164 View attachment 180161 View attachment 180163

And the CM's graciously handed out bottles of water whenever anyone asked for them:
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A few misc notes:
One morning they had deviled eggs for breakfast.
They did have the small sandwiches during the afternoon time.
Desserts were pretty standard -- I can't think of anything that stood out.
We loved the idea of bottles of orange juice at breakfast.
We wish the dispensers of iced tea and lemonade could've been out at all times.
Alcohol was self-serve. Beer was in the fridge. Wine on a cart.
CM's were plentiful! At least 4 CM's inside the lounge at all times. These were the best CM's we have ever had while staying CL anywhere.

Thanks so much for your review and pictures. We'll be at BWI CL on Saturday. Everything looks good but I agree the Mickey waffles seem strange and I don't think I'd like them prepared that way.

 

[WDWKOOK]

It all started with just wanting to ride the new Soarin and Frozen, then realizing I couldn't FP them for the same day, then thinking it didn't make sense to drive back and forth from the house two days in a row, to finding a decent rate at BWI for a couple nights. Any excuse will work! I did online check in and was assigned a room on the lowest level by the bus walkway with the kind of lattice work in front of the balcony. Being a light sleeper, I was concerned the traffic noise would keep me up, so I asked to be moved to a quieter location, which they very nicely did. It was really too hot to use the balcony, so it wasn't the lack of outdoor ambiance for the first room that bugged me. I just kept picturing ME buses coming and going all night . . .The only thing I heard outside my reassigned room was fireworks - which you can't very well escape when staying in an Epcot resort.

Love your WDW overnight-stay slippery slope!

My husband (29) and I (31) booked a 1-br BWV for 11/28-12/4, which follows a 3-day trip to Universal Studios. This is our (4-yr belated) honeymoon, his first trip ever, and my first adult trip.

I really wasn't considering the BWI at first, because I fell in love with the look and theme of both the WL and AKL, but then I learned about the major construction at the WLV and started thinking about the convenience of staying within walking distance to 2 parks...so BWV it is! I'm super excited and way behind on all the planning. I am at least planning a meal at the WL to get to stop in and see it decorated.

And thanks everyone for all the useful information on this thread. I've already learned a lot!

Welcome and congratulations on booking your first stay! I'll log your dates. Try to visit as many resorts as you can while they're decorated. It's an attraction in itself!

Thanks!

You said "awhile back". So, are they done with any CL painting? We are staying CL. I have two in my party with bad asthma so I'd like to know if we are possibly walking into fresh paint or active painting. I might want to try to request something away from the painting.

I'm pretty certain everything is done on the 4th floor, but @TJA was just there so I will bump this to her.

Bumpitybump...

Hello I was wondering if anyone has done rope drop coming from BWI with the Norway and Mexico opening up earlier now due to the frozen ride. I was wondering what the procedure is. Do they let you in before 9:00 and put you in a holding area until the park opens. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

I haven't done it, so someone else can confirm this, but I assume it's the same procedure as it was. If you're on the ADR list, they'll let you in and for the countries that now open at 0900, I assume they let everyone else in a few minutes before that? I believe France was the first (non-ADR) country to open for breakfast, and I believe this was the procedure.

Yesterday, we got our 100 day mark for a combined 10 day stay at Coronado Springs and BWV. It's been 5 years since we did a long stay, opting to cruise that time instead. Looking forward to enjoying the resort without having to surrender every minute in the parks.

Even though BWV is our love, our stay at the Poly in March so impressed us that we bought 60 points on our recent Dream cruise. Not a lot, but when you consider our first DVC purchase only cost us 62/point, we still wanted to be able to afford to GET to our vacation. So we can still spend most of our time here, with occasional visits to the Polynesian.

Love the splits! Are you staying BC at CSR? We did a split in August that included Poly and we were also very surprised how much we liked it after having a not-so-great last stay there.

Congrats on adding to your points ...interestingly....while we generally do a GF/BWI split these days....we are doing a Poly/BWI split this time around...so happy to hear that you had a great Poly stay too....we've not stayed there in the summer before....BWI either come to think of it....lol...just spring and winter....Hope we enjoy BWI as much during the summer months as we did in the winter and spring....

I was nervous about returning to Poly. We did a Poly/GF split in August. (DD and I literally walked our luggage down the path to GF!) This was our 3rd Poly stay, (2 summers and one winter) and our last stay left a bad impression so it had been a while since we returned.

For me, the key was making the "perfect" longhouse request (perfect to me) and very luckily, we got exactly what I requested. This made all the difference and it was perfect, but location can't be guaranteed so it is a risk (to me).

Only 72 more days until we check for the Food and Wine Festival at the BWI!!!

Yippee! Is this your first F&W?

I just switched from WL to BW for 9/16/17 - 9/23/17. I got a discounted rate through my job that shall remain nameless due to DIS rules. I am hoping F&W festival has the same dates next year so we can take full advantage of our fabulous location. I've never stayed at the BW before but always wanted to and can't wait to eat at Epcot every night!

Welcome to Crescent Lake, @jenny105. Discounts are fabulous, especially this far out. I'll log yours dates and let us know if you have any questions.

 

[vettegirl]

WDWKOOK, this will be my 5th festival

 

[WDWKOOK]

I noticed some people are asking about construction -- we are recently back from a (great!) stay at BWI CL (June 29-July 2) and I took a few pictures that might help. We stayed in deluxe CL room #4255. This was a 4th floor room close to Flying Fish, first room inside the security door. We did hear construction noise in the mornings, not too loud but we could hear it. We really weren't around in the afternoon to comment on the noise at that time. No work was being done at night. Here's our view straight down to show the construction:

Construction wall on the boardwalk.

We saw these machines in different parts of the resort, 3 near the clown pool area, but never in use. Perhaps for morning painting or touch-ups?

Fantastic! Thank you so much @TJA for posting your CL review and all your photos. I think this is very helpful and it's great having updated information and photos. I would love to put all your photos in the CL chapter, but I think I'm maxed-out with the photo limit. I'm going to see what I can do and at a minimum, I will hyperlink here to your review and photos.

We were in 4261, a Standard CL room near yours. How did you feel about having to go in and out of the Innkeeper's door to get to the lounge? Was it ever noisy near your door and the desk area?

I took some pictures of the CL food offerings on each night of our stay. We were there for 3 nights, June 29-July 2. First, I thought the food was fantastic! Rating right up there with RPC and BC. First night:
Minestrone soup, pork slider sandwiches, rice mixture, roasted veggies, fresh Italian bread, pb&j, cheese, and probably corndogs:

Second night. Mac & cheese, shrimp, minestrone soup, large artichokes, chicken Caesar salad, other misc.

I think the variety of hot appetizers has greatly improved over the past year or so.

Third night. Beef barley soup, mickey waffles with chicken inside(!), can't remember what else -- something none of us liked which explains why there are no pictures!

My kids were very excited to see mickey waffles....until they bit into them - lol.

This was not our favorite night for food. We enjoyed the minestrone soup much more than the beef barley. Just our personal taste, though, as I'm sure many enjoy the beef barley. And the mickey waffles were an awesome idea, but the chicken seemed strange inside them. I didn't mind them and I did eat a couple, but the rest of my family did not care for them.

Here are a few misc pictures of afternoon treats and morning breakfasts.

And the CM's graciously handed out bottles of water whenever anyone asked for them:

A few misc notes:
One morning they had deviled eggs for breakfast.
They did have the small sandwiches during the afternoon time.
Desserts were pretty standard -- I can't think of anything that stood out.
We loved the idea of bottles of orange juice at breakfast.
We wish the dispensers of iced tea and lemonade could've been out at all times.
Alcohol was self-serve. Beer was in the fridge. Wine on a cart.
CM's were plentiful! At least 4 CM's inside the lounge at all times. These were the best CM's we have ever had while staying CL anywhere.

I assume the Mickey Waffles were marked "chicken-filled?" That would be quite the surprise! I guess that it fits with "BoardWalk fare." Was there gravy?!

Your notes answer many questions - thank you. It's interesting that all the alcohol is still self-service there. They didn't even have to open the beer bottles for you on premises? Bottles of OJ and water also sound unique at a WDW CL these days. Seems there are many features at the Innkeeper's Club which differentiate it from the direction most other CLs have gone.

Anybody have a picture or dimensions of the large closet off the bedroom in a 1 bedroom Villa ??

BWV One Bedroom:

Following photos courtesy of AllEars.

Is this the one you mean? This is pre-rehab, but should be the same dimensionally:

This is the one off the bathroom:

And, this is too tiny to be the one you're thinking of:

CM review:
Pete, JJ, and Lorenzo stood out for us. Pete was frantically trying to find us on our check-in day -- we felt really bad when he said he had been looking for us all day. I had received our "room is not ready" text, so we went directly from the ME bus to walk into Epcot to use our FP's. While in Epcot, I received our "room is ready" text, so we went to BWI and simply went to our room and then found the lounge since it was 5:30ish. While sitting in the lounge, Pete found us. He gave us a welcome packet and some info. Then he took us to the security door and had us try our MB's and only mine worked, so he fixed the rest. He's great! Lorenzo quickly met my girls and joked around with them yet made them feel special. He was just the right mix of friendly and professional....the perfect qualities for a lounge CM! On our last night there, we had FP's for Test Track but the lightning closed it for the rest of the night, so JJ got us one of those magic FP's to use the next day for whatever time we could. We already had a FP for Soarin', so this was a huge hit with our family to be able to check-out, walk to both Soarin' and TT, and then hop on the monorail over to check-in at Poly.

Room review:
Deluxe CL room #4255. This was a 4th floor room close to Flying Fish, first room inside the security door. The size of this room was perfect for our family of 4 to spread out. It had a separate TV in the sitting area -- the couch turned into what appeared to be a double or queen sized bed (much larger than a normal daybed). The advice on here was 100% correct about the balcony sizes. Our 4th floor balcony was really too small. My DH likes to take his laptop, work, and coffee outside on the balcony each morning and he had a hard time fitting everything, and the worst part is there really wasn't room for me to join him while we waited for the girls to get ready. The view was very nice, though. Still, we wouldn't opt for a 3rd floor room for the larger balcony because we prefer being on the same floor as the lounge.

....and during a storm!

I think those might be the first photos I've seen with the sofa bed open. I'm going to add your Deluxe room photos to the CL/Deluxe room chapter - thank you!

We had an extra side window (facing the FF sign) that when it poured, the wind would drive the rain right in above the sofa

 

[ahutton]

The closet of the bathroom in the 1br BWV is probably about 5' deep x 7' wide. You can have a laundry basket in there, luggage stored and still use it as a changing room. We have 3 kids, so it is frequently used as a space to get dressed.

 

[WDWKOOK]

WDWKOOK, this will be my 5th festival

You're a pro then(Not a lot of DIS food emoji choices.)

 

[BraveLittleToaster2]

Thanks!!! Those closet pics and dimensions were helpful. Yes, I did mean the one off the bathroom.

 

[TJA]

@WDWKOOK I didn't see any type of work happening on the 4th floor. I did notice some rooms between the elevator and the Innkeeper's door had signs that said "Innkeeper's Club" or similar wording, while some rooms did not have a sign. I'm not sure if the entire 4th floor is CL yet, or if they just haven't quite finished with the final touches.

We were in 4261, a Standard CL room near yours. How did you feel about having to go in and out of the Innkeeper's door to get to the lounge? Was it ever noisy near your door and the desk area?

I assume the Mickey Waffles were marked "chicken-filled?" That would be quite the surprise! I guess that it fits with "BoardWalk fare." Was there gravy?!

Your notes answer many questions - thank you. It's interesting that all the alcohol is still self-service there. They didn't even have to open the beer bottles for you on premises? Bottles of OJ and water also sound unique at a WDW CL these days. Seems there are many features at the Innkeeper's Club which differentiate it from the direction most other CLs have gone.

I think those might be the first photos I've seen with the sofa bed open. I'm going to add your Deluxe room photos to the CL/Deluxe room chapter - thank you!

We had an extra side window (facing the FF sign) that when it poured, the wind would drive the rain right in above the sofa

Our room and the lounge were both on the same side of the Innkeeper's door. I hope I'm saying that correctly. We had to scan our MB and go through the Innkeeper's door before we could get to our room (and the lounge). Believe it or not, we did not hear talking or noise -- maybe because the security door was closed when people were talking with the CM?

The mickey waffles offered some type of "peach" sauce....it sounded more appealing to me to eat the waffles plain. I do think there was a label indicating exactly what type of waffles they were, but we missed it. I think we were just so excited to see mickey waffles that we didn't even think to check the label!

My DH had beer and I believe the tops twisted off, or else there was an opener nearby. The CM's were so very efficient in that lounge that they checked the wine cart often, so if a guest was approaching the cart, the CM would always see if the guest needed (or wanted) help. We had a stay at RPC over Easter week and we found it to be 50/50 if a CM actually stood at the alcohol cart. Most times, we got our own. Poly was completely self-serve (we just stayed there after we left BWI this week).

I remember looking at the pictures of that room you had! So glad I could help with the sofa bed picture. It was really nice having so much space in our room.

 

[gometros]

Love the splits! Are you staying BC at CSR? We did a split in August that included Poly and we were also very surprised how much we liked it after having a not-so-great last stay there.

Yep. My daughter got us a cast member rate. We can't wait. It's been quite awhile since we stayed at CSR.

 

[bluecastle]

Do all the villas have full balconies? We all love to use the balcony wherever we stay for morning coffee or as a place to read and unwind. I apologize if this has been mentioned. I looked in my notes and all I could find was that all
1 BRs had balconies. Thanks!

 

[DVC4US]

Do all the villas have full balconies? We all love to use the balcony wherever we stay for morning coffee or as a place to read and unwind. I apologize if this has been mentioned. I looked in my notes and all I could find was that all
1 BRs had balconies. Thanks!

Yes, all the villas have full balconies - unless there is something weird I don't know about.

 

[JHarveyTN]

Considering booking a deluxe studio standard view (this is all that's available for our dates). Do you have to pay to park? We will be driving in. Also, is there housekeeping each day? Description of the room says 1Q, 1 Dbl sofa & bunk size pull down but I didn't see any pictures of this type of room on thread. Does each studio have different bed configuration or can I assume they all sleep 5? We have never stayed on the Boardwalk before so not sure what to expect. Thank you.

 

[Denise W]

Considering booking a deluxe studio standard view (this is all that's available for our dates). Do you have to pay to park? We will be driving in. Also, is there housekeeping each day? Description of the room says 1Q, 1 Dbl sofa & bunk size pull down but I didn't see any pictures of this type of room on thread. Does each studio have different bed configuration or can I assume they all sleep 5? We have never stayed on the Boardwalk before so not sure what to expect. Thank you.

Is your room in BWI (hotel side) or BWV (DVC side)?
Denise

 

[JHarveyTN]

It says Boardwalk Villas

 

[JHarveyTN]

Is your room in BWI (hotel side) or BWV (DVC side)?
Denise

BWV

 

[Dave006]

Considering booking a deluxe studio standard view (this is all that's available for our dates). Do you have to pay to park? We will be driving in. Also, is there housekeeping each day? Description of the room says 1Q, 1 Dbl sofa & bunk size pull down but I didn't see any pictures of this type of room on thread. Does each studio have different bed configuration or can I assume they all sleep 5? We have never stayed on the Boardwalk before so not sure what to expect. Thank you.

General parking is free for resort guests. Valet parking is $25 per night.

If you book via Disney paying for your stay, and not using DVC points, then you will have daily mousekeeping service. The current Boardwalk update has been converting all the Studio villas to sleep 5 in the configuration you listed.

If you click this link at the Disney site and select the view photos and then select the Photos link on the pop-up, you will have a good view of the Studio room features / layout.

Dave

 

[karalecia26]

Here right now and we have completely fallen in love with BVW! We are in a standard studio almost as far as you can get from the elevator but it isn't a bad walk at all. Studio is nice size for our family of 5. We asked for an extra blanket, towels, and toiletries this morning and we were left with a bag full of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Our room faces Swan and Dolphin with a backdrop of the Tower of Terror with a nice view of some of the Hollywood Studio Fireworks.

 

[WDWKOOK]

@WDWKOOK I didn't see any type of work happening on the 4th floor. I did notice some rooms between the elevator and the Innkeeper's door had signs that said "Innkeeper's Club" or similar wording, while some rooms did not have a sign. I'm not sure if the entire 4th floor is CL yet, or if they just haven't quite finished with the final touches.

Our room and the lounge were both on the same side of the Innkeeper's door. I hope I'm saying that correctly. We had to scan our MB and go through the Innkeeper's door before we could get to our room (and the lounge). Believe it or not, we did not hear talking or noise -- maybe because the security door was closed when people were talking with the CM?

The mickey waffles offered some type of "peach" sauce....it sounded more appealing to me to eat the waffles plain. I do think there was a label indicating exactly what type of waffles they were, but we missed it. I think we were just so excited to see mickey waffles that we didn't even think to check the label!

My DH had beer and I believe the tops twisted off, or else there was an opener nearby. The CM's were so very efficient in that lounge that they checked the wine cart often, so if a guest was approaching the cart, the CM would always see if the guest needed (or wanted) help. We had a stay at RPC over Easter week and we found it to be 50/50 if a CM actually stood at the alcohol cart. Most times, we got our own. Poly was completely self-serve (we just stayed there after we left BWI this week).

I remember looking at the pictures of that room you had! So glad I could help with the sofa bed picture. It was really nice having so much space in our room.

I mis-read your post - my fault! We were just outside of the door and you were just inside of the door. That's interesting about the 4th floor. Perhaps only some of the non-CL rooms outside the door were converted and not all? For the OP who asked about painting, etc... on the 4th floor, you've confirmed that all work on that floor is done.

I would imagine no one would ever assume those Mickey Waffles were filled with anything, especially chicken and you could add a peach sauce?! This is sounding much more like a southern dish than turn of the century Atlantic City.

It appears that the CL mgr. who told me at least a couple of years ago that it was up to the CL mgrs. to decide on CM pours or self-service, is still correct. Which also confirms that each CL is indeed managed uniquely and not necessarily uniformly. Not sure if this is good or bad, but before I get carried away, I suppose that discussion would be better on the CL thread...

Do all the villas have full balconies? We all love to use the balcony wherever we stay for morning coffee or as a place to read and unwind. I apologize if this has been mentioned. I looked in my notes and all I could find was that all
1 BRs had balconies. Thanks!

Welcome to Crescent Lake, @bluecastle

Yes, all the villas have full balconies - unless there is something weird I don't know about.

Good question since there are those one or two BWI rooms that don't have a balcony.

Here right now and we have completely fallen in love with BVW! We are in a standard studio almost as far as you can get from the elevator but it isn't a bad walk at all. Studio is nice size for our family of 5. We asked for an extra blanket, towels, and toiletries this morning and we were left with a bag full of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Our room faces Swan and Dolphin with a backdrop of the Tower of Terror with a nice view of some of the Hollywood Studio Fireworks.

Welcome home and it sounds like you're off to a great start! I hope the rest of your stay is magical and keep checking in with us if you can.

 

[JHarveyTN]

General parking is free for resort guests. Valet parking is $25 per night.

If you book via Disney paying for your stay, and not using DVC points, then you will have daily mousekeeping service. The current Boardwalk update has been converting all the Studio villas to sleep 5 in the configuration you listed.

If you click this link at the Disney site and select the view photos and then select the Photos link on the pop-up, you will have a good view of the Studio room features / layout.

Dave

Thank you for your response. I was a little hesitant when I saw this note on the room ressie:
"Sorry for the Inconvenience!
Due to limited parking availability at Disney's BoardWalk Inn, we highly recommend that all Disney Resort hotel Guests take advantage of our complimentary transportation options. Be advised that self-parking may not be available for Guests arriving in their own vehicles—valet parking may be the only option. Guests visiting Epcot are encouraged to utilize the Epcot Guest Parking Lot."

I thought we might be parking at Epcot. Anyone know when the refurb is suppose to be complete?

 

[JayhawkFans]

Thank you for your response. I was a little hesitant when I saw this note on the room ressie:
"Sorry for the Inconvenience!
Due to limited parking availability at Disney's BoardWalk Inn, we highly recommend that all Disney Resort hotel Guests take advantage of our complimentary transportation options. Be advised that self-parking may not be available for Guests arriving in their own vehicles—valet parking may be the only option. Guests visiting Epcot are encouraged to utilize the Epcot Guest Parking Lot."

I thought we might be parking at Epcot. Anyone know when the refurb is suppose to be complete?

We stayed at BWI from July 3-8 and never had a problem with self parking. We did valet upon our arrival as we were tired from our 3 hrs of sleep pre-flight but I went out later that evening to move our car to self parking and was surprised to find great availability. Always managed to score an excellent parking spot. Hope you find the same great luck for your trip.