Resort Thread Disney's BOARDWALK INN Resort

[psac]

We're here! We needed to renew our APs, so after checking in and getting settled, we went over to Epcot for dinner at Tokyo Dining. Also checked out the Candlelight Professional for the first time for a few mins. Edward James Olmos was the narrator, but since we weren't in the seats, we couldn't really hear him, which was fine since we had our ADR. After trying it last time and again tonight, we think Tokyo Dining is now our favorite Epcot restaurant. Excellent meal!

The decorations are up at the Boardwalk!

 

[AirGoofy]

We're here! We needed to renew our APs, so after checking in and getting settled, we went over to Epcot for dinner at Tokyo Dining. Also checked out the Candlelight Professional for the first time for a few mins. Edward James Olmos was the narrator, but since we weren't in the seats, we couldn't really hear him, which was fine since we had our ADR. After trying it last time and again tonight, we think Tokyo Dining is now our favorite Epcot restaurant. Excellent meal!

The decorations are up at the Boardwalk!
]

Terrific pictures yet again. I've never been during Christmas time and hope to go one of these years. With the Christmas tree there, do the still do the movies in the evening? How is the gingerbread?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Love the holiday cheer, psac. Thank you for posting these photos which will soon go into the CHRISTMASTIME chapter of the thread

Last year, the gingerbread house was called Gingerbread "TREATS." This year it's "CONES." Have you tried one yet? Is it like a waffle/gingerbread cone? Are they standard ice cream flavors?

So glad you love TD. TD has always been our favorite Epcot restaurant. The food and the service has always been superb. We go at least twice every trip. Will you be going to YS? LOVE that place!

 

[nancy155]

Thank you for posting the Christmas decorations photos! So pretty. Can't wait to arrive in about 1.5 months!

 

[psac]

Terrific pictures yet again. I've never been during Christmas time and hope to go one of these years. With the Christmas tree there, do the still do the movies in the evening? How is the gingerbread?

We haven't actually seen the screen, but the paperwork they gave with the room still has the movie schedule and says village green. So I guess they do it somewhere around the tree?

Love the holiday cheer, psac. Thank you for posting these photos which will soon go into the CHRISTMASTIME chapter of the thread

Last year, the gingerbread house was called Gingerbread "TREATS." This year it's "CONES." Have you tried one yet? Is it like a waffle/gingerbread cone? Are they standard ice cream flavors?

So glad you love TD. TD has always been our favorite Epcot restaurant. The food and the service has always been superb. We go at least twice every trip. Will you be going to YS? LOVE that place!

We haven't tried the gingerbread. One of my wife's friends tried it at GF and said it tasted like sawdust. So we're not too eager to try it here. plus it's been freeeeezing, way too cold for ice cream. (I know, it is ever really too cold for ice cream?). The upside of the cold weather was we went to AK yesterday, and a lot of animals out on the safari, and then EE in 55 degree weather with the wind in your face felt super fast. Loved it.

We did hit the Boardwalk Bakery at lunchtime, and we got a mozzarella and tomato sandwich and an Oreo cupcake. Both were EXCELLENT. the sandwich was way better than I was expecting. Very happy with it. Last night for dinner was BlueZoo. Their food is always really good, and they make their drinks really friggin strong. Me last night me this morning

We are doing YS later this week, no idea when. My wife (who does Disney TA stuff now) does all the actual scheduling and planning. . It's been our favorite meal overall the last few trips, so I definitely can't wait.

Thank you for posting the Christmas decorations photos! So pretty. Can't wait to arrive in about 1.5 months!

Hope you'll love it as much as we do!

 

[psac]

So to rewind a bit, we had a Disney cruise (+1 BLT day) scheduled for our tenth wedding anniversary back in October, but we had to cancel because of our sick cat who ended up passing away that week. It was all really sad of course. So for this trip, I did add a celebration that it was our anniversary trip, since we did miss that one, and it is our meeting anniversary (13 yrs) later this week, so it really wasn't a fib.

Anyway, after dinner on Friday, we came back to this in the room. It was really awesome, very sweet. Haven't tried the chocolate yet, but probably literally sweet, too!

 

[jcemom]

We haven't actually seen the screen, but the paperwork they gave with the room still has the movie schedule and says village green. So I guess they do it somewhere around the tree?

It was set up right next to the tree this past week when we were there.

 

[bltman]

Transportation is the only negative we could find, but it is a definite negative. We only used the buses a few times. We waited 20 minutes for a bus to MK at around 10:00 one morning, and others were waiting before we got there. I think they rerouted a bus just to pick us up, and it went straight to MK. On party night we only waited about 10 minutes for an MK bus, but it filled to standing room only so others were waiting longer. Even though it was pretty full, it proceeded to stop at the Swan and the Dolphin before heading to MK. We stayed really late that night and didn't get back out to the bus stop until almost 1:00 am, and there was a bus sitting there waiting, which was great. The driver asked if anyone was going to the Swan, got no reply, and then he said oh well, we'll just stop at all five anyway. The Boardwalk was last, after Swan (no one got off there), Dolphin, Yacht (no one got off there either) and Beach Clubs.

The boats are kinda nice, but very slow and they don't run very many of them so it's a pretty long wait if you just miss one. We were heading to Epcot Monday afternoon, it was cold and raining, and we were just stepping into the boat queue as the CM put the chain up across the bottom. When we got to the chain people were still getting onto the boat, but he didn't let us on. Grrr. We walked.

DD and I agreed that the Boardwalk is great for non park days or Epcot days, but that's about it. We wouldn't stay there for a park intensive trip.

Transportation is hit or miss no matter where you stay.

We stayed at BWI about 20 months ago and found that walking to Epcot and HS more convenient than taking the boat. The buses to MK and AK are were also fine in that they started at BWI first (so we always got on) before going to Swan and Dolphin. For the buses coming back from the parks, if they were shared among too many resorts we simply got off at the first stop (often the Dolphin) and then walked to the BWI. For that trip, we focused on a different park for daytime but planned all our dinners around Epcot.

We just got back from a stay at Wlderness lodge and found transportation to be no better than BWI. 3 AK buses before an Epcot one. Long wait at HS for a return bus, etc. The use of too many little boats to and from MK (instead of the big ones - we found the buses more convenient for MK). Buses that stopped at GF or CR before going to the AK and HS respectively (which is more out of the way than BWI sharing a bus with S&D, BC and/or YC).

My point being is that sometimes you have good service and sometimes bad no matter the location. Still not sure which resort I liked better but I did find BWI less isolating.

 

[jcemom]

My point being is that sometimes you have good service and sometimes bad no matter the location. Still not sure which resort I liked better but I did find BWI less isolating.

I agree. The only consistently good bus service we have had was from AK/AKV.

It is a LONG walk to DHS, but we did walk because the boats didn't start early enough for us. This was a short trip so we were fine. With our usual 8 park days I would not want to be walking to DHS though. Our feet just get too tired.

 

[RenaissanceBabe]

So to rewind a bit, we had a Disney cruise (+1 BLT day) scheduled for our tenth wedding anniversary back in October, but we had to cancel because of our sick cat who ended up passing away that week. It was all really sad of course. So for this trip, I did add a celebration that it was our anniversary trip, since we did miss that one, and it is our meeting anniversary (13 yrs) later this week, so it really wasn't a fib. Anyway, after dinner on Friday, we came back to this in the room. It was really awesome, very sweet. Haven't tried the chocolate yet, but probably literally sweet, too! https://www.flickr.com/photos/psac42/16008336505/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/psac42/16007642942/

That's so sweet! How did you let them know you we're celebrating? We're renting DVC for our honeymoon and while I don't want to shout it at every CM I see I do want to make sure it's known. Just without being pushy.

 

[MrsJobba1]

That's so sweet! How did you let them know you we're celebrating? We're renting DVC for our honeymoon and while I don't want to shout it at every CM I see I do want to make sure it's known. Just without being pushy.

Make sure the person you are renting from knows and they can inform member services to have them note it on your reservation.

When I have rented my points in the past to others I always check this, as when I book member services always ask if there are any celebrations happening for the party.

Failing that when you check in - tell the cm & ask for a honeymoon badge ( button) . When you wear it around the Parks cm should notice.

It's also worthwhile calling the disney dining and have them note it on any Adr's - as you oftern get nice touches in restaurants!

Congrats by the way ! X

 

[tsme]

We just arrived at BWI yesterday afternoon. Traffic and parking was insane. There were vehicles everywhere unloading or loading, people really not happy, and they had areas blocked off, making everyone try and squeeze thru a small turn after dropping off (hope that makes sense, hard to explain), it was very difficult for those with anything other than a car. Also they had large parts of the parking lot reserved. My DH had to go way to the back to park. The whole thing took a long time, plus he almost got hit by a poor guy in a big truck trying to turn in that small space I mentioned above. But once we entered into the resort all was right again in the Disney bubble. We have a great room with a view of the boardwalk. I do have to mention that in all the times we've been here last night was the first time we have ever heard people above us, maybe they're just hard walkers. We use a sound machine at night so it wasn't a real issue, just surprising. We're off to Epcot and HS today, yay!

 

[fla4fun]

Welcome and congratulations on booking!

I believe that all or almost all of the rooms have been rehabbed by now, but there was/is still some common area work going on. Hopefully, someone will correct me if I'm wrong about this. You could always add to your request "rehabbed room," just to make sure you get one.

I believe there is only one room at BWI that doesn't have a balcony, so you don't need to request that. The Standard Views can be of the garden/courtyard/pool area, the canal or the parking lot at the front of the resort. The most popular SV request is an "Epcot/garden view." These rooms, on higher floors, have partial Illuminations views. The 5th floor is the highest non-CL floor.

ESPN at 1:30 on a Friday shouldn't be a problem at all and you shouldn't have any wait.

Happy planning!

I just returned home Friday, and they still had half of the second floor under construction when I left. The hall to the right as you head from the lobby to the elevators had the construction door up and a refurbishment sign by it. I saw construction workers every day going to and from that area.

After staying in a non balcony room at BWI, I would say there are maybe a half dozen maximum that don't have a balcony. I know what to look for now .

 

[AirGoofy]

So to rewind a bit, we had a Disney cruise (+1 BLT day) scheduled for our tenth wedding anniversary back in October, but we had to

Anyway, after dinner on Friday, we came back to this in the room. It was really awesome, very sweet. Haven't tried the chocolate yet, but probably literally sweet, too!
]

Congratulations on both anniversaries. Those extra magic things do make the trips even better.

It is a LONG walk to DHS, but we did walk because the boats didn't start early enough for us. This was a short trip so we were fine. With our usual 8 park days I would not want to be walking to DHS though. Our feet just get too tired.

It also depends on your room location and the time of day. The walk seems much shorter from the villas side and in the AM when I'm not as tired.

We just arrived at BWI yesterday afternoon. Traffic and parking was insane. There were vehicles everywhere unloading or loading, people really not happy, and they had areas blocked off, making everyone try and squeeze thru a small turn after dropping off (hope that makes sense, hard to explain), it was very difficult for those with anything other than a car. Also they had large parts of the parking lot reserved. , yay!

One of the areas BWV is definitely lacking - parking. Sundays during NFL season are terrible. We started arriving on Saturday to avoid that mayhem. I've watched the chaos from the balcony. Those directing traffic and parking cars earn their money that day. I've always wondered what happened to guests arriving for their stay and find no parking that day.

 

[RenaissanceBabe]

Make sure the person you are renting from knows and they can inform member services to have them note it on your reservation. When I have rented my points in the past to others I always check this, as when I book member services always ask if there are any celebrations happening for the party. Failing that when you check in - tell the cm & ask for a honeymoon badge ( button) . When you wear it around the Parks cm should notice. It's also worthwhile calling the disney dining and have them note it on any Adr's - as you oftern get nice touches in restaurants! Congrats by the way ! X

Thank you so much! I think I've got it covered in the ADRs. And I think the lady I rented from may have done what you said. I rented back in Sept so I'm going to have to go back and read some emails. I can always ask when I have her add magical express here in the next month or so. Thank you again.

 

[psac]

Thanks for the good wishes everyone.

Usually we do our winter trips in Nov, so this Dec weather is new to us. We came prepared with heavy sweatshirts, but it's still weird going to the parks in the morning when its 45 degrees out! And then it gets to the 60 (or 70s the next few days) in the afternoons.

Last night was Mama Melrose (Place) and the (Ozzy) Osborne Lights. Mama Melrose was the same as usual. We'll leave it at that. . The Osborne lights were fantastic as usual, with some great new songs, including one by Jack Skellingon. . We got the gingerbread hot cocoa in the souvenir cup for $5.50. Great deal, the cocoa was super yummy. The mug is a holiday version of the refillable ones.

Today was Epcot and YS tonight. But in between we had some sit by the pool time! Cheers to my... Boardwalkies? Errr.... Boardwalkers? Peeps!

 

[psac]

Kouzzina sign is long gone.

 

[LSchrow]

Thanks for the good wishes everyone.

Usually we do our winter trips in Nov, so this Dec weather is new to us. We came prepared with heavy sweatshirts, but it's still weird going to the parks in the morning when its 45 degrees out! And then it gets to the 60 (or 70s the next few days) in the afternoons.

Last night was Mama Melrose (Place) and the (Ozzy) Osborne Lights. Mama Melrose was the same as usual. We'll leave it at that. . The Osborne lights were fantastic as usual, with some great new songs, including one by Jack Skellingon. . We got the gingerbread hot cocoa in the souvenir cup for $5.50. Great deal, the cocoa was super yummy. The mug is a holiday version of the refillable ones.

Today was Epcot and YS tonight. But in between we had some sit by the pool time! Cheers to my... Boardwalkies? Errr.... Boardwalkers? Peeps!

bweeps? beeps?
as much as I despise cold (under 70 degrees & i'm shivering under layers of clothing), your trip looks & sounds amazing
have fun!

 

[WDWKOOK]

So to rewind a bit, we had a Disney cruise (+1 BLT day) scheduled for our tenth wedding anniversary back in October, but we had to cancel because of our sick cat who ended up passing away that week. It was all really sad of course. So for this trip, I did add a celebration that it was our anniversary trip, since we did miss that one, and it is our meeting anniversary (13 yrs) later this week, so it really wasn't a fib.

Anyway, after dinner on Friday, we came back to this in the room. It was really awesome, very sweet. Haven't tried the chocolate yet, but probably literally sweet, too!

Very nice and HAPPY (first meeting) ANNIVERSARY MR. AND MRS. PSAC!

We just arrived at BWI yesterday afternoon. Traffic and parking was insane. There were vehicles everywhere unloading or loading, people really not happy, and they had areas blocked off, making everyone try and squeeze thru a small turn after dropping off (hope that makes sense, hard to explain), it was very difficult for those with anything other than a car. Also they had large parts of the parking lot reserved. My DH had to go way to the back to park. The whole thing took a long time, plus he almost got hit by a poor guy in a big truck trying to turn in that small space I mentioned above. But once we entered into the resort all was right again in the Disney bubble. We have a great room with a view of the boardwalk. I do have to mention that in all the times we've been here last night was the first time we have ever heard people above us, maybe they're just hard walkers. We use a sound machine at night so it wasn't a real issue, just surprising. We're off to Epcot and HS today, yay!

What is going on there? Are Epcot guests trying to park there or are these guests checking-in? Hope you're having a magical vacation!

I just returned home Friday, and they still had half of the second floor under construction when I left. The hall to the right as you head from the lobby to the elevators had the construction door up and a refurbishment sign by it. I saw construction workers every day going to and from that area.

After staying in a non balcony room at BWI, I would say there are maybe a half dozen maximum that don't have a balcony. I know what to look for now .

Thank you for the update. I wonder if this lengthy rehab extension was due just to the firing of the first contractor of if this is some sort of additional rehab? This is waaaaay over schedule.

Thanks for the good wishes everyone.

Usually we do our winter trips in Nov, so this Dec weather is new to us. We came prepared with heavy sweatshirts, but it's still weird going to the parks in the morning when its 45 degrees out! And then it gets to the 60 (or 70s the next few days) in the afternoons.

Last night was Mama Melrose (Place) and the (Ozzy) Osborne Lights. Mama Melrose was the same as usual. We'll leave it at that. . The Osborne lights were fantastic as usual, with some great new songs, including one by Jack Skellingon. . We got the gingerbread hot cocoa in the souvenir cup for $5.50. Great deal, the cocoa was super yummy. The mug is a holiday version of the refillable ones.

Today was Epcot and YS tonight. But in between we had some sit by the pool time! Cheers to my... Boardwalkies? Errr.... Boardwalkers? Peeps!

We've felt the same way about MM (not Mickey Mouse!) It's underwhelming there with meh service and meh food. Now, Brown Derby on the other hand is a must-do every trip

Kouzzina sign is long gone.

Great seeing the new signage which I will have to put in the DINING section of the thread soon. When is dinner there?

bweeps? beeps?

 

[tsme]

I don't know what the problem was with parking. At the entrance, it was crazy with people checking or leaving. And for some reason they blocked off part of the area when you leave to turn back to go park, making it hard for vehicles to turn in the small space left. I have no clue about all the blocked off parking. We were checking in and couldn't park anywhere but the far distance back area. That's just crazy. There were whole areas up front that were blocked off as reserved but not full of vehicles. I think if a person in staying at the Boardwalk, they shouldn't be pushed to the back lot. Just my opinion. Unless Disney's trying to frustrate people into using the valet. Lol. All kidding aside, I told my husband when we check out, he's going to have to make that trek all by himself. We will be waiting in the front.