Resort Thread Disney's BOARDWALK INN Resort

[tiger4me2]

I thought of another question. I saw on the website that there is a parking warning, and that self parking may not be available? Does anyone know if this has actually been an issue? we have to rent a car, because we're going to the Amway center Sat night for a concert, so taking the ME isn't an option this trip and we'll have to park. It would be quite inconvenient to not be able to self park at our resort!

W had no problem self parking last month. They will make th people not staying at the resort valet park according to the manager. The site has had that warning up since early 2014. Just my views.

 

[HBGdancermom]

I loved my trips alone with the kids! My dd20 still will go with me but ds18 stopped after his one at 13

As much as I love family trips I find I am way more relaxed with less people.

Happy planning

Thanks Trishadono! I've done one with my oldest and one with my youngest. You can imagine how the middle child is milking his lack of mom trip. LOL

 

[ninafeliz]

Could you rent from National/Alamo at the Dolphin, pick up the car just before 4, then return it when you get back? They have after hours drop off. You'd have to head to the Amway Center early, but you could grab dinner offsite, etc.

That would be an option I could look in to, I've never done anything like that. In my experience renting at a small site away from an airport is usually quite expensive and it would involve a lot of messing around to get the car and return it, but I have heard many people mention this rental site so maybe it isn't so bad. I'll most likely go with a weekend rental to avoid the waiting for ME on both ends ( and hope for the nest with parking), but I will check the price of the one day rental just to see. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[ninafeliz]

W had no problem self parking last month. They will make th people not staying at the resort valet park according to the manager. The site has had that warning up since early 2014. Just my views.

Well I feel better if that warning has been up for a long time and you had no problem parking. I assumed it was a fairly recent thing.

 

[NH-to-FL]

It's $25 to valet now! It went up last month.
We did do the valet for our trip, but are hoping to self park next month. We'll see!

Rant on - While it is not usual for me to speak ill of my favorite BWI one early December many years ago I had to valet park as there was no self parking space available. After slowly driving around the lot a bunch of times waiting for a space to open I finally drove back up to the front door to complain. The CM apologized but said there was nothing they could do. The only alternative was to valet. Thankfully the next day we found a parking spot.

What irked me the most was that there were a lot of empty space in the valet lot. It made me think they allocated the parking spaces to get more valet revenue.

OK... rant off... I feel better now.

 

[hill6]

Arrived at the Villas late morning. We were told resort is at 100%. I requested upper floor near lobby. We are furthest room from the lobby. Guy delivering luggage asked if we requested the quietest room. He did snicker when I told him room requests. Not all bad though we have gorgeous remodeled 1 Br villa. We are right next to the steps and are closest location to Swan and Dolphin overlooking the waterway. Already took boat from Swan/Dolphin to DHS. Epcot tonight.

 

[AirGoofy]

What irked me the most was that there were a lot of empty space in the valet lot. It made me think they allocated the parking spaces to get more valet revenue.

OK... rant off... I feel better.

I've been lucky enough to self-park, grabbing one of those spots after circling many times and thought the same thing.

 

[tiger4me2]

Well I feel better if that warning has been up for a long time and you had no problem parking. I assumed it was a fairly recent thing.

The first time was because they were but they were through with that in June. Yes I was there middle of Sept. Husband didn't have a hard time finding a parking. As he put it "rock star" parking. I asked about it to a valet & he told me too many people try to park free to go to Epcot & DHS. So he said.

 

[hill6]

Something happened last night at the bridge between Swan /Dolphin and the Boardwalk. We got back to our room and there were ano it a dozen sheriff cars and Disney security along the water. They had crime scene tape up and not letting folks along the water. We did see a number of uniform officers on the bridge. They did take tape disney around 11 pm and most of them left around that time. Nothing on local news last night.

 

[gwynne]

Something happened last night at the bridge between Swan /Dolphin and the Boardwalk. We got back to our room and there were ano it a dozen sheriff cars and Disney security along the water. They had crime scene tape up and not letting folks along the water. We did see a number of uniform officers on the bridge. They did take tape disney around 11 pm and most of them left around that time. Nothing on local news last night.

That must have been odd to see OP. That area is usually relatively quiet.
I remembered I read something this morning and found it.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/news-round-up.3301070/page-392
see post 7827
"Looks like a false alarm."......

 

[psac]

Hi everyone!
We'll be there in a couple weeks and I don't remember the a/c or bathroom vent noise situation at the BWI. Usually the in-room ventilation system is pretty good as far as white noise for me - I have a radio with a white noise feature I could bring, but if I don't have to bring it, I won't. Anyone recall the background noise there? Thanks for your help~

-penny

BWI doesn't have enough of a background sound for me, but I typically sleep with a box fan running. I have a white noise app on my iPhone and iPad. I use those when at Disney, used them at BWI in August, and will again in December. Better safe than sorry when it comes to sleeping!

O my gosh, me too-box fan, year round! My boyfriend and I both have iPhones too, I'll find the white noise apps. Problem solved, thanks !!

We use an app as well when we travel. Sleep machine v 3.0. Be careful because when you are lying in bed waiting for your son to wake up reading the Dis, while your husband is still sleeping, when you hit the app to see the name it turns it on, thus waking up your husband

What may be even easier is that you can request a box fan from housekeeping!! I saw @WDWKOOK mention that once before maybe on her WL thread, so we requested one when we stayed at the BW and they had it. The check in guy had no idea they had it, but then he found it on the list. They brought it up about an hour later. No problems keeping it in the room for the whole week.

Another trip (may have been BLT? Or Kidani?), we called and requested "box fan" which somehow got heard as "play pen", but after the false delivery they got it straightened out and brought the right thing!

 

[hill6]

That must have been odd to see OP. That area is usually relatively quiet.
I remembered I read something this morning and found it.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/news-round-up.3301070/page-392
see post 7827
"Looks like a false alarm."......

Thanks for the info. It was scary was it was directly outside our room. Glad to hear false alarm

 

[ariane37]

Four weeks from today we'll be back at BWV I've been so busy and time has really flown! Now being a month away the excitement is finally setting in and the boys are looking forward to their next stay at their favorite resort

 

[WDWKOOK]

That one never gets old.

You're too kind. It's old, it's stale, I need new material.

That's terrible.
Do you have the drumroll emoticon?

We're having a great time here. Here's a mini report so far...

We arrived on Friday, Oct 16. Staying CL level, and were met at the Magical Express stop (1 stop at Caribbean Beach before BWI) and were taken right up to the Club desk at the lounge for check in. They checked all our Magic Bands and since we had requested to have our room ready, we were able to drop our carry on bags, change into our "park touring" clothes, and off we went.

Our room was everything we requested. Nice view of gardens, and great for viewing Illuminations. Outside the Innkeeper's Lounge doors.

We walked to Epcot, and the crowds were thick! We tried a few of the food booths, then, went to our cooking demo we had scheduled. By the time our Rose & Crown reservation was ready, the crowds were nasty. Many folks had been drinking much of the day and while they seemed to be having a good time, many around them weren't. The Pub at R&C was packed, and because they were so crowded in the restaurant, we were seated inside rather than on the patio, which would have been much more pleasant. Inside, we couldn't even hear our server for the rowdy pub crowd, and decided to eat quickly and head back to our room to watch Illuminations from our balcony. Rose & Crown has always been one of my favorite restaurants, but not this time!

Other than that, it's been a fun trip so far...BWI CMs have been wonderful, Lounge has been great for a quick breakfast before heading off to an early morning at the parks. Here are a few photos of the room, before we messed it up too badly. We're hoping the heavy crowds we saw over the weekend will be less now that the work/school weeks has begun again. I'll do a more thorough report after we get home, but thought you might like to see the view from our room.

The crowds sound awful, but BWI sounds great. Thank you for posting your photos!

We are at 60 days. I reserved our FP+s at midnight. Now I have nothing left to plan for our upcoming trip to BWI. I'm not in a hurry for winter to come, but would like to have my Disney trip!

Sooner winter comes, the sooner your trip is here and the sooner spring is just around the corner

Just got confirmation on BWV for September 20-27, 2016! Only 335 days to go!

We've got a 2 bedroom that my family of 3 is sharing with my in-laws. I'm excited to have my own little studio with access to a full kitchen and washer/dryer.

We stayed at the Inn a few years ago for Star Wars Weekends and my husband refuses to stay anywhere else now!

So excited!

Yippee! Welcome to the thread and congratulations on booking. I'll log your dates.

Hi WDWkook and BWI peeps!

I am so excited to report that I just booked 2 trips back to the most wonderful place in the world!! I am doing a mother son trip and staying at the Contemporary this January but we are coming to BWI for our family Spring Break trip!
It will be our first stay at BWI and we are coming in Sunday March 27th and staying CL. So excited to read all about it for the next 5 months!!

Two trips?! Sounds perfect and we'll see you on the CR thread, too

Hi everyone! I'm so excited, this morning a standard room at the BWI became available for our quick F&W weekend Nov 13-15 without the kids! I've been watching for a while and started at the CR, then changed to a Poly studio, but was hoping for an Epcot resort to open up and it finally did!!!

But now I have to learn a new resort - I'm very familiar with all of the MK resorts but know nothing about the BWI except what you see as you walk around to check out the common areas. I do plan to try to read through this thread as fast as possible, but can people please take pity on me and tell me the quick and dirty about standard rooms .

What to request, what not to request, what are the really bad views I would like to avoid, what are the good views to possibly request? Do all rooms have balconies? I know we won't see the lake, but I really would rather not look right at the parking lot or front entrance - are there a lot of those rooms? Since it's just my DH and I a king bed would be very nice - how many are there and should I make that my only request and not worry about view? Does anyone know where the king rooms are and how many there are? Are there any secrets I should know, or insider tips? I don't care about the walk from the lobby, a long walk with a better view or location is worth it.

I know it will only be for 2 nights, but we get there early Friday and leave in the late afternoon Sunday, so we have some time and I'm loving that I get to check a new resort off of my list! We always gravitate to the MK resorts with 2 young kids in strollers, so this time we get to try a new resort and a new area! Any advice is welcomed, particularly about the standard view options

An adult's-only trip sounds great. Standard View BWI rooms can have every view except a direct BWV. Most like to request an Epcot View room which faces toward the BWI Quiet pool and gardens. You can see some of Illuminations from the upper rooms. The 5th floor is the top floor.

I've asked how many King rooms there are, but they wouldn't provide me with a specific answer. I was only told that there are very few and they're scattered throughout the resort.

Woohoo! Just booked a week staying in BWV 3-11th may just me and the hubby!

Congratulations and I'll add your dates to the BWB

It's $25 to valet now! It went up last month.
We did do the valet for our trip, but are hoping to self park next month. We'll see!

Whoa, that's a big jump. Thank you for posting the price and I'll correct the first page.

Arrived at the Villas late morning. We were told resort is at 100%. I requested upper floor near lobby. We are furthest room from the lobby. Guy delivering luggage asked if we requested the quietest room. He did snicker when I told him room requests. Not all bad though we have gorgeous remodeled 1 Br villa. We are right next to the steps and are closest location to Swan and Dolphin overlooking the waterway. Already took boat from Swan/Dolphin to DHS. Epcot tonight.

Wow, F&W has become really popular. The resorts/parks now seem perpetually crowded.

Something happened last night at the bridge between Swan /Dolphin and the Boardwalk. We got back to our room and there were ano it a dozen sheriff cars and Disney security along the water. They had crime scene tape up and not letting folks along the water. We did see a number of uniform officers on the bridge. They did take tape disney around 11 pm and most of them left around that time. Nothing on local news last night.

Very scary stuff, especially when you have no idea what's going on.

That must have been odd to see OP. That area is usually relatively quiet.

I remembered I read something this morning and found it.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/news-round-up.3301070/page-392
see post 7827
"Looks like a false alarm."......

Great memory and thanks for posting

What may be even easier is that you can request a box fan from housekeeping!! I saw @WDWKOOK mention that once before maybe on her WL thread, so we requested one when we stayed at the BW and they had it. The check in guy had no idea they had it, but then he found it on the list. They brought it up about an hour later. No problems keeping it in the room for the whole week.

Another trip (may have been BLT? Or Kidani?), we called and requested "box fan" which somehow got heard as "play pen", but after the false delivery they got it straightened out and brought the right thing!

Another poster with a great memory. You're absolutely correct that I did mention that on the WL thread. The Deluxe rooms there don't have ceiling fans so we requested the box fan from housekeeping and kept it for over a week without any problem.

Four weeks from today we'll be back at BWV I've been so busy and time has really flown! Now being a month away the excitement is finally setting in and the boys are looking forward to their next stay at their favorite resort

I hope you have a magical vacation

 

[LindseyJo22]

Woo hoo!

After an awesome honeymoon in September, we booked a 1BR villa for a trip with my mom in May

Can't wait to show Disney to my mom the way my husband and I like to do it

However, I was wondering about construction - surely the renovations will be done by May, right? I'm really hoping for a renovated 1BR

 

[psac]

Woo hoo!

After an awesome honeymoon in September, we booked a 1BR villa for a trip with my mom in May

Can't wait to show Disney to my mom the way my husband and I like to do it

However, I was wondering about construction - surely the renovations will be done by May, right? I'm really hoping for a renovated 1BR

Nobody knows when it'll be done. We're hoping for a renovated 1BR in December!!

 

[TSR6]

I just got back from a stay at Boardwalk... our 5th stay at Boardwalk. We have never had a problem with self-parking. In fact, I parked in the back corner of the parking lot and had empty spots on both sides of my truck. I always park out in BFE because my truck is still semi-new and non-door-dinged.

 

[TSR6]

...so onto another note. I'm sitting on my couch after a stay at the Boardwalk Resort. We had an absolute blast staying on the Concierge Level.

Here's a video view from our room on the 4th floor:

One of the main reasons we stay at the Boardwalk Resort is the short walking distance from EPCOT. For those who haven't stayed at Boardwalk who are wondering how long it takes to get to EPCOT from the Boardwalk Resort, I took a video to show some friends of mine back home....and even better... I happened to walk past the wedding carriage while still on Boardwalk property:

If you have any questions... hit me up! I just got home today!

 

[VbChristy]

...so onto another note. I'm sitting on my couch after a stay at the Boardwalk Resort. We had an absolute blast staying on the Concierge Level.

Here's a video view from our room on the 4th floor:

One of the main reasons we stay at the Boardwalk Resort is the short walking distance from EPCOT. For those who haven't stayed at Boardwalk who are wondering how long it takes to get to EPCOT from the Boardwalk Resort, I took a video to show some friends of mine back home....and even better... I happened to walk past the wedding carriage while still on Boardwalk property:

If you have any questions... hit me up! I just got home today!

We're going in 20 days, I cannot wait!!! I'm trying to decide what to recommend for my room. I'll be club level as well. I really want a king bed though. Maybe I should just ask for that.

I cannot wait. I love your videos and your excitement about your stay.

 

[TSR6]

We asked for a Boardwalk view if possible... and got it!

We had a great time... this was our first time on Club Level, and absolutely loved that too!