Resort Thread Disney's BOARDWALK INN Resort

[psac]

Thanks!
I couldn't even get the website to show me 2017. Isn't it too early for anyone to reserve then, DVC or not?
I had a DVC person lined up for this trip, but it didn't work out. (not enough points at BCV for a week's stay)
I think I prefer to go the cash route again anyhow. I know it's way more money, but with my parents in their late 80's, I like to have that RO 5 day cancellation policy. I already bought my tickets, just before the increase, to spread out my expenses.
Thanks all for your responses! I guess I'll see what my options are when it gets closer to the time I can make my reservation. Meanwhile, I am enjoying learning as much as I can about the BW. (my family spent NYrs Eve 2009-10 on the boardwalk. We saw fireworks from all 3 parks!)

I was also looking at 2016. . Like Airgoofy said, DVC members can book 11 months out, so you would want to line up someone before then (private or David's).

 

[psac]

Hi there... sorry if this has been asked before but did some research and couldn't find the answer. Are the only boardwalk view rooms CL? We're huge YC fans but always love walking over to the Boardwalk and I think my DH would just LOVE sitting on a balcony at night with some wine and people watch. I love the excitement and buzz over on the boardwalk side! Unfortunately it looks as though those room types are sold out for our dates in June so I keep checking!

No, on the Inn side, they usually also have non-club "water view rooms". Those are Boardwalk View!

 

[Traceylee]

We are staying at AKL for our 30th anniversary 4/29--5/7. Thinking of switching to BWI as it's $180 more total. Any info anyone can give me on this resort would be great. I've never stayed there and have no idea what it's like. DH's biggest complaint staying at the YC in December was the walk to BC to get coffee.

 

[pixarmom]

We are staying at AKL for our 30th anniversary 4/29--5/7. Thinking of switching to BWI as it's $180 more total. Any info anyone can give me on this resort would be great. I've never stayed there and have no idea what it's like. DH's biggest complaint staying at the YC in December was the walk to BC to get coffee.

We've stayed at both AKL and BWI and I would make the switch to BWI. The ability to walk or boat to two parks - Epcot and DHS - is key for us. After one day of the buses, I'm a little tired of buses and love not having to rely on anything to start our day at DHS or Epcot and return to our room at the end of the evening. The Boardwalk location is great for dining because with park hoppers, you have all of the World Showcase restaurants available for dinners in the evening. And without park hoppers, you still have all of the BWI, BC, YC, Dolphin and Swan restaurants within walking distance. Not sure about specific dimensions, but the rooms at BWI seem much larger and are certainly brighter.

As for coffee, I think BWI is among the best and most relaxing spots for coffee in the morning. The Belle Vue Lounge is located at the base of the elevators to the rooms - so whether you are headed to the Boardwalk to walk to DHS or Epcot, or headed for the bus stops, coffee refills are on your way, right as you exit the elevators! I love not having to stop in a busy counter service restaurant to get my coffee - the lounge is peaceful and quiet and the coffee (at least a few months ago) is self-serve in your refill mug or by purchasing a cup.

I do love the lobby at AKL (one of my favorites) and the pools at AKL and Kidani are wonderful. I'd rank Jiko among my favorite restaurants on property. But overall, the convenience of BWI outweighs the rest.

 

[psac]

We are staying at AKL for our 30th anniversary 4/29--5/7. Thinking of switching to BWI as it's $180 more total. Any info anyone can give me on this resort would be great. I've never stayed there and have no idea what it's like. DH's biggest complaint staying at the YC in December was the walk to BC to get coffee.

We've stayed at both AKL and BWI and I would make the switch to BWI. The ability to walk or boat to two parks - Epcot and DHS - is key for us. After one day of the buses, I'm a little tired of buses and love not having to rely on anything to start our day at DHS or Epcot and return to our room at the end of the evening. The Boardwalk location is great for dining because with park hoppers, you have all of the World Showcase restaurants available for dinners in the evening. And without park hoppers, you still have all of the BWI, BC, YC, Dolphin and Swan restaurants within walking distance. Not sure about specific dimensions, but the rooms at BWI seem much larger and are certainly brighter.

As for coffee, I think BWI is among the best and most relaxing spots for coffee in the morning. The Belle Vue Lounge is located at the base of the elevators to the rooms - so whether you are headed to the Boardwalk to walk to DHS or Epcot, or headed for the bus stops, coffee refills are on your way, right as you exit the elevators! I love not having to stop in a busy counter service restaurant to get my coffee - the lounge is peaceful and quiet and the coffee (at least a few months ago) is self-serve in your refill mug or by purchasing a cup.

I do love the lobby at AKL (one of my favorites) and the pools at AKL and Kidani are wonderful. I'd rank Jiko among my favorite restaurants on property. But overall, the convenience of BWI outweighs the rest.

Also have stayed at both and completely agree. The BW is our favorite location on property, and AKL is about fourth or so on our list, even with the magical Savanna view. I think if you come back a lot, you should do AKL once, but I would put BW first. Happy anniversary!

 

[Chelley00]

We are staying at AKL for our 30th anniversary 4/29--5/7. Thinking of switching to BWI as it's $180 more total. .

We will be there at the same time. I love love AKL but we are staying at BWI specifically to be able to walk to Epcot for Flower and garden.

 

[rteetz]

Heads up

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/walt-disney-world-airline-check-in.html

 

[WDWKOOK]

Heads up

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/walt-disney-world-airline-check-in.html

Thank you, @rteetz for posting the link to the change in hours. Hours seem to have been reduced by one hour, they are now 0500 - 1200, instead of 1300 (1:00).

 

[Princess Minnie321]

We are booked for November at POFQ and we're just offered points for Boardwalk Villas by a family member! He is going to see if he can book us for November so fingers crossed and thinks the cost of the points will only be a few hundred more then we were paying for POFQ. Anyway, I have a couple of questions.

Is Boardwalk kid friendly? We will have a 5 and 3 year old and plan to rent a stroller.

Is there a kids area at the pool? I could not tell from the pictures if the water slide is a big one or smaller and good for young kids.

Do the one bedroom villas have dishes, silverware, and a dishwasher for use? I am thinking we could save money by having cereal or oatmeal in our room for breakfast.

The hotel we originally picked was because of the kids area and small water slide, but the Boardwalk looks beautiful and staying in a one bedroom villa with a washer/dryer is amazing!

Thank you!

 

[mexi]

We are booked for November at POFQ and we're just offered points for Boardwalk Villas by a family member! He is going to see if he can book us for November so fingers crossed and thinks the cost of the points will only be a few hundred more then we were paying for POFQ. Anyway, I have a couple of questions.

Is Boardwalk kid friendly? We will have a 5 and 3 year old and plan to rent a stroller.

Is there a kids area at the pool? I could not tell from the pictures if the water slide is a big one or smaller and good for young kids.

Do the one bedroom villas have dishes, silverware, and a dishwasher for use? I am thinking we could save money by having cereal or oatmeal in our room for breakfast.

The hotel we originally picked was because of the kids area and small water slide, but the Boardwalk looks beautiful and staying in a one bedroom villa with a washer/dryer is amazing!

Thank you!

There is a kiddie pool area near the big pool. I haven't used the area for kids in a while since I have teens now but I do remember elephants that spray water out of their trunks. The slide is on the big side and kind of high.

The villas have fully equipped kitchens for having or making a meal. You will find dishes, bowls, cups, silverware, pots, pans, cookie sheets, etc.

I would consider BW to be kid friendly. We've been going there since my kids were little.

 

[AirGoofy]

Is Boardwalk kid friendly? We will have a 5 and 3 year old and plan to rent a stroller.

Is there a kids area at the pool? I could not tell from the pictures if the water slide is a big one or smaller and good for young kids.
!

The most kid friendly aspect may be the proximity to two parks. I loaded and unloaded the stroller on the bus many times over the years. I can just walk and push the stroller to two parks, or ride the boat if tired without climbing up the bus steps.

Maybe that is more parent friendly.

 

[Angeliki19]

Hi everyone! I am new to this thread, but not new to the DIS. (Hi Kook!) I regularly hang out on the WL thread with occasional visits to BC/YC.
I am planning an October 2017 trip and would really like to stay in a 2BR villa in the Epcot area, but I heard that they are very difficult to get during F&W. (non-DVCer)
Are the BWVs easier to get than the BCVs?
That clown pool has always freaked me out, but I think I have to face my fear! I also like to have a beach to walk on, which is why I never considered the BW, but looking through this thread I am doing some serious rethinking.
We had a dedicated 2BR at WLV last trip. I noticed that BW only has the lock-off. However, that would not be a deal breaker. We are going with my DD and her DH and they might even prefer having a little more privacy and a separate entrance.
Anyhow, I guess my main question is the one about the difficulty getting a 2BR. Our dates will be Oct. 14-21st, the week after Columbus Day week. Does anyone know how many months out I can make the res?
This looks like a great thread! Of course, I knew it would be with Kook at the helm.

We just booked ours through Disney for this November and I was also nervous about availability. But what I was told is that DVC members get first priority so they don't open up a lot of the villas until after the 7 month mark. So you may have even better luck the closer you get.

We also wanted a 2 br but instead got a studio and a 1-bedroom and requested adjoining rooms, which would make it a lockoff. Even if we don't get that, hopefully they will be next to each other! So that's an option for you too.

 

[Traceylee]

I've decided to switch to BWI from AKL for our upcoming trip: 4/29--5/7. Thanks to all for the helpful answers to my questions.

 

[pas130]

Annnnnnd I just made the switch from YC CL to BWI BWV CL 4/1-4/3 hubby & I are doing F&G for the first time. I know the construction and all that, but I couldn't resist trying it with the AP discount. 11 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Traceylee]

Annnnnnd I just made the switch from YC CL to BWI BWV CL 4/1-4/3 hubby & I are doing F&G for the first time. I know the construction and all that, but I couldn't resist trying it with the AP discount. 11 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What kind of construction is going on?

 

[mouselovenfamily]

Arriving for our first stay in 2 days!! Yippee! Any construction updates? So excited, hope we love it

 

[LisaCM614]

What kind of construction is going on?

The construction out on the Boardwalk with Flying Fish and Seashore Sweets also some painting of the outside of the resort itself. Nothing major or scary!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Absolutely @WDWKOOK ! She is my Disney Buddy. (Nut doesn't fall far from the tree!)
We still haven't done the ballyhoo tour, so I think that will be on the list this time.

You make a great team

We are indeed, thank you for asking. One month from today to be exact. Let the countdown begin!

You're getting closer

It's ice cream it's got to be yummy. I shall sacrifice myself for the cause (or just drink that one first in case I don't like it)

We appreciate all your sacrifices and I hope we get a full report SOON

For the wandee. It's all about me.

Of course it is

Chiming in... We'll be staying at BWI in late May. First time staying at one of the EPCOT area resorts, but we've visited the boardwalk on a previous trip. Super excited to knock another one off the bucket list!!!!

I'm attending the Disney Institue Leadership Excellence course at BWI. My solo business trip turned into a parents only trip, and then after seeing the discounted room and ticket rates (for course attendees), we decided it would be irresponsible to NOT take advantage of the discounts and just bring our three kids and make a family trip out of it.

The kids still think (and are mad) that we are going to WDW without them. We decided to keep it a surprise and wait just before we leave to tell them. (We did this once before about 6 years ago, woke them up at 3am (blasted the Mickey Mouse March very loudly outside their rooms) and headed straight to the airport. They were in disbelief until we arrived at the airport. The responses of let let me sleep, to you must be tricking us, to sheer excitement were priceless. Need to come up with another fun way to break the news this time around.)

Anyway, super excited about our upcoming visit. Thanks to everyone for sharing so many great tips. This thread is priceless

Welcome, @MarbleBob. I love how your trip morphed from solo to family

Also looking forward to this! Wondering if you will be able get them at the take-out window?

Actually, I was looking at The Fountain over at the Dolphin. From the BWV side it looks like a short-ish walk. If the new ice cream venue is open at BWI, however, that would be our first choice. Wasn't thinking the new place was going to open before our trip.

Thank you! We're planning to bookend our trip with two days to just hang out, relax and enjoy the BW area.

It would be perfect for the take-out window - good question and your R&R days sound great.

Jumping in here! DH and I are staying at the BWV this September, and following this thread definitely has me thinking we made a good choice! We just got back from a family trip with a split stay at YC, and it was fun to look at the Boardwalk across the lake and daydream about our next trip. =)

Surprises.. we pulled on off in December, to totally mixed reactions. Our middle was thrilled. Our teenager was... well, a teenager, and kind of indifferent (I was looking forward to sleeping in!). And we learned the hard way that our youngest totally freaks out at surprises of that magnitude, and started crying. Oops. By the time the plane took off, they were all happy and ready to go.

Welcome and we think you made a good choice, too

Thank you! They are just a **little** bit bigger now. (we also have two older boys who were in high school and didn't go on the surprise trip because of classes/sports)

Not quite sure what DS is doing with his mouth in this picture.......

I love how DD no longer has glasses, but DS does - so cute!

Hi all! Just wanted to join the thread as we just booked our first trip to BWV!!! So, so, so excited!

We are going in early November... will Christmas decorations be up then? Also, I had read somewhere (possibly this thread) that some rooms have a view of the fireworks at DHS... does anyone have a recommendation on how to room request that? Thanks!!!

Happy to have you posting to our little thread. Decorations won't be up until later in the month, usually they begin going up around the first week before Thanksgiving. Not all the resorts are decorated at the same time and the timeframe does change year to year.

Kook Thanks as always for keeping us all up to speed with all of the WDW happenings!

~Boardwalk Buddies ( what do you think of this moniker pas ...lol...)..page two rescue!!!

BoardWalk Buddies is much more sophisticated than BoardWalkers

Hi everyone! I am new to this thread, but not new to the DIS. (Hi Kook!) I regularly hang out on the WL thread with occasional visits to BC/YC.
I am planning an October 2017 trip and would really like to stay in a 2BR villa in the Epcot area, but I heard that they are very difficult to get during F&W. (non-DVCer)

Are the BWVs easier to get than the BCVs?

That clown pool has always freaked me out, but I think I have to face my fear! I also like to have a beach to walk on, which is why I never considered the BW, but looking through this thread I am doing some serious rethinking.

We had a dedicated 2BR at WLV last trip. I noticed that BW only has the lock-off. However, that would not be a deal breaker. We are going with my DD and her DH and they might even prefer having a little more privacy and a separate entrance.

Anyhow, I guess my main question is the one about the difficulty getting a 2BR. Our dates will be Oct. 14-21st, the week after Columbus Day week. Does anyone know how many months out I can make the res?

This looks like a great thread! Of course, I knew it would be with Kook at the helm.

Welcome to Crescent Lake!

Awww, it's great posters who make a great thread. Have you made any decisions yet? There is that beach across the way, of course it's nothing like the MK Resort beaches and it is technically over at YC/BC.

I've decided to switch to BWI from AKL for our upcoming trip: 4/29--5/7. Thanks to all for the helpful answers to my questions.

Welcome to the thread and if DH really appreciates having a cup of coffee just steps away, have you considered Club Level?

Annnnnnd I just made the switch from YC CL to BWI BWV CL 4/1-4/3 hubby & I are doing F&G for the first time. I know the construction and all that, but I couldn't resist trying it with the AP discount. 11 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome former Regatta Cluber. The Regatta Club is nice, but the Innkeepers Club does have a nice balcony you can stand out on to watch Illuminations

Does this changeroo mean you're dropping BWI in the summer?

Arriving for our first stay in 2 days!! Yippee! Any construction updates? So excited, hope we love it

You might be giving us a construction update soon. Safe travels!

 

[pas130]

Taking one for the team .......lol....



Hope the time flies!!



~Boardwalk Buddies ( what do you think of this moniker pas ...lol...)..page two rescue!!!

I like it And I have to drink all the shakes since DH swears he's sticking to a diet

Welcome former Regatta Cluber. The Regatta Club is nice, but the Innkeepers Club does have a nice balcony you can stand out on to watch Illuminations

Does this changeroo mean you're dropping BWI in the summer?



You might be giving us a construction update soon. Safe travels!

You'll be getting some real time pics! It will either make or break our summer plans, however DH is SO happy with this change He's wanted to stay there since our November trip

 

[bluecastle]

Welcome to Crescent Lake!

Awww, it's great posters who make a great thread. Have you made any decisions yet? There is that beach across the way, of course it's nothing like the MK Resort beaches and it is technically over at YC/BC.

Thanks for the welcome! So far I have gotten some very helpful suggestions here and have added notes to my new BW file.
Since my trip isn't until Oct. 2017, I think I am going to just gather info about BCV and BWV and when it gets closer, decide which is my first choice. Of course, being that it is during F&W, I know I could get shut out of both and will have to have a plan B, but we all loved having a kitchen and washer/dryer in our 2BR at WLV and really would like to do that again. My DD's husband likes to make us all a big breakfast a few mornings to show his appreciation.
As of now, I think the BCV would be our first choice, especially since they are finally getting a major refurb, but I am keeping my mind open!