GF or boardwalk?

[marissa1230]

We are currently nooked st the GF but I can save $450 by switching to boardwalk. Im torn :/
We just came back from disney in sept staying at beacb (loved) and wilderness lodge. We try tonstay at a new hotel each time. My dh has been wanting boardwalk and doing GF for iur 10 year anniversary, but I dont like that there isnt a dedicated counter service at boardwalk (we have a 19 month old) so I would like to get food quickly in the AM.

Thoughts?

 

[Shellyb84]

GF is amazing. BC is our favorite but GF is a close second. Never stayed at BW - it doesn't appeal to us at all (creepy clown pool - no thanks!).

 

[PSUGuy]

We've never stayed at GF, the MK area doesn't appeal to us as much as the Epcot area, we go to WDW for Food&Wine and we're big fans of the board walk itself. You can walk to 2 of the WDW parks, there's entertainment there, you can see the aerials of Illuminations and even stroll to WS easily and there are a variety of food and beverage choices. I take it that there are actually some folks put off, even terrified, of the clown face, it's nothing to us, our kids and grand kids. We also enjoy an occasional surry bike ride around the the water. We do want to have a drink in the GF some day.

Bill From PA

 

[loves to dive]

Another one who isn't a fan of the MK resorts but love all the Epcot ones. As far as breakfast, there is the bakery at BW and the bar serves bagels and such. The walk over to BC isn't really that far to do their little QS area and you can always hop into Epcot and go to France after 9 am. You can also walk over to Swan/Dolphin, they have a couple of places. I'd go with BW.

 

[ontheuptick]

BW is our favorite resort (we have kids 9, 6, 3, and inf) so far. Location is the best in WDW in our opinion. Bus service is great, and best walking distance to HS and EP. The boardwalk bakery is fine for a breakfast in the morning unless you must have a hot breakfast. If that is the case, get a res at Trattoria/Cape May or get it in the parks. A QS hot breakfast is literally the only downside of the BW.

And I'm sorry, but writing off BW because the clown pool is "creepy" as many do is kind of silly. Kids love the pool, so I think most can get over a creepy clown paint job.

 

[meower13]

My husband and I honeymooned at the Boardwalk and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Loved the location, Loved the theming and loved the pool. Clown is less creepy in person.
There were plenty of options for a quick breakfast at the bakery for us- and usually loads of space outside to sit, or you could always take it back to the room as well!

I went and looked at the menu online and noticed it doesn't reflect a lot of what was available.
check here to see more of what they have!
http://allears.net/dining/menu/boardwalk-bakery/breakfast

 

[goofy4tink]

Clown barf!!!!! That's what my dd always yelled as she came through the clown's mouth!!! We love BW, GF doesn't appeal at all. If you're looking for breakfast options at BW, you can always head down to the Bakery, or over to Belle Vue Lounge in the morning. Or, you can walk over to the Dolphin, and eat at Picabu...cafeteria style place on the ground floor. It's really good!!!!

 

[a742246]

Since you already stayed in the EPCOT area I would give the GF a try. With a 19 month old, you probably will be going to MK more, so that would be another reason for GF. GF is a great resort, with a very good counter service area. The lobby offers a piano player and a band from 4:00 on.

 

[Shellyb84]

BW is our favorite resort (we have kids 9, 6, 3, and inf) so far. Location is the best in WDW in our opinion. Bus service is great, and best walking distance to HS and EP. The boardwalk bakery is fine for a breakfast in the morning unless you must have a hot breakfast. If that is the case, get a res at Trattoria/Cape May or get it in the parks. A QS hot breakfast is literally the only downside of the BW.

And I'm sorry, but those who write off BW because the clown pool is "creepy" are childish, IMO. Kids love the pool, and if can't get over a clown painted on the slide, I don't know what to tell you...

Wow, I don't think it's appropriate to call people childish for their opinion of a pool...everyone has their own opinions of the resorts, but I've never seen anyone name call others because of their opinion.

 

[ontheuptick]

Wow, I don't think it's appropriate to call people childish for their opinion of a pool...everyone has their own opinions of the resorts, but I've never seen anyone name call others because of their opinion.

Wasn't meaning to call you names, my apologies. It's a common theme you see - people talking about the clown being creepy. Sure, it's a little creepy in the pictures. I don't think people who stay there and have kids who swim there have ever come back saying "boy, that slide is creepy I can't go back". It's just such a trivial thing but always something that people latch onto. I wasn't meaning any disrespect - so again, I apologize!

 

[Shellyb84]

Wasn't meaning to call you names, my apologies. It's a common theme you see - people talking about the clown being creepy. Sure, it's a little creepy in the pictures. I don't think people who stay there and have kids who swim there have ever come back saying "boy, that slide is creepy I can't go back". It's just such a trivial thing but always something that people latch onto. I wasn't meaning any disrespect - so again, I apologize!

Thanks for the apology!

I get what you're saying. I guess for us, it's not so much "creepy" as just unappealing/unattractive. I mean clowns don't keep me up at night or anything. DH used to want to give BW a try, but we've walked over and explored and we prefer the theme and look of many other resorts. Now, that's not to say that I would never stay there, I would choose it over a lower tier of resort any day, and would choose it over CR or WL.

 

[100acreHiker]

GF and BWI are my two favorite resorts. We've outgrown needing frequent access to MK and we much prefer staying near EP and HS, and after trying BC and BWI, we LOVE BWI. Now, GF is luxurious and I would love to stay there again, but I'd rather save a few hundred dollars and be able to walk to Epcot, personally. We ate breakfast in the Bellevue lounge most mornings or went to the bakery. They do have hot food (breakfast sandwiches and plates with sausage and eggs and bowls of oatmeal) at the bakery. We are not grab-a-muffin and go people--we want something wholesome or hot and with some protein--and Boardwalk was absolutely fine for us. But if you'll be in and out of MK a lot, spend the money and stay at GF. It's lovely and amazing! You can't go wrong, I swear, and having access to the monorail with a stroller and a baby is really nice.

 

[kmv]

We love Boardwalk. It's the location for us that is great. So nice to go to a quieter restaurants and stroll the Boardwalk at night. We also love being able to walk to the back entrance of Epcot and boat (or we did walk once) to HS. I'm also super money aware so if I could save $450 I'd pick Boardwalk for the price alone.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Both are great resorts, but I think it depends on where you will be spending most of your time? I'm pretty sure the GF still has a dedicated daycare if you wanted to do anniversary dinner at Narcoossee's, Citricos, or Victoria and Albert's. I'm not sure if BWI has a daycare onsite. I owe DVC at both and prefer BW, but if I was going to spend more time at the MK, then I would stay at the GF. The new kid pool and splash area at GF is really nice. You can't go wrong with either choice.

 

[heidijanesmith]

BW! The BW is a great location, as other posters have stated above.

I thought the bus service was better for us at the BW than YC/BC. We had a dedicated MK bus every morning. With a young one, I imagine you will want to spend quite a few days at MK. Bus service is great at BW.

We also ordered breakfast items to be delivered to our resort with gardengrocer.com. It's so nice to eat breakfast in your room. You might check out BWV studio rooms as they have a kitchenette, perfect for wanting a hot breakfast in the AM.

 

[ontheuptick]

I thought the bus service was better for us at the BW than YC/BC. We had a dedicated MK bus every morning. With a young one, I imagine you will want to spend quite a few days at MK. Bus service is great at BW.

This is an important point. Dedicated bus service to MK without stopping at BC/YC or Swan/Dolphin was awesome.

 

[marissa1230]

You guys are making me rethink the GF. We are spending 1.5 days at MK 1.5 at epcot and .5 hs and .5 at AK so stayimg at either GF or BWI would be convenient.

The clown pool isnt creepy to us so that didnt matter. I forgot the bakery was steps away, which may work. I will need to look at the menu but as long as my LO has atleast yogurt 1st thing in the morning, she will be OK until we get inside the parks.

 

[ontheuptick]

You guys are making me rethink the GF. We are spending 1.5 days at MK 1.5 at epcot and .5 hs and .5 at AK so stayimg at either GF or BWI would be convenient.

The clown pool isnt creepy to us so that didnt matter. I forgot the bakery was steps away, which may work. I will need to look at the menu but as long as my LO has atleast yogurt 1st thing in the morning, she will be OK until we get inside the parks.

On a short trip like that, where you are hopping around, I think that transportation is really important.

I would be willing to bet a lot of money, that your total transportation time with the itinerary outlined above would be AT LEAST double staying at GF as opposed to BW. Probably triple, honestly.

MK - GF monorail, BW dedicated bus
EP - GF shared bus with other MK resorts or monorail around to TTC, get off and switch monorails and take monorail to Epcot, BW is 6 minute walk.
HS - GF shared bus again, BW is 12 min walk
AK - GF shared bus again, BW dedicated bus

The shared buses at Poly, GF, and Contemporary are a pain and add a lot of travel time.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

On a short trip like that, where you are hopping around, I think that transportation is really important.

I would be willing to bet a lot of money, that your total transportation time with the itinerary outlined above would be AT LEAST double staying at GF as opposed to BW. Probably triple, honestly.

MK - GF monorail, BW dedicated bus
EP - GF shared bus with other MK resorts or monorail around to TTC, get off and switch monorails and take monorail to Epcot, BW is 6 minute walk.
HS - GF shared bus again, BW is 12 min walk
AK - GF shared bus again, BW dedicated bus

The shared buses at Poly, GF, and Contemporary are a pain and add a lot of travel time.

I can honestly say that owning DVC points at both, the bus rides to HS and AK probably take a total of an hour round trip maybe longer. I even had a bus driver coming back from AK forget about some of us going to the GF after dropping off as the Poly. If you want to spend the most time in the park and not feel rushed, then I would definitely say stay at the BW or any Epcot resort for that matter. I feel like staying at an Epcot resort that you are operating more on your time and it is more relaxing. You are not rushing to catch a bus or a monorail. The dedicated bus service to BW is nice for MK. Also, for the AK, the bus picks up the BW last and drops off the BW first (just in case you were wondering).

 

[got15]

My husband and I honeymooned at the Boardwalk and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Loved the location, Loved the theming and loved the pool. Clown is less creepy in person.
There were plenty of options for a quick breakfast at the bakery for us- and usually loads of space outside to sit, or you could always take it back to the room as well!

I went and looked at the menu online and noticed it doesn't reflect a lot of what was available.
check here to see more of what they have!
http://allears.net/dining/menu/boardwalk-bakery/breakfast

I totally agree with you! I was always hesitant to stay at BWI bc of the Clown. We got a great rate and finally bit the bullet and the clown slide wasn't bad at all- looks a LOT worse in pics. The pool does need to be reimagineered but so does the CR imo.