Tell me a little about Boardwalk, please....

[The Hill Family]

Hello everyone! This is my first official post on Disboards.... but I have gotten a lot of good information from "lurking" for awhile. Pardon my "boring" post (ie. lack of siggy, etc.)... I'll get there eventually!

We go to Disney at least once a year, sometimes more. We love it! We usually stay at WL but are thinking about changing it up a bit when we go in May 2006. I can't have my husband getting bored with our destination.

We are thinking about trying out the Boardwalk. Never stayed there but have visited. I don't know a whole lot about it... and was hoping that some of you could fill me in on the good (and bad) about the resort?!

If anyone has any other suggestions on a good moderate or deluxe resort, let me know. We have stayed at the AKL before as well.

Thanks everyone!

Amanda

Mom to two Disney loving Princesses - ages 7 & 1

 

[goofy4tink]

We own DVC at BW, so obviously we love it there!!! It is a bit more adult in theme compared to BC. THere are a lot of different eating options...Flying Fish, Spoodles, ESPN, Big River Brew. It's a very quick walk to Epcot...about 7 minutes, and about 15 mins to MGM along a very well lit path. The entertainment on the boardwalk at night is a lot of fun to just watch. You have several 'clubs' there also...Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance Club.
The pools are good...the 'clown' pool, Luna Park, is a lot of fun. But, if you prefer a quieter swim, the quiet pools are terrific.
WHile the transportation isn't the best on property, I never had any issues with it. We have never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus at BW.
One of the few things I don't like about BW is the lack of quick grab and go type food. There is a general store..The Screen Door...where you can get groceries but no 'food court' type spot. WL has Roaring Forks, BC has the new Marketplace..etc. but BW has nothing other than the Bellvue Lounge for a quick continental breakfast, which we have never used so can't tell you anything about it.
You can walk quite easily to Fantasia Gardens if you want to play minigolf. We did and it was a ton of fun. If the kids are going, they will enjoy Community Hall...there are planned activities there, some for a nominal fee, during the day.
All in all we love BW. It is my favorite spot in WDW to stay.

Oh....Welcome to the DIS!!! You are going to love it here!!!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Well, you can see by my screen name what resort is in MY HEART...but we just stayed 5 nights at the BW last week. DH looked at me as we were checking out and said, "Uh-oh, the WL has some competition now! I think we have found a new favorite!"

The BW was incredible. It is so cool to walk into Epcot, get a fastpass for Soarin', grab a snack at one of the countries, and then go back and swim for awhile. It is also awesome to come back to your resort at the end of the day and know that there is so much activity right outside your room. We loved walking to Y&BC, Swalphin, MGM...you have so many options!

You will love the BW! And welcome to the Disboards!

 

[lark]

I think the BWI is a really neat resort. The theming is great. It's also one of the smallest, if not the smallest, resorts at WDW. It's not quite so overwhelming as the BC and YC. (Although it does share with the BWV, so some of what I'm saying is overstated.)

For whatever reason, I think it really captures and effectuates its theme very well. It has a sort of understated classy and manageable feel to it. Hard to explain. The pool is great, although can't compare to the BC/YC if pool is important to you.

For us, the convenience/location of the monorail resorts makes it difficult to stop staying at them, but if there were one resort anywhere in WDW that I'd stay at after a monorail resort, it's the BWI. There is one downside, though. If you are considering paying for the "water" view category, be advised that there are a number of rooms (or maybe it just seems like it to us!) that aren't that great, even though technically in the "water" category. Just an FYI.

 

[goodferry]

We have stayed at the CBR, Poly and BWI, the BWI is probably my favorite, and the kids liked the Poly best. The Boardwalk is a beautiful resort, very elegant and has some of the best staff on property. It is very easy to get to Epcot and MGM and a little more centrally located then the MK resorts. We loved sitting on our balcony and watching people on the Boardwalk and we really enjoyed the pool too. That said, we are staying at the Poly again this December, you really can't beat staying across the lagoon from the castle and watching Wishes from the pool.

 

[The Hill Family]

Thanks, everyone, for your input (and for the warm welcome)! I'm so torn.

We are taking my mother on this trip with us & are thinking of taking more members of our extended family too. I know we don't all have to stay at the same resort but it sure would be nice. I've priced out BWI & WL... then I checked out the Poly since we've stayed there before, although it was about 4 years ago and I understand they are renovating.

Decisions, decisions.....

I'll let you know what we decided. I can't wait to get more involved in these boards (now that I broke the ice).

Thanks again - keep the opinions (input) coming.

Amanda

Mom to two Disney loving Princesses - ages 7 & 1

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Since you have two little girls, you may want to stay at an MK resort. I love the WL (can you tell by my name? LOL) because WDW is a beautiful boat ride away, as it the CR. We love the have breakfast at Chef Mickey's at the CR> From there you can hop the monorail and go to the Poly, MK, GF or even Epocot. you can also take the boat to Ft Wilderness (the campground) and do the pony rides, petting zoo...outdoor movie and campfire with Chip and Dale.

I love both the WL and BW, because they give two different experiences. But it is *ALL* Disney, so as far as I am concerned, it is *ALL GOOD*!!!!!!!

 

[hiwaygal]

Well, I've only been to Disney once, so take my advice for what it's worth!

We stayed at the BWI in September...OMG!!! WE LOVED THIS PLACE!!!! The lobby and rooms are so beautiful! Casual, elegant, but with a touch of whimsy...someone said it's hard to explain, and it is...but OH! DH and I just loved this place!

We stayed in a concierge deluxe room (it was our wedding/honeymoon so we splurged) that was right over the Boardwalk Bakery! So we had more options for grabbing a quick breakfast/snack from the concierge lounge. But I think the Boardwalk Bakery offers sandwiches in addition to the dessert stuff. And there is a "pizza window" by Spoodles to grab something quick.

We had dinner our first night at Spoodles and I can say the alfredo is good and so is the sangria!

I had the best time just sitting on the balcony and watching everything going on down on the boardwalk below! In the mornings it was quiet and peaceful and late evening were just so wonderful! We watched this fabulous magician performing just below our balcony on our last night there...he was hilarious and it almost felt like a "private" show!

One thing that someone told us that we never considered. And I could be wrong about this (I'm sure someone will correct me if I am). Depending on the time of year you go, the parks may close "early" enough for you to do something else (late dinner, drinks, etc.), even though the monorail resorts have some of their own fascination (for good reason!) after the parks close, there isn't much to do at the resort, you know? Unless you get on a bus to go somewhere else...but at the Boardwalk...there is LOTS to do!!! ESPN and JellyRolls (and I think the Dance Hall) are open LATE!!! The street performers are even there 'til almost 11 (I think).

Like I said, this was our first trip ever, but we have already decided this is where we want to stay every time we go for awhile. Maybe someday we'll buy DVC at BWV, and maybe even test some of the other resorts, but I think we'll always love the Boardwalk.

 

[Jasminetigger]

hiwaygal,

We have always stayed at WL but have been looking into BWI for our next stay. What was the deluxe room like? Do you know what extras it had that the regular concierge rooms did not have?

 

[mitros]

I can say one thing, we stayed there earlier this week, and if you do stay there, DO NOT stay on the 2nd floor. They are still working on the pipes that were installed in the ceilins, and it's still pretty messy there. They are still plastering and sanding the ceiling, and probably will be for a few more weeks. The one convenient thing about the second floor was that you only had to go down one floor to get to the boardwalk level.

 

[hiwaygal]

hiwaygal,

We have always stayed at WL but have been looking into BWI for our next stay. What was the deluxe room like? Do you know what extras it had that the regular concierge rooms did not have?

I'm not sure I know all the info, 'cause, like I said, it was our first time...but the concierge deluxe room was bigger. It had the regular room set up, then there was like a little sitting area/living room area just beyond the beds. It also had an actual water view (I understand Disney's idea of a water view can vary) but we looked over the boardwalk and crystal lake toward the Yacht club.

Here's a pic of our room...it's a bit blurry, and there's still a bit behind the camera (there is a armoire with a tv on the right, and a couch on the left, and a small table with two chairs, and the small balcony behind me)

Our room (from the outside) we were in the center right above the bakery.

I do have pictures of the view, but they are kinda fuzzy because it was so humid while we were there, most of the pics seem to have a haze in them.

I hope that info helps!

 

[iliketoby]

I'm in the minority, not liking the BWI at all. It is pretty, has some neat stuff, but I just don't get the "Disney feel" there. Also, I had nothing but problems there. In our first hour alone -- didn't get the water view we paid for, found half-eaten bag of popcorn behind a throw pillow on couch, couldn't get a fridge because they were out of 'em.

The concierge staff is almost never at their desk - you have to go to the lounge to find them, and then they're too busy filling out forms or training a new employee to deal with you.

Plus there is no restaurant (although that bakery is yumicious!)

Since I had such a bad experience, I didn't go back. I guess it is possible that all those things are flukes and I just had really bad luck.

I prefer to stay at the Beach Club with a view of the Boardwalk. That way I get a great hotel, and can visit the BW Bakery!