Which room? Garden view Boardwalk Inn or Grand Destiny Tower water view

[Hopingforpixiedust]

Hi all! My family has been to WDW several times. We have always stayed deluxe. This time we are deciding between the Grand Destino Tower - water view and Boardwalk Inn garden view. This will be an adult only trip. We are only visiting Epcot and HS. Cost difference is $1000. We haven’t tried either of these resorts before. WWYD?

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

We own DVC at BWV and also have stayed a few times at CSR (as recently as 2 weeks ago). BW is the better location....especially for the parks your going to. That said, we Uber/Lyft'd the entire time we stayed at Coronado and never had a ride over $10.

I voted BW just because it's my favorite resort. Really though, for those two parks, it's a toss up. If saving the $1k means you can upgrade your dining or add a fun experience, I'd stay CSR. If $1k isn't a huge issue I'd stay BW.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hi all! My family has been to WDW several times. We have always stayed deluxe. This time we are deciding between the Grand Destino Tower - water view and Boardwalk Inn garden view. This will be an adult only trip. We are only visiting Epcot and HS. Cost difference is $1000. We haven’t tried either of these resorts before. WWYD?

BW due to Boat access and International Gateway access. Buses at GDT can drive one batty with all their stops around the resort. But, if you use Minnie Vans it almost feels like a VIP trip, hotel door to park quick (If one is available). Alas, I have a personal preference for IG access as I love how quiet that area is first thing in the morning so I still swing towards BW.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

You can call a *lot* of Lyfts with $1k and avoid the Coronado buses altogether.

We love BW and IG, it's where we've rented points to stay, but I'd be thinking about what else I might do with that money if I stayed at the less accessible resort. A behind the scenes tour? A fancy dinner? Or, are you likely to do what you want on site regardless of whether you spend more for the room?

 

[HopperFan]

Love CSR but if money isn't a issue, I'd go with the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS and avoid any transportation. But if the $1000 can alter your trip, I'd buck up and stay at one of my favorites and get on the bus.

 

[Nabas]

Hi all! My family has been to WDW several times. We have always stayed deluxe. This time we are deciding between the Grand Destino Tower - water view and Boardwalk Inn garden view. This will be an adult only trip. We are only visiting Epcot and HS. Cost difference is $1000. We haven’t tried either of these resorts before. WWYD?

We have stayed at both a few times.

GST feels like a traditional (nice) hotel; a step above many but not exactly upscale. It's enjoyable. (Rumor is, it was the NBA players' favorite when they all stayed onsite during COVID lockdowns.)

However, seeing you only plan to visit Epcot and DHS, BWI puts you within walking distance of both. It's a tremendous advantage over having to deal with buses, especially at park opening and closing. CSR/GDT buses make several stops, making them a bit more irritating than some other resorts.

We've done more of our fair share of drinking in the World Showcase and nothing beats being able to walk back to either the Y&BC or BWI. From most of the World Showcase, it's a shorter walk to the Boardwalk than to the bus stops at the front of Epcot.

We've also walked many times to DHS from BWI/BWV and can be back in the room before a bus even shows up.

As an adults-only trip to Epcot and DHS, Boardwalk is the clear choice.

But whether it's worth $1000 more depends on how many nights and what you would do with that $1000 if you did not spend it on BWI.

 

[Marthasor]

With adults-only, getting an uber/lyft/Minnie Van to avoid the CSR buses is easy and will never add up to $1000. I do prefer the location of BWI, but not a huge fan of the rooms or the resort in general. CSR GDT is gorgeous and feels deluxe (minus the balconies). I think I would go with CST GDT on this one.

 

[jods]

I vote BWI because you could walk to epcot and it has balconies. Dh and I enjoy sitting on the balcony with a drink. Another option would be take the 1000 and upgrade your gran destino room to a club level room.

 

[Richie248]

I absolutely LOVE Gran Destino Tower, Coronado is now one of my favorite properties. I'm not a fan of BWI as I feel the rooms are in need of a major refurb. Like most have mentioned in this thread it comes down to your preferences:

• If location is important/walkability to Epcot and Studios then BWI is the better choice. Also, International Gateway makes it an easy walk to enjoy WS. I'm personally not a huge fan of the restaurants in WS (at least in their current state) and find the festivals to feel repetitive and no longer special/unique so walkability to WS isn't a huge selling point for me anymore. Coronado has some GREAT dining options. Toledo is a hidden gem and Three Bridges is great for both food and drink. The lounges are also fantastic....the view form Dahlia and the offerings of Barcelona make for a great evening.
• Cost savings of $1k is pretty big. Not sure the size of your party but that could equate to a few nice meals and enough money to Uber (when you don't feel like taking the bus). As previous poster said I rarely paid more than $10 to ride within property. I personally never had issues with the buses at Coronado buses and it's in a great location (centrally located to AK, Epcot and DS).

I would personally stay at Gran Destino.

 

[Disneylover99]

Go with whatever is cheaper.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I have DVC and have stayed at the Boardwalk Villas many times but never at BWI so I would never pay to stay at BWI so my decision hinges on that and $1,000 is quite a bit more. I also have to say I absolutely adore Gran Destino Tower! You should also check out a Club Level room which is less than CL at the Deluxes.

 

[summerlvr]

My vote is for Gran Destino since it is so much cheaper. Use the savings to Uber/Lyft to the Swan and from there you can walk or boat to Epcot and HS.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Hi all! My family has been to WDW several times. We have always stayed deluxe. This time we are deciding between the Grand Destino Tower - water view and Boardwalk Inn garden view. This will be an adult only trip. We are only visiting Epcot and HS. Cost difference is $1000. We haven’t tried either of these resorts before. WWYD?

So I voted for BW just based on which resort I prefer as I've stayed at at both and the fact you are only going to Epcot and DHS.

If you are cost conscious, definitely stick to GDT. The rooms are very nice, fresh and the water view will be very pretty. Three bridges bar is very nice too. However, to me that's where the pros of CSR/GDT end, bussing to all parks is a negative and the rooms at GDT, while less than the boardwalk, are still overpriced and more times than not, I would choose a standard room at CSR for this reason. GDT definitely feels more deluxe than the standard rooms at CSR but the location is a big negative for us. With $1K saved, you can definitely uber to DHS and Epcot and still come out ahead however, if the cost isn't of concern, I go back to BWI. The location of Boardwalk cannot be beat! You can walk/boat to the parks. You have so many dining options nearby, nightlife with entertainment at the dance hall, dueling piano bar, restaurants you can walk to, other dining options at YC/BC or Swan/Dolphin. If the cost is a concern and you want a better location like BWI, you can also check out Swan/Dolphin. These are our go to resorts if we can't get a good disney discount at BW or BC.

 

[Ursula J]

BWI--I'm a balcony fan so that sways me to deluxe every time! Nothing like sitting out there and absorbing the Disney while having a coffee. Feels less claustrophobic too when family tensions emerge...

 

[QueenofScott]

We've not tried Gran Destino, but we LOVE BWI! It's the perfect location for going to Epcot and HS. Lovely atmosphere and places to stroll around and relax. We like being able to walk over to Epcot in the evening and get dinner.