Wilderness Lodge or Boardwalk?

[minniegirl19]

Right now we have the Wilderness Lodge booked for our trip in August but we considering switching to the Boardwalk. Just want people's opinions we've never stayed at either! thanks

 

[mom2carlee]

We are booked at WL in October. But I would love to stay at Boardwalk!

 

[francie57]

Can't give you any input on WL but we absolutely love the BW. We love staying in the Epcot resorts and have been doing so since they opened. We love the convenience of a walk (or boat ride) to two parks and all the restaurants in the area (BW and Epcot) for great meals at night. You definitely would not be disappointed with the BW. Can't wait for our next trip in Aug. also.

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed at both - BWI x3 and WL x2 - and we enjoy each of them for different reasons:

WL: Beautiful and relaxing lobby area, very much a retreat from the parks, wonderful to boat to/fro MK at the beginning and end of the day, Artist Point/Territory Lounge are so convenient (TL may be my favorite lounge at WDW) and the pool area is quite serene. Also, if you need CS, Roaring Forks has a great selection. On the other hand, we try to avoid bus transportation as much as possible, preferring to walk, boat or monorail. At WL, it's boat (yay!) to MK and bus to the rest. As a result, we stayed at WL more when we were always on the go and in the parks from morning until night - not as easy for us to take an afternoon break when staying there.

BWI: We love the atmosphere and theme, the BWI CL is my favorite of all the CLs we've tried so far, and the location on Crescent Lake is both peaceful and convenient to both Epcot and DHS. We love the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS (or boat if our youngest runs out of energy) and find the bus to MK and AK is just fine. A key reason we prefer BWI over WL is the proximity to all the Epcot dining and Epcot resort area dining for dinners in the evening. We're more likely to spend time in a park in the morning, return to the resort for a swim or boating break after lunch and then head to Epcot or around Epcot for dinner. We love the BWI quiet pool and the main pool is busy, but the slide is one of the best at WDW.

Really depends on your touring style and preferences, ages of kids, if any, etc. WL was great for us when we toured commando style and spent a lot of time at MK. BWI works better for us now that we take afternoon breaks and have so many ADRs in Epcot. Good luck with your decision!!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Right now we have the Wilderness Lodge booked for our trip in August but we considering switching to the Boardwalk. Just want people's opinions we've never stayed at either! thanks

We've never stayed at BWI, but we love the WL. The resort is beautiful, it's convenient to MK via boat, and there are great CS/TS options. It's also just a boat ride away from the CR where you can find a variety of dining options there or hop on the monorail to the Poly and GF. With that said, BWI is also a beautiful resort that's convenient to Epcot and DHS. If you will be spending a lot of time at MK, I'd go with WL; if you will be going to Epcot and/or DHS more often, I'd go with BWI for the convenience of getting to both of those parks. If will be spending equal time at all parks, my choice would be the WL. Good luck.

 

[DavidG1966]

Stay at the Wilderness Lodge. Beautiful Hotel, Great Pool, Boat to MK & The Whispering Canyon Cafe! Don't forget to ask for Ketchup!!!

 

[Arielle22]

We have stayed at both. We prefer WL. WL feels set away from the hassle and bussle when BWI always seems very busy to us.

We have stayed Club level at both and liked WL more at that level as well.

When we go to Epcot we take the boat to MK then take then monorail to the transportation hub and switch to the Epcot monorail. I enjoy the scenery on that leg of the monorail.

That leaves buses for the Studios and AK.

 

[MrsDuck]

We like staying at WL when we plan on lots of MK time. We like Boardwalk if we plan on hitting EPCOT or DHS frequently!

 

[AshleeH]

We were less than impressed with WL. To be fair, we live in an area remarkably like the theme, so it didn't feel like a relaxing vacation to us. I would love the Boardwalk - it looks like a great area.

 

[MissionMouse]

We have stayed at most of the deluxe resorts; many of them at the club level. Most of the resorts have done a good job with theming while also noting some cost cutting that impacts the theme experience. Between these two resorts we would select BWI. WL is very popular during the Christmas season. BWI with park hopper tickets easily gets you into Epcot which is at your door step for dining. BWI provides more of a private resort feel with less non-guest traffic in the evenings. The Boardwalk is a easy stroll. WL and BWI both have their transportation Pros and Cons.

 

[BelleKer]

I will be going to WL in May, but visited BWI during Valentine's weekend and loved it. The biggest benefit was the location to EPCOT, but of course WL is closer to MK. We had a standard view room, and it was definitely an odd view. We were in a room, above the front entrance, but behind the lighted boardwalk covered area. Our balcony was overlooking some random seating area. We would randomly get people on the phone fighting, or discussing their travel plans loudly. Definitely would love to upgrade to a water view next time, and see if I am even more impressed.

 

[minniegirl19]

thanks everyone for your replies! Ive visited both also just have never stayed at either! Its my parents me and my sister who is 17 on the trip. Our itinerary is MK, epcot, HS, break in the morning/ mk/ epcot, AK/HS, and then MK. So I'm not sure if one resort would be more of a benefit to us I just wanted to see what peoples experiences are!

 

[suemom2kay]

Who is in your party? Kids? Will you be spending a lot of time at MK or Epcot/DHS?

WL has a great feel, an amazing lobby and over the top National Park Theming.

Unfortunately, the pool was very small for the number of rooms and was always very crowded. The slide is geared toward small children. We did not have very good luck with boat or bus transportation. They have a small boat and a large boat. Whenever we got to the dock there was a long line of people and the small boat would come. Then we'd have to wait 15-20 mins for the next boat.

Buses (i may be remembering incorrectly) but I'm pretty sure they went to GF before the parks including MK.

The theming is very nice and relaxing but the pool and transportation were deal breakers for us.

Boardwalk's pool never feels crowded. The slide is much more thrilling (at least according to my DD). You can walk or boat to 2 parks. I've never waited for a boat that didn't fit everyone waiting on the dock.

Bus transportation from Boardwalk to the parks was fine for us when we stayed there. But we are rope droppers so ymmv.

We also enjoy the acts/fun to be found on the boardwalk and walking around crescent lake.

Both are great resorts. For us we like the Boardwalk better.

 

[kapoof]

Bwi. We liked the wl but loved the bwi for its location, overall feel and closeness to two parks, the pool, and the rooms.

 

[Marthasor]

We've stayed at both and, especially with the ages of your family and the fact that you will be visiting DHS and EP multiple times, I would pick BWI. WL is lovely, but very remote and only has two restaurants and a QS onsite. You will have to take a boat or bus everywhere you want to go. BWI, on the other hand, offers access to countless restaurants, entertainment plus an easy walk or boat ride to both EP and DHS. WL was far too remote for our taste. I didn't like that, every evening, if we wanted to go to dinner or explore, we had to get on another bus or boat. At BWI, you simply step out of your room and you are within walking distance of tons of options.

 

[Disneychick75]

BWI seems a better fit with your plans.
We love both resorts. The rooms at WL are tiny though.

 

[TIMLEO007]

We like staying at WL when we plan on lots of MK time. We like Boardwalk if we plan on hitting EPCOT or DHS frequently!

I agree with the above....both are awesome resorts though, have stayed at both, and would gladly stay at each again.

 

[roydavid7771]

Judging from your age group, I'd go with BW. More centrally located, and there is far more to do in that area that caters to older kids and teens than WL does. Having said that, WL is sooooo peaceful and serene that you would never know the Mouse was right around the corner....

 

[herb102211]

You really can’t go wrong with either resort! We’re staying at the WL for the first time in 2 weeks. I love the theming of it. If you’re planning on spending most of your time at MK, I would probably stick with the WL.

With that said, the Epcot area resorts are our favorite (mainly because we spend a lot of time at Epcot). It’s so convenient to be able to walk back to your room whenever you want to and be able to be back in the parks in 10 minutes or so. There are also a lot of restaurants in that resort area that you could go to, without having to set foot in a park. So if you’re going to spend a lot of time at Epcot and DHS my vote would be to switch to BWI.

We’ve stayed at the Boardwalk several times and have always had a great stay there.