Wilderness Lodge v. Boardwalk

[emma'sdad]

We are going back to Disneyworld in December 2005. We have a 7 year old who has stayed at the Contemporary twice and Animal Kingdom once. Does anyone have opinions as to whether Wilderness Lodge or Boardwalk are better for families?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Disney_Queen34]

Wow, that's a really tough one! I think they are both probably equally as good. The theming for the pool for Boardwalk is great for a 7 year old and so is the whole Boardwalk idea in general.

Wilderness Lodge has an AWESOME pin trading station right in the lobby (I'm pretty sure this is the only resort that has one of these or else one of the only) so if your child is into this this is a real plus! And the ladies that work there are super nice and fun!!!!! Also, the Whispering Canyon (an restaurant) would be alot of fun for a 7 year old as well. They do horseraces throughout the restaurant and the waiters are way funny. Kids love this. The pool is nice but nothing overly special. It does have a slide.

With that being said I think either is a winner but I lean more towards Wilderness. It also has the Electrical Water Pagent which Boardwalk does not.

 

[rcraw45425]

Depends on whether you are big MK people or EPCOT fans. WL is great, great theme and decor, rooms are kind of small compared to CR, same size as AKL. Layout is identical to the rooms at AKL. Not familiar with the BWI, looks great, I like their pool, kids say that the clown mouth scares them. Go figure. WL is less money per night than BWI if that helps. Plus, WL has the boat to CR, FW and MK in it's favor.

 

[mrg013]

They are both such great resorts!! I'm from New Jersey and I would definitely lean toward the Boardwalk just because it reminds me of what our beach towns used to (ages ago!) look like. My kids stayed at both resorts at young ages and they enjoyed both immensely! The Wilderness Lodge does have the fun Whispering Canyon Cafe, while the Boardwalk doesn't really have too many kid-friendly places to eat. You could always go nearby to other places like the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club and Gulliver's at the Swan to eat at, though. The location is probably better at the WL for kids since it's so easy to get to the Magic Kingdom. The pool is definitely more fun at the Boardwalk, and there is the actual boardwalk to walk around on and play games. That's such a tough choice! I'm sure you would enjoy both resorts!

 

[rcraw45425]

What about a split stay?

 

[Cass]

WL is very very pretty & festive at Christmas with the decorations, we enjoyed it!

 

[alynna]

If you are staying for some time and it is not too difficult for you to switch resorts maybe try a split stay. We are staying at the Boardwalk for most of the time and WL for the last two days since it looks like a great place to wind down before we leave. Have a wonderful time whatever you decide!

 

[Mom to Jordan]

We love the WL and it is perfect for the Christmas season. We were there last year in December. This year is going to be a budget trip and we are going value. I refuse to even look at my WL!!!! Well we might have to go over for dinner at Artist Point!!!!

Jordans' mom

 

[ADisneygirl]

If you are staying for some time and it is not too difficult for you to switch resorts maybe try a split stay. We are staying at the Boardwalk for most of the time and WL for the last two days since it looks like a great place to wind down before we leave. Have a wonderful time whatever you decide!

This is what we did on our trip this past summer. We wanted to try the WL, but BWI is my family's favorite, so we decided to split the stay. We were at WL first (in case we didn't like it we figured we had the BWI to look foward to instead of lament about). Turns out we loved the WL!!! It was so beautiful there. My kids loved seeing the wild bunnies running around the grounds.

Either resort would be good for a 7 year old. The slide at the Luna Park pool at BWI isn't scary looking. My kids have loved it for years now. It is shaped like an old wooden roller coaster and you do slide out of the clown's mouth, but you aren't looking at the clown's mouth as you slide down. There is a nice poolside bar shaped like a carousel where we enjoyed yummy pina coladas and sandwiches. Just thinking about the BWI makes me want to skip work tomorrow and drive on over!

I think the BWI seemed less crowded to us, especially at the pool area. WL pool is nice, but a bit smaller. And there were always people everywhere. Even first thing in the morning the pool was busy. At BWI, which has the smallest number of rooms, we could go to the pool at 10am and be one of two families there. Very relaxing! And my daughter, at age 18, got to be the "Keister Coaster Kid of the Day", which was quite an honor. The lifeguards pick one kid a day in the am to be the first one down the slide, and she happened to be picked! She had to wear a red nose, a rainbow wig and a bow tie! It was hysterical! Then she got a little certificate. She still laughs about that.

 

[eeyore0062]

Gosh, that is like comparing apples to oranges.

OK-- I will try
Wilderness Lodge- a warm, rustic, cozy place with fireplaces, lots of dark wood, very Native American feel. Rooms here are small for a deluxe resort. A compact resort where the lobby is never very far away. Has 2 full service restaurants, plus boat to either Fort Wilderness or Contemporary to enjoy the restaurants there. Has bike rental and trails that lead into Fort Wilderness. Has bus transporation they share with the Grand Floridian to all parks and boat transporation to the MK. The pool is beautiful with the hot springs from the lobby feeding into it a slide and 2 hot tubs near the geysurs. The geysurs are fun to watch, and you can see the Electric Light Pageant from the pool and some of the rooms. You also have beach here, but you cannot swim in Bay Lake.

Boardwalk- very convenient to Epcot and Disney MGM (walking distance, or take the boat launch), as well as Fantasia Gardens. Access to night life and arcade games with a carnival feel for the kids. Has surrey bike rentals so you can ride the walkways of Crescent Lake. If you want a room that is away from the bustle of the actual Boardwalk, make sure to request it-- the night life can go until 2 am, so you may not want to be right over the restaurants and clubs. Nice pool with nice slide for the kids, hot tub. Access to many varied restaurants, including Spoodles, Flying Fish, ESPN Zone, not to mention the Yachtsman Steakhouse, the Garden Galley and Cape May Cafe at the Yacht and Beach Club, as well as the various restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin. The atmosphere is very turn of the century New Jersey Beach Front. It is festive and lively as opposed to warm and cozy.

As I said, they are very different resorts. Perhaps you might consider spliting your stay and get a taste of each?

 

[SnowBound]

I am partial to WL from a decor standpoint, but I have nothing against BW. We have stayed at both and each has strengths outlined above. If you can't make a decision based on amenities, go with the decor you like best.

 

[swilphil]

I like the Boardwalk better. They have a community room and a playground area, though I'm not sure if 7 year olds still play on those (my kids are preschoolers). The best part is the location to MGM and Epcot. You can take the boat or even walk. It's fun to go over to Epcot's World Showcase for just a couple of hours to do the Kidcot stations.

 

[Cinderpals]

Hi! We loved the WL in December! On Christmas Eve, Mickey & Minnie, Chip & Dale were there in the Lobby! We switched rooms once to have a pool/lagoon view. There are buses that can take you to Epcot, Downtown Disney, MGM etc.... I wouldn't suggest the boat to monorail to go to Epcot. It was a 40 minute ordeal! The bus is more direct ( I think that it shares it with Ft. Wilderness right next door). I also took a bus from the Transportation center to the WL while travelling back from Epcot. Much faster that way. I didn't realize that WL had bus service to the different parks or to Transportation Center. I figured the boat was the main way to get around. We did look at the Beachclub and Boardwalk while there. We would have stayed at the Boardwalk or Yachtclub if we wanted to stay by Epcot. I liked the Beachclub pool, but the Yachtclub shares it. The rooms seemed newer too at the YC. If you happen to get a pin code for your stay, the WL is very affordable.