As we mentioned in our previous post, we belong to the Disney Vacation Club, and our home resort is Disney’s Boardwalk Villas. Boardwalk became the second Disney Vacation Club property in Walt Disney World in 1996 and was built to be reminiscent of the Boardwalks of the cities of the Eastern Shore that were being built in the early 1900’s. This gives Boardwalk a unique feel, and the theme is presented well throughout the resort.
Boardwalk was set up very differently than Old Key West, the original Disney Vacation Club property. As opposed to being sprawled out with many different buildings like Old Key West, the Boardwalk Villas (which shares a lobby of the non-vacation club portion, the Boardwalk Inn) is encompassed all in one building. Each side has over 350 rooms, which definitely makes it a good size property.
As with all of the properties at Walt Disney World, there are both some pros and cons of staying at the Boardwalk Villas.
Pros
Location–Boardwalk is in a prime location. The Boardwalk Villas are considered an Epcot resort and is within walking distance from both Epcot (about 15 minutes) and Hollywood Studios (about 20 minutes). If you don’t want to walk, you can use the boat transportation to either of the two parks. Besides Epcot and Hollywood Studios, The Boardwalk Villas are also a relatively short walk away from some other great resorts, which can be worth a quick visit including DIsney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club as well as Swan and Dolphin reports. As far as in relation to the rest of Walt Disney World, Boardwalk is also very centrally located and is within a 10 minute drive or shorter to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs (or at least to the parking for each of these spots).
The Boardwalk itself–The Boardwalk has a great atmosphere, and is home to some unique shops and great dining options. During the day (especially from the morning through mid-afternoon), there is a more laid back atmosphere with opportunities to take a leisurely stroll along Crescent Lake and take in the sights. The evening brings in larger crowds and an atmosphere of much more hustle and bustle. Boardwalk is home to the Atlantic Dance Hall, a night club, and Jellyrolls, a Dueling Piano Bar, both of which don’t open until the evening. There is also the ESPN Club, a large sports bar that offers some great food options, and, of course, opportunities to watch sports.
The Dining Options–This was already mentioned previously but deserves its own mention. Besides the ESPN Club offering some great bar and grill options, the Boardwalk offers other dining options; including those a bit more upscale, such as Trattoria Al Forno and Flying Fish. There are also some quick dining options including a Pizza Window and carts that have some traditional offerings you would expect on a Boardwalk like Funnel Cakes, Fries, Corn Dogs, etc. Two other really cool places include the Boardwalk Bakery and the Ample Hills Creamery, which both offer some awesome sweet treats. Besides all these great options right on the Boardwalk, there are other great options to explore at the resorts nearby as well.
Cons
Parking–There is very limited self parking at The Boardwalk Villas/Inn. We are usually able to park without much problem when staying at Boardwalk, but we are normally there during less busy times of the year. When we stayed around Christmas and Spring Break and left to drive somewhere, we would wonder if we would be able to find a parking spot upon our return. During these busy times we would utilize other modes of transportation a vast majority of the time.
The walk to/from the room–As mentioned before, The Boardwalk Villas/Inn are all in one building, which means there is a good chance that your room could be quite a distance from the lobby and elevators. This isn’t too big of a deal when you are first leaving your room excitedly to go to one of the parks, but it can become something you dread at the end of the day knowing you still have quite a walk back to your room.
Cost–For those not in the Disney Vacation Club, the Boardwalk Villas can be very expensive. I quite often like to see what the cost would have been for our room if we did not use our Disney Vacation Club points, and I have never seen Boardwalk cost less than $400 per night–even for a studio. We have stayed in the two-bedroom villas with extended family between Christmas and New Year’s Day when the regular rate was over $1500 per night. This was one of the many times that I was very thankful for our Disney Vacation Club membership.
Overall, we have been very happy with Disney’s Boardwalk Villas as our home resort. I would definitely recommend it to any Vacation Club members that have not tried it out yet, and if it is within the budget, it may be worth staying here for non-vacation club members as well. Keep checking back as we will have future posts about the other Disney Vacation Club resorts as well as other interesting topics.
