UPDATED BOARDWALK REVIEW 5/28/19 HERE
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we kicked off summer with a Disney land and sea trip! We drove down on a Friday afternoon and stayed at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn & Villas until Monday morning. This was our first time staying at Boardwalk and it immediately became a favorite!
The waterfront resort embodies the charm and whimsy of turn-of-the-century Atlantic City. The lobby is luxurious and inviting, with tasteful theming. And, not only do you have immediate access to everything that the Boardwalk has to offer, but the resort is within easy walking distance (or a quick boat ride) to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios! This is a fantastic location for a trip with older kids (mine are 7 and 10) where Magic Kingdom isn’t your main focus. It’s also great for a trip like ours where we weren’t going into the theme parks at all!
We used our Disney Vacation Club points (I know I owe y’all a post on that) to stay in a lake view studio (similar to a regular hotel room type of accommodation). The room was pretty nice for Disney standards – tasteful furnishings, plenty of room for us, and no wallpaper borders (lol). Rather than having two queen beds, studios have a queen bed, a sleeper sofa, and a twin murphy bed. We love this set up because it gives more room for moving around during the day and allows both kids their own bed at night.
The murphy bed pulls down from where the little table and chairs are to reveal a Dumbo theme. So darling!
The studios contain a basic kitchenette in addition to the standard mini fridge. We usually eat our breakfast in the room so it is a nice amenity.
The bathroom area had one sink and was nicely updated. The potty and shower were in a separate room and have not been updated like the rest of the studio.
Now, what really blew us away was the view!!!!!!!!! Other than the savanna view at Animal Kingdom Lodge, this is the best we’ve ever had. The atmosphere out here was just fantastic. Since we only did one water park day and had lots of time at the resort, we loved sitting on our balcony and people watching. We were surprised at just how quiet the Boardwalk is during the day!
That’s Spaceship Earth peeking out over the trees!
We spent three nights at Boardwalk and watched the Epcot fireworks from our balcony two of them!
I always say that you shouldn’t pay for a deluxe resort if you won’t have time to make the most of it! Like the other Disney resorts, Boardwalk had TONS of things to do. We were so happy that we had an entire day to enjoy them. There is a large green space overlooked by the Boardwalk Inn’s sweeping verandas. During the day we found cast members out with all sorts of balls and hula hoops.
At night it is home to Disney movies. We were lucky enough to catch Star Wars The Force Awakens!! They spread out sheets on the lawn and passed out bags of popcorn. It was a lovely evening!! We always stock our mini fridge with drinks, waters and wine so we carried that down as well.
The Luna Park pool was a ton of fun and we spent most of our resort day parked right here! There is a main pool, water slide, baby pool, hot tub, playground and pool bar / dining right here.
My littles loved it at night even more than during the day. I mean, who doesn’t adore a creepy glow in the dark clown face?!
I lost count at how many times the littles went down the Keister Coaster slide. A hundred? Two hundred? Honey and I took a few turns as well and, I must admit, it’s a GOOD slide.
Just around the bend from Luna Park is a quiet pool. We didn’t swim, but we did make use of the DVC Member Community Hall. There were video games, corn hole, board games, foosball, ping pong and more. It was a super fun respite from the sun a few times during our stay!
Before dinner one night we kicked back at the Belle Vue Lounge. They serve a continental breakfast in the morning (we didn’t partake) and regular lounge menu in the afternoon. We sat outside on the veranda overlooking the lawn and played one of the fun board games available to guests!
The Boardwalk Inn and Villas literally walk right out onto Disney’s Boardwalk! Its a great themed space with carnival games, dining, nightlife and entertainment.
Because of the easy access to dining and snacks on the Boardwalk there aren’t any restaurants inside of the resort itself (outside of the lounge and pool bar). But, just steps away are all sorts of options! We sat on the lake with a pizza from the take out windows and Joe’s margaritas after our long drive down Friday night.
We only made one dining reservation for our trip and opted for Trattoria al Forno right on the Boardwalk. Everyone loved their meal and the ambiance was great!
Sunday evening we popped into ESPN Club for the basketball semi finals and made dinner of a table full of shared appetizers. It was a lot of fun – the boys were in heaven!
We made two trips to the new Ample Hills Creamery during our long weekend stay. It’s ahhhh-mazing. You HAVE to try the ooey gooey ice cream. Next time I’d skip the chocolate chip cookie cone and go for a good old fashioned waffle cone though. If you are staying at any of the Boardwalk area resorts I implore you to visit :-)
I even got to meet up at Ample Hills with my sweet friend at Dressing for Disney and rub that baby belly one night!!
Overall, we really loved our stay at Boardwalk and will definitely be back!
Have a magical day!!
xoxo
As an independent consultant with Glass Slipper Concierge, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, I offer concierge travel planning for Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland® Resort, Adventures by Disney®, Aulani and other delightful destinations.
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