Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas Review
Nestled on the shores of Crescent Lake is Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas. This resort is actually two resorts in one, with one side being DVC while the other side is a regular hotel. You will often see the DVC side referred to as BWV (Boardwalk Villas) while the hotel side is the BWI (Boardwalk Inn). This resort, plus the Yacht and Beach Clubs, and the Swan and Dolphin make up the Epcot resorts that are situated on Crescent Lake, and in our opinion have the best location on Disney World property.
From here you can walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or if walking isn’t for you, they have boat service to both. You can even take the Skyliner from the International Gateway at Epcot over to Hollywood Studios if you’re looking for a bit more of a scenic, albeit, slower trip.
Over the years we’ve been able to stay on both the DVC side and the hotel side in various room configurations, and it has become one of our all time favorite resorts on property. We love the convenience of being to walk to two parks, the area is beautiful, and we really love being so close to Jellyrolls which is our favorite nighttime activity in Disney World.
This resort recently went through a refurbishment, during which time a lot of the more kitschy decor was removed and replaced with a more subtle Disney theme, as has been standard across property with these refurbishments. While the renovations do look nice, we love the bright yellow of the rooms, the resorts now don’t really have that special Disney feel to us like they used to. If it weren’t for a few paintings with characters around the room, you could mistake these rooms for any other hotel brand. Although this is such a small thing it certainly does not keep us away. For us, the location and the amazing cast members will keep us coming back to this, and the other Crescent Lake resorts.
The rooms:
There are various room configurations and views available at the Boardwalk. The rooms themselves are fairly spacious, and with the latest renovation are nice bright and cheery. For views on the Inn side you can select from water or resort, with most of the water view rooms having views out onto the Boardwalk. On the Villas side they have the options of water, boardwalk, or resort for the views.
One thing to note for the Villa side, is you don’t actually need to be a member of DVC to book there! Disney does allow cash booking of those rooms as well, and we’ve found often times we are able to get better discounts on the DVC rooms than at the Inn side.
View from the Boardwalk Villas
We’ve stayed in a number of the rooms and view options over the years, and for the most part haven’t had a bad room or location, with one exception, although it wasn’t overly horrible. That one exception was on the DVC side in a studio room, and while the room itself was very nice, it was a very loud location due to it’s proximity to the main pool and the sound system they have out there. During the day the noise wasn’t an issue for us, although if you have littles who are trying to nap it may be an issue, but at night it did get to be very annoying to have the constant thumping of the bass. They did turn the music off at 10:00PM, so fortunately it didn’t go all night, but it is something to consider while selecting a room location. If you prefer a quieter room maybe book a resort view rather than a water view on the Villas side.
I will note, the Boardwalk view rooms can potentially also be a bit louder just due to the activity on the Boardwalk, however we never found that noise to be as disruptive as the constant bass from the music at the main pool.
There are also garden cottages available to book. These are two story cottages, and although spacious, they only sleep two so they are perfect for a romantic getaway! These cottages also have club level access which is a nice touch.
One bonus for some rooms is the Epcot fireworks can be seen from them, although not the whole show, but some of the higher ones.
The Property:
The grounds of the Boardwalk are absolutely gorgeous. It’s location on Crescent Lake affords some great views, and the gardens are beautiful. We have never had a bad view while staying there, even in the resort view category.
The main feature of the resort is of course the Boardwalk. This is an actually working Boardwalk with various shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, and of course Boardwalk games. In the evening they even have people performing on the Boardwalk, often they have various magicians and other entertainers.
The Boardwalk has gone through some big changes in recent years, notably the closing of Big River Grille and Brewing Works, The ESPN Club, and the Boardwalk Bakery. The ESPN Club was replaced with the Cake Bake Shop, and the the Boardwalk Bakery was replaced with the Boardwalk Deli. Currently the space where Big River Grille was located is not being utilized.
On the Boardwalk you’ll also find an ice cream shop, the restaurants the Flying Fish and Trattoria al Forno, the Abracadabar, some gift stores, and the nightclubs Jellyrolls and the Atlantic Dance Hall.
Besides the Boardwalk, the rest of the property is actually quite large. There are three pools, two quiet pools and the main pool where the slide and pool bar are located. There is also the village green where you can catch movies under the stars in the evenings.
The pools are nice, however on the smaller side. There is not a ton of seating at the main pool area, however if you wait until later in the day, or get there right at opening you should be able to snag seats.
Resort Dining:
There are a number of options for dining while at the Boardwalk.
For sit down dining there is the Flying Fish, Trattoria al Forno, and the Cake Bake Shop. The Flying Fish is one of our favorite restaurants on property and we highly recommend dining there.
The New York Strip Steak at the Flying Fish
There are a handful of quick service options as well such as the Boardwalk Ice Cream shop, and the Boardwalk Deli. The Cake Bake Shop also does have a bakery side where you can quickly pick up a sweet snack.
One of our favorite bars on property is also located at the Boardwalk, the Abracadabar. Here you’ll find a fantastically themed space serving up some delicious cocktails, some even are served with a magic trick! One thing to note however is the space is very small, so it can be hard to get seats.
The Sour Assistant at Abracadabar
The one downside to the Boardwalk is to get to the restaurants, you do need to walk outside, so on a rainy day it’s not ideal, however it is at least a very short walk.
In addition to the dining available at the Boardwalk, the Yacht and Beach Club and the Swan and Dolphin are a short walk from the Boardwalk and offer even more dining options, and of course Epcot is also right next door so it’s easy to pop in for a meal.
Conclusion:
The Boardwalk is one of the best situated Deluxe hotels on Disney property with easy access to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It has a variety of dining and entertainment offerings, and the grounds of the resort are stunning.
There are many reasons this is one of our favorite resorts on property, although the biggest reason would be the location. Being able to walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios is amazing. It’s also a quick walk to the other Crescent Lake resorts such as the Yacht and Beach Club, which provides additional offerings in dining. The Skyliner at Epcot is also nearby, so you can visit the Skyliner resorts, such as the Riviera, easily as well.
The resort itself is beautiful. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern, it brings you back to turn of the century Atlantic seaside resorts, and the theming is done so well here. Spending an evening strolling on the Boardwalk taking in the entertainment and playing the boardwalk games is such a fun experience, and for the adult crowd, Jellyrolls is probably one of the best nighttime entertainment offerings on property. There is just so much to see and do here, it’s easy to fall in love with this place!
