Reviews of Boardwalk Inn (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by jeconk Review Date: 04/09/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed at Boardwalk Inn for 5 nights for a spring break vacation. We chose Boardwalk due to its location and ease of access to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. That is one of the best parts of this resort...the ability to walk to both parks (or take the ferry).
When it come to the ferry service, I am always a little apprehensive about boat transportation. It always seems that boat transport tends to be slow and the pilots have a terrible time docking and the loading/unloading is quite long. That is NOT the case with the Friendship Ferry boats used for Epcot, Hollywood Studios and the resorts along the lake. The pilots were all excellent at docking and moving to the next location quickly (but safely I might add). It seems every time we came into a dock, the pilot was perfect on the first try. The loading and unloading was as quick as safely possible. It was even more convenient than the busses to other locations.
As far as the walking to the parks, Epcot is an easy walk (to the International gate, NOT the main gate) but Hollywood Studios is a little further walk. SUGGESTION: If you are staying at Boardwalk and coming back from Hollywood Studios on the ferry, get off at the first stop (Swan & Dolphin Hotels). It is then an easy walk to Boardwalk and a lot quicker than riding the boat because it has another stop first. (also if you miss the boat at Boardwalk, then walk to Swan and Dolphin to catch up to it if going to Hollywood Studios.)
There is bus service to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs (later in the day). There is NO bus service to Hollywood Studios or the main entrance of Epcot from Boardwalk Inn. The bus stop is conveniently located just down the breezeway from the main entrance to the hotel. There is an electronic monitor board at the bus stop that give real time wait times until the next bus to each location. Disney buses seemed more efficient on this trip. Staying at Boardwalk (or any of the lake resorts like Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan or Dolphin) give you more flexibility with busses back from AK, MK and Disney Springs.....just take a bus to any of those and you can walk to the others.
The resort is very nice. One complaint I have heard is that the quick service food choices are limited at Boardwalk, but I really didn't find that to be the case. The Boardwalk Bakery has breakfast sandwiches & breakfast platter and then sandwiches, soups, etc for lunch and dinner. It is also the place to get your drink mug refills. It may be more of a problem to get to if it is raining since it is in the middle of the Boardwalk shops but it served us fine. There are also other places to get a quick bite including the Pizza window and Joes. There are several table service restaurants on the Boardwalk, and with the exception of ESPN club, they always seemed to be taking walk ups without reservations.
I wasn't overly impressed by the quaint lobby but did like the covered breezeways/decks around the hotel where you could sit in rockers and enjoy the view and weather. Boardwalk has a very nice grassy area between the lobby and Boardwalk and I saw a lot of people on that lawn running, playing, relaxing.
We had a very nice room on the first floor that faced the inner courtyard. (another nice area to walk or sit and the quiet pool is located in that area). The property is well maintained and they were working on painting the exterior while we were there. (we had been alerted to this beforehand, but the contractors were polite and tried to avoid creating inconveniences for guests. It was really not an issue.
My main complaint was the first floor and how you had to "maneuver" to get to the Boardwalk or bus stop. There is no way to go from the first floor rooms directly to the Boardwalk WITHOUT having to go up first and back down. To get from our room to the Boardwalk, we had to take an elevator or stairs up to the second floor, walk toward the lobby and then go down another set of stairs or elevator to reach the doors to the Boardwalk. (while second floor and higher guests only had to get to the second floor and go down.) I am not sure why they could not extend the elevator lobby on the first floor to the first floor area that goes out to the Boardwalk. (appears to be just a wall in the way.).
Our room appeared to be a former handicap room because it was very spacious (and had the tell tale sign of the double (lower) peephole on the hallway door.). While the toilet/tub area was large, it did not have handicap accessible railings by the toilet or in the tub so I am guessing it was converted to non handicap use.
There are plenty of electrical outlets and charging ports located throughout the room....on the desk, tv stand and nightstand. The drawer space is somewhat limited because the credenza has cupboards on the sides instead of drawers there. The closet is large. It was nice to have a patio to sit on. (other floors have a balcony) but we only had one patio chair. (we noticed later that the room next to us on one side also had only one chair but on the other side of us the patio had four chairs...it appears that they "procured" chairs from other rooms and housekeeping never noticed.)
There are only two complaints that I have about the room. First, the stand that hides the refrigerator: the door to the stand opens one way while the refrigerator door opens the other way making it awkward to put things in the fridge. The other, more major complaint, was the hot water. The water in the shower/tub never got really hot. Even when turned all the way to hot, it never got about lukewarm. It was like this everyday regardless of the time of day. If someone wants a really hot shower or soaking tub, forget it.
Other reviewers have claimed stinky rooms or not clean rooms/public areas, I did not find that to be the case at all. In fact the room smelled very nice. (I think Disney uses a fragrance in their air circulation system as I have smelled that in other hotels.)
The staff members that we encountered were very friendly and helpful although we had a lot of trouble with our magicbands and they never really did get it 100% correct.
We used the Disney Magic Express this time and that was very nice. It was a little long check in process at the airport because so many people didn't have their paperwork or magic bands and that would slow up the check in lines. Perhaps a line dedicated to those who have their magic bands or paperwork to speed things up?
My only complaint with the Magic Express Service was our luggage at the hotel. It arrived while we were out to the park, but the bell person who delivered it put it just inside the door to the room (and not lined up neatly at the end of the bed). We basically had to trip over our luggage when we returned just to get into our room.
Finaly, I would like to give a shout out to the new Express Transportation option. This service, which I don't feel is publicized enough, was great. It cost us $29 for up to seven days but saved us time and made life much easier. This system takes you from inside one park to another without the need to go through the bus/boat system, security checkpoint or ticketing. You still have to get to and enter one of the four parks (Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom) via bus, boat or foot and go through the security checkpoint. But once you have done that once, you are set. You go to the assigned location inside each park (example: next to Buzz Lightyear at MK) and check in. They then take you "backstage" to a parking or storage area where you meet a bus. The busses for this are used only for this and so they are not crowded. There is a bus to a park every 10 minutes so all your bus to any park is at least no more than 30 minutes wait. (Example: bus to Epcot at :00 & :30; bus to Hollywood Studios at :10 & :40; bus to Animal Kingdom at :20 & :50.) The bus then cuts through the back areas of the parks and through employee only roads to your next park and you unload "backstage" and enter the park through an employee entrance. (no need to go through security or bio scan again.) It provides for unlimited rides during each day. One day we used it to "park hop" to 3 of the 4 parks. PLEASE NOTE: You must have Park Hopper tickets in order to use this service.
Overall this is a very nice hotel but I liked Bay Lake Tower & Port Orleans better. You can't beat this location however unless you stay in Beach Club or Yacht Club.
Pros:
The location can't be beat; Good transportation system to parks; Spacious roomsCons:
First floor rooms have to go up and then back down in order to reach Boardwalk. Distance to eating facilities (no grab and go)Reviewed by formerprincess Review Date: 03/31/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
Stayed 5 nights in early Feb 2017
We would definitely return!!!!!!!!!!!
Good: Location, of course. Was there with DH and DS/DD both 10. WE loved the quick trip over to both EP and HS. We really liked the unique feel to the resort - not like a typical 'resort'. All of the amenities were there but in a unique turn of the century boardwalk style (when there were hotels and not resorts on the NJ boardwalks). The size was a big appeal - not too big. Many people complained that there was no QS inside the resort - I beg to differ. With the small resort size, walking out to the boardwalk for breakfast at the Bakery was actually quicker than heading to the QS in most of the large resorts. Since we had the dining plan, we ended up not enjoying the restaurants at BW but did love the daily dose of ice cream.
We have stayed at several Disney resorts at all levels and this is tied with BC for us for the top choice.
Due to some issues, we were upgraded to the Concierge level. Great part was the amount of food but with the DP as well, it was wasted on us. OTherwise the rooms were the same as regular rooms so would not be worth the upgrade cost normally, for us.
Bad: There were some cleaning issues - our room had to be changed 1st time because it smelled awful. Then 2 more times because the rooms were filthy. Keep in mind that we dont typically complain at hotels and never look for upgrades. But this was bad. I asked for cleaning supplies the 2nd room so i could clean myself and just be done with it. They insisted on moving us, again, with upgrade. House keeping manager found us to apologize as she checked and those rooms were indeed disgusting. Additionally. the carpets were so worn in 3 of the 4 rooms - odd as i thought they had just refurbished every room.
So in all, there were issues but they were addressed for us with speed and courtesy.
Pros:
Location, size, unique feelCons:
cleaning, worn roomsReviewed by snovak Review Date: 03/22/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We've stayed at this resort before, and love how we can walk to Epcot and all the activity on the Boardwalk. This time ( March 13 - 18 ) when we entered our room all we could smell was a musty odor , the room looked tired and the pillows on the bed were ripped. A bathroom light burned out and it never got fixed. It's a beautiful resort and I will probably stay here again, I just think for the price of a deluxe hotel everything should be in perfect working order.
Pros:
beautiful resort, close to epcotCons:
—Reviewed by mickeymom5 Review Date: 01/20/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
I am giving this resort an 8 because of its awesome location. It was nice to be able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The resort itself is a beautiful resort, but the fact that there was not a CS restaurant with indoor seating made it really inconvenient for us. We also requested an upper floor and we were given the 1st floor. The hallways are super long to walk down after a long park day. The pizza window is a reasonable option for your wallet for a meal.
Pros:
being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood StudiosCons:
no counter service restaurant, extremely long hallwaysReviewed by MK1972 Review Date: 01/16/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
First time stay here and DH and I were very happy with this resort. From the beginning, greeted by a cast member and brought to check in. Only had a standard room but found it sufficient for our needs. I loved grabbing a coffee from the lounge in the am and sitting on the porch. Lots of choices for meals either on boardwalk or resorts nearby. Can see it being limiting to families with children regarding meal options. I'm a fan of Epcot, being able to walk there was great. Polynesian is still our fav resort but would def stay here again!
Pros:
atmosphere, service, proximity to epcot and HSCons:
noneReviewed by ezbfields Review Date: 12/31/2023
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family loves staying at the Boardwalk. Most recently we had a Boardwalk View. I've heard some people say it is too noisy, but my experience couldn't have been any better. Wonderful view of the lake and Epcot. The pool is nicely tucked away, with great bar service and is compact enough it's easy to keep track of the kids. Location can't be beat. Epcot is a short walk. HS can be accessed via the skyline, boat or walking path (my favorite).
Pros:
Location to Epcot and HS Hotel Layout Restaurants and Boardwalk ActivitiesCons:
I'm surprised someone hasn't gotten rolled over by the board walk bikes.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 06/20/2022
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at the Innkeepers Club. It was wonderful! The staff is enthusiastic and very helpful. There is a pleasant ambiance. After tiring days at the parks, returning to the Club level was welcoming.
Pros:
Food in the lounge is delicious. Club level is an oasis in the whirlwind of Disney World.Cons:
The cons are not caused by the staff or club level. There some parents who just let their children scream, shove in front, run wild. Trying carrying a plate of food and a drink with all that underfoot. The parks are overrun with people staring at phones, large strollers and scooters. You have to navigate very carefully. We will return to Club level at the Boardwalk but will plan the next trip in at a less crowded time.Reviewed by Hayleabug11 Review Date: 09/13/2021
Rating: (9) Recommended
Loved the view ! Stayed here for a weekend stop in dec during Covid felt very safe staying here they were nice enough to upgrade us to see spaceship earth wish fireworks were going on
Pros:
Beautiful resort , great view , so easy if your going to Epcot or Hollywood !Cons:
Pull out bed instead of the Murphy style bed in the deluxe studio for dvc so you can feel the metal in the frame of the bed . Only thing I would change is the pullout couch to change to the Murphy style like at riviaraReviewed by Zuzu71 Review Date: 09/06/2021
Rating: (9) Recommended
I stayed here for 3 nights in a king room overlooking the lake. I paid for a king with a garden view and was very pleasantly surprised with the view when I arrived. My room was ready before I showed up at 11 AM. I received a notification as I was en route from the airport. Everything was clean and functioned properly. I would absolutely choose the accommodation again.
Pros:
Location, location, location!Cons:
NoneReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/15/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
I’ve been there many times.
