Reviews of Boardwalk Inn (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by Stitch Review Date: 09/03/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our most recent Boardwalk visit was July 22 - 29. This was our 3rd Boardwalk stay. The room decor this time was a bit shabby, but it looks like all rooms are being renovated, so this should not be an issue. Almost all cast members are friendly and make you feel welcome.
The location is phenomenal; walking distance to EPCOT and an easy boat ride to the Studios. Getting off the boat at the Swan/Dolphin on the return trip from the Studios and walking over the bridge to the Boardwalk saves about 10 minutes on the trip.
The restaurants are great. We especially like Big River Grill Works and the ESPN club - both have great burgers! Breakfast is a bit problematic if you don't like just pastry; the Boardwalk Bakery offers a couple of egg dishes but they are not especially appealing. Most days we have an instant breakfast drink in our room, and then get fresh fruit and a late breakfast in the parks.
The lobby and other public areas of the Boardwalk are beautiful and there are lots of places to sit, relax, read and recharge from a day in the parks. The Luna Park pool is lovely - big enough to allow for plenty of personal space, but small enough to feel like home. We love the Beach Club and that was our resort of choice when traveling with a tween/teen. We make at least one visit to Beaches and Cream from the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk has more food and entertainment options than the Beach Club, which we appreciate now that we are traveling with a college age daughter.
Pros:
Location, Theming, Restaurants, Cast membersCons:
Limited quick service, Tired room decorReviewed by rpayer Review Date: 03/31/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My mom (uses a wheelchair), my DD (celebrating her 16th bday) and I checked in to the Boardwalk Inn on March 15th and checked out on March 24th. I did online check in before we arrived, so we only spent a few minutes at the front desk. We had our magic bands in hand and were ready to go. We were in room 1292 which was handicapped accessible with a roll in shower on the 1st floor. The room was in excellent condition, was quite large, had a patio with a view of the interior courtyard and was very close to the elevators. We did not hear any noise from the rooms on either side or from the hallway. We arrived on a Sat night and the covered entrance area in front of the Boardwalk was quite busy. We received luggage assistance immediately (we had driven from NJ, so we had tons of luggage and two wheelchairs) and valet parked our car. Since my Mom has a handicap placard we received free valet parking at all disney resorts. This was quite a savings since valet parking is $15. We used valet parking our entire stay which was quite convenient since self parking was a short walk away. We purchased two refillable mugs which we used numerous times. The only slight inconvenience was that we had to go outside the hotel to the bakery to refill them. Too bad there isn't a refill station at the Belle Vue Lounge or the small store that is inside the hotel. We used the quiet pool and hot tub a few times and found it to be quite nice. Pool towels are provided at the pool. The only problem we had during our stay was when we arrived. We had only lukewarm water in our shower, but we called maintenance and they fixed it by the next day. We then had hot, hot water in our shower which was great. Since we were celebrating my DD's 16th bday, there was a bday balloon in our room upon arrival. I also had a bouquet of flowers and balloons delivered the next day which arrived without problem. We loved having the college size refrigerator which we filled with drinks, milk and breakfast stuff. We mostly ate breakfast in our room to save time. We found the store on the boardwalk to have all we needed. We also ate at the bakery, pizza window and the Big River Grille which were all excellent. Walking along the boardwalk was always fun and walking to Epcot and Disney Studios was quite a time saver. That was one of the big reasons for staying at the Boardwalk. We received assistance from the Concierge and all cast members were very helpful. A big thank you to all the valet members. We received help from them every day. I believe that Disney uses a third party for valet services and they were all excellent. We never waited long for our car and they were always offering assistance to my Mom who was in a wheelchair. We had an amazing time at the Boardwalk Inn and I would highly recommend staying there and can't wait to go back again some time soon!
Pros:
beautiful resort, large handicap accessible room, valet parking, helpful cast membersCons:
rapid fill refills only outside, no quick serviceReviewed by polkadot1 Review Date: 10/07/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We enjoyed 5 nights at the Boardwalk this October and loved it! We were ushered by a CM to the front desk to check in and our room was immediately available even though we were there well in advance of check in time.
Our room was on the 5th floor and overlooked the Eiffel Tower in Epcot, which gave us a beautiful view of Illuminations from our balcony. The theme of the hotel is gorgeous- its like stepping back in time. The pools are great- the quiet pool is serene and true to its name, very quiet and secluded. The main pool is so much fun! There is a full service bar and a water slide that's as much fun for adults as it is for children.
The location can't be beat- 10 minutes walking to Epcot and a short boat ride to HS. We were happy with the dining options at the Boardwalk as well- we tried Flying Fish for dinner, and Kouzzina and the Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast.
The only "con" would be that although the theme of the resort is lovely, the rooms don't feel very luxe for this being a deluxe resort, particularly the bathroom area which was small and very dimly lit. Having stayed at other Disney deluxe resorts however, I find this to be somewhat par for the course. Mousekeeping was great and in addition to keeping the room clean and fresh created and adorable towel clown creation for us.
Overall, we loved it and will definitely give consideration to staying here again.
Pros:
Location, theme, poolCons:
—Reviewed by LadyandTramp Review Date: 06/08/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family and I stayed here May 12th-19th and had a wonderful time at the Boardwalk. Two rooms were booked under the same reservation while a third room was booked separately. The front staff was able to get all three rooms together and we did not have to wait (and we even arrived early in the day!)
We were on the ground floor, which usually my mother does not care for, but we were able to walk right out front and make our way to the lobby or the quiet pool.
At the time I was also 14 weeks pregnant and in no mood for walking all day at the parks and then walking another mile to get to our room. The Boardwalk had such a wonderful layout that we were either right onto the boardwalk or down at the lobby within a few minutes.
The only down side I would say is that we never really got to experience the restaurants on the boardwalk because they were all full. The pizza shop and bakery are wonderful, though! The mozzarella sandwich is great with a cool cucumber salad. However, we were not able to get into any of the sit down restaurants. We'll have to keep that in mind for next time 🙂
Pros:
location to boardwalk/parks, easy walk, close to lobby, clean roomCons:
NoneReviewed by mrsfarrellhob Review Date: 02/11/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
The only reason I can't give this property a 10 is because my room - while on the top floor - had a "view" of the front entrance to the hotel that was often loud with car motors, people, trucks, cabs, you name it.
Also, anticipate long waits for the bus to the parks if you're heading to MK, DTD or AK mid-day.
But you can't beat the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS! Definitely a great resort!
Pros:
Room size, location and proximity to parksCons:
NoneReviewed by kmdelarosa501 Review Date: 06/21/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
We visited Boardwalk 6/1-6/6. First, the lobby smells amazing. The front desk cast member was very helpful getting our reservations together so we wouldn’t have to change rooms. Housekeeping took our trash daily and left towels as we needed. Also restocked toiletries and coffee when needed. Loved the lawn area where the movies were shown. Our view was amazing from our balcony - 5th floor view overlooking the main pool. The Flying Fish was very good. We went there to celebrate my son’s birthday. The Abracabar was fun and a cool vibe. Loved the pizza window - we got pizza a couple of times. Order early. The bakery was very good but the only place to fill our resort mugs. It’s fun to sit on the boardwalk, people watch and drink a margarita.
Pros:
Walking distance to Epcot and skyliners Food along Boardwalk Lobby smells amazing Amazing front desk staffCons:
No inside quick service Costly Dated in comparison the newly updated dvc villas that have the Murphy bedsReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/19/2020
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn in March 2020. It was a bucket list wish. We were there for 5 nights. First the downside. 1. There’s no food court. There’s quick service options but table service is the only way to sit and eat inside. 2. Minor issue with the bathroom. There’s a door for the shower/toilet area but the sink area has no door or curtain for privacy and noise reduction (hair dryer). 3. The thing we disliked the most was the long hallways. But this is an easy fix. I wish I had asked for a room close to the elevator. Interior hallways keep you dry when it’s raining but that’s it. We dreaded the walk to the room which involved 2 separate elevators and 3 “blocks” of hallways with a noticeable aroma from the restaurant. Every time we went back to the room I sang ”this is the hall that never ends..” It was the monotony more than the distance. Would have been nice to have an elevator at the other end so you could walk outside and then go up.
The upside is location, location, location. Overall the resort is beautiful and the location makes up for anything it lacks. Epcot is in your backyard! Being able to walk or take a boat to both Epcot and DHS was so convenient. My son likes a midday break at the hotel so I took the boat over to Epcot and wandered around on my own. It was great! My favorite part was the boardwalk itself. Being able to go downstairs, sit on a bench, and watch the boats on the water or have ice cream and watch a juggler or a magician was fun and relaxing and a great way to spend time outside the parks.
Pros:
Location Boardwalk entertainmentCons:
Elevators/hallways No food court Bathroom doorReviewed by annmarz Review Date: 06/19/2019
Rating: (8) Recommended
I love this resort and it is one of my favorites. I always stay in the Epcot Resort area and our last trip was wonderful. We had a corner room which partially overlooked the Boardwalk and the main grassy area in front of the lobby. Altho it was on one of the higher floors we were close to the elevator which was very convenient. My only "complaint" if you can call it that is that this resort does not have any indoor restaurants and we had to walk to the Boardwalk Bakery to refill our resort mugs. The gift shop is also really sparse. Mousekeeping skipped us one day. Overall we were very happy here.
Pros:
location. nice roomsCons:
lack of indoor diningReviewed by snovak Review Date: 02/20/2019
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was our 5th time staying here...absolutely love this resort. We always request a 1st floor room and we are always given one, which I appreciate. This time the problem was Mousekeeping. On our second day there we returned to our room to find we had no pillowcases on our pillows - not a problem, quick call to Mousekeeping and within 20 minutes there was a knock on the door and there were the cases, but I think because its a Deluxe resort I expected them to come in and put the cases on or at least ask if I wanted them to do it or if I wanted to do it myself - not just handed to me as I opened the door. Don't get me wrong I don't mind putting cases on the pillows but I should note that I leave a very nice tip for them each day I am there. The next day @ 8:00 , while getting ready for a day in the park there was a short knock on the door and in walks Mousekeeping even though we had the "Room Occupied" sign on the door. Two days later after returning from a day of shopping at Disney Springs and wanting to freshen up for a dinner reservation we entered our room around 4:30 pm to find Mouskeeping hadn't been there at all...a quick walk to the front desk and within an hour someone was there. I love this resort and will stay here on my next Disney visit, I was just surprised at the Mousekeeping issues we had...this was a first for us , we never had anything but wonderful experiences here. Everyone has off days I suppose but I guess I don't expect that at Disney !!
Pros:
Walking distance of Epcot / Studios. Love walking on the Boardwalk taking in the sounds and sights.Cons:
NoneReviewed by review Review Date: 11/21/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
Room upgrades over the years seem patchy; new dresser here-ild one there, new paint—rusty fixtures, not enough handicap features for room.
Handicap accessible room #4068 is right up against elevator bank. Whireing of all 3 elevators in to late hours and began again very early. Rattles the wall and fixtures too!
No quick service breakfast and lunch in hotel lobby as in the Beach Club Villas. Now I remember why we havent stayed here the past 10 years.
