Resort Rundown: Disney’s BoardWalk Resort Overview

Immerse yourself in turn-of-the-century seaside charm at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. You’ll immediately feel transported to another era. The excitement along the boardwalk at night is contrasted by its grandeur during the day. This resort is a destination unto itself thanks to its impeccable location and entertainment all within reach. It may be a Deluxe resort, but Disney’s BoardWalk Resort is in a class all its own. 

Location 

It is hard to beat the location of the BoardWalk Resort. It is smack dab in between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You can walk to either theme park, and walk to four other neighboring resorts and over 15 restaurants. Disney’s Fantasia Gardens minigolf is not an unreasonable walk from this resort too. There’s so much here!

Rooms

Disney’s BoardWalk has two sides, the Inn and the Villas. The Inn contains the regular guest rooms. These rooms match the pastel and muted colors of the BoardWalk, evoking the seaside, turn-of-the-century casual elegance. The striped wallpaper adds a characteristic not found in any other Disney hotel rooms. These hotel rooms currently are fully carpeted, unlike many resort rooms that now have mostly laminate flooring. The balconies are great for a morning cup of coffee or an afternoon session of reading. Most rooms have two queen beds, though one king bed is available in select rooms. Some rooms also have a daybed in them. One complaint sometimes heard is that if your room is towards the end of the hallway it is an exceptionally long walk. Disney often opts for longer resorts rather than tall ones that impact the sight lines of Walt Disney World.

There are three view types: Standard, Garden, and Water.  Speaking of views, you can use the awesome TouringPlans Room Finder to help you narrow down the exact room location you would like. You can plug in your preferences and find rooms that match your needs. Then when you make your reservations and check in you can request your desired rooms. This tool is free to use.

Club Level

Disney’s BoardWalk offers a club level experience that is sometimes overlooked when compared to other deluxe resorts. There are standard and deluxe rooms available with club level as garden suites. The Innkeepers Club is located on the 4th floor of the Inn and the decor follows the same elegance found in the rooms and lobby. In fact, this club lounge is one of the more sophisticated found on property. It does lack large picture windows, but the seating is plentiful and comfortable. Club level rooms include: evening turndown, secured key access to the club-level lounge (serving refreshments 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily), complimentary newspapers in Club Level lounge, and health club access.

Disney Vacation Club

This resort is a favorite among Disney Vacation Club members. Not only is the location superb, but the deluxe villas are on the larger scale for square footage thanks to this resort being one of the oldest DVC resorts. The Villas side of the resort is colored soft yellow and soft brick red on the exterior. It is the wing closest to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. 

The decor of the BoardWalk Villas is more subdued than the Inn rooms thanks to a refurbishment. Studios all the way to three-bedroom villas are offered. There are only a small amount of three-bedroom villas offered at this resort and are generally hard to come by. One bedrooms and larger offer a full kitchen, dining table, living room with a sleeper sofa, and a master bedroom with a king bed. Since this is an older DVC resort, the bathroom in the one- and two-bedroom villas is split with two sink areas.  

Tour a one-bedroom villa with us: 

 

Dining

One of the biggest advantages of Disney’s BoardWalk Resort is the variety of dining options. There are two full-service lounges, outdoor bars, grab and go locations, one counter-service location, and four full-service restaurants, and that’s just what’s on the Boardwalk side. The BoardWalk neighbors the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels which both offer a lot of dining options, plus across Crescent Lake is Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts with their dining options too!

The four full-service restaurants at Disney’s Boardwalk run the gamut from a premium sports bar to a world class signature restaurant serving the freshest seafood. ESPN Club is the absolute best place to gather for sporting events, with TV screens everywhere you turn. Flying Fish offers some of the best seafood dishes you can find anywhere on Disney property. Trattoria al Forno offers a character dining breakfast and hearty Italian dishes for dinner. Finally, Big River Grille and Brewing Works is the only micobrewery on Disney property. It is a third-party company than runs Big River and brings a nice variety to the area, especially for guests attending a convention in this resort area. 

For quick bites you can grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner at BoardWalk Bakery. Other snack and quick bite options include the BoardWalk Pizza Window, Funnel Cake Cart, Joe’s Margaritas, and creamy ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery. A nice selection of sandwiches and salads can also be found at Leaping Horse Libations, which is a carousel-themed bar at the main pool. Cap off a magical day at the AbracadaBar, a themed bar that pays tribute to magicians and illusionists, or the relaxing Belle Vue Lounge, tucked away near the hotel lobby. And if all those options is not enough you can order in-room dining 6:00 AM to midnight.

Securing dining reservations at popular full service restaurants like Flying Fish can be frustrating and time consuming. You can use the TouringPlans Reservation Finder to help you secure dining reservations and save time. Simply select your desired restaurant, then plug in your desired date and time or meal period, select to be notified either via email or text message, and voila! This incredible tool is available with or without a TouringPlans paid subscription, but you do need to create, or have, a TouringPlans login. 

Pools

This seaside-themed resort is home to three pools. The themed feature pool is a popular topic of conversation thanks to its unique waterslide. It is roller coaster themed and deposits guests into the pool via a clown’s mouth. It is quite the photo opportunity. The Luna Park pool not only offers this fun waterslide, but also a water play area themed to circus animals and a carousel themed pool bar. 

There is one quiet pool on the same side of the resort as the Luna Park pool, which is the Villas side of the resort. A second quiet pool is on the Inn side of the resort. There is sometimes feedback from guests staying in the Inn guest rooms that getting to Luna Park pool is cumbersome and that the quiet pool is not all that appealing. It’s just something to be aware of if the feature pool is important to you.

Recreation

You can imagine that a resort themed around the fun and amusement of a seaside boardwalk is bound to have lots of recreation. Of course, being a part of the Epcot Resorts gives you the opportunity to enjoy the entire neighborhood, and views of Epcot’s nightly fireworks. Also being a Disney Vacation Club resort there is Community Hall which is primarily for use of DVC Members but does offer some amenities to all guests.

Go for a blissful run, jog, or walk around the entire boardwalk and even up to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Rent a surrey bike which is not only entertaining for you, but also for other guests along the boardwalk as you pass them by. Head over to Disney’s Yacht Club marina to rent a variety of watercraft and enjoy Crescent Lake. 

Play a round of tennis at one of the few tennis courts left on Disney property, and use of tennis equipment is complimentary. Enjoy a campfire or a movie under the stars. Every Monday and Wednesday morning there is complimentary yoga on the resort’s green lawn just outside the lobby. There is also a video arcade and playground near Luna Park pool. And don’t forget, Disney’s Fantasia Minigolf is within walking distance too! There’s so much to do!

We dig into the dining and amenities of Disney’s Boardwalk in this video: 

 

Transportation

There are three modes of transportation at this resort. Being so close to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there is a delightful boat transportation that is shared with the neighboring resorts. It takes less time to walk to the theme parks, but if you’re looking to save your energy and rest your legs then the boat transportation is a very attractive feature. You can also walk to the Epcot Disney Skyliner station just outside the park gate and head to Disney’s Caribbean Beach station then transfer to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The entire ride including the transfer takes about 15 minutes. Of course for the other theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs there is continuous bus transportation. One main bus station is located out front of the lobby, towards the convention center at Disney’s BoardWalk. 

Convention Center 

Disney’s BoardWalk offers meeting and event space. You’ll often find conventions and weddings at this resort. In fact, there is a wedding pavilion on the boardwalk that is popular for intimate weddings. 

Other Information

Check out our overview of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, in this video:

 

Here’s out Top 5 Reasons Why We Love Disney’s BoardWalk Resort: 

 

We sure ran through a lot of information about Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, so here’s a handy-dandy infographic that sums it all up: