Boardwalk Inn vs. Contemporary?

JaneRiz22

New Member
Original Poster
We’re slated to be at WDW in early November with our 8 year old daughter. We are currently booked in the Garden Wing of the Contemporary but have the option to move to the Boardwalk Inn. Hoping for advice / comparisons of the two, for a little one her age. Thank you!
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
We’re slated to be at WDW in early November with our 8 year old daughter. We are currently booked in the Garden Wing of the Contemporary but have the option to move to the Boardwalk Inn. Hoping for advice / comparisons of the two, for a little one her age. Thank you!
Well Magic Kingdom is right there so it's easy to get to from Contempo. But at 8 plenty to love about Epcot which is easy to get to from Boardwalk as well as the Studios. I would say if she is a good swimmer and loves water parks Boardwalk with it's mini waterpark. I state good swimmer because while a great pool it is not a relaxing pool to be at! Many blind spots so hard to keep an eye on your kids.
If it was me, Contemporary, just because taking the monorail home is so fun.
 

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
If you're going to be spending the majority of your park time in the Magic Kingdom, it will be the most convenient as it's a 10 minute walk (about half a mile) for a nap, quick change of clothes, fastest end of fireworks to sitting in bed experience.

On the other hand, there are more and varied dining options available at the Boardwalk.
 

nickys

Premium Member
Well Magic Kingdom is right there so it's easy to get to from Contempo. But at 8 plenty to love about Epcot which is easy to get to from Boardwalk as well as the Studios. I would say if she is a good swimmer and loves water parks Boardwalk with it's mini waterpark. I state good swimmer because while a great pool it is not a relaxing pool to be at! Many blind spots so hard to keep an eye on your kids.
If it was me, Contemporary, just because taking the monorail home is so fun.
I think you’re thing of Stormalong Bay, which is the Yacht and Beach Club.

Boardwalk has the big (ex-clown) slide.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Contemp. The garden wing is a quiet spot to stay. Rooms are nice and spacious. The monorail access and walking path to MK is ideal. The kids pool and fun splash area is nice. You have a decent food court, shops and arcade available. The electrical water pageant shows up to watch from the dock.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I think the Boardwalk Inn is better than the Contemporary in basically every way and would choose to stay there 100 times out of 100 -- I love the common areas there and the Boardwalk is great -- but I'm assuming the 8 year old will want to spend more time at the Magic Kingdom than anywhere else. Hard to pass up staying where you can walk there and back in just a few minutes.
 
My favorite MK resort vs my favorite Epcot area resort. A split stay is not a terrible idea if works with your park passes (Epcot and HS while at BW and MK at CR - I'd even Uber to AK from CR even though it's a little bit further, just to spend more time at CR)....maybe too complicated if this is your first trip.

All and all, it's really quite equal IMO b/c -

-BW gets you walking distance to two parks and CR one - but MK is the most important to be closest to b/c you cant park or uber there (plus you can monorail to Epcot via TTC).

-BW has the dining on the boardwalk and Epcot, but Contempory has its own including the new Steakhouse 71 and just a monorail ride to Poly and GF.

-BW has a better pool slide, but the CR pool overlooks Bay Lake, which is a better atmosphere and a nice escape. For an 8 yo, the CR slide will be plenty exciting enough.

-BW is more fun/lively at night on the Boardwalk, but CR has the water pageant and your 8 yo will probably be ready for bed. A monorail ride to the Poly for an evening Dole Whip is always fun as well.


The Garden Wing is not quite the same experience/convenience as staying in the tower, but I'm not crazy about the incredi-rooms, so I don't think it's a bad choice at all. You really can't go wrong with either hotel, but with an 8 yo, I'd probably lean CR and definitely pay for park hopper so you can go to MK at your convenience later in the day/at night. If you are paying to stay that close, you don't get full value w/o park hopper. I'm not a huge fan of the bus rides, so I would Uber it to HS and AK. Small money in the context of your whole trip for much faster travels. Good Luck!
 
I think it comes down to what park your going to end up spending more time in. If you are going to be in the Magic Kingdom more then stay at the Contemporary Resort . It also has the monorail which is a lot of fun. If you are planning on being in Epcot and Hollywood Studious a lot then the Boardwalk would be great.
 

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