Boardwalk area

[aperitif]

Disney Parks just places far too much emphasis on the sale of food and trinkets to think they wouldn't prefer the place packed.

Good point. I certainly can't argue with this.

Maybe the problem for Disney is increasing profit in the Boardwalk area, without annoying the guests staying at 3 of their Deluxe resorts.

 

[SeaCastle]

Good point. I certainly can't argue with this.

Maybe the problem for Disney is increasing profit in the Boardwalk area, without annoying the guests staying at 3 of their Deluxe resorts.

There was an argument before the Skyliner opened that more resort guests at International Gateway would devalue the amenity for Crescent lake resort guests and would be an unmitigated nightmare for everybody. By most accounts that failed to materialize and there is no indication of demand for the Crescent Lake resorts having suffered for it.

I largely agree with your overall sentiment because we stay at those resorts precisely because they are both out of the way and laid back but very close and convenient, but I don't believe that more people enjoying an amenity is something that should be avoided. If more folks at Boardwalk mean better f&b options and the Bellevue Room being open later than that's great. If Yacht Club or S&D adds a wing of rooms I'd be tickled pink because it will be easier to stay there. At some point the Beach Club did not have the timeshares and I don't think the Beach Club suffers for having them.

If the BW had an extra 100 people walking through on a given night nobody bat an eye. By comparison Disney Springs just built a 2000 car garage, even a set aside of 20 parking spaces somewhere at the Boardwalk for BW patrons/visitors could do some good.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

A valid point, but I guess I'm "weird" then, because I go to an actual Boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean, a couple of hours from my home, in the off season when it's pretty much dead.

I disagree though that day visitors don't wander to the pool. They absolutely do wander around the perimeter of Boardwalk's main feature pool. They also wander the hallways on the main level and cause congestion in the lobby.

Well, remember sometimes people just want to take a look around and consider it for a future visit. I myself walked around the Boardwalk lobby years ago checking it out and was a bit confused about where the bars and restaurants were lol. Maybe if the offerings are better on the actual Boardwalk people won't feel inclined to walk away from the fun to wander around a hotel and pool they can't get into.

 

[Hockey89]

I just love walking the boardwalk at night as it’s lit up. Just magically to me.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Remember that most of the amenities of BoardWalk are the same exact amenities you'd see in the lobby/arcade of a deluxe resort (namely, upscale shops and restaurants and some more casual versions). Only, for the BoardWalk Resort, these amenities are in an outdoor strip mall with a boardwalk theme.

Now, Disney occasionally markets BoardWalk like it's some sort of special destination in league with Disney Springs or some sort of free mini-theme-park. But it ain't neither of those things. It's just a hotel's shops and markets.

That's not saying it isn't a lovely place to stroll and they try, minimally, to give it a boardwalk streetmosphere with a few games of skill and a street performer. But when you have Disney Springs and four theme parks and your own resorts amenities... It ain't much of a destination.

I'm in the Jersey Shore region and I'm familiar with the big boardwalk destinations that BoardWalk is trying to emulate: Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside, Pt. Pleasant, Coney Island. But BoardWalk is just a tiny pastiche of those real boardwalks. DinoRama captures the flavor of those boardwalks better than BoardWalk does. BoardWalk is more like a Cape May B&B with a nearby mall.

 

[SeaCastle]

Remember that most of the amenities of BoardWalk are the same exact amenities you'd see in the lobby/arcade of a deluxe resort (namely, upscale shops and restaurants and some more casual versions). Only, for the BoardWalk Resort, these amenities are in an outdoor strip mall with a boardwalk theme.

Now, Disney occasionally markets BoardWalk like it's some sort of special destination in league with Disney Springs or some sort of free mini-theme-park. But it ain't neither of those things. It's just a hotel's shops and markets.

That's not saying it isn't a lovely place to stroll and they try, minimally, to give it a boardwalk streetmosphere with a few games of skill and a street performer. But when you have Disney Springs and four theme parks and your own resorts amenities... It ain't much of a destination.

I'm in the Jersey Shore region and I'm familiar with the big boardwalk destinations that BoardWalk is trying to emulate: Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside, Pt. Pleasant, Coney Island. But BoardWalk is just a tiny pastiche of those real boardwalks. DinoRama captures the flavor of those boardwalks better than BoardWalk does. BoardWalk is more like a Cape May B&B with a nearby mall.

You're right, but most deluxe resorts' standard offerings are not as accessible (at least in theory) to so many potential visitors and the BoardWalk is not so much the hotel itself, but the area surrounding it. For years, and I'm not sure if they still do this, they used to have brochures like these around that advertised the totality of the offerings between Y&B Club, Boardwalk, and S&D as the "EPCOT Resort Area". The Boardwalk was just one segment of this, which contains some of the best offerings in WDW that are available to both members of the public as well as resort guests.

https://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/images/resortmaps/ERAMap.pdf

The idea was that within a short walk between two major theme parks that there was a self-contained, multi-resort, multi-amenity, semi-public area. There was even supposed to be a "Noah's Ark" themed lagoon show in Crescent Lake. Though that failed to materialize, there are takeout pizza windows, entertainers, and eating/drinking establishments that spill into the public space. That is part and parcel what makes the boardwalk unique from other deluxe resort lobby areas. The Grand Floridian may have an orchestra, but that hotel's lobby is not a destination in the way that the Boardwalk or Disney Springs are. The fact that you could walk from the Boardwalk to Il Mulino or Cape May Cafe or to boat rentals at the Y&B Club makes the area something beyond a glorified hotel.

I live within walking distance of a Jersey Shore boardwalk and the characterization that DinoRama is closer to the boardwalks of say, Seaside or Wildwood is quite accurate and it is probably for the best that the Boardwalk area is not as rowdy as those places. But in my mind's eye the essence of the Boardwalk is its accessibility- that is, having so many different offerings within a short walk through a safe pedestrian space. All of those shore towns' boardwalks are glorified shops and restaurants with a theme park or mini golf course thrown in, but the boardwalk itself is the attraction.

 

[DisneyJeff]

I saw a posting somewhere that the Atlantic Dance hall was open to watch the NFL playoff games this weekend with no cover charge. I thought this was a great way to use this space. From what I read, they did have the bars open. I don't know if any food was available. Does the Dance hall normally have any food offerings?

I wish I knew where I saw this. I would've posted the link.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I saw a posting somewhere that the Atlantic Dance hall was open to watch the NFL playoff games this weekend with no cover charge. I thought this was a great way to use this space. From what I read, they did have the bars open. I don't know if any food was available. Does the Dance hall normally have any food offerings?

I wish I knew where I saw this. I would've posted the link.

Yes, yes, yes, yes...

Disney's newest and hottest sports bar is: Wait, Where Are We!?

Located on a slab of cement separated from the main boardwalk area like animated Disney children from their parents, this unthemed box of regret is the brainchild of flamboyant exec, Bob Gaypek and answers the question, "We paid eight thousand dollars for this vacation so you can watch a football game so tell me again why we should remain together?!"

This club has everything:

• a family of squirrels operating an ECV,
• off duty cast members who are psychologically unable to stop wearing character costumes
• a dozen Vampirinas who *do* bite
• Dole whip...... but not the kind you're thinking of
• and human helmets.

Human helmets is that thing when you paint sports logos on Darby O'Gill's little people and put them on your head and then you crash into each other until you have a concussion.

.​

 

[MisterPenguin]

I saw a posting somewhere that the Atlantic Dance hall was open to watch the NFL playoff games this weekend with no cover charge. I thought this was a great way to use this space. From what I read, they did have the bars open. I don't know if any food was available. Does the Dance hall normally have any food offerings?

I wish I knew where I saw this. I would've posted the link.

Food Blog...

Touchdown! There's a New Spot to Watch Football on Sundays at Disney's BoardWalk! | the disney food blog

Now you can take in the big game at Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's BoardWalk! This event space is now open to accommodate some overflow of football fans from ESPN Club.

www.disneyfoodblog.com

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Food Blog...

Touchdown! There's a New Spot to Watch Football on Sundays at Disney's BoardWalk! | the disney food blog

Now you can take in the big game at Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's BoardWalk! This event space is now open to accommodate some overflow of football fans from ESPN Club.

www.disneyfoodblog.com

No food, but they made sure they had that booze! How family friendly.

 

[Hockey89]

No food, but they made sure they had that booze! How family friendly.

Does say you can bring food in.

 

[NoWayJose]

As much as I love the Boardwalk (and I truly do) I can't help but think of it these days to be like a Potemkin village for the convention set or EPCOT resort guests. It really does have so much potential and really great bones but the investment at Disney Springs is a disincentive from having Boardwalk compete. I remember in 2004-2005 the area was much busier than when I saw it last June. They shut down the background music on the Boardwalk some years ago, so it feels even emptier than before. I'd be interested in knowing whether any of the Boardwalk attractions are substantially profitable or if they're running them at cost.

I think the lack of parking is a big turnoff. Disney Springs has tons of garages so even if you're not staying on property, it is relatively easy to get in and out of DS. Not so at the Boardwalk.

In practice the area acts as the restaurant/nightlife district for the Crescent Lake hotels, but those hotels have their own offerings anyway and it's hard to see that critical mass there. BW could do well by being the afterparty spot for those leaving EPCOT, but I haven't seen it marketed as such for a long time. With the gondolas the Boardwalk is within an easier reach of four additional hotels- WDW should capitalize on that, but they probably won't.

Man the point you made about the background music missing is excellent. I’m a bit older now, but when I was a kid that whole area felt more magical and lively to me. I wonder why they got rid of the music too. Makes no sense.

 

[UNCgolf]

The Boardwalk is great as it is. It's not somewhere to go every night, but we try to do a Flying Fish/Jellyrolls night each trip, and it's much more fun than going to Disney Springs -- Jellyrolls is vastly superior to any night time option at Disney Springs, and Flying Fish is at least twice as good as any restaurant there.

I still really like Disney Springs and we usually go there a couple of nights as well, but the Boardwalk has a place.

EDIT: As for Atlantic Dance Hall -- I don't get it. We were going to go in to check it out once, but it was almost completely empty and the cover charge was $25. Why are you charging so much when no one is there?? So I've never been inside.

 

[aperitif]

As for Atlantic Dance Hall -- I don't get it. We were going to go in to check it out once, but it was almost completely empty and the cover charge was $25. Why are you charging so much when no one is there?? So I've never been inside.

We spend a lot of time on the boardwalk, multiple trips every year, going back a long time. I have never encountered a cover charge at Atlantic Dance. Jellyrolls has a cover. $15 the past several times that we've gone.

 

[Jon81uk]

The Boardwalk is great as it is. It's not somewhere to go every night, but we try to do a Flying Fish/Jellyrolls night each trip, and it's much more fun than going to Disney Springs -- Jellyrolls is vastly superior to any night time option at Disney Springs, and Flying Fish is at least twice as good as any restaurant there.

This is for me a big problem with Disney Springs, there is nothing enticing you to stay after a meal. It needs some decent bars with decent entertainment. The biggest loss for me when Pleasure Island got demolished was the comedy club. I'd happily pay a $5-10 cover charge for an hour long comedy show.

 

[UNCgolf]

We spend a lot of time on the boardwalk, multiple trips every year, going back a long time. I have never encountered a cover charge at Atlantic Dance. Jellyrolls has a cover. $15 the past several times that we've gone.

I guess they wised up then!

Jellyrolls definitely has a cover, but it's worth paying because of how much fun it is. The Dance Hall had a $25 cover in February of 2018, which is the only time I've ever tried to go and the whole reason we DIDN'T go. We would have walked in to check it out if they weren't going to charge us anything.

 

[Hockey89]

This is for me a big problem with Disney Springs, there is nothing enticing you to stay after a meal. It needs some decent bars with decent entertainment. The biggest loss for me when Pleasure Island got demolished was the comedy club. I'd happily pay a $5-10 cover charge for an hour long comedy show.

For sure....I also loved the Adventures club. Watch the fire works or listen to live music outside....

I agree about DS.... After dinner, I head back to the hotel....

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I visit the boardwalk a few times each trip. I love seeing the boardwalk buskers perform ( back when the late Brian Staron performed I would even miss the fireworks some nights just to watch all of his sets!) and I like getting ample hills and browsing the lobby and Wynn gallery.

This area can be virtually dead or packed with people with no rhyme or reason. Conventions, weddings, and other events I’m sure all play a part.

As to the original question, Atlantic dance hall would be a great place for Comedy Warehouse and/ or adventurers club to return. Have each one run 1 night a week and I’m certain they would always sell out.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Yes, yes, yes, yes...

Disney's newest and hottest sports bar is: Wait, Where Are We!?

Located on a slab of cement separated from the main boardwalk area like animated Disney children from their parents, this unthemed box of regret is the brainchild of flamboyant exec, Bob Gaypek and answers the question, "We paid eight thousand dollars for this vacation so you can watch a football game so tell me again why we should remain together?!"

This club has everything:

• a family of squirrels operating an ECV,
• off duty cast members who are psychologically unable to stop wearing character costumes
• a dozen Vampirinas who *do* bite
• Dole whip...... but not the kind you're thinking of
• and human helmets.

Human helmets is that thing when you paint sports logos on Darby O'Gill's little people and put them on your head and then you crash into each other until you have a concussion.

.​

So a personally story. One year we had a family powwow at Disney world. two weeks, about 13 various family members . My cousin "P" is a huge, die hard football fan. spent both Saturday and Sunday at ESPN watching every football game available. My wife quoted your statement verbatim. LOL she and the kids also left him and had a ball but that's another story.......

op, yes you can watch the game at the dancehall, can't remember what food they served, sorry.

 

[Martha46]

A Comedy Club would be a good addition to the Boardwalk area.