Boardwalk Entertainment - Suitable for kids?

[pjulie75]

I was a bit disappointed to hear that PI nightlife is closing. I have kids who will be 6 and was looking forward to going somewhere early evening where the kids could have a little dance. They have some cool moves:ROFLOL: I noticed there are a few places at Boardwalk, are they suitable and how do you get there from POFQ??

I don't understand why WDW don't offer entertainment suitable for children, like a mini disco, quiz night, storytelling, this is very common in European holiday destinations. It would be perfect to offer childrens entertainment while the adults could relax and wind down after a busy day at the park.:shrug:

 

[sweetale]

As far as I know, Atlantic Dance (the big "dance hall") at BW is 21 and up. I could be wrong about that...but I'm pretty sure at the very least it is 18 plus. Jellyrolls, the dueling piano bar is also either 18/21 plus...but I don't think that there is any dancing. Kids can go into ESPN club...again no dancing but a decent arcade. There is also a brewery that kids can eat at amonst other fun activities. Hope that helps!:wave:

 

[Phonedave]

I was a bit disappointed to hear that PI nightlife is closing. I have kids who will be 6 and was looking forward to going somewhere early evening where the kids could have a little dance. They have some cool moves:ROFLOL: I noticed there are a few places at Boardwalk, are they suitable and how do you get there from POFQ??

I don't understand why WDW don't offer entertainment suitable for children, like a mini disco, quiz night, storytelling, this is very common in European holiday destinations. It would be perfect to offer childrens entertainment while the adults could relax and wind down after a busy day at the park.:shrug:

The venues (Atlantic Dance Hall and Jellyrolls) at Boardwalk are 21 and over only, so they are not for kids.

How late are you looking to have kids entertainment ? You are in WDW after all. PI is not exactly where I would bring my 6 year old.

EPCOT is open to 9:00 every night (well, past 9:00, I:RoE is at 9:00) and depending on the time of year, hard ticket events, and EMH, other parks may be open later.

You can allways go back to the resort and hang out by the pool while the small ones swim. My experence is that my kids (6 and 9) are so beat after being in the parks all day, that all they want to do is jump in the pool for 15 minutes, and then crash.

-dave

 

[DivineMadness7]

I don't understand why WDW don't offer entertainment suitable for children, like a mini disco, quiz night, storytelling, this is very common in European holiday destinations. It would be perfect to offer childrens entertainment while the adults could relax and wind down after a busy day at the park.:shrug:

WDW offers PLENTY of entertainment suitable for children! Maybe not the specific activities you list, but there are a variety of options. I don't have first hand experience as I don't have children and don't travel with them, but the resorts have several programs that the children can participate in while the adults can have some time to themselves. There's some sort of pirate thing and tea parties at the GF, I know there are more but those are the two examples that come to mind. The Beach Club has some sort of kids club that I noticed during my last trip.

If anything, WDW does not offer enough adult-only entertainment, hence why many are upset about PI closing. I love kids, but I occasionally like to enjoy an adult beverage without having children dance next to me...no offense. This is why some places, as mentioned above, are 18/21 plus only. Then again, I guess this is for a different thread...

 

[KingStefan]

DivineMadness is right. The resort entertainment (both for kids and adults) is a well kept secret. It's mainly intended for guests at that resort, but there is no restriction that I know of.

The official kids activities like the kids clubs (basically child care) pirate ships and tea parties tend to be pricey, but there is free stuff you can find, too. You just have to do a little digging.

The problem is finding out the time and place of the activities. The only reliable way I know of is that when you check in, you are given a list of activities for the week for the resort you are checking into.

However, if you already know about an activity, you can call the hotel directly and ask about it. The ones I know about and can remember at the moment are lei making at the poly, a steel drum band at CBR, a very popular piano player at POR, story telling for kids at AKL, but there are more. They change from time to time, so you have to find out right before you go.

Does anyone have a way of discovering a list of such activities and entertainment that goes on at the resorts?

My kids loved the steel drums - they were wining about their feet being tired, etc. for an hour or two. We got off the bus at the main entrance, intead of our village, because we wanted some things from the lobby, and they discovered the steel drum band and boy did they get a second wind! Not in the plan, but we let them stay up a bit (now it was the parents wining about getting to the room!).

Also, there is a Chip 'n' Dale campfire at FW. This is a regularly scheduled and published thing that you can get info about from central reservations or ADR operators. Kids can make smores (bring your own ingredients or buy it there for about $5 a kit for like 1-2 smores) and then they show a Disney movie outside.

 

[pjulie75]

:sohappy:Thanks you for very much for the information it is very helpful.

With regards to taking my kids to PI, I do understand it is for adults, but I am sure it doesn't hurt early evening to have a little dance with the kids, a bit like having a dance at a party or wedding, we are on holiday - I wouldn't be keeping them out all night!:animwink:

I think it is good for kids to have activities that they can mix with kids from other countries and cultures. My children mix, on holiday, with kids who speak many different languages and it is a joy to see. They don't care where the kids are from or if they know the language, they just all play together.

I will email WDW direct and see if they can forward me information on activities at their hotels.

 

[wdwfan4eva]

The evening EMH at DHS might be a good idea. When I was there the beginning of June, they had a kids dance party in the Playhouse Disney Theater. A lot of kids, and their parents, were enjoying it. I also want to say that they bring out some characters that dance with you, too.

 

[Lynne M]

With regards to taking my kids to PI, I do understand it is for adults, but I am sure it doesn't hurt early evening to have a little dance with the kids, a bit like having a dance at a party or wedding, we are on holiday - I wouldn't be keeping them out all night!:animwink:

I don't think the dance clubs at PI ever allowed children to enter, so you wouldn't have been able to take them dancing at PI anyway. I think it's always been 18 or 21 and up.

I agree that the resorts are your best bet. There are many, many, many activities for children at the resorts, and some of the resort lounges have live entertainment, if the kids wanted to enjoy some music and dance a bit. There's everything from pirate cruises, to organized games by the pool, drawing, ladybug releases.....it's endless.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

The boardwalk has some "strolling" entertainment. I don't know if there was actual scheduled times but we came across a few during our walk from BCV to Fantasia Golf and our return walk after playing. There were magicians, jugglers and that sort of fun stuff for the kids going on and all three times we saw kid involvement/participation in the tricks and/or acts. My kids (8 & 9) really loved it. I wouldn't make a special trip to see these, but it was a nice surprise that the kids may enjoy if you are staying at an EPCOT resort.

 

[Craig & Lisa]

On the BW itself they have wondering entertainment, in fact my younger son was able to join one of them, she described herself as the only Polish Cowgirl around, she did a great job keeping the kids occupied.

 

[pjulie75]

Strolling entertainment at Boardwalk sounds great, how do I get their from POFQ?

 

[k.hunter30]

Strolling entertainment at Boardwalk sounds great, how do I get their from POFQ?

We took the bus to DTD Marketplace (staying at POFQ, you'll probably end up doing that a lot) and hopped on the BW bus from there.
We didn't leave BW until pretty late at night, so we just took a cab home. I think it was about $15.

 

[Lynne M]

Switching buses at DTD is the slowest way to get from resort to resort. The DTD buses don't run as frequently as the theme park buses, and the trip seems to take forever. Try switching at theme parks wherever possible.

OP, the easiest, fastest way to get from POFQ to Boardwalk is to take a cab. If you'd prefer not to do that, take the DHS bus from POFQ, then you can take the boat or walk from DHS to the Boardwalk.

 

[k.hunter30]

Switching buses at DTD is the slowest way to get from resort to resort. The DTD buses don't run as frequently as the theme park buses, and the trip seems to take forever. Try switching at theme parks wherever possible.

OP, the easiest, fastest way to get from POFQ to Boardwalk is to take a cab. If you'd prefer not to do that, take the DHS bus from POFQ, then you can take the boat or walk from DHS to the Boardwalk.

I had no problem. :shrug::wave: