Boardwalk shopping and restaurants

A

annabanana

Member
Original Poster
(I posted on this on gen. info too.) Disney is advertising shopping and restaurants there but I thought you needed a reservation to go to their parking lot. Also, do you know if you have to pay for parking?
 
Kingoglow

Kingoglow

Well-Known Member
annabanana said:
(I posted on this on gen. info too.) Disney is advertising shopping and restaurants there but I thought you needed a reservation to go to their parking lot. Also, do you know if you have to pay for parking?
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As with most Disney hotels, they want you to have a reason for being there. So you will need a hotel or dining reservation to park at the parking lot at Boardwalk Inn. If you are allowed in, parking is free if you are not staying overnight.

You can access the shops on the actual Boardwalk in several different ways. You can park at EPCOT and walk through the park (with a park reservation) and go out the international gateway to access the area. You can park at Disney Springs in the afternoon (For free) and take a bus to the Boardwalk Inn. You can valet park at the Swan and walk over (the Swan is pretty lenient on parking but it is all vallet, YMMV).

I think that you will be disappointed with your shopping options on the Barodwalk but everyone is different... In my opinion, make a dinner reservation, park at the Boardwalk Inn, enjoy a good meal, then walk around and see if that area is worth your time.
 
A

annabanana

Member
Original Poster
Kingoglow said:
As with most Disney hotels, they want you to have a reason for being there. So you will need a hotel or dining reservation to park at the parking lot at Boardwalk Inn. If you are allowed in, parking is free if you are not staying overnight.

You can access the shops on the actual Boardwalk in several different ways. You can park at EPCOT and walk through the park (with a park reservation) and go out the international gateway to access the area. You can park at Disney Springs in the afternoon (For free) and take a bus to the Boardwalk Inn. You can valet park at the Swan and walk over (the Swan is pretty lenient on parking but it is all vallet, YMMV).

I think that you will be disappointed with your shopping options on the Barodwalk but everyone is different... In my opinion, make a dinner reservation, park at the Boardwalk Inn, enjoy a good meal, then walk around and see if that area is worth your time.
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Thank You!
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
I agree the shopping options are very slim. Not an area that you will find a lot to interest you. Most of whats there is for the convenience of the guests staying in the nearby resorts. The dining at the Boardwalk restaurants are decent but with a 15 min walk to EP youll find some better options.
 
A

annabanana

Member
Original Poster
JIMINYCR said:
I agree the shopping options are very slim. Not an area that you will find a lot to interest you. Most of whats there is for the convenience of the guests staying in the nearby resorts. The dining at the Boardwalk restaurants are decent but with a 15 min walk to EP youll find some better options.
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Thanks!
 
dovetail65

dovetail65

Well-Known Member
Kingoglow said:
As with most Disney hotels, they want you to have a reason for being there. So you will need a hotel or dining reservation to park at the parking lot at Boardwalk Inn. If you are allowed in, parking is free if you are not staying overnight.

You can access the shops on the actual Boardwalk in several different ways. You can park at EPCOT and walk through the park (with a park reservation) and go out the international gateway to access the area. You can park at Disney Springs in the afternoon (For free) and take a bus to the Boardwalk Inn. You can valet park at the Swan and walk over (the Swan is pretty lenient on parking but it is all vallet, YMMV).

I think that you will be disappointed with your shopping options on the Barodwalk but everyone is different... In my opinion, make a dinner reservation, park at the Boardwalk Inn, enjoy a good meal, then walk around and see if that area is worth your time.
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Hm I have gone many times and simply said I was going to shop and they let me right in and most times no one even asked why I was there. Those trips all happened 2016 to 2019. And from there we went to EPCOT . Many times that worked out great for us.
 
A

annabanana

Member
Original Poster
Hcalvert said:
I just booked a stay at the Boardwalk Villas for 15 nights in early to mid June 2022. I am looking forward to staying there when (hopefully) everything is opened. We stayed for the first time this past June and really liked the location. Shopping on the boardwalk has not been on my radar much. I do remember going to to the main general store in 2019 with my sister-in-law to buy a Beauty & the Beast blanket that the app said they had (I miss locating merch on the app). Other than that, I don't think I would have made a particular trip over there to shop in normal circumstances, but I can understand the appeal for some.
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Thank you. I guess I'll check out the restaurants, but that's it. :)
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
dovetail65 said:
Hm I have gone many times and simply said I was going to shop and they let me right in and most times no one even asked why I was there. Those trips all happened 2016 to 2019. And from there we went to EPCOT . Many times that worked out great for us.
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it really depends on who you get at the security gate and what mood they are in.... sometimes works sometimes doesn't...and holidays or special events play a part in the decision too. I know where it never works and that's the beach club, you have to have proof of a dining reserve or hotel reserve or forget it. It use to be so much fun to go around to the different resorts and things esp at Christmas time but disney world is becoming such an iron curtain that many things arent very doable anymore like they use to be, unless your staying there of course. We use to love going to art of animation in the afternoons once in awhile for shopping dining walking around etc....thats not allowed anymore either.
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
aladdin2007 said:
it really depends on who you get at the security gate and what mood they are in.... sometimes works sometimes doesn't...and holidays or special events play a part in the decision too. I know where it never works and that's the beach club, you have to have proof of a dining reserve or hotel reserve or forget it. It use to be so much fun to go around to the different resorts and things esp at Christmas time but disney world is becoming such an iron curtain that many things arent very doable anymore like they use to be, unless your staying there of course. We use to love going to art of animation in the afternoons once in awhile for shopping dining walking around etc....thats not allowed anymore either.
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One of my traditions is to always check out the Coronado gift shop before leaving the western entrance and picking up Rt. 429 for the route home. I always tell the guard I want to check out the gift shop before I head home. The guard always lets me in. I don't see why if you're completely honest and say you want to stroll the boardwalk shops and maybe get dinner, the guard wouldn't let you in.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
JIMINYCR said:
I agree the shopping options are very slim. Not an area that you will find a lot to interest you. Most of whats there is for the convenience of the guests staying in the nearby resorts. The dining at the Boardwalk restaurants are decent but with a 15 min walk to EP youll find some better options.
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Flying Fish is a much better restaurant than anything at EPCOT with the probable exception of Takumi-Tei (I haven't eaten there, but I know it's supposed to be in the same class as Victoria & Albert's). It may be the third best restaurant at WDW behind those two, although there are a couple of others in the running for that spot.

Also, if Jellyrolls ever reopens, it's probably the most fun place to go for nightlife. I'd agree that there's not really any shopping there, though.
 
yankspy

yankspy

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
Flying Fish is a much better restaurant than anything at EPCOT with the probable exception of Takumi-Tei (I haven't eaten there, but I know it's supposed to be in the same class as Victoria & Albert's). It may be the third best restaurant at WDW behind those two, although there are a couple of others in the running for that spot.

Also, if Jellyrolls ever reopens, it's probably the most fun place to go for nightlife. I'd agree that there's not really any shopping there, though.
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Always loved Flying Fish.
 
E

eye4themeparks

New Member
No opening for Jellyrolls has been announced. They announced in 2020 that it would re-open in October 2020, but that didnt happen and nothing has been said since.
 
nickys

nickys

Premium Member
eye4themeparks said:
No opening for Jellyrolls has been announced. They announced in 2020 that it would re-open in October 2020, but that didnt happen and nothing has been said since.
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You mean apart from Scott Gustin’s tweet that was posted above?

Scott seems to get his info directly from Disney, he’s often tweeted before an official Disney announcement.
 

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