Boardwalk tips

[buccobuddy18]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are DVC members and we are staying for the first time at the boardwalk villas with another couple from Oct. 30 - Nov. 6th. Only 21 days to go and we can't wait. Anyway, since we have never stayed at the boardwalk before I was wondering if anyone could tell us about their experiences there or maybe suggest some of the things you like to do around the boardwalk area. Thanks for any info you can give.
Peace,
Shannon

 

[dflye]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are DVC members and we are staying for the first time at the boardwalk villas with another couple from Oct. 30 - Nov. 6th. Only 21 days to go and we can't wait. Anyway, since we have never stayed at the boardwalk before I was wondering if anyone could tell us about their experiences there or maybe suggest some of the things you like to do around the boardwalk area. Thanks for any info you can give.
Peace,
Shannon

Hanging out on the waterfront enjoying the street entertainers is always fun; there was a decent pair of jugglers we stopped to watch while hustling over to Epcot to catch the fireworks during our last visit to WDW.

Renting a surrey bike (those huge multi-seat 4 wheeled bikes) and pedaling around the lake is fun, but it can be a challenge to get up the hill leading up to the bridge over the International Gateway.

You have a TON of dining choices within walking distance, so make sure to check out as many as you can for variety.

 

[col]

i visited the boardwalk during the day and at night on different days and the atmosphere is amazing. during the day there are tandem bikes and you can sit back a watch the world go by and during the night you can see the fireworks from epcot over the espn club and they have jugglers, people on stilts, palm readers.
it is very relaxing all i did was walk over the bridge from the wdw swan and dolphin and came out by the atlantic rolls and walked along taking my time. i went in the shop and just relaxed coz i had nobody with me. it is a very nice and relaxing area, have a great time and i cant wait to get in 77 days.

 

[tigsmom]

We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn this past August. While we found the hotel very nice my family wasn't that thrilled with the food choices (they are very picky). The Boardwalk is fun to hang out on at night, the midway games and entertainers are fun. We rented a surrey bike, but only kept it for half the time as it was too hot, but that shouldn't be the case when you are going.

The walk to EPCOT is nice as is the boat ride to MGM. Our main complaint was the bus transportation... it is shared by 5 resorts and they are few and far between. That is one of the main reasons we will probably not be going back there.

 

[Moustronaut]

My wife and I will be down at WDW exactly the same time as you all. Staying at Poly this time so we can say we've been to a monorail resort. But Boardwalk is our favorite on property. We stayed there in 2002 about the same time of year. I can go on and on about all the great things to do there. But 3 really stand out.

1. Walking distance to Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival. Since the International Gateway is a 5 minute walk, you can quickly pop over to same food and wine from around the world. We'd come back, my wife would take a nap or lay out by the pool, and I'd go over and get a drink and a snack. This is so so nice.

2. Early mornings on the Boardwalk. We tend to get up early for EMH, then come back to the hotel early after noon for a break, and then go out late at night. Our morning breakfast would always come from the bakery on the Boardwalk. great donuts and pastries. It was nice to sit out on the tables about 7. Watch a few joggers, see the Friendship boats getting into position for the day. Very peaceful and serene

3. The flip side of this is to hit the Belle Vue room lounge at about 11:30pm. Go out on the balcony with some drinks. Great 2nd story view of the Boardwaly and cresent lake. Just watch the crowds go by and unwind after long days in the parks.

Have a great trip and might run into you all at the Food and Wine Festival!

 

[Moustronaut]

my family wasn't that thrilled with the food choices (they are very picky)

Really? Wow. We've always thought Boardwalk has some great food choices. We've made Flying Fish cafe and Spoodles our repeat dining destinations, hitting one or the other on just about every trip down there. Flying Fish has some great seafood and grilled items while Spoodles has an interesting mix of Mediteranean and alternative Italian. The of course there are all the faboulous restraunts at the Swan and Dolphin (Palios, BlueZoo, Shulas) and Yachtman's Steakhouse at Yacht Club within quick walking distance.

 

[Laura]

The entertainers are awesome! Watching the street magician was one of my favorite parts of our trip! I have never stayed at the Boardwalk but it's on my list of places I'd like to stay.

 

[tigsmom]

Really? Wow. We've always thought Boardwalk has some great food choices. We've made Flying Fish cafe and Spoodles our repeat dining destinations, hitting one or the other on just about every trip down there. Flying Fish has some great seafood and grilled items while Spoodles has an interesting mix of Mediteranean and alternative Italian. The of course there are all the faboulous restraunts at the Swan and Dolphin (Palios, BlueZoo, Shulas) and Yachtman's Steakhouse at Yacht Club within quick walking distance.

As I said, my family (especially the kids) is very picky. We had breakfast at Spoodles most mornings and had the pizza there, the rest of the menu did not interest them. I'm the only one who really likes seafood - though everyone will eat fried shrimp. We had a nice meal at the Big River Grille & Brewing Works.

We had dinner in the Yachtsman's for the first time this trip and will definately be going back; it has replaced the Concourse Steakhouse as our favorite steak place.

The Belle Vue is nice and a great place to grab a drink (or two) and meet up with a friend or two. The night we were there there was one couple.

 

[imagineer99]

I love the Boardwalk--my favorite area in all of WDW.

Great food. I'm a big Spoodles and Flying Fish fan. Best location on property (being able to walk to two theme parks is just awesome).

There's nothing quite like seeing Illuminations, and then taking five minutes to WALK back to your resort. That's magic.

 

[buccobuddy18]

Sounds like we will not run out of things to do around the boardwalk. Thanks for the ideas. This will be our 4th trip to WDW as a couple (and 2nd this year:sohappy: ) but we have never had the chance to experience the food and wine festival. We are very much looking forward to the Barley and Hops Market, and we have priority seating at 4 World showcase resturants.

 

[hcswingfield]

If you just want a light breakfast, the Bellevue room has good fresh pastries, coffee, juices, yogurt, etc at a reasonable price. You can take the food out on the balcony and enjoy the quiet of the morning and attract a lot of fearless sparrows with the crumbs from your pastries.

And ditto to what others have posted about the street entertainers at night. It's a great way to end the day. Also the gift shop/grocery store/toy store on the Boardwalk has a large assortment of souvenir items to browse through.

The Keister Coaster in the pool is lots of fun!

If the menus in the immediate Boardwalk vicinity don't appeal, the Yacht and Beach Club and Swan and Dolphin are a short walk away, as is the World Showcase.