New Enhancements, Dining Options Coming to Disney’s BoardWalk

Smiley/OCD

Smiley/OCD

Well-Known Member
Bocabear said:
Exactly! THAT is where they belong now that Disney Springs is more of a common shopping lifestyle center with stores you can find a home....
Boardwalk Hotel...Dining options go right to the inspiration source... A beautifully themed 1940s Jersey Diner.... Or a fantastic 1940s Amusement Pier themed restaurant featuring modern takes on Boardwalk food with a celebrity chef at the helm...
When I lived in Cali, we would often go to the Monorail Cafe which was a 50s modern diner, open late night, offering the usual diner fare...It was great to have a place open at the hotels late... A component that is missing inside the bubble. You get back to the hotel from the parks at 10pm and all the food options are closed...and often because of the way you have to run all day long, meals are completely missed and there are no options except for lousy delivery pizza, or drive off property and go to Perkins (which is now gone)... The Boardwalk location could provide that late night eatery that would service 5 hotels in that hub... And it could be beautiful with the old boardwalk amusements theming. I think every one of the deluxe hotel hubs needs one late night restaurant like this... Put another one with a different theme at one of the Monorail loop hotels...
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And of course it’s not a REAL Jersey diner unless you can get breakfast any time and they serve disco fries…and if you don’t know what they are, you shouldn’t even be in this conversation lol
 
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plutofan15

Well-Known Member
Bocabear said:
Bocabear said:
ESPN sure didn't come off as high end... It was a loud sports bar with pretty mediocre to poor food. When I was there last, the kitchen closed at 10pm... So not very late night...Maybe the hours had changed... but it sure didn't feel like a good fit for the property...Perhaps at All Star Sports....
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It was a fine fit for the area. It gave life to that end of the boardwalk such as Jellyrolls does to the other end. It was never meant to be a high end dining establishment. It was meant to be a sports bar with bar food which it accomplished. If in your opinion it did not belong at that location, it is just that - your opinion.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
plutofan15 said:
It was a fine fit for the area. It gave life to that end of the boardwalk such as Jellyrolls does to the other end. It was never meant to be a high end dining establishment. It was meant to be a sports bar with bar food which it accomplished. If in your opinion it did not belong at that location, it is just that - your opinion.
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I am glad you liked it. and yes of course, it was my opinion...thanks for pointing out the obvious. And thinking it fit fine is your opinion...see how that works?
 
Dan Deesnee

Dan Deesnee

Well-Known Member
Myself and everyone in our "crazy Disney people group" are very excited to see ESPN kicked off the boardwalk. Brought the entire strip down, didn't fit thematically, garbage food. Good riddance.

Excited to see what they turn it into.
 
chrisbarry

chrisbarry

Active Member
plutofan15 said:
At least now you won't have your delicate sensitivities offended by the common man enjoying his sporting event as you saunter back to your deluxe accommodations with your nose held snootily up in the air. Lighten up. Aside from Super Bowl Sunday when extra tables and TV screens are setup on the boardwalk, I have never heard a bit of noise coming from Club ESPN aside from the speakers outside which were barely audible. Besides. boardwalks have always had businesses which were not considered high end establishments. If anything, Disney's boardwalk is a highly sanitized version of the 40s boardwalk. I know, I know you are paying $400/night for a deluxe hotel and think you should not have to walk past such a place full of riff raff. But there are plenty of others who do enjoy having the option of grabbing a burger and beer while being able to watch their favorite team. As you can see by this photo of Coney Island of long ago, places which serve beer have been around on boardwalks for a long time. Seems to fit the theme to me.
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I don’t think either of us were walking by with our noses up in the air at all. You think it fits the theme. I don’t. I’m not poking fun at your opinions. It wasn’t a horror. I wasn’t scarred. I just thought it was completely out of place.
Here’s another example. While staying at the Yacht Club, my daughter didn’t like the coffee. She heard there was a good coffee shop at the Swan and Dolphin. So we walked over to the lobby of one of them, I forget which, and next to the coffee place was a TV with CNN blaring. Once again, my bubble was popped. I don’t want to see the news when I’m down there. I like the escape. I love that the TV in the Disney lobby is playing Disney animated shorts. It keeps me in the bubble. Same reason I don’t want to leave property when I’m down there. I can go to a Walgreens every day of my life. On my Disney vacation I want to escape my normal life. To me, personally… just my own opinions here… the ESPN club didn’t fit there and took me out of the bubble.
 
Walt d

Walt d

Well-Known Member
dreday3 said:
About time!!! Those are the worst rooms at Disney. (in my opinion :D)

Sounds good on paper at least. We need a good sandwich place over there, more options for a quick lunch/dinner. Boardwalk Bakery menu had become so small compared to it's past offerings.
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And the World famous castle movable shrubbery . Has come by to say good buy ! I see’
 
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plutofan15

Well-Known Member
chrisbarry said:
I don’t think either of us were walking by with our noses up in the air at all. You think it fits the theme. I don’t. I’m not poking fun at your opinions. It wasn’t a horror. I wasn’t scarred. I just thought it was completely out of place.
Here’s another example. While staying at the Yacht Club, my daughter didn’t like the coffee. She heard there was a good coffee shop at the Swan and Dolphin. So we walked over to the lobby of one of them, I forget which, and next to the coffee place was a TV with CNN blaring. Once again, my bubble was popped. I don’t want to see the news when I’m down there. I like the escape. I love that the TV in the Disney lobby is playing Disney animated shorts. It keeps me in the bubble. Same reason I don’t want to leave property when I’m down there. I can go to a Walgreens every day of my life. On my Disney vacation I want to escape my normal life. To me, personally… just my own opinions here… the ESPN club didn’t fit there and took me out of the bubble.
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I guess I don't understand how deeply and seriously some consider this so called "bubble". I enjoy staying inside the Disney sphere and having less of the "real" world to deal with - that is what vacations are for. With the exception of my high school senior trip, we have stayed on Disney property on every visit. But at what point is the "bubble" considered popped? Is when one hears people cheering for their sports teams? Is it when taking a bus to a theme park, you pass a common Speedway gas station? Is it seeing a marked delivery trucks from outside companies on the roads making deliveries? Is it seeing marked Orange County sheriff's vehicles parked outside park entrances? Is it hearing CNN on a TV? I suppose that I do not understand getting so deeply into the "bubble" that any of those would bother me. In one way I wish I was. In another way I am glad that I am not. Glad that an otherwise great day would potentially be ruined by simply hearing a TV news channel or people cheering for a sports event. To each their own.
I assume being in the "bubble" would mean being surrounded by all things Disney 24x7. I get that that. But by that criteria, with ESPN being part of the Disney family, wouldn't an ESPN themed eatery be part of that "bubble"? Where does one draw the line at which Disney brands belong inside the "bubble"? Some have argued that the ESPN Club was out of place on the Boardwalk. In my opinion, it fit very well. Having grown up outside of Philly, I have spent many weeks/weekends at the boardwalks in NJ and also in Ocean City, Maryland. Boardwalks are full of life and activity - plenty of lights, music, games, amusement piers, ice cream shops, t-shirt shops, salt water taffy stores, pizza shops, pedicabs, etc. There is a lot of kinetic energy. ESPN gave that sort of energy to that end of the boardwalk. I enjoyed spending evenings on my balcony at the Yacht Club looking over the water and seeing the lights and activities on the boardwalk - I think a lot of that will go away. Some have said that it did not belong at a "$400/night hotel". It was located at a far corner location that was very much out of the way. The only time someone would pass it would be when walking to Epcot. If one was worried about it not fitting the theme and popping the "bubble", one could take the boat to Epcot while looking at the Yacht & Beach Club so as not to see ESPN Club. I would say if sports bar does not belong in a deluxe hotel neither does a hot dog stand, take out pizza window, funnel cake cart, margarita stand or dueling piano bar. All of those are on the boardwalk. In my opinion, they all fit the theme of the area where the hotel is located. In my opinion, one cannot say that ESPN does not belong at a $400/night hotel while the others do.
As far as the Cake Bake Shop replacing ESPN, in my opinion, looking online at their other locations, it would seem to be a better fit at the Grand Floridian than the Boardwalk. Who knows, maybe it will be built with a more casual theme to better fit the area but online photos of the other locations make it look too "fancy". I will reserve my opinion until the project is finished. My fear is that it will be another overpriced restaurant - $100+ cakes don't do it for me. Hope everyone enjoys their future visits no matter what happens with the Boardwalk.
 
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dreday3

Well-Known Member
I really think you are overstating how crowded, lively and exciting ESPN club was.

We've stayed Yacht/Beach a few times now and ESPN has always been dead. Perhaps we never vacationed during a huge sporting event? I would see more people at the Bakery.
Jelly Rolls had some decent crowds.

In fact most of Boardwalk is pretty much quiet by10 pm.

Do I think Cake Place is going to liven up the Boardwalk? Nope. :D
 
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plutofan15

Well-Known Member
dreday3 said:
I really think you are overstating how crowded, lively and exciting ESPN club was.

We've stayed Yacht/Beach a few times now and ESPN has always been dead. Perhaps we never vacationed during a huge sporting event? I would see more people at the Bakery.
Jelly Rolls had some decent crowds.

In fact most of Boardwalk is pretty much quiet by10 pm.

Do I think Cake Place is going to liven up the Boardwalk? Nope. :D
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I was referring more to the lights and marquee outside which you could see from across the lake - gave the area some kinetic energy even if it was empty inside. Agreed, many times the crowds at ESPN Club were rather sparse especially during the day, things picked up a bit at night. Monday nights and Sundays during the football season drew a good crowd. Several vacations have included Super Bowl weekend and it was standing room only.
 
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dreday3

Well-Known Member
plutofan15 said:
I was referring more to the lights and marquee outside which you could see from across the lake - gave the area some kinetic energy even if it was empty inside. Agreed, many times the crowds at ESPN Club were rather sparse especially during the day, things picked up a bit at night. Monday nights and Sundays during the football season drew a good crowd. Several vacations have included Super Bowl weekend and it was standing room only.
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I'm hoping they have lighting that goes along the roofline at least.
 

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