Why does the Boardwalk have no atmosphere?

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I will say out right that aesthetically the Boardwalk is very nice. The rooms are comfortable and well appointed the staff typically Disney
BUT......

I just thought that the place had no soul. The atmosphere I felt was sterile and up tight and largely IMHO down to all amenities being on the boardwalk.

I enjoy a spladoosh in the pool post park and have enjoyed this at all resorts we have stayed at, many having a great atmosphere with punters doing the same as us. Not at the boardwalk. Most night the quiet pool was deserted and the main pool had a handful of guests.

In the public areas there were few exchanges of pleasantries and far too many people who felt that elevators were for single person use.

I don’t think Id stay there again. Too many people too far up their own flew Wilderness lodge or the Campground for us in the future
:drevil:

 

[kachow]

We love the Boardwalk. We've stayed at other resorts, but this is our favorite and we won't stay anywhere else. Yes, we do find it quiet at times, but we enjoy that. After being in the parks with the crowds all day, it's nice to return to a quiet resort. One of my best memories is walking to the Boardwalk Bakery in the morning to get a donut, hearing the music, and watching the morning joggers, sitting on a bench with the sun on my face. It is very peaceful, it makes you happy and gives a good start to the day. In the evening we never fail to entertain ourselves there, it's always very relaxing and fun.

I echo these sentiments exactly. Some people enjoy peace and quiet. I think any offense taken is based on the insinuation that those people are snooty.

 

[Baums101]

Have I hit a nerve?

No it is your opinion and I will respect that but I for one love it.

 

[Dukeblue1016]

I also love the Boardwalk... but as for the atmosphere portion of it... doesn't compare (in me eyes... everyone's are different though) to Y&B Club's...

just my 2 cents

 

[DVC Dave]

I have never vacationed at the Boardwalk as the first time we went to the Beach Club we fell in love with it and have staid there ever since. However, we often walk the Boardwalk area and love it at night.

just my 2 cents.

 

[hcswingfield]

We've stayed at Boardwalk, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, AK Lodge, several of the All Star resorts, and Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside. While all had their good points, Boardwalk is by far our favorite. We thought it had a great, relaxing, seaside "atmosphere." Maybe it isn't to everyone's taste, but that must be why WDW has so many different resorts to choose from. Something for everyone!

 

[gatordoc]

My wife loves the Boardwalk. I like it, too, but I actually prefer to stay at the Beach Club with a view of the Boardwalk, which I think is really cool at night.

Funny true story - on our New York vacation last month, we took a side trip to Atlantic City (where we have never been before) to see Ringo Starr at the Trump Taj Mahal. We had a little time to kill before the show, so we wandered out onto to the boardwalk, and my wife immediately said, "Wow, it looks just like Disney's!" :lol:

 

[wannab@dis]

We've stayed at Boardwalk, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, AK Lodge, several of the All Star resorts, and Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside. While all had their good points, Boardwalk is by far our favorite. We thought it had a great, relaxing, seaside "atmosphere." Maybe it isn't to everyone's taste, but that must be why WDW has so many different resorts to choose from. Something for everyone!

I have to agree. The Boardwalk does have "atmosphere", but it may not be for everyone. I tend to think that the AKL is the *best* deluxe resort for atmosphere but that is simply my personal observation based on my personal view. Everyone will have their favorites and it seems that just because someone doesn't enjoy the atmosphere of a specific resort doesn't mean that it's devoid of atmosphere. It's simply their personal observation.

Many feel the Grand Floridian is simply the best WDW resort, but I just don't see the appeal. That doesn't mean it doesn't have an atmosphere that is enjoyed by others, but is just my own observation. This is why WDW Resorts offers many choices. I would think most people would be able to find at least one, if not more, resorts that appeal to them. That shouldn't imply the resorts they don't enjoy have no atmosphere, but they simply are not drawn by those resorts.

 

[The Mom]

I have to agree. The Boardwalk does have "atmosphere", but it may not be for everyone. I tend to think that the AKL is the *best* deluxe resort for atmosphere but that is simply my personal observation based on my personal view. Everyone will have their favorites and it seems that just because someone doesn't enjoy the atmosphere of a specific resort doesn't mean that it's devoid of atmosphere. It's simply their personal observation.

Many feel the Grand Floridian is simply the best WDW resort, but I just don't see the appeal. That doesn't mean it doesn't have an atmosphere that is enjoyed by others, but is just my own observation. This is why WDW Resorts offers many choices. I would think most people would be able to find at least one, if not more, resorts that appeal to them. That shouldn't imply the resorts they don't enjoy have no atmosphere, but they simply are not drawn by those resorts.

Very well said. I also like AKL because it seems so far away from the rest of WDW, and I can almost believe I'm in Africa. I know that the distance is one reason why others dislike it.

Wouldn't it be boring if we all liked the same things? :lol:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Wouldn't it be boring if we all liked the same things? :lol:

It would also be very difficult to get Iron Maiden tickets. :animwink:

Having read the replies I am glad to see that opinions are as polarised on this as everything else at Disney, perhaps Id have enjoyed it more If I had pool hopped drinking Pepsi from an old resort mug. But look on the positives it will be one less person trying to make a ressy.

 

[shoppingnut]

I stayed at the Boardwalk Inn this past July for a week and thought it was a nice resort, but there were things about it that bugged me.

1. All the restaurants are outside the hotel and there was no foodcourt, the Bakery was only ehh IMO.

2. There is no short cut to get to the rooms from the Boardwalk, you have to go into the hotel, go up the stairs and then take an elevator and in our case back down to get to our room which was on the far end of the U shape and would have been easier to get to if we could have been able to enter from the far side of ESPN.

3. The bus transportation sucked because you had to share with the 4 other resorts. We waited 45 minutes for the bus to come at TL and that was only because someone went over and complained. And on the route back from TL the Boardwalk is the last stop of the 5 hotels. This caused us to get back to the room so late that we had no time to relax and get ready for dinner at Le Cellier. We ended up being 30 mins. late for the ressie which I hate being late.

There were good points too:

1. I loved the quiet pool and hot tub which was right outside our door.

2. The car valet service was excellent which I used for the three days I rented a car. I have used the valet service at many of the Disney hotels and theirs was superior. I decided I didn't want to walk from the self parking lot because at night we were always exhausted and I'm on vacation, so splurging is no big deal.

3. Loved being able to walk to Epcot, my nephew's favorit park. And being so close to Beaches & Cream was great, although glad we weren't too close otherwise we might have been there every night!!

 

[WDWFanatic]

The Boardwalk is awsome. We are vacation club members there and we have a great time everytime we are there. The restaurants are great, the atmosphere is great, they usually have lots of little things going on at night. They had a dj in the big grassy area near the boardwalk and all the kids were dancing. Whats so confusing about it? everything is right there? Even EPCOT! its like a 5 min walk. And you can get a boat there to mgm and epcot as well. Do you want it to be like DCA?? The Floridian is boring and has the snobby guests. I did it once just to have done every resort on property. That was enough. I dont like people that think they are better than me.

 

[meatloafsfan]

Add me to the list of Boardwalk lovers.

I stayed there for 3 nights in May (at BWI - not the villas) and found it to be a beautiful, relaxing and charming resort. I enjoyed the quietness, and the understated elegance. I never found anyone to be unfriendly and had possibly the best service of any hotel I have ever stayed at.

On the other hand, I *disliked* AKL. I found it dark and unwelcoming. The rooms felt cramped and my experiences with most of the staff there were disappointing (especially the twit at the front desk who put my room keys/park passes into a sealed envelope but didn't give me all 4 of them).

It truly is a case of different strokes for different folks.

 

[AEfx]

Wait a sec...people are complaining about the pool not being crowded enough?

I can't be reading that right.

AEfx

 

[Stitch69]

I have not stayed there-but not really interested in staying there either- so you are right- very little magic.

 

[jordanyosh]

I am happy that some folks don't like the Boardwalk. It means it's easier to get ressies for those of us that love the Boardwalk.

I DO feel like the Boardwalk resort has a "disconnected" feel because of the outdoor dining and shopping. It doesn't feel like part of the resort and like you are sharing your dining options with the general public. Although, the general public is welcome at any resort restaurant, it is very apparent at the Boardwalk.

I love ESPN Club. It's nice to have a late night snack/drink option as it is open most nights until at least midnight. It's also nice to have a sports bar right on property.

I love being out on the Boardwalk late at night or early in the morning and enjoying the view and sitting by the lake.

I love being so close to Epcot and MGM.

Thanks to the OP for his opinion. Always nice to have differing thoughts. It simply helps everyone solidify their own opinions......

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Wait a sec...people are complaining about the pool not being crowded enough?

I can't be reading that right.

AEfx

Funnily enough, kids like other kids to interact with, so yes pools and resorts can be too quiet.

But perhaps its that some peoples relaxation is another’s boredom.

ESPN - hey Im a foreigner I’m used to watching sports where the teams don’t take a break after 5 mins

Duelling Pianos - they may be good musicians but Motorhead and Nickleback are more my normal diet of live music.

But Im not knocking those things they are not for me so I didn’t use them.

Perhaps I just visited at an off time and the resort was unusually quiet. Except for the day they had the press conference about the new top banana, then you were made as welcome as gas emittion in a space suite.
:dazzle: