Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Review
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is a deluxe resort hotel and Disney Vacation Club villa at Walt Disney World, located within walking distance of Epcot on Crescent Lake. This review features room photos of BoardWalk Inn, and our pros & cons of the hotel.
We first stayed at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn during our Walt Disney World honeymoon. Since then, we’ve stayed at the BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas more than almost any other resort hotel at Walt Disney World. We stay here at least once per year, with our next stay in May 2019!
Disney describes the resort as capturing, “the charm, whimsy and elegance of 1940s Atlantic City.” This marketing lingo actually couldn’t be more accurate. Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is a really charming resort featuring a “working” Boardwalk entertainment district complete with restaurants, night-time entertainment, and recreation.
Perhaps most importantly, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is situated just a short walk from Epcot’s International Gateway entrance on Crescent lake (adjacent to the Swan & Dolphin Resorts and Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club resorts). BoardWalk Inn guests also receive MagicBands and can make FastPass+ reservations.
In addition to staying at the BoardWalk several times, we have also dined at Flying Fish Cafe and Big River Brewing Works, and partied at Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance Hall. Thanks to those wonderful experiences on the Boardwalk (minus Atlantic Dance Hall!), we have fallen in love with the place.
As mentioned, we first stayed at the BoardWalk for our honeymoon. This came about after extensive time crunching the numbers. We determined that, all things considered (including yearly maintenance fees and the time value of money) that it would not be that much more expensive for us to purchase a Disney Vacation Club contract on the resale market than it would be to book a room at the Polynesian.
Obviously, a room at the Poly for our honeymoon would have no residual value whereas we would be able to use the Disney Vacation Club contract for years. Plus, it would save us ~$275 each year on Annual Passes! Since it’s sort of a tangent to this review, you can read more about our rationale for doing this in our Disney Vacation Club Buying Guide.
In our minds, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is INNcredible! (Yeah, I’m that lame.) I’ve read previously in Disney War that Michael Eisner spent a lot of time fussing over the details of the Crescent Lake resorts because they reminded him of summers in New England. This might explain why, ostensibly, the resorts are all very similar in theme.
However, I think if you look a little deeper, there are substantial differences among the three resorts. It might be nicer if they were radically different from one another, but I think each are beautiful in their own right.
One of my favorite areas of the BoardWalk Inn is the lobby itself. While it doesn’t have a grand lobby like Wilderness Lodge or some other Deluxes, it has a ton of detail.
From the miniature Boardwalk complete with rollercoaster to the beautiful light fixtures to the elephant statues and more. It is extremely well-appointed, and a great place to just sit and relax in the morning.
Despite having a relatively small footprint, resort itself actually has a lot of relaxing areas to escape the hustle and bustle of the BoardWalk entertainment area itself (not that there’s that much hustle and bustle in the first place). Beautiful gardens and out of the way benches can provide a relaxing reprieve for relaxing.
Much ado is made about Walt Disney World pools, and BoardWalk’s main pool does not disappoint in this regard. Themed to an old-time Atlantic circus, the pool is very cool, and its water slide, themed to look like a wooden rollercoaster and featuring an “interesting” clown at its end, is quite a hoot.
It may not have a sand bottom or a lazy river, but it’s definitely one of the top Walt Disney World pools, in my opinion.
The rooms are also excellent. Keeping with the Atlantic Boardwalk theme, the rooms use a subdued and almost pastel color scheme.
They also feature beautiful paintings and fixtures (notice the Minnie Mouse lamp in the corner above) to convey the sense that you’re staying in a vacation room just minutes from an actual turn-of-the-century boardwalk. With the exception of the turn-of-the-century part, you are!
The restrooms are on the average side. The shower and toilet in a different room than the double sinks, which is nice, but other Deluxes certainly have nicer/larger restroom-areas.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with the set-up at the BoardWalk Inn, though. It’s just not praise-worthy.
To us, these rooms capture the essence of the Victorian-era theme well, without making the room feel dated at all. This has long been our criticism of the Grand Floridian–that it didn’t feel elegant enough because the luxury accommodations stumbled over the theme.
BoardWalk doesn’t aim for the same level of luxury as the Grand Floridian, but it arguably hits the mark much better than the Grand Floridian. In short, the rooms at the BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas balance luxury and theme very well.
We found the resort to be exceptionally clean and maintenance to be impeccable. On occasions when we’ve dragged ourselves home at 4 am after Evening Extra Magic Hours in the Magic Kingdom, we have seen Cast Members painting hand rails and undertaking other improvements to the resort.
It’s this kind of maintenance that establishes the BoardWalk as one of the premiere Walt Disney World resorts. It’s also nice to stay at the BoardWalk when there are Evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot, because the hotel is just a short walk from the park!
We mentioned it above, but it bears repeating. BoardWalk’s location is awesome. It could have been one of the worst resorts at which we’d ever stayed (it was not, it was the best thus far), and that location would have still been wholly redeeming.
Only 5 minutes from Epcot. Only a few minutes to Flying Fish, and Big River Brewing Company. Only 10 minutes from Beaches & Cream and Cape May Cafe. Although I love the monorail resorts, I think the Epcot resorts might have them beat!
Overall, we don’t have a single negative thing to say about Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. Its ambiance, entertainment offerings, and proximity to dining and Epcot are all huge selling points. The rooms are well-themed, combining nice accommodations with a sense of design that is distinctly Disney, but not over the top or garish. About the only conceivable negative, I guess, is that if you have small children the theme may not be so appealing to them (with the exception of the pool). The real negative, though, is that once you stay there you’ll be hooked, and it will cost you in the long run in the form of the cost of future stays!
Not sure which Walt Disney World hotel is right for you? Check out our Walt Disney World Hotel Reviews page, which offers quick-hit capsule reviews of the strengths and weaknesses of every Walt Disney World hotel, plus links to our reviews and photo pages for every hotel we have reviewed. Looking for comprehensive Walt Disney World vacation tips? Make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts…
If you’ve stayed at BoardWalk, what do you think of it? Do you prefer its location to the monorail resorts? Agree or disagree with our review of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hi,
I so appreciate all your detailed description of everything at Disney, so hopefully you have some insight for me. I was wondering if you had been to the Boardwalk lately; have seen the magicians and juggling performers out and about on the Boardwalk at night? I cant find any official information on that in the Disney the Covid changes information. I just want to be able front load my teenagers expectations as we visit Disney this coming March.
Thanks!
I’ve been reading reviews and watching videos of the Boardwalk Inn Resort and I’m not seeing any ramps or handicapped accessibility to get from the lobby level down to the actual boardwalk. Also not seeing anyway to get to the quiet pool on the Inn side other than stairs. So far all I’m seeing is stairs everywhere. This resort seems to be very handicapped unfriendly. Do you know of any ramps or elevators other than the ones inside the lobby that take you to the various floors? If so, can you tell me where on the resort map they are located?
We love Boardwalk and it is where we stay the most when visiting Florida. Saw you you at the American adventure last May and again today when you walked through the lobby at Boardwalk. We were visiting with Nancy the manager there. She is the best! Any problems just ask for her and she will take care of you! Love your blog and keep it up!
We loved this place. It was quiet, no screaming kids. Convent location and so relaxing. Having that bakery so close was a positive we stopped at least twice a day. This is the only place we would stay.
Boardwalk Inn is the one deluxe resort we’ve not stayed at and never plan to. To me, it’s great for adults, but doesn’t offer much for kids. Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance Hall are for adults only. The kids can eat at ESPN, but it’s not really a kids’ kind of restaurant unless they’re older kids. Seems the only thing there for kids would be the pool.
And the pool is another reason we don’t go there. My granddaughter says the clown is really creepy looking. She won’t go swimming in it. It’s the only pool at Disney she said she won’t swim in.
The rooms aren’t very Disney-inspired or kid-like, either. They look like my parents’ bedroom. I’m hoping Disney refurbishes this resort to bring it into the new millenium (though I’m sure many will disagree with me on that) and find a way to make at least part of the resort more geared for kids than it is now.
This might be the one epcot resort that’s truly geared toward the DVC crowd, and actually gives adults something to do after the parks close. Plus, for my money ESPN club has the best food at decent prices in the park. Being DVC members we have access to a community club where kids can play, little ones might not have much to do but we found our middle schooler was fine here. We don’t stay at this resort when we have our younger grandkids with us.
My favourite resort in all of Walt Disney World (although I’ve only stayed in the Villas, and not the Inn).
These images of the rooms are either outdated, or don’t include the villas, which were refurbished last year and look FAR nicer than what’s pictured above.
Been to Disney 4 times; 30 years ago at Poly for our Honeymoon, then Boardwalk many years ago with our two sons; then POR 2 years later with 2 sons and then last time in 2007 with a bunch of Boy Scouts at CBR (that was interesting; although I never saw the scouts much as they did their own thing). So now we are in the empty nest and going back in October 2016 to celebrate our 30th. I had booked CBR again which we liked, but then decided “I can’t take it with me” and re-booked at Boardwalk. I agree, this place could have been a dump (and it is far from that – my fave) but the location is unbeatable. If I want to go back to my room for a cheap beer or glass of wine, I can do that and still not spend tons of time doing so.
Do you know the price range for this resort? I’m the family planner for our vacation this next year and your blog is a life saver!
Hi Tom,
Question: We are planning a DVC stay in the spring. Boardwalk is high on our list. Do you know the quickest way to reach the Magic Kingdom? If we have park hopper passes and walk through Epcot, switch monorails at the TTC to Magic Kingdom, would this take a loooong time? We found the bus system so long from the Epcot resorts. If we only had to rely on the buses to Disney Springs and AK, I think that would be a deal breaker. Your thoughts? Thank you for everything you do!!
Stacy (NH)
I would like to know this as well!
We stayed at Boardwalk for our honeymoon in December 2015 and walked or boated to Hollywood Studios and took a bus to Magic Kingdom resorts. We did this on days we weren’t going to the park and didn’t want to use one of our tickets (we have non expiration tickets). This actually seemed to go pretty quickly for us.
Can you walk to Epcot and then get on the Monorail to go to MK? Or do you need to use the bus to get to MK?
I have stayed at the Boardwalk every year. The Boardwalk Bakery has the great food. It’s nice to have transportation to all or most the parks at Boardwalk . Epcot is a very short walk away. Hollywood studios is a boat ride away or you could walk. The rooms are very nice.
We are renting DVC points for our upcoming trip and doing a split stay between Bay Lake Tower and Boardwalk Villas. My aesthetic for hotels leans toward modern, slick designs. Bay Lake Tower is right up my alley. However, I find the look of Boardwalk’s rooms to be just plain ugly. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the sole purpose of proximity to Epcot and DHS. I chose our two hotels based mostly on location. The actual Boardwalk area does look like a fun place to stroll though. And Flying Fish Cafe sounds like a great place to eat.
im planning to do the same thing in 2020. Can you Tell me how was your experience ? i know it was 5 years ago but i wonder if there is any downside .
thanks
We are traveling early next year. We are only staying 3 nights and will not be renting a car. We plan on visiting 3 parks. Debating on Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani 1 bedroom versus Boardwalk Villas 1 bedroom. Total of 4 adults and first trip to WDW. What would you recommend?
The perks of Boardwalk are that you can walk to Epcot and walk/ride a boat to DHS. Kidani Village is a little more isolated and would require driving to every other place you wish to visit. Animal Kingdom Lodge/Villas are a truly beautiful resort with excellent dining options, and in my opinion the rooms are better. For location, you should do Boarwalk. If a nicer hotel/room is more important, go with Animal Kingdom Villas and splurge on a savanna view room.
Great review! My husband and I will be staying at the BoardWalk Inn (for the first time) on our Honeymoon this November. I first went to the BoardWalk on my last trip in 2010 and immediately fell in love and said I’ll be staying here on my next trip. This review just makes me even happier that we chose this resort!
My husband and I will be take our honeymoon at Disney world in February. We’ve never been, so it’s the ultimate for me. I have no idea where I’d want to stay, first I wanted the Boardwalk, then we wanted to be more conservative with pop century, then I wanted to do a step better with port orleans french quarter, then I wanted to go all out and have no regrets, so we switched to polynesian. Then their pool sucked compared to the beach club so we switched again. Now we are back at board walk Inn, because it seems to be a better deal. I have never been to Disney, and yet I feel like I’ve been all around the park!
We are hoping to rent DVC points and Boardwalk is our first choice for our early Dec ’14 trip. After reading your review I am going to be super disappointed if it doesn’t work out! Thanks for the review and love the pool pic! Talk about good timing!
My family loves the Boardwalk! We have stayed here for the past four years and we are looking forward to our upcoming trip in September. There is so much to do at the resort, we always stay one whole day enjoying the pool, the bikes, shopping and nightly entertainment. We absolutely love the magician Brian Staron when he performs at the Boardwalk. It is so wonderful to actually feel “at home” when you are on vacation. I know it may sound a little silly but I even love the smell of the Boardwalk. It is such a clean and well maintained resort…it is like being on vacation while on vacation. We love the slow pace and relaxation from the parks. Hands down…best WDW resort.
Looks great, do you know if they have adjoining rooms? When we go back our girls will be teenagers and I can’t see us all sharing!!
We are working on securing rental points for a Christmas trip to WDW and are having a difficult time deciding between Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom Lodge. We’ve stayed at AKL and Beach Club. Love both resort areas, each with their own unique offerings. It’s hard to beat the location of Boardwalk/Beach & Yacht. Boat access to HS and World Showcase entrance into Epcot is so much nicer than the main entrance. Ugh!! Good thing is they’re both fantastic resorts. Decisions, decisions.
Staying there in 21 days. Haven’t been to WDW since 1995 and didn’t stay on site. Can’t wait.