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Walt Disney World

Boardwalk Inn

Boardwalk Inn is a unique combination of hotel and entertainment complex. Coney Island, with its amusement parks of the past, comes to mind at this throwback resort. Each afternoon and evening there are entertainers and games. Along the boardwalk itself (yes, there really is a wooden boardwalk along the lakefront) are several restaurants, a bakery, and a handful of night clubs. At night, the clubs and restaurants get very busy, lending a frantic air to the otherwise elegant atmosphere.

Boardwalk Inn Resort is located across the lake from the Beach and Yacht Club Resorts, and is attached to the Boardwalk Villas, a Disney Vacation Club property. Epcot is within short walking distance, while the Swan and Dolphin hotels as well as Disney's Hollywood Studios are a bit farther away. This close proximity provides plenty of easy opportunities for entertainment and dining.

General Information - Hide Section
  • Address: 2101 N. Epcot Resorts Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, 32830
  • Resort Phone #: 407-939-5100
  • Resort Fax #: 407-939-5150
  • Reservation #: 407-934-7639
  • Date Opened: July 1, 1996
  • Resort Category: Deluxe
  • Room Information
  • # of Buildings: 1 building
  • # of Rooms: 512 rooms
  • Room Rates: All the rooms are essentially the same, offering either two queen beds or one king bed. There are two rate categories: rooms with a view towards the lake or rooms that face away from the lake. See the official Disney page for Boardwalk Inn for current room rates.
  • Services Information
  • Concierge Service: Yes
  • Valet Parking: Yes ($12/day)
  • Room Service:
  • Internet: Wired in-room ethernet port. $9.95 for 24-hours. Wi-Fi access is available in certain public common areas. Access is free for DVC members staying on points.
  • Laundry: There is one self-service laundry room on the resort's 3rd floor (an additional location is on the 1st floor of the Boardwalk Villas resort). Laundry service is available.
  • Pools and swimming: Boardwalk Inn has its own quiet pool and shares a themed pool with Boardwalk Villas on that side of the resort. The themed pool is called Luna Park and as with the rest of the resort is themed to a turn-of-the-century boardwalk. A 200-foot water slide, called Keister Coaster is themed to look like an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster.
  • Gym and Exercise: The Muscles and Bustles Health Club on the Boardwalk Villas side of the resort has free weights as well as standard cardio machines. Use is free for any Boardwalk Inn guest or guests of any Disney Vacation Club resort. The resort also has two tennis courts.

    This area is the best for anyone wanting to go for a run while staying on site. There are many trails and paths available that can be combined to accommodate a range of mileages. Jogging route maps are available from the front desk.

  • Spa: Tanning and massage services are available at the Muscles and Bustles Health Club.
  • Turndown service: Yes
  • Smoking: Smoking is allowed only in designated areas of the resort. There is no smoking allowed inside guest rooms.
  • Owner's Locker
  • MousePlanet partner Owner's Locker provides a highly useful service for repeat Walt Disney World visitors. It will allow you to to store a large amount of your "only-in-Florida" belongings on-site between your visits. Owner's Locker will deliver your locker to your resort early on the morning of your arrival and pick it up the day that you leave. Your locker will stay in climate-controlled storage until you return on your next visit. Owner's Locker delivers to resorts throughout the Orlando area, not just to Walt Disney World. Some of the many things that Owner's Lockers have been used to store are full-sized liquid containers to avoid the TSA hassle, clothing, holiday decorations for annual visits, pool playthings, and more. Visit their site and check them out for yourself, or order now!
  • Transportation Information
  • On foot: Several locations are accessible on foot from Beach Club without having to walk on streets. Walkable resorts include Yacht Club, Beach Club, Beach Club Villas, and the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Both Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios are reachable on foot. The Fantasia Gardens miniature golf course is also within reach, though crossing one street will be necessary.
  • Bus: The bus routes available at Beach Club also stop at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the water parks and Downtown Disney. All other points can be reached from the theme parks or Downtown Disney.
  • Monorail: Available, but would require walking through Epcot to that platform.
  • Ferries: Yes, the ferry route here connects Epcot, Beach Club/Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, Swan/Dolphin, and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
 
Dining - Hide Section
  • Big River Grille and Brewing Works— Typical brewhouse options and a selection of beers.
  • Boardwalk Bakery— In addition to pastries and desserts, a selection of sandwiches are also available.
  • ESPN Club— An ESPN theme restaurant. Standard sports bar fair with countless televisions and occasionally something is taped there for ESPN.
  • Flying Fish Cafe— A quality seafood dining restaurant.
  • Kouzzina by Cat Cora— Fine Greek dining with a menu designed by "Iron Chef" Cat Cora.
  • Other dining — The boardwalk has several small snack carts. Seashore Sweets serves soft-serve and regular ice creams. The dining options at Beach Club resort, Yacht Club resort, as well as Epcot's World Showcase are also easily accessed on foot.
Entertainment and Shows - Hide Section
  • Atlantic Dance — A dance hall featuring all types of music from DJs and occasionally live performers. There is a cover charge.
  • Community Hall — On the Boardwalk Villas side of the resort, this is the place for renting bicycles and other play equipment such as ping pong and croquet.
  • IllumiNations — While the nuts-and-bolts of Epcots signature show on World Showcase Lagoon are not visible from Boardwalk Inn, the view from the bridge provides decent viewing of the shows higher fireworks. It is also an easy walk into the park to take in the entire show.
  • Jellyrolls — Dueling pianos at their best in this nighclub. There is a cover charge.
  • Side Show Games — A video arcade near the Luna Park swimming pool.
  • The Yard — A video arcade associated with the ESPN Club restaurant.
  • Other entertainment: Out on the boardwalk throughout the day and evening you'll find a variety of street performers doing their thing. While the resort does not have its own children's activity center, guests can make reservations to drop off their children (4-12) at the Sandcastle Club at the nearby Beach Club Resort.
Stores and Shopping - Hide Section
Reader Reviews - Hide Section

The following are recent reviews for the Boardwalk Inn from our Reader Review system. Click the Show All Reviews link to see every review for this location. To browse all reviews in the system, please see this page.

Average Reviewer Rating: 3.7 out of 53.7 out of 53.7 out of 53.7 out of 53.7 out of 5
Number of Boardwalk Inn Reviews: 8
Show All Reviews
5.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.0   May 2004
Reviewer: sherry Atlanta,Ga.     November 30, 2007
My family and I were very impressed , to us it was perfection at its highest. Room was imaculate , service was excellent. We ordered breakfast in our room to avoid the crowds and it was hot and the food was 5 stars. I wouldn't hesitate to come back. It is pricey but in this case we got what we paid for and then some. I think its the best location around close to everything and the best resturants.
 
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
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3.0/5.03.0/5.03.0/5.03.0/5.03.0/5.0   6/10-6/18/2007
Reviewer: Neon Cactus Tucson, Arizona     June 21, 2007
Just had an 8 night stay at the Boardwalk. There were some great things about it and there were some not so great. First, the positives. It's an outstanding location. We had two young children (7, 3) and it's a short walk to EPCOT, and even not bad to Disney-MGM Studios (if you take a short cut by the pool area, it cuts a bit of time and distance off the walk). There's a lot of activities to do there and a lot of restaurants within walking distance. There isn't a food court, but there is the bakery, sweet shop, pizza place, Boardwalk To Go cart with hot dogs, corn dogs and chicken, and pretzel/funnel cake stand. The rooms are a good size. On our first stay here in 2005, our rooms were great. The pool is very nice. It has a roller coaster themed water slide and is large. There is also a wading pool for small children and a playground next door.

Now to the bad. We were with a party of 10 and had three rooms. Our rooms connected with one group and we had a nice view right by the stairs from the parking area. But...our room was closest to the elevators and the noise from the machinery was awful. It wasn't a constant sound that we could get used to, but it was pretty loud and more of a stop and start variety so that it made sleeping difficult. Also, the other room from our group had a day bed, the connecting room had a nice chair besides the beds, ours had neither. One other pet peeve is something I usually never notice when I'm at WDW, but when you have a small child who takes mid-day naps, it's more apparent. We were supposed to have a daily newspaper delivered. Several days this did not happen and on one day bell services said they'd bring one up and it never came.

Overall, I'd recommend it based on location but I'd do Beach Club if possible. One other tip, if you're taking the boat back from Disney-MGM Studios or taking the bus back from another park, there are 3 stops for the boat and 5 for the buses, and the Boardwalk is the last one. I suggest getting off at the Swan hotel, which is the first stop and walking to the Boardwalk. You will beat the boat and the bus to the hotel.
 
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful
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4.0/5.04.0/5.04.0/5.04.0/5.04.0/5.0   2/9-2/13
Reviewer: SusieH1957 Boston, MA     February 17, 2007
Just back from Boarwalk. We had a very lovely, quiet room, 1312. This was just a couple minutes walk to quiet pool. The only negative was not having a food court/restaurant inside the main building. We were able to refill our mugs at morning coffee stand inside. The walk to Disney Studios and Epcot was the BEST part. We also walked over to Dolphin, Swan, and Beach Club. Buses to AK, MK and Downtown were fine too!
 
10 out of 12 people found this review helpful
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In the Past... - Hide Section
Here you will find a list of selected shows or restaurants that have been removed fromBoardwalk Inn, never to return.

  • Entertainment & Shows

    • Dining
      • Spoodles— Mediterrean inspired cuisine and hearth fired flatbreads. (July 1, 1996-August, 2009)

Links of Interest - Hide Section

MousePlanet Links

  • A Photo Tour — Brian Bennett shows you around the resort.

Offsite Links (we can not vouch for their accuracy or timeliness)



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