Disney's BoardWalk Villas

It’s our first time staying here and probably the last. We asked for a quieter room bc our family’s needs, and two nights in a row there have been utility trucks driving, loud conversations, last night after midnight. Quite a few other issues, but this was the last straw. We spoke to someone whose only hope was that we should talk to someone else. Not at all what we would expect from Disney.

I have stayed at many deluxe hotels and Boardwalk is my least favorite. Positives: location (easy walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios), clean, staff friendly. Negatives: pools are boring, theming okay but not great, no restaurants on site which I thought would not be a big deal but turned out to be not very convenient, buses were slow in the morning and getting to the water park was a pain (had to take a bus to Disney Springs and then another bus to Typhoon Lagoon).

We booked this through David’s DVC, as it was the same price as the swan and dolphin through Marriott. We also knew we wanted somewhere in this location near Epcot and Hollywood studios. We did the mobile check in on our phones (we had 2 reservations that were linked), and we were given rooms across the hall from each other. Note, we had both booked preferred view studio rooms, and one room had a view of the courtyard on the boardwalk with a large open patio, and the other room had a view of the pool with a small enclosed patio. So not all rooms/views/patios are created equal. The room (studio villa) is quite spacious. Upon walking in there is a small indented area which we used to store our luggage. Then there is a countertop/kitchenette/prep area. This has a Keurig with pot and single use pods, a toaster, a sink, a microwave, and a mini fridge. This also comes with dish soap, a sponge, paper plates, paper bowls, plastic silverware, paper cups (hot and cold), and a wine opener/bottle opener. The sink is outside the bathroom door which contains the toilet and shower. There are shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in dispensers on the wall. The sink has large drawers and came with a hair dryer. The closet has a safe, ironing board and iron, extra blankets and pillows, hangers, and a duffle rack/storage. The main room has one queen bed, one queen murphy bed that pulls down from the wall (this is in combination with the couch). Therefore you have a couch when the bed is up. And also one more murphy single pull down under the tv. The tv has many channels and we were able to watch sports games. Under the tv is a very large and long countertop that was great for placing things for our park day. There are two large and deep drawers. There is a coffee table that pulls up and opens for more storage or higher eating. There are two stools you can pull over to the coffee table by the couch for eating as well. Each side of the bed has either a nightstand or a small ledge to put your phone and with plugs/usb ports as well. The smaller patio had two chairs and a table, while the larger patio had 4 chairs and a table. The room came fully stocked, and since it is a DVC villa, there is no housekeeping unless you are staying more than 8 nights. Therefore, on just the 4th day, they provide “trash and towel service” in which they refresh your towels and take out your trash. For us, this was an awkward experience as we were just about to leave for the parks when we received the knock. She mentioned trash and towel service and I told her we were just about to leave. She repeated herself and I said yes, and she motioned for me to move so she could come in. So she is in the room taking out our trash while we are finishing gathering our things for the parks. So we just leave while she is in the room, with the door shut. It was an awkward experience, and I wondered why she did not offer to come back in a little bit, or prop the door open like they usually do. Other than tha

I was so excited to get to stay here this trip because we love the style of the hotel and the location. Upon arrival we were greeted kindly and the bell service was excellent. I wish the rest of the stay and accommodation was just as good but it was very disappointing. Layout - The walk from the elevator to the room was annoying to say the least. It feels like a never ending hallway and everything looks exactly the same. Leaving the room I got lost twice because there is no indication of which way to go to get back to the elevator. Cleanliness- When we checked in at midnight after a long park day, we unpacked and got settled. The tub was dirty with hair and other questionable stuff. There was hair on the pullout beds. The next night when we got back from the parks my son put his hand on top of the headboard and it was covered in dust. So much that clumps flew off onto the bed. Accommodations - the only place to get the reusable cups that come with the dining plan is at the deli that closes at 11pm according to the Disney app but actually 10 pm and with us being at the park all day, we did not get to get the cups. We were only there three days and were not able to get our cups until the last day. What makes it even more frustrating is that we were there at 9:59pm one night and were told they were closed by the girl at the register as she was preoccupied with her phone. Not only did we not get the cups until the very last day we only used them once because of the distance and lack of availability. This was an overall frustrating and extremely disappointing experience.

Boardwalk Villas has been my favourite DVC property for years now and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. The one bedroom villa we had was beautiful with phenomenal Disney theming (we preferred these rooms to the Beach Club and Animal Kingdom Villa rooms for this split stay) and you can’t beat the location. Prepare for a loud washer so definitely do your laundry before the kids are asleep (this applies to every villa we were at). Sadly we found the hot tub to be barely working, the pool area to feel lacklustre and the buskers to be nearly non-existent. I think every age range has a sweet spot and for a family with younger kids this is an ideal location (the community centre is top notch), but for a family with older kids I would recommend staying across the way at Beach Club.

Love everything about Disney's Boardwalk. The Inn, the Villas, the shops, pools, service, and boardwalk itself. The easy walk to Epcot and little adventure to other hotels and Hollywood Studies are also great. Love being on the backside of Epcot, easy entry, and exit. Too bad Jellyrolls is going to be closing, but will give new Jazzclub a shot.