Review: The Boardwalk Resort

The Boardwalk Resort is one of the Epcot Resorts near the Swan and Dolphin, Beach Club, and Yacht Club resorts.

The Boardwalk isn’t the most beautiful resort but it does have its charms. It’s like stepping back in time to the 1920s era boardwalk in New Jersey. The storefronts and other structures on the Boardwalk fit right into that theme. The only part of the area that seems to stick out like a sore thumb is the ESPN Zone. They try to make it fit with an old school arm pumping an old weight but it seems rather tacky.

At night everything is lit up with string or neon lights. Nighttime is also when the performers come out. There are magicians and jugglers and other performers. There is also a clown with a squeaky noise for a voice. I avoided him. The noise drove me nuts.

The lobby is spacious and well decorated with large chandeliers, comfy chairs, and antiques. The antiques are the only crank viewers that show a short clip for a penny or the vintage pre-arcade machines. You’ll also find a musical model carousal which goes off every so often. Another model is of a vintage rollercoaster which is lit up.

The rooms are ok. You’ll find much better rooms at the Contemporary. The rooms at the contemporary are larger, cleaner, and better designed. The biggest issue is the bathroom. The toilet and the tub are together while the sinks are outside the bathroom. It was just odd and cumbersome. If someone is stepping out of the bathroom the door will hit anyone washing their hands at the sink. The decorations are nice. The paintings are very nice if you like oils of Disney inspired scenes. The beds are comfy enough although we ended up with two double beds. For some reason I thought the higher end resorts had two queens. The balcony is nice but only two or three people can fit on it. The average cruise ship balcony is bigger.

The location is great. You walk to DHS or Epcot. There are also boats that will take you to both. Most people think walking to DHS takes too long or it’s too far. It is faster than the boat. If the boat is arriving when you start walking you will easily beat the boat to DHS. The Boardwalk is the first stop going towards DHS. That means you have to stop at the Yacht and Beach Club followed by the Swan and Dolphin. When you consider the boats only move about twice as fast as a walk you’ll see why you can easily out walk it.

The walk to Epcot is rather short and is great when you realize you don’t have to wait at the monorail or bus stop to go back to your room after Illuminations.

In the end I don’t know if I’d stay at the Boardwalk again. If I was going to stay in that area I’d try one of the others next. Overall I’d stay at the Poly or Contemporary before the Boardwalk. However, if I was going to be doing a lot in Epcot it would be a decent choice.