The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s BoardWalk Resort

Disney’s BoardWalk is part of the Epcot Resorts area. Its key benefit is being within walking distance of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This resort guide showcases the resort and its amenities.

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Address:

2101 N Epcot Resorts Blvd
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

• Check-In Time: 3:00 p.m.
• Check Out Time 11:00 a.m.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Overview

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn is a deluxe resort at Walt Disney World. Its design was inspired by turn-of-the-century Atlantic City and other New England beachside towns. Disney’s Boardwalk is a charming resort, and the attention to detail does not go unnoticed.

While Disney’s Boardwalk Inn is a resort, the Boardwalk is also a destination. Guests visit the Coney Island-themed Boardwalk for its restaurants, nightlife, and entertainment.

Below, you’ll find a fact sheet related to the resort. However, if you would like an account of our experience, you might want to try our review of staying at Disney’s Boardwalk. It will share more intimate details of our latest trip, including the things we love and the issues we had during our stay.

A Note on Disney’s BoardWalk Villas

Disney’s Boardwalk is divided into two hotel areas: the Inn side and the Villas. Disney’s Boardwalk Villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). Disney Vacation Club members will have first access to reserve these rooms when reservations become available. However, Disney also makes these rooms available to regular guests.

In the room section below, we provide a detailed list of each room at the resort. Villas will have features that standard guest rooms do not offer. If you’re looking for a room type that has upgrades like a kitchenette or a full kitchen, multiple baths, or a laundry area, you might consider one of the villas.

Resort Benefits of Disney’s BoardWalk

Guests of Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Boardwalk Villas can participate in Disney’s early theme park entry, a perk extended to all Walt Disney World Resort guests.

Early Theme Park Entry: This perk allows resort guests to enter any Walt Disney World theme park 30 minutes before officially opening to the general public. This early entry provides several advantages:

1. Lower Crowds: Being among the first to enter the park allows you to experience popular attractions with shorter wait times. This will help you to check off must-see rides and experiences ahead of the crowd.
2. Photography Opportunities: If you love capturing the magic of Disney, the early hours provide a fantastic opportunity for photos in front of iconic landmarks with fewer people in the background.
3. Cooler Temperatures: Morning hours are often cooler, making outdoor activities more comfortable. But if you visit during cooler weather, don’t forget a jacket!

Extended Evening Hours: Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resort guests, which includes those staying at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, enjoy the privilege of spending extra time in select theme parks on specific evenings. During extended evening hours, these parks stay open later than their regular closing time, usually for an additional two hours.

This benefit offers several advantages as well:

1. More Ride Time: This allows you to enjoy additional nighttime rides and attractions when lines tend to be shorter.
2. Magical Nighttime Atmosphere: Disney parks take on a unique and enchanting ambiance at night, with beautifully lit landscapes. So you’ll have time to savor the nighttime magic for longer with fewer crowds. 
3. Less Rush: With extended hours, you can explore at a more relaxed pace.

Rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk

Below, we’ll discuss the various room types at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn. We recently stayed in an updated standard guest room with a king-size bed and a pull-out daybed.

Learn More>> Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Room Tour

Standard Resort Rooms: Traditional guest rooms at Disney’s Boardwalk sleep up to five guests. They come with the following setup: 

• 1 king bed and a day bed
• 2 queen beds
• 2 queen beds and a day bed
• 1 king bed

*If you are a party of five, you should automatically receive a room with two queen beds and a day bed. It is the only standard room type that will accommodate that many guests.

Additionally, standard rooms come with the following view types:

• Standard View: A view of Disney’s Boardwalk Inn gardens, leisure pool, or parking area.
• Resort View: A view of Disney’s Boardwalk Inn gardens, leisure pool, or parking area.
• Water View: A view of Disney’s Boardwalk or Crescent Lake.

Club Level Rooms

The following room types are available with club-level rooms. 

• Resort View (Standard Guest Room)
• Deluxe Room (Sleeps up to six adults)
• Garden Room with Club Level Access (Sleeps two adults)
• Two Bedroom Suite (Sleeps up to nine adults)
• Sonora VP Suite (Sleeps up to six adults)

Boardwalk Villas Rooms

The following room types are available at Disney’s Boardwalk Villas:

Deluxe Studio: These rooms sleep up to five adults and come with a queen-size bed, double-size sleeper sofa, and a single pull-down bed. View options for this room type are standard, Boardwalk view, or garden/pool view. These rooms have a small kitchenette with a sink and microwave. 

One-Bedroom Villa: This room sleeps up to four adults. It has a king-size bed in the bedroom and a queen-size sleeper sofa in the living area. This unit offers a full kitchen and laundry area. 

Two-Bedroom Villa (Lock-off): This unit sleeps up to nine guests. One bedroom has a king-size bed, while the secondary room has a queen-size bed and a double sofa sleeper. An additional queen-size sleeper is in the unit’s living room. This unit has two large baths with three tub/shower areas. 

Three-Bedroom Grand Villa: This unit sleeps up to twelve adults. Sleeping arrangements include a king-size bed in the primary bedroom, two queen-size beds in the second bedroom, and two queen beds in the third bedroom. Like the one and two-bedroom units, the living room offers a queen-size sleeper sofa and a single pull-out sleeper chair.

The BoardWalk

One of the charms of staying at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort is the actual Boardwalk. Each evening, the promenade comes to life with midway games, performers, and other forms of entertainment.

Shops on Disney’s Boardwalk include the Screen Door General Store, The Promenade Art Gallery, Disney’s Character Carnival, and Thimbles and Threads. We have an overview of the shops at Disney’s Boardwalk, including photos of the merchandise you can expect.

Those who enjoy nightlight might prefer to check out the Atlantic Dance Hall or Jellyrolls, which have dueling pianos each evening. These venues are located on the end of the Boardwalk closest to the Swan and Dolphin Hotels. They are for guests ages 21 and older. (Update: Jellyrolls has announced they will permanently close in 2025.)

Learn More>> Resorts Gal’s Top 12 Things To Do at Disney’s Boardwalk

Restaurants

The Boardwalk has a considerable number of restaurants with table service options. Unfortunately, the hotel’s counter-service options are not its strongest suit. Below, we have a brief overview of each restaurant.

Carousel Coffee: This coffee shop is off the resort’s second-floor lobby. It serves specialty coffee and pastries. Unfortunately, this location has limited hours. On our last visit to the Boardwalk, it closed at 3:30 p.m. They usually open at 6:30 a.m., so expect a line for early morning coffee. We have a separate article with photos of what’s available at Carousel Coffee.

Boardwalk Deli: Formerly the Boardwalk Bakery, the Deli is located on the Boardwalk and serves as the resort’s primary quick service. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers sandwiches, salads, desserts, and pastries. For more details, try our Boardwalk Deli Review.

Pizza Window: This walk-up window on the Boardwalk offers a slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza. However, in our experience, far better pizza options are available at Epcot or via a delivery service.

Boardwalk Ice Cream: If you’re looking for ice cream, Boardwalk’s Ice Cream Shop has you covered. They have an array of flavors, sundaes, shortcakes, and other cold treats.

Boardwalk Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas: This stand sits on the Boardwalk and serves various flavors of margaritas. You can also pick up an order of nachos, a Mickey pretzel, and the famous jalapeno-cheese stuffed pretzel at this location.

Leaping Horse Libations: This is the poolside bar at Disney’s Boardwalk. It serves Disney’s standard cocktail menu, which includes wine and beer. Regarding food, it has flatbread pizza, hot dogs, and premade salads.

Abracadabar: This magician-themed lounge is located on the Boardwalk. They serve small plates and a variety of signature elixirs (cocktails).

Belle Vue Lounge: Belle Vue Lounge is the Boardwalk’s formal lounge off the resort’s second-floor lobby. Guests can use the lounge throughout the day, and cocktail service is available between 4:00 p.m. and midnight.

Trattoria al Forno: This Italian restaurant serves breakfast and dinner. Both meal periods tend to get rave reviews, often mentioning the restaurant’s reasonable pricing.

Flying Fish: Flying Fish is one of Disney’s most popular signature dining locations. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended for this fine dining location on Disney’s Boardwalk. Flying Fish specializes in seafood and has an ever-changing seasonal menu.

The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers: This upscale restaurant and cake shop offers a variety of cakes and other selections.

Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs: This fun corn dog stand on Disney’s Boardwalk offers a variety of unique and classic corn dogs. They also have cotton candy and fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Guests can purchase refillable mugs at Disney’s Boardwalk. They are good for the length of their hotel stay for up to 14 days and can be refilled at any resort’s quick service.

Learn More>> Disney’s Boardwalk Restaurants

Recreation

Disney’s Boardwalk has three pools. Most guests like to spend time at the resort’s feature pool, the Luna Park Pool. This pool features the Keister Coaster, a water slide designed to look like an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster.

Additionally, the resort is home to the Community Hall Pool, which sits on the villa side of the resort. Another quiet pool is available to guests on the Inn side. We have a separate article with multiple photos of all the pools at Disney’s Boardwalk if you want to learn more.

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn also has a tennis court that doubles as a pickleball court. It’s located along the walkway to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Boardwalk also has a gym, Muscles and Bustles Health Club, which is located near the resort’s feature pool.

Transportation

The following forms of transportation are available at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn:

• Friendship Boats
• Disney Bus Service
• Walkway to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Boardwalk’s bus stop is on a walkway in front of the resort. Depending on your room’s location, several pathways lead to it. You can take a bus to the following theme parks and destinations:

• Magic Kingdom
• Animal Kingdom
• Disney Springs
• Water Parks

Disney’s Friendship boat dock sits in the center of the Boardwalk. Guests can take it to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, and Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Hotels.

Guests can also walk to Epcot’s International Gateway to enter the park. A separate path on the opposite side of the resort leads to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We have a guide that focuses on the specifics of using transportation at Disney’s Boardwalk. You can also preview our transportation map for the Boardwalk, which highlights locations where guests can access transportation.

To and From Disney’s BoardWalk (Mini-Pocket Guide): Save this pocket guide to your mobile device and use it as a cheat sheet during your vacation.

Bus Routes with Average Times for Disney’s BoardWalk: This guide shares the average bus times we’ve recorded during our stays at the resort

Related Articles

For your convenience, here’s a list of all our articles related to Disney’s BoardWalk Resort.

Here are a few more photos of Disney’s Boardwalk:

More Deluxe Resorts to Consider:

If you haven’t decided on a resort, you might consider a few other options. The following resorts are part of the Epcot Resorts Area:

• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort 
• Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort