Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A ONE BEDROOM VILLA AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

One Bedroom Villas at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas were renovated in 2015/2016 and sleep four in a king bedroom and a fold-out queen couch in the living room.

Add a second bedroom to make it a Two Bedroom Villa (the second bedroom will be identical to the Studio covered earlier in this review) and the sleeping capacity goes to nine–but with no more kitchen/dining/living room space, making the overall Villa a little tough for groups larger than 6.

The entry to a One or Two Bedroom Villa begins with a hallway into the main spaces.

One side of the entry area has a large closet…

…the door side…

…and the other side.

…and beyond it, on one side of the room a dining table and a couch.

Here’s the couch side from the back of the space.

The dining table is not particularly large, nor does it have many chairs–especially for the nine people a Two Bedroom Villa will sleep. The backs of the chairs have knobs which become quite uncomfortable quite quickly.

There’s a cute breakfast bar and two more (and more comfortable) chairs next to the kitchen.

Deeper in the living area you’ll find this couch.

It unfolds into a bed which I measured as 60 inches wide by 78 inches long, with a 4+ inch cushion.

The Villas here have a slightly different layout than other similar ones, which means that there’s more clearance between this couch and the breakfast bar when open–I got three feet of clearance, whihc is 18″+ more space than you’ll find in some similar DVC villas. This means that it’s a little easier for folk to get around in the living room when this bed is in use than at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club Villas, or Saratoga Springs, all of which have otherwise similar designs.

The table in front of the couch has storage…

…as does the fun steamer-trunk-themed side table.

Beyond the couch you’ll find the balcony or patio.

The other side of the living space has a 54″ TV over a dresser, and an easy chair.

A closer view of the dresser (the movie was Red Dawn, I think)…

…and its drawers. Dresser storage is fine for the two people this room sleeps.

The small kitchen is across from the dining table.

It includes all the basic appliances and everything you need to prep, cook and serve meals, other than counter space.

Some of the stuff it comes with:

These refurbed rooms are lighter than the old versions, and I quite like them.

They are missing some of the cute touches formerly present, such as this teacup lamp.

But there’s still some fun art in the room.

THE BATH AND MASTER BEDROOM OF A ONE BEDROOM VILLA AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

There’s four room types at the BoardWalk Villas–Studios, One Bedroom Villas, Two Bedroom Villas (essentially a combination of the first two) and Grand Villas. This page shows what you’ll find in a Studio and thus also in the second bedroom of a Two Bedroom Villa.The BoardWalk Villas were refurbed in 2015/2016 and the biggest change was to the studios, which now sleep five–the fifth in a new fold-down bed that disappears the dining table.

At the entry you’ll find the bath on one side and kitchenette on the other.

The kitchenette has a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker and toaster.

Basic supplies as in all DVC studios include some eating utensils. (Click to enlarge.)

On the other side of the entry is this large closet…

…and the main sink area of the bath.

On the other side of the sink counter, the tub and shower are in their own room.

Deeper in the room you’ll find on one side a queen and a couch that converts into a bed.

Here’s a closer view of the queen–note the tight clearance on the wall side.

And here’s a closer view of the couch. The couch folds out into a bed that I measured as about 74″ long by 54″ wide. The cushion was 3+ inches thick, and like most DVC sofa beds is a little uncomfortable for taller and older people. In other words, put kids here, not adults…

On the other side of the room you’ll find the TV, table and chairs, a dresser, and, if present,  the connecting door to a One-Bedroom Villa.

The white dresser has four somewhat shallow drawers.

Here’s a closer view of the table and chairs. The wood at the back is the bottom of a fold-down bed.

Take the chairs away, and fold down the bed.  The table disappears, and you get this bed which I measured as 32 inches by six feet.

At the end of the room you’ll find either a balcony or a patio.

These studio rooms are  charming, but the refurb made them a little more bland than their former iteration.  It’s nice that they now sleep five and have three sleeping spots.  But adults should only plan to sleep on the queen.

PHOTO TOUR OF A ONE BEDROOM VILLA AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

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OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

Note: guests at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, and have the ability to pre-book as early as  seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides. They are also eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

Most room options at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas (an Epcot resort, and a Disney Vacation Club resort) are wonderful places for returning visitors to Walt Disney World to stay.

For typical first-time visitors, I don’t recommend the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

That said, these “DVC” resorts can be a great choice for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Among the Disney Vacation Club resorts, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas ranks eighth-best overall for first-time visitors.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

You can have a spectacular visit at any Walt Disney World resort.

However, this site recommends that typical first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the Disney Vacation Club resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first.

(You can find extensive detail on the DVC resorts here.)

The recommendation comes from the simple fact that the distinguishing features of these resorts–extra space and full kitchens (the BoardWalk Villas kitchen in One and Two Bedroom Villas is above)–will not be of much value to first-time visitors following one of the itineraries on this site, as they won’t be used much.

However, the Disney Vacation Club resorts represent more than 10% of Walt Disney World’s total rooms, and are very appropriate for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Because of this, I’m providing a series of up-to-date reviews. We’ve stayed at the BoardWalk Villas half a dozen times, and this review is based these stays.

DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas comes in tenth overall of the Disney Vacation Club resorts. (See this for resort rankings.)

The studios and one and two bedroom villas at the BoardWalk Villas are in a group of DVC offerings with smallish spaces (the Beach Club Villas, Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, and Saratoga Springs are also in this group).

In particular, Two Bedroom Villas are tight for the nine people they hold. Moreover the positioning of the door to the second bedroom deep in the living room is a design flaw, making mornings and evenings when either space is in use as a sleeping space a little more awkward than they need be.

The other spaces–Studios (above), One Bedroom Villas, and Grand Villas–tend to work just fine.

The BoardWalk Villas recently completed a refurb. The most significant change from it is that Studios now sleep 5–the fifth in a fold-down bed shown near the top of this page.

This review has five pages:

• The overview page you are on now
• Theming of and accommodations at the BoardWalk Villas 
• A photo tour of a refurbed BoardWalk Villas Studio
• A photo tour of the kitchen/dining/living room side of a refurbed BoardWalk Villas One Bedroom Villa
• A photo tour of the baths and master bedroom of a refurbed BoardWalk Villas One Bedroom Villa

The BoardWalk Villas share the amenities, dining and pools of sister resort the BoardWalk Inn.  See the links for more on those topics.

BoardWalk Villas Kid Appeal.

• • Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal. The BoardWalk Villas has comparatively little visual kid appeal
  • None of the moderates do.
  • All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, its Pop Century Resort, and its Art of Animation Resort–have strong kid appeal.

The kid appeal of the BoardWalk Villas, such as it is, comes from largely its pool, not its design, architecture, or theme.

There are some fun artifacts, such as a model of an old-time roller coaster in the lobby it shares with its sister resort the BoardWalk Inn, that will catch the eyes of kids.

But kids generally will find it a yawn compared to resorts with higher kid appeal.

BoardWalk Villas Convenience.

Disney’s BoardWalk Villas is the fifth-most convenient of all the Walt Disney World resorts in carrying out the itineraries for first-time family visitors on this site.

All of the Epcot resorts are convenient to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Epcot is a short walk or boat ride, and the Studios are a longer walk or boat ride away. The Studios can also be accessed via the Disney Skyliner, after a change at Caribbean Beach.

The other two parks are accessed by buses, which are shared with some of the other Epcot resorts.

BEST AND WORST ROOMS AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms.

This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.

The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.

The map (click it to enlarge it) depicts both the BoardWalk Inn and the BoardWalk Villas.

It struck me once that the BoardWalk is laid out kinda like one of the kids on South Park, and I now can’t get that out of my mind–the lake is the head, with the wings of the Inn and Villas representing the arms and legs…

Sticking with this, for some reason, the wings that contain the BoardWalk Villas rooms are in the left leg and left arm.

Rooms at the ends of the wings can be quite a hike from the single elevator bank near the center of the figure.

Rooms with water views of the Crescent Lake–the “head”–also overlook the BoardWalk dining and entertainment area, and can suffer from noise from it.  Rooms overlooking the main Luna Park pool–between the left elbow and left knee–can also be noisy.

However, the “quiet pool,” between the left foot and left knee, is not so loud.

Meanwhile, first floor rooms have patios rather than balconies, and hence have less privacy.

So request a room near the elevator, above the first floor, that overlooks the quiet pool.

BEST FOR:

First time family visitors looking for extra or more comfortable space, and who prefer its theme to DVC resorts with more kid appeal.

WORST FOR:

Families on a budget; families looking for kid appeal.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND THEMING AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, see this.)

DINING AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

Saratoga Springs is thin on dining for a resort of its capacity, but the spectacular new dining additions at nearby Disney Springs make up for this a bit–as do the hundreds of kitchens you’ll find here.

(More on all the dining options at Disney Springs is in Chapter 7 of my book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019.)

The principal dining in Saratoga Springs is in the quick service Artist’s Palette and the table service Turf Club, supplemented by a small counter service window at the Pro Shop and an extended bar and grill menu at the poolside bar at the Paddock pool.

Artist’s Palette is integrated into the Saratoga Springs gift shop in the main services area at the Carriage House.

The venue is small but has a good menu. The full menu is here. The images below (click to enlarge) are representative:

Also in this area is the large and somewhat characterless bar.

Around the corner you’ll find the table service here, the Turf Club…

…with both indoor tables…

…and outdoor dining.

Here’s the review of the Turf Club from The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2020:

The full menu for The Turf Club is here.

Outside and downstairs next to the Pro Shop is another option for breakfast and lunch, Chips & Slices (thanks to alert reader Anthony for cueing me to this).

The menu at Chips & Slices from January 2018 (click it to enlarge it) –the full menu is here.

More dining is available at several of the pools at Saratoga Springs, particularly the Paddock pool.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, see this.)

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

Saratoga Springs is one of thee “stand-alone” Disney Vacation Club resorts (Disney’s Riviera Resort and Old Key West are the others), meaning that it’s not paired with a deluxe resort and its associated services and amenities.

Rather it offers its own such, and, with the exception of dining–and how far you have to walk to get to some of them from some of its rooms–amenities at Saratoga Springs are comparable to what you’ll find at the Disney World deluxe resorts.

Most amenities are in the center of the resort, in the Carriage House/Springs area.

In the Carriage House you check in and find concierge help with tickets, dining and such.

As at the other Disney resorts, there’s a cute area to park fidgety kids while you complete such business. (The photo is from a December visit.  You won’t find the Christmas decorations most of the rest of the year!)

Further in this building is this comfortable room…

…and beyond it the combined gift shop and quick service dining service area. (More on dining at Saratoga Springs is here.)

The gift shop has lots of food.

Lots.  There’s more than 800 full kitchens at Saratoga Springs, and another 400+ kitchenettes.  So it makes sense that the food offering in the shops would be extensive…and the other dining here a little slim.

Downstairs you’ll find the pro shop for the Lake Buena Vista golf course.

More shopping is available in the Pro Shop.

Some of the fairways wind through Saratoga Springs.

In this area is also the boat to Disney Springs.

Other Disney World areas are served by bus, and there’s bus stops all over the place–five in the main resort, and two more at the Treehouses. (The Treehouse stops don’t take you to the parks–they just take you to the rest of Saratoga Springs.)

Also in this area, but closer to the main pool, is the famous Senses spa.

Most of the dining options at Saratoga Springs are also nearby.

DINING AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, see this.)

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.

They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.

Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.

The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:

1. Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
2. Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
3. Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
5. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
6. Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
7. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
8. Disney’s Riviera Resort
9. Disney’s Beach Club Villas
10. Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
11. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
12. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
13. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas

The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.

They also are available to the general public at great discounts through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa is described on Walt Disney World’s website as follows:

“Inspired by historic Saratoga Springs—a late-1800s’ New York retreat famous for its spas and horse racing—this charming, Victorian-style Resort hotel is nestled between rolling golf course greens and the shimmering Village Lake. Delight in stately Studios and multi-bedroom Villas, dazzling pools and a spa. You can also explore the fun activities and exciting dining options of the Disney Springs area, just a boat ride away.”

The resort was built on the grounds of the old Disney Institute–an ill-fated foray into consumer cognition, but which still exists as a training organization with both on and off-site programs–see this–and preserved several of the buildings from that enterprise.

There are indeed water, greens, fairways and a great spa, but the horse-racing theme is fairly thin.

There are some words words on the maps, like Paddock, a statute or two…

…tack in the table-service Turf Club…

…silks in its bar…

…and some fun lighting, but that’s about it.

Saratoga Springs really is essentially unthemed–big, pretty buildings, lots of lovely water and fairway views, and some great pools, all of which could be almost anywhere.

And by some measures they are. The resort is in the far southeast corner of Walt Disney World, and the accommodations buildings within it are remarkably spread out. Within them, room sizes are in general as small as Walt Disney World DVC rooms get, and have little to recommend them.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

All Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows have studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.

Most have Grand Villas as well.  Saratoga Springs has rooms of all four types. These spaces have begun a refurb–my discussion in the material below is of not-yet-refurbed rooms. For floor plans and an overview of  refurbed rooms at Saratoga Springs, see this.

At Saratoga Springs, Studios sleep four, in a queen bed and a fold-out full couch, and have a microwave and mini fridge. The fold-out couch is best for shorter and lighter guests.

• The sleeping area is small and the bath/kitchenette space relatively large.
• This leads to somewhat cramped quarters, and Studios at Saratoga Springs can’t be recommended for first-time family visitors. If you need a studio, almost any other DVC would be better. (Some others, like those at Bay Lake Tower, are more cramped, but have better convenience or kid appeal.)

A photo tour of a Studio begins here.

One-Bedroom Villas have a master bedroom with a king and a master bath, a small full kitchen/dining/living space with a second door to the master bath, and sleep 4. These rooms fit four-person families just fine.

A photo tour of a One-Bedroom Villa begins here.

Two-Bedroom Villas add a second bedroom with a queen, a full sleeper sofa, and a second bath to the amenities of a One-Bedroom, and sleep 8.

• Like other DVC resorts of this basic design, the combined living/dining/full kitchen area is too small for the eight people that the villa will sleep. If your family can fit into the two bedrooms (that is, with 6 or fewer people, in three beds) and not use the sleeper sofa, the layout becomes more livable. Otherwise many other DVC resorts would be a better choice.
• Many larger  families committed to Saratoga Springs will find the three-bedroom layout of the Treehouses an interesting alternative at nearly the same price, so long as they have a car. See this for more on the Treehouses.

Photo tours are available of Studios and One-Bedroom Villas, which combine to make some Two Bedroom Villas, and are very similar to the components of others.

Grand Villas at Saratoga Springs sleep 12 in a little less than twice the space of a Two-Bedroom Villa, in three bedrooms (one with a king, and two with two queens) plus sleeper sofas.

• At Saratoga Springs, Grand Villas are two-story spaces. The master bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the first floor, and the two other bedrooms are on the second. Note that the second floor has another entry door.
• Saratoga Springs Grand Villas have only one balcony–off of the dining room.
• This is one fewer than many Saratoga Springs two-bedrooms have…Other Disney World grand villas have as many as 6 balconies…
• See below for an example of a much more livable Grand Villa, at Bay Lake Tower. A grand villa at any other DVC resort would be a better choice for first-time family visitors.

Below is the exterior of a Grand Villa at Saratoga Springs (the closest I am likely to come to one, given its price) showing the two story window in the living room–and absence of balconies…

(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)

Among the DVC resorts, Saratoga Spring’s strengths for first time visitors are its spa, its propinquity to Disney Springs, and its lower rates….and availability

Saratoga Springs’s principal negatives are its distance from Walt Disney World theme parks, its lack of kid-appeal, its sprawl, and its cramped rooms.

REFURBED SPACES AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here. 

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort or anywhere else at Disney World.  Contact her using the form below!

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