Category — q. Reviews

DISNEY’S TREEHOUSE VILLAS

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is a sprawling Disney Vacation Club resort (available to the general public for rent just like any other Disney World hotel rooms) with four principal room types: Studios, One Bedroom Villas, Two Bedroom Villas, and Grand Villas. The review of the full resort and those room types is here.

However, the map of Saratoga Springs has a little arrow on the left, which I’ve circled in red, labeled “To Treehouse Villas.”

Though literally “off the map,” the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs are so different from any other offering in all of Disney World, much less at Saratoga Springs, that even though there’s only 60 of them, they get their own review here!

Why are they so different?  Most importantly, they are the only three bedroom offering at Walt Disney World priced at the same level as a Two Bedroom Villa.

They have no more capacity than most two bedroom villas–they sleep nine.

But they place those nine differently. Instead of the typical DVC layout of two in a master king room, four in a two queen or one queen/one sleeper sofa room, and two to three in the living room, they sleep

• Two in a master queen room
• Two in another queen room
• Two in a bunk bed room
• And three in the living room

Moreover, among the DVC resorts, the living room/kitchen/dining room combo is particularly livable, bested only by the enormous spaces at Old Key West.

See the floor plan for how all this fits together.

Now, to take full advantage of all this space, some folk have to be able to fit in the bunk beds, which I measured as 39 inches wide by just 70 inches long–although there’s about 3 more inches of toesy space beyond the 70 inches of mattress space.

But many families or groups who can do so will function better in four separate sleeping rooms, rather than three of the other comparably-priced two-bedroom DVC offerings.

There’s other distinctive positives too:

–As remote and wilderness-feeling a setting as you’ll find at Disney World

–The only spaces other than the Cabins at Fort Wilderness where every room has a barbecue grill, and

–Outdoor decks as big as you’ll find anywhere at Disney World.

But the Treehouse Villas come with great negatives as well–negatives so strong that the Treehouse Villas are the bottom-ranked option for first time visitors.

Saratoga Springs is a remote and inconvenient resort.  And the Treehouse Villas are the most remote and inconvenient of the Saratoga Springs areas–so much so that guests staying in them use internal buses to take people to Saratoga Springs itself (there’s also a walking path). Want to go to a theme park and don’t have a car? Then take a bus to Saratoga Springs proper, and wait for another bus to the parks…

See the map, with bus stops near the top and bottom.

The remoteness does mean they have their own boat dock–that’s the Port Orleans boat, taken from beneath our Treehouse on our second stay in one, in December 2013.

They also have their own pool. It’s tiny–but remember, there’s only 60 villas.

With the tiny pool comes a tiny hot tub.  The nicer Grandstand pool is a 5-10 minute walk away, and the main pool at Saratoga Springs five minutes further than that.

Also worth noting is that the exterior is kinda ugly. I love these Treehouses for their remoteness, natural setting, and livability…but my, they are funny looking!

PHOTO TOUR OF TREEHOUSE VILLAS ACCOMMODATIONS

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, click here.)

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn opened in July 1996, and was last renovated in 2014.

According to Disney World’s website, the BoardWalk Inn

“…captures the charm, whimsy and elegance of 1940s Atlantic City. Sitting along a boardwalk packed with amusements, the Resort offers dynamic views of activity below and of the glittering waters of Crescent Lake.

Take in lively sights and sounds of midway games and performance artists all along the quarter-mile, Coney Island-style boardwalk. The striped awnings and saltwater taffy-colored facades lend themselves to a friendly carnival atmosphere.”

Well, that’s about half right.

The BoardWalk Inn has two very different sides.

The overall Boardwalk complex includes the BoardWalk Villas, a Disney Vacation Club resort, the first part of which you can see on the left side of the map, and the BoardWalk Inn in the right center.

On the lake side of both facilities is Disney’s Boardwalk (top left on the map. curving along Crescent Lake), a combination of restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, carts, and other stuff fun for adults and kids.  This area best matches Disney’s “Atlantic City” description.

However, the architecture of the BoardWalk Inn itself, and especially the areas surrounded by the hotel wings–top center on the map–has a very different and much more peaceful heritage.

The BoardWalk Inn, and the nearby sister resorts Yacht Club and Beach Club, were all designed by Robert A. M. Stern, a noted architect who was deeply involved in multiple properties during the Michael Eisner years at Disney.

Stern’s website notes that the BoardWalk Inn itself was designed based not on mid-Atlantic but rather on Northeastern models:

“Behind its waterfront facade, the hotel, which takes its architectural cue from rambling colonial revival-style hotels of New England, is arranged around a series of garden courts, each distinct, including quiet gardens and active settings for swimming and croquet.”

(For more on Stern’s role in Walt Disney World, see this.)

All the interior landscape of the BoardWalk Inn is enclosed by walls.  The result is a set of small lovely and quiet courtyards, perfect for relaxing.

I can’t think of another Disney World deluxe hotel with this enclosed set of interior courtyards.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

All Disney deluxe resorts have standard rooms; concierge rooms, which Disney calls “club” rooms; and suites. (See this for more on suites at Walt Disney World.)

At Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, standard and club/concierge rooms sleep either four or five, in two queen beds, or two queens and a convertible sofa. For a photo tour of a standard room, see this.

King bed rooms that sleep two or three (the third on the sofa) are also available.

The BoardWalk Inn also has deluxe rooms, Garden Cottage rooms, and suites. I generally advise against special room types for first-time visitors, as they won’t be spending much time in their rooms. However, they may be well worth it for families intending to spend more time at the BoardWalk Inn than implied by this site’s itineraries.

TikimanPages.com has a great discussion of the value of concierge rooms here. Though focused on the Polynesian, it applies to any deluxe resort.

Most BoardWalk Inn concierge rooms (Disney calls them “club” rooms) are the same size as the rest of the resort’s rooms. However, there’s also an option called a “Deluxe” rooms, a special room type called a Garden Cottage, and two-bedroom suites.

Deluxe rooms give you more space–more than 600 square feet–and sleep six, in two queens and a fold-out couch that sleeps two.

I feel a little uncomfortable commenting on the quality of club services, as I’ve only stayed at club level at six of the eight deluxe resorts, and a couple of these were a while ago.  I can say, however, that my two favorite club lounges among the six I have stayed in are, by far, those at the BoardWalk Inn and at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Garden Cottages are another option, optimized for couples, even honeymooners.  While they sleep four, all but three of the cottages sleep two in an upstairs lofted space that is open to a downstairs living area that sleeps two more in a fold-out couch. (The three with a private upstairs bedroom are 1205, 1206, and 1207.) Size varies from around 900 to 1100 square feet. I haven’t found any floor plans.

These rooms have separate entrances, cute little semi-private gardens, and are drop-dead charming. The image shows a garden–its cottage is the first two stories behind it.

Most two-bedroom suites are three bays wide.

The exception is the two-bedroom Presidential Steeplechase Suite, five bays wide.

For more on suites, see this, and for more on larger families seeking deluxe options, see this.

Note that to all the capacity figures above you can add a child under three in a crib.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

This review continues here.
 

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

• Summary and overview of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Theming and Accommodations at the BoardWalk Inn
• A Photo-Tour of a Standard Room at the Boardwalk Inn
• Amenities at the BoardWalk Inn
• The Luna Park Pool at the BoardWalk Inn
• Dining at the Boardwalk Inn

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, click here.)

THE LUNA PARK POOL AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

Luna Park Pool is the main pool at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Villas.

Located in a courtyard formed by Villas buildings, like the rest of the BoardWalk it is meant to recollect seaside amusement parks from early in the 20th century. For more on its theming, see Jim Korkis on its history here.

Luna Park has all the basics one would expect from a Disney World deluxe resort pool, but nothing special–no special theming, setting, or offerings.

As a result it’s below average among deluxe main pools.

There’s nothing wrong with Luna Park–it’s a fine place to swim, sunbathe, play on the water slide, have a drink at the pool bar.

It’s just that there’s nothing remarkable here, either. People don’t stay at the BoardWalk Inn or Villas because of the pool.

From the Inn, you get to Luna Park Pool by taking the Villa-side elevator bank to the first floor, then head outside.

In the image, that puts you at the upper right corner–the area with the curved wall–facing the pool slide.

On one side is the kid pool and play area, and on the other the bar, hot tub, and water slide.

This is Luna Park Pool from about that position. Note the clown face at the end of the fun spiral slide.  Hope your kids haven’t seen It.

Here’s the same angle at night.

The pool from the other side.

In this area you’ll also find the little kids pool…

…and also a playground.

The adult playground–the pool bar–is on the other side.

Here’s the food menu at the pool bar.

Beyond the bar is the hot tub.

You can see beyond the hot tub on the right the stairs up to the fun slide.

The support wall in this area has signs reminiscent of old-style amusement parks.

At night, movies are shown at the pool.

DINING AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

This review continues here!

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

• Summary and overview of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Theming and Accommodations at the BoardWalk Inn
• A Photo-Tour of a Standard Room at the Boardwalk Inn
• Amenities at the BoardWalk Inn
• The Luna Park Pool at the BoardWalk Inn
• Dining at the Boardwalk Inn

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, click here.)

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

There are currently 8 official Disney owned and operated deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World.

In their recommended order for first time family visitors, they are

1. Polynesian
2. Wilderness Lodge
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge
4. Contemporary
5. Grand Floridian
6. Beach Club
7. Yacht Club
8. BoardWalk Inn

Many of these also offer Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) studios and villas, all for rent to the general public–here it’s the BoardWalk Villas. See this for more on the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

You enter the BoardWalk Inn into a lovely multi-storied lobby that serves both it and the BoardWalk Villas. Here you’ll find check-in, bell services, concierge services etc.  There’s also a small shop. A much bigger shop is downstair and outside.

The lobby has fun chandeliers…

…and amusement park models.

One of the larger gift shops associated with a Disney Resort is entered from the BoardWalk, on the Big River Grille side.

More from the shop, known as “Thimbles and Thread.” Lots of food here, handy especially for the BoardWalk Villas with their many full kitchens.

Here also is the boat service to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  You can also walk to either–if walking to the Studios, save a few minutes by cutting past the main pool and picking up the path there.

The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney and the water parks are served from the bus stop out front. Buses typically are shared with other resorts and take a bit. (Note that of the two self-parking lots at the BoardWalk Inn, the one near here–drive past the bus stop and turn right–is a much shorter walk.)

Near the Yacht Club boat dock across Crescent Lake (take the boat there)  you can find watercraft for rent..

And lovely beaches are within walking distance on the near side of the Beach Club.

The lowest floor of the BoardWalk Inn has a gym.

There’s two quiet pools at the BoardWalk. One is nestled within wings of the Villas…

…and you’ll find the other among the courtyards at the Inn.

But most families will find themselves at the main pool, the Luna Park Pool.

THE LUNA PARK POOL AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

This review continues here!

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

• Summary and overview of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Theming and Accommodations at the BoardWalk Inn
• A Photo-Tour of a Standard Room at the Boardwalk Inn
• Amenities at the BoardWalk Inn
• The Luna Park Pool at the BoardWalk Inn
• Dining at the Boardwalk Inn

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, click here.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A ROOM AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

Standard rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn have similar layouts to those at fellow Epcot Resorts the Yacht Club and Beach Club, and like those come in four person and five person variants–both with two queens, the five person model adding a couch that converts into a bed for one.

Most of the images below are from my December 2018 stay at the BoardWalk Inn, but some are from my five earlier stays–in cases where my most recent shots were too bad even by my low standards.

The entry is typical of hotel rooms accessed from an interior corridor–a bath on one side, closets on the other, separated by a hall that opens into the living/sleeping space beyond.

On the closet side you will find this thingy with a coffee service above and a mini-fridge below.

The supplies are in the small drawer beneath the coffee-maker.

Below that drawer is the mini-fridge.

Aso on this side is this large closet, equipped as usual with a luggage rack, ironing board and iron, and a safe.

I did not measure the safe, but my book is 6 inches by 9 inches–so as you can tell the safe is quite large.

The other side of the closet. Note the ron and ironing board, and above is bedding for the fifth sleeping spot (if it is present in your room).

Across the hall you’ll find the divided bath.  Here’s the sinks. The make-up mirror at the right is a recent addition.

Bath toiletries. Standard rooms likely won’t have quite this pile…

The toilet and tub/shower are in their own space.

More toiletries can be found in the corner shelving.

Deeper in the room you’ll find the two beds and a desk on one side. Like most Disney World rooms, these rooms have lost their multi-colored bed runner, diminishing a bit of their charm. In my most recent stay I was upgraded to a club-level room, hence the robes and slippers. Regular rooms don’t get the robes or slippers.

Here’s the bed side from the back of the room…

…and a closer view of one of the queen beds.

Between the beds is a bedside table with a storage shelf under…

…and a drawer large enough for your important books.

The desk includes a rolling table underneath which can serve for typing, dining, or playing games with the kids–I’ve pulled it out a bit here so you can see it better.

There’s some charming detail–Mickey and Minnie here on the back of the desk chair…

…and Minnie in the lamp base.

The other side of the room has a TV/dresser thingy, and a couch that converts into a bed. Rooms with a connecting door put it on the left where the coat rack is, and the coat rack moves to the closet wall at the far left.

The TV side from the back corner.

A closer view of the dresser/TV thingy. The 54 inch TV is a recent addition–these rooms used to have a smaller TV, encased by an upper extension to the dresser.

With six drawers and two cupboards, there’s plenty of storage room for the five people this room will hold.

The small thingy you see at top center is our “welcome back” gift of Ganachery chocolate and a note. Disney World is getting better at tracking and acknowledging repeat visits. With my more than 160 stays, they oughta name a room after me…

I should also note that there’s lots of power points in these rooms, both plug and USB. There’s two sets of them on the dresser, more on the desk, and another set on the bedside table.

Next to the dresser is this couch.

…which flips down into a bed. Bed-belts (I don’t know what else to call them) keep the bedding organized while it flips down.

I measured the cushion as 72 inches long, with two or three more inches of toe-wiggling room. Mattress width is 32 inches, and the cushion is 4 inches+ deep. I had no trouble sleeping on it except that it’s a little short for my height.

There’s some fun wall art that picks up the light carnival theme of the rest of the BoardWalk Inn–this carousel…

…and this boardwalk scene.

Beyond the couch is this balcony.

The view from the balcony on one of our stays.

Some higher courtyard-view rooms have views of the higher parts of the Epcot fireworks. The image above is from one of our rooms with such a view. These are not a separately bookable category, but you can request them over the phone.

These rooms are nicely proportioned and nicely decorated. They fit a family of five perfectly well.

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

This review continues here!

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

• Summary and overview of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Theming and Accommodations at the BoardWalk Inn
• A Photo-Tour of a Standard Room at the Boardwalk Inn
• Amenities at the BoardWalk Inn
• The Luna Park Pool at the BoardWalk Inn
• Dining at the Boardwalk Inn

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

Note: guests at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn 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.

Our most recent stay (in December, our sixth at the BoardWalk Inn since I started this site) confirms that Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, one of the Epcot resorts, is the eighth best deluxe resort at Walt Disney World for first time family visitors.

(It can be a great choice for returning visitors, especially for a trip focused on Epcot and/or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.)

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

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.

Many are also paired with Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resorts.  For a review of the BoardWalk Inn’s sister DVC resort, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, click here.

Among the deluxe resorts, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn has a lot of positives.

• It has a fun pool, though not nearly as good as the one its Epcot neighbors the Yacht Club and Beach Club share
• It shares with the Yacht Club and the Beach Club Inn convenient access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and
• It shares with these resorts a short walk to dozens of table service dining options located in these resorts, at the Swan and Dolphin, on the BoardWalk, and in Epcot.

It also has a couple of negatives, also largely shared with the Yacht and Beach Clubs. It’s thin on kid appeal compared to other options, is not as convenient for this site’s itineraries as some alternative resorts (although it is very well located for visits focused on Epcot and/or Disney’s Hollywood Studios), and has limited counter service in general and especially limited breakfast options.

The breakfast issue is better than it has been in the past…see the image…but it’s still not as good as many guests would expect.

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

In total this review  of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn covers six pages:

• Summary Review of the BoardWalk Inn–where you are right now
• Theming and Accommodations at the BoardWalk Inn
• A Photo-Tour of a Standard Room at the Boardwalk Inn
• Amenities at the BoardWalk Inn
• The Luna Park Pool at the BoardWalk Inn
• Dining at the Boardwalk Inn

The summary review continues below.

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