Category — q. Reviews

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S BOARDWALK VILLAS FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

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 seventh-best overall for first-time visitors.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

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This is the second page of this review; for the first page, click here.

RECOMMENDED FOR FIRST TIME AND FREQUENT VISITORS

For the record, I recommend that first time visitors don’t get guidebooks.

While there are several, including The Complete Walt Disney World 2012, on my recommended books page, I advise against buying them, for the simple reason that a lot of the fun of the first time visit to Walt Disney World cones from the surprises of the rides themselves.

The wonder of “What Happens Next?” and subsequent surprise and gratified high expectations are a key part of a first visit.

There can only be one first time, and it is at its best when accompanied by wonder and curiosity, not “I know what will happen to me on this ride.”

The problem with guidebooks is that it’s hard to not read their material on the attractions before visiting. The wonderful Mike Neal and Disney photos of The Complete Walt Disney World 2012 make it doubly hard to skip this material; they are simply too darn seductive.

For repeat visitors, however, guidebooks are another story, and make up part of the fun of recollecting prior trips and getting ready for future ones.  It’s for these purposes that The Complete Walt Disney World 2012 really shines.  [Read more →]

OVERVIEW: THE COMPLETE WALT DISNEY WORLD 2012

I still remember my shock when I opened the first book in of this series. Such gorgeous photos, and so many of them! So many details and so much trivia! And such a nice typeface and design.

All other Disney World guidebooks immediately looked 20 years out of date after Julie and Mike Neal published theirs (Julie is the writer, Mike the photographer).

Their latest update, The Complete Walt Disney World 2012, came out in December 2011. As frequent readers of this site know, I’m particularly keen on page 375.

Unique features include a guide by character to where characters can be found, and an overview of the ESPN Wide World of Sports.  Distinctive features include the number, excellence, and quality of reproduction of photos, and the level of detail on the rides themselves. Even the most learned of Disney World scholars will find something new in the detail.

For Walt Disney World fans, it’s an essential part of a Disney library. First-time visitors don’t really need guidebooks if they use this site, but if they want one, it’s one of the guidebooks I recommend.

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This is the third page of this review. For the first page, click here

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn opened in July 1996, and in 2009 completed a major renovation.

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, on the left side of the map, and the BoardWalk Inn in the right center.  The two are joined by a lovely central lobby.

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. [Read more →]

This is the second page of this review. For the first page, click here.

MORE ON 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–see this for more on the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

ROOMS AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN

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THE COMPLETE WALT DISNEY WORLD 2012

The Complete Walt Disney World 2012 published last week, and my copy showed up on Friday.

(You can find a complete review here.)

For now, I have to note that while it’s probably a typo, I am really liking page 375.

Actually, I know it’s not a typo, as Julie Neal had emailed that this was coming.

When I look at the other sites included in The Complete Walt Disney World 2012‘s Internet Directory, I’m astonished and humbled.

Thanks, Julie!

For those new to this site, here’s where to start on The Complete Walt Disney World 2012‘s specific points:

• “…instructions and advice…”
• “…unique week picker…”
• “…accommodations advice…”