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Josh and I will be meeting our fan (if he or she can make it) and signing copies of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit August 16 and 17!

We’ll be at Epcot on Saturday August 16 at 2p, at the outdoor tables near the Liberty Inn counter service at the left of the American Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.

Then we’ll be at the Magic Kingdom at 5p on Sunday the 17th. We’ll be in or near the Tomorrowland Terrace.

Though we are both shy, even so we’ll chat and sign copies of The easy Guide you bring with you, or anything else for that matter.

We’ll have some kinda giveaway–details TBD, but likely a few easy Guides we’ve both signed–and, possibly, break out into parody versions of Frozen songs– e.g. “Buy our Book” to the tune of “Let it Go.”

Despite rumors to the contrary, we are not expecting Anna to read aloud from The easy Guide…

…nor Elsa to be there and add her signature, too.

But even so, hope you can come!  After all, I am getting a haircut and everything…And if you can’t come, hope you can help spread the word!

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

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

The bath and master bedroom area is the same in both One and Two Bedroom Villas.

A hall from the entry heads off towards them, and first you pass the laundry.

Next is the part of the bath that’s also accessible directly from the shared living/dining/kitchen space, with a sink, toilet…

…and shower.

The second part of the bath is accessible both from this space and from the master bedroom, and has both a sink…

…and a whirlpool tub.

In the rear of this bath is a large closet.

In the master bedroom itself you’ll find on one side of the room a king bed.

Here’s a closer view of the bed side, with tables on either side–a large one on the bath side.

These tables add storage to a room that already has plenty–as we’ll see in a minute.  I’d rather have a desk…

The other side of the master bedroom has a TV, dresser, bench, and easy chair.

This side from the back of the space.

There’s storage both in the dresser…

…and in the bench.

As is common in this era of design of DVC villas, One Bedroom Villas easily fit the 4 people that they hold, but Two Bedroom Villas are quite cramped for eight or nine.
 

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(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

This review continues here!
 

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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

This review continues here!
 

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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

This review continues here.

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DISNEY WORLD 2015 SUMMER CROWDS: THE PRINCIPLES

Walt Disney World summer crowds are governed by two factors:

• Public school summer break calendars, which have start and end dates more varied than you’d think
• The beginning of the peak of the hurricane season, in later August

Pretty much all kids are off all of July. As a result, July is the busiest summer month, and during it, the weeks shaped by 4th of July travel the busiest weeks.

Later July is also the traditional South American winter break.

Varied dates for when summer breaks begin means June can start well but then build quickly to high crowd levels.

August has the opposite pattern, beginning with high crowds, but, through the combination of a trickle turning to a flood of back-to-school dates, and savvy travelers avoiding the peak of the hurricane season, it ends quite un-crowded.

Summer school calendars have been evolving to earlier August starts and as a result earlier June releases.  This has made early June less good, and mid-late August, better, than in prior years. My 2015 forecasts reflect this.

Families that can only visit in the summer (for example, school teachers) should go as early in June or as late in August as their schedules permit.

2015 PUBLIC SCHOOL SUMMER BREAKS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON WALT DISNEY WORLD CROWDS

The beginnings of summer breaks vary more than most people think.

The chart above illuminates this.

It’s based on data from a weighted sample including 165 of the largest relevant US public school districts.

2015 school breaks are very similar to 2014 school breaks, and there’s no World Cup to depress early summer crowds as there was in 2014.

So in the absence of later school end dates from a renewed polar vortex,  we can expect moderate crowds in early June, building to high levels by the beginning of July, staying high in July, and and beginning to drop again in mid-August.

In 2015 25% of kids are out by the beginning of June; the proportion builds over the rest of the month, with 75% out by June 17 and essentially all kids off by June 27, 2015.

Few families plan their vacation for their first day out of school, so there’s a lag in the effect of these dates on summer crowds that I can’t precisely quantify.

But the upshot is I rate crowds the week beginning May 30 as 7/moderate-plus, June 6 as 8/high-minus, June 13 and 20 as 9/high, and June 27 as 10/higher.  The week of July 4 is rated 11/highest, and the rest of July 9/high. 

Because of the variation noted above in when people do go vs. can go, the weeks of June 6 and 13 may be a little better than I’m rating them, but my data sets won’t let me draw that conclusion.

THE PEAK OF THE HURRICANE SEASON AND DISNEY WORLD 2014 SUMMER CROWDS

The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November.

It peaks, however, from later August to early October.

(Click the chart; see also Weather and When to Go to Walt Disney World.)

As a result, August crowds at Walt Disney World are affected not only by the end dates of summer breaks, but also by savvy travelers avoiding this potential weather.

Hurricanes rarely impact a Disney World vacation…but savvy travelers with choices in when they can go commonly avoid this period. (Disney knows this of course, and both drops prices and commonly offers free dining during this period to change the value and risk equation.)

As a result, my crowd rankings in August start high then drop over the month. The week of 8/1/15 is rated as 8/high-minus; 8/8 is rated 7/moderate-plus, and 8/15 as 6/moderate.  By 8/22/15 (my birthday!) almost all kids are back in school, and the peak of the hurricane season is clearly in place, so crowd rankings drop to 4/low-plus.

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