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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

This review continues here!

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Disney is releasing the 2015 Disney World, Disneyland and Aulani Hawaii Packages on July 30, 2014. But you don’t have to wait–you can request an early quote now! You can wake up July 30 and enjoy your coffee while you review your quote (in your email) for your 2015 Disney vacation.

Moreover, for a limited time for all yourfirstvisit.net readers, get a FREE copy of our new book, The Easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit–the best-reviewed Disney World guidebook in the history of the universe–just for booking your trip through my friends at Destinations in Florida!!

Get this free gift on top of the many FREE services that Destinations in Florida Travel already offers such as Dining Recommendations and Reservations, Free Itinerary Planning, MousePerks, autographed Mickey Mouse photos for the kids, discount watching and much much more. Click the link to request your 2015 early package quote today!

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My friend Steve Bell has once again broken the news that Disney’s Armed Forces Salute has been renewed for another Federal fiscal year–through September 2015!

The full scoop is on Steve’s page here and its links.

Note particularly the “Important Considerations and Expected Issues” discussion right under the saluting Mickey.  None of this is ever as easy as it should be, especially for those targeting trips in October..or 2015…

While Steve is the official Military moderator of yourfirstvisit.net, don’t post questions here–he’ll be going crazy the next few days working with questions on his own site and his facebook page.

Instead, help keep Steve sane and check out the comments already asked and answered on Steve’s page here!

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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!!