[jenntyl]

We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn July 21-28, 2008. Our first impression of this resort upon arrival was it was nicely decorated. The front desk staff person was very helpful, as we arrived around 10 am and were able to check in. That was nice considering we did not want to wait until 4 pm to check in. The biggest benefit of staying at this resort is its location. It is only a 5 or so minute walk to Epcot and 12 minute walk to Hollywood Studios. This saved us so much time compared to waiting for a bus or other transportation. In fact, we tried to boat to Hollywood Studios and waited 15 minutes for the boat and it took another 10 minutes to stop at the resort. So, this is a big time saver.

The resort
This resort has nice landscaping. There are sitting areas around the resort outside for guests. It also has three different pools, with the largest one being the Keister Coaster pool. The kids loved this pool because of that reason, but the other pools are just as nice to get cooled off. The decor inside the resort is alos very charming and the theming falls right in line with the old time boardwalk of the East Coast.

The room
Our room (room 1342) was a garden view overlooking the "quiet" pool. This was an added benefit for us because we could easily go outside for a swim and be close enough to the room. Another benefit of the rooms here is that the seem to be larger then most other Disney resorts. Our room had two double beds and a sleeper sofa. The bathroom was large enough as well.

The pools
As stated above, there are three pools. The large pool is nice for kids and those who love water slides, but is a bit more crowded. It was least crowded after a storm had passed. The two other pools were nice but had no extra benefits for kids (ie. a slide). But they were less crowded and oftentimes you would be the only one there. Also, there were no lifeguards on duty.

On Site Amenities
This resort's feature benefit is its location. I could not say enough about having such a perfect location. Being able to walk to two parks was a time saver. At this time of year the parks are crowded and waiting for a bus or being crowded in the bus can make for some unhappy people. Plus, if you really wanted to get to Magic Kingdom you can easily walk to Epcot and take the monorail there.

Our biggest complaint about this resort was its availability of dining services. Usually we get a mug because it works out well. However, at this resort getting a mug can be an inconvenience. You have to walk quite a distance and the dining areas where you get mugs close quite early. Plus, you need to wait for someone to fill it (it's not self service). Also, the dining establishments here do not make you feel as though you have your own exclusive dining like other Disney resorts. Although this is a problem, the food is spectacular. We ate at Spoodles for breakfast and it was very delicious. The portion sizes were also enough to feed more than one person. In addition, we did in room dining for breakfast the one morning (Family breakfast). This was meant for 4 people but it seemed like we could feed 8 or more people on it. The price was reasonable for the breakfast and the room service staff was very friendly.

Overall Impression
This resort has pros and cons and depending on your needs you should look at what it is you most want from a resort experience. We loved the fact that we were within walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. However, if you like having close dining within the resort, this is probably not the resort for you.