Family Travel Review- Boardwalk Villas

 The Disney Boardwalk Villas are Disney Vacation Club properties that are part of the Boardwalk Resort at Walt Disney Resort.  The Boardwalk is one of the resorts in what is considered the Epcot Resort areas. These pictures are from a stay we took in October of 2016 and are of a preferred view studio.

You do not have to be a member of Disney Vacation Club (DVC) to rent these rooms, but reserving a room is subject to availability, and they are very popular.

 These views are from preferred view rooms off the Village Green.  Surprisingly they are not considered Boardwalk view as we were still able to see and get a bit of the vibe of the Boardwalk from out room.  In the evenings, a cast member brought out lawn games for children to play with.  Some evenings outdoor movies are also shown on the green.

I have to say I DO NOT find DVC beds comfortable.  They're quite stiff and the pillows are limp.  Somehow we always come away with a neck ache. It's unfortunate, but maybe someday they will be improved.

 A pull-out couch adds extra sleeping space if necessary.

 A kitchenette comes stocked with small glass tumblers, plastic dinnerware, paper plates, paper towels, dish soap and a few coffee packets. Appliances include a microwave, mini fridge, toaster and drip coffee maker. Typically there should be a cork screw and bottle opener. At various DVC resorts at times we've had items missing (e.g. no corkscrew, not enough plates, etc..) and have had to call to request them. We typically rent a car and hit a nearby Publix to pick up milk, salad, lunch meat, beer and other groceries saving a bundle.  For those of you without a car you can use a service like Garden Grocer to have deliveries made, or at least pick up a few items in the Boardwalk's own Sundries shop.

 Bathrooms of course came with a hair dryer and small selection of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap and body wash made by H20. (Typically 1-2 small bottles of each and a few bars of soap) Even though DVC rooms are restocked every 4 days, these are not enough for more than a couple of people.   If you are at full room occupancy you will definitely NOT have enough toiletries for your family and will probably want to bring your own.

 Each room has it's own balcony.  It's a marvelous place to sip a coffee in the morning or glass of wine in the evening.  Each balcony has two chairs and a small table. The doors actually did a pretty good job of blocking outside noise when needed.

There are electrical outlets as well as a USB port under the television.   There is a pull-out bed under the television so the white armoire is what offers limited drawer space for clothing.

 You can find a USB port by the bed stand table too. We didn't have an alarm clock in our room.  You'd probably want to bring your own or use a smartphone for an alarm.

 This was a smaller lobby down the hall.

 Lovely details!

Now, for the biggest Pros about staying here:

• Location, location, LOCATION! 
• You simply cannot beat being able to walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  (For those of you who get tired feet, there are boats to both as well)
• There are lots of food and dining options.  The Boardwalk itself is home to four sit down restaurants:  the ESPN Club, Big River Grill Works, Flying Fish Cafe, and Trattoria Al Forno
• Not to mention there are numerous take out places including a bakery, ice cream parlor, margarita stand, hot dog stand, various lounges and more. 
• There is nightly entertainment on the Boardwalk including comedians and magicians, as well as a dueling piano bar, Jellyrolls

Caribbean Beach Resort - 2016 Review

I probably haven't been to the Caribbean Beach Resort since my Senior year of high school, but we ended up planning a last minute trip and had all our Disney Vacation Club points saved for another trip, so we booked a short stay at the Caribbean Beach. I thought I'd share my opinions on a few of the pros and cons in a short mini review of our visit.

Pros

• There are lots of areas to explore
• There are tons of pools (including the awesome pirate themed main pool) 
• There are plenty of fun beaches with lovely white sand to play in and hammocks to relax in
• You can actually see the fireworks at Epcot and the Studios from areas of the resort (and even slightly hear the music).

 

  

 

Pro or Con ?

• The resort is laid out somewhat in a giant circle with lovely scenery and walkways.  This can be both a pro and a con in that if you love to walk or run, you can make a nice scenic loop around the entire place.  (It's a con though if you happen to be staying on the parts of the circle far away from the food court and main pool)
• There is a large food court with plenty of options. It can get crowded though, and at times the service was a little less than up to par (a few of the food counters were just notoriously slow).  The food it hit or miss in regards to quality.  My lime chicken wrap (pictured below) was delicious.  Other meals, like the cheeseburger were pretty bland and overpriced.  It all depends on when you visit and what you order.
• You can get a cute sand pail and shovel with most of the kids meals.  (Great for on the sandy beaches) This might be a con if your kid wants one with every meal though.  That being said, you can request the kids meals WITHOUT the bucket and they are a little cheaper as well.

Cons

• While the cast member who checked us in was friendly he did not tell us that the area we were booked in had a pool under construction or give us any directions where the other pools we could use were.  Luckily we had stayed here years before like I said and could figure out where else on the resort we could go, but the noise from the construction and lack of a nearby pool were rather disappointing (Especially since no apology was made for this, and we certainly didn't get a discounted room any different from other resort guests who DID have pools in their areas)  
• Some of the guests were extremely noisy and/or the walls of the rooms are much too thin.  I was worried about trying to keep a fussy toddler quiet while she going to sleep in the evenings and then after the third night or so of drunken neighbors rolling in from the parks or bars and loudly gabbing in their rooms until 2 am I no longer felt guilty about my child fussing at 9 pm.
• The resort is MUCH more crowded than I remember.  There were pretty significant lines for food, relatively crowded pools, and of course pretty full buses.  We attempted to go see one of the outdoor movies to discover that if we hadn't gone well in advance there was no seating to be found. To be fair another night I did see cast members scrambling to bring benches and chairs for guest from other areas, but you'd think that if they knew the movies were popular they'd have enough seating before the movie starts. 
• They don't have the boats anymore! (This was actually discontinued at all moderate resorts a few years back, but it's still a bummer) 

2016 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Review

We were lucky this year to make some last minute bonus vacation plans to attend the 2016 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. Let me tell you, last minute reservations are not easy, but somehow the stars aligned and we were able to use up an airline voucher and find a relatively decent rate. I felt so lucky!

With a toddler in tow the highlights for us were two interactive playgrounds.  The Cactus Road Rally area was themed to the movie Cars, with topiaries of Mater and Lightning McQueen, and it was perfectly geared towards the littlest garden fans. The climbing area and slides were just the right size, the ground was soft and cushy, and there were tires to climb on and explore and plenty of room to run.  There were also plenty of chairs for parents to lounge, but my little run always dashes about so much I couldn't find an area where I could sit and keep her in my sight the entire time, so I just followed her around as she happily played. We particularly liked this area since most times of the day it was in the shade.

 

New this year, was the Music Garden Melodies Playground which was geared towards slightly older children and even had an awesome net climbing area.  My little one still had lots of fun though playing with the large interactive musical instruments like chimes, drums and even xylophones and on the smaller playground equipment. One darling preteen must have taken a liking to her as he took her by the hand sweetly showed her how to use various instruments. It was precious!

Of course numerous topiary plants are always a huge hit! These are just a few of my favorites from this year:

 

 

 

While the topiaries are often the highlight, there are so many different types of gardens to see. My daughter loved the butterfly garden and really wanted to get up close and personal to check things out.  There weren't a lot of butterflies yet though when we were there in mid-March.

Some special garden areas aren't quite as obvious as the topiaries and butterfly garden, but are well worth seeking out.

 

 

I especially love to seek out all the Bonsai each year.  You can find them along the World Showcase promenade in front of the Japan Pavilion as well as along the walkways in front of the Katsura Grill around the koi pond.

There is special festival merchandise available for purchase as well. This year the 2016 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Dooney and Bourke release was a pattern that included Figment! I was in love, but sadly had to pass since I just recently picked up a Haunted Mansion Dooney bag. There is alot a line of special logo merchandise and of course lots of garden decorations and items.

Of course I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention that in the past few years the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival has started to add food and drink booths (or "outdoor kitchens")  that are similar to the  Fall Food and Wine Festival booths  (Just not quite as many)  They're getting rather elaborate in design too.  Take a look at the Florida Fresh booth for example:

My mother wanted to catch Starship while we were there, so I picked up a beer sampler from the Smokehouse, and we snagged an outdoor table in front of the Liberty Inn.  (Secret tip: it's not a bad place to hear a concert if the American Gardens Theater has a long line. Just try to get a seat not directly behind the Fife& Drum stand) Hearing White Rabbit live and while enjoying a few sips made for a nice combo.  I was significantly surprised that the maple bacon stout I expected to be my least favorite of the sampler, was actually quite good.  It reminded me quite a bit of a flavorful coffee drink.

We didn't sample as much food as we typically do at one of the Food and Wine festivals, but I did think the Beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash with white cheddar fondue and pickled jalapeños from the Smokehouse was by far the best value of everything we tried.  My husband enjoyed his Currywurst with Paprika Chips, though for someone who frequently travels to Germany he said he's definitely had better.  My mother really loved the Shrimp and stone ground grits from Florida Fresh.  It also came with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro.  The Tarte a l'Onion Alsacienne (onion tart) from France however was a disappointment.  It was a bit soggy, and the tarts inside the french pavilion are a much better value for the quality and size.

 It was delicious! If you want to check out the full menus with prices I recommend Allears.net.  (they always have comprehensive information).  I'd also recommend checking out orders as people pick them up to see if the dishes look appetizing to you.  Some of the dishes may be tasty, but at times the portions are too small for the price (even by tourist standards!)

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Disney Parks - Flower and Garden Festival 2016 - Figment Magnet

Bay Lake Tower Overview

For baby's first ever Walt Disney World Trip we booked a studio villa at Bay Lake Tower. We had what is known as a lake view room (so we faced Bay Lake at the back of the resort versus the Magic Kingdom at the front) This was our first time staying at a Disney Vacation Club property, so having been used to moderate resort sized rooms the size of the studios was just fine with us!

This was our view from our balcony!

We stayed in a one bedroom Disney Vacation Club Studio, which offered plenty of room for three adults and one infant (Mom, Dad, Grandma and Baby)
The room was equipped with a kitchenette which included:

• Microwave
• Small Fridge (slightly larger than a mini fridge)
• Toaster
• Coffee Pot
• Plastic utensils, paper plates
• Coffee mugs
• A limited amount of coffee/tea
• A bottle opener
• Dish soap/sponge

Our room also had:

• A pack n play
• Ironing board
• Vacuum
• Luggage Rack
• A in-room safe
• Limited towels (house-keeping with DVC is only every 4 days)

Honestly, as the parent of a toddler one of the big perks for me was being able to sit on the enclosed balcony and enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning with this view!

Bay Lake Tower has it's own pool, though we could use the pool at the Contemporary with the kiddie splash area if we chose too (Though it was a little cold when we went) All the restaurants and shopping at the Contemporary are only a minute away nearby as Bay Lake Tower itself does not have those amenities. 

Of course the best part of Bay Lake Tower is the location!  It was just a short walk away from The Magic Kingdom and from there only a monorail away from Epcot.  Buses of course were available to take you to the other two parks.  At the same time the back of the resort makes you feel like you are miles away from all the hustle and bustle of the parks and you can take in the lovely views. 

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Disney DVC Bay Lake Commemorative Booster Pack Pins

PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide: For Members and Members-to-Be