In 2019, I did a split stay at the BoardWalk Villas with a Boardwalk View studio and a Garden/Pool View one, allowing for a direct comparison of the two. Now that I’ve stayed in a Standard View one and completed the trifecta of studios available at our home resort, I thought I would revisit my previous article and compare all three categories. Since the studios themselves are more or less identical on the inside, here are the pros and cons of the views and locations:
Boardwalk View Studio
When I picture the BoardWalk, these are the studios that I think of. They have beautiful views of Crescent Lake and Spaceship Earth and, during normal times, the nightlife along the boardwalk. If you love hanging out on the balcony, this is definitely one of the best places to be. It is such a joy to just sit there, enjoy the boardwalk music, and people watch. Just note that if you have a Boardwalk view villa on the first floor as we did with villa 1005 in the Crest ‘O The Wave section, your patio is practically on the boardwalk, and there isn’t much privacy. We have now stayed in a Boardwalk View studio a few times, and none of them seemed particularly loud (even pre-pandemic), which was my concern based on their location. However, with only 29 of these studios available, they can be difficult to book, even for BoardWalk owners at the 11-month mark.
Garden/Pool View Studio
I feel like the Garden/Pool View is often people’s last pick at the BoardWalk, especially when you consider that it costs the same number of points per night as the Boardwalk View. These rooms can sometimes get a little noisy from the pool games and music if you happen to be close to the Luna Park Pool as we were with villa 5054. There are also some villas that have more of a “tree view,” which can give you a little more privacy, but understandably isn’t everyone’s preferred view.
Nevertheless, the Garden/Pool View has its perks. It is the best category to waitlist; with 165 Garden/Pool View studios, your odds of getting one are greater than getting a Boardwalk View or Standard View one. The views themselves really are also quite nice in their own right. Many have beautiful views of the waterway the Friendship boats traverse on their way to Hollywood Studios. Also, if you are looking to rope drop for Hollywood Studios, the locations of these villas are perfect. (It’s the silver lining to being in one of the villas that is far from the lobby.) You can often take the stairwell down and end up right on the walking path towards Hollywood Studios–no need to walk through the lobby and walk around the resort to the path. Best of all are the studios that face the Village Green that offer a partial boardwalk view and a larger balcony like villa 3055 on the third floor.
Standard View Studio
This one is for the point misers! It still amazes me that you can get a night in one of these studios for as little as 9 points a night. The point savings can mean a longer stay, and who doesn’t want more days at Walt Disney World? Plus, with the current borrowing restrictions, every point counts. Sometimes the difference in points from one category to the next can determine whether you can book that extra day or not.
Of course, the tradeoff is how difficult it can be to book one of these studios. Even though the BoardWalk is one of my home resorts, I feel like I won the lottery anytime I manage to snag one since there are only 52 Standard View studios. Another con is that these are labeled as standard views for a reason; most of these villas face the driveway of the resort or near the tennis courts, and the balconies here do not have the greatest views. For example, we stayed in villa 3099 and faced the parking lot. I have to say though that the view was not awful either. There were plenty of trees that blocked a direct view of the lot, and we had a partial Skyliner view. I found it quite neat to watch them go by. You could hear the beeping of the buses loading and unloading at the bus stop nearby, but it seemed to only happen after 8am. It did not continue too late into the night either. Some other Standard View studios, such as villa 4071, are right over the front entrance and have views of the porte-cochère, so you’re likely to hear cars come and go. If you get one of the standard villas near the tennis courts (like villa 2133), they are about as far away from the elevators as you can get, so it can be quite the trek to the lobby. The flip side to this is that those studios are also the shortest walk to Hollywood Studios.
Bottom line: I don’t think you can go terribly wrong with any of the categories, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Boardwalk View. I think it best captures the beauty and lively energy of the resort, and it is well worth the points.
If you have tried out all three view categories at the BoardWalk Villas, which one was your favorite?
I love the Boardwalk view but, if a lower point option is available, I will grab that instead to maximum point use. A few months ago, we were able to book a standard view but were given a pool view studio so that was the best deal of all! 🙂
That is some awesome pixie dust!
There is one thing that you left out. The solid walls on the balconies. Unlike most, I use my balcony each a every day. When I sit down on a balcony that has a solid wall, I have no view. Not even the back side of water.
I know that we have had one of those solid wall balconies at BWV, but that was at a second floor Boardwalk View studio. Most of the other balconies have the normal fencing rather than a solid panel.
I love the Boardwalk view. I would upgrade to a 1 bedroom with a Boardwalk view over saving pionts.
That has happened to us three times. These rooms with solid wall balconies should rent as standard view points. Heart crushing when you enter and see a wall.
I prefer standard view as it is a lot less points. I had a garden/pool 1br. The tree outside our window was so large we couldn’t see anything. Just the noise from the pool.