Hidden away at the BoardWalk are some overlooked treasures, the knowledge of which might very well enhance your stay.
Hair Wrapping, Caricatures, Face Painting
BoardWalk Entertainers
Illuminations Viewing
Room Location Considerations
Valet Parking
Bus Service
Hidden Mickeys
The Bellevue Room
Refillable Mugs
Free Movie Rental
Telecom Services
Hair Wrapping, Caricatures, Face Painting
Available most days if the weather is clear. Hours vary according to season, but they are usually out there by lunchtime and often stay until after dark. Check the section of the BoardWalk near the bakery.
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BoardWalk Entertainers
Evenings, starting around 7 and ending around 10, there are various entertainers on the Boardwalk. On any given night you may see magicians, card sharks, jugglers and/or musicians.
Illuminations Viewing
For great views of Illuminations either walk to the bridge that leads to Epcot/BCV and face Epcot from there, or go to the Boardwalk Inn side of the resort and stand on the steps by the rear door.
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Room Location Considerations
There is only one set of elevators for the BoardWalk Villas, located just off the main lobby. Depending on where your room is, it can be a fairly long walk to the elevator. If you or anyone in your party has special need to be near the elevator make sure you convey this when you call to book your vacation.
For those staying in the rooms farthest from the elevator, be aware that there are stairwells all over the resort that can be very convenient to use to get to and from your room. Depending on where you are, it can be much faster to walk down the steps and avoid the elevator entirely. The doors that exit to the stairways are not always obvious by looking at them. Look for the "exit" signs illuminated above the doors to find the one closes to your room (or, if you get your luggage delivered to your room, ask the bellman).
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Valet Parking
Valet parking is free if you show your DVC card. It's a great perk as the self-park lot is a fairly long walk from the resort and often fills up late in the day.
Bus Service
BWV shares it's buses with the Swan and the Dolphin hotels. Sometimes they take a BWV/Swan/Dolphin route, and sometimes they reverse the route. (I have found that usually they stop at BWV first going out and last coming back, but it's not 100% consistent). For those who want to save some time and don't mind walking, it is fastest to get off the bus at the Swan and walk across a small bridge over to BWV. There are signs guiding your way, it's about a 3 minute walk. The bus always takes longer. Additionally, if you see you just missed the bus, you can walk across that same bridge to board at the Swan.
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Hidden Mickeys
There are Hidden Mickeys on top of the lamps in the Main Lobby, on the horses that are on the carousel in the main lobby, throughout the halls on the rugs (hidden within the center of one of the flower patterns), and etched into the lampshades in the living room of the villas.
The Bellevue Room
This lounge on the BoardWalk Inn side of the resort (walk through the lobby to get there), sells pastries and coffee in the morning. It is the one dining location accessible without leaving the BoardWalk resort itself. Consider it as an alternative to the BoardWalk Bakery if the weather is poor or you don't feel like walking to the bakery.
TIP: Buy a pastry the night before if you're walking past the BoardWalk Bakery / Bellevue Room and keep it in your room for the next morning.
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Refillable Mugs
Available and can be refilled at the Boardwalk Bakery.
Free Movie Rental
In addition to the various activities they offer at Community Hall, DVDs and VHS tapes are available for rent for free to members.
Telecom Services
Although there is a Business Center adjacent to BWV the front desk of the resort can make you copies and send faxes (there is a fee for this). They can also print airline boarding passes for resort guests.
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