An honest review of the walk from the boardwalk resorts to EP and HS

[maleficent55]

We are newly considering either the Boardwalk or Beach Club (after deciding Riverside POR after picking a split stay from Riverside & BC). I swear, the more times this trip gets pushed out, the more I change my mind on resorts!

Our November 2022 trip, turned April 2023 trip, now April 2024 trip has me second, third and eighth guessing where we will stay.
I go back and forth on what our needs/desires, transportation needs, dining needs are.
We are even now considering renting DVC points for a 2-bedroom. Our whole party is 5 people (me and husband and daughter with nana and papa)

The ease of walking to two resorts is suddenly really appealing, however, my husband is a double leg amputee and walks on prosthetics. I really need a comparison of how far/long this walk really is. We needs to save all his walking for mostly IN the parks. *bonus, if you've been to Disneyland, give me a landmark to a landmark comparison. Thats's our home park and this is my first time to WDW.

Other resorts that are suddenly coming in high on my radar are: Riviera, Wilderness Lodge (appeals but so much like the Grand Californian right? We stayed at the grand las august and will this fall too), and of course the Poly but that may be too much $$$

THANK you much!!!

 

[RoseGold]

Between Epcot and HS? It's a slog. Just take the boat. It's pleasant and quick.

I walk more than most and I still take the boat to HS from BW sometimes. BW is a big hotel and you might be staying half way to HS though. I'd always walk to Epcot from BC, though.

I regularly have several miles walk on my Apple watch at WDW. Conserving walking can be very difficult to do, especially with how G+ operates now. 10 minutes on the path to HS won't be your problem it's the scale of WDW overall.

 

[T.G.I.Friday]

Being able to walk to 2 parks is what makes the Boardwalk so appealing to us.

The walk to Epcot isn’t far, but a little further than you’d think. There is a slight grade to get over the bridge. I’d guess it’s about a 6 minute walk at a normal pace?

HS is a pleasant path along the water. It’s pretty flat but does have the slightest of grades as you approach HS. It’s an easy walk. I’d estimate it at maybe 11 minutes to get to the gate?

It’s also nice to have the boat option from HS to the resorts. That is good when you want to go back in the afternoon and relax for a bit without having to walk in the heat. Though if we take it, we usually get off at the first stop at the Swan and walk across the bridge to the boardwalk.

The boat also goes from the boardwalk to Epcot, if you would prefer to take that instead of walking.

 

[njcoach24]

I've stayed at Boardwalk and did the short walk, maybe 5-10 minutes, to Epcot and it was great for that particular park. There is a boat right outside the hotel that will take you to Hollywood or Epcot. We rode it once to Epcot just to have a ride but it seemed almost all the walkers beat us to the park.

 

[Beer Me]

At a fairly casual pace - for me and my family with no mobility issues - it’s about a 10 minute walk to Epcot and maybe 15 to HS.

The boat dock would be a 5 minute walk and goes to Epcot and HS. It’s ultimately slower but would definitely save some steps.

 

[disneyseniors]

We are newly considering either the Boardwalk or Beach Club (after deciding Riverside POR after picking a split stay from Riverside & BC). I swear, the more times this trip gets pushed out, the more I change my mind on resorts!

Our November 2022 trip, turned April 2023 trip, now April 2024 trip has me second, third and eighth guessing where we will stay.
I go back and forth on what our needs/desires, transportation needs, dining needs are.
We are even now considering renting DVC points for a 2-bedroom. Our whole party is 5 people (me and husband and daughter with nana and papa)

The ease of walking to two resorts is suddenly really appealing, however, my husband is a double leg amputee and walks on prosthetics. I really need a comparison of how far/long this walk really is. We needs to save all his walking for mostly IN the parks. *bonus, if you've been to Disneyland, give me a landmark to a landmark comparison. Thats's our home park and this is my first time to WDW.

Other resorts that are suddenly coming in high on my radar are: Riviera, Wilderness Lodge (appeals but so much like the Grand Californian right? We stayed at the grand las august and will this fall too), and of course the Poly but that may be too much $$$

THANK you much!!!

I don't know if this helps but we have stayed at POR many times and now stay at POFQ. My husband, too, has mobility issues. He uses a cane and is kind of unstable on his legs. That's why we moved to POFQ as it is a much smaller resort, but we love POR more! We did the walk between the resorts many times and at most it took us about 10 minutes at a leisurely pace. It is a beautiful walk along the river and shorter than I thought. Hope this helps. I am not familiar with the other resorts your mentioned.

 

[teetee830]

Based on pictures from our last walk from Boardwalk to HS. We were on the boardwalk at 7:52am and walking into Toy Story Land at HS by 8:23am. Then I have a picture from our room at the Boardwalk at 5:43pm and are in Epcot geting a drink from the F&W Ireland booth at 6:07. We, Mom and 16 yr old son, typically walk at a moderate pace. I'd say the estmated 15 min walk to HS and less than 10 to Epcot is pretty close to accurate.

You can always take the boats to either park or its a quick walk to the Skyliner at the International Gateway. Those options will take longer of course, I'm not sure on the length of time. So many options that are not a bus is an awesome perk.

If I have a trip where we want to spend a lot of time at either of those parks Boardwalk or Beach Club would be an easy choice for me. Love the convienence of walking back to Epcot in the evening for dinner at World Showcase. And I'd much rather enter Epcot from the International Gateway than the main entrance.

If your husband gets tired easily, walking to HS might be a bit much but Epcot should still be easy. Although there is a bit of an uphill grade on the walk to the International Gateway at Epcot from either the Boardwalk or Beach Club, just crossing the bridge.

 

[ktink]

We took the boat from BWI to both Epcot & HS. It's such a pleasant little ride, especially at night when the Boardwalk is all lit up. BWI is my favorite resort so far. It was our first deluxe stay & on that trip we did a split stay at BWI & GF. I preferred BWI over GF.

I just wanted to mention too that I feel your pain on resort decisions! I have a girl's trip coming up in September that we just decided to book in the last wk or so. We have changed it 3 times already. They just have too many great choices!! Good luck on deciding!

 

[pineapplepalms]

*bonus, if you've been to Disneyland, give me a landmark to a landmark comparison. Thats's our home park and this is my first time to WDW.

From BW it’s about 0.4 mi to Epcot (like DL main entrance to IASW) and 0.8 mi to HS (like from Toontown all the way to Lamplight at DCA). This can vary a bit depending on where you’re staying since it’s a big building, and you could end up much closer to HS but further from Epcot.

We usually walk, but it is decently far especially at the end of a park day to walk back from HS. The boat can take a while but is a good option. We’ve also taken the Skyliner when going from Epcot to HS. From BC it’s closer to Epcot but even further from HS, so we’re more likely to take the boat from there to HS.

 

[Her Dotness]

Based on pictures from our last walk from Boardwalk to HS. We were on the boardwalk at 7:52am and walking into Toy Story Land at HS by 8:23am.

A more realistic time to get to DHS, IMO, but only to the DHS gate for us.

We've gotten from the IG to the DHS gate in 20 minutes, but that was pushing it more than my legs cared for.

My DH has a bad foot and wears orthopedic shoes and an orthotic because his foot doesn't flex at all. He uses a powerchair.

He's often said no way he could walk over that bridge from near the IG onto the Boardwalk. It's a pretty slanted incline that could easily be undoable for someone with prosthetics.

 

[kylenne]

You can always take the boats to either park or its a quick walk to the Skyliner at the International Gateway. Those options will take longer of course, I'm not sure on the length of time. So many options that are not a bus is an awesome perk.

The Skyliner is always the worst choice for Crescent Lake resort guests trying to get to HS purely because you have to walk in the opposite direction of it just to change lines at CBR. Depending on the time of day you could hit a bad line there (this happened to me once when hopping from HS to EP for a late breakfast ADR at BC). In the time you do all that you could have already been halfway to the park on the boat that you get right outside the front of your resort. With the boat you only have to factor in the time to stop at each resort. If you're at BC/YC going to HS there is only one stop between the two, the Swan/Dolphin dock.

A while back All Ears did a comparison between all methods of getting from Crescent Lake to HS, and having done the walk and boat many times I can attest that they take roughly the same amount of time for someone without mobility issues, if the boat is right there. But OP may find it useful to see the direct comparison. They have timestamps also.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I cannot emphasize how much more walking WDW is compared to Disneyland. SO. MUCH. MORE. It makes Disneyland look like a mini park lol. Basically think of EP like DL+DCA. And it’s not even the biggest park, that’s AK. I say this so you are prepared, it’s quite possible your DH won’t make it. Happened to a family member of mine. Refused an ECV and then a couple days into the trip his reality became get an ECV or stay in the room and miss the trip. I would prepare ahead of time a quick list of ECV providers you can call on short notice, various ones are reviewed and mentioned on the DISabilities board.

If you go the DVC rental route read the cancellation policy careful but realize you will probably need to buy trip insurance since many are non-refundable.

The least amount of walking is RIV to me. The Skyliner drops off right at EP IG and at DHS it drops off closer than the buses. The hotel itself is quite compact being in a tower so no long walks to your room or to the amenities. The Skyliner will close if there is lightening potentially making you have to walk to BC or BWI for a Skyliner bus loop they run when that happens.

 

[maleficent55]

I cannot emphasize how much more walking WDW is compared to Disneyland. SO. MUCH. MORE. It makes Disneyland look like a mini park lol. Basically think of EP like DL+DCA. And it’s not even the biggest park, that’s AK. I say this so you are prepared, it’s quite possible your DH won’t make it. Happened to a family member of mine. Refused an ECV and then a couple days into the trip his reality became get an ECV or stay in the room and miss the trip. I would prepare ahead of time a quick list of ECV providers you can call on short notice, various ones are reviewed and mentioned on the DISabilities board.



If you go the DVC rental route read the cancellation policy careful but realize you will probably need to buy trip insurance since many are non-refundable.

The least amount of walking is RIV to me. The Skyliner drops off right at EP IG and at DHS it drops off closer than the buses. The hotel itself is quite compact being in a tower so no long walks to your room or to the amenities. The Skyliner will close if there is lightening potentially making you have to walk to BC or BWI for a Skyliner bus loop they run when that happens.

Thank you for all of this!
He’s actually pretty able-bodied for being on the prosthetics, he usually walks 10+ miles a day, and even in the past that Disneyland has carried our daughter when she was younger on the shoulders. He can walk, but we try to minimize it I know at the least we can get a Lyft from any resort as well, I am planning on a Minnie Van for MK since it will drop us off the closest.
He won’t do a scooter or a wheelchair, for other reasons (PTSD of sorts) And he does get DAS which helps

 

[Anthony1971]

We don’t mind the walk also where we live/work we walk a lot however I think you have heard the reality when I had a young child in a stroller and I was younger…. the walk would be rough so we did not stay in that area. While I am not a fan for less walking in that area consider Riveria easy walking in the hotel as well….. just for the easier walk in the hotel I would choose Riveria, wilderness lodge or Contemporary (Bay lake tower) as these hotels are fairly compact by Disney standards… some halls are endless including BW.

 

[OKW Lover]

Boardwalk is a great choice for Epcot and DHS. It's a fairly quick walk to either. Don't bother waiting for the boat. By the time it gets you to the park you would have already been there if you walked.

 

[Stormypetrel]

You can look up the walking directions in the MDE app and see how you feel about it. Using the restrooms at the Hollywood studios entrance as the destination, the app gives me a 16 minute walk from boardwalk inn, 24 minutes from beach club.

 

[Mollygirl21]

I have issues with a lot of walking. I generally push through at WDW but sometimes by the end of the day, I feel like I can't walk any further.

We stayed at BWV last year and we did not walk to or from HS, just too many steps that would mean that many fewer I could use at the park.

We did walk to Epcot a couple times but I always took the boat back to the resort. My BIL walked while we were on the boat and we made it back at the same time. Of course, that is dependent on the boat being there and about to leave when you get on.

 

[PVTim]

I know a lot of people have mentioned the basics on the differences, and I would not have much to expand on what they said but, keep in mind that with this being your first time in WDW you will be entering a new level of heat and humidity that Disneyland does not often present.
That will add quite a bit to the exertion that your Husband will face. April tends to be a hit or miss month- I have been there when it is in the 70's with a nice breeze but also in the mid-90's with a real feel of 105+

An additional resort to consider (if you are thinking about renting DVC like you said) is Bay Lake Tower - a flat walk to the MK that is shorter than the ones mentioned and access to the monorail to Epcot.

 

[shm_helene]

We got back from our DVC stay at BC in March. Now, the DVC rooms are at the far end, but it took just under 20 mins for us to get to HS, walking at a fairly quick pace. It is possible to be MUCH closer at Boardwalk because you actually walk through Boardwalk from BC to get there. From BC to Epcot, from where we were, just about 7 mins to IG, walking at a normal pace. Boats were good if you caught them, but one night we waited for over 20 mins for a boat (and the next one came immediately afterwards...so there must have been some issues because I think they try to space them out a little better.

Remember that my times are based on where I was located in BC, so your times may vary!

 

[deltadisney]

We have stayed at Boardwalk multiple times. The walk to Epcot is very manageable (4-5 minute walk) and one we always make going to and from. However, the walk to HS is slightly longer, and we do not make the walk. For mornings, yes, it may (sometimes) be quicker to walk to HS rather than waiting on the boat or even walking to take the skyliner, especially if you are trying to rope-drop. For us, it is just something about having to make that walk all the way to HS, knowing there is a lot more walking ahead of us once we get to the park. Although it can be frustrating waiting and then stopping at BC/YC and then S&D before finally heading to HS, it is nice to just sit and enjoy coffee and a few more minutes of rest/relaxation before all of the walking. Coming back it is similar - all that walking in the parks, only to have to walk some more to get back to the room. I Just want to sit and relax on the boat (and dread the short walk from the dock back to my room once we are dropped off)