Disney boardwalk inn vs contemporary in August

[Jonr7274]

lookkng for some guidance. We can book contemporary or boardwalk in late August. Kids are 15,13,12.
We are torn on whether the monorail to MK would be better or the close proximity to Epcot/HS. I know it will be hot so not sure if the walk to these to would be too much. Advice greatly appreciated. CR is about $500 less for the 7 nights.
Thanks.
Jon

 

[Minnie1222]

Stay at CR if it costs less & if you're planning to go to MK multiple times. Walking from CR to MK takes ~10 minutes. It's also fun to take the monorail from CR to Epcot (if you don't mind switching train once).
The stroll from BWI to Epcot's International Gateway is ~5-7 minutes and to HS is ~20 min. You can also take a boat if you don't want to walk.

 

[nyy]

We stayed at the BWI last August. We loved the resort! The walk to HS is way too far in the August heat and humidity for us. The walk to EPCOT worked great. We have never stayed at the Contemporary, however. Our least favorite thing about BWI was transportation. We used Lyft for HS and DS.
However, I don't like the bathroom set up at CR at all. You have 3 teens. I would do BWI. The Boardwalk and YC/BC are great with tons for teens to do.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I love saving money, but I also happen to like BWI more than CR. There is so much more to do within walking distance of BWI - great restaurants, entertainment on the Boardwalk, two parks, etc. I also think the pool is better. As PP mentioned, the bathroom set up at CR is terrible with barely any counter space.

 

[CynBeth]

I would do CR. You can take a boat or monorail to visit the other MK area resorts. We love breakfast at WCC at WL or at Trail’s End at FW and there is the electrical water pageant at night.

 

[100acreHiker]

I've stayed at both. With the ages of your kids I would absolutely do BWI. BWI is one of my absolute favorite resorts. I didn't care at all for CR. It's proximity to MK is great, yes, but I found the resort cold, impersonal, and very echo-y and noisy. The vibe in the main building with the monorail going through and Chef Mickey's was just not particularly enjoyable. I have 14 and 11 year old boys. Once we switched to staying at EPcot resorts like BWI and Beach Club, they refuse to stay elsewhere. They love the vibrancy of the Boardwalk area, walking to HS and walking in and out of EP. The pool and dedicated bus is awesome too. You will save money and have a wonderful vacation being able to access two parks without transportation. Also, my kids only like going to Magic Kingdom just once a trip--they really have outgrown much of it, but they do not tire of EP and HS.

 

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

Thats a great dilema to have. TBH Contemporay and Boardwalk are my 2 favorite resorts and all of DISNEY. Cant go wrong with either one.

LOVE THEM BOTH.

 

[jhoannam]

What about a split stay?

 

[tgarre06]

What about a split stay?

Good suggestion! We are splitting our stay between Boardwalk Villas and Bay Lake next month for this reason. We really dislike the buses with young children, so we like to be able to walk back and forth from the parks.

 

[tgarre06]

Good suggestion! We are splitting our stay between Boardwalk Villas and Bay Lake next month for this reason. We really dislike the buses with young children, so we like to be able to walk back and forth from the parks.

To be honest, even if we did not have young kids with us, we don’t care for the buses!

 

[Mynamewastaken]

BWI. We love it there. We love the atmosphere and you can walk to two parks!

 

[mickeynut1]

Haven't stayed at CR, but I love BWI! Had my first stay last summer and it was amazing. The resort is beautiful, the boardwalk is fun and it's great being within walking distance to Epcot and DHS. You also have the option of taking the boat if it's too hot to walk.

 

[jhoannam]

We are doing a split stay in August, Pop/BC/CR. Focusing on AK&HS during our Pop stay, then Epcot & rest day while at BC, last MK with MNSSHP.

 

[Hopefully]

We stayed at the BWI last August. We loved the resort! The walk to HS is way too far in the August heat and humidity for us. The walk to EPCOT worked great. We have never stayed at the Contemporary, however. Our least favorite thing about BWI was transportation. We used Lyft for HS and DS.
However, I don't like the bathroom set up at CR at all. You have 3 teens. I would do BWI. The Boardwalk and YC/BC are great with tons for teens to do.

In my over 2 Decades on the DIS I have never heard of anyone ever taking alternate ( Lyft) from BWI to DHS. I realize that 2 Decades predates these things, but just saying. To each their own.
We LOVE Boardwalk Inn

 

[nyy]

In my over 2 Decades on the DIS I have never heard of anyone ever taking alternate ( Lyft) from BWI to DHS. I realize that 2 Decades predates these things, but just saying. To each their own.
We LOVE Boardwalk Inn

I get that it won't seem logical for everyone to take Lyft to or from HS. It worked for us because of the weather, construction, and time factors. The heat was brutal, as usual and expected. We also learned the hard way that Disney boats do not operate during the thunderstorms. The construction also made the walk farther than usual at the time. Instead of taking the very slow boats, that stopped at the other docks to/from, we used Lyft and had a ride almost immediately. To us, it was completely worth it.
We also loved the BWI.

 

[NH-to-FL]

lookkng for some guidance. We can book contemporary or boardwalk in late August. Kids are 15,13,12.
We are torn on whether the monorail to MK would be better or the close proximity to Epcot/HS. I know it will be hot so not sure if the walk to these to would be too much. Advice greatly appreciated. CR is about $500 less for the 7 nights.
Thanks.
Jon

to DISboards!

DW and I have stayed at the Boardwalk many times and love the location. For us, the proximity to two parks can't be beat. The walk to Epcot is very reasonable. Close enough that I consider it to be more of a 'wander' than a walk, as in 'wander over to Epcot'. We have walked to DHS but would usually take the boat.

I think it really comes down to what parks you'll be spending the most in. If the MK is the favorite then you can't beat the walk from the Contemporary.

If you can tolerate the disruption of changing resorts then a split stay is the ultimate answer.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[BOST99]

We've done both in hot weather (BWI in late Aug and CR Garden in May) and I would pick BWI. We had strollers so picked both for convenience and walking was hot but doable.

We loved BWI and would stay there again without hesitation. Rooms felt bigger in CR but we prefer the location, food and pool at BWI.

 

[100acreHiker]

yes the rooms are nicer at CR, but the overall ambiance of the resort, the food, the entertainment and location is way better at BWI (for us).

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

I haven’t stayed at CR but I have stayed at other monorail resorts. My favorite is Boardwalk, and I just booked it for my family this summer, even with young ones who will love the monorail. Especially the age of your kids, I think they will love the atmosphere around BW. I have fond family memories of the Boardwalk area with my family from well over 20 years ago, when I was HS age. More restaurants, more things to do (minigolf, bikes).

 

[Eastern]

Once my kids were teens they always preferred BWI.