Written By: Shannon Routte. Contact one of our excellent Travel Advisors at concierge@teplanners.com.
Walt Disney World is hands down my favorite place to visit. I haven’t traveled the world per-say, but I have traveled around the World Showcase at EPCOT time and time again. Disney World is my second home. Our favorite place to stay is at one of the Disney resorts on Crescent Lake. We generally stay at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club resort or my new favorite, Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.
One of the first things I do when arriving at the resort is walk right through the lobby and out the back doors. The view of Crescent Lake and the surrounding resorts is breathtaking. I immediately feel at peace and think to myself, “I’m home.” Just reminiscing about this view puts a smile on my face.
The resorts surrounding this area include Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club, Disney’s Swan & Dolphin, and Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. Both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios are in walking distance from these resorts. EPCOT is a shorter walk and you will enter through the International Gateway which takes you right into the World Showcase. You can also take boat transportation from any of these resorts to both Hollywood Studios or EPCOT. Having multiple transportation options is one of my favorite things about this area.
Another benefit of this area is that there are so many things to do at your fingertips without even leaving the resort. Disney’s Boardwalk has multiple restaurants, as well as quick service locations, plenty of shops for necessities as well as apparel, toys, and other souvenirs. There is an ice cream shop, the ESPN club, and plenty of nighttime entertainment. In the evening, the Boardwalk comes to life with magicians, dancers, and a variety of entertainers. There is an art gallery, carnival games, bicycle rentals, fishing, and so much more. You can even see EPCOT’s nightly fireworks from the Boardwalk!
Both the Yacht and Beach Club as well as the Boardwalk have fun arcades for the kids. There is an activity center at the Boardwalk where you can rent DVDs and games for your room, there are also puzzles, coloring and more. The last time we visited they had a tye dye station and the kids were able to make T-shirts.
When we first arrive at the resort we usually get in early and spend our first hour or so just taking a walk around Crescent Lake. After a nice walk we generally make a pit stop at the Boardwalk Bakery or the To-Go Cart for some lunch. We also purchase our refillable Disney mugs for the week. This has become a fun tradition for us and we have endless drinks all week. Then we make our way to the pool for a bit and enjoy the sunshine until our rooms are ready. We purposefully try to arrive early to our resort just to enjoy our time there because it truly is our home away from home.
When we travel to Disney, we always have park hopper passes, this is our personal preference, but by doing this we can spend lots of extra time at the World Showcase. We love walking to EPCOT from our resort and just enjoying the different food and drinks in each country. When we go to Disney we have days designated for each park with fastpasses, as well as sit down dining reservations, but my husband and I love being able to go to EPCOT multiple times to experience all that the World Showcase has to offer.
I could honestly go on forever about this area and why I love it so much. If you are looking for multiple transportation options, tons of activities, food, and entertainment, this is a perfect area to stay.
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