My niece and my sister convinced me to keep the entire trip at Boardwalk, instead of having a Poly/BW split. Then, I was looking yesterday, because I am the way I am, and saw a lake view studio at BLT was available. I didn’t grab it, and now it’s gone and I’m having anxiety about MK mornings.
Given less-than-spring break crowds, we will still be able to arrive at MK for RD, right? I’m not super concerned with being right at the front of the pack, because my niece is 7 and didn’t get the crazy long legs like her older sister and brother did (her sister was 4’6" on her 8th birthday), so even if we were we’d get passed up anyway.
There will be many benefits to staying put that will outweigh the 15 min head start you might have gotten by doing a split stay. And as long as you are prompt at the bus stop, you should be fine.
@Nikkipoooo I was one of the first to Epcot when I stayed at CSR (2nd in line for booths and 1st for FEA) and I took the bus. I just think you need to get to the bus stop WAY early so you make the first one and you’ll be fine. Edit: I got there 2 hours early and the first bus came around 75 min before official open)
BLT is our home resort, so we’ve stayed there and I agree that the updated Boardwalk rooms are nicer. Niece is especially excited to sleep on the fold out bed, because when we stayed there in a lock-off her cousin got to sleep on it and she shared the king bed with her mom and me.
Also, when I called about magical express yesterday, the DVC agent looking at my reservation told me there’s a note in it to combine it with the second one (which I definitely didn’t put there, and this was the first tie I’ve contacted them), so she thinks we’ll get to stay in the same room the whole time, even.
I got to the bus stop at the resort 2 hours before open, was on the bus 75 min before the official open and arrived at Epcot just a few minutes past the hour (close to an hour before official open and they started opening the booths right when I got there and I walked right thru the temp/security lines without a wait).
I agree, no need to worry about getting to MK for RD. When our bus arrived (from CSR) the walkers from BLT/CR were still lined up on the side walk not yet going through temp check. We got off the bus and lined up for temp checks coming from the buses- both tents opened at the exact same time.
I was able to RD at MK from AKL via bus in May of 2019. We were more or less in the middle of the pack. (MIL, who is always ready for things early, was bemused by our eat-muffins-and-put-on-sunblock routine as we waited for the park to open.) As long as you get to the bus stop early enough, I think you’ll be fine.
FWIW, that stay was a split stay - BW and AKL. We loved the food and pool at AKL, but if we could have stayed at BW the whole time I would have much preferred that! I really felt like the split stay cut into my vacation in terms of packing stuff up, bringing it to the bellhop, retrieving it at the next hotel, and unpacking it again. Plus we didn’t have access to a room for a day. Split stays have their upsides too, but give me a continuous stay any day.
I’m so not an expert; I haven’t been to WDW in so long, but the Boardwalk is gorgeous and has so much in the way of dining and entertainment options. BLT is just … very … like … a nice modern place, but it’s not, like, luxurious like the BW is. I think you made the right decision. Also, you don’t have to pack up and move in the middle of your vacay! Win/win!