Hi Jen,
I love
Disney's BoardWalk Villas! It is my home resort with Disney Vacation Club. I love the hustle and bustle on the BoardWalk and the energy and excitement around Crescent Lake.
When you will be able to book a grand villa is going to depend on how to plan to book it. If you are a Disney Vacation Club member and are planning to use vacation points to book this accommodation, and Disney's BoardWalk Villas is your home resort, you can book up to 11 months in advance. That window could open up soon depending on when in summer of 2014 you plan to travel. If you are a Disney Vacation Club Member and Disney's BoardWalk Villas is not your home resort, you would be able to begin booking seven months ahead of your planned check in date. In either case, I recommend that you call Disney Vacation Club Member Services at 1-800-800-9800 to make your reservation on the first day that you can.
If you are not a Disney Vacation Club Member and would like to book this reservation using a traditional payment method such as a credit card, you can do so by calling Walt Disney World reservations at 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639). Reservations are available for summer of 2014, so it would be possible to book now. I think that the chances of getting a grand villa at Disney's BoardWalk Villas this way are fairly small. As you can imagine, these villas are very popular and are booked quickly when they become available! My best advice to you is to call as soon as you can, and then call back every so often to keep checking for availability. You never know when pixie dust might be sprinkled on your vacation planning!
I hope that this information is helpful for you, Jen. Good luck with your planning, and please do not hesitate to ask if you have any further questions!