Should I switch? Pop vs Dolphin

[mmouse50]

I currently have a package with Costco Travel for Pop - but I just looked at the website and I can get the Dolphin (same type package) for 600.00 more. Should I switch? The party is made of 2 rooms - Room 1 - 1 adult Room 2 - 2 adults 1 and 6 year old. Will have a car and drive to MK and AK, could walk to Epcot or take skyliner to the other 2.

My current cons - can't do resort mugs (cheap souvenirs) - not sure what the current set up is for Dolphin, the last time I stayed there was during covid and there wasn't much of a breakfast set up but I guess we could mobile order to the Beach club.

My current pros - larger rooms, extended evening hours for the Studios - 1 adult is a HUGE Star Wars fan - can't find a calendar that lists any extended hours for the studios though. Do they have them? We are going in October - so far I have only found the dates for MK and Epcot through June but nothing is listed for the studios, from now until June.

What would you do?

 

[MIChessGuy]

It appears that extended evening hours are being offered only for MK and EPCOT, at least until further notice. Whether Disney decides to add DHS is impossible to say at this point. Even so, there is a lot to be said for the evening hours perk at the two parks where it's happening: both Remy and Frozen are included, as are 7DMT and Peter Pan. Plus I think you can join the evening virtual queue for Tron and Guardians if you will be in the relevant park.

 

[Marthasor]

How many nights is it for? Have you priced out a moderate just for comparison's sake? Have you factored in the Dolphin's resort and parking fees? Dolphin has a large grab-and-go QS in their lobby which is quite nice.

DHS doesn't, currently, offer extended evening hours for deluxe guests (only MK and EP). Though not yet scheduled for fall, DHS does offer an After Hours, hard-ticket event, which, if scheduled during your trip, may be of interest to you. Perhaps stay at Pop and use that savings toward After Hours (if it's scheduled)?

Unless the $600 is for a longer trip and that also includes the parking and resort fee, I'm not sure if it's worth it, particularly if you will have a car and can drive yourself to the parks.

 

[rangerxenos]

If that includes your parking fees through Costco, I'd do it for the extra room, and it's a great location. I know resort fees used to be included in Costco's prices, not sure if they still are.

 

[jennab]

Check if parking is included at Dolphin. My guess is it’s not and it’s pretty expensive.

 

[Dave006]

Will have a car and drive to MK and AK, could walk to Epcot or take skyliner to the other 2.

Just to add to the great comments from @Marthasor above the Dolphin only has Double beds vs the 1 QB and 1 Pull-down Murphy bed at Pop. Being in the Epcot resort area means you have access to 5 resorts with a variety of dining options.

For access to HS, you have 3 options: walk, Friendship boat or Skyliner from Epcot International Gateway to HS. Since you mentioned having a car are you including the $36 per night parking fee at the Dolphin in your $600 upgrade to the Dolphin? It is not included in the Costco Package.

Dave

 

[brockash]

I currently have a package with Costco Travel for Pop - but I just looked at the website and I can get the Dolphin (same type package) for 600.00 more. Should I switch? The party is made of 2 rooms - Room 1 - 1 adult Room 2 - 2 adults 1 and 6 year old. Will have a car and drive to MK and AK, could walk to Epcot or take skyliner to the other 2.

My current cons - can't do resort mugs (cheap souvenirs) - not sure what the current set up is for Dolphin, the last time I stayed there was during covid and there wasn't much of a breakfast set up but I guess we could mobile order to the Beach club.

My current pros - larger rooms, extended evening hours for the Studios - 1 adult is a HUGE Star Wars fan - can't find a calendar that lists any extended hours for the studios though. Do they have them? We are going in October - so far I have only found the dates for MK and Epcot through June but nothing is listed for the studios, from now until June.

What would you do?

We've done both and honestly we'd stay at Pop. It pains me to say it, but we really missed being in a Disney resort. The rooms are certainly nicer, same with location, however we really missed the Disney atmosphere.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

We love the Dolphin location and the EH but we have 2 BIG negatives for our family. 1) Double beds = a definite no!
2) Charging to the room, which you cannot do at Dolphin. With a family of 4 it is soooo much easier when each person can do this, plus the MB is PIN protected.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Breakfast at dolphin is pretty good, the QS Fuel has a lot of options and is pretty decent, think Starbucks but more variety. There's also a restaurant on property, picabu that has basic breakfast but it's a little more money and not as conducive to grab and go. The parking fee is steep at dolphin so you do need to factor that in, I think $36/nt for self park and $44 for valet. Also, there's a $45/nt resort fee which covers wifi, swan boats, etc so don't forget those extra costs.

The other dining options at YC, Swan, BC, Boardwalk are nice since they're nearby and walking/boating to the parks is a nice perk. As another poster mentioned, if cost is in play, I'd also price out some mods. S/D can be close in pricing to some of those resorts and you won't have to pay a resort fee or parking and have the disney amenities you like, like resort mugs, etc. We like S/D for the location but it's definitely not as "disney" feeling as WDW properties.

 

[mmouse50]

Thanks for all the jnfo. Package did include resort fees but not parking. It is going to be a relatively short trip 4 nights in October - no after hour events going on during the time.
So i guess that i will stay at Pop and maybe look into the halloween party. Thanks for all your input.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I'd also note that the Dolphin bus to MK actually goes to the TTC, in contrast to Pop's bus which goes directly to the MK bus loop near the park's entrance gate. This is not so great if you are not in the mood for a bus trip combined with a ferry/monorail trip.

 

[ucf_knight]

I currently have a package with Costco Travel for Pop - but I just looked at the website and I can get the Dolphin (same type package) for 600.00 more. Should I switch? The party is made of 2 rooms - Room 1 - 1 adult Room 2 - 2 adults 1 and 6 year old. Will have a car and drive to MK and AK, could walk to Epcot or take skyliner to the other 2.

My current cons - can't do resort mugs (cheap souvenirs) - not sure what the current set up is for Dolphin, the last time I stayed there was during covid and there wasn't much of a breakfast set up but I guess we could mobile order to the Beach club.

My current pros - larger rooms, extended evening hours for the Studios - 1 adult is a HUGE Star Wars fan - can't find a calendar that lists any extended hours for the studios though. Do they have them? We are going in October - so far I have only found the dates for MK and Epcot through June but nothing is listed for the studios, from now until June.

What would you do?

We stay at the swan/dolphin all the time and its our go to choice when going to disney. Such an easy walk/boat/sky liner to HS and EP. Plenty of breakfast options at the hotels or we have also taken the skyliner to RR for breakfast as I think they have the best QS breakfast on property.

For $150+ parking a night more I would switch.

 

[luisov]

Those extra hours at the Studios could be a game-changer, especially if you're a Star Wars buff! I'd suggest digging a bit deeper into what the current setup is like at the Dolphin. If you're all about the experience and convenience, shelling out the extra $600 might be worth it down the line.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Those extra hours at the Studios could be a game-changer, especially if you're a Star Wars buff! I'd suggest digging a bit deeper into what the current setup is like at the Dolphin. If you're all about the experience and convenience, shelling out the extra $600 might be worth it down the line.

Except HS is not part of the EEH, just MK and EPCOT, and according to the OP there are no EEH happening during the 4 days they are staying.
OP, I think you made the right decision to save $750 and stay at POP. But, we are also a family that doesn't find the "convenience/location" of a resort as being worth a lot.

 

[Eastern]

I think POP is a good choice.

 

[1Venus]

I really like the Swan/Dolphin and used to stay there on all my WDW vacations. But then they lost their Disney bus service. If you are going to EPCOT and the Studios, you're in great shape because you can go by boat. But, if you want to go to the Magic Kingdom, you won't be dropped off in front of MK. Instead you'll go to the Ticket & Transportation Center and have to take the monorail or ferry across to the Magic Kingdom. This eats up valuable park time on the way there and then adds to a long trip back to the resort after your park day. Then there is the Animal Kingdom. I hated standing in the parking lot waiting for the bus and having no organized line so it's every man, woman, & child for themselves when the bus arrives to pick you up. The work around is that you can drive to the parks. I certainly think driving to the AK would be a better choice. But if you're going drive to the Magic Kingdom, you'll still have to go to the Ticket & Transportation Center. Or you could walk to the Yacht Club to catch the bus on MK & AK days. I didn't like those options, so I no longer stay at the Swan/Dolphin. I'm also wondering if the 6 year old would be happier in a hotel with more theming. Swan/Dolphin is a convention hotel. While there are some kids, you'll see many adults who are there for work meetings. The only real advantage I see is that you would get into MK & EPCOT for those 2 extra hours for the extended evenings. But, you'll be paying $600 more (and maybe plus the $40 nightly resort fee + $ parking.) For that amount of $$$, you could pay for the Disney After Hours events which have way fewer people than the extended evenings.

 

[elvispursley]

Thanks for all the jnfo. Package did include resort fees but not parking. It is going to be a relatively short trip 4 nights in October - no after hour events going on during the time.
So i guess that i will stay at Pop and maybe look into the halloween party. Thanks for all your input.

I'd stick to Pop and save the $$ for MNSSHP or for G+ (if you haven't already budgeted for that).

Except HS is not part of the EEH, just MK and EPCOT, and according to the OP there are no EEH happening during the 4 days they are staying.
OP, I think you made the right decision to save $750 and stay at POP. But, we are also a family that doesn't find the "convenience/location" of a resort as being worth a lot.

EEH did switch to HS last Oct. due to the # of MNSSHP that occurred. Disney has not released the calendar for the month of Oct. yet so there is no info on EEH.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I'd stick to Pop and save the $$ for MNSSHP or for G+ (if you haven't already budgeted for that).


EEH did switch to HS last Oct. due to the # of MNSSHP that occurred. Disney has not released the calendar for the month of Oct. yet so there is no info on EEH.

Thanks about EEH, but I would not book something, at WDW, based on what they did in the past, because the most consistent part of Disney's decisions is their inconsistencies. LOL

 

[DVCkidz]

I’ve stayed at the Dolphin many times. You can’t beat the location!!