Dolphin or Wilderness Lodger/or AKL

Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Hi, so my wife and I are going to be taking our daughter, who will not be quite 2 ,for her first trip to disney in May for 6 nights. I have been looking at a variety of deals etc.
It looks like we can do the Dolphin with AAA prices or with a pinned offer I have I can get WL or AKL for about 150 total more. We really like the idea of being able to walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk as well as the Studios.
Our daughter is so little that I don't think the themeing ect is going to matter to her, but the idea of getting WL at almost 100 less a night than usual is appealing too.
Is WL worth it over Dolphin?
BTW-AKL does look appealing but since we have a little one we dont want to be on longer bus rides....
 
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becanya

becanya

New Member
WL is worth it because it is so convenient to MK...which will be your child's favorite. And the WL is just so amazing, so fun...feels so much like home. We wouldn't stay anywhere else. Especially for quick access back to the hotel for an occasionally needed naptime!
 
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HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
We recently got back from a week long stay at WL...with our 2 yr old and 4 yr old in tow. We spent 3 days at Magic Kingdom and am so thankful we stayed at an MK resort. The boat service back and forth was phenomenal! We never once had to collapse the stroller and the boats came more frequently and were much more predictable than the bus. The convenience has me thinking about the monorail resorts for our next trip- whenever that is. :(

We went to AKL one night for a dinner at Boma and while there were no problems- it just felt like such a long ride. My brother and SIL stayed at AKL this trip - free upgrade to a savannah view bunk bed room (they really wanted a king). They said the AKL was nice, but it took them forever to check in, so I think it hurt their opinions of AKL. Funny- they also stayed at Dophin over the summer- they felt it was more run down than the Swan, but liked the location.
 
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Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks guys. I was also considering Port Orleans FQ with the free dining week at the end of May, but that is during Memorial Day Weekend, and I am thinking that coupled with the free dining thing going on, it might be a be busier than going a few weeks earlier.
 
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K

KaneMarko

Member
pjkdog said:
Hi, so my wife and I are going to be taking our daughter, who will not be quite 2 ,for her first trip to disney in May for 6 nights. I have been looking at a variety of deals etc.
It looks like we can do the Dolphin with AAA prices or with a pinned offer I have I can get WL or AKL for about 150 total more. We really like the idea of being able to walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk as well as the Studios.
Our daughter is so little that I don't think the themeing ect is going to matter to her, but the idea of getting WL at almost 100 less a night than usual is appealing too.
Is WL worth it over Dolphin?
BTW-AKL does look appealing but since we have a little one we dont want to be on longer bus rides....
Click to expand...

Everyone will have their preferences. We just got back from WDW earlier this month. We stayed at AKL and had a fantastic time there as we both felt AKL was extremely nice. The only negatives about AKL, and this has been mentioned, is that it's the most remotely located of all the WDW resorts and the shuttle sevice to and from AKL can drag significantly. But outside of that, AKL is a great resort to stay at.

If you are looking for convenience to Magic Kingdom then Wilderness Lodge is the way to go. We did not stay at Wilderness Lodge. But we spent one day touring the deluxe resorts and Wilderness Lodge is pretty spectacular. It was our second favorite behind AKL.

I cannot speak for Dolphin as I've never been inside the Dolphin other than it is very convenient to the Boardwalk area and Epcot.
 
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KingoftheMooner

KingoftheMooner

New Member
I have never stayed at the AKL or WL before but I have stayed at the dolphin and I was disapointed. If your going or comming to/from the Hollywood studios or Epcot, this is fine. If from Animal Kingdom or Magic kingdoms, It will be a challange. The buses for the Dolphin are for most of the resorts in the Epcot resort area (Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, and Swan). so If you stay at these resorts, my tip would be to walk from the boardwalk to the dolphin. This may be diffrent for you since I went during Thanksgiving.
 
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slappy magoo

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
pjkdog said:
Hi, so my wife and I are going to be taking our daughter, who will not be quite 2 ,for her first trip to disney in May for 6 nights. I have been looking at a variety of deals etc.
It looks like we can do the Dolphin with AAA prices or with a pinned offer I have I can get WL or AKL for about 150 total more. We really like the idea of being able to walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk as well as the Studios.
Our daughter is so little that I don't think the themeing ect is going to matter to her, but the idea of getting WL at almost 100 less a night than usual is appealing too.
Is WL worth it over Dolphin?
BTW-AKL does look appealing but since we have a little one we dont want to be on longer bus rides....
Click to expand...

There really is a phantom. He was just in my shower. He threatened my life. He said his music was for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies.

OK, now that that's out of the way, all three are awesome resorts, each offering some pluses the other two don't. I'd seriously consider thinking about which parks you intend to spend the most amount of time, or even if the parks are as important as other factors. As others have said, with a 2 year old, it wouldn't be insane to think you'd want to spend more time at MK, making WL the preferred choice. If you were planning to make it a vacation where you would spend more time relaxing than hitting parks, then each would have some cool perks - WL has internal buses to Fort Wilderness with their petting zoos, pony rides, nighttime movies, etc; Animal Kingdom Lodge, 2 awesome pools and a waterplay area plus all the animals of the savanna; the Dolphin is walking distance to Boardwalk and Yacht/Beach Club resorts, the Boardwalk play areas...

Personally, also having a 2 year old, were those my choices I'd go Wilderness.
 
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sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
I vote for the Wilderness Lodge! That's been my dream resort for quite a while, and we're finally booked there for this coming April. I would hands down vote for that one out of the three you mentioned.

Additionally....and I know this will sound petty and silly....but I wouldn't want to stay at the Swan or Dolphin, as it's not a "real" Disney resort. If I want to stay "on property", I want to stay at a Disney owned and operated resort. Even though the Swan and Dolphin are right there on the geographical property, even right by the Epcot resort complex, to me, to stay there is tantamount to being offsite. If I was satisfied to spend a little less and stay "offsite", then I may consider the Swan or Dolphin, but when I'm planning on staying "at" WDW, as in on property, IMO, those resorts don't count. IMO, those resorts are more in the category of those independent hotels by Downtown Disney, than in the category of a WDW owned and operated resort.
 
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Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for all the feedback, as for you slappy...poor Beef, shame he did not last long! I saw that movie at a local theater last year, they hold a horror/cult film night once a month and I loved it!

Don't get upset, but in spite of all the advice, when I broke down the prices, my wife said..."but we can get free dining, and less if we stay a week later at a moderate? So...long story short, just booked POFQ today with AAA. I think my two year old will like the dragon slide...but we very very close with doing the WL...after considering everything. Oh well one of these day....but never been to FQ so looking forward to it, I like Riverside.
 
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mickeysshoes

mickeysshoes

Well-Known Member
I have to also suggest the WL...AK is very nice but would suggest waiting for your DD to get a few years older so she can enjoy and remember the animials better (without the photos).
 
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