Dolphin Cove? Or WorldMark Anaheim?

[mbb]

If forced to chose, which would you pick and why??

Thanks!!

 

[krash2501]

I have only ever stayed at Dolphin Cove but want to get into WorldMark Anaheim to try them out as well. I do have family who stayed there so I will touch on something’s they said.

WMA is newer, closer in walking distance but still a WALK. It’s close to Garden walk. Garden walk is a nice little place with lots of shops and restaurants. Do a Google search for more details. There are only a few elevators and in the morning and evenings it gets hard to get on and off the elevators (took my 20 mins one morning). Cost more “points”. In reading your other post if you have 15 people you will have to get 3 two bedrooms or 2-2br and a 1br.

Dolphin Cove is a little farther away but has privet gated parking and is on a much nicer layout. They are converted apartments so picture that just done up very well. Has a great pool area and also has a game room that the kids would love. They also have 3 bedroom units that sleep 8 so you would only need 2 for your entire group. With my point system a 3br is less then a 2br at WMA.

What we do when we stay here is we drive everyone to the front gate and drop them off and then I go park the van in the parking lot on Disney way and take a shuttle back or just walk from there while the rest of my family gets inline for DL.

Also whatever you do STAY AWAY FROM PEACOCK SUITS TIMESHARE. They are just awful.


Hope that helps.

 

[smile4stamps]

Just out of curiosity why would you stay away from Peacock??

 

[krash2501]

They are old converted motel rooms, so the rooms are just that old motel rooms that have no kitchen, no living room, old beds and old furniture. The pool is under a parking structure so it gets no sun light and is cold even in hot months. They only have 1br units and you have to pay to park per night. The Staff is VERY nice but the over all place is just not worth your “points”.

I guess if you are only going to be there to sleep, then it may be ok, but for us we like to cook in our units and have a nice place to relax once the parks close. We like to go in off season so DL closes at 8pm, so we like to have a “home” like place to relax in and to cook dinners.

That’s just my opinion.

 

[QueenDoOver]

I am a Worldmark owner and my personal opinion is that I would not waste my points staying at either one. Part of the Worldmark experience is "resorting", and when I am at DL I want to be in the parks and I don't resort at all. I don't coook either. So would rather just pay the hotel fees and stay as close to the parks as possible and save those points for a different sort of vacation.
That being said, I have heard that Dolphin's Cove is near a Disney parking lot and folks are walking to that lot and catching the shuttle bus to the gates for free.

 

[krash2501]

We love to be able to cook breakfast in the early morning sit of the balcony with a coffee and wait for the parks to open. Then we spend all day in the parks just doing counter service and only on weekends do we eat out at a nice place. Since we go in the off season the park closes at 8 so we just eat a late dinner at the Timeshare. By doing this we don't feel as if we are waisting any time at the park just saving money on food. We like to save money by eating in as much as we can and spend that money saved on more trips back to DL.

 

[pixiewings71]

They are old converted motel rooms, so the rooms are just that old motel rooms that have no kitchen, no living room, old beds and old furniture. The pool is under a parking structure so it gets no sun light and is cold even in hot months. They only have 1br units and you have to pay to park per night. The Staff is VERY nice but the over all place is just not worth your “points”.

I guess if you are only going to be there to sleep, then it may be ok, but for us we like to cook in our units and have a nice place to relax once the parks close. We like to go in off season so DL closes at 8pm, so we like to have a “home” like place to relax in and to cook dinners.

That’s just my opinion.

Wow, we own with Shell and stay at the Peacock a LOT! In fact I just booked us at the Peacock for the stay in my ticker and for another stay in May......they have more than "just" 1 br units, we've been in a 3 br unit, sure there aren't as many of them (they are corner units) but they do exist. The 1 br unit sleeps 6 people in most, you get 2 queen beds and a fold out couch in the living room, there aren't full kitchens but there is a mini-fridge, a microwave, coffee maker, dishes......and there IS a living room....it's got a TV, couch, table and chairs...not sure what room you saw that didn't have a living room but we've been in every room you can book at the Peacock and they all had living rooms.....the pool is heated year round, we swam in it in December and it was plenty warm enough, there is a hot tub right next to the pool so DBF and I tend to soak our feet while the girls play in the pool. Yes it is covered but I personally like that because I burn very very easily (it sucks to have my Irish skin living in CA! LOL) so I can sit by the pool and not fry myself. We've been in 1 br with a King bed, 1 br with 2 queens, and the 3 br unit (which is 2 bedrooms and the pullout couch in the living room) and we didn't feel the furniture, beds or anything was "old" at all.....and points wise...for us this is the cheapest place to use our points, since we own with SVC the points values are different but we can stay from April 3-9th for 1900 points and go back in May from the 29-June 2nd for another 600 points.....by far the cheapest way to spend our points, and for us the most fun!

They do have mandatory valet, it's $8 per day and so worth it...the parking spots in the Peacock lot are very tight, I much prefer a valet getting them in and out for me. Plus it's fun for the kids. lol

ETA, if you do want some sun, head up to the sundeck on the third floor. They have lounge chairs all set up for you to soak up the sun if that's what you want to do. Peacock also has a free bfast......quick foods like donuts, bagels, fruit, cereal, toast, juice, milk, coffee and tea, but it's a nice way to jump start your morning.

I am a Worldmark owner and my personal opinion is that I would not waste my points staying at either one. Part of the Worldmark experience is "resorting", and when I am at DL I want to be in the parks and I don't resort at all. I don't coook either. So would rather just pay the hotel fees and stay as close to the parks as possible and save those points for a different sort of vacation.
That being said, I have heard that Dolphin's Cove is near a Disney parking lot and folks are walking to that lot and catching the shuttle bus to the gates for free.

This is how I feel....I don't want to cook while at DL but I do love having the mini fridge and microwave (for leftovers). I guess maybe that's why the Peacock works so well for our family......

OP once you make your reservations and are in Anaheim on your trip, see if you can visit the other location you were interested in, see if maybe you can take a quick tour, I know they let us do that at the Vino Bello in Napa (another SVC resort, which is amazing and I do want the full kitchen when we stay there! lol), we just ask the concierge and they get us a valet to show us around.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I am a Worldmark owner and my personal opinion is that I would not waste my points staying at either one. Part of the Worldmark experience is "resorting", and when I am at DL I want to be in the parks and I don't resort at all. I don't coook either. So would rather just pay the hotel fees and stay as close to the parks as possible and save those points for a different sort of vacation.
That being said, I have heard that Dolphin's Cove is near a Disney parking lot and folks are walking to that lot and catching the shuttle bus to the gates for free.

Me too. If I calculated the value of my points (based on current rental value), it's more expensive to stay at WM than to stay at Desert Inn & Suites or HOJOs. We saved our points and traded them into a 2 bedroom DVC in WDW via RCI (which was cheaper points-wise than getting a 2 BR in WM!).

 

[ConnieB]

Well...we stay at the Extended Stay America which is behind Worldmark on Clementine. It is small rooms, a little larger than a typical hotel room because it has a kitchen with a 2 burner stovetop, sink, full size fridge and they provide pots pans plates, etc. I'm sure the accomodations at the other places mentioned are more luxurious, but we're just interested in a comfortable, safe, quiet place to sleep and a kitchen to make breakfast and sometimes dinner. And cheap...about $60.

BUT...the reason I'm posting is that while it IS a bit of a walk to Disney, however, across the street (Harbor) is the Toy Story parking lot...in fact they come down Clementine when driving to the park (they take a different route back to the front entrance of the lot on the return trip).

So....if you're staying at the Worldmark just walk across the street and hop the bus. Or if you have the energy in the morning, go ahead and walk down to Disney...then when you're ready to go home and tired and feet ache, hop the Toy Story bus and then it's a quick walk across the street.