Dolphin vs Caribbean Beach Resort

[BrotherCraig]

Hello everyone. We are going to Disney World November 16-20 of this year and was looking at Dolphin for 5 people or CBR for 5 with their sleeper. HS, Epcot, and MK are our parks for this trip and in that order. We already have park tickets and reservations. Which hotel do you think would be best?

I heard the skyliner and busses are very long wait times. We will have a 1 year old with us as well. Any tips or recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You were misinformed on the Skyliner. That line moves EXTREMELY quickly, even with the COVID restrictions where they're only doing one party per car.

The only problem I had with transportation was waiting for a Caribbean Beach bus during a lightning storm when the Skyliner went down.

That said, I'd recommend one of the "normal" Caribbean Beach rooms without the 5th sleeper. The baby will do better in a crib than on that fold-down bed. The 5th sleeper takes up a lot of your storage space, too.

 

[Kitty & Covs Covs]

We stayed at CBR in March and are about to stay at the Dolphin this weekend. I've never stayed at the Dolphin, so I'm taking some guesses here--but based on what I've researched and read on here that CBR is probably better for what you're looking for. Epcot and HS are extremely accessible via the Skyliner (previous poster is correct, the lines move really fast) and MK seems easier to get to with Disney buses that go beyond the TTC (the Dolphin buses stop at the TTC for MK). I also really like that you can still get in your room with your Magic Band at CBR vs. Dolphin--with kids the less stuff I need to handle the better, including a room key. You can also mobile order from quick service through MDE at CBR so it's all in once place vs. Dolphin which has its own app and interface to do all that stuff (so you'd need to figure out two payment set-ups, etc.)

 

[Marthasor]

I will always pick a resort which gives me walking access to a park or parks as opposed to relying on any form of Disney transportation. If you stay at the Dolphin, you have the choice of walking or boating to two parks or taking the Skyliner to DHS. If it's raining or storming and the Skyliner is down, you will have to rely on Disney buses from CBR. Dolphin gets my vote.

 

[jbock]

IMO - Dolphin's room fixtures (bed, furniture, etc) are a step up from CBR, if that matters. Also, within easy walking is all the food that the boardwalk offers in addition to S/D's offerings. Their rooms are also bigger, which may matter w/ 5. I haven't tried to sleep 5 in the Dolphin - do they offer that? Assuming so, unless not staying in a "real" Disney resort matters to you, I don't see any reason to stay in CBR unless either: Dolphin won't let you do 5, and/or Dolphin is a lot more expensive. If Dolphin's alcove suite comes in a 2Q + pullout that'd be a really good option I think?

The only other things I can think of are:

S&D apparently got rid of Disney resort-to-park busses- so I can't speak to what it's like getting to MK via bus...

Disney might offer some FP or other benefit extended to official Disney resorts and not to S/D - but that's purely speculative and I highly doubt it.

 

[BrotherCraig]

IMO - Dolphin's room fixtures (bed, furniture, etc) are a step up from CBR, if that matters. Also, within easy walking is all the food that the boardwalk offers in addition to S/D's offerings. Their rooms are also bigger, which may matter w/ 5. I haven't tried to sleep 5 in the Dolphin - do they offer that? Assuming so, unless not staying in a "real" Disney resort matters to you, I don't see any reason to stay in CBR unless either: Dolphin won't let you do 5, and/or Dolphin is a lot more expensive. If Dolphin's alcove suite comes in a 2Q + pullout that'd be a really good option I think?

The only other things I can think of are:

S&D apparently got rid of Disney resort-to-park busses- so I can't speak to what it's like getting to MK via bus...

Disney might offer some FP or other benefit extended to official Disney resorts and not to S/D - but that's purely speculative and I highly doubt it.

Thanks everyone.

There is 5 plus a baby but Dolphin will allow sleep for 5 with a rolling bed addition - which is an extra $100 for the stay. Dolphin would be about $500 more than CBR with our AAA discount or teacher discount.

Thanks.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

The skyliner is amazing. The lines at park opening/close do look long, but move very quickly. It really depends on if the extra $500 is worth it to you to be able to walk to 2 parks. Also, as mentioned above if S&D no longer has bus to MK that could be an issue as well. Me personally, I'd save the money and stay at CBR.

 

[BrotherCraig]

One more thing - we won't be in the room other than to sleep and shower. No plans to stick around the resort. If our cruise gets cancelled, we will do a weekend resort in the area to relax. As of right now, we won't be using the resort pools... just hitting the parks and Disney Springs.

 

[VeronicaZS]

CBR for all the reasons already mentioned plus you will be able to use the Magical Express.

 

[Belle83]

I think in your case I would stay at CBR without the sleeper (and ask for a crib/pack & play). I love Dolphin but you should take advantage of the end of free Magical Express. Having the Skyliner to get to Epcot and HS means that you can roll the stroller right on! That is huge. I realize Dolphin is walking distance to Epcot but it was too far to walk to HS imo. Also CBR should save $$.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

I had a similar decision to make, and while we are going to DHS and thought the walk over would be easier than the Skyliner, the ability to use (and savings) of Magical Express won out. If this trip were occurring next year I’m not sure we’d have been as devoted to CBR

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Have you thought about renting points at a dvc?
We get a really nice room with a full kitchen for the same as CBR. The company we used is not allowed to be posted so I cant give you the link. But you can explore more about it in the DVC thread or on Google.

 

[BrotherCraig]

Have you thought about renting points at a dvc?
We get a really nice room with a full kitchen for the same as CBR. The company we used is not allowed to be posted so I cant give you the link. But you can explore more about it in the DVC thread or on Google.

We did look at DVC rentals but nobody had the dates we are going and room availability for us. That was my top place to go to shop around - even on these boards. No studios available and a 1 bedroom would be almost $1000 more than CBR. Thanks.

 

[BrotherCraig]

Thank you everyone. We decided to go with CBR due to the skyliner and magical express bus. We figure we will just get a private car to take us to the cruise ship terminal from the resort. Works out great and we save $800 because we don't have to rent a car. We like the skyliner plan and being close to everything. We usually stay offsite at resorts and always had a rental car. I did stay in Pop once for a night and enjoyed using the busses.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I am a huge fan of the Dolphin but that's because for many reasons it works very well for my family. I think in your case you made the right decision to go with CBR.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Question about the Swan and Dolphin - obviously you can walk to Epcot and have a few options for getting to DHS. What about MK and AK? Can you wander over to Boardwalk and take their shuttle bus?

 

[BrotherCraig]

I am a huge fan of the Dolphin but that's because for many reasons it works very well for my family. I think in your case you made the right decision to go with CBR.

I had the Swan Reserve on hold and we were going to pull the trigger on that one. They had a suite that would have been perfect for $400 a night. Opens up in September so would have that new hotel smell. lol Thanks.

 

[BrotherCraig]

Another factor was perks - I am guessing some perks will return this Fall and I believe we will be going at a good time. Not all perks will return though. Also, we figure most of the restaurants and cafes will open up by then.

 

[BrotherCraig]

Question about the Swan and Dolphin - obviously you can walk to Epcot and have a few options for getting to DHS. What about MK and AK? Can you wander over to Boardwalk and take their shuttle bus?

Some people gripe about other resort guests using the shuttles from "Their Resort" but yes - you can do that. You can absolutely do that and that is a great way to get over there I have been told. Enjoy!

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Thanks everyone.

There is 5 plus a baby but Dolphin will allow sleep for 5 with a rolling bed addition - which is an extra $100 for the stay. Dolphin would be about $500 more than CBR with our AAA discount or teacher discount.

Thanks.

Are the Dolphin beds still double size? Because for us that's a BIG factor. Also, I find it funny when posters seem to mention that if there is bad weather that the skyliner will not be running, but this also means you are not going to be wanting to walk to any parks either. LOL It's nice to have the option to walk to a park or two but for our family it really is not a big enough deal to justify the big extra cost. Plus, if you rent a car, now you have to pay for parking another add-on cost.