Help - Dolphin or Moderate?

[WaggenerM]

I know this question has been asked in the past, but I'm looking for advice based on our situation! We live on the West Coast so we are usually headed to Disneyland, but this fall will be one of our rare WDW trips. We are going to brave the crowds Thanksgiving week and are nervous! We are a family of 5 with two young boys who are 8 and 6, and a daughter who is 2. We have a room only reservation at the Dolphin, but also have a hold placed on a moderate (Port Orleans Riverside) with free dining. I know it is going to be a crowded week and we are looking for convenience with transportation, not to feel too crushed in a room. I’m torn as to what to do! With the Dolphin there is no magical express, less theming but close to two parks and lots of restaurants and amenities. On the other hand, we are looking at a royal room at Port Orleans Riverside or a pirate room at Caribbean Beach and my daughter and boys would love the theming and I’d like to try the dining package….

Can someone with experience give us some advice about overall experience with the Dolphin versus a moderate? Any advice would be much appreciated!
One other note, we do have an early morning reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table - and it seems like none of my options are ideal for this, but as this is the one thing I am most looking forward to for my daughter, I want to choose a hotel that will make getting to Magic Kingdom early a reality. Thank you so much in advance!

 

[jperrot1]

All WDW resorts have early buses for those that have booked character breakfasts before park openings. I know Swan and Dolphin are not WDW owned but would assume that early transportation is offered. If not you can walk over to Yacht and Beach club for that.

Now which resort would be best for your situation ? Humm.... For your family makeup it is a close call for me. The Dolphin has (oversized) full beds in the rooms. Port Orleans has queen size beds. But, the Swan has queen size beds. I know you don't have reservations at the Swan but I might suggest moving your reservations from the Dolphin to the Swan for the bigger beds.

The swan and dolphin are most definitely luxury resorts, and Port Orleans is moderate (but very, very nice). I believe both resorts would get you to MK just as fast. You would have to upgrade to a deluxe monorail resort for quick monorail transportation to MK. Anyway, I think free dining would be a great deal for your family (several great character meals and such).

Which is why this is such a tough one. If you weren't comparing free dining, I would suggest Swan (maybe not dolphin-bed sizes). But with free dining, I lean more at Port Orleans.

I have stayed at the Swan and Port Orleans.

 

[luvallprincesses]

We have done most moderates and they are nice. Free dining might be nice for your family if you are big eaters. But I am leaving the moderates for our next trip; booked the Dolphin for our family of 4 for three reasons: (1) location, location, location, (2) I don't like the limitations/rigid schedule of the dining plan, and (3) teacher/AAA discounts.

The Dolphin is usually compared to a Disney Deluxe rather than a moderate. The Dolphin beds are only 1 inch less wide than the Swan beds; the Dolphin has both the quick service restaurant (my family's style when at wdw) and the laundry. I also might lean more towards Dolphin for you because if you are regular Disneyland guests, then you rarely get to experience the likes of Epcot and Studios, which are easy walks / boat rides from Dolphin. We have an 8:05 am ressie at MK for BBB and aren't worried at all about getting there in time, we will plan to leave at 7:15 to be sure. I have a feeling from your DL experiences that the bus rides from moderates to all 4 parks might seem inconvenient and time consuming to you; the Dolphin eliminates that for 2 parks. And actually you can park hop after entering Epcot to MK via monorail and avoid busses again (though that would be a very long way to get to MK if you weren't already spending part of the day at Epcot.).

So it really comes down to whether you prefer location and convenience or the dining plan and being a bit more "immersed" in Disney 24/7 by being at one of their true hotels.

 

[winterwhite]

I would lean towards the dolphin-- you don't get magical express, but you do get bus transportation/extra magic hours if that's your thing.

The rack rate at the moderate would require you to eat $150/day in food to make up the cost difference, so, you would have to decide if that's worth it to you.

I think the swan/dolphin are of a much higher quality than the disney hotel rooms, personally.

 

[jperrot1]

We have done most moderates and they are nice. Free dining might be nice for your family if you are big eaters. But I am leaving the moderates for our next trip; booked the Dolphin for our family of 4 for three reasons: (1) location, location, location, (2) I don't like the limitations/rigid schedule of the dining plan, and (3) teacher/AAA discounts.

The Dolphin is usually compared to a Disney Deluxe rather than a moderate. The Dolphin beds are only 1 inch less wide than the Swan beds; the Dolphin has both the quick service restaurant (my family's style when at wdw) and the laundry. I also might lean more towards Dolphin for you because if you are regular Disneyland guests, then you rarely get to experience the likes of Epcot and Studios, which are easy walks / boat rides from Dolphin. We have an 8:05 am ressie at MK for BBB and aren't worried at all about getting there in time, we will plan to leave at 7:15 to be sure. I have a feeling from your DL experiences that the bus rides from moderates to all 4 parks might seem inconvenient and time consuming to you; the Dolphin eliminates that for 2 parks. And actually you can park hop after entering Epcot to MK via monorail and avoid busses again (though that would be a very long way to get to MK if you weren't already spending part of the day at Epcot.).

So it really comes down to whether you prefer location and convenience or the dining plan and being a bit more "immersed" in Disney 24/7 by being at one of their true hotels.

I didn't know dolphin "full size beds" are in reality only 1 inch shorter than a queen size bed. Now I lean more to dolphin.

 

[luvallprincesses]

I didn't know dolphin "full size beds" are in reality only 1 inch shorter than a queen size bed. Now I lean more to dolphin.

I read it on the website, have seen other posts about people who have stayed at both saying you really can't notice the difference (maybe because they're just so heavenly!), so I'm banking on that info!

 

[Disneylover99]

Does cost matter to you? I would think that POR with free dining would be a much better value for your family.

 

[Belle83]

I agree, what's the price difference? Free dining is hard to turn down for us.

You would be so close to Epcot and HS if you stayed at the Dolphin, BUT bus to the MK would take a long time. I think the Dolphin bus is shared with BC/YC/Boardwalk? Not sure.

The themed rooms at the moderates are in the worst locations at the resort, which means more walking to the food court. The Dolphin is pretty big so you may have to walk a long way to get to Picabu (their food court that's open 24/7) but probably not as bad as the location of the themed rooms.

So that doesn't answer your question but hopefully it's helpful.

 

[WaggenerM]

Thank everyone for the advice! I really appreciate it! So the price differential is about $491 once I factor in needing a shuttle, etc. Our stay is for seven nights, so I know that it is a savings from the dining perspective but I'm nervous that trying to maximize the actual benefit from that plan may be difficult for us during Thanksgiving week. We do have a few reservations, but not too many and I'm not sure what will still be available that busy week!

 

[jperrot1]

Thank everyone for the advice! I really appreciate it! So the price differential is about $491 once I factor in needing a shuttle, etc. Our stay is for seven nights, so I know that it is a savings from the dining perspective but I'm nervous that trying to maximize the actual benefit from that plan may be difficult for us during Thanksgiving week. We do have a few reservations, but not too many and I'm not sure what will still be available that busy week!

With that price difference I suggest Dolphin. But..... you'll have a great time whichever you decide.

 

[DVC California]

Can someone with experience give us some advice about overall experience with the Dolphin versus a moderate? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Are you a Starwood member? If you are Platinum, you"ll probably be upgraded to Club Level with access to the lounge for breakfast, soft drinks and bottled water throughout the day, and beer/wine in the evening with some hot and cold food items. Cookies and some desserts too.

We have stayed at both the Swan and Dolphin and enjoyed both. We have not stayed at CBR and have stayed at POR only once. Among the moderates, we tend to stay at Coronado Springs more often.

We do have a few reservations, but not too many and I'm not sure what will still be available that busy week!

This would be a big deciding factor for me. Although you may get free dining at the WDW moderates, you may have to plan your park touring around restaurant availability, rather than the other way around.

When the parks are very crowded, you may want to limit park hopping (and the travel time associated) to maximize the number attractions you can experience. Having to travel to another park (or resort) just to use a TS credit might be more trouble than it's worth.

OTOH, that might also be a welcome break from the crowds. It depends on the type of travelers you and your family are.

My two cents, Steve

BTW - I vote for free dining if you can manage the juggling it may take.

 

[clapton]

Having stayed at CBR , POR and the Dolphin, I would choose the Dolphin. The room was spacious and the beds very comfortable. The area is beautiful and there are tons of options for dining. Also being close to Epcot and HS is a big plus. Whatever you choose have a great time!