Where to stay Pop or Dolphin

[scooby91287]

My family of 5 Ds 15, Ds 13, & Dd 9 are going to the World in May of 2008. I'm looking for the most stress free place to stay while staying within budget. We are looking at 2 rooms connecting at the Pop or one room at the Dolphin. I worry about noise and crowded busses at the Pop, but then I'm not sure about a crowded room or how buses are at the Dolphin . DH says his priority is the best transportation. Cost difference is only $200 even with the add ons at Dolphin like a cot and parking. Please help, I need any type of feedback I can get!

 

[Disney grandma]

The rooms at the Dolphin are not that large and they also have double beds and not queen. It is a beautiful resort and the boats would be available to MGM and Epcot which would be nice. However, 2 rooms at Pop would give you two bathrooms and 2 extra beds. Also you would have a food court and I don't believe there is one at the Dolphin.

 

[LoriZH]

You would definitely have more room at Pop, but the Dolphin is so much more quieter and relaxing. I've stayed both and when I say that Pop is so NOT stress free, I cannot stress that enough. It's a fun, great resort, but stress free is not in the description.

The buses at the Dolphin were awesome and not that crowded, plus the boat launch is right there for MGM & Epcot. The rooms however are a little tight if you're only getting 1 at the Dolphin, we got the family suite, but there were 6 of us and they worked great.

Have fun!

 

[english rose 47]

My family of 5 Ds 15, Ds 13, & Dd 9 are going to the World in May of 2008. I'm looking for the most stress free place to stay while staying within budget. We are looking at 2 rooms connecting at the Pop or one room at the Dolphin. I worry about noise and crowded busses at the Pop, but then I'm not sure about a crowded room or how buses are at the Dolphin . DH says his priority is the best transportation. Cost difference is only $200 even with the add ons at Dolphin like a cot and parking. Please help, I need any type of feedback I can get!

Our family of 5 stayed at Popwith connecting rooms we LOVED it plenty of room PLUS 2 bathrooms! I will always stay at POP .The foodcourt is great, the pools are great and the CMs were awesome !! No complaints what so ever . Tip don't stay poolside that can be noisy!!

 

[dgtdisney]

hello - when you say "family suite" what do you mean? Is this a seperate category of suite?

 

[kapoof]

dolphin! anytime you can stay deluxe it is wise to do so.

 

[bornwiththeears]

We LOVE the Dolphin. Not being a Disney resort, it has a little less "Disney Magic", but it is totally stress free. We loved the opportunity to walk to MGM and Epcot. The boat transportation was great. The buses were a little crowded when we were there for Thanksgiving, but that was to be expected.

While the Dolphin does not have a food court, it does have Picabu, an informal eatery. You can purchase refillable mugs there and the food was delicious (much better than food court fare.)

 

[3for Me]

I've never stayed at Pop, so my opinion is tainted. However, our family of five has very comfortably stayed at the Dolphin on two occasions and loved it!

No food court, but food was easily accessible. Didn't find the rooms to be terribly small although I would not neccessarily use the word spacious.

Transportation on both occassions was great. Never had to wait long either going to or coming from any of the parks. We loved walking to Epcot, MGM (took the boat and walked it once) and having the Boardwalk close by. Not sure when you're going, but the pools are great and there is lots of space.

We love the Dolphin!

 

[Disneymoon678]

I stayed at the Dolphin as part of a family of five when my siblings and I were about your kids' ages. We weren't cramped and didn't have any problems sharing the bathroom or sharing space in general. I think the Dolphin is better for your kids' age group, plus you have the option to boat or walk to Epcot & MGM. The bus service is fine and I agree that it's more relaxed than the value resorts.

For such a small price difference I would stay at the deluxe over the value! Plus, the Boardwalk is there with entertainment options and shopping (ESPN Club, the piano bar, the dance hall, etc.), Fantasia mini golf is across the street, and you can always walk to Beaches & Cream for a sundae. The Dolphin also has convenient laundry facilities and good food options.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

If transportation is the biggest issue, I'd stay at the Dolphin. I'm assuming that is in walking distance to MGM and Epcot since we walked by it on our way from MGM to Epcot

We stayed at Pop, we took taxis on several occasions and got creative going to places NEAR where we really wanted to go instead of waiting around for the busses. We wasted a lot of time on the busses staying at Pop....

 

[turning40withMickey]

I had the same decision as you this past summer, a great rate for Dolphin, or two rooms at POP. We went POP and loved it! We were all about the huge icons and totally Disney feel of POP. It is not deluxe, but my children are not into deluxe as much as Disney fun. We got the dining plan (which we couldn't get at the Dolphin). We used the magical express, which saved us money on airport transportation and we didnt get a rental vehicle at all, just used the Disney transportation. THis was a big savings, too, and helped skew our decision toward POP. While it would have been nice to walk to Epcot or MGM, we never waited long for busses, as we are early morning risers to get the extra magic hour. One room would have been crowded for us, but two rooms was great, the extra bathroom was very nice for showering and teeth brushing, and we ended up with an extra bed as my two girls shared several nights (because they wanted to) and we used the extra one for sprawling, snacking, reading the park maps, etc. THe food court was also a huge plus, reasonable snacks, great gift shop, and the refillable mugs! With kids, I say go POP!