AKL vs. the Dolphin

[goldengirlz]

For some reason, the search function isn’t working for me. DH and I have narrowed our choices down to two hotels: the Dolphin (a Marriott property) or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Both are the same price.

Pros of the Dolphin: We can earn Marriott points (I have status) and may get a room upgrade. The kids club is super appealing. Location seems better?

Pros for Animal Kingdom Lodge: DD will lose her mind when she sees the animals, in the best way. They also have a kids club, but I don’t think you can leave the resort; it’s only for dinner reservations. Can use the airport transportation (which we may not care about.)

The only thing holding me back on AKL is that I may end up hating the bus ride to the parks. And an adults-only night out with H at Epcot also seems fun. WDYT?

[mccallister84]

How would you get to the parks from the Dolphin? Honestly having access to the early morning magic hours was clutch - we got so much done at both Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

If you’re going to rent a car if you’re staying at the Dolphin can you also do the same with AKL? The buses were rough, especially because we were so spoiled by the monorail (we stayed at Grand Floridian) but if my kids were older and we weren’t dealing with strollers I wouldn’t have minded as much.

[nsl]

Well, the Dolphin is walking distance (or boat) to Epcot and Hollywood Studios--it's right next to the Yacht Club--and guests there do have access to early morning magic hours.

Honestly, I've become so accustomed to staying at Crescent Lake that having to deal with buses to all the parks would probably be a dealbreaker for me. YMMV, but for me it's worth the lack of Disney theming and Magical Express to be able to get from park to hotel in 10 minutes without having to rely on iffy bus service.

[mccallister84]

Oct 25, 2019 17:21:33 GMT -5 nsl said:

Well, the Dolphin is walking distance (or boat) to Epcot and Hollywood Studios--it's right next to the Yacht Club--and guests there do have access to early morning magic hours.

Honestly, I've become so accustomed to staying at Crescent Lake that having to deal with buses to all the parks would probably be a dealbreaker for me. YMMV, but for me it's worth the lack of Disney theming and Magical Express to be able to get from park to hotel in 10 minutes without having to rely on iffy bus service.

Oh I didn’t realize they get access to EMH. Then yea I’d probably do the Dolphin.

[Wines Not Whines]

I love the Epcot Resort area. It’s my favorite place to stay, because it’s walking distance to two parks. AKL is really nice, but it’s far away from everything.

[broadsheet]

AKL does NOT have a drop off kids club anymore. It’s more of a play/craft area but parents have to be in there with them. (That said, it’s a great resort!)

[redheadk]

I love the Crescent Lake area so I'd choose Dolphin. Being able to walk/boat to Epcot and HS is great and far more pleasant than the bus.

[goldengirlz]

Thanks, everyone.

Yeah, with the Dolphin, we’d still need to use the shuttle (which they do provide) for some of the parks but the location seems closer. I have zero desire to rent a car and deal with parking.

And I’m glad/sorry to hear that AKL no longer offers drop-off care. That’s good to know in advance.

I tried to talk H into one of the monorail hotels but he can’t get past his sticker shock.

[lacey]

We've stayed in DVC rooms at Contemporary and AKL. Honestly, I thought we would be more blown away by the AKL rooms than we were. It was making bus ride to most of the parks and we weren't in the room enough to really enjoy everything the resort had to offer. Admittedly, we were there in February, but it felt like a couple days we barely saw the animals because it was dark by the time we got back and they weren't around/we were busy getting ready in the morning. If you have a resort day planned, I might pick AKL, but if you will be doing full days in the park then go with the Dolphin! Or see about renting points for a vacation club room at a monorail resort. It really is great with kids!

[sent]

How old is your DD? Mine was 3.5 when we stayed at The Swan and would not have been cool with the kids club for dinner. We did walk to Epcot when we had a super early reservation at Akershus and it was a very long walk because the only entrance open at that time was the one furthest from The Swan.

[milano]

I have a trip planned to AKL in the spring, and the only reasons we're staying there instead of a monorail or crescent lake resort is-
1) we will have just done a week-long Disney trip 6 mo earlier at a monorail resort which maximized our park time

2) we are planning on a lot of resort time and doing club level this trip

3) I'm planning to use minnie vans for most of our transportation

If not for these 3 things I would have never agreed to stay there because it's so inconveniently located. (MH is really excited to stay there and my kids will love it). I truly hate the buses with a double stroller and we are still in need of that. The AKL theming and pool looks awesome but if you aren't going to spend much time there than it doesn't matter.

Crescent Lake is great for all the reasons everyone listed above. So really, my answer would depend on the type of trip you are planning and the ages/stroller needs of your kids. I'd probably pick the Dolphin.

[abs]

The Dolphin. Being able to walk to two parks is the best. Also Epcot at night is one of my favorite places to be!

Plan a dinner at Sanaa one night so your DD can see the animals at AKL. It IS a beautiful resort but it's so very far away from the rest of the parks.

Renting a car in Disney is a pain because you have to pay a daily fee but we end up ubering a lot. I HATE the buses.

[irishbride2]

Oct 27, 2019 7:56:07 GMT -5 abs said:

The Dolphin. Being able to walk to two parks is the best. Also Epcot at night is one of my favorite places to be!

Plan a dinner at Sanaa one night so your DD can see the animals at AKL. It IS a beautiful resort but it's so very far away from the rest of the parks.

Renting a car in Disney is a pain because you have to pay a daily fee but we end up ubering a lot. I HATE the buses.

This exactly. Visit AKL. It’s cool to see. But the excitement wears off quick when you stay there.

[goldengirlz]

Oct 26, 2019 23:41:47 GMT -5 sent said:

How old is your DD? Mine was 3.5 when we stayed at The Swan and would not have been cool with the kids club for dinner. We did walk to Epcot when we had a super early reservation at Akershus and it was a very long walk because the only entrance open at that time was the one furthest from The Swan.

She’ll be almost 9 when we go so totally different from going with a preschooler! She loves kids clubs and often requests to go when we travel to resorts that have them.

We’re also well past the age when we’d have to worry about strollers or anything like that. Most of our vacations involve hiking so, by comparison, walking around Disney is a breeze!