My wife and I will be staying at the Dolphin Hotel for the first time this June. I’m looking for some advice from people who have stayed there. I’ve read that it’s better to take one of the Disney Boardwalk busses when going to the Magic Kingdom because the Dolphin busses drop off at the TTC. I’m wondering about the bus to Animal Kingdom. Will the earliest Dolphin bus drop off early enough to be in a good position for Rope Drop, or would it once again be better to walk to the Boardwalk Hotels and use those busses instead. Thanks for the help!!
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Yes. I had a good experience in July 2021.
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We stayed at the Swan (similar bus situation). We took the bus to AK from Swan and it was fine. They ran early enough (but we didn’t take that early bus, lol). YC was better than BW for bus service for MK. Similar walk. Just go left to YC instead of right to BW.
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I just walked to YC for all my bus needs so I didn’t have to worry about it. It’s maybe a 10 min walk? Enjoy! I really like the dolphin
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Another Dolphin fan here, we also walked to YC for MK (I timed it at 10 min - we took the first path left in front of the RC buildings, past the quiet pool and through YC parking, rather than walking through the lobby). We didn’t take the AK bus as we only hopped there (and back) on an Epcot day, but have read here from others that it’s a feasible option for RD.
For Epcot and DHS we were fully intending to walk most of the time, but didn’t once because the Friendship boat was so comfortable and convenient. We were not aiming for front of the pack rope drop though, but for second tier attractions/arriving just in time for EE (and rope dropped FEA in Epcot and TSMM in DHS with less than 5 min wait).
One thing I loved about Dolphin at Rope Drop is that their coffee shop, Fuel (and Java, in the Swan), are open early so you can get coffee/pastries and other grab-and-go items before you head out, which is often difficult at Disney resorts. Java even has Mickey waffles!
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FYI, the AK drop off location for is great. It’s about the same distance from the gates as the Disney bus drop off area. See the red X on the map below if you are cartographically inclined.
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Thanks for all of the great info everyone!! We’ve heard nothing but good things about the Dolphin, so we’re really looking forward to staying there. I think our plan will be to walk to Epcot and HS, use the YC busses for Magic Kingdom, and use the Dolphin busses for Animal Kingdom. I just wanted to make sure to have a general plan beforehand.
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Same! And it was quick too. We never waited more than a couple mins tops for a boat to show up. We did walk back from Epcot a couple times but I wanted to walk the Boardwalk.
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Agree with prior posts. Marriott buses (Mears) are great for AK coming and going. For MK they do drop off at transportation center and not the park. If you’re only going once, the boat ride across the lake in the morning is amazing. Kids love it. Take the Disney bus home from the park to either Boardwalk or Yatch Club. That’s a nice walk, but you get to see everything around the lake.
Also know that Dolphin has Full size beds while Swan has Queen beds. Prices are about the same, but Swan is better for a family of four, imo. Paying for the upgrade to the balcony is definitely worth it too, imo. More space and a great place to drink coffee or put on sunblock.
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Swan always seems more expensive to me and generally shows less availability. But I’ve only stayed in Kings at Swan. I always needed 2 seperate beds for the kids who would kill each other if they had to share beds.
This trip for us will only be my wife and myself–first time we’re going to Disney without the kids, so the Dolphin beds will be fine. (We’re actually taking the whole family to Disneyland in July. Family has been to WDW many times, but that will be a first for DL.) We had a good sized flight voucher from last year that was about to expire, and the airline has bundles for Hotel and Car. The voucher paid for our round trip flight, rental car for 5 days, and 4 nights in the Dolphin Hotel. When I saw that the Dolphin was a Hotel bundle option, it was just too much to pass up. Our anniversary is in June, so it will be a nice trip for just the two of us.
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That is amazing!!! I would totally do this too! We will be at the Dolphin for the first time in 2 weeks- quick long weekend. I love the Swan too but I think the dining options at Dolphin look a bit better. Also, it’s a closer walk to the Grotto hot tubs.