Dolphin vs Yacht Club

[disneymore2]

So planning a trip in early January 2023…Trying to decide between Yacht club and dolphin. Assuming that price is not a factor (not saying it’s not)…

Pros/cons for each. Our main goal will be to maximize park time. We stayed in dolphin about 10 years ago and enjoyed it….

 

[Chupaca bruh]

I prefer the Yacht Club just for ambiance and it not being so huge. You also are closer to the Epcot entrance which we tend to go to more that the Studios. And there is Stormalong Bay if you are into swimming. I also prefer the decor at the Yacht club. That being said I did enjoy my stay at the Dolphin

 

[CarolynFH]

Dolphin has double (full) size beds, not queens, which eliminates it from consideration for us unless we can book a king size bed (as opposed to just requesting one).

 

[NJlauren]

Park transportation from dolphin leaves a lot to be desired. If price and availability are not a factor I would do with Beach!

 

[focusondisney]

They are doing external work on the Dolphin currently, removing balconies. I have no idea how long it will last, if they are replacing or how it is impacting rooms. We were at YC last week & the walkway to Dolphin was closed because of the huge cherry picker type machines. You can probably get more info on the Swan & Dolphin thread.

 

[stinkpickle]

If the goal is to maximize park time, it shouldn't matter which you pick.

 

[disneymore2]

If the goal is to maximize park time, it shouldn't matter which you pick.

To clarify- i know both resorts are “close” to each other but will I save time getting to parks from one vs the other.. someone mentioned dolphin transportation “leaves a lot to be desired”?

 

[pens4821]

I’m curious as well. We fell in love with yacht club while we were there this year. Thinking about our 24 trip and thinking if we’d like the dolphin/swan as much. I think one of our biggest things was the location so that’s why I’m wondering it the savings would be worth it. But we also just absolutely loved the ambiance of the resort including the lobby and the room. Stormalong bay was great also, but kind of enjoyed the quiet pool as there was no one else there.

 

[sheilafri]

I stay at the Dolphin frequently. I like the flexibility in being able to book and cancel easily as we drive in so have been known to change plans based on weather. I just haven’t taken the time to educate myself on booking and canceling YC.

 

[focusondisney]

To clarify- i know both resorts are “close” to each other but will I save time getting to parks from one vs the other.. someone mentioned dolphin transportation “leaves a lot to be desired”?

Dolphin is a few minutes closer walking to Disney Studios. YC is closer to Epcot. I don’t know if many people walk from Dolphin to Epcot. Both resorts have access to the boats to Epcot & Studios. Swan & Dolphin no longer use Disney buses to MK, AK & Disney Springs. The bus they use to MK goes to the TTC & you take the monorail or ferry from there.

The Swan & Dolphin thread has lots of posters for current info & opinions.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...-resorts-information-questions.3264274/unread

 

[stinkpickle]

To clarify- i know both resorts are “close” to each other but will I save time getting to parks from one vs the other.. someone mentioned dolphin transportation “leaves a lot to be desired”?

AK and MK would be the only difference, and you could always use the BW or YC bus stops for those.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

If it’s a big price difference then yes . If not then Yacht is our favorite and would be my choice. The full beds are a dealbreaker for us at dolphin. We have 4 in our family .

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Since I cannot say "price is not a factor" especially when I know the Swan or Dolphin will be probably be a minimum $250 PER NIGHT less than YC and you get the same Deluxe extras that comes with YC, we would always pick S or D. Plus, IMO, better food options and a great coffee shop inside the resort. Remember that the Swan has queen beds.

 

[Nursemanit]

Swan has Queen beds - Is more compact and has daily housekeeping for half the price

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Swan has Queen beds - Is more compact and has daily housekeeping for half the price

Yeah but OP said Dolphin, not Swan

 

[Marthasor]

If price isn't a factor, YC is my choice. I enjoy the quieter ambiance and the theming. The Dolphin's lobby is vast and quite confusing, IMHO. YC's room are also better themed, better appointed and more comfortable. Dolphin will give you a slight advantage with the boats to DHS, but only by one boat stop. YC is closer to EP and the Skyliner. We've stayed at all of the resorts in the EP area and I only choose Swan/Dolphin when the YC/BC rates are just too high for my trip budget. Even then, I would always choose Swan over the Dolphin.

 

[Southernswthrt]

Since I cannot say "price is not a factor" especially when I know the Swan or Dolphin will be probably be a minimum $250 PER NIGHT less than YC and you get the same Deluxe extras that comes with YC, we would always pick S or D. Plus, IMO, better food options and a great coffee shop inside the resort. Remember that the Swan has queen beds.

This!!! We are trying the Dolphin in December b/c even though I would like to say "price is not a factor", for me, value for my money always is. YC is TWICE the price of the Dolphin for our 4 night trip. We really love the Deluxe Resorts for proximity and theming, but the current rates are just not something we are willing to pay. I am more than happy to stay RIGHT NEXT DOOR for half the price. Whatever you choose, have a magical trip!

 

[HeiHei2018]

YC is definitely better than Dolphin in terms of accessing the parks, but I would choose Swan/Dolphin to save $200 a night. We stayed at Dolphin last month. The hotel is massive, and it is farther from Epcot. The balcony work blocks the lakefront walkway on the YC side, so walk on the Boardwalk side of the lake if that is still going on. We took boats to Epcot and HS whenever we could because we were already walking 10 miles a day, even though walking is faster. We used YC buses to go to MK.

 

[HashberryOTG]

Our usual favorite is Yacht & Beach, but we're trying out the Reserve for one of our upcoming trips. Significant price difference, giving up some theming, still get my boats (I love those boats) and can hang out at the resorts just like normal. I've heard good things, so I'm optimistic. We will have a car for once, but I doubt we'll drive to the parks. Will just walk to YC or BW (probably grab food anyways) for busses. I do wonder if the Swolphin busses are awful cuz everyone walks to the Disney resorts.

Be careful when booking. Disney rooms are super easy to cancel or move around. Swolphin can be less forgiving. They have refundable and non-refundable prices, so be sure to grab the type you want.

 

[disneymore2]

Thanks for advice… I’m still holding out for discount but at this point price difference is enough that it seems dolphin is the better call. How far is walk to yacht buses?