WWYD - Late August Resort Stay

[jacknsally19]

So I have booked the Dolphin for the last week of August to stay.... I have never stayed here but liked the location. Typically we stay at Boardwalk or B&YC but the prices were just ridiculous and I couldn't stomach difference (think more than $1K)

I just priced out options again because I learned about the bus situation re: MK.

It looks like I can save about $400 switching to AKL (Standard View) or for the same price I can stay at Saratoga Springs in a
preferred studio or save about $800 is a regular studio. I do like the idea of a studio so that we can have a microwave & freezer. In the past, I liked being able to do freezer packs in the summer.

I haven't stayed at Saratoga Springs so not sure if its an enjoyable resort. What is important to our group (e.g. 40+ yr old mom, 28 yo cousin & WDW 1st timer, and my 9 yr old daughter) afternoon pool time! Being able to sit by the pool and get served drinks (Ok that's important to mom) and good food choices at the resort.

Thank you for your advice!

 

[Sarahslay]

I just want to say that in the past I haven't had a freezer in the studios, they typically only have the tiny fridge (maybe that has changed), so we started staying in 1-bedroom villas instead for the big fridge. It does have a microwave, which is nice, but it does have the tiny fridge situation. I chose AKL for a late June trip with my daughter, mainly due to price, but I really do like the resort even if it is far from the other parks. Typically late August (which I keep going at that time despite hating the heat) I just want on transportation as quickly as possible, so buses aren't a huge deal since sometimes the walking and boats aren't much better to the Epcot resorts. I don't mind swan and dolphin, but since they no longer offer bus service I am shying away. Of course a work around is to stay there and then walk to YC or BW to use their bus (but that's a pain), since it's only for 2 of the parks it's not AS bad, but I would do anything avoid being dropped at TTC.

Also, I don't mind Seratoga, but it's HUGE and I hate the big bus loop.

 

[jacknsally19]

Good to know! I have only stayed in a studio one other time and it was at BWV. It had a very tiny freezer within the mini-fridge that was just big enough to put freezer packs in which was great in August. But maybe that shouldn't figure in too much for me. I'm a little nervous about the size of Saratoga. I recall HATING CBR bc of how large it was.... but my daughter was 4 at the time and I was travelling solo. So getting food was awful when my kid was hungry. Good point about the heat though - waiting for the boats sucks in the heat if you aren't in the shade.

 

[married2grumpy]

I like the idea of AKL for August because everything you need is in Jambo House for the most part so afternoon rain showers aren't as big of an issue. With Saratoga, it is more spread out and you could be far away from the food options and gift shop. I like the pool at both. AKL also wins out on theming and plenty of places to look at the animals which a 9 year old will like.

 

[jacknsally19]

Such a good point. The food is really good at AKL too

 

[Sarahslay]

Good to know! I have only stayed in a studio one other time and it was at BWV. It had a very tiny freezer within the mini-fridge that was just big enough to put freezer packs in which was great in August. But maybe that shouldn't figure in too much for me. I'm a little nervous about the size of Saratoga. I recall HATING CBR bc of how large it was.... but my daughter was 4 at the time and I was travelling solo. So getting food was awful when my kid was hungry. Good point about the heat though - waiting for the boats sucks in the heat if you aren't in the shade.

The two times I’ve stayed in studios it almost looked like they had shoved a replacement “regular room” fridge in, seemed too small for the space and you could tell it was newer. So I think if they sometimes don’t replace broken ones with the regular fridges that go in there I’d be scared to count on it (but I get paranoid lol). My daughter has to have a warm eye compress twice a day, they heat up in the microwave, so I liked booking the studios for our mommy and me trips. Wasn’t a huge loss for us because I really just needed a microwave, but I’d be annoyed if I needed a tiny freezer.

I do like AKL though, and being able to watch animals when back at the room for our “hottest hours” break is always fun. My first time staying there we booked standard and still got a view of a tiny little Savannah that one of the CMs called the “dirty Savannah” lol, they loaded up trucks with food and stuff back there so several animals caught on and would hang around. You might get lucky with that!

 

[Best Aunt]

So I have booked the Dolphin for the last week of August to stay.... I have never stayed here but liked the location. Typically we stay at Boardwalk or B&YC but the prices were just ridiculous and I couldn't stomach difference (think more than $1K)

I just priced out options again because I learned about the bus situation re: MK.

It looks like I can save about $400 switching to AKL (Standard View) or for the same price I can stay at Saratoga Springs in a
preferred studio or save about $800 is a regular studio.

If your only problem with the Dolphin is that its bus takes you to the TTC instead of directly to MK, I don't understand why you are considering a switch to AKL or SSR. If you are staying at the Dolphin, you can walk over to YC and take the YC bus to MK; I don't think the bus situation from AKL or SSR would be an improvement over that.

 

[brockash]

So I have booked the Dolphin for the last week of August to stay.... I have never stayed here but liked the location. Typically we stay at Boardwalk or B&YC but the prices were just ridiculous and I couldn't stomach difference (think more than $1K)

I just priced out options again because I learned about the bus situation re: MK.

It looks like I can save about $400 switching to AKL (Standard View) or for the same price I can stay at Saratoga Springs in a
preferred studio or save about $800 is a regular studio. I do like the idea of a studio so that we can have a microwave & freezer. In the past, I liked being able to do freezer packs in the summer.

I haven't stayed at Saratoga Springs so not sure if its an enjoyable resort. What is important to our group (e.g. 40+ yr old mom, 28 yo cousin & WDW 1st timer, and my 9 yr old daughter) afternoon pool time! Being able to sit by the pool and get served drinks (Ok that's important to mom) and good food choices at the resort.

Thank you for your advice!

It would be Dolphin or Saratoga for us, but we'd probably stick with Dolphin. We're not fans of AKL. Dolphins location is hard to beat, plus we're not fans of resorts with multiple bus stops (SS). You can always walk over to. YC or BW to catch Disney bus.

 

[loves to dive]

I stay at Dolphin all the time, I just walk over to either BW or YC and catch the bus for MK. The bus for AK actually drops you off a tad closer then the Disney buses. The boat docks are covered so if you are waiting on the boats, you are not waiting in the sun. I usually just walk to HS and Epcot. I'm actually do a split stay the last week in August, 2 nights at Swan and 4 nights at YC. It's sort of my splurge trip since I know I won't be going back until the next April. I usually go 2 or 3 times a year but next year it will only be 1 time and I won't have an AP (which I have now) so I'll probably end up in a moderate. I'm hoping some sort of August discount gets dropped between now and then because I hate paying rack rate.

 

[Ss77]

I was faced with the exact dilemma. We originally had yc booked our favorite resort, because of my husband’s work schedule and my extreme “need” to attend the MNSSHP, we changed our August dates and had to switch to the swan because no other Epcot resort was available. We’ve stayed their before but it’s been a couple of years.. we’ve stayed at almost every deluxe but we are an Epcot and HS family, the ability to walk there is priceless and we’re saving 1,200! We’ve learned our lesson before, AK is beautiful and we’ve always had a great time but it’s still not walkable to StarWars Land