WM Locations Near Disneyland

[DaveNV]

Who doesn't love visiting Mickey? Thinking of an early-Spring trip to Anaheim, and staying at one of the WMs near the Magic Kingdom for a few nights. No kids, just two immature adults. Google Maps shows me the WM Anaheim is closer, but the WM Dolphin's Cove looks to be a cozier place. They both look nice. Is one a better choice than the other? And distances are always deceiving - is it worth the hike to try and walk to the Park, to save on parking fees? I'm thinking a cab or Uber ride might be easier to do. What do you experienced WM folks think?

Dave

 

[bizaro86]

I walk from WM Anaheim pushing a double stroller at ~100 lb total. It takes me about 12-15 minutes depending on the traffic lights. There is also the Anaheim resort bus that leaves from right out front. It sells a daily pass that would probably be cheaper than Uber for a group of two. It drops closer to the park than Uber can get you as well.

I haven't stayed at Dolphins Cove.

Driving from there doesn't make sense, imo.

 

[DeniseM]

Hi Dave - We own at Dolphin's Cove. The Toy Story parking lot is about half-way between Dolphin's Cove and Disneyland, so we just walk to the parking lot, and get on the free parking lot shuttle to DL.

Also, the local Anaheim Resort Transport shuttle bus (ART) stops right on the corner by Dolphin's Cove, and Dolphin's Cove sells the ART passes in a vending machine in their lobby.

We've also walked to Disneyland from Dolphin's Cove - easy walk.

Dolphin's Cove has free, gated parking - I would not drive to DL from there.

 

[DaveNV]

You guys are so smart. Thanks!

For those who have stayed at both WM places - which did you prefer? What made one better than the other?

Dave

 

[bizaro86]

I have only stayed at WM Anaheim. But it is a newer mid rise building, while Dolphins Cove is an older low rise building. Dolphins Cove has lower density, and the newer WM Anaheim costs more WM credits. I spent a bunch of time researching, and concluded WM Anaheim made sense for us, but would be willing to stay in either. I also like the Peacock Suites, which is about the same distance to the park as the WM Anaheim.

 

[Luanne]

No recommendations, but have fun!

 

[Passepartout]

I think WM Anaheim is a bit more 'luxxe'. But Dolphins has a certain panache of a 60's kind. But either is fine, and you are not there to hang at the resort. Park the car, walk or ride the shuttle to the park. A whole grundle of restaurants close by, and if you feel like grabbing some groceries, there are supermarkets on Harbor Blvd.

 

[bizaro86]

Restaurants are a pro for Dolphins Cove, imo.

After getting back from the park, the last thing I want to do is get in the car and drive to a restaurant. From a map it looks like Dolphins Cove has a few choices.

There is no fast food close to WM Anaheim, and the only restaurants walkable are in the garden grove mall, and are very, very busy.

We basically ate in the unit (breakfast and some lunches at nap time) and suppers in the park.

 

[Firepath]

From our experience WM Anaheim was much more upscale than Dolphin Cove, but also more points, taxes and fees, so you pay for it. WM Anaheim is a multi-floor tower with a parking garage. We had a 3 BR unit which we got on Bonus Time and had a view of the I-5 from our balcony. Dolphin Cove is older, more worn, but decent. It was clean and management was really nice. No sales presence at Dolphin Cove. It is 60's-ish and we found the AC loud and somewhat inefficient, with the bathroom fixtures extremely low, almost child-size. It has a mini-golf course and BBQs spread throughout the area around the units. As was mentioned previously, it is conveniently located near the Toy Story lot. For a family with kids, I'd probably choose Dolphin Cove, but for just an adult couple I prefer Anaheim. Dolphin Cove has many less units, so it books up much quicker than Anaheim.

 

[DeniseM]

There is a Denny's directly next to Dolphin's Cove. We often have a big breakfast at Denny's, then just have a snack at the park, and dinner at Down Town Disney. As I recall, there are a number of restaurants that will deliver take out to Dolphin's Cove as well. We also pick up some basic groceries for simple meals, drinks, snacks.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/downtown-disney-district/

Dolphin's Cove was originally an apartment complex, so it has full-size units and a residential vibe, but it's convenient to Disneyland, and I like that it's gated. It's not resorty, but it's clean and safe.

There is a slide show on this page: https://www.clubwyndham.com/cw/resorts/dolphins-cove.page

Hotels.com has a lot of pictures and they seem to be more current than the interior pictures on Wyndham's website: https://www.hotels.com/ho204541/dolphins-cove-resort-anaheim-united-states-of-america/