The Exterior of the Walt Disney World Dolphin

I recently decided to plan a last minute trip to Walt Disney World to cheer on some of my friends at the marathon.  Since it’s a popular weekend, and I was booking very last minute, my hotel options were fairly limited.  As an American Express cardholder, I was able to get a great prepaid deal at the Walt Disney World Dolphin – a hotel I hadn’t visited before.

While the Dolphin isn’t an official Walt Disney World hotel, it does have some Disney perks.  Guests are able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours as well as Disney transportation.  However, Magical Express transportation is not available.

We had booked a two double-bed room, as there were three of us sharing the room.  However, when I checked it at 10pm, my room wasn’t available.  Instead, we got a king bed room with a sofa bed and a pull-out couch, along with a one-time $50 credit and complimentary breakfast for three.  I was a little disappointed, but the room was actually very nice.

The restaurants at the Dolphin (and sister hotel the Swan) are fabulous, if a bit expensive, and the pool area is wonderful.  But you can’t beat the location – walking distance to Epcot’s World Showcase and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Walt Disney World Dolphin
1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Photo credit: Jodi Grundig

The Boardwalk Inn

With the variety of hotel and resort options available at Walt Disney World, it can be confusing to find just the right place for your family to stay.  I recently had the opportunity to stay at The Boardwalk Inn, located in the Epcot Resort area of the Walt Disney World Resort.

The Boardwalk Inn, in my opinion, is best for families with older children or couples.  The location, right on Disney’s Boardwalk, is perfect for travelers who will take advantage of the entertainment on the boardwalk, which includes a dueling piano bar, a dance hall, the ESPN Club, and several great restaurants.  In addition, if you are going to be visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios and/or Epcot, the Boardwalk Inn is within walking distance to both resorts (or, if you’d prefer, you can take a quick boat trip).

Rooms at the Boardwalk Inn are relatively large by Disney standards.  Most offer two double beds along with a day bed, so you can fit up to five in one room.  The hotel offers three different pools – a quiet pool, a family pool, and the main pool – complete with water slide.  I found that it was very quiet at the hotel, despite the proximity to the boardwalk – something I was initially concerned about.

The Boardwalk Inn
2101 Epcot Resort Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830
(407) 939-5100

Photo credit: Jodi Grundig

Disclosure: I received a complimentary stay.

The 80s Section at Pop Century Resort

I’ve had the opportunity to stay at most of the Walt Disney World resort hotels over the years, and I truly believe that there is a perfect hotel for just about every family visiting the parks.  Since many families visiting are concerned about the cost of staying on property, I think that the value resorts are definitely a great option.  Value resorts offer the same benefits as other on-site hotels, like free airport transfers to MCO, intra-park transportation, access to extra magic hours, and option to purchase the Disney dining plan.

There are a few differences between the value resorts and the deluxe/moderate resorts.  Room amenities are a bit different, the rooms are smaller, and there are no refrigerators or coffee makers in the rooms.  In addition, there are no pool slides, or table service resorts.  While there are four different value resorts (with a fifth, the Art of Animation currently being constructed), my preference is Pop Century, which is clean and fun!

Pop Century offers many different buildings, all themed with decades from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and 90s.  There are several pools, as well as a large, playful food court.  Rooms are fairly standard, and most have two double beds.  It’s a really fun, upbeat resort, and definitely a great option if you are on a vacation budget.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort
1050 Century Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL
(407) 938-4000

Photo credit: BestWDW on Flickr

The Finding Nemo Section at the Art of Animation

If you’ve been to the Pop Century Hotel at Walt Disney World, you’ve probably seen the partially-completed construction project over the Generation Gap bridge – originally planned to be the “Legendary Years” section of Pop Century.   Even the Generation Gap bridge decor references the decades planned, but the project was never completed.

Last year, Walt Disney World announced the construction of a brand-new hotel on this site -

The Cars Section

Disney’s Art of Animation, a value-level hotel featuring 2,000 rooms including a large percentage of family suites.

This type of hotel is definitely needed at Walt Disney World, as many of the hotel rooms have capacity for families of four or five.

The Art of Animation Hotel, planed to open in waves starting in 2012, will offer groups of rooms in sections based on themes of some of the most popular Disney and Disney Pixar films, including Cars, the Little Mermaid, and Finding Nemo.  Each section will have a courtyard reminiscent of the theme, and artwork from three of these sections is pictured here.

The Little Mermaid Section

While they all look wonderful, I definitely think my kids will be most interested in staying in the Cars section.  The photo makes it look so true to the movie – which both my son and daughter love.  But all of the artists renditions look amazing, and I can’t wait to see this hotel come to life.

Photo credits: Disney Parks