Yeah!!!!
- Just found out that we will be going back to the Dolphin next May!!!!!! We went this past May and loved it, so excited to make a return trip
We debated on trying out another resort but had such a great experience at the Dolphin that we decided to give it another try.
Couple of things I learned from the last trip -
1) The fountain restaurant is EXPENSIVE, thought we would stop in for a quick burger and it was $70+ for a family of 4. Food was okay, but probably not going to do that again...
2) Pool is awesome, not very crowded but a little on the cold side. They tend to close parts of the pool & beach area for different conferences/conventions throughout the week and will post signs ahead of time.
3) My kids LOVED the playground, really nice/new equipment. I spent a great deal of time sitting in the hammock relaxing while my kids played. Also, they loved the seal that sprays water (look for the button on the wood pole to turn it on). They spent alot of time playing soccer on the beach and burying "pirate treasure" in the sand.
4) Bar service at the pool is SLLLLLOOOOOOWWWW. And they were not even crowded. Usually 1-2 waiters for the entire pool area and tooks 30+ minutes to get a drink. Figured out pretty quickly that walking to the bar and ordering is a much better option.
5) There are bathrooms under the waterfall!!!
Discovered those two days into our trip after walking clear on the other side of the pool.
6) Boat service to Epcot & HS is awesome!!!! Although, we loved the walk to Epcot, especially back to the hotel so we could check out some of the performers.
7) Bus to MK is great, bus back from Mk takes 25-30 minutes. Stops at Boardwalk, Swan, and then Dolphin. Just plan for a longer bus ride back. Bus was pretty crowded at times and we went during a slow week.
8) Parking - if you take a car, make sure that you have them activate the parking on your room key. Otherwise, you have to pay with a credit card every time you leave and come back which charges you more than the standard rate per day. We didn't figure this out until day 3 and had to go to the front desk for some credits. They did credit us and activated our room key so that we could swipe in and out.
9) Try the Garden Grove, GREAT character interaction - alternates between Goofy & Pluto the night we visited (barbeque night). Not very crowded at all, good food, kids loved it and it was convenient. Definitely recommend
Overall, good stay and I appreciated all the advice on this thread before the trip!!!
