cleophus12
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2005
- Messages
- 1,484
Just back from an amazing 8 days at the World. Started off Friday night at Pop. This first night was a last minute surprise because DH had to be out of town for work, and his company agreed to fly him to MCO on Friday instead of home and driving to Orlando on Saturday. That was a great surprise and worked out well since he could take the ME to the hotel. DD and I drove down on Friday and arrived about 3:30. Checked in quickly, had our park tickets ( 6-day PH, purchased from Undercover Tourist) added to our room key with no trouble. Went to room (50s Building, second floor, facing the bowling pin pool), changed, and went swimming. The room was great. I got the impression this building has been recently renovated. All the paint appeared fresh, and we had a flat screen TV in the room. . I dont usually want a room that faces the pool, but a thunderstorm closed the pool early, so we had no noise at bedtime. Shortly after our arrival, I realized I had left my folder with all my ADRs and printed Universal tickets for later in the week at home. After a moments panic, I went to the concierge desk and she printed all my ADRs off for me. A quick phone call to Universal took care of those tickets too. Got up early to move on to Hotel #2 and get to the parks.
I had booked the Dolphin on the Sunsational Savings Package for six nights. So we got up fairly early, ate breakfast at the Pop food court, and I sent the husband and daughter on to the MK while I loaded the car and got us checked in at the Dolphin. More on the Dolphin later. Check-in was a breeze, I hopped on a bus (which was already there), and I was at the MK by 9:10. Family only had time to ride Space Mountain once before I got there. Crowds werent too bad and we got FPs for Space and Splash and waited only 15 minutes for Big Thunder. Wait for Haunted Mansion was less than 10 minutes even through the new queue. We stayed there until about 2 that day, went to the hotel, swam, cleaned up, and headed to Epcot for the evening. Daughter Picked a pearl in Japan. Got a 7.5 pearl which fits perfectly in the carriage cage I had purchased before going to WDW. Lots of fun and she loved the pearl as well as the experience. Stayed for Illuminations. Love it.
Started the next day at Epcot. Waited 20 minutes for Soarin and then got FPs for TT. Rode Ellen to kill time before FPs came up. Had lunch ressie at Le Cellier for Anniversary. We have always loved Le Cellier and I was apprehensive because of some recent bad reviews, but our food was great as always and lunch portions seemed very similar to dinner at a much lower price! Back to the hotel to swim. I had booked the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage for the evening. So after a rainstorm, we took the bus to MK, hopped the monorail, and visited the resorts. Finished the resort Monorail at the Contemporary where we caught up with the Fireworks cruise. They served plenty of snacks and drinks. Hook and Smee were available for pictures, and Patch escorted us to our boat. Our Patch was good and kept things going until Wishes started. We did get to see the Electrical Water Pageant before Wishes. Once Wishes started the music cranked up, and we just oohed and aahed. One disappointment was that the boat captain kept the boat facing the same direction so that the port side had the view. We were on the starboard side and, although we could see, we could not get good pics because of the people on the other side in front of us. I had been told he would turn the boat, but he never did. Still it was a fun experience, but having done it once I probably would not do it again. When we arrived back at the Contemporary, Peter Pan was waiting to greet us. We finished about 10:30 and walked to the MK to catch a busthank goodness they were having EMH so busses were running regularly.
For Monday I had made arrangements with Gifts of a Lifetime to plan a scavenger hunt of sorts for my daughter who has just graduated hs. We started off the day with breakfast at Kona. We had never had their breakfast before, and it was just as good as everyone says. The Tonga Toast was amazing. DD had the fruit plate which was beautiful and delicious. After breakfast we moved over to the MK where our surprise was supposed to being at 10:30. As promised the first clue awaited my daughter at Cinderellas Wishing well, and the fun was on. The hunt sent her to various places around the MK until she found her gift. She loved every minute of it. I had been a bit worried that this experience might be too juvenile for an 18 year old, but they assured me it would not be and it wasnt. They asked for some personal information about her beforehand and used it to personalize the hunt for her. It was great fun and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for something different and memorable to do in the parks. By the time we were through with that, we were ready to head back to the room for some cool pool water time. Headed off to DHS by boat for the evening. Got there in time to catch American Idol finale, waited 40 minutes for Star Tours, and did single rider on RnR. Didnt wait for Fantasmic because it was just too hot to stand in that line even in the evening. This was by far the hottest weather we have ever experienced in June at WDW, so the heat did keep us from doing a few things.
Tuesday was AK day. Got right on EE then rode again. Got FPs for Safari. Saw Tough to Be a Bug. Then got FPs for Kali as soon as our FP window opened up. It was just so hot, we only did our favorite rides and left. This was also the day DD had scheduled a massage at the Mandara Spa in the afternoon. She had the coconut rub and loved it. However, I would advise scheduling earlier in the day because she didnt have much time to really enjoy the spa extras since her appointment was late in the afternoon and we had dinner plans at Il Mulino. Dinner was quite good, and the restaurant.com coupon made it even bettergot the $25 coupon for $2 before leaving home. Had Blue Man Group tickets for their 9pm show. They were terrific!
DHS for Wednesday morning. Got FPs for TSM, and rode Tot and RnR (DD and DH were 1st on RnR) before crowds got too bad. And by Wednesday, they were getting pretty bad. Touring plans had said crowds would be at 7s all week, but until Wed., they seemed pretty mild. I had booked lunch with an Imagineer for DD and myself at 11:30 in the Brown Derby. She has always wanted to do this, and since she is headed off to college and interested in the Disney Internship program, I thought this would be a good experience. And it was. We had a female Imagineer who was very informative and addressed several of Dds questions specifically. The food was good too. We had never eaten at the HBD, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We finished lunch about 2 and took the boat back to the Dolphin. That evening we went to MK for Electric Light Parade (I miss Spectromagic!), and got a great seat just in front of Hall of Presidents. They keep the door open, so the a/c blew out on us occasionally and relieved some of the heat. Stayed for Main Street Wishes view. Loved Memories, Magic, and You before Wishes, and as always Wishes was amazing.
Our last day at WDW. Started off at MK. Rode Splash, Pirates, HM, moved on to DHS so Dd could get one last ride on ToT and RnR. Heat drove us back to hotel. Dinner at Sanaa was good, but I think our tastes are just too common. Ordered a cake (zebra dome) for Dds graduation. While we were eating, we had a storm and the animals were a bit agitated and began to run. The giraffes and zebras were running just like something out of the Lion King. It was amazing! Had to go back to the hotel to leave the cake before heading back to Epcot to pick another pearl. Did that and made it back to the room for Illuminations so I could see it from the balcony I paid for. We almost got 4 parks in one day if you count AKL for dinner!
Next day headed off to Universal and Harry Potter World. Hogsmeade and Hogwarts are beautiful, but the area is so small that the crowds are suffocating at times. We waited 90 min for Forbidden Journey which scared me to death. Then we rode the dueling dragons coasters before eating lunch at the Three Broomsticks. After lunch we did the rest of IoA before heading off to the Hard Rock Hotel to stay the night. Played at the pool until a tremendous rain came and ran us back inside. Waited for a break in the rain so we could walk to CityWalk and have dinner at the HRC. Rain picked up again while we were eating, but once it slacked off some we made our way back to IoA and Harry Potter to have some Butterbeer for dessert. It was actually good! We had the frozen one and it reminded me of a Starbucks caramel frappucino without the coffee. Waited for another 45 minutes for FJ and enjoyed it better the 2nd time because I knew what to expect. Still didnt like the spiders though. Closed the park and walked back to the hotel. HRH is nice. We had a pool view room and thankfully the storm closed the pool so we didnt have to hear the music til midnight. I confess to feeling really old there, but it was fun and so convenient to the parks.
Now for the details about the Dolphin: We were so pleasantly surprised with the Dolphin. We had never stayed there because we are admittedly Disney Resort hotel snobs, previously choosing to stay only at Disney-owned properties. But the banner ad on the Disboards convinced me to check them out, and we got a great deal. The only problem with the Sunsational Savings package was the fact that it had to be prepaid, and that always makes me a little nervous. One of the reasons we book Disney hotels is because of the liberal cancellation policy. Thankfully, we did not have to cancel and thoroughly enjoyed our six nights at the Dolphin. Our room was great: Epcot Fireworks view with Balcony, 5th floor (I had hoped for higher), heavenly beds (you will not find a more comfortable bed in all the World), big fluffy bath towels, a great pool complex with plenty of chairs, Starbucks coffee in the room, and an amazing location (the only way the location could be better is if the Dolphin were at the Beach Club). I had read some complaints about the conference atmosphere at the Dolphin, and there were conferences going on while we were there. The only time they bothered us was when they took over the lobby bar in the evenings. But we werent usually hanging out there at that time anywaythey were just loud when you came into the hotel. Also lots of smokers would congregate outside the exits and that was somewhat annoying when going in and out of the hotel. Otherwise, I have no complaints. Desk service and bell service were great. The pool staff was very friendly. Our room was always made up when we returned in the afternoon. We only ate at one of the hotel restaurantsIl Mulino at the Swanand thought it was quite good. We used a coupon from restaurant.com, so that made it even better! Husband did grab a burger at the Fountain and thought it was good, but expensive. Transportation to Epcot and DHS was not an issue. Boats were frequent, although hot, and we walked most of the time to those parks. Bus service to and from MK and AK were a little more problematic. Because we had to make several other stops, return from the MK was anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. AK was also a long trip because of resort stops and a stop at BBwhether anyone wanted to go or not. We did have to wait almost 30 minutes for a bus at MK one hot afternoon, and when it finally came the driver took Yacht and Beach Club people too because they had also been waiting a while. That was the day it took one hour to get to the Dolphin because of all the resort stops. I would definitely stay at the Dolphin again. The hotel has the nicest amenities of any of the deluxe hotels and cannot be beat for the price. The Beach Club would have cost us nearly $2000 more, and although it is my favorite hotel, I would not pay that much more to stay there. I can find lots of things to do with that much money at WDW.
I had booked the Dolphin on the Sunsational Savings Package for six nights. So we got up fairly early, ate breakfast at the Pop food court, and I sent the husband and daughter on to the MK while I loaded the car and got us checked in at the Dolphin. More on the Dolphin later. Check-in was a breeze, I hopped on a bus (which was already there), and I was at the MK by 9:10. Family only had time to ride Space Mountain once before I got there. Crowds werent too bad and we got FPs for Space and Splash and waited only 15 minutes for Big Thunder. Wait for Haunted Mansion was less than 10 minutes even through the new queue. We stayed there until about 2 that day, went to the hotel, swam, cleaned up, and headed to Epcot for the evening. Daughter Picked a pearl in Japan. Got a 7.5 pearl which fits perfectly in the carriage cage I had purchased before going to WDW. Lots of fun and she loved the pearl as well as the experience. Stayed for Illuminations. Love it.
Started the next day at Epcot. Waited 20 minutes for Soarin and then got FPs for TT. Rode Ellen to kill time before FPs came up. Had lunch ressie at Le Cellier for Anniversary. We have always loved Le Cellier and I was apprehensive because of some recent bad reviews, but our food was great as always and lunch portions seemed very similar to dinner at a much lower price! Back to the hotel to swim. I had booked the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage for the evening. So after a rainstorm, we took the bus to MK, hopped the monorail, and visited the resorts. Finished the resort Monorail at the Contemporary where we caught up with the Fireworks cruise. They served plenty of snacks and drinks. Hook and Smee were available for pictures, and Patch escorted us to our boat. Our Patch was good and kept things going until Wishes started. We did get to see the Electrical Water Pageant before Wishes. Once Wishes started the music cranked up, and we just oohed and aahed. One disappointment was that the boat captain kept the boat facing the same direction so that the port side had the view. We were on the starboard side and, although we could see, we could not get good pics because of the people on the other side in front of us. I had been told he would turn the boat, but he never did. Still it was a fun experience, but having done it once I probably would not do it again. When we arrived back at the Contemporary, Peter Pan was waiting to greet us. We finished about 10:30 and walked to the MK to catch a busthank goodness they were having EMH so busses were running regularly.
For Monday I had made arrangements with Gifts of a Lifetime to plan a scavenger hunt of sorts for my daughter who has just graduated hs. We started off the day with breakfast at Kona. We had never had their breakfast before, and it was just as good as everyone says. The Tonga Toast was amazing. DD had the fruit plate which was beautiful and delicious. After breakfast we moved over to the MK where our surprise was supposed to being at 10:30. As promised the first clue awaited my daughter at Cinderellas Wishing well, and the fun was on. The hunt sent her to various places around the MK until she found her gift. She loved every minute of it. I had been a bit worried that this experience might be too juvenile for an 18 year old, but they assured me it would not be and it wasnt. They asked for some personal information about her beforehand and used it to personalize the hunt for her. It was great fun and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for something different and memorable to do in the parks. By the time we were through with that, we were ready to head back to the room for some cool pool water time. Headed off to DHS by boat for the evening. Got there in time to catch American Idol finale, waited 40 minutes for Star Tours, and did single rider on RnR. Didnt wait for Fantasmic because it was just too hot to stand in that line even in the evening. This was by far the hottest weather we have ever experienced in June at WDW, so the heat did keep us from doing a few things.
Tuesday was AK day. Got right on EE then rode again. Got FPs for Safari. Saw Tough to Be a Bug. Then got FPs for Kali as soon as our FP window opened up. It was just so hot, we only did our favorite rides and left. This was also the day DD had scheduled a massage at the Mandara Spa in the afternoon. She had the coconut rub and loved it. However, I would advise scheduling earlier in the day because she didnt have much time to really enjoy the spa extras since her appointment was late in the afternoon and we had dinner plans at Il Mulino. Dinner was quite good, and the restaurant.com coupon made it even bettergot the $25 coupon for $2 before leaving home. Had Blue Man Group tickets for their 9pm show. They were terrific!
DHS for Wednesday morning. Got FPs for TSM, and rode Tot and RnR (DD and DH were 1st on RnR) before crowds got too bad. And by Wednesday, they were getting pretty bad. Touring plans had said crowds would be at 7s all week, but until Wed., they seemed pretty mild. I had booked lunch with an Imagineer for DD and myself at 11:30 in the Brown Derby. She has always wanted to do this, and since she is headed off to college and interested in the Disney Internship program, I thought this would be a good experience. And it was. We had a female Imagineer who was very informative and addressed several of Dds questions specifically. The food was good too. We had never eaten at the HBD, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We finished lunch about 2 and took the boat back to the Dolphin. That evening we went to MK for Electric Light Parade (I miss Spectromagic!), and got a great seat just in front of Hall of Presidents. They keep the door open, so the a/c blew out on us occasionally and relieved some of the heat. Stayed for Main Street Wishes view. Loved Memories, Magic, and You before Wishes, and as always Wishes was amazing.
Our last day at WDW. Started off at MK. Rode Splash, Pirates, HM, moved on to DHS so Dd could get one last ride on ToT and RnR. Heat drove us back to hotel. Dinner at Sanaa was good, but I think our tastes are just too common. Ordered a cake (zebra dome) for Dds graduation. While we were eating, we had a storm and the animals were a bit agitated and began to run. The giraffes and zebras were running just like something out of the Lion King. It was amazing! Had to go back to the hotel to leave the cake before heading back to Epcot to pick another pearl. Did that and made it back to the room for Illuminations so I could see it from the balcony I paid for. We almost got 4 parks in one day if you count AKL for dinner!
Next day headed off to Universal and Harry Potter World. Hogsmeade and Hogwarts are beautiful, but the area is so small that the crowds are suffocating at times. We waited 90 min for Forbidden Journey which scared me to death. Then we rode the dueling dragons coasters before eating lunch at the Three Broomsticks. After lunch we did the rest of IoA before heading off to the Hard Rock Hotel to stay the night. Played at the pool until a tremendous rain came and ran us back inside. Waited for a break in the rain so we could walk to CityWalk and have dinner at the HRC. Rain picked up again while we were eating, but once it slacked off some we made our way back to IoA and Harry Potter to have some Butterbeer for dessert. It was actually good! We had the frozen one and it reminded me of a Starbucks caramel frappucino without the coffee. Waited for another 45 minutes for FJ and enjoyed it better the 2nd time because I knew what to expect. Still didnt like the spiders though. Closed the park and walked back to the hotel. HRH is nice. We had a pool view room and thankfully the storm closed the pool so we didnt have to hear the music til midnight. I confess to feeling really old there, but it was fun and so convenient to the parks.
Now for the details about the Dolphin: We were so pleasantly surprised with the Dolphin. We had never stayed there because we are admittedly Disney Resort hotel snobs, previously choosing to stay only at Disney-owned properties. But the banner ad on the Disboards convinced me to check them out, and we got a great deal. The only problem with the Sunsational Savings package was the fact that it had to be prepaid, and that always makes me a little nervous. One of the reasons we book Disney hotels is because of the liberal cancellation policy. Thankfully, we did not have to cancel and thoroughly enjoyed our six nights at the Dolphin. Our room was great: Epcot Fireworks view with Balcony, 5th floor (I had hoped for higher), heavenly beds (you will not find a more comfortable bed in all the World), big fluffy bath towels, a great pool complex with plenty of chairs, Starbucks coffee in the room, and an amazing location (the only way the location could be better is if the Dolphin were at the Beach Club). I had read some complaints about the conference atmosphere at the Dolphin, and there were conferences going on while we were there. The only time they bothered us was when they took over the lobby bar in the evenings. But we werent usually hanging out there at that time anywaythey were just loud when you came into the hotel. Also lots of smokers would congregate outside the exits and that was somewhat annoying when going in and out of the hotel. Otherwise, I have no complaints. Desk service and bell service were great. The pool staff was very friendly. Our room was always made up when we returned in the afternoon. We only ate at one of the hotel restaurantsIl Mulino at the Swanand thought it was quite good. We used a coupon from restaurant.com, so that made it even better! Husband did grab a burger at the Fountain and thought it was good, but expensive. Transportation to Epcot and DHS was not an issue. Boats were frequent, although hot, and we walked most of the time to those parks. Bus service to and from MK and AK were a little more problematic. Because we had to make several other stops, return from the MK was anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. AK was also a long trip because of resort stops and a stop at BBwhether anyone wanted to go or not. We did have to wait almost 30 minutes for a bus at MK one hot afternoon, and when it finally came the driver took Yacht and Beach Club people too because they had also been waiting a while. That was the day it took one hour to get to the Dolphin because of all the resort stops. I would definitely stay at the Dolphin again. The hotel has the nicest amenities of any of the deluxe hotels and cannot be beat for the price. The Beach Club would have cost us nearly $2000 more, and although it is my favorite hotel, I would not pay that much more to stay there. I can find lots of things to do with that much money at WDW.
