Disney Dolphin

[WDWjen]

We just booked 7 nights at the dolphin (with a code from Mousesavers for 40% off!! ) and we are a family of 5.. I have a few questions:

Is parking fee every time you move your car in and out, or just per night? We are renting a car, maybe doing Universal a few days...

Can I tell them we are using an air mattress and have them waive the $25/night fee? My 8 yr old will sleep anywhere after a long day in parks! We want to save money and space in the room..

How is the grotto pool for kids.. (ages 8-12) as compared to other WDW resorts? (We have stayed value/mod/deluxe) there is a slide, right? Is there a playground nearby?

We usually just do breakfast in the room, but are there any grab-n-go sandwich type options where we can pack up lunch and go to the parks? (no DDP this trip)

Any other tips?? We are going labor day week.

Thanks in advance..

 

[spiceycat]

first this is not a Disney hotel -
not sure about the parking fee - but really think it is per day.

you can't do DDP. yes it has several restaurants.

if you are going to US/IOa for the Harry potter thing - would stay at a US hotel. It can;t be much more than you are paying and believe me it FOLR is worth it.

 

[turkeymama]

The pool is nice, but I didn't spend much time there. There is a playground on the beach if I remember correctly, and also some hammocks. The charge for parking is daily. I think you pay this all at once at the end of your stay.

 

[figment_jii]

Regarding the $25 fee, it looks like there are two different ones. One is for a rollaway and the other is for an extra adult. I didn't see where they defined "adult", but I doubt it would be for an 8 year old. You might check to make sure that they don't think your reservation is for 3 adults.

Along with no DDP, the Swan and Dolphin also do not participate in DME.

 

[canoeingmonkey]

The grotto pool is magnificent! Seating behind the waterfall is especially pleasant. Your kids will love the whole area.

 

[ImprovGal]

We usually just do breakfast in the room, but are there any grab-n-go sandwich type options where we can pack up lunch and go to the parks? (no DDP this trip)

Any other tips?? We are going labor day week.

Thanks in advance..

Picabu sells deli sandwiches in plastic clamshell packaging. They may not be out in the morning, though, but rooms have fridges so you could always purchase late at night the evening prior. They also sell Smuckers Uncrustables and those are displayed in the morning.

 

[turkeymama]

Regarding the $25 fee, it looks like there are two different ones. One is for a rollaway and the other is for an extra adult. I didn't see where they defined "adult", but I doubt it would be for an 8 year old. You might check to make sure that they don't think your reservation is for 3 adults.

Along with no DDP, the Swan and Dolphin also do not participate in DME.

Yes.

But you can have packages delivered back to the hotel from the theme parks and utilize the Disney transportation to and from the parks. The boat ride to Epcot and HS was nice.

 

[bek]

Parking is per day but we had trouble with getting the car out of self=park. The room key was supposed to work but never did.

The grotto pool has slides. My grandkids 3, 5 and 7 loved the slide and the pool!

There is a playground near the grotto pool.

Picabu has grab-n-go and is open 24 hours/day.

The Dolphin rooms have a 5 person occupancy. I'm not sure why you think there's an extra charge for an 8 year old? We brought an air mattress for our 3rd grandchild and there was no problem.

 

[AntFarm]

I am going to have to look into that discount! We are typically moderate resort folks but I have wanted to stay in the Epcot resort area for many years. Dolphin doesn't participate in Magical Express so we would catch a taxi from the airport. We usually don't do the dining plan so that's no loss!