We just returned from the Dolphin. It is considerably farther away from Epcot than the Yacht Club. Having said that, there are many things to recommend the Dolphin. It has a wonderful pool area (probably second only to Stormalong Bay on Disney property). Huge and meandering pool, pretty waterfall, lots of lounge chairs in sun or shade, great (fast!) slide, pool volleyball. There is also table tennis and a basketball court. Our kids had lots of fun with all of this.
I've never had a comfortable pillow at any Disney resort, including the deluxes, but the heavenly beds at the Dolphin are wonderful. The pillows are very high quality down pillows. The beds are triple sheeted and have a down comforter and a down bedspread. They are lovely. Though, in hindsight, I might have chosen the Swan for its queen beds, rather than the doubles at the Dolphin. There were always lots of thick, fluffy towels. There was a coffee maker, with coffee replenished daily. There is a hair dryer and a magnifying makeup mirror. If you have two beds, there is an area by the window with a very small table and a comfortable chair. There is also a bench, which we used for additional seating at the table. We had good housekeeping and the room was clean. There is a minibar. For $20, they will empty it. We chose to do so, and it was $20 well spent. We had a very nice sized fridge for milk, juice, sodas and small water bottles for the parks. We stopped at the grocery store and purchased breakfast items. It was great to relax with coffee, juice and cereal in our pj's rather than getting dressed and going out to breakfast.
The Dolphin has an absolutely gorgeous lobby with a large fountain. Most evenings, a pianist plays in the lobby. We love listening to him play. I think the Dolphin architecture is great fun. Many don't like it, but it's very appealing to me -- fanciful, creative and quite festive and Disney-like. We had a lot of conventioneers while we were there last week. This doesn't bother me at all, but may bother some. Frankly, I'd rather have more conventioneers and fewer children running all over! You won't have conventioneers over Thanksgiving, though.
There is no question that you get a real sense of luxury at the Dolphin. So, if your parents don't really know one Disney resort from another, I think they will love it. We had a lovely view that looked out on the ferry landing to Epcot and MGM and towards the Boardwalk, so you definitely know you are on Disney property!
If your mom has an
ECV, then the extra walk to EPCOT may not matter. We always took the boats since the walk was a bit much with small children. I think ECV's can get on the boats fairly conveniently but you may want to check that.
Bus service to MK was very reliable. Of course, the convenience to Epcot and Disney/MGM can't be beat. We rented a car, but didn't need it. We probably would just use a car service if we stayed at the Dolphin again.
I had a few things that I was less than pleased with at the Dolphin:
-I thought the rooms were a bit small -- our last stay was at the Contemporary and that may have influenced me, as those rooms are very large. Nonetheless, it was okay. I don't know the square footage to compare it with YC.
-The movement sensor for the cooling system was a real problem. We awoke at 3:30 a.m. drenched in sweat at which point we read the fine print under the thermostat. Essentially, when the motion sensor doesn't detect movement, the thermostat resets at the temperature the hotel wants it to be, rather than the temperature the guest wants it to be. That was no problem while we were out and at the parks (I don't mind if the room takes a few minutes to cool down when we return to it), but it was a real problem at night. We requested that the hotel disable the sensor, which they did with no questions asked. But, it did leave a bad first impression. My advice would be to request that the sensor be disabled as soon as you get to your room.
-The internet connection was unreliable. It seemed to depend on how many other guests were logging onto the server. If you go at Thanksgiving, you won't have as many business guests as we did, so this may not be a problem.
-The self parking costs $7 per day. Valet is $14 per day. The annoying thing is you have to swipe your card not just to get in the parking lot, but also to get out. And, they've divided the parking lot so that if you go down a row and can't find a parking place, you can't turn around, you have to back out the entire length of that row. Very inconvenient.
Generally, the above were small inconveniences. While you are staying there, you dial 66 for any issue or problem. The hotel seems determined to go out of their way to provide good service. We misplaced our TV remote and another one was brought up immediately. There was a follow up call later to make sure we received it. Service was very quick, attentive and polite at all times.
All in all, for a $100 per night difference, I'd go with the Dolphin. I think you'll find it to be luxurious and your parents should enjoy it. There are lots of restaurants, as well as the Dolphin Fountain for burgers and ice cream and a cafeteria (Tubby's) for pizza and such. The cafeteria was never crowded while we were there.
And the $100 savings buys a nice meal each day!
Yes.. you never know.. I may fall in love with this resort.. aside from the better rate!
I don't wanna rent a car cause now.. I would have to pay for the parking.
