eating over at the Dolphin

[disneyred]

I have read from time to time about people going to the Dolphin and having a meal there .. is this a must do?? or only if its convenient .. what is your fav there and why.?? what are the options ?
never been there and wondering if its worth the trip to go one day ,,,,,

thanks !

 

[Pakey]

In my opinion, the upscale restaurants at Swan/Dolphin are better than any at WDW except for V&A. Shulas, bluezoo and Il Mulino are excellent and tend to offer a more adult dining experience with outstanding food and service. My personal favorite is bluezoo; we try to get there every vacation.

 

[disneyred]

In my opinion, the upscale restaurants at Swan/Dolphin are better than any at WDW except for V&A. Shulas, bluezoo and Il Mulino are excellent and tend to offer a more adult dining experience with outstanding food and service. My personal favorite is bluezoo; we try to get there every vacation.

do you need wayyyyyyyy advance reservations for these ... as most popular WDW restaurants do (especially if there is FD going on?)

 

[Pakey]

do you need wayyyyyyyy advance reservations for these ... as most popular WDW restaurants do (especially if there is FD going on?)

Since they are not on the dining plan, they are usually not as crowded and free dining would not affect them. However, if there's a convention at the hotels, they can be.

 

[Uncleromulus]

We always make reservations way in advance..usually 5:30 6:00 at the latest. We also always eat a full meal at the bar. At those hours, it's almost always been a "walk right on in" situation.
But as Pakey says, a major convention or multiple meetings COULD alter thigs. From having to endure those kinds of meetings over many years, I know many attendees cannot wait until the days meeting is over and they can rush to the bar/restaurant.

Where they wonder if they actually learned anything all day

My favorite is Shula's, followed very closely by Blue Zoo. We'll be dining at both in just a few weeks!!

 

[mousegear]

Although last several trips we've done DDP, we still managed one/two trips to Dolphin for OOP meals at Bluezoo and Shula's. I agree with OP that meals are much better and usually no crowd even without adr since they don't participate DDP. This coming trip we are going to try Kimono and maybe Garden Grove.

 

[redzinner]

I have read from time to time about people going to the Dolphin and having a meal there .. is this a must do?? or only if its convenient .. what is your fav there and why.?? what are the options ?
never been there and wondering if its worth the trip to go one day ,,,,,

thanks !

Agree with all the other statements about the restaurants ... Il Mulino for Italian, Kimono's for Sushi and bluezoo for fish entrees PLUS if you decide to drive over both hotels offer free valet service if you dine at one of their signature restaurants. All you need to do is have your restaurant server stamp your valet parking ticket.

 

[BriarRosie]

There are casual dining restaurants there, too. While I love the restaurants at both Swan (Kimono's, Il Mulino) and Dolphin (Shula's, Todd English's bluezoo™), I also like some of the more casual restaurants like Fresh, The Fountain, and Picabu.

I've only done breakfast at Fresh, a good buffet. At Picabu, it's like cafeteria service, but they will bring out an item if it can't be served immediately, like the chicken pot pie. Some of the portions were huge, too. And The Fountain has what I think are now the best burgers on property.

 

[jiminyfan]

for my family every trip. The quality of the food is so much better than the Disney Signatures. I am not only talking taste, but meat cuts, fish freshness, everything.

They accept TIW cards as well as Restaurant.com coupons - with the right deal you can get 80% off of their prices, making a $25 certificate only $2 or less.

YUMMY and a big savings!!!!!