Has anyone stayed in Dolphin Club Level Recently?

[Jen80370]

How were the hours of the lounge? What foods were offered? How was it? Thanks!

 

[NHMickey]

Just bumping this up so it does not get lost... Any luck with your question?

 

[Jen80370]

None yet. I am jones-ing for info....

 

[Jen80370]

 

[cenicienta]

I'm going to bump this up again for both of us. I really want to know too. I bet those Dolphin girls know! HEY DREAMFLIGHT99??? OVER HERE!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!

 

[sandramaac]

We stayed there last year, while my dh was on a biz trip. We are Annual pass holders, so we we do frequent DW quite a bit. We normally stay poly concierge, GF or BC/YC.

IMHO I really do have to say I absolutle did not like the Dolphin. We stayed on the club level. I found the food to be below mediocre. Frozen bagels and danish, soggy friut. They had cereals and milk and juices. I am not a coffee drinker so I requested soda or ice tea and was told no. I did ask this a few different mornings, to different workers in the room and was still told no. At conceirge in the other resorts this is not a problem at all.

Mid-day they had these cookies---ah, just ok. Dinner time they had a cheese and cracker tray and veggie tray. The crackers were soggy from the humidity. They staff while plesant was not overly attentive in the club lounge.

Also at the Dolphin you can not charge back to the room while in DW, which I found to be a pain.

Many just love the Dolphin, I do not. I would not spend the extra money for the club level, because the rooms are the same as the others rooms, and the additional goodies are just not worth it.

 

[cenicienta]

Sandra, thanks for the info. It's great being able to read all sides of an issue from so many helpful people here.

 

[CookieGVB]

I had club privileges at the Swan last month.

Hours were:

7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for breakfast: Bagels, danishes, fruits, cereals, coffee, tea, juice, bottled water.

5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for snack: Veggies, dip, cheese, crackers, fruits, sodas, coffee, tea, bottled water.

Nothing out of the ordinary; nothing to scream about, but it certainly was nice to be able to go there. For the price of 750 points per day, you can upgrade and enjoy.

 

[Jen80370]

That's my point. I wouldn't pay big bucks for it, but points are a different story. To not have to feed two 13 year old boys every morning in the parks would be worth it. Thanks!

 

[Bimmy56]

We were there over Christmas. We got a free upgrade from a resort view, no balcony to a club room (with a view of the convention roof). The breakfast was fine - A breakfast bar that was about what you would get at any nicer hotel . We always had fruit, milk or juice and a pastry. Not a lot of seating- the seats were ALWAYS full, so we had to take the food back to our room. We were never in the hotel at the time of the snacks, and not terribly hungry in the morning, so for that reason I would never trade in my points for a club room. But if I could get one for "free" I would certainly think myself lucky!!

We were thrilled to get the upgrade, as I had just gotten my Starwood number - thanks to advice from this board - and this was the first time I had used the card.

Thanks to all the Dolphin cheerleaders!!

 

[Jen80370]

bump...anyone else?

 

[simonmunro]

I haven't been in over a year now. I think there is no hot appitizer or cookies in the evening now but are there any other changes?

 

[dreamflight99]

I "LOVE" CLub level (of course, everything seems better when it's FREE)! I was there last summer for nearly a month, (Most Recent) and the Club level was a delight! They used to serve the BEST hot apps, (Fried Shrimp, Chicken Fingers, etc.), but I guess someone probably got burned and filed against the corp, so they nixed it! Yet, the boys would LOVE it Jen! The Concierge there are so friendly and warm, they offered us daily papers, and brought them to the table. If you need anything, they'll obtain it for you. In the a.m., they offer Bagels (Fresh) w/toaster for crisping, cream cheese, toast, variety of boxed cereals and fresh fruits, milk, tea, coffee & juice, croissants and deliciously fresh Danish (Cheese, fruit, Cinnamon, etc.). You can make Fresh ice tea by making some hot...and simply pouring it over ice, same for iced coffee. The afternoon offerings include Fresh cut vegetables, fresh chilled Dip, A fabulous variety of Fresh sliced cheese, all kinds of crackers, outrageously juicy & sweet fresh sliced Fruit including KIWI, Strawberries, pineapple, cantelope, watermelon, etc.! LArge Fresh Baked Cookies were offered last summer, (macadamia white chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisen, chocolate chip, etc.) The sodas used to be offered in the little 6oz. glass pony bottles, but now they are served in the full sized 12 oz. cans! Your boys may drink/eat to their hearts content! The view is so amazing, and there are also televisions mounted to the wall for entertainment. The little cubby areas for seating are private and relaxing. The seats are so comfy, it's difficult to leave once you settle-in...especially near the windows. I have used NUMEROUS club level/concierge lounges in other world-renowned resorts, and still find the Dolphin's to be one of the top 5. It's worth the points, IMOHO, and the boys will defintitely be thrilled to have the luxury of using this facility. GO FOR IT!!!

 

[sandramaac]

Dreamflight, did you stay at the same place we did. Because when we where there last year, absolutey none of the things you described were on the club level at the Dolphin. In fact the morning breakfast was no better than you would get at one of those Hampton Inn morning breakfast. They were totally unattentive and annoyed at ANY special request---anf the only I ever made was to have a cola in the morning. In the afternoon, the ONLY thing they has out was a try od cheese and crackers, with soggy crackers, and a try with some grapes, honeydew and canteloupe---warm and dried out. The cookies were soggy too from the humidity.


I too have had the opportunity to stay in other concerige level through out the US and abroad, and even in Disney, and in my opinion the Dolphin's was from a scale of 1 to 10 a 2 at best. But hey maybe we caught an off week.

 

[gm]

i have stayed at club level several times this past March,December and July both at Dolphin and Swan and the food is the same and so are the hours. Hours were 7-10am and 5-7pm only. In the Breakfast they served bagels,cream cheese,Danish cheese rolls, Muffins, A decorated fruit platter, and croussants, assorted cereals like froot loops,raisin bran etc and once they even had Krispy Creme donuts at the Swan but the other items were everyday of our stay. The drinks were coffee and tea. If you wanted to water to take out, then you asked the lady there who got it for you.

For the evening 5-7 they had A fruit platter, Chips and Dip, A vegetable platter and sometimes a small meat dish. They always had a cheese platter also and Bread (white and wheat). In the evening they also lay out the coke cans and water.

They had more food out for breakfast than evenings and I would certainly stay at the Swan/Dolphin concierge if I used my points.

MAMA T is the Best hostess at the SWAN (noboby can beat her in customer service) and
Maria is the Best hostess at Dolphin
These two are the once who smile all the time and help you with anything and everything.

 

[skybluesix]

We just left the Dolphin Club level last week. It was nothing to be overly impressed about and nothing anyone should pay extra for. It was just o.k. If you have stayed concierge at most other hotels you will probably be disappointed.

As others have said, the lounge hours are limited and the offerings small. A few different danishes, fruit (when asked they would not refill) 4 different types of cereal, milk, juice, coffee, etc. and by request water bottles for the park. In the afternoon it is pop, water, coffee, tea and a small offering of fruit, veggies and rolls. There were no hot foods and no sweets.

The lounge staff were nice, but not overly friendly, but not rude either. The lounge is very small, only one table and the rest is couches and chairs with end tables.

We would never pay extra for it, and it might even be a waste of points, but as an free upgrade it was worth it.

 

[dreamflight99]

I'm sorry to offend any of you, but everyone's entitled to their opinions on this board! LOL... I just happen to truly enjoy the lounge, (view the glass as half-full in life) and seem to happily be in the majority on this matter. The cookies/crackers were never "moist" when I have savored them..as the room is enclosed w/air conditioning. There is no humidity (or trace amounts) in the Club Level Lounge, so these items are unaffected by humidity. BTW...there should be large comfy chairs and sofas in this area...it is a "LOUNGE"! There are several "Cocktail" tables which are large enough to sit comfortably at and will easily accomodate your food & beverage items. The staff are the same (Maria & Mamma T are constants) and very accomodating and friendly. They are always working to refill the trays and food as soon as it is nearing empty. The lounge is very large, compared with some of the closets I've been in, and the staff permits you to take the food from the lounge area (where as most club level staffers do not).

*See what you started Jen?!? LOL...get back in the doghouse!

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I have been considering staying at the Swan or Dolphin's Club Levels for some time now, however I keep reading these differing experiences on club level offerings. I belong to SPG, but only have a couple thousand points with them (collected over the past 4 or 5 years) as I don't usually stay at Starwoods (I prefer Marriott and Hyatt when I travel, and at Disney I always stay with Disney). IS the Club Level really worth it for a person like me who would actually be paying the difference between a standard room and a club room? I've stayed at various concierge levels at various hotels (a couple Disney and many non-Disney), and usually have certain expectations. I expect a full concierge level (unless I know I'm booking something limited, like the Contemporary's Tower Club - which I do enjoy) with nice food presentations throughout the day, and a very accommodating staff (I've noticed some Disney concierges lack this).

So, my question is: Is there anything "set" that I can expect from the Swan/Dolphin club levels? Or am I better off sticking with the Disney Deluxe, and saving the concierge experience for a fine city hotel?

 

[CookieGVB]

CaliforniaDreaming:

Honestly, if you're used to a "better" club room experience, you might want to save those points for another stay. It was convenient to not have to worry about running to the grocery store to stock up for breakfast, and it was nice to be able to have a snack in the evening, but it really wasn't anything extra-special or out of the ordinary.

I still love the SwanDolphin, but IMHO, their club level could be a bit better.

 

[dreamflight99]

I have to agree w/Cookie here. I truly enjoy the CL at the Dolphin, but being Plat. SPG...it's a FREEBIE for moi. If I had to PAY (W/$$ or points), I may not feel the same. It is a nice lounge, friendly hosts/staff, and a varied array of snacks. Yet...it USED to be a LOT better with hot & Fresh apps and much more variety. It's been scaled-down over the past couple of years, and just isn't what it used to be.

I too have read mixed reviews from other Deluxe resorts regarding the CL, (Poly, etc.). I would take your word for the CR, and will definitely stay in the Tower on CL next summer (mostly with your assistance! ). We stay at the Peabody Orlando in a CL Suite, and the Food/service is superior to most all we've experienced. The Portofino HAD CL, but nixed it last summer. I've seen the Travel Channel's review of the AKL CL, and it also appeared to be well-worth the extra $$.

It seems, there's always room for improvement! (Are you reading this SWAN/DOLPHIN MGT?!?)