My DW and I took advantage of an unbelievable deal and enjoyed a weekend at the Dolphin and at WDW.
Some of you may remember back in the winter when several DISers were able to latch on to a "glitch" on Travelocity's website. I was able to snag round trip airfare for 2 PLUS 3 nights at the Dolphin for a total of $401. So, it was like getting the Dolphin for free. One hour after purchasing the trip, the price went up to around $850.
We had stayed at the Dolphin in November at a Hotwire rate of $81. At that time they put us on the 3rd or 4th floor, even with my Starwood AAA card which is supposed to guarantee a one-level upgrade. We were given a room with a view of the boat dock and one of the reflecting ponds. I expected a room with a similar view this time around.
While checking in, I presented my Starwood AAA Card. (I had already given them my Starwood number over the phone.) Effective January 1, 2004, it is not supposed to have any effect on a room purchased through a third party like Travelocity, Hotwire or Priceline. I noticed the CM writing the 11th floor down on my room key envelope. But I convinced myself we would have a parking lot view. However, my DW and I were tickled to walk into our renovated room (11-113) and find out that we were smack dab in the middle of the Dolphin, overlooking the Swan directly ahead, the Boardwalk slightly to our left, the Studios to our right, and Epcot to the far left. We could make out Mexico, Norway, Morocco, Japan, and France from our room. It was MAGICAL!
We noticed after getting into our room that the remote control needed batteries. That was the only negative about the room. And that didn't really bother us--we just walked over to the TV and pressed the buttons on the front panel. (More about this later.)
On the way up to our room (in the West elevators), we just happened to be with fellow guest who was staying on the 9th floor. When the doors opened, we were treated to a view of the renovated hallway. VERY attractive, not as whimsical as the old "beach" theme, but ties in very nicely to the new room decor.
We enjoyed a breakfast buffet at Fresh the last day of our stay; it was as good as we remembered from last time.
OK...back to the remote control. I called down to check out on the last day. I was going to mention the remote so it could be fixed for the next guest. But I forgot. When I remembered, I called the front desk back. I told the CM about it, and was about to hang up when she said, "Please hold on." So I did. She came back on and said that because of their service guarantee, we were entitled to compensation for the inconvenience. She offered me $15 credit, a box of chocolates, or 600 Starwood points. I took the $15 credit, which paid for most of one of our breakfast buffets at Fresh. Unbelievable!
Our whole trip was magical. I will be posting more later in the Restaurant and Attractions forums.
Some of you may remember back in the winter when several DISers were able to latch on to a "glitch" on Travelocity's website. I was able to snag round trip airfare for 2 PLUS 3 nights at the Dolphin for a total of $401. So, it was like getting the Dolphin for free. One hour after purchasing the trip, the price went up to around $850.
We had stayed at the Dolphin in November at a Hotwire rate of $81. At that time they put us on the 3rd or 4th floor, even with my Starwood AAA card which is supposed to guarantee a one-level upgrade. We were given a room with a view of the boat dock and one of the reflecting ponds. I expected a room with a similar view this time around.
While checking in, I presented my Starwood AAA Card. (I had already given them my Starwood number over the phone.) Effective January 1, 2004, it is not supposed to have any effect on a room purchased through a third party like Travelocity, Hotwire or Priceline. I noticed the CM writing the 11th floor down on my room key envelope. But I convinced myself we would have a parking lot view. However, my DW and I were tickled to walk into our renovated room (11-113) and find out that we were smack dab in the middle of the Dolphin, overlooking the Swan directly ahead, the Boardwalk slightly to our left, the Studios to our right, and Epcot to the far left. We could make out Mexico, Norway, Morocco, Japan, and France from our room. It was MAGICAL!
We noticed after getting into our room that the remote control needed batteries. That was the only negative about the room. And that didn't really bother us--we just walked over to the TV and pressed the buttons on the front panel. (More about this later.)
On the way up to our room (in the West elevators), we just happened to be with fellow guest who was staying on the 9th floor. When the doors opened, we were treated to a view of the renovated hallway. VERY attractive, not as whimsical as the old "beach" theme, but ties in very nicely to the new room decor.
We enjoyed a breakfast buffet at Fresh the last day of our stay; it was as good as we remembered from last time.
OK...back to the remote control. I called down to check out on the last day. I was going to mention the remote so it could be fixed for the next guest. But I forgot. When I remembered, I called the front desk back. I told the CM about it, and was about to hang up when she said, "Please hold on." So I did. She came back on and said that because of their service guarantee, we were entitled to compensation for the inconvenience. She offered me $15 credit, a box of chocolates, or 600 Starwood points. I took the $15 credit, which paid for most of one of our breakfast buffets at Fresh. Unbelievable!
Our whole trip was magical. I will be posting more later in the Restaurant and Attractions forums.
You definetly had a magical stay!
