diskids2
<font color=CC66CC>Not above grovelling for a tag
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2000
- Messages
- 2,748
Hi! We just returned from an 8 night stay at the Dolphin, our first visit to this hotel. First let me say thanks to all of you who gave me great advice on planning, it really helped out.
If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Below are some of my thoughts
1. We stayed in rooms 8025 and 8029. Balcony with Epcot views. It was very nice to be able to look out over the boradwalk every morning and see the Epcot ball. The fireworks were a nice add on as well.
2. I paid extra for the balcony view. I would not bother to do this again ($30 more per night). First, there is no guarantee of an Epcot view and second we were only in the room twice to see the fireworks. Also, you can only see the fireworks, the light show is too low (except for the countries buildings lighiting up - the taller one's you can see). We had to go to Illunimations in the park to get the full effect anyway. If I received the balcony view as an upgrade, I would not turn it down. I just wouildn't pay extra for it again.
3. We were in a rennovated room. The beds were nice, but if you like hard pillows or a firm mattress, this might not be for you. I loved it though.
4. The hallway was carpeted in a beach motif with pictures of seashells and sand pails, etc. The carpeting was not installed very well as there were many ridges. If you were walking with any kind of a heel, you could easily trip. I did not care for the cabana stripped wall paper on the walls or doors either. Since this was our first trip, I'm not sure if this is a newly decorated hallway or not.
5. I'd prefer two sinks in the vanity area, this room only had one. The bathroom is incredibly small. So there is not much room for privacy when changing, something to keep in mind if you are going with a family.
6. The refillable mugs were great. We bought them the first day and got our money's worth.
7. The layout of the Dolphin can be confusing, but you get the hang of it after a day or two.
8. We had a long walk from our rooms to Tubbi's. (Say 5 minutes).
9. Staying at an Epcot area hotel is wonderful. No matter what I didn't like about the Dolphin, this made up for it. We walked to Epcot a few times, and took the boat other times. We never walked to the Studios, always took the boat. It does get draining to stop at all of the other hotels on the bus and on the way to Epcot on the boat. But remember you usually get a seat.
If you leave the park at closing the bus goes directly to the swan and dolphin and by passes the Yacht, beach, and Boardwalk hotels. I noticed the other hotels had cast members at the transporation sites monitoring what was going on. The Dolphin had no one.
10. Not being able to charge back to the hotel from Disney is an inconvenience to us. If you usually take your credit card or cash, then it won't be a hassle for you. We are used to talking our hotel key, ticket card and a little cash. I had to remember everyday to take more cash or the credit cards. I didn't like having to do that.
So overall, we will stay at the Dolphin again because of the location. Please keep in mind that we had a government rate, so we paid a comprable price to a moderate. I would not stay at the Dolphin if I had to pay a regular rate. I would choose a disney deluxe in the Epcot area mainly because of the charging priveleges.
If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Below are some of my thoughts
1. We stayed in rooms 8025 and 8029. Balcony with Epcot views. It was very nice to be able to look out over the boradwalk every morning and see the Epcot ball. The fireworks were a nice add on as well.
2. I paid extra for the balcony view. I would not bother to do this again ($30 more per night). First, there is no guarantee of an Epcot view and second we were only in the room twice to see the fireworks. Also, you can only see the fireworks, the light show is too low (except for the countries buildings lighiting up - the taller one's you can see). We had to go to Illunimations in the park to get the full effect anyway. If I received the balcony view as an upgrade, I would not turn it down. I just wouildn't pay extra for it again.
3. We were in a rennovated room. The beds were nice, but if you like hard pillows or a firm mattress, this might not be for you. I loved it though.
4. The hallway was carpeted in a beach motif with pictures of seashells and sand pails, etc. The carpeting was not installed very well as there were many ridges. If you were walking with any kind of a heel, you could easily trip. I did not care for the cabana stripped wall paper on the walls or doors either. Since this was our first trip, I'm not sure if this is a newly decorated hallway or not.
5. I'd prefer two sinks in the vanity area, this room only had one. The bathroom is incredibly small. So there is not much room for privacy when changing, something to keep in mind if you are going with a family.
6. The refillable mugs were great. We bought them the first day and got our money's worth.
7. The layout of the Dolphin can be confusing, but you get the hang of it after a day or two.
8. We had a long walk from our rooms to Tubbi's. (Say 5 minutes).
9. Staying at an Epcot area hotel is wonderful. No matter what I didn't like about the Dolphin, this made up for it. We walked to Epcot a few times, and took the boat other times. We never walked to the Studios, always took the boat. It does get draining to stop at all of the other hotels on the bus and on the way to Epcot on the boat. But remember you usually get a seat.
If you leave the park at closing the bus goes directly to the swan and dolphin and by passes the Yacht, beach, and Boardwalk hotels. I noticed the other hotels had cast members at the transporation sites monitoring what was going on. The Dolphin had no one.
10. Not being able to charge back to the hotel from Disney is an inconvenience to us. If you usually take your credit card or cash, then it won't be a hassle for you. We are used to talking our hotel key, ticket card and a little cash. I had to remember everyday to take more cash or the credit cards. I didn't like having to do that.
So overall, we will stay at the Dolphin again because of the location. Please keep in mind that we had a government rate, so we paid a comprable price to a moderate. I would not stay at the Dolphin if I had to pay a regular rate. I would choose a disney deluxe in the Epcot area mainly because of the charging priveleges.
I love it, though!
