NEW-EST...DOLPHIN/SWAN..."questions and answers"...tips and hints!

[LSUmom4kids]

Thanks, Mom Poppins! I always get great responses here! Now for another question--has anyone used the Kids Club at the Dolphin? Maybe it's called Camp Dolphin? Reviews, please.
I have Bluezoo ADRs, and I'm thinking my kids (8 and 12) might enjoy the Club instead.
Thanks!

You may already know this but...

No, we haven't used Camp Dolphin yet, but we will. They have 2 hrs. free babysitting if you show your Bluezoo or Shula's receipt when picking up the kids! My 3 kids are covered while we dine alone - I emailed the lady at the Camp Dolphin. Now I just need to decide on a date during our vacation and make my ADR for both!

 

[Kaycee]

Thanks, SSB. You're the best!

 

[cindermom]

Thanks dwheatl and mompoppins, I tried your suggestion dwheatl and it still wouldnt work for me so i will take mompoppins suggestion and call and request an updated confirmation.
dwheatl, that was really nice of you to type out those directions for me so patiently. they were easy to follow. How frustrating for you not to be able to enter the info in computer lingo. I havent posted enough to post links either....
thanks again for your help.

 

[slippahs]

Stayed at the Dolphin from May 5th-10th. There was a convention on the weekend of May 5th, so we got stuck in a room on the 10th floor, with a view of scaffolding... Asked to move; the person on the phone recognized by SPG Gold status and placed us in the coveted Room 5015. GREAT room!

Here's a few pictures of both rooms: http://slippahs.smugmug.com/gallery/1434125
Please do not reproduce these photos. Password for the gallery is flyertalk

All-in-all we had a great stay at the Dolphin. The staff did everything to make our stay enjoyable.

 

[Muffy]

Slippahs, sounds like you had a corner king at the Dolphin. Very nice! I'm glad you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for the link to your pictures!

Muffy

 

[Magalex]

Great photos! I would love to stay at the Dolphin someday. It is on my lists of Deluxes.

 

[kendzee94]

I've been reading all the posts for my Aug. trip to the Dolphin. Now, I have a few questions for you Dolphin experts.

My ressie is for resort view with balcony. All that the person taking my reservations told me is that I would have a view of the resort or of MGM or EPCOT. I want to make sure that I really do get a view of MGM-TOT or EPCOT, so should I have them put that specific request on my reservation?

Also, it looks like the turret rooms (king) have the best views!!! So here's my question, it looks like there is a pull out sofa, with DS8 and DD6, should I try it, or will it be too small for them?

Or should I just ask for a room at the end of the hall facing EPCOT or MGM, or will that be too much walking at the end of a long park day?

I would like to have a couple nights where I just watch fireworks from my balcony.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Here's a question similar to the one above--how do we pay ahead of time if we're getting a teacher discount rate?

Do you just phone them and apply a payment? If I use a webcertificate to make a payment will I have to keep that Webcertificate information and show it upon arrival?

 

[MSC]

I've been reading all the posts for my Aug. trip to the Dolphin. Now, I have a few questions for you Dolphin experts.

My ressie is for resort view with balcony. All that the person taking my reservations told me is that I would have a view of the resort or of MGM or EPCOT. I want to make sure that I really do get a view of MGM-TOT or EPCOT, so should I have them put that specific request on my reservation?

Also, it looks like the turret rooms (king) have the best views!!! So here's my question, it looks like there is a pull out sofa, with DS8 and DD6, should I try it, or will it be too small for them?

Or should I just ask for a room at the end of the hall facing EPCOT or MGM, or will that be too much walking at the end of a long park day?

I would like to have a couple nights where I just watch fireworks from my balcony.

You don't have to be at the end of the hall to see both either MGM or Epcot. As long as you are on a high enough floor, you will be able to see the Epcot firworks easily. (Though I guess you would have to be in one of the turret rooms to see both parks fireworks from a balcony. Though honestly, I don't know how good the view of the Fantasmic fireworks are in general.)

Of course, if you gave up the balcony, you could always stay in one of the rooms even higher up that face the Swan. That way you could enjoy views of both Epcot and MGM. That was our situation last summer. Had a greatview of the Epcot fireworks from our window and could see the TOT. (But because we were so far towards the BC/YC end of the hotel, the Swan blocked our view of much of Fantasmic's show.)

 

[cindyfan]

Do you just phone them and apply a payment? If I use a webcertificate to make a payment will I have to keep that Webcertificate information and show it upon arrival?

Not sure about the Webcertificate.... but ....
You can just call and apply your payment. We did this for our trip to the Swan in June.

I paid a little more than the balance. I told him it was to cover the cost of parking and the refrigerator. He said that was fine.
Only thing is.... they don't send a confirmation of payment. So I got my cc statement showing the totol charge and made a copy of it.... to take when we check in.... JUST IN CASE!

 

[Keokagal]

I've been reading all the posts for my Aug. trip to the Dolphin. Now, I have a few questions for you Dolphin experts.

My ressie is for resort view with balcony. All that the person taking my reservations told me is that I would have a view of the resort or of MGM or EPCOT. I want to make sure that I really do get a view of MGM-TOT or EPCOT, so should I have them put that specific request on my reservation?

Also, it looks like the turret rooms (king) have the best views!!! So here's my question, it looks like there is a pull out sofa, with DS8 and DD6, should I try it, or will it be too small for them?

Or should I just ask for a room at the end of the hall facing EPCOT or MGM, or will that be too much walking at the end of a long park day?

I would like to have a couple nights where I just watch fireworks from my balcony.

Kennzee,
DH and I had the top turret balconied room last July. AWSOME! But, tooooo small for children. Really, the rooms are smaller than the standard room. We've had great views w all our stays.
Have fun.

 

[chell]

What toiletries are available in the rooms? I'm trying to figure out how much to pack.

 

[paras4ri]

What toiletries are available in the rooms? I'm trying to figure out how much to pack.

Your room will have shampoo, conditioner, skin lotion and wonderful oatmeal soap. There is also a hairdryer. I believe you can ask for toothpaste at the concierge desk in the lobby.

 

[chell]

Your room will have shampoo, conditioner, skin lotion and wonderful oatmeal soap. There is also a hairdryer. I believe you can ask for toothpaste at the concierge desk in the lobby.

Thanks Gail! The shampoo, conditioner and lotion were the ones I was concerned about. I'm trying to keep from packing stuff I don't have to have.

 

[slippahs]

Looks like the Swan/Dolphin have updated their website (www.swandolphin.com) and it looks very sharp.

Of course, the "Room Request" link is still there, under the Conceirge menu bar.

 

[abitjaded]

Hey slippahs, after years and years of the peach-aqua bubble stuff, what a great change! Little do some of these sites realize, we visit just to see what is new....

Carla

 

[Kaybee]

For those of you who are going soon to the Dolphin I just wanted to let you know that they are temporarily sold out of their refillable mugs! This was a huge disappointment for us as we are regular "pop" drinkers. The week of May 10th they had a large convention of 6,000 middle/high schoolers with 2,000 chaparones and sold every mug they had. When we checked in they said they were not available for a week or more. When I left on sunday I was told that they might be even longer as they are probably going to change the look of the mugs!

 

[SueC1216]

Is the coffee maker in the Dolphin a 4 cup or 8 cup. Want to bring coffee filters with me. Thanks!

 

[LSUmom4kids]

For those of you who are going soon to the Dolphin I just wanted to let you know that they are temporarily sold out of their refillable mugs! This was a huge disappointment for us as we are regular "pop" drinkers. The week of May 10th they had a large convention of 6,000 middle/high schoolers with 2,000 chaparones and sold every mug they had. When we checked in they said they were not available for a week or more. When I left on sunday I was told that they might be even longer as they are probably going to change the look of the mugs!

Can Swan guests purchase these Dolphin refillable mugs? Especially since the 24 hr. "tubbies" replacement is located at the Dolphin and not at the Swan.

If we can and do purchase mugs, would it be out of our way to get the refills each day, or several times a day at the Dolphin? Also where can you get refills - in the hotel only or out by the pool?

 

[AndyMcV]

Looks like the Swan/Dolphin have updated their website (www.swandolphin.com) and it looks very sharp.

I was waiting for them to update their site. The old one looked horrible IMHO (as a web designer).