opinions on Dolphin

[disney3mom]

thinking of staying here for 8 nights in June with 3 girls (12, 9 and 7) and 2 adults. Girls think it looks GREAT and really won't mind the small room with 2 beds and one bathroom (Wonder how long that will last!!)


how long is the walk to EPCOT and MGM/HS???

Is the pool great? Beach looks cool but will it be crowded and hot????

Others suggest 2 rooms at a value for @ 300.00 more.

please give info on actually staying at the Dolphin!!!!!

Can't decide, Can't decide, can't decide!!!

 

[newholidayx2]

will they LET you stay at Dolphin with 3 kids / 2 adults - 1 room?

 

[disney3mom]

Yes!! The rooms are available for 5 people at the Dolphin (not the swan)!!

I did not know this!!

 

[qtzar]

Personally I think the quality of this hotel has gone downhill over the years since I first started staying there about 5 years ago.

The rooms are small for the amount of people you say will be staying there, you will be getting under each others feet and be killing each other within a few days.

I won't stay at the Dolphin ever again and if I want to be in that area of WDW then the Boardwalk or Beachclub are better options. ( Not the Swan, same hotel chain as Dolphin )

 

[DoOverDreams]

I have to weigh in on this one. I too have stayed at the Dolphin for the past 5 years. The hotel has always been just so-so, but this past year it was absolutely awful. The rooms are very shabby and run down, even though they were supposed to have been just redone. The people at the front desk are definitely not Disney cast members, and the attitude shows. This is not a Disney hotel, it's a Starwood hotel.

I'm a Starwood Platinum member, which means I'm used to upgrading everywhere I go. And I travel a lot for business. They not only would not upgrade us, but we were placed in an absolutely terrible room on the ground floor, furthest from the elevator that we could possibly be and still be staying in the hotel. The reason I mention this is cause for the next 3 days after we checked in lots of our friends were telling us what great rooms they got with free upgrades, and they weren't even SPG members. Sorry, lots of griping, I know. We tried talking to someone while we were there but no luck. I also sent a letter to Starwood, but never heard back. Ok, that was totally off topic. Sorry. But, boy, it felt good to get that off my chest!

A plus, Peekaboo Cafe (which will always be Tubby's to me) has absolutely the best pizza ever. And they are open 24 hours. Huge plus.

The location is nice. Walking to Epcot or Studios is great, or taking the boat. Walking to the Boardwalk is great too.

Some real negatives: you can't charge things to your hotel key, and most shops will not deliver packages to your room. Nor can you use the not-so-magical express (which isn't a big deal to me).

We were so disappointed with this last trip. Which ended up being the best thing that could have happened us, cause it was finally the incentive we needed to go out and buy DVC! We now own at SSR and won't have to subject ourselves to Dolphin ever again.

Woo, long post. Anyhow, you will get lots of positives and negatives with any hotel question you ask. Sorry this one is so negative, but I personally would say try the Boardwalk Villa 1 bedroom instead. The rooms are fantastic, price might even be better, and it's a "real" Disney hotel.

 

[flynnmnstr]

We've stayed there at least once a year since 2000. And we love it. The location is phenomenal and we love love the dining options and the pool. The Boardwalk and BC/YC are wonderful also but many times the special room rates at the Dolphin are hundreds of dollars less.

We have always had wonderful experiences with the staff and have always found our rooms clean. I remember there was one time that there was a problem with something and I can't remember what it was but it was fixed quickly-- it might have been the ac unit or balcony door or something.

As far as upgrades and room location, we really never really care where our room is. The Dolphin is tough because of the way its set up. On the lower floors you sometimes have to take the elevator up, walk across the lobby, just to go back down. With strollers bags and kids that could be tough, but we've done it before. One year we had a great room that overlooked the water but the shuttle boat horns kept waking up our son and they were so booked they couldn't move us anywhere-- we all adjusted. OUR all time fav location was on the 3 rd floor lobby level. With our strollers and boys it was our fav fav fav location. I would request that floor every trip if I could.

I say stay at the Dolphin. It will work for 5 people. The location is tops and you can definitely get a better rate than the BC/YC or Boardwalk. Pool area is great and the dining at the hotel is really good also.

 

[daisyduck123]

Last July, we spent 3 nights at the Dolphin, before checking into BCV for 7 nights.

One word describes our room on the 15th floor - "damp". Prior to our arrival, I had read about the damp rooms here on the DIS, but had forgotten about them until the 2nd day of our trip. Then I said to DH, "Wait a minute. I read about these damp rooms on the DISboards!!"

Anything wet we hung up (towels, bathing suits, etc.) just DID NOT dry.

Otherwise...the place is very nice, but does not compare to BCV...where we're heading back to this summer.

 

[ratherbe@Disney]

The Dolphin is the one property hotel that we've stayed at the most over the years. Our most recent visit was just this past October. The Dolphin is in a great location. The boats to the parks and activities at the Boardwalk are some of our favorite things. And we LOVE Picabu macaroni and cheese. I wish they'd ship me some.

On the Pro side: Great location, good value if you get a discounted rate compared to Disney properties, excellent macaroni and cheese.

On the Con side: It isn't Disney. If you'd stayed in Disney hotels, you'll miss the Disney touches and theming.

Hope you enjoy! It is worth it.

 

[Blondie]

We love the Swan and Dolphin resorts. I just posted several links to past stays at the Dolphin with many photos:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1567343&page=115

There's also tons of great info within that thread as well.

I don't consider the rooms small at all, they're definitely larger than the Disney value and moderate resorts.

We've never had a damp or moldy room, always had impeccable housekeeping and we love being able to walk to Epcot!

True, it's not "disney" but after a full day at the parks, it's nice to return to a place where disney isn't in your face everywhere you turn.

 

[aarmando20]

thinking of staying here for 8 nights in June with 3 girls (12, 9 and 7) and 2 adults. Girls think it looks GREAT and really won't mind the small room with 2 beds and one bathroom (Wonder how long that will last!!)


how long is the walk to EPCOT and MGM/HS???

Is the pool great? Beach looks cool but will it be crowded and hot????

Others suggest 2 rooms at a value for @ 300.00 more.

please give info on actually staying at the Dolphin!!!!!

Can't decide, Can't decide, can't decide!!!

First off let me say I have stayed at the Swan/Dolphin 6 times over the last 2 years and each stay is better than the last one I am actually going back to the Swan in June for 12 nights. To answer some of your questions:

It is about a 10 minute walk to Epcot and a 20 minute walk to DHS.

The pool is great. It is shared with the Swan but I have never seen it over crowed. The beach doesn't really get crowded but it is also shared with the Swan. es it will be very hot in June but they do have a sprinkler system on the beach so you can get cooled off.

 

[kapoof]

i just got back from the dolphin 2 weeks ago. the beds are wonderful so is the coffee. we had a great view of the swan and we could see the tot and epcot fireworks. the staff was very very good. my only complaint and this is not really the dolphins fault is that i did miss the disney themeing. this is a very nice clean beautiful resort and i didn't find the dampness in the rooms talked about at all. have a nice trip whatever you decide!

 

[tgropp]

We have stayed at the Dolphin numerous times and will be there again in December. We have always been upgraded in the slower seasons and we always register using our SPG card. The rooms will hold 5 people but there is a charge for a cot. The location is great and it is true they do lack the Disney feeling in the hotel but once you step outside it's there. The pool and beach are fantastic and the service is great. Once while getting 6 drinks at the pool bar for the rest of my family who were laying by the beach, the bartender realized that I had my hands full and without being asked carried them over for me, and it was a long walk. The boat access is handy and you are close to the Boardwalk. It is also at least 1/2 price cheaper than the Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club. They are beautiful hotels just not worth twice as much as the Dolphin ,IMHO.

 

[Threehearts]

I have to agree with some of the above posters. We just returned last weekend(mother-son getaway) and despite the highest Starwood Pref. Guest level, we were once again denied any type of upgrade. We stay in Starwood hotels about 40 times a year on business/pleasure. I actually asked the front desk why it is that this is the only property where SPG elite receive nothing. This trip also found us once again, with 3 pools taken out of use and most of the pool chairs removed at 10am and 12 noon for a conference dinner. Many of the guests were left to broil on the beach as they were about 300 chairs short of the needed seating at the large pool. The poolside restaurant also closed down which was a pain. Our room was so bad that my ten year old remarked, "It's like a jail Mom, without the bars." I find myself going tothe Dolphin for award stays only at this point although up until a year ago, I thought that it was pleasant enough for the price. The bus service continues to be good and the 24 restaurant is a plus. What bothers me most is that I did not reserve partial amenities, I reserved all of the listed ones. I also had to pay a resort fee for questionable resort quality. They really should have restored some of my points used for this stay. Threehearts

 

[Samsma]

We have only stayed on points - four nights in 2004 at the Dolphin and 5 nights in 2006 at the Swan. Not even for free would I stay at the Swan again. Possibly the Dolphin. We didn't receive bad service, the room was just damp and molding smelling. You couldn't open the door to the balcony or the a/c would go off. The pools are great, the beds are great, the food is good, the rooms suck. Also the location from the elevators can seem miles and miles down the nasty carpet of the hallways. I didn't bring any slippers with me and I would literally put on my sandals in the middle of the night before going to the bathroom.

 

[NMAmy]

We love the Dolphin--it's our prefered place to stay at WDW.

The location is great. I'm an SPG member and I have always gotten an upgrade--even during Christmas or Spring Break. We usually book a standard view with the gov't discount and at least get an Epcot view, if not a balcony, as well. Our last visit was the first week of March 2008.

We like the rooms--have not had a damp one in the 6 visits we've made there. The beds are fabulous. And the staff have always gone out of their way to make our stay wonderful. Picabu's is a favorite--we love the 24 hour service and they have a much wider variety than the CS places at the WDW deluxes we've stayed at.

It's all a matter of personal preference--but a lot of folks on here and everyone who I've recommended it to IRL has loved it.

 

[DianeV]

We stayed in October and received an upgrade too from the standard govt. rate room. We have the AAA SPG partner card if that matters. We were waaay up above the shell fountain thing facing partially the Swan but we could see MGM and EPCOT great - no balcony as its that triangle part but we loved the view

Our room was very clean and not damp and the kids love the pool there