Our stay at the Dolphin was wonderful!

[Mazzy]

We returned from the Dolphin last week and I thought I would post to say what a wonderful stay we had. We stayed Sept 21 to Oct 1.

All my requests were granted, and we got a renovated room on the 4th floor of the East Wing. What a wonderful view of the fireworks we had! We couldn't quite see the EPCOT ball because of the palm trees but I wanted the Heavenly Bed so was happy with the 4th floor as the bed was so wonderfully comfy!

As Starwood members we were treated VERY well. We couldn't get the air-con working cool enough so someone came up (very quickly) and it was just DH not setting it right, but we got a phone message saying they were giving us 500 extra points for our troubles. Then we had a blocked loo (the kids didn't flush!) and we got another 500 points for that! We also had a cool tub of 6 bottles of beer delivered as a 'gift' - I assume this is because we were Starwood members? The only bugbear I had was some nights I'd get into bed and the bottom sheet hadn't been straightened out properly - but that is the only complaint I had.

Coral Cafe is now closed and a new restaurant is being opened called Blue Zoo(?) sorry if that's wrong!

Bus transportation was very efficient and we always got on the first bus, no queues.

There was a really big convention while we were there and they turned the beach area into 'Little Havana' for the delegates in the evening. I am from the UK and had never seen anything like this - it must have cost a fortune - it was like a film set! The hotel was quite 'busy' with the delegates but it never affected the transportation to the parks, or the pool. Each time we used the pool there was hardly anyone there - I had the hot tub to myself on both occasions - bliss!

This was our second stay at the Dolphin but we enjoyed it more this time round as our Starwood membership helped us get such a great room and a great rate!

Any questions I would be glad to answer if I can.

 

[madge]

Originally posted by Mazzy
We returned from the Dolphin last week and I thought I would post to say what a wonderful stay we had. We stayed Sept 21 to Oct 1.

All my requests were granted, and we got a renovated room on the 4th floor of the East Wing. What a wonderful view of the fireworks we had! We couldn't quite see the EPCOT ball because of the palm trees but I wanted the Heavenly Bed so was happy with the 4th floor as the bed was so wonderfully comfy!

As Starwood members we were treated VERY well. We couldn't get the air-con working cool enough so someone came up (very quickly) and it was just DH not setting it right, but we got a phone message saying they were giving us 500 extra points for our troubles. Then we had a blocked loo (the kids didn't flush!) and we got another 500 points for that! We also had a cool tub of 6 bottles of beer delivered as a 'gift' - I assume this is because we were Starwood members? The only bugbear I had was some nights I'd get into bed and the bottom sheet hadn't been straightened out properly - but that is the only complaint I had.

Coral Cafe is now closed and a new restaurant is being opened called Blue Zoo(?) sorry if that's wrong!

Bus transportation was very efficient and we always got on the first bus, no queues.

There was a really big convention while we were there and they turned the beach area into 'Little Havana' for the delegates in the evening. I am from the UK and had never seen anything like this - it must have cost a fortune - it was like a film set! The hotel was quite 'busy' with the delegates but it never affected the transportation to the parks, or the pool. Each time we used the pool there was hardly anyone there - I had the hot tub to myself on both occasions - bliss!

This was our second stay at the Dolphin but we enjoyed it more this time round as our Starwood membership helped us get such a great room and a great rate!

Any questions I would be glad to answer if I can.

we were there at the same time (Sept 27-Oct 3) and had almost identical experiences my kids didn't back up the loo though, LOL. Dis you get a welcome letter at check-in from the general manager? We did, and I'm assuming it's because we are SPG gold....

that party was something, alright.....it was LOUD over at the West Wing

 

[Mazzy]

Hi Madge

No we didnt' get the Welcome Letter but the beer made up for that!

I would image that in the West Wing the party was very loud! We heard the fireworks going off and we were in the East Wing. I can't believe they actually let off fireworks, after all the EPCOT fireworks just over the way, no expense was spared was it? Do you know what kind of company it was? I think it was called Deloitte or something like that wasn't it? I did think that most of the delegates looked pretty miserable!

 

[madge]

Originally posted by Mazzy
Hi Madge

No we didnt' get the Welcome Letter but the beer made up for that!

I would image that in the West Wing the party was very loud! We heard the fireworks going off and we were in the East Wing. I can't believe they actually let off fireworks, after all the EPCOT fireworks just over the way, no expense was spared was it? Do you know what kind of company it was? I think it was called Deloitte or something like that wasn't it? I did think that most of the delegates looked pretty miserable!

I looked it up when we got home--it is a consulting company. I agree--it was a pretty serious convention. Lots of men, doing important work, LOL.

I sent a letter to the Dolphin about the noise--it would have been nice to know about it ahead of time.....especially the fireworks.

 

[Jackie H.]

Mazzy,

It sounds wonderful!! We are staying at the Dolphin for the first time this December.

What was your room number? Did you have a balcony?

You said you got all your requests...how did you make these requests? Did you fax them in a few days before your arrival or what?

How do I become a Starwood member?

Thanks!

 

[bigsky]

We're going to be staying there next month. We just got upgraded on our land/sea pkg.
I"d love to have an Epcot view. Is that a water view as well?
Is the East wing better than the West wing?? What's the difference? Do they have a schedule for the buses? What time do they arrive in the morning?
How far is AK and MK from there? How long does it usually take to get there? The boat rides are close to Epcot and Mgm..
Easy to get back to the hotels from each one?
We've never been and just not sure what to expect. But glad we're staying at the Dolphin..

Sorry for all the questions. Just need to know what to ask for. I want a renovated room for sure! But since this is a free upgrade, I'm guessing we won't get all we want.

Thanks,
laura

 

[swilphil]

Jackie--You become a Starwood member by going to spg.com. It's free. Make sure you call the Starwood 800 number and have your Starwood member number added to your reservation. You can make requests by going to swandolphin.com and clicking on Special Requests under reservations. Then you can check your account at the spg.com website to see if you've been upgraded. We were only upgraded a week before we left. I believe they do room assignments on Friday. If you don't get an upgrade, be sure to ask at check in. On most floors every other room has a balcony. You should request that also if it's important to you.

Laura--You might want to join Starwood as well for a better chance at an upgrade. I do know that you can get an Epcot view on the East Wing, but not all East Wing rooms have Epcot views. The West Wing is closer to the Grotto pool. The buses arrive at least every 15 minutes (sometimes more often) beginning an hour before park opening. It seemed like it took about 20 minutes on the bus to get to MK and a little less to get to AK, but I wasn't really paying attention to the time with two toddlers to look after. Epcot and MGM are super close. We walked to Epcot in about 10 minutes, and took the boat to MGM in about 15 minutes. There aren't any stops between Swan/Dolphin and MGM, but there are 4 before you get to Epcot. You can walk to MGM as well, but there always seemed to be a boat there when we were leaving.

If you happen to be doing MK and Epcot back to back, you can take the monorail to and from Epcot and then walk/boat to the hotel.

 

[madge]

Originally posted by swilphil
Jackie--You become a Starwood member by going to spg.com. It's free. Make sure you call the Starwood 800 number and have your Starwood member number added to your reservation. You can make requests by going to swandolphin.com and clicking on Special Requests under reservations. Then you can check your account at the spg.com website to see if you've been upgraded. We were only upgraded a week before we left. I believe they do room assignments on Friday. If you don't get an upgrade, be sure to ask at check in. On most floors every other room has a balcony. You should request that also if it's important to you.

Laura--You might want to join Starwood as well for a better chance at an upgrade. I do know that you can get an Epcot view on the East Wing, but not all East Wing rooms have Epcot views. The West Wing is closer to the Grotto pool. The buses arrive at least every 15 minutes (sometimes more often) beginning an hour before park opening. It seemed like it took about 20 minutes on the bus to get to MK and a little less to get to AK, but I wasn't really paying attention to the time with two toddlers to look after. Epcot and MGM are super close. We walked to Epcot in about 10 minutes, and took the boat to MGM in about 15 minutes. There aren't any stops between Swan/Dolphin and MGM, but there are 4 before you get to Epcot. You can walk to MGM as well, but there always seemed to be a boat there when we were leaving.

If you happen to be doing MK and Epcot back to back, you can take the monorail to and from Epcot and then walk/boat to the hotel.

yes, that is exactly what I would suggest (saved me a lot of typing, LOL ) You might get a comp upgrade if the hotel isn't busy. if you have AAA, check out this link www.starwood.com/aaa that will give you a bump to "preferred plus" as opposed to just regular SPG status.

we have stayed at the Dolphin 4 times--we prefer the East Wing, but really, we have never had a bad view. We always book a resort view with balcony.

the idea of doing MK and Epcot back-to-back is a good one. We did that several times (our daughter HATES the bus). The S/D is the first bus stop at the MK, so that is helpful.

Enjoy your stay

 

[rlduvall]

We were at BWV September 27 - October 1. When we saw the fireworks after Illuminations (wasn't that on September 30th?) we were shocked. We couldn't figure out what warranted such extensive fireworks. You could tell that was an expensive shoot-out. Now we know, lol. Thanks.

 

[bigsky]

Thanks for the suggestions. We've never been there before. We'll only be there from Wed night (pre night for our land/sea pkg) to Sunday. So our actual full days at WDW is Thurs. (Thanksgiving) - Sat. We have a lot to do in not much time. We were planning on doing Epcot on Thanksgiving. AK and MK on the same day, Friday.
Then Saturday do MGM and if we just want to spend the whole day there ...do that or 1/2 day there and 1/2 day at Typ. Lag. But I"m guessing we'll just want to spend the whole day at MGM since we've never been. So the back to back won't work...
BUT, my ? is..can u take the boat FROM MK to the Dolphin. That's what I thought I understood. That would be nice if we could!

Do we have to take a bus from AK to MK??

I'm just loving our location now. Will be much easier on us.

HOw do you join Starwood? Is that ONLY through AAA?

Thanks for all your help guys. Love this board!!

Laura

 

[Mouseteacher]

Laura~ The only way from Dolphin to MK and AK is by bus. From MK to AK and MGM is by bus and vice versa. You can take a quick boat trip from Dolphin to MGM and Epcot or walk to both locations (approx 10 minutes to Epcot and 15 min to MGM - you can to the Boardwalk, too). The buses from the Dolphin are usually AK/Blizzard Beach, MK, and DTD /Typhoon Lagoon.

Re: joining spg - it's free - go to www.spg.com to join.

 

[swilphil]

Laura--If you have children, I would skip AK. Since you only have 3 days total at the parks, you will want to spend at least one full day at MK. The crowds will be really high on Friday (but probably the best day to go during your stay) so you will need at least a full day to wait in line for MK highlights.

Make sure where ever you go to get there early! Also I'd skip the Water Park. The Dolphin has the grotto pool with the slide, plus you'll have lots of water on your cruise!

There is no boat from the Dolphin to MK. The bus service is very good. If the crowds are really big, you can catch the bus at the Swan. It's the first stop on the route, and as soon as the bus is full it heads to the park.

See my previous post on how to join Starwood. It's free and open to everyone.

 

[swilphil]

Mouseteacher--This is the second time today that I have posted at the same time you did. You beat me each time!

 

[Mouseteacher]

Sherri~ great minds think alike ! I'm now headed off to cook dinner.

 

[bigsky]

Thanks again!

We do have kids. They'll be 13 and 15. We used to live about 1/2 hr away from Disneyland. So we used to go there a lot. So we know what MK will be like. So that's why we opted to do 1/2 day. I really want to hit AK. But I agree about the water park. We'll skip it and just have to go next time!

On the cruise, we plan to go to ATlantis and hit all those water rides. So I guess since we've never been to WDW, we should get as much in.

Yes, it will be crowded indeed! We'll just have to make the most of it. I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time! I can't wait.

Yes, we plan to get there very early. I'd like to do EE each day. That's why we did our schedule as is.

ok..have to figure out dinner as well. It's Friday..so that probably means order a pizza! I need it after a week of kids at school!

 

[bigsky]

ONe more question..I went to the site. Do you have to get a credit card to join Starwood? I don't want another one of those. But just joining is fine. What other benefits do you get? Is this with all hotels?

Thanks!!
Laura

 

[Mouseteacher]

No, Laura, you don't need to get the credit card. You become a Preferred spg. The credit card would get you Gold level and ability to earn points each time you use it.. The hotels are all Westin, W, Sheratons,etc. You can see a list of them at the bottom of the web site.

A major benefit is using your membership to ask for complimentary upgrades.

Don't hesitate to ask if you need further clarification.

 

[dreamflight99]

Thank you for such a detailed and wonderful post! You experienced the BEST of the WDW and SPG all the way around. I'm so pleased everything worked~out for the best, and all of you enjoyed your Holiday. Thank you, again, for a great post!

TTFN....DF99

 

[Mazzy]

Hi everone.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to answer any questions but it looks like my pals from the Resort Board have fixed everyone up with answers - so thanks Guys!

Just to mention that we had room 4-019 and it was a balcony room. I would have liked to have been a bit higher up, but the heavenly bed was worth sacrificing the height for!

We did venture up to the 22 Floor to find the viewing balcony and it was absolutely brilliant and scary at the same time as their was an almighty storm going on - thanks to whoever gave that info out on the board here!

We had such a wonderful stay and I just can't wait to go back again but it looks like being March/April 2005 at the moment

Does anyone know how far ahead Entertainment rates are available? I guess it's too early yet, but it's just nice to have something actually booked isn't it?