To get things started
I have started a photo web site. It is at
http://members2.photofun.com/Jen80370/Florida2002
So far it only has the photos we paid for at Disney, but there are a few great ones from Discovery Cove. I'll add more as I get them back from York. BTW, great tip to avoid extra stuff in carryon on the way home...get those York Photo Lab mailers and send them from the lobby as you use your film. This way it isn't damaged on the way home by x-rays. Plus it arrives a few days after you do. Just a thought.
Our cast of characters includes: Me (Jen) 31, planner of all things Disney; Bill (DH) 32, the yin to my yang; BJ (DS) almost 14, the reason for this trip his graduation from middle school; Nico (DF) 14 BJs compadre; Bob (35) DB, Gina (35) DSIL, Steven (DN) 8, Brianna (DN) 2-1/2. We had two rooms, and my brother Bob had two as well. We all flew down to MCO separately, and met up at the Dolphin.
We went from NJ to Philadelphia on the evening of June 20th, as our flight left Philly at 5:45 am. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites by the airport which is a great option because they have a Stay and Park package that includes up to ten days parking. Plus their shuttle took us right to the departures gate. I would do this again.
We stopped at the Wal-Mart by Penns Landing to stock up on soda and juice for the morning. In an effort to pad more miles onto my Starwood AMEX card before our arrival at the Dolphin, I used it. This would bite my in the butt soon enough.
Our flight left Philly on time on USAir. We had as pleasant a flight as you can at 5:45 in the AM, but it got up to Orlando by 9 even with a stopover in Charlotte.
Bill, Nico and BJ went to baggage claim as I went car shopping on Nationals Emerald Aisle. This was my first time using this service and I would gladly do it again. My brother Bob did it as well and found a Suzuki SUV. WARNING! If you grab an SUV off the aisle, you pay the SUV rate not the EA rate you obtained. Be careful. I obtained a brand new Dodge Intrepid with only 2000 miles on it. It had a huge trunk and fit all of my over packing. I went off to pick up the boys and head for the Dolphin.
We arrived at 10 AM. We tried checking in with our Starwood AMEX card, and not only was my account closed, but my husbands second account was closed as well. Turns out the clerk at Wal-Mart had erroneously entered our zip code and sent a panic through the account. (I had been doing online shopping the week before so when charges turned up in Colorado and Illinois, then Philly, they wisely got nervous.) Devi was a goddess of the front desk with her patience. I sent her goodies with Paul (from reservations) later... salt-water taffy from NJ and a box of bakery cookies from Goodings (the grocery store at the Crossings). This is a great idea to avoid melting on the plane if youd like to help remember those who helped you with your Magical holiday. Poor Devi spent almost 45 minutes helping us sort out American Express. If you were one of the families behind us that day, we are SO sorry for the delays.
Keep in mind we were about four hours early for check in. The Dolphin was WONDERFULLY accommodating. I had spoken the month before to Paul in reservations when I had cashed in my Cash and Points promotion and points upgrade to a balcony room. Thanks to Dreamflight 99 and HappyTrails2U for suggesting the Corner King rooms with the Turret balcony. It is a spectacular view and tons more space then the standard balconies. It was well worth the upgrade.
We arrived to our rooms. Our corner king was 8016. BJ and Nico were next door in 8018. The rooms were not connecting, but we were neighbors. With teenagers, it was nice to have them near without being on top of us. Bob and Gina had 10144 and 10146 upstairs. These were standard views of the front entrance. The rooms were nice (connecting) but I so preferred ours. If you have the points or the wherewithal to call reservations yourself to try for a room upgrade please do it. The views of MGM, Swan and Boardwalk are incredible. I hear the views of Epcot are even better!
The Dolphin staff had cleared the honor bar in our room (for free) to accommodate Nicos medications (which need to be refrigerated-if you need this, be sure to bring a prescription or doctors note).
Our room was gorgeous! I don't know what all the hubbub is about the Dolphin being rundown. The carpets in the hall were fine! The decor was a great beachy theme. Too loud? NO! It is appropriate for a beach setting.
I will say they need to hurry on the bed switching. They are in need of replacement. They have tried to help in the interim though...there are those strap on pillow tops now (sounds dirty I know) to give it more fluff. The bedspreads are out of date for the quality of the resort, but I am sure it will be remedied fast. I hear the Swans room renovations are under way. If a balcony is not a preference for you, ask for a refurbished room. These have Westins Heavenly Beds and new décor.
The rest of the furniture was in great shape. I love the layout of the bathroom area. The vanity is separate to let me get ready while DH is in the shower. This is a plus.
The turret balcony was SUCH a joy! It is so much bigger then the standard ones. BJ and Nicos balcony barely fit them alone. The turret was about 6X10 and was beautiful to watch the world go by. Thank you again HT and DF for tuning me into these! I only wish we couldve spent more time on them then we did. It was also a great compromise. Bill smokes, and I HATE smoking rooms. The balcony gave him a place to light up (it has a heavy door to keep it separate from the room) and by the second day, the maid had placed an ashtray out there for him.
The housekeeping was flawless! They loved the mousekeeping envelopes and were quite patient with two 14 year old boys who are not the neatest (putting it mildly). They saw DS with his stash of souvenir stuffed animals (for his female friends back home) and teased him for being too old for dolls. When he replied they were for his girl "friends" back home...they replied, "All of these should get you at least one girl friend!" He loved them. They really loved him when he started practicing his Spanish with some of them.
The oatmeal soap is heavenly! I came home with 15 bars!
As for food at the resort, Tubbis was very convenient (the boys used it almost every day) and Kimonos at the Swan has AWESOME sushi! (Try the yellowtail!)
I was crushed by one thing though...the last four days I was there...they were out of Oreos at the hotel candy shop! Their chocolate covered Oreos are legendary. I think I ate them out of house and home! LOL... The Toffee bars more then made up for it.
If you have other specific questions about the Dolphin, USAir, Philly Airport, or National, feel free to ask.
Here's a Link to the next chapter: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228858
http://members2.photofun.com/Jen80370/Florida2002
So far it only has the photos we paid for at Disney, but there are a few great ones from Discovery Cove. I'll add more as I get them back from York. BTW, great tip to avoid extra stuff in carryon on the way home...get those York Photo Lab mailers and send them from the lobby as you use your film. This way it isn't damaged on the way home by x-rays. Plus it arrives a few days after you do. Just a thought.
Our cast of characters includes: Me (Jen) 31, planner of all things Disney; Bill (DH) 32, the yin to my yang; BJ (DS) almost 14, the reason for this trip his graduation from middle school; Nico (DF) 14 BJs compadre; Bob (35) DB, Gina (35) DSIL, Steven (DN) 8, Brianna (DN) 2-1/2. We had two rooms, and my brother Bob had two as well. We all flew down to MCO separately, and met up at the Dolphin.
We went from NJ to Philadelphia on the evening of June 20th, as our flight left Philly at 5:45 am. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites by the airport which is a great option because they have a Stay and Park package that includes up to ten days parking. Plus their shuttle took us right to the departures gate. I would do this again.
We stopped at the Wal-Mart by Penns Landing to stock up on soda and juice for the morning. In an effort to pad more miles onto my Starwood AMEX card before our arrival at the Dolphin, I used it. This would bite my in the butt soon enough.
Our flight left Philly on time on USAir. We had as pleasant a flight as you can at 5:45 in the AM, but it got up to Orlando by 9 even with a stopover in Charlotte.
Bill, Nico and BJ went to baggage claim as I went car shopping on Nationals Emerald Aisle. This was my first time using this service and I would gladly do it again. My brother Bob did it as well and found a Suzuki SUV. WARNING! If you grab an SUV off the aisle, you pay the SUV rate not the EA rate you obtained. Be careful. I obtained a brand new Dodge Intrepid with only 2000 miles on it. It had a huge trunk and fit all of my over packing. I went off to pick up the boys and head for the Dolphin.
We arrived at 10 AM. We tried checking in with our Starwood AMEX card, and not only was my account closed, but my husbands second account was closed as well. Turns out the clerk at Wal-Mart had erroneously entered our zip code and sent a panic through the account. (I had been doing online shopping the week before so when charges turned up in Colorado and Illinois, then Philly, they wisely got nervous.) Devi was a goddess of the front desk with her patience. I sent her goodies with Paul (from reservations) later... salt-water taffy from NJ and a box of bakery cookies from Goodings (the grocery store at the Crossings). This is a great idea to avoid melting on the plane if youd like to help remember those who helped you with your Magical holiday. Poor Devi spent almost 45 minutes helping us sort out American Express. If you were one of the families behind us that day, we are SO sorry for the delays.
Keep in mind we were about four hours early for check in. The Dolphin was WONDERFULLY accommodating. I had spoken the month before to Paul in reservations when I had cashed in my Cash and Points promotion and points upgrade to a balcony room. Thanks to Dreamflight 99 and HappyTrails2U for suggesting the Corner King rooms with the Turret balcony. It is a spectacular view and tons more space then the standard balconies. It was well worth the upgrade.
We arrived to our rooms. Our corner king was 8016. BJ and Nico were next door in 8018. The rooms were not connecting, but we were neighbors. With teenagers, it was nice to have them near without being on top of us. Bob and Gina had 10144 and 10146 upstairs. These were standard views of the front entrance. The rooms were nice (connecting) but I so preferred ours. If you have the points or the wherewithal to call reservations yourself to try for a room upgrade please do it. The views of MGM, Swan and Boardwalk are incredible. I hear the views of Epcot are even better!
The Dolphin staff had cleared the honor bar in our room (for free) to accommodate Nicos medications (which need to be refrigerated-if you need this, be sure to bring a prescription or doctors note).
Our room was gorgeous! I don't know what all the hubbub is about the Dolphin being rundown. The carpets in the hall were fine! The decor was a great beachy theme. Too loud? NO! It is appropriate for a beach setting.
I will say they need to hurry on the bed switching. They are in need of replacement. They have tried to help in the interim though...there are those strap on pillow tops now (sounds dirty I know) to give it more fluff. The bedspreads are out of date for the quality of the resort, but I am sure it will be remedied fast. I hear the Swans room renovations are under way. If a balcony is not a preference for you, ask for a refurbished room. These have Westins Heavenly Beds and new décor.
The rest of the furniture was in great shape. I love the layout of the bathroom area. The vanity is separate to let me get ready while DH is in the shower. This is a plus.
The turret balcony was SUCH a joy! It is so much bigger then the standard ones. BJ and Nicos balcony barely fit them alone. The turret was about 6X10 and was beautiful to watch the world go by. Thank you again HT and DF for tuning me into these! I only wish we couldve spent more time on them then we did. It was also a great compromise. Bill smokes, and I HATE smoking rooms. The balcony gave him a place to light up (it has a heavy door to keep it separate from the room) and by the second day, the maid had placed an ashtray out there for him.
The housekeeping was flawless! They loved the mousekeeping envelopes and were quite patient with two 14 year old boys who are not the neatest (putting it mildly). They saw DS with his stash of souvenir stuffed animals (for his female friends back home) and teased him for being too old for dolls. When he replied they were for his girl "friends" back home...they replied, "All of these should get you at least one girl friend!" He loved them. They really loved him when he started practicing his Spanish with some of them.
The oatmeal soap is heavenly! I came home with 15 bars!
As for food at the resort, Tubbis was very convenient (the boys used it almost every day) and Kimonos at the Swan has AWESOME sushi! (Try the yellowtail!)
I was crushed by one thing though...the last four days I was there...they were out of Oreos at the hotel candy shop! Their chocolate covered Oreos are legendary. I think I ate them out of house and home! LOL... The Toffee bars more then made up for it.
If you have other specific questions about the Dolphin, USAir, Philly Airport, or National, feel free to ask.
Here's a Link to the next chapter: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228858
Looks like you all had a wonderful time! I can't wait to read more -- especially about Discovery Cove 
