We just got back yesterday and had a wonderful stay at the Dolphin!
Our experience with Tiffany Towncar was wonderful. Our driver was waiting for us at the baggage claim area and was very patient when our luggage was delayed for over a half hour. We were upgraded to a Lincoln Navigator SUV type of vehicle and our grocery stop was just what we needed. He handed us a card when we arrived at the airport with all of the return info we needed and we were on our way to find out where our room was!
The people at the regular check-in desk unfortunately were less than friendly and seemed to have many problems with multiple people. I was about fifth in line, and each person in front of me was complaining about some mistake that was made. About 25 minutes after waiting in line, it was my turn. I took out my teacher ID and passed it over to her, and she insisted my room rate was $120 more a night than I was quoted, and that was the "going" teacher rate. Good thing I had printed out my reservation info as she looked at it and said "oh". No sorry, then handed me my room keys and the info on the Dolphin and told me I was on the fourth floor (after I had requested months ago to have the highest floor possible
). Oh well, I wasn't going to let the check-in process spoil things so we had a bellman help us with our luggage and off we went to our room.
We had paid for the Epcot fireworks view...and at first I was disappointed by the fourth floor view, but grew to be ok with it. There is a line of palm trees that blocked our view from seeing Spaceship Earth (or as DD calls it "the Epcot ball") in its entirety, but we could see a bit of it peeking through the trees. I did ask if there was anything else available but because it was Easter weekend, no one would be checking out til Monday and I did not want to move again so we just stayed put. I was pleasantly surprised by the space in the room. I thought the Poly was spacious and the Dolphin room/beds seemed similar to the Poly ones
Our balcony was nice, and I enjoyed watching the boats come and go and we did catch the fireworks three nights from our balcony. It was also fun to watch the people riding those big family bikes from the BW...we got a kick out of many families who just couldn't pedal the bikes and a few Dads were pushing the bikes from behind !
My one gripe about the Dolphin was the refrigerator...it was on high and was barely cold. I had bought milk and cheese from the grocery store, and they both went bad by day three because it was just not cold enough. I asked other people on the buses if they had the same problem, and they all agreed fridge was not cold.
The transportation was excellent! We never waited more than 5-10 mins for a boat to either HS or Epcot and the same on the way back. We did end up walking back from Epcot almost every night. We tried both paths...a few nights past the BW to catch the jugglers and play some games, and other nights past the YC/BC as my DD loved the baby ducks on the beach and the baby bunnies running around the Dolphin! Both paths were about 15 mins at a fairly brisk walk. Buses were also very efficient. The longest wait we had was to the MK on the morning it opened at 7am...we got down there at six am as we were told they start running an hour prior. That day, the bus didn't arrive until 6:45, then we went to the BW to pick up more people. We didn't make it for rope drop, but still had plenty of time before the crowds made their way into the park. The worst bus was to AK, as we shared with all Epcot resorts plus a stop to Blizzard Beach. The bus always came quickly, but the Dolphin was the second stop so we had to then go to YC then BC then BW then BB before we went to AK. We didn't go to DTD so not sure what the pickup schedule was like. There was always room on the bus, and we never had to wait for a second one, even during this crowded Easter week!
I can't talk about the restaurants at all! We had breakfast in the room every morning and ate in the parks for lunch and dinner. We did try to get ice cream one night from the Fountain, but waited at the counter for 20 minutes with one more person to go in front of us and decided we really didn't want to wait a half hour to get an ice cream cone. They seemed understaffed at the walk up counter- only one person doing ice cream there for a fairly good crowd of people who were waiting. We did eat poolside and ordered food from the poolside bar at the Dolphin and it was fantastic! We had the flatbread (best I've had in a long time), grilled cheese, and a sandwich and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality. I would definitely order from there again, plus they deliver it to you wherever you are laying by the pool!
The Fountain was always busy no matter what time of day we walked by, and Picabu was not. Fresh was closed our entire stay.
All in all, we were very happy with the Dolphin and everything it offered, and we will be going back again next year. The beds are definitely amazing. So comfortable it felt like a warm little cloud. Had a hard time sleeping many nights because of discourteous neighbors, but not the fault of the Dolphin. I am still amazed at the number of parents who allow their kids to run down the halls screaming at 1:00-3:00am!
It was very hot this week....between 92-97 degrees outside every day and our AC was nice and cool when we returned!
Housekeeping did a great job with the room and always replenished the products. I liked the body lotion...smelled really nice! And speaking of smells, I love the scent they pipe into the lobby. Made me smile every time we walked in. That scent, as well as the one emanating from the Mandara Spa. When we walked off the elevator, I loved seeing the little Buddha statue lit up with a candle reflecting off the water, and the smell of aromatherapy coming from the spa...even though I never used it, I loved walking by it every day!
So, I never thought I'd love any hotel more than the Poly, but guess what? I'd trade the Poly for the Dolphin any day!
There is so much more going on around the Dolphin, the lobby is just as beautiful with all the fountains, and the transportation to the HS and Epcot is priceless. The Epcot view was just as relaxing as the Poly theme park view, and the beds are much more comfortable than any deluxe bed from Disney. There are five pools to choose from, and the grotto pool area is beautiful with a really long stretch of beach to relax and play on with hammocks, volleyball, soccer nets, etc. There is a great full service bar with great food, the Boardwalk nearby for nighttime entertainment, and two choices of nighttime shows: Illuminations or Fantsmic! For the price of the Dolphin over Disney's deluxe resorts, I have been won over...I am now a Starwood member and am already planning our next trip to Disney! (just deciding on if I should try the Swan next year to try something a little different!) If anyone has any questions, please let me know. And as soon as I get some pics loaded, I'll post some!
Thanks again to everyone on here who helped me plan this vacation...I'm really glad I ended up at the Dolphin and can't wait to go back next year! (and the chocolate martini from the bar and the Slushies from France in Epcot were absolutely amazing BTW!
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