Hello again,
I am sorry for the delay in getting this trip report out. I meant to start it sooner while everything was fresh, but life got in the way! I am apologizing now, as I have to upload all the pictures, so this will be very text heavy. Little recap- My husband won this trip through work- all hotel and park tickets expenses paid, some meals at hotel, along with a meals per diem.
Monday, 5/13- Travel Day. Southwest from Manchester, NH to Orlando. Smooth sailing all day. Had a long layover in Baltimore, but gave us time to sit and eat breakfast. Arrived in Orlando right around 1:30ish? The ground logistics crew (360 something?) is a mess. There were 5 different people to check in with, and they had you sorted out from when/where your flight landed, we were getting mixed in with other groups. We had to wait about 1/2 hour for our bus to get to MCO, and then from there we were off to the Dolphin. We were dropped off at the convention center entrance, and they rolled out the blue carpet for us (company color). We were still a bit early for check in, and they didn't quite have a King room available for us (we did not want a double), so we were going to wait, but we were able to snag one that just opened. Room# 11085 on the east side. When we first got up there, I was nervous because it was across from the elevator bays, and right next to the housekeeping storage area. I never once heard the elevators, and only a few times did we hear the housekeeping crew. When we first walked into the room, it did smell quite musty and I was a little unhappy. I kept reminding myself that we're not paying for this, if it gets worse, maybe we'll say something, but this is literally all that they had at that moment. When I opened the blinds, I was taken aback! While directly in front of us was a roof and one of the big shells- to the right was the Tower of Terror, and to the left the big sign for the Boardwalk and waaay in the distance I could see the Eiffel tower on top of Remy's! What a view to just sit and stare at. I could literally be sitting in the bed and looking at ToT.
We took some time to unpack and figure out our night. DH Had to go register for the week and pick up our tickets and some swag that he was given. We ventured around the hotel and pool areas to get acclimated. That night, they were throwing a neon themed welcome party. It was supposed to be outside, but got moved to the hemisphere ballrooms. Food that night was incredible-- it was a like a mix of everything they served. I remember pretzel bites, pulled pork tacos, empanadas, and much more. We stayed for a little bit and then went over to Disney Springs. This whole week they were doing work on the Dolphin Bus area, so we had to walk over to the Swan and use those buses. It was really only a 5 minute walk. The only downside to these busses is that they drop you off waaayy on the west side, near Cirque de Soleil. The official Disney busses bring you to town center. We went to the Boathouse and were able to grab a seat at the bar. It was already close to 8pm, and I was exhausted and not that hungry. DH ordered 1/2 dozen oysters (from Duxbury, MA go figure). I know I Had the blue razz drink, and he had a martini? Quick bite, we popped into World of Disney, and then we were so tired that we just went back to hotel. I wanted to try some of the advice I've seen here about using the boardwalk bus back and then walk back to the Dolphin. In the end, we should have just walked back to our bus. Note-- The Dolphin lobby gets LOUD at night. Especially if there are numerous conventions/conferences going on. That was one thing I didn't like.
I am sorry for the delay in getting this trip report out. I meant to start it sooner while everything was fresh, but life got in the way! I am apologizing now, as I have to upload all the pictures, so this will be very text heavy. Little recap- My husband won this trip through work- all hotel and park tickets expenses paid, some meals at hotel, along with a meals per diem.
Monday, 5/13- Travel Day. Southwest from Manchester, NH to Orlando. Smooth sailing all day. Had a long layover in Baltimore, but gave us time to sit and eat breakfast. Arrived in Orlando right around 1:30ish? The ground logistics crew (360 something?) is a mess. There were 5 different people to check in with, and they had you sorted out from when/where your flight landed, we were getting mixed in with other groups. We had to wait about 1/2 hour for our bus to get to MCO, and then from there we were off to the Dolphin. We were dropped off at the convention center entrance, and they rolled out the blue carpet for us (company color). We were still a bit early for check in, and they didn't quite have a King room available for us (we did not want a double), so we were going to wait, but we were able to snag one that just opened. Room# 11085 on the east side. When we first got up there, I was nervous because it was across from the elevator bays, and right next to the housekeeping storage area. I never once heard the elevators, and only a few times did we hear the housekeeping crew. When we first walked into the room, it did smell quite musty and I was a little unhappy. I kept reminding myself that we're not paying for this, if it gets worse, maybe we'll say something, but this is literally all that they had at that moment. When I opened the blinds, I was taken aback! While directly in front of us was a roof and one of the big shells- to the right was the Tower of Terror, and to the left the big sign for the Boardwalk and waaay in the distance I could see the Eiffel tower on top of Remy's! What a view to just sit and stare at. I could literally be sitting in the bed and looking at ToT.
We took some time to unpack and figure out our night. DH Had to go register for the week and pick up our tickets and some swag that he was given. We ventured around the hotel and pool areas to get acclimated. That night, they were throwing a neon themed welcome party. It was supposed to be outside, but got moved to the hemisphere ballrooms. Food that night was incredible-- it was a like a mix of everything they served. I remember pretzel bites, pulled pork tacos, empanadas, and much more. We stayed for a little bit and then went over to Disney Springs. This whole week they were doing work on the Dolphin Bus area, so we had to walk over to the Swan and use those buses. It was really only a 5 minute walk. The only downside to these busses is that they drop you off waaayy on the west side, near Cirque de Soleil. The official Disney busses bring you to town center. We went to the Boathouse and were able to grab a seat at the bar. It was already close to 8pm, and I was exhausted and not that hungry. DH ordered 1/2 dozen oysters (from Duxbury, MA go figure). I know I Had the blue razz drink, and he had a martini? Quick bite, we popped into World of Disney, and then we were so tired that we just went back to hotel. I wanted to try some of the advice I've seen here about using the boardwalk bus back and then walk back to the Dolphin. In the end, we should have just walked back to our bus. Note-- The Dolphin lobby gets LOUD at night. Especially if there are numerous conventions/conferences going on. That was one thing I didn't like.
