(review continued)
Food options:
We only stopped a few times at Fuel and the Fountains (for ice cream) so we didn’t take much advantage of the actual dining options. Fuel was convenient for a quick snack but I can’t speak much for the actual food options, they did have a decent breakfast sandwich selection. I had the Mickey waffles one morning which were the exact same as what I was served at the Riviera a few days later in the trip, so two thumbs up for the waffles! We shared a small cup of ice cream one night and were able to get two flavors, a nice option for late nights.
Small order of ice cream from the Fountain, two flavors are allowed. Two small scoops, about $8.
Three Mickey waffles were about $9, fresh and hot!
Not sure if it is a new mix but the waffles on this trip were denser than I remembered, very good and more filling!
Several soft serve options at Fuel including Dole Whip, priced by weight.
Toppings are packaged to go, no perishable toppings. Banana runts...I might judge anyone grabbing those...
Less judgement over these toppings.
There was a microwave in Fuel by the fro yo, I imagine it's for anyone to use.
Dolphin employees:
Everyone I encountered was friendly! The front desk, bell services, cabana hut, pool boys, Fuel workers, all great. We asked about transferring luggage to Disney resorts and it occurs from 6am-11am, the earlier you drop your luggage the earlier they will get it to your resort. We asked about a 9:30 drop off and the bell hop guessed 3:30-4 for the bags being ready. They guarantee by 7pm. We have AirTags in luggage and dropped it off at 9am and saw it was at our next resort around 2:00, and it may have been there a while. Make sure you tell them you are transferring vs holding luggage as I believe it’s a different tag.
Cost:
With the AP rate for 11/24-11/27 Thurs-Sun and the holiday weekend it was $892 for three nights, inclusive of all fees, for a balcony room. I think the cheapest room was maybe $100 cheaper over the stay. I booked direct through Marriott and checked rates frequently, I booked originally in XXXX and modified half a dozen times online every time I saw the rate drop. I think I modified for the lowest rate in late August, which was after the resort fee went from $35 to $40. On check in and check out I was given the $35 resort fee, so my final bill was $17 less than the amount online when I rebooked, which I appreciated. This is in line with the Disney moderates discounted with an AP rate.
Room key card holder from check-in, notice the $35 resort fee.
Other:
We did use the big pool once and it was nice, a little chilly but more than enough seating and the kids were all well behaved. I think there were 3 hot tubs which was nice, of course they were never empty during the day! We didn’t order anything at the pool but the delivery to your seat was a cool perk. We did not have to show a room key for the pool towels. Since the pool area is accessible to anyone, I’d be cautious leaving stuff out. We kept an eye on our loungers and only brought minimal items, hid phone in shoe, etc. I don’t think it’d be an issue but since the pool isn’t enclosed and is easy to access from the Boardwalk area it’s good to be careful.
Huge normal sized bath towels given at the pool, beats the usual skimpy pool towels.
We used the paddle boats, it’s in a nice little enclosed pond(?) so it’s not like you could get stuck anywhere. It is a workout and one person can go alone, we saw a man with a dog on one! One little lap was enough for us. They are free, you just sign your name as a waiver at the cabana hut first where the towels are, and they give you a pass. I believe it ends at 4:30 every day.
Make sure to stop at the Cabana hut by the pool to get your free "pass" prior to getting on a paddle boat!
Overall:
I would say the Dolphin is like a moderate room-wise, with Deluxe transportation! So I would definitely book Dolphin before I book a Disney moderate again. (And I already have two more short stays booked!) I know some people like Disney being in their face but that doesn’t matter to us. We stay on property for the benefits of dining reservations, extra park hours, ride reservations, proximity to parks, etc. I do not need Mickey art everywhere to feel like I’m at Disney. It was a little funny going up the walkway to the Dolphin and hearing the Backstreet Boys!
Walking and boating to the parks was brand new to us and I can’t imagine going back to a resort that requires a bus to all 4 parks! With the Magical Express gone, S/D are practically the same as Disney resorts right now. We never charge to Magicbands anymore since we buy discounted gift cards and use those, and the Marriott app room key worked perfectly. We stayed at the Riviera for the second half of our trip and while that was an upgrade, it wasn’t like I’d be disappointed to stay at the Dolphin if the order was flipped. Given the cost difference, I’d say the Dolphin is a steal with the AP rate.
We had no issues buying and booking
Genie+, I did not do any paid individual lightning lanes this trip. I did rebook all our park reservations just before the trip as I heard some people had issues with their reservations that were made before Disney made it possible to modify park reservations. Not sure if this was necessary but I didn’t want to risk it. I did the Cosmic Rewind VQ and had no issues there either. Overall, we had a really good stay at the Dolphin and I’m excited to stay there again. We did a lot of evenings in the Boardwalk area and it was wonderful to be back in our room in under 15 minutes.