"...to 'S/D or NOT to 'S/D', that is the Question...."
....so, I decided to stay at a 'non'-Disney resort this time out because the price really was too good to pass up. Originally running somewhere in the neighborhood of $350/night, I got a 'special' of $189/nt at the Dolphin, which was an 'unadvertised Teachers' Rate. Of course, the Dolphin has its pros and cons - one being that it isn't 'Disney' themed , nor is it Disney-owned. However, one certainly cannot refute its great location. Several of the main points I had to weigh out were the fact that renovations were underway throughout the S/D (talk about poor timing!) AND there was that urban legend - do the rooms have a musty smell or don't they?
When all was said and done (and because I ALWAYS 'do my homework'...
! ) we actually only paid $159 for the first night and $179 thereafter....rather money in MY pocket than THEIRS, I always say.....
The first room that we had recieved upon check-in was very clean and conveniently located DIRECTLY off the East elevator, on the 7th floor. The bathroom had MY personal favorites - Bath'n'Body toiletries in two of my FAVORITE scents - Warm Vanilla Sugar and Coconut Lime Verbena!
....however, the combination of these two fragrant smells could not overtake the apparent slight musty odor that permeated the room. I also didn't care for that fact that our room did not have a balcony - hence, no sliding door(or window) to speak of. Our view was a view into what seemed like a vast 'nothingness' - all I COULD see out our window was MK in the far-off distance - nothing else. Of course, looking directly below, one could see the roof of the lobby area, since I could distinguish the rotunda-shaped spire beneath us. The next morning, I visited the front desk and requested a room change. I'm not going to get into specifics - suffice it to say, the young lady was NOT happy with me, and showed her displeasure by putting us in LITERALLY the very last room in the LONGEST hallway possible...this, in spite of the fact that I specifically explained that I have osteoarthritis in my knee and cannot walk far. However, on the brighter side, the room was very sunny and pleasant and not one iota of a smell to be found....
...this was our room....dead-center....
[...our view, to the right of our balcony]
....unbeknownst to me, when our personal effects were moved to the new room, it also 'downgraded' us, so-to-speak. We were no longer entitled to the Bath-and-Body soaps and shampoos which had been extravagantly placed in the sink and tub areas of our former room. My main concern was to not be stuck in a room that definitely had that musty odor - I didn't realize it was such an incovenience on the part of that young lady at the front desk. We did have a nice view of ToT, however, as we walked from the lobby to our room:
....and, the S/D grounds are quite lovely...
...and of course, nothing quite beats a fantastic view of Tot at night, especially when displayed with its eerie bluish-purple hue...
...the S/D is a bastion of activity for all ages - from its host of water sports and pool choices, the restaurants, a world-class fitness center, and the special holiday activities for kids of all ages....all in all, I got a lot of 'bang-for-my-buck' and wouldn't hesistate to stay here again...next time, I'll make it a point to bring along my previously, errrr, 'confiscated' Mickey soaps for that true 'Mickey ambiance'.....BTW ~ there is a character breakfast here on Sundays, for those who are interested....
EDIT:
As far as the 'Mystery of the Bath Products' goes, I was surprised to find that there were no Bath'n'Body items in our new room. Figuring that it was merely an oversight, I immediately called
Guest Services to inquire about the blatant absence of said toiletries. The pleasant person on the other end of the phone ASSURED me that the soaps and shampoos would be sent to my room at my earliest convenience. By the end of that evening when there was STILL no Coconut Lime Verbena soaps in the room, I again called. Again, I was told that it would be noted and someone would provide these 'trinkets'.....by the next day when we STILL did not recieve these, yup, you guessed it, another phone call was made. This time, I was told that guests staying in any floor lower than the 4th floor does not get these products, but rather, the 'generic' S/D Oatmeal soap, but, since I HAD been a guest originally on the 7th floor, that some of these would be provided for me. To double-check this bit of information, anytime I passed one of the carts that the room-cleaning people leave in the hallways, I 'searched' (no, I didn't TOUCH anything - I scanned the cart with my eyes...) the cart, and sure enough, there was not a Bath'n'Body product to be found. I'm interested to find out whether this inconsistency was experienced by any OTHER S/D guests recently.....
....another item of note was that most folks tend to grab a quick cup o' joe [or tea] at the coffee bar, located just off the lobby area on the main floor. I found the line to be quite long, especially after 8AM; you might want to take the extra steps and head downstairs to Picabu for your morning coffee, which also provides refillable coffee mugs...
...next installment - Post #366...]
I've had this exact same experience! Actually, it's kind of neat to see them walk in form there. 
