Dolphen Resort

[disney]

:party:Anyone have anything good to say about the Dolphen Resort? Were first time stayers at that resort for our 40th wedding annaversery next month.:D

[crazypoohbear]

I LOVE the Dolphin
Location
Heavenly beds
Nice size rooms
Convenient
I like the theme
There is a piano player in the lobby at night
The pools and hot tubs are the best
The boats to epcot, MGM
The rooms with a view of epcot are great
I really like the oatmeal soaps they leave!
Have a great time!

[Dyanna]

Stayed at the Dolphin only once. If we could afford to stay there again we definately would! It is a beautiful hotel & the pools are great as well as many restaurants to choose from. Go & enjoy yourself. You will be very happy you stayed there.

[Disney_Barbie]

Never stayed at the Dolphin, but we honeymooned @ the Swan (close enough, right!) We loved every moment of it. We can't wait until we can affored to go back (our next couple of trips have to be spent in the Value Resorts, but we're not complaining, "Value Disney" is better than no Disney at all :thumbsup:)
BUT, as other posters said Swan/Dophin is GREAT!!! The location is ideal (we love the friendship launch, but many days we prefered to just walk over to Epcot or MGM! I guess we had a lot of churros to burn off!) And the heavenly beds are killer! We loved all resturants that we tried, and the ellegance and glamor of the Swan/Dolpin can't be beat!
OUR PERSONAL TIPS :
1) Try the Margaritas at the pool bar, Maybe we were just on a vacation hight, but litterally they were the best Margaritas we EVER had.
2) Before your trip, join the Starwood Preferred Guest Club (www.spg.com) It's free to join, and along with member benefits, like a special check-in line, you earn points on every dollar you spend towards free nights or upgrades. And along with all that, I think they're just plain give you better servive as a preferred guest, I mean, they always give AMAZING service, but they go above and beyond. I do'nt know if it had to do with our SPG membership or not, but when we arrived we got a free upgrade to a Jr. Suite!

[DawnluvsEeyore]

We stayed at the Dolphin in '04 and the Swan in '06. I got the teacher discount and paid less than I would have paid for the mods. When we return in '08, we will stay in the Swan again. I chose this over the Dolphin because the Swan offers queen beds and the Dolphin offers doubles. That is the only reason I'm chosing Swan over Dolphin. Both are great, imo, and the location and heavenly beds can't be beat. My son prefers the Dolphin, but since he's not paying the bill, he'll stay wherever we stay. :mickey:

I looked into staying at the Wilderness Lodge for next year (to take advantage of the dining plan), but then I read that the dining plan is going up and you're going to pay more for less (no appetizers on table service and you'll pay the gratuity on top of paying for the dining plan), so I crunched numbers and found that paying out of pocket for meals will be more economical for our family of three....so, Swan...here we come! :cloud9:

[andreallybadeggs]

4 words--
We LOVE the Dolphin!:mickey:

[anneb]

I love the Dolphin, and have stayed there many times. Tell them it's your anniversary and ask for a nice view - they have lots of rooms with great views. The pool/beach area is wonderful. I also always try to find time to sit in the lobby and enjoy the piano player at night.

[daparish]

I looked into staying at the Wilderness Lodge for next year (to take advantage of the dining plan), but then I read that the dining plan is going up and you're going to pay more for less (no appetizers on table service and you'll pay the gratuity on top of paying for the dining plan), so I crunched numbers and found that paying out of pocket for meals will be more economical for our family of three....so, Swan...here we come! :cloud9:

I did not realize you could not use the dining plan. We are thinking about staying next year but we would not be eligible for any of the discounts so I wonder if it would still be worth it if we had to pay full price for the hotel plus our meals.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

They run discounted rates all the time so you shouldn't have to pay rack rate. And when you do make reservations (anywhere) always ask if that is the absolute lowest priced room they have or if they have any specials going on. The amount you save may pay for what you would have paid for the dining plan
I love the S&D hotels. We usually stay there. You can use that facilities at both hotels and you can use your charge privledges at either hotel.

[castlegirl]

We, too, like the Swan for the 2 Queen beds for our family of 4.

My kids love the pool area and playground.

Convenience with transportation, ferry, bus, walk to MGM.

Boardwalk area with shopping and activities.

We used teacher discount and Starwood points. We were upgraded to garden view with balcony from standard room.

We think the Swan is quieter, not as many conventioners. Short walk to Dolphin for cafeteria.

You'll love the location!:mickey:

[dixielandings]

Love it. While I have also enjoyed a few other Deluxe resorts, this area is my favorite location. Walking distance to Epcot and Studios, boats, Boardwalk, Y&BC next door. I love this area.

And I second the advice about Starwood. Might as well get rewards for staying there.