Trip Report *COMPLETED* Merriest Birthday in the World, November 2021 at the Dolphin

I swear I thought of a clever trip report title during my trip, but it has fallen out of my brain so you get this generic, boring title.

But anyway.

Who: Me and my husband, R
Why: My birthday!
When: November 7-1211 (more on that later)
Where: Dolphin

Here's a cute pic of us for the first post

 

[RoadiJeff]

We stayed at the Dolphin a few years ago. Are they still doing kissing swan towels on the bed the first day? We thought it was cute.

 

[Darstarr]

Re: your trip report thus far…

Sorry I am late…

 

[LeighM]

I'm late to the report but following along now. Glad I didn't get too far behind. Excited to see more pics from your trip. I'm going back in December and I'm so excited!

 

[Swissmiss]

Yay! A new TR!

(And as others have said: 1) R looks much happier after food. 2) There can never be too many pictures.)

 

[Katiekitten]

Sorry I am late but I am here and following along for the rest of your report!

 

[sheriffwoody]

Great start

Following along

Max

Here and excited for your report!

I've arrived!! Looking forward to more after following your IG.

Following along...and you can never take too many photos!

Sorry I am late but I am here and following along for the rest of your report!

View attachment 602890

Yay! A new TR!

(And as others have said: 1) R looks much happier after food. 2) There can never be too many pictures.)

Let's Go!

I'm in and can't wait to hear about this trip!!

Following along!

I'm following too.

Re: your trip report thus far…

Sorry I am late…

I'm late to the report but following along now. Glad I didn't get too far behind. Excited to see more pics from your trip. I'm going back in December and I'm so excited!

Following!

R looked so much happier after he was fed.

Thank you all for following along! Yeah food does a lot for his mood Mine too though, to be fair.

Your photos are beautiful! They are so crisp and clear. I feel like Inam right there in the park. Can’t wait to see more.

Your pictures.

"Manspreader" LOL. Best description ever, I can't believe I've never heard it before. I'm so stealing it.

Y'all are too sweet! I feel like I was a little lazy this trip using my phone more than my camera, but I did still manage to get a few I'm proud of!

I found this to be true on my last trip too! Usually they are so accurate! Can not wait to read more!

Ugh I'm sad it's not as reliable anymore! I felt like I had a secret weapon before

Yay for another trip report! I have to say, R's crossed arms in the first photos are just priceless! And I haven't stayed at the Dolphin in over 25 years, so I'm LOVING the photos of it. Tagging along!

It was a very pretty resort!

We stayed at the Dolphin a few years ago. Are they still doing kissing swan towels on the bed the first day? We thought it was cute.

View attachment 602635

Unfortunately we didn't have that! Looks so cute though.

 

[sheriffwoody]

Once we got in our room, we threw our stuff everywhere, but I managed to take a couple of photos anyway.





I had to work some, but did I use this desk? Nope. Sat in the bed.



Call this chair the backpack holder.



THE VIEW!!! The room was just in ok shape, but that view made it worth it. Also, one of these days, I'm going to trick R into doing something in the lobby while I go up to the room first so I can get more room photos...he doesn't have the patience to let me take proper photos before our luggage explodes everywhere

I left R in the room and headed down the the Boardwalk for a photoshoot! I have become internet friends with this sweet couple named Kelly & Joe and we got together to take some photos. They haven't had professional photos done since their wedding, so it was fun getting to do these! It was also just really great to meet them in person. I mainly talk to Kelly on IG, but they do vlogs together, so I feel like I know Joe also. I didn't add the photos to the same place where I put my trip photos, but I did post a few on FB if any of you are on there, you can see a few at this link.

We had such a blast walking around the Boardwalk area, even though the actual boardwalk was a little busy. We had the best luck over by the Dolphin, which was fine because it looked cool with the Friendship boat going by! We also did a little pin trading and I finally headed back up to get R and continue our evening. He took a nap while I took pictures, so he was ready to go!




Blurry us

We didn't stop at France because HOLY LINE. Honestly every time we passed the France booth, the line was bonkers, so we never went.



We stopped at Hops & Barley first.

• New England Lobster Roll: Lobster with Herb Mayonnaise on a Griddled Roll – $8.50
• Hot Beef Sandwich with Horseradish Cream and Pickled Vegetables (new) – $6.50
• 81Bay Brewing Co. Strawberry and Lime, Tampa, FL (new) – 6 oz $5.00

Everything was great! R wanted the lobster roll...I always think it's way too expensive. But it was good! I personally LOVED the beef sandwich. It was one of my favorite things from the festival, and the beer as well...I went back for another one of those later.




Next up was India.

• Madras Red Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, Baby Carrots, Chickpeas, and Ben’s Original Basmati Rice (gluten/wheat friendly; plant-based) – $5.00
• Mango Lassi with Sōmrus Chai Cream Liqueur – $11.00

We've had the curry before and it's very tasty! I'm also a mango lassi fan, but I prefer it without the alcohol.

Also THAT TABLE IS SO GROSS. I almost didn't post the photo because ew.



Next we headed to the Brew-Wing area inside the Odyssey. We got the beer flight, which you can see the offerings in the photo. I don't remember being blown away by any, but they were fine. R loves sours and I love blonde ales so it was a good flight for us!





Some statues at the World Showcase entrance (Port or Entry? Can't remember for sure if that's the name, but you know where I'm talking about)



Appleseed Orchard cider flight with two of the three ciders substituted...so that was a bummer. They were ok.



Too tired to stay for Harmonious (or bargemonious as I recently heard it called...haha) but we'd be back!

Up next: First full day...more Epcot

 

[mpaulam]

I know I took too many photos..

Nope...don't think there's such a thing as too many photos
I just LOVE all the Christmas decorations!

 

[LisaBelle]

I enjoyed following along on Instagram, but am excited to read more!

 

[MickeyCB]

Excited to follow along, and I agree there can't be too many photos!

 

[sheriffwoody]

Since we wanted to ride Remy today, I set an alarm to try for a boarding group I think I woke up before the alarm, which is good because I prefer no alarms on vacay! That's part of what I don't like about Genie+



Got one! Not super early, but we'd make it work. I think the estimated wait is from the time it's made, not park opening, so that would put it at 1pm-ish...I could be wrong though.

We relaxed for a bit in the room and got ready. We were downstairs at about 8:45 and decided to get something from Fuel in the lobby. The Swan, Dolphin and now the Swan Reserve all have a coffee shop and they seem to all have the same menu from what I can tell. Maybe each one has a specialty or two.




It was SO expensive...so we shared a cappuccino and a muffin.




Pretty lobby! I love plants, so the botanical vibes are nice.

We headed over to Epcot a little after 9, knowing we should be able to get in 30 minutes early.



Sure is a lovely walk!



Time stamp on this is 9:31am

When we went through they wanted to see our room key, I guess scanning our watch/magic band didn't pull up our reservation.

We weren't really aiming to do a lot with our early entry, I just wanted to go up to the pin store. There was a pin coming out and I wasn't sure what day, so I figured I could check since we had time. We headed up to Spaceship Earth, which right now feels like 10 miles.



The first of MANY shots I would take this trip and mumble under my breath about how much better it would be if the monorail was going by.




I never wear these shorts in public unless I'm running, but they are really comfortable, so I figured I'd just do it on vacation where no one knows me I think if I wear them again, I'll leave my shirt untied and hanging all the way over my butt. They have pockets on the side, which are super handy for putting my phone in (part of the reason I like running in them.)



Saw the JAMMitors. I thought I took more photos, but I guess I just took a video. Loved watching them, but all the people behind me waiting for rope drop was kind of awkward...I didn't watch them long because I felt like a thousand eyes were staring at me

The pin shop did not have the pin I was hoping for, but I was told it would be released by Thursday! Good deal, I'd be able to get it while I was there. It is from a monthly set that I've been collecting this year. I have someone pick them up in the park so I have to pay full price + a little extra + shipping. It was nice knowing I could get it with my AP discount and no shipping this time!



We walked on Spaceship Earth for funsies. It felt darker than normal, but still lovely.

One thing I knew I wanted to do this day was check out the new Club Cool, so we headed that direction!




We liked these joggers, but like most things we looked at this trip, our eyes popped out at the price. I just can't do it, y'all $50+ for sweatpants? No. I do spend what feels like a lot on my wardrobe basics, but I can't bring myself to spend a lot on extra clothes that I won't wear that often. Ok, now you know I'm cheap, let's move on...



Sorry this picture isn't super clear! I'm sure you can find a better one on Disney's website. Here are my ratings of each one (left to right):

1. Beverly - 1/5 (that's a given, we all know it's not good. Tastes like medicine. I don't think it's as vile as some people do, but it's still not good)
2. Bonbon Anglais - 3/5 (pretty good. Tropical fruit flavors)
3. Country Club - 2/5 (don't remember anything about this...oops)
4. Minute Maid Joy - 4/5 (I liked this! Kind of like juice instead of soda)
5. Royal - 5/5 (is this Fanta? The logo looks similar...it was so good. Sour watermelon flavor)
6. Smart Sour plum - 1/5 (nope nope nope. I'll take Beverly over this. I can't even remember what it tasted like, but I really never want to taste it again. Someone near us said "this tastes like meat" and I'm pretty sure this is what they were talking about..)
7. Cucumber Sprite - 4/5 (I liked this! Cucumber was pretty subtle to me, but tasted fresh)
8. Viva raspberry - 5/5 (yummmm! Tied with the sour watermelon for my fav)

I liked this a lot better than the old one, but that's possibly because of the pandemic precautions. We got our own station to ourselves and I loved not having anyone busting up in my space. It's also nice and bright in there.



We shopped a bit in Creations, which I also liked! I don't really get attached to stores, so I don't usually mind when they change them. This water bottle was super cute, but I didn't need to buy it. So I took a picture. I think I got that method from @ajrwdwgirl



monorail!



Hard to see, but monorail is still there.



Took a photo pass picture on our way to get some food since World Showcase was now open. As you can see, we were still sporting our jackets! The weather was INCREDIBLE for most of the time we were here. Major perk to going when we did.

 

[sheriffwoody]

We intended our first stop to be Noodle Exchange because that's what we were most looking forward to, but they were having trouble with their warmers or something and were not serving yet. So instead, our first stop was Earth Eats



The Impossible Burger Slider with Wasabi Cream and Spicy Slaw on a Sesame Seed Bun (plant-based) – $6.00

This was good! Solid first choice for the day, plus I love that they have so much seating nearby.



Sitting at a table during Food & Wine?! So blessed.



Also got to see the monorail go by and it was the 50th wrapped one! Looks nice.




There was a lady next to me taking a picture of her drink and when I turned around from taking a monorail picture, I saw she was trying to get the monorail in the background. I guess me getting up drew her attention to it She said she got the shot!

That was about all we wanted in that area, so we headed over to the Test Track area (what neighborhood is that? I haven't learned yet )

I LOVE Flavors from Fire so we got a lot there. R wasn't super excited about any of it, but I know I love that corned beef dish.

• The Corned Beef Corner Route: Smoked Corned Beef with Crispy Potatoes, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions, and Beer-Cheese Fondue (Emile’s Fromage Montage) – $5.50
• The Chimichurri-up Offense: Charred Chimichurri Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli (gluten/wheat friendly) – $7.25
• The S’mores Whoopie Pie-lon: Smoked Chocolate Cake, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Chocolate Ganache, and Candied Bacon – $4.00

Corned beef was excellent as usual, and it's so much food! The chimichurri was also as good as I remembered. The whoopie pie was a disappointment. It would have been better if the graham cracker had some crunch to it, but oh well. We couldn't finish it, it was a bit too rich.

Test Track was posted like 50 minutes, I think? But touring plans was saying 20. It ended up being about 30-35 before we got to designing the car. It was fine, we had time to kill anyway.






We actually got our ride photo!

Test Track dumps out at Donut Box



Crispy Chicken on a Sriracha-glazed Donut – $8.50

Sounds promising to me! In reality it was pretty gross. The chicken and all the toppings were fine, but that glaze on the donut combined with all that was a vile combination. It was also basically impossible to eat. We threw quite a bit away, which was a bummer because of the price!

We decided to swing by Mac & Eats next. Our friend had told R that he really liked one of these a lot, so we got it.



Cowboy Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Pork Belly, Brisket Burnt Ends, Pickled Peppers, and Onion Straws (new) — $6.25

It was SUPER good! Doesn't really look good from our photo, but it was.

R wanted something specific from Lobster Landing




Lobster Chowder with Bacon, Corn, Potatoes, and Oyster Crackers (new) — $6.75

I took a few bites and it was good. I'm not a huge chowder fan, so I left it mostly to R and I enjoyed a beverage.

• Cape Codder: Vodka with Cranberry, Pomegranate, and Lime (new) — $11.00

Tasty, but not worth $11. It was mostly ice.



Ok two drinks... Coronado Brewing Co. Salty Crew Blonde Ale, San Diego, CA (new) — 6 oz $5.00. This was tasty!

Up next: More Epcot

 

[sheriffwoody]

We walked into World Showcase and decided to duck into Mexico. We briefly contemplated getting something at that marg stand outside, but decided to check La Cava instead. The line was not terribly long, but passed it up anyway and got in line for Gran Fiesta Tour



Took this to show the dividers are still up for whatever reason.





We don't ride this every trip, but I'm always so happy when we do. It's a cute little ride!

When we left there we stopped by Swanky Saucy Swine, which we intended to get food from, but we were full-ish, so we just got drinks.

• Parish Brewing Co. SIPS Pinot Noir Black Currant Sour, Broussard, LA (new) – 6 oz. $5.00
• Bourbon Bloody Mary with Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey (new) – $11.00

We love sours, so that was for both of us, but the bloody mary was all R. I am not a big tomato juice person, but he loves them! He nursed this baby for a while...it was a good sized drink! I don't remember if we loved the sour or not, but I'm sure it was fine.

I had mentioned wanting a mimosa earlier in the day, so when we passed Shimmering Sips, R convinced me to get one.

• Blood Orange Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice – $6.25

It was good! They don't give you much, but at least it tasted good.




We sat on the benches in the back of the UK pavilion while we finished our drinks. It was pretty peaceful back there! Even with this pair of brothers (or friends or cousins, who knows) running circles around the courtyard tiring themselves out. I loved it back there!

Eventually we got up and meandered back to our resort.

Up next: Epcot evening

 

[AKemily]

We sat on the benches in the back of the UK pavilion while we finished our drinks. It was pretty peaceful back there! Even with this pair of brothers (or friends or cousins, who knows) running circles around the courtyard tiring themselves out. I loved it back there!

Wow I actually had no idea where this was when I saw the pictures! Who knew that was back there?

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Since we wanted to ride Remy today, I set an alarm to try for a boarding group I think I woke up before the alarm, which is good because I prefer no alarms on vacay! That's part of what I don't like about Genie+



Got one! Not super early, but we'd make it work. I think the estimated wait is from the time it's made, not park opening, so that would put it at 1pm-ish...I could be wrong though.

We relaxed for a bit in the room and got ready. We were downstairs at about 8:45 and decided to get something from Fuel in the lobby. The Swan, Dolphin and now the Swan Reserve all have a coffee shop and they seem to all have the same menu from what I can tell. Maybe each one has a specialty or two.




It was SO expensive...so we shared a cappuccino and a muffin.




Pretty lobby! I love plants, so the botanical vibes are nice.

We headed over to Epcot a little after 9, knowing we should be able to get in 30 minutes early.



Sure is a lovely walk!



Time stamp on this is 9:31am

When we went through they wanted to see our room key, I guess scanning our watch/magic band didn't pull up our reservation.

We weren't really aiming to do a lot with our early entry, I just wanted to go up to the pin store. There was a pin coming out and I wasn't sure what day, so I figured I could check since we had time. We headed up to Spaceship Earth, which right now feels like 10 miles.



The first of MANY shots I would take this trip and mumble under my breath about how much better it would be if the monorail was going by.




I never wear these shorts in public unless I'm running, but they are really comfortable, so I figured I'd just do it on vacation where no one knows me I think if I wear them again, I'll leave my shirt untied and hanging all the way over my butt. They have pockets on the side, which are super handy for putting my phone in (part of the reason I like running in them.)



Saw the JAMMitors. I thought I took more photos, but I guess I just took a video. Loved watching them, but all the people behind me waiting for rope drop was kind of awkward...I didn't watch them long because I felt like a thousand eyes were staring at me

The pin shop did not have the pin I was hoping for, but I was told it would be released by Thursday! Good deal, I'd be able to get it while I was there. It is from a monthly set that I've been collecting this year. I have someone pick them up in the park so I have to pay full price + a little extra + shipping. It was nice knowing I could get it with my AP discount and no shipping this time!



We walked on Spaceship Earth for funsies. It felt darker than normal, but still lovely.

One thing I knew I wanted to do this day was check out the new Club Cool, so we headed that direction!




We liked these joggers, but like most things we looked at this trip, our eyes popped out at the price. I just can't do it, y'all $50+ for sweatpants? No. I do spend what feels like a lot on my wardrobe basics, but I can't bring myself to spend a lot on extra clothes that I won't wear that often. Ok, now you know I'm cheap, let's move on...



Sorry this picture isn't super clear! I'm sure you can find a better one on Disney's website. Here are my ratings of each one (left to right):

1. Beverly - 1/5 (that's a given, we all know it's not good. Tastes like medicine. I don't think it's as vile as some people do, but it's still not good)
2. Bonbon Anglais - 3/5 (pretty good. Tropical fruit flavors)
3. Country Club - 2/5 (don't remember anything about this...oops)
4. Minute Maid Joy - 4/5 (I liked this! Kind of like juice instead of soda)
5. Royal - 5/5 (is this Fanta? The logo looks similar...it was so good. Sour watermelon flavor)
6. Smart Sour plum - 1/5 (nope nope nope. I'll take Beverly over this. I can't even remember what it tasted like, but I really never want to taste it again. Someone near us said "this tastes like meat" and I'm pretty sure this is what they were talking about..)
7. Cucumber Sprite - 4/5 (I liked this! Cucumber was pretty subtle to me, but tasted fresh)
8. Viva raspberry - 5/5 (yummmm! Tied with the sour watermelon for my fav)

I liked this a lot better than the old one, but that's possibly because of the pandemic precautions. We got our own station to ourselves and I loved not having anyone busting up in my space. It's also nice and bright in there.



We shopped a bit in Creations, which I also liked! I don't really get attached to stores, so I don't usually mind when they change them. This water bottle was super cute, but I didn't need to buy it. So I took a picture. I think I got that method from @ajrwdwgirl



monorail!



Hard to see, but monorail is still there.



Took a photo pass picture on our way to get some food since World Showcase was now open. As you can see, we were still sporting our jackets! The weather was INCREDIBLE for most of the time we were here. Major perk to going when we did.

Yep I’m usually taking pictures of all the merchandise I want. I have been taking a ton of pictures this week the holiday stuff is just too cute!

 

[RoadiJeff]

Pretty lobby! I love plants, so the botanical vibes are nice.

We always thought those dolphins in the lobby fountain look more like catfish. Enjoying the pics and reliving some memories. BTW, our kissing swan towels may have been added by a $5 gratuity we left each day for housekeeping.

 

[mpaulam]

Now I'm hungry!

 

[cgersic]

We always thought those dolphins in the lobby fountain look more like catfish. Enjoying the pics and reliving some memories. BTW, our kissing swan towels may have been added by a $5 gratuity we left each day for housekeeping.

I stayed here just a couple of years after it was built and it used to be do much darker and inviting around this fountain...

 

[ShookieJones]

Super duper late to the party, finally caught up and following along.
Love the pics of course and thanks for the F&W play by play. So much amazing grub and beverages, I have now made mental plans to attend this next year. Hopefully I can make those plans a reality.

Keep the good stuff coming!

 

[sheriffwoody]

We always thought those dolphins in the lobby fountain look more like catfish. Enjoying the pics and reliving some memories. BTW, our kissing swan towels may have been added by a $5 gratuity we left each day for housekeeping.

They do a little bit I normally leave tips but we didn't have any housekeeping this trip! Finally on the last day, they took out the trash, but that was all. I guess they're doing what Disney resorts are doing.