Staying At the WDW Dolphin

[danlb_2000]

I stayed at the Dolphin in July. First time in Disney in 10+yrs.

The hotel is very nice, like other mentioned it is not disney themed but it wasnt a problem for me. The dolphin has a resort fee and charges for parking. The hotel host alot of conferences, there was a Microsoft conference when i was there, one night the lobby bar was busy. Many Pools to choose from, i think better pool selection than Swan. I think when you check in, they give you an option to have your room cleaned every 3day, if you choose this they slide a $5 voucher under your door and you can use the voucher at any of the store/restaurant on property.

There is a guest service area, they have a Disney Ticket agent, Alamo Car Rental, Mears transportation.

I like their 24hrs Picabu restaurant, they had pizza available 24hrs a day, along with other options. The hotel does not have vending machine on the hotel floors, a cup a soda at Picabu was $3-4, i found out they have an unlimited refill cup for $~15 that they don't advertise. I did some looking around and found they have a vending machine in the gym area that had sports drainks, Energy drink and water. I also found a vending machine by the Disney Bus area, but that machine was empty the whole time i was there. If you walk to the broadwalk (10min walk), the general store has six packs of soda, selection is limited.

Nice laundry room and Arcade onsite, both uses credit cards.

The Swan and Dolphin share the same pool area.

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

They're equally wonderful!!! My family loves staying there year after year!

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Another vote for the right decision. I'm in the Swan camp (my god... the Heavenly beds). But, both are great. The pool area is one of my favorites. Karaoke at Kimonos is great. The drinks and food at blueZoo is solid. Plus, while not "Disney", the themeing is so whimsical and fun that it still has a very solid Disney feel to me - especially on the Swan side. The biggest perk is the location - by far. Being able to walk to Epcot and Studios (though a bit of a hike there) is amazing.

Another tip - because you can walk among the Boardwalk resorts, you actually get double bus service. Usually, Yacht & Beach Club will have one bus, and Boardwalk-Swan-Dolphin will have another. So, if you're in a hurry, you can take either one and simply walk along the Boardwalk back to the hotel.

 

[hksusa]

The Swan and Dolphin share the same pool area.

I checked the Map, and you are right. When I walked to the swan, I only saw the lap pool. I did not realize that there is a path to same pool area. Thanks for the correction.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Instead of starting my own thread here's a question for those of you who have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin? What is the quickest way to get there and the cost? I'm currently debating taking a taxi, renting a car, or getting the mears shuttle. Any help is appreciated!

 

[JusticeDisney]

Instead of starting my own thread here's a question for those of you who have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin? What is the quickest way to get there and the cost? I'm currently debating taking a taxi, renting a car, or getting the mears shuttle. Any help is appreciated!

Don't rent a car. A taxi or shuttle will cost you about $60 each way.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Don't rent a car. A taxi or shuttle will cost you about $60 each way.

I was leaning towards not renting a car, it just seems like a hassle. I was looking at quicksilver car service, it seems to get good reviews and the price is decent.

 

[hksusa]

I also did not rent a car, and the Dolphin/Swan charges for parking.

I took a cab curb side from mco, I think $~65 range, I forgot. When doing my research, someone mentioned using Uber. I did some research, and Uber can not pickup in MCO, something about not wanting to paying the county the airport fees that other taxi/car service pay. I did see they pickup from swan/dolphin and the estimated price from dolphin to mco seem cheap (~$30) but the day I was going home, the surge pricing was at 3.2x estimated price! Uber might be a good option if its during surge pricing.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

We stayed at the Swan in 2012 & loved that whole area.
Previous posters have outlined the negatives which really aren't that big of a deal in my opinion.
Although we didn't stay at either the Swan or Dolphin on our last trip we did visit them both & agreed that we would stay there again at some point in the future.
They are both really nice hotels, in a great location onsite.

 

[TXDisney]

Good resort bc of location. It's onsite but not really a "Disney" resort. Not Disney themed and all. But for the price and location it's nice. For the price I prefer POR though.

 

[BrianV]

One thing we really liked was the outdoor pool bar/restaurant. Even over spring break you neither needed advanced reservations or had to wait hours. A great place for mid afternoon lunch after returning from the parks.

We loved the Swalfin hotel. The location is great, rooms are fine, no the price can be awesome! At wdw we pay for location. MK hotels and or Epcot hotels have prime locations making getting onto and out of the parks easy!