We just got back from Disney after a stay at the Dolphin. We loved it! Yes it is not a real Disney resort and not as Disneyfied as the other resorts but is was great. We walked to DHS in minutes. The boat service was super easy and a park ride in its own right. My son and I watched DHS fireworks from the Dolphin pools, what a treat! I loved the atmosphere. The bus service was the same as always, no worse or better than our ALLSTAR stays. The Touring Plans were spot on when they said the pillows were great.
Could you see all of the fireworks or just the tops? Looking for a place to watch those fireworks and have been trying to find the best. Glad you had a great time.
We could see the whole explosion and the tail leading up. Good times.
Thanks for posting. My sis and I are staying at the Swan this Fall and it is my first time at a non-Disney resort. I am so excited, the location cannot be beat (have stayed at BC previously) and the price is much better than the EP Disney resorts.
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You will enjoy it. The boats are so convenient.
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Remind me what you don’t get by staying there as opposed to wdw hotels. Thx!
I think it comes down to Disney memorabilia and maybe towel animals LOL.
I thought you didn’t get magical express? Things like that?
I think that is true. That didn’t apply to us. I think the Dolphin is great. It is very quiet, which some of the other resorts are not.
You don’t get magical express, and if you have a car you need to pay a daily parking fee. And then if you drive to the parks you need to pay the disney parking fee unless you have an AP. I don’t think you get magic bands, and as far as I know you can only book FPP 30 days out, not 60. No charging to the room either.
There is also a daily resort fee, we did receive 2 bottles of water a day for that. However, even after all the added fees the price was still good so we saved some money vs staying at BW.
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You can book FPP at 60 days when staying at the Swan and Dolphin.
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The last time I stayed at the dolphin we didn’t have to pay due parking in the parks, did that change recently?
No you do not have to pay Disney lot parking.
We have APs so we didn’t have to pay, but someone else told me they were charged to park at MK.
How do you get 60 day FPP booking? I 'm staying there in Oct again and I couldn’t find anything that allowed me to book 60 days out. I’d love to get booked up before the 30 day window!
It says to link your reservation in MDE.
Thanks! I’ll try it! I never thought about trying to link a Starwood reservation in MDE.
just back from dolphin. here’s the diff vis a vis dolphin and say beach club:
you get all perks of a dis hotel except:
- no magic band
- no food delivery from that food service company, forget their name
- no magic express, but for 136 round trip, plus a publix food stop included, no big deal with all the savings you get on room rate.
- no “hello, princess stuff!” sorry, I couldn’t resist. haha.
you get all other perks - emh hours, dis transport in park, free park at MK etc, 60 day fpps, great pools incl great slide (free floater vests too), walk to epcot and studios or boat.
you can buy the magic bands for about 12. or so each but I’m a cheapskate so I bought a lanyard for few bucks, kept our tickets all in one place that way, since have to use a few times during the day now.
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Oh I can’t wait to go in April!! I will have magic bands from our trip in November. Can I reuse those?
@Melany502- I think you’ll get a faster answer re reusing MBs with a different category on forum, or just post question on Lines. Folks such as my fam, going to Dolphin or Swan, wouldn’t know the answer to that probably.
As long as you don’t deactivate them, they will work. The battery in them is at least 2 years.