Hi There

There's so much I love about the Dolphin, In no particular order:
Location - Our favorite park is Epcot
Heavenly Beds - so comfortable
Service - always been top notch for us
Grotto Pool - second only to SAB IMHO
On Demand Movies - Sometimes you just want to curl up with your honey & watch a movie in bed
Restaurants- We love BlueZoo & the Cabana Bar & Grill. Il Mulino has a great bar
I just feel like I've come home when I walk into the Dolphin. We've been staying there pretty exclusively since around 2001, with a couple forays to AKL & one to POFQ.

Our Grotto Boatdrink is going to be a BlueBird & Seven. A Bluebird is a Martini made with Hpnotiq, Coconut Rum & a splash of Lime. To make it a little lighter, we tried adding Seven Up to lower the alcohol content a little. Yum! The one problem I have with the Cabana is the drinks are soooooo expensive.... $13 for a signature drink. If we each have 2 drinks with tips, it's nearly $60! So we're stopping at a Publix & a Liquor store on the way in.

We almost didn't have the Oct. trip. We were looking at going to the Mexican Riviera instead, but there's just too much upheaval down there right now. So we're doing F&W Fest (DH's fave) this Fall & Vegas in the Spring.

I'm liking this place - It is very friendly! Thanks guys!

Oh, I forgot! We loved Spoodles. We are sad to see it go, but excited about Cat Cora's new place.

We have some really great Spoodles memories tho.

I stayed there the first time because a friend of mine wanted to try it & we got a good rate. I fell in love with it. It seems like they are always offering some kind of great rate thru Allears or the DIS or AAA. For about the same as a moderate or maybe a tad more, I get a really deluxe stay.

I used to get great rates thru our APs for the Disney Deluxes, but they really cut back on that, so I stay at the Swan or Dolphin now.

I have to tell you, I don't find that I miss any Disney Magic at all. I wake up & look out my window over ToT or Epcot, I sometimes watch Illuminations from my window, I walk in & out of Epcot, I get all the Perks of any Disney owned resort except the charging privileges. The service is phenomenol, every bit as good as Disney & in some cases, better.

As far as the TV, yes, it is better than the Disney TV. Not that you are spending a ton of time in your room with the TV, but sometimes you want to take a break & just snuggle up in bed with the tube or a movie. It's not the best perk, but it is a nice one when you need it. Like last trip, I was sick one day, so I left the Park & went to my room & watched a movie & rested up before I went back out again. I was glad to have a movie to watch while I caught a second wind.

Yes, service & perks are the same at the Swan. It's nice because it's a little smaller & has more balconies. The Dolphin is a little closer to some of the amenities you use all the time like the Grotto & Picabo (24 hour cafeteria/mini store)