Starwood Preferred Guest - WDW Dolphin - which view to request?

Hi everyone. done plenty of searches and can't seem to find these questions answered.

My wife and I are booked into the Dolphin with a balcony room (only 6k more points for 5 nights) February 11 to 16, confirmed with points as it was the only way to get 5 days in a row (basic rooms were only available for 4 nights)

We have the following

1 KING
DELUXE NON-SMOKING RM RESORT VIEW WITH BALCONY FREE HIGHSPEED INTERNET ACCESSARMOIRE/TV/STOCKED MINIBAR, VIEW OF RESORT AREA AND CRESCENT LAKE.

Is the view we want to see the fireworks from our room or do I want to request an Epcot view (and would I ask for this?) Also, fireworks aside, is one view better than another?

Second question. Do I have to be fearful that they will upgrade us to a C/L as a plat or would an upgrade to the C/L include a balcony as well since we paid extra points to upgrade to it in the first place? Should we make note of that as well?

Third question. is the construction finished here yet that was mentioned last August in another thread?

Final question. Is is really that easy to get park passes at the hotel (arriving on a Wednesday night) or will there be big line ups? Can we order the passes in advance and have them waiting for us at check-in?

I don't want to be a pain the butt before we even arrive but would like to do my best to make sure that we get the best room we can. Don't we all http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif It's our first time to Disney and I want to make sure it goes smooth as possible for Mrs Cattle as she has been looking forward to this for a long time and I owe her for all the travelling I do http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Thanks for any help and sorry for being so lost with regards to this stuff. I have been searching all sorts of web sites about this hotel and disney web sites. It can get a wee bit confusing. I know that once you have been once it is likely much much easier http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

We just got back from the Dolphin so I can answer a couple of your questions.

The room renovations are not complete, but there was no visible construction going on. They started at the bottom and are working their way up...we were on the third floor (lobby level) and our room had been renovated. You can request a renovated room but keep in mind it means you'll be on a lower floor.

We had a "resort view" balcony room. It was a view of the lake and Disney/MGM studios. No Epcot, so again, you'll probably have to ask the hotel directly for an Epcot view.

I went to guest services during our stay and there was no line, so getting your passes when you arrive probably won't be a problem. But you can get discounted tickets on-line before you go and save $$ - try ticketmania.com, or your local AAA office.

Have fun. We did. You MUST have breakfast at Fresh!

Allison

We are booked at the SWAN because we wanted to void construction....please what/where is breakfast at FRESH? (if at the Dolphin - we can walk over?) Thanks

Thanks ehallison

There were no rooms to be had at the Swan for our dates even with upgrading categories so we are stuck with the Dolphin. It's not like we are dreading it or anything but no-construction is always better http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

We will be looking into AAA for tickets before we leave. Thanks for the suggestion.

First and foremost, I would request a "high floor, with THEME PARK view". You could have a view of either EPCOT or MGM. If you check the Disney schedules, MGM may have some fireworks during your stay. If so, the MGM fireworks are actually better to view at the Dolphin than the EPCOT Illuminations, much of which is too low to be seen from even the highest Dolphin floor. Plus, everyone requests EPCOT view, making it tougher to get, no matter what you request. Several of the resort view rooms at the hotel are obscured by palm trees, so the higher the better (at least 8th floor if possible). The balcony rooms at the end of the halls have a much larger balcony, but are all King bedded and are the worst for obstructed views.

Second, make sure your res states: "Do not upgrade to concierge level room". If you are a Plat, you will still have club access; but will most likely need to take an elevator down to lobby and another up to the lounge.

Last, call the hotel the day before your arrival to confirm what room you have been assigned (or to get one blocked if it is not already).

Sometimes, none of the above works. For our last two stays at the Dolphin, we did it all, and were not assigned a theme park view, and were even given incorrect bedding, causing my husband to sleep in a rollaway. So it's never fool proof (we have since switched to the Swan, who seems to take good care of us). But no matter what happens, you will find the balcony room to be worth the extra points, even just to get a little fresh air!

Robin

Renee,

Fresh is a restaurant on the ground floor of the Dolphin. Very easy to walk to from the Swan; it should take you less than 5 minutes. I think you can even charge to your room from the Dolphin (?)

It was a fantastic breakfast with fresh fruits, made-to-order omelets or eggs, delicious coffee (Starbucks, I think), a juice bar (this had too many strange ingredients for us), tasty breads (try the lemon coffee cake), and of course, sausage, bacon, potatoes, french bread, etc. It was more than $60 for 2 adults/2 kids - but that is typical for a Disney buffet breakfast.

Allison

We stayed at the Dolphin April 2003...had a balcony room with a lovely lovely view. It is Room 8029...which I highly recommend. I will say that I, like you, was very concerned by the rumors about the rooms at the dolphin and their need to be renovated and the gaudy bedspreads....anyways, as Gold status they were going to upgrade us to CL - which I DID NOT WANT...and fortunately discovered this prior to our arrival at the hotel....told them we did NOT want to be upgraded out of our balcony room - and we were given CL privs...although I'm told they don't do that anymore....anyway, as was suggested, in addition to asking to not be upgraded out of your balcony room, put in a request for Room 8029. Let me describe: the Epcot ball straight ahead, Yacht/Beach club to the left, the boardwalk twinkling over to the right and an awesome view of fireworks every night - it was at 9 when we were there. It was GREAT to have the balcony so we didn't have to press our faces against the windows like everyone else during fireworks. We liked being able to put our daughter to bed and sneak out in peace to the balcony for some "adult time" out there which really was needed after a day of devotion to our daughter's whims at the park....also it helped soothe my husband and well, make him walk around with a smile all the next day afterward. The awesome view, the Florida breeze blowing in the sliding door and the fireworks made it just perfect for us. Oh, and we were high enough that the palm trees didn't obstruct our view at all.......so that was good. You do have to go down to lobby level and then take another elevator up to CL to eat, but that's not a big deal to us - The Dolphin needed some renovations, but my husband and I have stayed at some lovely hotels around the world and our stay at the Dolphin was one of our favorites.
p.s. Be sure to go to the pools...it is a bit of a maze to get there - but do be sure to go down the slide at the pool. It was only under extreme durress that I went begrudgingly down it - but then I spent the rest of the afternoon with her on it. It was the most fun I've had in 15 years. Seriously. Lay back, put your arms up by your ears and slide....it's way too much fun.

This is my first post since the new website was put up, so I hope it comes out ok. We just returned from the Dolphin for a 7 night paid stay. We were assigned to Room 5016 which had a double balcony and king bed. We had a great view of the MGM fireworks and heard the Epcot ones, but we couldn't see them from our room. I really liked the view a lot (Crescent Lake), and my parents visited and liked the location a lot, too. I couldn't see any construction going on while I was there, but the hallways need updating badly. The room was freshly done, so that was a relief because that's one of my major impressions on a property since I spend a lot of time in the room to do work. We weren't upgraded for Plat. status since the hotel was sold-out for the conference, but it was still a great room.

We ate at Cabana by the pool which was just ok. If you're hungry, it's fine, but the service was excellent. I forget the bartender who helped us, but what a fine example of customer service.

Shula's was a dining experience not to be missed. Thoughtful, forward-thinking staff AND top notch meal. My dad has some difficulties due to Parkinson's and the way the waitstaff treated my dad will keep them in my mind for many years to come... I usually cut the meal for him, but they kind of made it like a custom that they would cut his porterhouse steak for him. A lot of dignity to that. I'm overwhelmed by their courtesy and how they knew what to include with meals for elders. Lots and lots of :-: ^ :-: ^

I will definitely consider this location for future fun and business trips.