Deluxe - Walt Disney World Dolphin

Walt Disney World Dolphin

Address: 1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-2653
Phone: (407) 943-4000
Fax: (407) 934-4099

Think tropical, aquatic, and colorful. From the moment that you see the Dolphin for the first time, you'll be in awe. The hotel consists of a 27-story main building and tower and 4 nine story wings that house the 1,509 guest rooms. Coral and turquoise adorn the exterior of the hotel, as do giant banana leaves. Two 56 foot Dolphin fountains rest atop the hotel. You can actually see the pyramid shaped tower from many places in Walt Disney World.

Resort Layout:
The surrounding grounds of the Dolphin are lush with vegetation and plant life. There is a small body of water with a white sand beach between the Dolphin and Swan that adds to the tropical theming. Crescent Lake is located to the left of the Dolphin and provides easy access by boat to both Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios. The fountain between the hotel and the boat landing is absolutely breathtaking, especially at night. The fountain is several stories high and water flows from giant seashells into the fountain, which is supported by giant dolphins. The pyramid shaped tower provides an outstanding backdrop.

You've never seen a lobby like the one at the Dolphin. When you look up, the lobby seems to reach the sky. Great folds of fabric hang from the ceiling and give the feeling of a giant beach cabana. Plants and vines wind their way up the walls of the lobby. Beautiful artwork decorates the lobby, and several sitting areas invite you to sit down and stay a while. You'll be quick to agree, and even quicker to give in to the gorgeous accommodations and excellent service.

The Dolphin's close proximity to Epcot and the Disney-MGM Studios make it an outstanding choice for a stay in WDW. In addition, the dining options are nearly endless! Not only do you have the Swan and Dolphin's 17 restaurants & lounges, but also those at the BoardWalk and the Yacht and Beach Clubs nearby. Epcot's fabulous restaurants are just a stroll away, too.

Services & Amenities:
 17 restaurants and lounges
 Room service
 Concierge desk
 Health Club
 Babysitting and child services
 Pak-n-play crib available
 Room and facilities for guest with disabilities
 Self parking
 Valet parking available for a nominal fee
 Laundry facilities/services
 Meeting and banquet facilities
 Business Center

Guest Rooms:
The rooms at the Dolphin are decorated in a lively, tropical theme. The upbeat color scheme of the rooms will never let you forget that you are on vacation, and this is a perfect place to relax. The rooms feature either one king-size bed or two double Heavenly Beds. The bathroom is spacious with a separate vanity area. The drawer and closet space is ample enough for even those of us that always take too much! There is a small sitting area with a table and two chairs. Rooms also have in-room safes, 2 phones, voice mail, hair dryers, ironing board and iron, and mini bar. For an additional fee, in-room movies and Nintendo are available.

Concierge Service:
Concierge service at the Dolphin is referred to as the Royal Beach Club. Concierge accommodations are located on the 12th and 14th floors of the tower. Extra room amenities include plush bathrobes and turn down service.

Royal Beach Club service also includes full use of the private lounge which offers the following amenities:
Deluxe Continental Breakfast featuring an assortment of freshly baked pastries, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. Monday-Saturday 7:00am - 10:00am and Sunday 7:00am to 10:30am.

Hors d'oeuvres are offered 5:00pm to 7:00pm and include fruit, cheeses, crudites, hot hord'oeuvres and fresh baked cookies.

Honor Bar is offered from 5:00pm to 8:00pm; beer, wine and champagne are available.
Of course, there's also the multilingual concierge staff to see to all of your needs including dining reservations, golf tee times, floral orders, transportation or any special requests.

There is a dress code when visiting the Royal Beach Club Lounge, please wear footwear and cover-ups for swimwear.

Additional services, facilities, and amenities at the Dolphin: In addition to deluxe accommodations, the Dolphin also offers special extras that make your stay a real pleasure. These include: valet parking ($14 per night), valet and laundry service, concierge desk, bell service, hair salon, 24 hour room service, laundry facilities on the 1st floor, premium movie and Disney channels, pay-per-view movies, and an in-room video game system.

Check-In & Check-Out:
Check in time at the Dolphin is 3 pm. Early check in is available if your room is ready; if not, luggage storage is available for later check in. Check out time is 11 am. Guests can usually check out no later than 12:30 pm without penalty. Late check-outs are until 4 p.m. and are $30 extra... any later than that you'll be charged for a half-day (unless you stay for an additional night, then it is a full day's charge).

Dining:
There is something for everyone at the Swan and Dolphin restaurants. If you have special dietary needs; please check with the restaurant staff upon arrival so that your stay can be made more comfortable.

Shula's Steakhouse - an elegant steakhouse decorated in heavy dark woods. Located on the lobby level, reservations are accepted. Shula's serves dinner only. (Dolphin)

Fresh Mediterranean Market ; - opened October 2003 for breakfast (buffet) and lunch (buffet). (Dolphin)

BlueZoo - a restaurant by Todd English, opened late December 2003, open for late lunch and dinner. (Dolphin)

Dolphin Fountain and Snack Shop - ; is a 50's style diner atmosphere. Ice cream, shakes and burgers make up the menu. Don't be surprised if the wait staff begins dancing and singing to 50's tunes during your visit! The Dolphin Fountain is open for lunch and dinner and is located on the lower level. (Dolphin)

Tubbi's Buffeteria - offers cafeteria service and a 24 hour convenience store and is located downstairs. The cafeteria offers just about everything you can imagine, and the convenience store has a great selection of foods. Tubbi's is open for all meals. (Dolphin)

The Cabana Bar and Grill - is located near the pool and is a casual eatery. Burgers and salads are the standard fare here. The Cabana is open daily. (Dolphin)

Garden Grove Café - serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily in a garden gazebo setting. The Garden Grove Cafe at the Swan offers a morning character breakfast buffet. Lunch offerings include fresh seafood and other grilled meats. Be aware that the dinner hours change the restaurant into Gulliver's Grill featuring seafood and steak. Desserts are made in an open kitchen, and watching the chefs through the window is an interesting stop on the way in or out of the restaurant. ; (Swan)

Kimonos - offers oriental specialties and sushi. You can watch the sushi chefs prepare the food and relax and have a drink while you wait for your meal. Kimonos is only open during the dinner hours. ; Karaoke is also available nightly at Kimonos after 9:00pm. (Swan)

Palios - serves fine Italian cuisine. Strolling violinists and guitarists make this a unique dining experience. Note that the entrees here are authentic Italian fare. Specialties include pastas, veal, fish, foccacia, and DESSERTS! The desserts are simply amazing, and choosing just one is extremely difficult! Palios is open for dinner only. ; (Swan)

Splash Grill ; - is the casual restaurant for hamburgers, hot dogs and such. Located near the pool, Splash Grill also offers a full bar, ice creams and snacks. Splash Grill is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. ; (Swan)

Room Service is available 24 hours a day. ; Breakfast, all-day dining and late night menus are available. ;

Recreation:
Pool
You'll have your choice of two lap pools or the tropical "Grotto" to satisfy the need for swimming. One lap pool is located near the Dolphin, and the other located near the Swan. Both have hot tubs, away from the liveliness of the Grotto.

The Grotto is a 3-acre water playground complete with waterfalls, slides, water volleyball, and hot tubs. Tropical foliage surrounds the Grotto area, and the white sand beach nearby makes it a perfect place to relax or have fun. A kiddie pool is near the Grotto for the little ones. Pool toys are available for rent, also.

At the Cabana Beach Hut you can use complimentary towels, life vests, basketballs and volleyballs (with your room key).

Health Club
There are now 2 health clubs servicing the complex- one at the Dolphin and one at the Swan. Massage therapy and Body Treatments are available for a fee at the health clubs. Saunas, whirlpools, and aerobics are also offered.

Game Room
The Swan and Dolphin each have a game room. The Swan's is next to Splash Grill next to the health club.

Miniature Golf
Fantasia Gardens is a 5 minute walk away. This miniature golf adventure opened spring of 1996 and includes two 18 hole courses. There is something for everyone--fun and Disney magic on the Fantasia Gardens course, and a more challenging game on Fantasia Fairways. Don't forget to explore activities offered at the nearby BoardWalk and Yacht & Beach Clubs.

Resort Tours
Resort tours are available daily by request. Call the Concierge for details.

Billiards
Billiards are available (coin operated) at the Dolphin's East Wing, lobby level.

Shopping
The Dolphin has 4 shops for your browsing pleasure. Daisy's Garden is the spot to find character merchandise, sundries, and any items you may have forgotten to bring along. Statements of Fashion features resort wear for men and women. Brittany Jewelers has fine jewelry and BIG prices! Be sure to lake a look at some of their beautiful offerings. Indulgences sells chocolates and other decadents.

Other Services:
• The ATM Machine is located on the lobby level by the East elevator.
• The Cashier at the front desk will cash personal and traveler's checks up to $100
• The Concierge Desk can assist with: airline reservations, babysitting referrals, church services, notary public, flowers, limousine service, restaurant reservations, tee times and more.
• For Facsimile Services, visit the Business Center, open weekly from 7:00 am to 6:30pm. ;
• Contact the shipping desk to assist in mailing packages or overnight letters.
• Stamps are available at Disney's Cabana store.
• An Alamo/National Car Rental Desk is located in the Guest Services Alcove in the Dolphin.

Transportation:
Dolphin guests enjoy full use of all of the WDW transportation services. Buses run directly from the front of the hotel to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney (Marketplace and Pleasure Island), Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. Some of the buses service only Swan and Dolphin resorts; others service the Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach club as well.

Epcot can be reached by catching a Friendship Launch (boat) from the courtyard between the Swan and Dolphin, or by taking a short stroll across the bridge to the BoardWalk and to Epcot's International Gateway and World Showcase. The walk is a pleasant one and takes about 10 minutes.

Disney-MGM Studios can be reached one of two ways; via the Studios Friendship launch or by walking. The boat launch is found in the courtyard between the Swan and Dolphin. ; Note that the Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios launches are shared with the Yacht & Beach Clubs and the BoardWalk. If you miss the launch to Epcot, you can easily walk over and catch it at the BoardWalk or the Yacht Club.

Boats leaving Epcot bound for Studios make their stops in this order: Epcot, Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club, Swan & Dolphin, Studios.

Boats leaving the Studios bound for Epcot make their stops in this order: Studios, Swan & Dolphin, Yacht & Beach Club, Boardwalk, Epcot.

The walking path begins directly behind the Boardwalk's Atlantic Dance Hall and continues to the Disney-MGM Studios Parking lot. It's a pleasant walk that takes 10-15 minutes.

Transportation to the other Disney resorts is trickier. Disney does not provide any resort to resort transportation. Allow yourself 45 minutes to an hour for travel time between resorts, just to be safe. Options include:
Going to the closest open theme park or Downtown Disney and catching a bus to the resort of your choice.

Using a rental car.

Taking a taxi.

Mears town cars are also available should you want a ride directly to another Disney resort. The valet can assist you with getting a car. They are usually parked out front and will pick you up in minutes. Standard fee from the Swan to anywhere else on Disney property (resorts, parks, Downtown Disney) is $16 plus gratuity. 4 persons can fit and share a ride. I find the town cars useful when dressed for dinner and traveling to another Disney resort.


Extra Information:
To use the mini-bar for your own personal use, there is a $20 charge.

Fireworks can be seen from the Illuminations display at Epcot. Of course, upper floors offer the best view from your room; but viewing from outside is great too. Sit down at the beach that adjoins the Swan and Dolphin themed pool for a great view of IllumiNations' fireworks.

The Dolphin has very impressive convention facilities. Between the Dolphin and the Swan there is 254,000 square feet of meeting space, a 56,000 square foot exhibit hall, 72 meeting rooms, 3 ballrooms, and 3 boardrooms. Business services are available not only to conventioneers, but also to all of the Dolphin guests. If you'll be bringing along a lap top computer, just let the Dolphin know and they'll make sure your accommodations are equipped properly. For more information on convention facilities or convention planning, call the meeting specialist at (800)524-4939.

If you miss the Friendship launch for Epcot, you can easily walk to the Yacht Club or the BoardWalk and catch it there. If you miss the Friendship launch for the Studios, the Swan and Dolphin are the last stops, you'll have to wait for the next launch.

Take advantage of the Dolphin's shopping and dining facilities. For example, although the Swan doesn't have a 24 hour snack bar, the Dolphin's Tubbi's Buffeteria is just a short walk away.