During a recent New Year’s Eve visit to Epcot, we decided to stay at the nearby Walt Disney World Dolphin.  Technically, this resort is on Disney property, located between Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  The resort is not a Disney hotel though, even though guests get some Disney perks. 

We paid for our stay at the Dolphin at a rate of $433.78, including all the taxes and resort fees.  I recall the price being cheaper than the surrounding Disney resorts, but don’t recall the specifics.  My thought was that we didn’t want to have to catch a bus or drive after the fireworks.

We arrived at the resort after checking out of a nearby Hyatt.  We arrived around 10:00 am and parked in the self parking lot.

The lobby inside the hotel was pretty big.

I got into the check in line and sent the ladies on to the park.  It took quite a while to get through the check in line.  The person checking me in found a room that was available immediately, which was fantastic.  It allowed me to check in and take our bags to the room right away instead of doing it after midnight.  Once I got our room keys, I went back to the car to grab the bags and head to the room.

The room was a handicap accessible room with two double beds.

The bathroom was really large.  Please note that we did not request a handicap accessible room (we don’t need the features).

Here are the beds.  They were actually really comfortable, but I would have preferred queen beds.  On the other hand, once we got back to the room after the fireworks and laid down, we were out. 

There was a coffee maker and TV.  The coffee maker got a work out the next morning.  We never turned on the TV to see what the entertainment options were.

Here is the view from our room.  That is looking out on the Swan and the boat pickup area.

This is the exit that takes you towards the boat dock and Epcot.

This is the back side of the Dolphin.  It faces the Swan and the Boat Dock that will take you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.  We never did end up taking the boats for this stay.  We walked to and from Epcot.

This is the same fountain lit up at night.

The view of the Dolphin at night when viewed from the Swan.

We only stayed at the Dolphin for the night and didn’t really get a chance to enjoy the resort.  We selected it for the proximity to Epcot specifically for New Year’s Eve.  For those reasons, the Dolphin was perfect for our stay.  We will be returning here for Spring Break, so we should be able to give a more comprehensive review of the resort itself.

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