Wikipedia:
Walt Disney World Dolphin |
| Walt Disney World Dolphin | ||
Epcot Resort Area |
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The Walt Disney World Dolphin is a resort hotel designed by architect Michael Graves located between Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios next to Disney's BoardWalk Resort area. It opened in June, 1990 and is joined to its sister hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan (also designed by Graves) by a palm-tree lined promenade splitting a lagoon. The Dolphin, is located on Disney property, is an official Disney Hotel but is operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide under the Sheraton Hotels brand.
The Dolphin and Swan share similar whimsical elements, but each has a distinctive appearance. The Dolphin is composed of a 257 foot tall triangular tower bisecting a 12-story rectangular mass with four 9-story wings on the Swan-side of the structure. The roof of each half of the main mass is adorned with a 56-foot tall Dolphin statue. On the main colored facade there is a turquoise banana-leaf pattern echoed by a similar wave pattern on the Swan.
A strange aspect of the Dolphin hotel is that the statues on the roof are clearly not (mammal) dolphins but a stylized version of a species of fish actually named "Dolphin". The design of the creatures is based on Triton Fountain in Rome, which was designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini around 1643
Restaurants at the Dolphin include: Shula's Steak House and Shula's Lounge, the Fresh Mediterranean Market, and Todd English's BlueZoo. There is over 329,000 square feet of meeting space for conferences between the two resorts.
In 2006, the Dolphin and Swan underwent an over $135 million dollar renovation to their lobbies and 2265 guestrooms. In addition, the renovation added more shopping as well as the Mandara Spa.
Resources
- Home Page for Swan & Dolphin
- Walt Disney World Dolphin page at Walt Disney World website
- Dolphin resort page at Sheraton website
External links
- Dolphin Resort Official Site. Walt Disney World. Retrieved on May 2, 2006.
| Walt Disney World Resorts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Deluxe | Moderate | Value | Deluxe Villa / Disney Vacation Club |
| Magic Kingdom Resort Area |
Grand
Floridian Resort & Spa Polynesian Resort Contemporary Resort Wilderness Lodge Shades of Green |
None | None | Villas at Wilderness Lodge |
| Epcot Resort Area |
BoardWalk Inn Yacht Club Resort Beach Club Resort Walt Disney World Swan Walt Disney World Dolphin |
Caribbean Beach Resort | None | BoardWalk
Villas Beach Club Villas |
| Downtown Disney Resort Area |
None | Port Orleans French
Quarter Port Orleans Riverside |
None | Old Key West
Resort Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa |
| Disney's Animal
Kingdom Resort Area |
Animal Kingdom Lodge | Coronado Springs Resort | All-Star Music
Resort All-Star Sports Resort All-Star Movies Resort |
Animal Kingdom Villas |
| Wide World of
Sports Resort Area |
None | None | Pop Century Resort | None |
| Campsites and Cabins | ||||
| Hotel Plaza | Best Western • Doubletree • Regal Sun Resort • Hilton • Holiday Inn • Royal Plaza • Buena Vista Palace | |||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
