Reviews of Walt Disney World Dolphin (Deluxe Resort)

Reviews

41

Rating

6.76 / 10

Recommended By

66%



Reviewed by RCinNYC Review Date: 08/19/2023

Rating: (8)
Recommended

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my stay here. The beds are super comfortable and the room itself has more than adequate space, with the exception of the very tiny bathroom area. There are plenty of dining options at a variety of price points and it was super convenient to grab a coffee and a snack at FUEL before heading out to the parks. The pool areas were great and the staff at the Cabana Bar were so friendly.

I really appreciated the boat shuttle to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios--a relaxing way to start and end my park visit. My only gripe is that the shuttle bus (which I think is operated by Mears rather than Disney) to the Magic Kingdom only takes you to the Transportation and Ticket Center, so be sure to walk over to the Boardwalk if you need the bus to Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the Dolphin is lacking in the Disney feel and look. But after a long tiresome day in the parks, I didn't really mind.

And finally, since I was staying in early August, the rates were fantastic. I remain a devoted Polynesian Resort fan, but will be staying at the Dolphin again in the near future.

Pros:

Pool area, dining options, boat transport to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, close proximity to Boardwalk Resort and Yacht Club

Cons:

Tiny bathroom, Bus options
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Reviewed by jiminyscricket Review Date: 04/30/2023

Rating: (1)
Not Recommended

My sister and I are proud Disney Adults and we recently completed our 3rd stay at the Dolphin Resort. Even though we are Marriott Rewards members it will be our last. When we arrived we opted for Valet parking. As we are both retired and disabled we were given a discounted rate and we presented the valet ticket with the discounted rate clearly marked to the Front Desk when we checked in.

After we checked out at approximately 8AM, we gave the ticket to the valet and from the time he left to retrieve our vehicle until the time he returned with it almost 45 minutes had elapsed. No explanation was offered for the delay. We were finally able to load our vehicle and leave the hotel just before 9AM

When we returned home we found not only had we been charged full rate for parking but that the Dolphin had placed an additional $200 hold on our account to cover the parking charges, even though the bill was paid in full when we checked out.

We called and at first they refused to credit us for the over charge.
When we told them we would complain to Marriott Corporate they credited us the full amount but said they were powerless to remove the hold and we\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'d have to wait perhaps as long as 10 days for the charges to drop off.

But that\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s not the worst of it. Over the next few days we noticed our special edition Maleficent car magnet was missing from the console of our car. We also noticed our \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"road change\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" was missing as well. The total was under $10 in bills and coins.

That\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s still not the worst of it. We took our vehicle in for routine service and were informed that our skid plate undercarriage and radiator supports were severely damaged...probably from hitting a curb or speed bump at high speed. Furthermore, it appeared that the collision light had come on after the impact but had since been shut off from the dashboard drivers controls.

As we had not damaged our car we were at a loss to explain it to our Insurance Company. But we have a safe driver device in our vehicle and the Insurance Company checked the GPS data and informed us of the exact time, date and location of the accident. The Valet parking lot at the Dolphin Hotel shortly after 8AM. A high speed impact occurred and the brakes were not applied.

It has been a total nightmare since then. The management at the Dolphin Hotel told us not to waste our time as the Valet Company is a 3rd party contractor and the Dolphin was therefore not responsible and would not compensate us in any way.

The Valet Service, Towne Park did not return our calls to their Claims Department. We were finally able to reach an on-site manager and she requested a statement from us as they do not have claim forms. She did file a claim and we were advised by email it would take 3 to 5 days for them to reach a decision.

After a week we contacted their claims department and requested an update. The analyst said she had been out of the office and had not even looked at our claim. Accordingly, it would take an additional 7 to 10 days for them to reach a decision as they would have to wait for their on-site people to respond.

She made it clear none of our information from the Insurance Company, or servicing auto shop would be considered. And while the entire parking area is covered by security cameras that information is considered private and would not be released without subpoena...provided it wasn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t erased first as it is only stored for a short time before being deleted and recorded over.

We informed them none of this was acceptable and asked for an immediate resolution. They will no longer take our calls or return our emails.

So we paid the deductible and the amount over what the insurance company considers \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"reasonable and customary\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" and got our vehicle repaired. But we are out money and left hanging.

We have tried to take this to a higher Corporate level with both companies but as yet have heard nothing. Disney Guest Relations seems unable to help us and we have contacted their Corporate but again have heard nothing.

This whole affair has turned us against what we always thought was a great resort and we will NEVER stay there or at any other Marriott ever again. Disney Resorts have a different Valet service but the Disney Springs area hotels also use Towne Parke so please be advised if you trust your vehicle to them.

Pros:

NA

Cons:

NA
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Reviewed by SunandShore Review Date: 02/11/2023

Rating: (2)
Not Recommended

How do I explain this? A resort I was so excited to stay at was so horrible! We went for 2 nights and three days for my neice’s birthday! Everyone did their homework but no one expressed how disappointing this hotel ended up to be! As a child, my family and I always stayed at a resort close to Magic Kingdom (Grand Floridian or Contemp.). We thought about staying at the Polynesian but it’s not my favorite! Anyways, my niece was sad to see no “hidden mickeys” or any Disney atmosphere! If you’re traveling with a Disney lover or children, the Dolphin is not for you! While it offers great prices and variety of dining options, it is not “all that”. Disgusting shower and bathrooms, thin walls, and you have to pay to have your room cleaned! (That’s what I was told when I went) Transportation to Magic Kingdom is not so great! That’s the park we decided she’d have the most fun at. this resort is very far away and the first day we were told about the busses by another person staying at the hotel. She had to walk a 20 minute walk back from the bus drop off because it wasn’t directly to the hotel. We decided to drive but doing this made it harder to get into the park. Not my favorite.

Pros:

Dining

Cons:

Not clean Not magical Transportation is bad
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Reviewed by AnnaEverAfter Review Date: 01/20/2023

Rating: (9)
Recommended

My favorite Disney resort is the Marriott-owned Dolphin resort. It is a quick walk or boat ride away from both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and includes amenities like a nice pool, multiple restaurants, and guest services provided by Disney cast members. There are a variety of stores that sell Disney merch and a luxurious lobby that has escalators just in case your feet hurt after a long day in the parks. Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf and the Boardwalk resort loop is close by the Dolphin, so you’ll have plenty to do and many restaurants to eat at. Being a Deluxe Disney resort, the Dolphin comes with perks, including Early Theme Park and Extended Evening hour entry. The one downfall of staying at the Dolphin is that it’s not a Disney immersive resort; there is barely a magical atmosphere, and the bus transportation is Meers, which, on a Magic Kingdom day, is not convenient since it takes you to the TTC. My recommendation is that you use the bus transportation around the boardwalk resort loop or take an Uber if you are in need of a bus. So if you have young kids that love princess movies, the Dolphin is not necessarily for you. However, I highly recommend this resort for anyone who is an EPCOT lover like myself.

Pros:

- Easy and quick access to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios - Deluxe resort perks: extended evening theme park hours - Many restaurants - Nice pool - Lots of activities - Cheaper than other deluxe resorts

Cons:

- Non-Disney bus transportation - Not very Disney immersive - Outdated
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Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 07/23/2022

Rating: (7)
Recommended

My family of three loved staying here for 9 days in January! The room was comfortable and clean and the service was fantastic! We loved the grounds and enjoyed walking to the boardwalk! The accessibility to Hollywood studios and to Epcot was the the best park! We purchased park hopper tickets so that we could have dinner most nights in Epcot no matter which park we spent the day in and it was perfect! We wouldn’t stay anywhere else!

Pros:

Location! Such an easy walk to both Epcot and Hollywood studios as well as the sky liner and the boardwalk! Super comfortable beds Great amenities

Cons:

Not a ton of “Disney magic” as it’s a Marriott hotel Most of the restaurants are located in the dolphin and was a little less convenient
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Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/27/2022

Rating: (3)
Not Recommended

This hotel was very dirty and was never cleaned. The bathroom has no exhaust. The sliding glass door wouldn’t open and also had a big gap between the glass. The curtains had no sheets so everyone walking by could see you or you could keep them closed and stay in the dark. I could go on and on, but won’t. Just don’t stay there, big rip off!

Pros:

Good location with transportation.

Cons:

Dirty, no cleaning service. I found out where the linen closet was and got my own clean linen. The drain in the tub was clogged and had standing water when we showered. TheDollar Inn is better!
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by tgrandolph Review Date: 03/14/2022

Rating: (7)
Recommended

I stayed here 3 nights in June 2021 for the first time. The resort is great, and the amenities and location is amazing.

Pros:

Amazing food options. Nice pools. Location, location, location.

Cons:

I was in a standard queen/queen room. The size of the room was fine, but the shower/toilet part of the bathroom is the smallest I've ever seen in any hotel room. I mean TINY!
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 01/06/2022

Rating: (9)
Recommended

Loved it! The only thing missing is the Disney element but it was wonderful to walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios or take the Ferry and we enjoyed spending time on the Boardwalk and loved the pool.

Pros:

Loved the location, the pool and food options. The pool was great and ordering drinks from our chairs poolside. The beds were great and very comfortable.

Cons:

Not as Disney
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by BookishPrincess Review Date: 12/31/2021

Rating: (8)
Recommended

The rooms were nice, and I really loved the location! It was a short ride to Hollywood Studios, and quite scenic. Overall a great stay at a great price when compared to other Official Disney Resorts.

Pros:

- Proximity to HS and EPCOT - Comfy beds - Room service

Cons:

- Transportation to and from MK (not a huge fan of TTC versus going directly to the park) - Some of the food options were mediocre ( I’m looking at you The Fountain Salad )
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by OperaBill Review Date: 12/19/2021

Rating: (10)
Recommended

I love these resort tours! Please continue to do them! They are really helping me determine where I want to stay for my next WDW trip!

Pros:

Great details, great tour guide

Cons:

None
0 Users found this helpful.
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