Reviews of Walt Disney World Dolphin (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by FoxzLem Review Date: 05/08/2013
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
Hotel was nice and close to great locations at Disney (walking distance to Epcot/Boardwalk).
The hotel had more of a business feel to it due to conferences going on – didn’t get the “Disney†feeling of being at other hotels on property.
Main complaint about hotel - we were on the 6th floor for a week and complained about bad odor in hallway (smelled horrible – complained three times). Our complaint didn't seem to matter to front desk. They did nothing to move us to different room and no other adjustments were made.
Also can’t partake in Disney Magical Express.
Pros:
Walk to Epcot and BoardwalkCons:
Not Disney PropertyReviewed by veniceboy78 Review Date: 05/16/2013
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
We have been to Disney World several times and always look forward to our yearly vacation there. Two years ago we stayed at the Dolphin and it was fantastic! Enough so that we stayed again this year....
Unfortunately it was the opposite experience this time around. We are members of the Starwood Preferred Guest program and had a resort view room on reserve. When we got there they told us that they had given our room away! We were stuck with a view of the service area/roof top. In addition,there was old garbage in the drawers of the dresser, the coffee maker was broken (as was the refrigerator), there were stains and holes in the bed sheets, the shower curtain was torn. The list was EXTENSIVE! To make matters worse, we were given poor attitudes from members of the wait staff at the ice cream shop downstairs.
We tried contacting the manager, but she did not get back to us until after we had returned home! We were there for a whole week and were very disappointed. They tried to "bribe" us with a free taxi ride, but we do not feel that this was fair compensation for ruining our hotel experience. This is unfortunate because we will not be staying at the Dolphin in the future due to this experience. We also let Disney know as their name is attached to the property. They were much more helpful!
Pros:
Great location close to Epcot and Hollywood StudiosCons:
Rude staff, Dirty roomsReviewed by tommygunn Review Date: 08/20/2013
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
It was cheap, and close to Epcot. But ultimately you get what you pay for. Dated is a kind word for this property. And ZERO Disney theming/magic. Will never stay here again. Spend a little more money and stay at the Port Orleans Riverside. Best deal going on sight IMHO.
Pros:
LocationCons:
Everything elseReviewed by amybosshard Review Date: 10/22/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
My husband and I just arrived home from a 5 night stay at the Dolphin (sans kids!) for the Food and Wine Festival. Overall we thought the hotel was great. Within walking distance to EPCOT, HS and the Boardwalk. It was so nice to be able to quickly walk over to the Boardwalk area for shopping, something to eat, or just the ambiance.
Check-in was a breeze, quick and efficient. We stayed using our Starwood points, so the total bill was $95, for the extra fees they charge. Our room was a king bed with a partial view of the boardwalk and Swan. If you craned your neck, you could watch the EPCOT fireworks.
The beds at the Dolphin are extremely heavenly! I have never slept so well at a hotel. And, am hoping to talk my husband into buying one!
We sat at the pool one afternoon and really enjoyed it. Although not themed (like other Disney resorts) it had exactly what you would want, and a slide for kids too. And, although we didn't order anything, there was sufficient staff walking around taking drink and food orders.
We ate at BlueZoo one evening. Delicious!! We also ordered ice cream from the Dolphin Fountain...so good...
The room is a little dated looking, but I felt the comfort of the bed far out-wayed the dated feel. On our first night, the toilet didn't flush, and someone came up within 2 minutes of a call to the front desk and fixed it quickly.
Now, for my only complaint. The hotel rooms have Starbucks coffee pods. I was sooo excited to see this, as I am a serious coffee drinker and need a strong cup of coffee in the morning. The only problem? The pods did not fit into the coffee maker they had (different make of machine), they were way too big. So, on my first morning, after making a complete mess (water and coffee everywhere) I stopped using it. Total bummer.
Overall, I would stay here again and can't wait to go back. Yes, it definitely feels a little convention/business like at times (especially at night when you have to walk through the bar to get to the hotels). But, I think the pros far out-way the cons!
Pros:
close to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and BoardwalkCons:
bus to DTDReviewed by alfy Review Date: 12/09/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
The room was clean and well equipped. We found the decor dated with a faux '50s look and unchanged from when we stayed many years ago, many layers of paint on the walls. The restaurants here and at the Swan are uniformly great and folks staying anywhere in the Epcot area should take advantage of them. We also note that S and D are offering a fastpass plus service, where you make your choices at stations inside the parks. We didn't use the service this trip. Dolphin and Swan are our choices when the Disney Epcot resorts are fully booked or not offering advantageous rates.
Pros:
Lots of elevators, friendly staff, great restaurantsCons:
DatedReviewed by rhjohnston Review Date: 09/13/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
The Dolphin and Swan offer many of the Disney Property advantages on a deluxe level for less money. My husband and I stayed 9/7-9/12 to celebrate his 50th birthday. I recommend this time frame because the parks were not crowded. Kids had just gone back to school so you mainly encountered families with young children or adults celebrating special occasions. The Dolphin is a conference hotel so it is huge but it is well planned and the elevators were great. The décor is not Disney and much of the clientele is business but you do get the complimentary transportation to the parks, the extra magic hours and an excellent location. You can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios or take a boat- the Boardwalk is adjacent to the hotel. The pool facility is awesome and you have more food options than the less expensive Disney resorts. The room size was fine for 2 people although the bathroom might be a little tight if several people were in the room. I suspect these rooms will be refurbished soon as they are looking a tad worn. We stayed in room 8023. This room had a great view, no balcony but you did have to walk a bit to get to it. I would return to this hotel even with the $23 resort fee. The benefits outweigh the cons.
Pros:
location, pool, food options, costCons:
large hotel, resort fee, no airport transportationReviewed by mare54 Review Date: 04/09/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Very disappointing...no transportation from or to airport. Taxi was $60 each way. The bus to Magic Kingdom came about every 45 minutes and was packed...when returning, we had a 30 minute wait for bus to return to hotel. Many ducks in pool and pooping, pool opens early but life jackets and towel shack not open till 10:30 and closed at 6. One meal in their casual restaurant for 4 adults ( choice of 4 meals, and each one was $40) toddlers charged $25 each. One meal came to $ 240 with tip. At checkout I was charged over $200 for " service fees " and parking...$25 a night for use of gym, ( never used), 2 bottles of water, and little coffee maker, $18 per day for parking..all of this plus tax...soooooooo, with $120 cab fare, $200 for service fees, and $240 for a casual dinner, and the horrible bus service to Magic Kingdom, we could have stayed at the Floridian with less stress and a truly deluxe hotel. It is not considered a Disney Hotel, so the bus service goes to the Swan and Dolphin less and with fewer busses. Never again...
Pros:
Closeness to EpcotCons:
Bus to magic kingdom every 45 minutesReviewed by DianeinNM Review Date: 12/26/2015
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
We booked a year in advance, requesting as high a floor as possible. We were put on the second floor, under the lobby. There was a baby screaming every night, and no evidence of sound insulation at all. We heard fireworks from two parks every night, making it difficult to be up for park opening. There were no midrange dining options--either the bargain basement grocery/cafe in the basement or the top dollar dining options (which were very good!). There is no group for whom I'd recommend this hotel.
Pros:
walking distance to Epcot, HollywoodCons:
price, service, dining, transportation, noiseReviewed by sarahaas Review Date: 02/03/2016
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
We weren't expecting Mickey Mouse to be plastered everywhere. Honestly, we weren't. The Dolphin is not a Disney hotel. However, we were expecting it to be CLEAN. Especially for the the price. Our first exposure to how things seem to be done at the Dolphin was in the parking lot. Garbage. A big ol' bag of garbage was sitting in the spot next to ours. Once we got our key cards, we headed up to the room. What did we find in the elevator? Giant, dirty handprints on the inside of the door. PS, the #5 elevator button doesn't work. Luckily, we're on 10. As we walk down the hall toward our room, we see lots of dishes and half-eaten food outside guests' doors. Most of those dishes sat there for DAYS. Ah, finally to our room. Hey look, the number plate on the room across the hall is on the floor. And we all have a big laugh. That number plate stayed on the floor the entire length of our stay.
On the afternoon of December 24, 2015, we put the key card in the door of room #10172. The door opens…smells weird. Not bad, just weird. Okay, sometimes that happens. As we check out the room, we notice the following "luxurious" things: the room is WORN. Like, 1990-called-and-they-want-their-room-back worn, the hair dryer is sticky and dusty and hairy, the bathroom is DIM, I can't barely see in there, the toilet whistles loudly when flushed, the shower drained slowly, the floor and some drawer handles were sticky, two lights in the room didn't even work, random hairs, LOTS of dust on EVERYTHING…oh, did I mention the splintered wood on the drawer handles? Um, I'm paying how much to stay in this place dirtier than my own house?
On the night before check-out, I called Guest Services to make sure we could get out of the parking lot the next morning. I was assured TWICE all I needed was my room key to exit the parking lot. At around 3:30am on December 28, our room key failed to allow us to exit the parking lot. We spent more than 20 minutes calling around trying to find SOMEONE to help us. There was no security in the parking lot. We were on hold multiple times with multiple people. The "help" button didn't seem to work properly, either. We were stuck. WE COULD NOT LEAVE THE PARKING LOT FOR 20 MINUTES. I could never advise anyone to stay here.
Pros:
Close to Epcot/Hollywood StudiosCons:
Dirty, dirty, dirtyReviewed by hsmamato2 Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
I LOVE this resort. So much so, that I hesitate to write this review...I want to keep it to myself! Over the years I've stayed at a variety of Disney resorts,from value up to Deluxes. They're all a lot of fun. The Dolphin(and sister Swan) are WONDERFUL. The location beats everything else by a mile! The boardwalk view is right out the window,as are potential views of Epcot and the Studios. Beautiful! A fantastic pool complex, so many excellent restaurant choices onsite,and great service make this my favorite resort to stay at,I'd choose the Dolphin over any of my previous onsite stays! Yes, it's not 'Disney' themed, but it's gorgeous! the lobby, the rooms, the views,I love it all. Walking to the Studios and Epcot is GREAT,or you can take a boat ride which is fun. I also enjoy just walking over to the Boardwalk area just to see the sights,and exercise. It's technically 'offsite' but it's as 'onsite' as it can be with the location. We usually Uber to and from the airport, so that's not a problem at all. Disney run buses to the parks work just fine here also.
