Reviews of Walt Disney World Dolphin (Deluxe Resort)
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:
NACons:
NAReviewed 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:
DiningCons:
Not clean Not magical Transportation is badReviewed 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!Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/17/2021
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
I would give this resort a one star, however it is beautiful and I enjoyed the pool. With that being said you have to tell the front desk when you would like the room cleaned, and since our phone didn't work the entire ten days we were there it was very inconvenient to get housekeeping in the room, not that it mattered anyway, the rooms were not cleaned from the last guest who stayed there! We found a face mask, old butter, and when we did ask for service I made sure we had nothing on the floors or counters and they did not get cleaned! On other sites I have seen others have this same issue, I wish I had done more homework on this and gone somewhere else! We paid way too much to have these issues!
Pros:
Nice poolCons:
Very expensive, for not great service!Reviewed by ChefDionofLima Review Date: 11/20/2021
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Great resort for the location only. But stay with caution. Many of the resort rooms need updated, and some rooms have funky layouts, owing to the architectural design. If you get assigned room 10119 request a different room. The view is completely obstructed by the top of the western wing's roof top stairwell, air handlers, and giant rooftop decroation. It has three different celing heights (tall people beware). Ì'm 5'7\" and could lay my paln flat on the ceiling in the shower, and the bathroom has no exhaust fan. Honestly this room would be better suited for housekeeping or maintenance purposes, and with the symmetrical design of the resort there are at least two of these rooms. Shopping is meh, at best. Food options are hit and miss, including Shula's (see my review for that location), and the full service breakfast location is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so plan for breakfast in the park. The pool bar was a pleasant surprise, they have an excellent full menu with table service, and a condensed menu for mobile order with poolside delivery. Transportation is not really a convenient perck. The buses don't drop you off where all the other resort buses do, the MK bus drops you off at the TTC, and the Disney Springs stop is clear on the west end by the staff parking, and with increased security, you have to walk around the front of the shopping center to the Orange Garage to go through security (a VERY LONG long walk, 3/4 mile to be exact). Use this tip if you plan on bussing, walk across to Boardwalk and ride their buses. The Water taxis are by far the best convenience in transportation for both Epcot and DHS. The shuttle service to the airport is very pricy as well as charging per person, and they do not use Magical Express , which is going away. So to get to and from the airport we used Lyft, a $30 trip. With all that being said, for the location the price is a very good deal, Disney Delux location for Moderate price tag, which saves it in the rating system for me. But this is by no means a Delux level service/experience.
Pros:
Location, location, location Friendship Boats Price is rightCons:
Bus Transportation less of a convenience, Outdated rooms, Spoty Food Selection Poor customer serviceReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 11/05/2021
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
We are titanium members and we were treated terrible. We
Purchased two rooms for six nights and faced the building. They gave us two breakfast vouchers for six people that were worth very little. We decided to go to breakfast and pay the extra ten dollars per person. We found out extra breakfast was increased to twelve dollars and we then ordered a omelet which was an add on of three dollars a piece.
We came home from the park numerous times and the rooms were not cleaned. We requested full cleaning and our daughter was partial. We understand hotels are short staff but the hotel manager was never available to talk !
We work hard for our money and have been very loyal to Starwood now marriott. We get all our points through personal travel.. we are so excited to bring our grandchildren to Disney . It is so disappointing when we are treated so good everywhere else and come here and treated terrible. I will say the Swan has treated us better.
Pros:
Nice locationCons:
Do not treat Marriott members any differentReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 07/03/2021
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
This place is disgusting & everyone has treated us horrible! we were supposed to be in a deluxe suite as we are platinum members & i am a transplant patient! We had to wait 4 hours for our room to be ready & then the room was dirty & smelled like BO! They left out bags filled with medications & our clothes outside in the rain just sitting there! Promised us a balcony & no balcony! My daughter had to walk all around the hotel almost passed out! We are platinum ambassadors & are treated horrible!! Gross treated horrible! & the bellman came & brought us a new key for a “better room” & its dirty! Horrible hotel!! Dirty! & Especially for an immunosuppressed person! WOW DISGUSTING & as a platinum elite member for marriott! Not ok! We will never stay here again so gross! So mean, & nobody really cares
Pros:
NOTHINGCons:
EVERYTHING! DIRTY, SMELLY, TREATED LIKE _ _ _ _, Vomit on the floor that said they couldn’t clean it up until the next day!! So gross,Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/10/2019
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
tell everyone to stay away. ants in our room. smoking section without benches we had to find milk crates to sit on. waited over an hour for a boat from studios to resort. stay at the swan it is so much better,
Pros:
noneCons:
too many to mentionReviewed 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 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.
