Walt Disney World Dolphin

I liked the hotel. It is huge with lots of options around - for food and drinks. The most happening place is their huge lobby near the reception area. The rooms are decent if not great. Good for a business travel - keep in mind that this is not a disney property. The only other complain I had is that the room was not cleaned daily without me asking for it. The standard of cleaning also seemed rushed with strands of hair in the bathroom area. A good Marriott property should be mindful of that! Read less

I have stayed here over 100 times now, on business and pleasure, and now am lifetime titanium elite after being platinum on both Marriott and Starwood for nearly 20 years. This hotel never has recognized my loyalty and now I am sitting in their bar waiting for my room yet again (it wasn’t ready at 2pm when I arrived). The lobby is empty! The front desk clerk Derek, said I’m getting the VIP treatment - hmm...next time I’m staying at the Hilton or Waldorf! Read less

We were greeted by a valet guy who helped with our bags and and we were told that valet parking was 25 for self parking and valet was 35.oo. The guy said self parking was a mile away from hotel so we decided to pay the 35.00 instead of walking a mile back and forth to car. We asked to have same guy bring our bags up to the room and the guy said ok but another guy brought them up, We didn't get to tip the valet guy so we asked the bellman did the valet and bellman split tip s and he said yes so I doubled the tip. We checked in and waited in line cause only one girl working the desk. She told us that if we didn't accept maid service during our stay that we would get 5.00 vouchers. We got 15.00 in vouchers for no maid for 4 nights..She asked for credit card and handed the keys and told us where elevators were an that was it. No smile, no have a fun time. Just hand the tickets. We took our keys out of little slip card they put them in and put in our wallets. We were not aware there was a card stuck inside with the room key with information about free things we could of used during our stay til we had left resort an put keys back in little packs for souvenirs. We could of got free smores packages for evening fires that they had each day that we were not aware of. It also informed us that we could use the white swans to paddle in the ponds . It also said we could of got 30 off on a spa package. The front desk did not even let us be aware of all these things happening at the hotel. It was just credit card and key and 15 dollar voucher and we were told where to go to elevator. Next morning ,we went to guest service for our Disney entrance fast pass card to get in each day and woman said we didn't have right info number is we called travel agent an then guest help told us we had to go to front desk. Not very nice lady. So we went to front desk an waited while one girl was working again. We asked for our package and she gave it to us and didn't say have fun, enjoy or nothing. She didn't even smile. Why didn't they give us our package when we checked in so we didn't have to wait around til 7 am til they open at guest services. My friend had souvenirs sent to hotel and she spent 2 days trying to get someone to help her find them. Hotel staff was not helpful at all. We were also told that we couldn't catch bus to parks til 8 am but we walked to swan and they told us we could go ahead an catch cause they were going every 15 mins so we got to park at 730. The Swan had the most nicest staff and greeted us everytime we walked over there. We liked going and sitting or grabbing a coffee at the Swan instead of Dolphin. When we checked out, we asked the bellman if valet and bellman split tips with one another and he said no so we got lied to again. We doubled the 1st bellman tip cause he said they did. Then the morning we left, we found out the resturant downstairs that had a small lunch and breakfast Buffett was closing cause they were loseing monies. Someone in the hotel told us that. This is a beautiful hotel but the staff made us feel like we were entering a morgue instead of being at a place that was connected to The Worlds happiest place to be. I tried to give my best friend a surprise nice trip and I felt like I failed by talking her to This hotel. The main thing ill always remember about this trip will be the service at The Dolphin. Saving monies for a nice trip to treat someone, i would recommend go to The Swan or elsewhere to start your adventure for Walt Disney World. Thank God we only had 4 nights there and we spent most of the time hanging at other hotels and at the Magic Kingdom ,Epcot and Animal Kingdom. One other thing the Dolphin had going for them was SHULAS. The resturant and food was perfect. Would highly recommend going to Dolphin just for SHULAS.. Read less

Both the Dolphin and Swan are very centrally-located, and walking distance to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. They are the only two non-Disney-owned hotels on Disney property, so you have the advantage of location, without the burden of Disney prices. Not that these hotels are a "bargain" generally, but when compared to similar Disney products, they are. The staff is welcoming and friendly, and the amenities are excellent. The rooms are clean and fresh, and seem to have been recently renovated. I would highly recommend the Dolphin and Swan. Read less

Although we usually stay at Port Orleans Riverside, we decided to give the Dolphin a try due to better rates. Best decision we made! Very nice accommodations with courteous staff, a large selection of dining options and most importantly nice clean, bright rooms with comfortable beds and a nice hot shower! Our housekeeper was exceptional and went out of her way to make it a pleasant experience for us! Although visiting the parks this year was a bit disappointing due to the crowds, the Dolphin provided some well-needed relaxation in between the chaos! We don't plan on coming back to Disney World any time soon but when we do, we plan on staying at the Dolphin for sure! Read less