Reviews of Walt Disney World Dolphin (Deluxe Resort)
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:
DiningCons:
Not clean Not magical Transportation is badReviewed 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 resortsCons:
- Non-Disney bus transportation - Not very Disney immersive - OutdatedReviewed 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 amenitiesCons:
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 convenientReviewed 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 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!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 DisneyReviewed 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 serviceCons:
- 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 )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 guideCons:
NoneReviewed 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 DonGlover Review Date: 12/17/2021
Rating: (8) Recommended
The location of the Dolphin is great. We booked very early and thus got a very good rate. The common areas of the hotel are nice well maintained. The layout of the hotel makes it a bit confusing as to where your wing is and where the elevators and after a long day at the park this can be a bit of a challenge.
We had a room on the 11th floor and a mildly obstructed view but still nice. The rooms need a refurb. There aren't enough plug-ins for the modern world and the ones that are there are not conveniently placed. Since I always travel with powerstrips and long USB cables this was not a huge issue.
There were minor maintenance issues such as a loose soap tray and a bad USB port. But overall very nice rooms.
They have an outpost Disney giftshop in the hotel, but is small and does not do shipping. I had to go over to the Boardwalk to ship my saber and droid home. The bus transportation is not provided by Disney. It is frequent, but not well marked at times and the drivers don't necessarily offer up where they are going. Also, they don't drop off at the Disney bus stops. Busses to the Magic Kingdom go to the Transportation center and Disney Spring busses drop off quite a distance from the entrance.
Overall the value was great, the location was great, and I would happily stay there again.
