Stephanie Zamora
Don’t be fooled by the Disney name in this resort. It lacks all of the Disney Magic that the other rooms have, including lacking the Disney customer service. While it still has some of the convenient transportation to Epcot and Hollywood Studios you’re better off staying anywhere else.
Our fire alarm was set off when we were getting ready. The hotel claimed it was because of “the shower” and were unapologetic and even claimed it happens all the time. It scared my two year old and he was terrified to go back into the room. I’ve never had a shower set off a smoke alarm.
The room also had full sized beds which was uncomfortable.
Next time I’ll stick to Disney rooms. I won’t be staying again.
Matthew C
I wanted to write to express my frustration and disappointment with customer service while I visited the dolphin resort for an hour earlier today. I had a friend staying at the resort that I hadn't seen in years. I went to visit her, asked her what the parking situation was, and she told me she spoke to an employee at the resort that said I would have no issues coming by to grab a coffee with her and park in guest parking.
I was in the resort for an hour. After leaving I went through the self-service parking booth and saw that I was being charged $38, for one hour. I pressed the button for assistance, explained the situation, and was told policy was to charge full day parking costs after 30 minutes. I explained again another employee said there would be no issue with me coming in for coffee, I was repeated the same line about policy. I asked if there was an hourly rate, since I was literally only there for an hour, and was told the same thing a 3rd time. I'm incredibly disappointed in this policy and will not be returning to this resort. I will also let my friends and family know about the incredibly poor customer service and misleading policies. I hope the resort will reconsider their hourly rates for parking, and also train staff to accurately explain how the parking works. I would have never parked and would have taken my friend off property to spend money elsewhere. $38 for 60 minutes of parking is absurd.
Neil Vora
The Dolphin hotel is a beautiful building. Built in the 90’s the architecture is still appealing and unique. The landscape is in pristine condition and the outdoor amenities are great too. My one major “complaint” about this hotel is that the rooms look like they’re from the 90’s era. The bathrooms are extremely cramped, many electrical outlets don’t work, there was a lot of dust in our room too. Also we had to switch rooms initially because our first room had a very dingy smell to it and there were dead insects on the floor.
Overall, this hotel has a lot of potential but they need to completely renovate their rooms. There’s a huge disconnect between how the exterior looks and the way the rooms are.
Amber Amber
Fantastic location if you’re going to Epcot or Hollywood Studios as there is a boat taxi available to take you there. The Boardwalk is a few steps away where you’ll have a view of the fireworks - some rooms also have a view of the fireworks. Owned by Marriot but considered a Disney Resort. Amenities were great, especially the Grotto pool. Maybe it was just happened to be the time I was there but I noticed a significant difference compared to other area hotels that the families were actually watching their children and there weren’t kids running around throughout the resort. The rooms were average but clean. Quick check-in, staff seemed friendly enough. Only negative was the parking - we drove around for over 20 min looking for a spot and after asking we were told to park on Swan side. That was a bit of a hike. Parking is $35 per night so they discounted us $5 per night for the trouble. I thought the parking price was excessive, but all in all a great stay!
Adrian
We stayed at the Dolphin for 1 week while we visited Disney World. The rooms are fairly standard. We had a room with 2 double beds. Overall, clean and in working order. Some of the room items/fixtures such as the closet doors and vanity mirror were showing some wear and tear and definitely could use a refresh. The bed was comfortable and even though we were 2 rooms away from the elevator, it was pretty quiet. Room service was quick though basic...no rolling table.
The facility has sit-down restaurants and a coffee shop serving snacks and cold sandwiches, soft serve ice cream, etc. A self-service laundromat is available on the Dolphin side of the resort. Beware, it may be busy.
Transportation to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom is provided by bus every 15 to 30min. Can be crowded, as we visited at peak season.
Overall, no real surprises with the best feature being the ability to walk or ride a water ferry to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.
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