Chloe Rideout
We had an awesome midweek stay with family at the Dolphin! We booked two nights so we could take our little one to Epcot and meet all the Disney Princesses. We wanted to be close to the theme park so we could get early entry and come back to the room for naptime, and wanted to take advantage of Bonvoy status. The location is perfect. I love the post-modern architecture of the hotels- so fun and kitschy with classy interiors. We visited three different restaurants there and had yummy meals, all with fast service (ideal for toddlers). The king room we booked is your standard 4 star hotel chain room that had a little bit of wear and tear if you looked closely, but had nice toiletries provided and a comfy bed and I appreciated that the bathroom had a real door (with a lock on it!) We could see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our bed at night which was a nice touch. Housekeeping service was great. The resort pools were beautiful. The temperature only got up to the 60s during our stay but the hot sun meant we could still splash around for a bit the last morning, and had the baby pool area to ourselves. We would absolutely stay here again the next time we come to Disney with our kid.
Bee
I loved this hotel- great location and super clean. Although a little “dated” the rooms are nice and quiet and well insulated unlike today’s modern hotels where you can hear the person fart in the room next to you. The front desk were so attentive whenever I texted and needed something. The boat to Epcot and Hollywood studios/boardwalk is a great touch. The Italian restaurant at the swan was immaculate- food and service were top tier. The Mexican restaurant and seafood restaurant at the dolphin were just okay- the service and food were lacking a bit. Overall great clean hotel. Will be returning!
H
Check-in at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel was smooth and easy, but unfortunately, the check-out experience was very disappointing.
The night before leaving, I went to the front desk and explained that I had an early morning flight and wanted to settle anything I needed to pay in advance to avoid delays in the morning. I was told that checking out in the morning would be easier and faster.
However, the next morning, check-out took around 30 minutes. I explained to the lady at the front desk that my Uber was waiting outside, that the driver might cancel, and that I had a flight to catch. Instead of helping or trying to expedite the process, her response was extremely unprofessional. She told me, “If you don’t want your money, you can leave,” simply because I asked her to speed up the process.
Because of the delay, my Uber was canceled. I had already paid more than $40 for the ride, but I only received around $9 back, so I lost money and had to order a new Uber. This made the situation even more stressful, especially since I was trying to get to the airport on time.
This was very frustrating and not the level of service I expected from this hotel. The check-out process, the lack of urgency, and the attitude from the front desk staff left a very bad impression.
Joshwa Nieves
The Good:
The location of the Disney Dolphin is fantastic. If you are looking for easy access to the parks, the positioning is incredibly convenient, which is the main redeeming quality of the property.
The Disappointing:
Unfortunately, the customer service completely missed the mark. I am a frequent traveler and have stayed in a wide selection of Marriott properties—ranging from budget-friendly options all the way to the Ritz-Carlton. This is the first Marriott property that has left me with a genuinely bad experience.
The front desk completely failed to acknowledge my Marriott Elite status upon arrival. Furthermore, I booked this stay through the American Express The Hotel Collection (THC), which includes a $150 property credit. Despite this being a clear benefit of the booking, the hotel failed to apply or honor the credit during my stay.
The Verdict:
Because of the poor customer service and failure to deliver on guaranteed booking benefits, I will not be returning to this property. If you are booking award travel and want to stay within the Marriott brand while visiting the area, I highly recommend looking elsewhere—properties like the JW Marriott offer a vastly superior experience.
Jason Taulbee
The hotel was nice. Staff was great. Location is great and convenient. My issue is THE FEES. I knew about the $50 resort fee prior to booking and I was ok with that. I thought that included parking my vehicle there which has always been the case when staying at a hotel. It does not. I got my final statement which also charged me $40 additional for self-parking making my total $98 in EXTRA FEES on top of the cost of the room. This is greed and gouging and I will NEVER stay at this hotel again for that reason. Put the fees in the room rate or 1 resort fee up front and don't hide it behind non-sense. This made a great experience very frustrating. As a side note, the parking lot that they charge to park in is incredibly tight and limited in availablity. I had to pull out of two different spaces to load and unload my vehicle so I didn't hit the vehicles next to me.
I didn't complain until I realized I was paying a premium for this parking lot built for hot wheels.
