Walt Disney World Dolphin

“Disney Dolphin Resort: The best Disney Resort!!”

My adult daughter and I just returned from a long weekend stay at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. Our stay was fantastic from the hotel room, the location, the pool, the food choices and the service. Every worker was smiling as they greeted us. Our room was perfect! It was pretty, very … more

My adult daughter and I just returned from a long weekend stay at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. Our stay was fantastic from the hotel room, the location, the pool, the food choices and the service. Every worker was smiling as they greeted us. Our room was perfect! It was pretty, very clean and well stocked with towels and toiletries (even a shower cap!). The beds were so comfortable! Housekeeping was offered everyday and they did a great job. You can't beat the location being walking distance to Epcot and the Boardwalk. There are also boats to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, along with buses to other Disney Parks. We enjoyed walking to Epcot and catching the Sky-liner to the Riviera Resort. There is a terrace at the top of the Riviera where you can watch the Epcot fireworks with music piped in. We really took advantage of the pool on this visit. It was so much fun! There was a DJ everyday we were at the pool. He played such a great mix for the children and adults. I saw kids as young as 3 singing and dancing to K Pop Demon Hunters' songs and grown-ups (even grandma) waving their hands in the air as they swayed along in the pool to the music they loved. There were fountains and a pool slide. It was such a vibrant atmosphere. We had lunch twice at the pool bar restaurant. The food and service were great. We had champagne brunch at the Grove restaurant (Swan Resort). Also great! Our server was Carla. She was so attentive and nice! We also ate at Il Mulino (also Swan) for dinner. The food and service were great here too. One evening we had a glass of wine at Todd English's Bluezoo. Tyler the bartender was very attentive and friendly. I loved the ambiance. We have stayed at many Disney resorts over the years. I used to always say the Polynesian Resort was my favorite. I changed my mind on this one as I LOVED my stay at the Dolphin. My new favorite Disney Resort. Everything was so perfect! I can't wait to stay again. Great for all ages!

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“2-3 out of 5 stay… steam and false alarm”

Synopsis: Excellent staff and unbeatable location, but outdated room design, poor bathroom ventilation, and disappointing management response negatively impacted the stay. 2-3 out of 5 stay The best part of this property is definitely the staff. Everyone from housekeeping to the servers was profes… more

Synopsis: Excellent staff and unbeatable location, but outdated room design, poor bathroom ventilation, and disappointing management response negatively impacted the stay. 2-3 out of 5 stay The best part of this property is definitely the staff. Everyone from housekeeping to the servers was professional, friendly, and polite throughout our stay. The location is also excellent — being within walking distance to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot is incredibly convenient and one of the biggest reasons to stay here. Unfortunately, the rooms themselves were average at best, and the bathroom design was honestly terrible. There is little to no proper ventilation in the bathroom, and the layout is extremely cramped. The bathroom door only opens about three-quarters of the way because of the doorstop placement, making the space feel even tighter. You also cannot realistically hang a towel behind the door without risking it pushing you into the tub when entering or exiting. The only other towel hook is behind the bathroom door itself, which you cannot even access unless you are already inside the bathroom with the door closed. I am a normal-sized person, and even I found it awkward and uncomfortable. I can only imagine how difficult this setup would be for someone taller, larger, or physically disabled. The lack of ventilation became a much bigger issue when steam from a normal hot shower triggered the flood detection/fire alarm system in our room. Because there was no ventilation, we had to leave the bathroom door open just to let steam escape. The alarm then sounded continuously for approximately 15–20 minutes around 11 PM until it eventually stopped. While the maintenance staff who responded were professional and courteous, they were not actively repairing the alarm itself. The alarm was extremely loud, disrupted not only our room but neighboring rooms as well, and made it difficult for our family to fall back asleep afterward. Our sleep was disrupted, and it made getting up the next morning for a preplanned event much harder. I attempted to contact management afterward and never received a callback. I eventually spoke with management at the front desk, and it was clear this was a known issue. The manager was somewhat empathetic and offered the standard apologies, but ultimately stated there was not much they could do beyond a temporary fix. I was not expecting a full room comp, but after a fire alarm disrupting our night and sleep, I was surprised there was no meaningful effort made to acknowledge the inconvenience. Overall, the staff and location are the strengths of this hotel, but the room quality, bathroom design, and handling of guest concerns left a lot to be desired.

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