Walt Disney World Dolphin

“Magical stay”

We had the chance to stay at the Dolphin hotel as our daughter was performing at the Cheer Summit competition. Even with a busy weekend competition we had the opportunity to enjoy our stay at the hotel with all the different amenities the hotel had. First when we arrive really late, the front desk … more

We had the chance to stay at the Dolphin hotel as our daughter was performing at the Cheer Summit competition. Even with a busy weekend competition we had the opportunity to enjoy our stay at the hotel with all the different amenities the hotel had. First when we arrive really late, the front desk agent was kind enough to give us additional bottle of waters as everything was closed since it was 1am. Room was absolutely amazing, comfortable beds and amazing resort view, enjoying the fireworks every night. The housekeeping team is so incredibly creative as they use my daughter’s blanket and plus to make a special design on her bed every day. We also had the chance to eat at Il Milano at the Swan hotel which is right cross from the Dolphin and it was incredible, food, service and the attention to details was on point and everyone made our evening so special as we were also celebrating our wedding anniversary. The hotel has so many incredible amenities such as the pool, arcade area, so many places to eat or grab something quick. Disney store on site and of course the complimentary shuttle that will take you the parks and Disney springs which is so convenient. We can not thank you enough for making our trip absolutely one of the best we had!

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“Disappointed and reconsidering Marriott in the future”

I want to start this review by saying my 3 star review is because of the location. Otherwise, I would give it 1 or 2 stars. We have stayed at the Dolphin, the Swan and the Swan Reserve many times over the years. I am a Marriott Platinum member which I don't toss around like I am owed something bu… more

I want to start this review by saying my 3 star review is because of the location. Otherwise, I would give it 1 or 2 stars. We have stayed at the Dolphin, the Swan and the Swan Reserve many times over the years. I am a Marriott Platinum member which I don't toss around like I am owed something but to give perspective that we travel alot and stay at Marriott properties all around the world. The majority of our stay was fine. At Disney, you don't spend much time in the room but I have no complaints about cleanliness. My chief complaint is around our arrival experience and the abysmal customer service. The place was crazy busy when we arrived so we were patient. However, we were told that self parking was not available at the hotel and if we wanted to self park we had to go next door to the other hotel. That said, they still charge $40/day to self park ½ mile away from the hotel. If you are unable to make that trek or are disabled or elderly, valet parking is available. On our arrival day, the valet told us "today it is $58/day." WHAT?! So, you have made self parking ridiculously inconvenient for paying customers and now want to price gouge for valet parking. That was number 1. We were thrilled that our room was ready upon arrival and we loaded our luggage onto a cart with a bellman. I went directly to the bell stand for our luggage and was told it would be up to the room in 5 minutes. We went to the room and waited.....and waited.....an hour went by. We called the bell stand and were put on hold for a long time and then were told it would be right up. Again, we waited.....I opened the door to go get ice and there were our bags going the wrong direction down the hall. I flagged the bell person down and she LIED and said she had been to the room TWICE and knocked on the door and no one answered. Well, I don't know what door she knocked on but it wasn't ours. Listen, it's ok if you messed up and it was really busy, just say sorry. That was number 2. The icing on the cake was that a bag of leftovers from our lunch was missing. So, trip back to bell services where they let me walk into the bag storage area to look around. The bewildered bell man was looking around and then, I happened to spy our bag on another cart. The food had been sitting outside in the 80 degree weather for over an hour unnecessarily and we threw it away because we didn't feel safe eating it. That was number 3. All that said, if you are still reading this, the location is the best and the price to stay here is usually very decent but we will think long and hard about where we spend our travel dollars again. If the hotel is going to be hosting a large convention that is going to inconvenience their other paying guests, I would suggest letting those guests know about it so they can make other plans if desired. I also think the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve should consider adding parking as a "welcome gift" for those of us that are loyal to the brand---loyalty goes both ways.

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