Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort

Anthony Wong

Haven't been in years. The rooms are decent. Walls are a little thin. But very clean and nicely appointed. The entire resort is really nice. Many restaurant options from casual to great steakhouse. Plenty of seating for meetings. Great lobby bar. The pool and beach area close by. Fitness center is nice. The arcade is very unique as it has a bowling alley. The proximity to Epcot and Hollywood Studios is fantastic. Transportation from bus and especially the water transportation is easy.

Nicky's Travels

Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort is a solid choice for a Disney trip if location is your primary consideration. Sitting between Epcot and Hollywood Studios, the access to both parks is genuinely convenient, and getting there by water taxi is one of the more enjoyable ways to start and end a park day. The early entry benefit that comes with staying on property applies here as well, which matters if you are trying to maximize your time at the parks before the crowds build. The resort itself has enough on property to keep you comfortable without ever leaving. The pool is nice for both families and adults, the dining options cover a range of needs from quick grab and go to proper sit down meals, and the rooms are well appointed for a four star property at this price point. The scale of the hotel means the lobby and common areas have an energy to them that feels appropriate for a Disney adjacent resort without leaning too hard into the theming the way other Disney owned hotels do. Where the experience gets less consistent is in the service and management side. Check in can be a friction point and how well issues get handled seems to depend heavily on who you are dealing with on a given day. For a property charging Disney area rates, that inconsistency is worth factoring into expectations going in. The physical product and the location hold up well but the service reliability does not always match what the price tag implies. For families trying to stay close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios without paying full Disney resort prices, this remains a practical option that delivers on the most important elements of a park trip. Just go in knowing the experience can vary and manage accordingly.

Ryan Triompo

Family and I stayed at the Dolphin side for 6 nights. First the good. The amenities for both WDW and Hotel were top notch. The restaurants never disappointed, the service was always good and the food was on point to the price you paid. From a WDW standpoint, having the perks to book LL early and have access to transportation was a huge benefit, just plan accordingly to either walk to boardwalk or know that you have to make a stop at the transportation center first. Now, the not so good. As a titanium member, would expect to at least be able to check in on time, if not early. Not the case, it was 2 hours after check-in before our room was ready after significant confusion between the front desk and the housekeeping staff. The room itself was clean though incredibly outdated with the shower barely working, half the outlets having no power and AC is super noisy. There was a fire in the steakhouse during our stay. Out of their control, sure, but it's how the leadership team reacts that makes or breaks the experience. Unfortunately, it was very poor. Alarm goes off to evacuate which we did, zero comms during or after on when it's safe to return to our room. We ended up leaving to kill time and had to call the front desk to see if / when we can return which that in and of itself took an hour to get an answer. No other course of rectification received for the inconveniences, especially those that had their entire luggage ruined by the sprinkler systems. Would I go back, yes. But I would think twice about how to plan it and at what cost.

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.

Rahim Agha

Overall, this was a very good stay and one of the better Marriott properties I've experienced, especially when it comes to elite member benefits. One of the standout perks was the complimentary continental breakfast benefit, which could be used at any restaurant across the Swan and Dolphin complex. This provided excellent flexibility and added significant value to the stay. The property offers a wide range of amenities, including multiple pools, a kids' game area, numerous dining options, conference facilities, and even a Disney store on-site. Room service was also impressively quick and efficient. Transportation options were generally convenient. While the hotel provides shuttle service to Magic Kingdom, guests are dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center rather than directly at the park entrance, which can add extra travel time. On the other hand, the ferry service to Epcot's International Gateway entrance and the BoardWalk area was a major advantage and made getting around much easier. The room itself was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. As a Marriott Bonvoy elite member, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a room upgrade with a great view, showing that the property does a good job recognizing and rewarding loyalty. My primary criticism is the bedding configuration. The hotel offers rooms with two double beds rather than queen beds, which seems like an odd choice for a property that caters heavily to families. Queen beds would provide a much more comfortable experience for parents traveling with children. I was able to maximize the value of my stay by combining my American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts credit with Marriott elite benefits, which made the overall experience even more rewarding. While there are a few areas that could be improved, the combination of amenities, dining options, transportation access, and elite member recognition made this an enjoyable stay that I would gladly consider again. Overall rating: 4.5/5 stars.