Stayed recently (11/2012) at the Dolphin for a large conference (NCA)
Overall great experience with the hotel. Courteous and professional staff, very comfortable rooms and beds.
However, room WIFI was extremely poor, slower than dial up. Most time unusable! Staff acknowledged and admitted problem - appears to be an ongoing issue for several months. We were told the hotel receives many complaints about it.
Dolphin, please fix that, especially if you have the hotel full of communication professionals attending a conference!!!
Oh, cappuccino in lobby bar is great!

First of all I need to disclose, I had and amazing deal at this hotel...I paid a AAA rate one night but the other 3 nights were less.

My husband and daughter and I stayed at the Swan the first week of November for my daughter's 6th birthday. We were back and forth between a Disney Moderate or an offsite cheaper hotel. Because we hate the traffic around Downtown Disney and the great deal we had with the Swan - it was a tad cheaper than the moderate, we decided to stay there. It was my 2nd stay, my family's first.

What a great decision! Everything went so smoothly. The staff at the front desk was so nice, Javier was just super the 3 times we stopped at the desk. We were greeted with smiles and courtesy. We hit the jackpot on our room..... I had requested upper floor away from elevator, we had a corner room facing Disney Hollywood Studios on the 9th floor. The view was great..... Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach in the distance, from one window, Disney Hollywood Studios and Epcot World Showcase from the other - OK, kind of had to crane neck but it was an awesome view! We enjoyed seeing Fantasmic whose theater apparently is just across the street from the parking lot from our room, so close we saw Mickey at the end! We also could see the Illuminations Show at Epcot.

The room was nice. Super comfortable beds, soft towels, internet - we brought our router so we could all plug in at the same time, nice water pressure, plenty of hot water, and clean room. We were the last room at the end of the hall and we never heard anyone else. Loved the water - OK, its in your fees, but hey, 2 bottles of water for the parks and loved our little frig.

We ate at Picabu every morning before we left for the parks and found it to be good and reasonable for a resort..... we could easily split an omlette if you are thrifty. ;-) We had dinner at the Fountain one night and I have to say, the Buffalo Salad I had was VERY generous with the chicken and portions.....I could not eat it all. We also enjoyed Ice Cream one day and it was yummy.

The pool was huge and was not crowded, despite the fact the parks were more crowded than anticipated. My daughter LOVED that pool. We also enjoyed the boat ride to DHS and Epcot and the fact you can easily walk to both if you so choose. SO convenient.

When confirming my stay, I let the hotel know it was my daughter's birthday and they surprised us with something in the room. She was over the moon.

My husband loved this place and he is super picky.....we can't wait to go back again. Granted, we will only go if its not Peak and we get a AAA rate or less. We did not encounter one employee who was less the courteous. From the cleaning crew to those at the front desk, kudos to making us feel welcome and special on our trip.

This is one of the older Disney hotels. The hotel was clean and staff was great. I stayed in the Swan and found I had to leave the hotel a lot to get what I needed. There was no convenient store so I had to walk to the adjacent Dolphin for a coke. Coffee bar was rarely open. I was here on business so my needs were different than a vacationing family. Wifi was too slow to use.

While surrounded by convention attendees, my husband and I enjoyed 5 nights at the Dolphin. Our room had a nice view across to Swan and Boardwalk and we could see the fireworks at night at Epcot. Very convenient water taxis gave us quick access to Epcot, Hollywood, and the Boardwalk attractions. Conceriage service was warm and accomodating. In hotel restaurant (Shula's) was great and so was 24 hour Picabu. Service and amenities were wonderful. Room was very comfortable, but lighting in the vanity area of bathroom was insufficient. That is my ONLY complaint!