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Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
3.5
#33 of 39 resorts in Orlando
Location
4.6
Cleanliness
4.0
Service
3.7
Value
3.3
Rest easy at Walt Disney World Dolphin. Our hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is located near Epcot®, Disney's Boardwalk, and Disney's Hollywood Studios™. After a busy day, unwind at Mandara Spa or make a splash in our grotto-style pool, or enjoy on-site dining at our Kimonos, Il Mulino New York Trattoria, and nightly Disney character dining at Garden Grove.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled in a prime spot close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel garners praise for its location and diverse amenities. However, some guests have called out issues with noise and service inconsistencies that mar the experience.
While the hotel's atmosphere is generally viewed positively and its cleanliness receives commendations, the dated and sometimes poorly maintained rooms have not escaped critical reviews. The value for money is a recurring concern among travelers, who often mention overpriced services and unexpected fees.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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My husband, son and I had a spur of the moment Disney trip. The Dolphin hotel has a great location, and provides free Disney bus transportation as well as a water taxi. Our room was clean and we had a great view of Epcot and a balcony. The Dolphin hotel at the rate we got it is a great option for the price. The one area of improvement is that the housekeeping staff should not lay out bags of trash in the hall way and leave dirty used cups in the room.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rooms are decent, but not much more than expected at this price level. The hotel itself is nice, but not spectacular. Called the day before to ask all 3 rooms I had would be somewhat close. Ended up with a room on 1st floor on East side and the other 2 rooms on the 8th floor on the West side... It was the end of the holiday season and guessing at or close to capacity, so just accepted (no reason to start a vacation with an argument). Just disappointed as a Bonvoy Platinum member they could not handle this simple request. Note when comparing to Disney hotels, make sure you add the resort fee of $30 per room. I was aware, as stayed in the sister property (Swan) in September. These fees always make me wonder does this hotel think I am stupid? If they feel there is value, they should review all the benefits, which of course did not happen. As a Bonvoy Platinum member internet is free, so certainly reduced resort fee value. No breakfast or extra points offered at check in, but did get a no charge late checkout (again Platinum member benefits). Will likely stay here again, as you cannot beat the location if going the Disney and it was not bad, but not excellent as you would expect at this level of hotels.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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My family and I stayed here for 9 nights in the run up to Christmas and loved the location, for the price paid, it can’t be beat. So close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios at such a good cost. On check in and check out days bell services took care of our luggage brilliantly and were exceptional; the lobby is impressive and beautifully decorated, I even spent an hour or so reading peacefully. We were happy with the double beds and all slept soundly each night. We used the text service to request bottles of water each day - this was useful, but given the resort fee, the least that could be done. However there were some things that weren’t great, we used the text service to also request extra towels and toilet paper when required and on two occasions neither were delivered; so much so we made a trip to Wal Mart and ended up buying our own! The room hadn’t been properly cleaned when we checked in as there were still food crumbs (chips and popcorn) on the floor; I had brought my own cleaning supplies with me after reading about intermittent housekeeping practices and am glad I did, we blitzed that room. The bathroom is absolutely tiny as others have mentioned; I’m only 5’1” and didn’t think it would bother me - it did. The pools are great however (but not heated - brrrrrrrrr!) and plenty of loungers about plus the Cabana pool bar (service, drinks and food) was great. Whilst we were there it was required that face masks had to be worn at all times and up until a conference arrived, most guests abided by this. Apparently Dolphin management see laptops and Oracle conference badges as acceptable alternatives to face masks? When I asked at reception why no conference goers were wearing masks I was simply shrugged at. Overall we had a brilliant holiday even though our hotel was just ‘meh’; housekeeping teams are clearly working against it here so in the meantime perhaps the resort fee should be waived until the full complement of services returns? When that happens, I’m sure we might come back too.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Executive Office, Guest Services / Front Office at Walt Disney World Dolphin
Responded Feb 16, 2022
Dear V3025SSsusanf, Thank you for taking the time to review your recent stay with us. We apologize for your disappointing experience. Please be assured, your comments have been forwarded to our leadership team. We thank you for being our guest and hope you will reconsider visiting with us in the future.
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I have stayed here twice in the last 6 months or so. Both were great stays- one was for a conference held at the hotel and one was for a family vacation. I've seen some negative reviews on here about the property and quite honestly I'm wondering if I was at the same hotel.
If you are a Marriott Rewards member this is the perfect blend between what you're used to at a Marriott property and the level of service you expect from Disney. And, it's the only "on-property" resort that is a Marriott Bonvoy hotel. For my most recent stay Katelyn at the front desk was especially helpful and thorough. She made me feel welcomed and valued as a Platinum Marriott member. The housekeeping staff gave personal touches every day and really seemed to have gone above and beyond just the room cleaning.
The location is great if you want to be able to walk to Epcot (10 minutes), Hollywood Studios (15 minutes) and all of the attractions at the Boardwalk (2 minutes). There is Disney transport on site in the form of buses and boat, and you can also get to the gondolas at the entrance of Epcot. There are some dining options in the hotel, but I didn't utilize them as much as we were in the parks most of the time. However, we did sit at the bar to watch the NFL playoffs on our last day and found the food, drinks and service to be good. Very large screens to watch games.
I really don't have a bad thing to say about this property, although just by looks alone I would stay in the Dolphin vs. the Swan. I've stayed in a room with a balcony with a fireworks view and one on the 20th floor where I could see some of the other resorts across Disney property. I am already planning my return to this great hotel next year!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We simply love the location of the Swan/Dolphin resorts and have stayed here a few times in the past. We were in town for the Swan/Dolphin Food and Wine Classic they were offering on Halloween Wknd and were glad to have gotten a room at a great deal. We did book months ago. We had a King family suite with an attached King room. It was considered one reservation so we only had to pay one resort fee per night even tho we technically had two rooms. I was also able to get a Disney Annual Pass discount which brought this two room suite down to less than ONE room at Disney boardwalk area.
Check in was quick and friendly, taking just a few minutes before we were off to our room. I had read a review recently complaining about the worn hallway carpet so I was quick to check myself. Can't speak for the other reviewer, but we were off the West elevators in 1493 and 1495 and the hallway carpet looked pretty new. It DID have a pattern in it that looked like it was worn, but upon a closer look you could tell it was an intentional pattern. Sneaky, yet brilliant, to hide actual wear.
Our rooms were so clean and fresh, looked recently refurbished. We were very pleased with everything. The beds were very comfy, two of us mentioned how they had no back pain for the first time in a long time. We had four water bottles in our room which we drank and were refilled. We assumed we were getting billed for them, but they were free (we found out at check out). We had opted for housekeeping every four days, which they did and did well. We got new sheets, towels, waters, toiletries. Our room was also very quiet, we never even heard noises from the connecting room. However, on the last day with the large conference group being in the hotel, the lobby area was VERY loud and busy. We were glad it was time to go.
As I mentioned, the location cannot be beat. We could walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios easily, but also had the Friendship boats and buses to the other parks. We didn't end up using the buses too often, always returning from MK or AK on a Yacht Club bus and just walking back. However, when we did use the buses to GO to our destination, they were always timely, never waiting more than 1-2 minutes.
My SIL would use Fuel down in the lobby for her morning coffees but on our last day a large conference had moved in and she waited well over a half hour for her coffee in line. They could come up with a better system, yet I know, lack of staff I'm sure.
Overall an excellent stay for all four of us. The price, while a bargain compared to a Disney Deluxe in the area, is still above our normal budget. We like to travel to Disney several times a year. Unfortunately we cannot make the Swan or Dolphin a regular stay for us, as much as I would like to.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
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I have never posted a review on a hotel however I did not want others mislead going into this if I can let them know some of the issues encountered. This was the first time we visited Disney and did not stay at a Disney resort. Although we did love the pool area we were really disappointed in room service - you have to request service including coffee, towels, toiletries..etc. even after multiple days stay your room is not cleaned unless you call and ask and even calling and asking it is a long wait to have it serviced. Our child had wet the bed and we requested someone come and provide new sheets while we were out in the evening and no one showed up until after 9pm when we called around earlier in the day to come and provide sheets. We also received a deal that kids eat free however this is VERY limited, multiple lunch places offered an uncrustable as the free meal no sides and this was for children 9 and under. Do not advertise kids eat free if that is the meal option. Lastly the bus transportation is no longer with Disney rather mears. Wait times to return back to the hotel in the afternoon were 45mins- 1 hour. Had all of this been communicated at check in when I stated I am only familiar with Disney resorts and asked what I needed to know I wouldn’t have been as frustrated. Overall I understand the tourism industry is trying to recover from Covid however families are spending a lot of money to enjoy vacation and lack of room service, poor marketing for what is provided with the stay does not make this trip enjoyable or worth the money spent. I’m disappointed as I genuinely enjoy Marriott hotels and visiting Disney.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Executive Office, Guest Services / Front Office at Walt Disney World Dolphin
Responded Jul 29, 2021
Dear mgriswold87, Please accept our apologies for the disappointments you encountered with our Housekeeping service. Your experience has been shared with our Housekeeping Leadership team so that proper follow up with our team can be conducted. In regards to our Kids Eat Free program, our restaurants do offer a variety of options for children such as, chicken fingers, pizza, hot dogs, burgers, mac and cheese, spaghetti, turkey melts. and lastly a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We are sorry to hear that your children did not enjoy their sandwich. We have shared your feedback in regards to the transportation with our senior leadership team as well. We appreciate you making us aware of these issues so that we can improve our guests’ experience. We hope to welcome you back to the resort on a future visit to the Walt Disney World area.
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We have wanted to try out the Dolphin hotel for a while and on our latest trip an unexpected snow storm back home gave us that opportunity. Lets start with the positives. The location is great being between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You can easily walk or take a boat to both parks. It is also by the Boardwalk resort so shopping and eating options are great. The view is also great and we could see the Epcot fireworks from our room. Disney resort buses run to and from the hotel and self parking a car is free. Now the bad. There is a huge bar in the main lobby that you have to walk by to get to the elevators. It is very load with and being a bar environment we heard plenty of flowery language. The Magical Express bus does not pickup or drop off at the Swan or Dolphin. There is no airport check in at either hotel and the magic bands will not open your door. The layout of the hotel is very confusing and our room was at the end of a long hallway with no access to more continent exits than those in the main building. The room was okay but on the small side and the layout of the beds puts one bed right up against the wall. There was water damage on the walls and the carpet was dated. There is a mandatory $30 resort fee that gets you 4 bottles of water. No microwaves or toaster in the rooms. This hotel is priced between the Disney deluxe and moderate resorts so I expected the hotel to be pretty spectacular, however I was extremely underwhelmed. Very few Disney perks even though the hotel is located on Disney property. Dingy long dark hallways. I know that people like the Swan and Dolphin. I am not saying to run from this hotel, but for the price I would rather stay at a moderate Disney hotel. There are perks like location that I can see making this hotel attractive, it just wasn't for me and my family.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from WDWSDExecutiveOffice, Guest Relations Manager at Walt Disney World Dolphin
Responded Jan 16, 2020
Dear 529terryk, Our fantastic proximity to the Walt Disney World theme parks, especially Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is beloved by all of our guests and we are glad you enjoyed it. As the only Marriott managed hotel on Disney property, we do offer a unique blend of Marriott amenities and Disney benefits. Regrettably, we are unable to utilize the charging benefit of the Magic Bands, as we use a different POS (Point of Sales) system here at the resort. However, guests can enjoy benefits from both, such as: complimentary transportation to the Disney parks, access to extra magic hours, utilize points for their stay, and many more. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back on a future visit.
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Stayed at The Dolphin with 3 kids, ages 15,11,7 and myself in an ECV / wheelchair. We all loved this resort. We arrived early and our room was already ready. The resort was easy to navigate in the ECV both inside and out and onto the busses and water taxi. The staff were all friendly and helpful. We stayed on the East side, room 10034. It was a last minute deal on the room, so we didn’t have a room w/ a view, but since we spend most of our time at the parks and around the resort the view isn’t a big deal to us. We ate lunch at the cabana by the pool. $15 for chicken tenders and fries but it was great quality and large portion. Seating was spread out well for COVID. Our room had 2 beds, comfortable bedding and was clean. The shower/toilet is behind a door and is a tight squeeze but it’s modern and clean.
We took the bus to and from Magic Kingdom. Then again the next day to Animal Kingdom and took the water taxi to Epcot (loved this convenient option). The bus was a chartered bus as other reviews said but they ran on a decent schedule and were very comfortable. We are annual pass holders and visit Disney often, this was our first stay at The Dolphin, Fri-Sun. There are extra fees like the $30/night resort fee and 27/night parking fee. We’ve stayed at plenty of nice hotels off property but the extras that come with a resort stay are worth it sometimes too!
Checkout was a fantastic experience. We called for help w/ luggage cart and met our favorite employee, Rob. He made each kid feel special calling them Prince and Princess and joking around with them. He really gets that the magical feeling of Disney is special. We loved his joyful and engaging personality and look forward to seeing him our next trip!
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here in October during the food and wine festival at Epcot. Wanting to stay within walking distance to Epcot, we chose this hotel because it was the best value compared to the Disney deluxe resorts. This hotel, although on Disney property, is not technically affiliated with Disney. The only difference you will feel is that you cannot use your magic band to purchase food/merchandise or use the magic band as a room key. Honestly, those things didn't bother us at all. The hotel itself is huge, has great restaurants, a nice market place with a lot of food options and it's just an overall nice hotel. Our room was very clean, spacious and had everything we needed. Staff was helpful and friendly. We ate at Todd English's bluezoo one night and the food was great, I highly recommend it. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again. The location is a little further away from Epcot and Hollywood Studios than the Disney deluxe resorts, but not by much. It's worth the extra savings for sure and although it's not "Disney themed" that didn't bother us at all.
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Date of stay: October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We made a family trip down to Orlando. We stayed at the Walt Disney World Dolphin ( which I believe is owned by Marriott). The hotel was beautiful, had a great location, and we would 100% stay there again. Staff was outstanding. Due to covid they came to clean room every 4 days which was fine by us. If we needed anything towels, toilet paper, soap and extra bottle water we just called front desk and within 15 minutes they brought it to our room. Fuel opened at 6 am for morning coffee. Pools were clean. Awesome grilled burgers and french fries from the pool area restaurant. We took hotel transportation shuttle to Disney and walked boardwalk to Epcot. Miss the hotel already.
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Date of stay: November 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Washington DC, District of Columbia77 contributions85 helpful votes
There is but we found the quickest way is to walk to Epcot and take the free gondola to the Rivera resort then take the nonstop shuttle to Disney Springs.
You can book all of your days on that first day. There are many blogs and websites that are wrong about that! I booked our whole trip's dining the day my dining booking window opened.
There are more places to choose from in the Orlando area.
PRICE RANGE
$282 - $602 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
walt disney world swan and dolphin hotel orlando, walt disney orlando, walt disney hotel orlando, swan resort disney, disney world swan resort, walt disney world swan resort
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaCentral FloridaOrlando
NUMBER OF ROOMS
1,514
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Walt Disney World Dolphin
Which popular attractions are close to Walt Disney World Dolphin?
Nearby attractions include Fantasmic! (0.5 miles), Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (0.6 miles), and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (0.6 miles).
