Walt Disney World Dolphin

We booked two nights at the Dolphin for a midweek family trip, mainly to take our little one to Epcot to meet the Disney Princesses. Being close enough for early entry and a room break at naptime mattered, as did using our Bonvoy status. The location worked perfectly, and we'd absolutely stay here again with our kid. We liked the post-modern hotel architecture, playful and kitschy outside with classy interiors. We ate at three restaurants and had yummy meals with quick service, which is ideal with toddlers. Our king room was a standard four-star chain room, with a little wear if you looked closely, but it had nice toiletries, a comfy bed, and a proper bathroom door with a lock. Housekeeping was great, the resort pools were beautiful, and from bed we could see Magic Kingdom fireworks at night. It only reached the 60s during our stay, but the hot sun let us splash around the last morning, and we had the baby pool area to ourselves.

The pool and restaurants were great, but I'm not sure we'd stay again. The woman who checked us in was awesome and deserves a raise. After that, the rest felt very meh, like a low-end budget hotel. The hallway lights made a loud cricket-like sound, there was nobody at the counter in the morning, and I had to hunt down valet to get my car. Calling down for it wasn't much use because the phones barely worked. For the price and the hotel's claims, the shower and tub also left a lot to be desired. The walking location is good, at least.

For the price, I expected much better communication, service, and comfort. The beds felt small, and the hospitality didn't match what I'd expect from a Disney-area resort. Overall, the stay fell short of the Swan and Dolphin's reputation. We paid for guaranteed early check-in so we could decorate the room as a surprise before going to the parks. Staff did get us into a room early, but made clear there was no actual guarantee, which left us unable to confidently go ahead with our plans. Then our bags never made it to the room. Guest Services sounded dismissive and blamed us for not being there, even though we'd checked in at the lobby and clearly explained our plans. After a full day at the parks, we got back around midnight to a noticeable cigarette smell. We couldn't tell if it came from our room or a nearby one, but it wasn't what we expected at this price. I rarely leave a negative review, but this was disappointing.

We've stayed at the Dolphin together five times, and each visit seems to leave us more frustrated. This latest stay was especially disappointing, since it was my birthday weekend and my actual birthday was Friday. My daughter had arranged for a bottle of wine to be delivered as a surprise, but it never came. My fiancé asked about it downstairs the next day, and a few hours later it “miraculously” appeared. Housekeeping also left dirty glasses on the table, so we had to ask for clean ones at the next scheduled cleaning. Towels weren't replenished properly either, and we had to request more. The room smelled strongly of smoke, wasn't as clean as we'd expected, and the AC didn't work properly. For the Dolphin's reputation and prices, the service and attention to detail continue to fall short.