After a great stay at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, it seemed only right I checked out the Swan’s sister property, the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.
Review: Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel (Orlando, Florida)
About The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
Here is the official information from the Disney website:
Image courtesy of disneyworld.disney.go.com
Camp Dolphin
One potentially major thing to note for families with young children is the Walt Disney World Dolphin is the physical location for Camp Dolphin (the kids club for the Swan and Dolphin). This maybe something to consider if you have children.
Location Of The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
Location, location, location. Walt Disney World Dolphin has it.
It is located “next door” to the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, steps away from Disney’s Boardwalk area and walking distance to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Click here for the full review on the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
In fact, the Walt Disney World Dolphin (& the sister Swan hotel) have something usually reserved only for Disney-owned resorts – direct access to the free Disney shuttle bus line that transfers guests to the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom parks, and the free Disney water taxi that transports guests to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Image courtesy of disneyworld.disney.go.com
But, You Should Also Know…
The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel is NOT a Disney Resort, therefore it doesn’t come with the all of the following Disney Resort Hotel Guest benefits:
Image courtesy of disneyworld.disney.go.com
The Marriott Bonvoy Affiliation
The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel does however have something going for it that even the Disney-owned hotels doesn’t – access to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. This means Walt Disney World Dolphin is in “the points game” (unlike the Disney-owned hotels) so rooms can be redeemed through Bonvoy (and Marriott Bonvoy status has its privileges).
The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel is currently listed as a Marriott Bonvoy Category 6 hotel, meaning free nights can be had for standard redemption rates of 50,000 Bonvoy points per night.
The Redemption
In light of the recent Marriott Bonvoy devaluations and reduced point earning options (R.I.P. SPG), 50,000 Bonvoy points a night can still be hard to come by.
Fear not. Bank points can be used to redeem this hotel, for sometimes even less points than Bonvoy!
Case in point, I redeemed one night in a 2 Double Bed Traditional Guest room for only 18,724 Citi Thank You points.
If I would have paid for this in cash on the night I stayed there, it would have cost me $275.63. This means I was able to wring 1.47 CPP in value out of my Citi Thank you points (though I did have to pay a resort fee of $30.00).
The Check-In
As luck would have it, when I went to check-out of the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel they offered to automatically check me in to the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel so I could skip the line and head straight to my room (I took them up on the offer).
The front desk at the Dolphin
The Hotel And Lobby
With my room key in hand, I walked into the immense lobby of the Dolphin.
The first difference apparent was how much larger everything was at the Dolphin than the Swan. The front desk, the lobby, the number of restaurants, the building itself – all dwarfed the Swan Hotel.
The Lobby Bar at the Dolphin
The Elevator Area
The Hallway
It was walking down the hallway [below] where I got that sinking feeling as I thought to myself, “uh-oh, maybe I should have just stayed at the Swan”.
What triggered that reaction? What I could only describe as the distinct smell of vomit. Somebody puked somewhere in the hallway and the smell had overtaken the entire hallway.
The Traditional Guest Room 2 Double Bed Room
By the time I got my my room, I was starting to feel queasy. Luckily, the smell didn’t permeate the walls of the room. I quickly stepped in and locked the door behind me.
The room had a similar decor to the Swan, but it was noticeably smaller. Unlike the Westin-branded Swan, the Dolphin was Sheraton-branded (although it did still [thankfully] come with the Westin Heavenly Beds).
The walls here seemed thin as I could hear kids screaming through the walls for hours on end.
Room Amenities
The Bathroom
The bathroom was also similar to that of the Swan, but there were some very key differences.
Gone was the “rain” shower, and gone was the crucial “second sink”. Also, the [Westin] toiletries of the Swan were replaced by the noticeably inferior Le Grand Bain [Sheraton] brand.
The Vanity
I should say, “the sink-less vanity”
The Balcony
The View From The Room
View of the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel [and water taxi dock]
Walking The Property
Octane Food Market
The Bottom-Line Review: Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel (Orlando, Florida)
My stay at the Walt Disney World Hotel was just OK.
Like the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, the Dolphin was beautiful the hotel was ideally located. I loved the option to use points here (Bonvoy or otherwise) and I thought the price and redemption rates were reasonable for what you get. Thanks to Camp Dolphin, there seemed to be more to keep kids occupied at the Dolphin than the Swan.
However, the rooms at the Dolphin did have some notable deficiencies as compared with the rooms at the Swan (which I believe can be chalked up to Sheraton vs. Westin). Most of all, it was hard to relax on a loud floor with thin walls with kids running around all day and a hallway that reeked of vomit.
The Bottom-Line Rating: 7 out of 10. The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel is great for large families with young children, not so great for romantic couples or older guests who prefer the quiet.
Cheers!
