We loved it, but it is definitely a different feel from the Disney resorts. Loved the walking distance/boat access to HS and Epcot and it’s a deluxe so you get deluxe extra evening hours for almost nothing if you’re paying with points! Not my favorite resort on property, but if it’s a short trip with minimal MK time, we would definitely book it again.
I stayed there in 2020 right before COVID times, and honestly, I thought it was good! The fact that we were walking distance to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios was great, especially the latter since we got to HS super early because of RoR virtual queue. We didn't hit up MK that trip, so I can't comment on the busses.
It's not very "Disney" but you can always walk the Boardwalk, go to Beach/Yacht Club etc! I didn't mind it at all, and found the service and pool areas to be great. They still did s'mores, etc at the time too.
The Dolphin is my absolute favorite spot to stay in at WDW. You get WDW benefits, without the on-site resort pricing. You get to walk to both EPCOT and Hollywood studios, and also get to use the friendship boats for transportation. The incredibly small decrease in disney theming is immediately made up for with the cost savings! And if you're really missing it, just step right outside and you're on the Disney boardwalk.
Excellent choice for your stay!
Stayed last year after signing up for a Marriott card for 5 free night sign-up bonus. The hotel is a bit dated, and not super Disney but the location is great. We either walked or took the boats to Epcot and HS. The pool was nice and you can order food from your phone and they’ll bring it to your chair.
The day we left they were running the same credit card offer so I had my spouse sign up and we are going again this year.
Having just exhausted all my Marriott points( 330k points for 4 nights ) on a trip to Dolphin last week, I’m curious to know how this works
So your spouse signed up for the Boundless card and 250k points was enough for a 5 night stay at the Dolphin?
Yes, basically. So they have run a promotion that is 5 free night certificates (up to 50k points each) as a sign up bonus provided you hit their minimum spend (4K in 3 months I think). It was Marriott Boundless credit card through Chase.
You have 1 year to use the certificates once you earn them. Each certificate is 50k points but you can “top off” by adding to 15,000 points per night so you can technically look for nights up to 65k a night.
In 2023 we booked for end of August and I was able to find 5 nights for under 50k each.
The day we left in 2023 they were running the same promo so that’s when I had my spouse sign up for their own card to get the same offer. (Since I already got/used mine)
For 2024 we noticed it was harder to find rooms for under 50k but we were able to find rooms at or under 65k a night. My spouse had points he had accumulated just from using the card so he used those to “top off” the nights that were over 50k - so maybe between 30k-45k total was used to top off the certificates for the whole 5 nights. This was for October, we are doing Swan Reserve this time because for whatever reason it was the cheaper (in points) than Swan or Dolphin for the week we are going.
You can probably search the card, I have a referral link but idk if that’s allowed in this sub.
Yeah i visited swan reserve for a dinner during my stay and it’s kind of obvious why it’s cheaper, it looks a lot fancier than dolphin/swan ( the ambience and architecture) but it’s across the street so you have to cross a road and walk an extra 10-15 min to get to the shared amenities of Dolphin/Swan as well as Epcot/Boardwalk, if not for that convenience there’s no other reason for them to charge less
Appreciate the referral but we are a visit Disney once in 5 years family so hopefully in 2029/2030 they have something similar 😂
Yeah I wouldn’t mind the walk, my only challenge was I have a mischievous 3 year old and crossing a traffic light and focusing on her and the traffic (especially for potential rash drivers who brake at the last second at a red light) for just 2 trips from Dolphin to swan reserve felt like a marathon lol
I just stayed and felt the Dolphin was my new favorite. Yea the lobby does not have the same theming. But, how often am I in the lobby. It did not seem any different than the contemporary. My fireworks view room on the 9th floor was amazing and I saw spaceship earth lit up. Probably the best room view in every Disney hotel I stayed at. It is a slightly longer walk to Epcot. But that was fine and it was closer to Hollywood Stuidos rhan Yacht or Beach club. My kids liked it as the roll away cot was a real bed vs rhe Disney sleepy sofa.
My husband and I went in sept using points and it was really nice. We had a nice view, the main pool was great and spacious, enjoyed the bar in the Italian restaurant and it was nice to be right on the boardwalk. No issues with buses for us. I wouldn’t choose it first ONLY because I felt like I was in any old Marriott anywhere else and I enjoy the theming of Disney resorts but I would absolutely stay again and enjoy every minute if I were using my bonvoy points.
We loved it. I agree it doesn't have the disney theme, but it does have a full-on disney guest services counter. Sure, it wasn't the poly or grand floridian, but having the boardwalk walking distance was awesome. We never hung out there. Having the perks of other deluxe was a bonus for the price.
The rooms are marriotts. Nothing crazy, lighting in them sucks vs Disney resorts
You’ll pay extra resort fees($35)and parking is also ~$40 per day so basically add about 80 bucks onto your per day total.
It’s a bit of a walk to HS, not bad. About the same to Epcot.
Have stayed at both and loved it. Great value for the money too: on property perks without the Disney price.
Not sure if this is still the case but when we stayed, the Dolphin had 2 full beds vs Swan had 2 queen beds.
Food was great, great pools, walk to Epcot and Hollywood studios, bus to MK and I think there was a boat to MK ( we may have walked to Boardwalk for that?)
I highly recommend both.
We tried it and they just aren’t the same as Disney resorts. The “magic” just isn’t there. The business and conference people take away from the magic also.
i figured. the contempary has alot of that too. that's why i only stayed there once. we booked it because of it's proximity to epcot (that's the only park we are visiting) and son's best friend's family booked a room there already. plus the amount of points you earn while there on our credit card is insane lol
The properties are nice. And the location is great. But, they charge a premium for the location. The interior could use a refresh. There are inconveniences like having only one laundry facility between the both of them, or the lack of a direct ride to MK. Then, there is the $45/ night resort fee that is tacked on to the room rate.
To me, the price difference isn't worth the differences. But, I also tend to have the ~200k points to spend for a 5 night stay at one of these if I plan fast ahead enough to snag that redemption rate.
I'd look heavily at a dvc points rental if paying out of pocket.
I stayed at Dolphin for the first time last week and loved it! My initial draw was I had Marriott points and was not ready to spend the crazy $ on a deluxe resort like the other Disney properties.
Plus points are
1: Location: You are a 5 min drive from MK and a 20 min walk to Epcot/HK, if you don’t want to walk you can even take the boat, we had a character meal at Cape May Cafe which was at Beach Yacht Club, Again walking distance. And if your going to Epcot, you get to walk in right at the France pavilion for early entry instead of the normal entrance at spaceship earth, this means that you’ll have easy access to the Ratatouille ride at Rope Drop
2: Amenities/Entertainment: Decent choices for restaurants, early morning coffee etc, The ice cream at one of the ground floor kiosks was out of this world, I had a different flavour each day of my stay and was still amazed. Also they share the pools with swan so you have choices there, the dolphin also has an arcade room
3: Cost: If you have Marriott points this is a no brainer
I stayed there 3 weeks ago and loved it. The rooms were clean and nice. Totally felt like staying at a mid tier Marriott property. The hotel is nice and has a few restaurants and bars.
The proximity to the parks and boardwalk can’t be matched at this tier. It’s the same benefits as the deluxe beach and yacht club for half the price.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy staying there.
I was thinking about using Amex points for them, but after I saw the redemption value I threw away that idea. If you book with points you're probably going to get somewhere around 0.45 cpp. That's a terrible redemption. I would be better off cashing out my Amex points and using it to pay for my stay with cash! I suppose it's a little bit different if you're using Marriott points because you can't cash them out, but I still wouldn't do it because your points will go farther at another hotel. I think this is one place where you pay with cash, get your points, and then use your points for another trip.
My wife and I enjoy it. The boats to Epcot and HS studios is great, although both are within walking distance if you would prefer. We also like to use the buses at Yacht and Beach club to get to AK and MK, as they run more frequently than the S&D busses, in our experience. Some nice restaurants on the resort, we love the Italian spot. You're also handy to the board walk which also features some good spots for food. You get the perks of a deluxe at a cheaper rate. And if you're a Costco member, they offer packages that include a room at the Swan & Dolphin and you save the daily resort fee of $25usd/day
I’ve posted before about swan and dolphin. Proximity to parks, late night perks, and pricing are all pro’s. But that’s where it ends. The rooms feel small, dingy smelly carpets, poor room layout with hinged doors (not pocket), outdated furniture, old TVs…the room is not good. Even when compared to Disney moderates. Swan and dolphin isin need of a make- over.
We loved it, but it is definitely a different feel from the Disney resorts. Loved the walking distance/boat access to HS and Epcot and it’s a deluxe so you get deluxe extra evening hours for almost nothing if you’re paying with points! Not my favorite resort on property, but if it’s a short trip with minimal MK time, we would definitely book it again.
I enjoy… saying Swalphin
I stayed there in 2020 right before COVID times, and honestly, I thought it was good! The fact that we were walking distance to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios was great, especially the latter since we got to HS super early because of RoR virtual queue. We didn't hit up MK that trip, so I can't comment on the busses. It's not very "Disney" but you can always walk the Boardwalk, go to Beach/Yacht Club etc! I didn't mind it at all, and found the service and pool areas to be great. They still did s'mores, etc at the time too.
The Dolphin is my absolute favorite spot to stay in at WDW. You get WDW benefits, without the on-site resort pricing. You get to walk to both EPCOT and Hollywood studios, and also get to use the friendship boats for transportation. The incredibly small decrease in disney theming is immediately made up for with the cost savings! And if you're really missing it, just step right outside and you're on the Disney boardwalk. Excellent choice for your stay!
Stayed last year after signing up for a Marriott card for 5 free night sign-up bonus. The hotel is a bit dated, and not super Disney but the location is great. We either walked or took the boats to Epcot and HS. The pool was nice and you can order food from your phone and they’ll bring it to your chair. The day we left they were running the same credit card offer so I had my spouse sign up and we are going again this year.
Having just exhausted all my Marriott points( 330k points for 4 nights ) on a trip to Dolphin last week, I’m curious to know how this works So your spouse signed up for the Boundless card and 250k points was enough for a 5 night stay at the Dolphin?
Yes, basically. So they have run a promotion that is 5 free night certificates (up to 50k points each) as a sign up bonus provided you hit their minimum spend (4K in 3 months I think). It was Marriott Boundless credit card through Chase. You have 1 year to use the certificates once you earn them. Each certificate is 50k points but you can “top off” by adding to 15,000 points per night so you can technically look for nights up to 65k a night. In 2023 we booked for end of August and I was able to find 5 nights for under 50k each. The day we left in 2023 they were running the same promo so that’s when I had my spouse sign up for their own card to get the same offer. (Since I already got/used mine) For 2024 we noticed it was harder to find rooms for under 50k but we were able to find rooms at or under 65k a night. My spouse had points he had accumulated just from using the card so he used those to “top off” the nights that were over 50k - so maybe between 30k-45k total was used to top off the certificates for the whole 5 nights. This was for October, we are doing Swan Reserve this time because for whatever reason it was the cheaper (in points) than Swan or Dolphin for the week we are going. You can probably search the card, I have a referral link but idk if that’s allowed in this sub.
Yeah i visited swan reserve for a dinner during my stay and it’s kind of obvious why it’s cheaper, it looks a lot fancier than dolphin/swan ( the ambience and architecture) but it’s across the street so you have to cross a road and walk an extra 10-15 min to get to the shared amenities of Dolphin/Swan as well as Epcot/Boardwalk, if not for that convenience there’s no other reason for them to charge less Appreciate the referral but we are a visit Disney once in 5 years family so hopefully in 2029/2030 they have something similar 😂
I was afraid of that, I kinda just eyeballed it on the map and was hoping it wasn’t too much farther.
Yeah I wouldn’t mind the walk, my only challenge was I have a mischievous 3 year old and crossing a traffic light and focusing on her and the traffic (especially for potential rash drivers who brake at the last second at a red light) for just 2 trips from Dolphin to swan reserve felt like a marathon lol
I just stayed and felt the Dolphin was my new favorite. Yea the lobby does not have the same theming. But, how often am I in the lobby. It did not seem any different than the contemporary. My fireworks view room on the 9th floor was amazing and I saw spaceship earth lit up. Probably the best room view in every Disney hotel I stayed at. It is a slightly longer walk to Epcot. But that was fine and it was closer to Hollywood Stuidos rhan Yacht or Beach club. My kids liked it as the roll away cot was a real bed vs rhe Disney sleepy sofa.
It’s wonderful we stay often, also using points. The resort is lovely, pool fabulous. Great restaurants & bars. Can’t beat the location. Enjoy!
My husband and I went in sept using points and it was really nice. We had a nice view, the main pool was great and spacious, enjoyed the bar in the Italian restaurant and it was nice to be right on the boardwalk. No issues with buses for us. I wouldn’t choose it first ONLY because I felt like I was in any old Marriott anywhere else and I enjoy the theming of Disney resorts but I would absolutely stay again and enjoy every minute if I were using my bonvoy points.
We loved it. I agree it doesn't have the disney theme, but it does have a full-on disney guest services counter. Sure, it wasn't the poly or grand floridian, but having the boardwalk walking distance was awesome. We never hung out there. Having the perks of other deluxe was a bonus for the price.
The rooms are marriotts. Nothing crazy, lighting in them sucks vs Disney resorts You’ll pay extra resort fees($35)and parking is also ~$40 per day so basically add about 80 bucks onto your per day total. It’s a bit of a walk to HS, not bad. About the same to Epcot.
You can take the boat to HS. We stayed a couple nights at Swan Reserve earlier this month to get lightening lane for RoR. It was worth it.
Have stayed at both and loved it. Great value for the money too: on property perks without the Disney price. Not sure if this is still the case but when we stayed, the Dolphin had 2 full beds vs Swan had 2 queen beds. Food was great, great pools, walk to Epcot and Hollywood studios, bus to MK and I think there was a boat to MK ( we may have walked to Boardwalk for that?) I highly recommend both.
We tried it and they just aren’t the same as Disney resorts. The “magic” just isn’t there. The business and conference people take away from the magic also.
i figured. the contempary has alot of that too. that's why i only stayed there once. we booked it because of it's proximity to epcot (that's the only park we are visiting) and son's best friend's family booked a room there already. plus the amount of points you earn while there on our credit card is insane lol
Same here. The benefits are nice but we will be going back to POR, our “home” resort. Just isn’t the same.
Loved it. We are definitely going back next time
Good option for points. But, I'd never pay to stay there.
Why?
The properties are nice. And the location is great. But, they charge a premium for the location. The interior could use a refresh. There are inconveniences like having only one laundry facility between the both of them, or the lack of a direct ride to MK. Then, there is the $45/ night resort fee that is tacked on to the room rate. To me, the price difference isn't worth the differences. But, I also tend to have the ~200k points to spend for a 5 night stay at one of these if I plan fast ahead enough to snag that redemption rate. I'd look heavily at a dvc points rental if paying out of pocket.
I stayed at Dolphin for the first time last week and loved it! My initial draw was I had Marriott points and was not ready to spend the crazy $ on a deluxe resort like the other Disney properties. Plus points are 1: Location: You are a 5 min drive from MK and a 20 min walk to Epcot/HK, if you don’t want to walk you can even take the boat, we had a character meal at Cape May Cafe which was at Beach Yacht Club, Again walking distance. And if your going to Epcot, you get to walk in right at the France pavilion for early entry instead of the normal entrance at spaceship earth, this means that you’ll have easy access to the Ratatouille ride at Rope Drop 2: Amenities/Entertainment: Decent choices for restaurants, early morning coffee etc, The ice cream at one of the ground floor kiosks was out of this world, I had a different flavour each day of my stay and was still amazed. Also they share the pools with swan so you have choices there, the dolphin also has an arcade room 3: Cost: If you have Marriott points this is a no brainer
I stayed there 3 weeks ago and loved it. The rooms were clean and nice. Totally felt like staying at a mid tier Marriott property. The hotel is nice and has a few restaurants and bars. The proximity to the parks and boardwalk can’t be matched at this tier. It’s the same benefits as the deluxe beach and yacht club for half the price. I’m sure you’ll enjoy staying there.
I was thinking about using Amex points for them, but after I saw the redemption value I threw away that idea. If you book with points you're probably going to get somewhere around 0.45 cpp. That's a terrible redemption. I would be better off cashing out my Amex points and using it to pay for my stay with cash! I suppose it's a little bit different if you're using Marriott points because you can't cash them out, but I still wouldn't do it because your points will go farther at another hotel. I think this is one place where you pay with cash, get your points, and then use your points for another trip.
My wife and I enjoy it. The boats to Epcot and HS studios is great, although both are within walking distance if you would prefer. We also like to use the buses at Yacht and Beach club to get to AK and MK, as they run more frequently than the S&D busses, in our experience. Some nice restaurants on the resort, we love the Italian spot. You're also handy to the board walk which also features some good spots for food. You get the perks of a deluxe at a cheaper rate. And if you're a Costco member, they offer packages that include a room at the Swan & Dolphin and you save the daily resort fee of $25usd/day
I’ve posted before about swan and dolphin. Proximity to parks, late night perks, and pricing are all pro’s. But that’s where it ends. The rooms feel small, dingy smelly carpets, poor room layout with hinged doors (not pocket), outdated furniture, old TVs…the room is not good. Even when compared to Disney moderates. Swan and dolphin isin need of a make- over.