Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

[SingingMom]

There is no hotel manager that is going to think that room is acceptable to any guest and they absolutely need to see it to believe it. I feel SO BAD for you. DH and I are staying at the Dolphin in two weeks for our 25th anniversary. I shudder to think of us staying in that room. NO ONE should be staying in that room. You are strong than me.....I am the type who would be at the front desk CRYING in the faces of the CMs if we had been assigned that room and I am not even kidding. Wow. How anyone on-site can think that is ok is beyond me. Again, I am so sorry. I hope the rest of your trip was magical.

That room photo & description is very odd. I wonder if it was a room ready for renovations or deep cleaning and put back into rotation incorrectly?

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[ckelly14]

Can anyone list the type of views available at the Swan and Dolphin, and what they actually mean...?

There is a few sentences on page one about the Dolphin, but a comprehensive list may be helpful on the information pages.

Thanks!

 

[ckelly14]

Here's what I found at the Dolphin:

Traditional Room- North facing rooms over the convention center or parking lot.

Resort Room- South facing rooms over the waterway or pool, but not Epcot view. I assume these include East Wing views that do not face Epcot.

Epcot Room- I assume this is an East Wing room with fireworks, some with balcony

Family Room = Alcove

Suites

Swan is similar, but they have a a Grand Deluxe category, which is the renovated rooms, averaging $30 more then the non-renovated variety.


Any help or comments would be appreciated.

I see no option on the website for Starpoints except the traditional room at 10,000 points.

Edited: I also called Starwood and they confirmed nothing other than traditional room were available for Starpoints. If anyone was able to do so, please let me know who you spoke with....

 

[Dan Murphy]

That room photo & description is very odd. I wonder if it was a room ready for renovations or deep cleaning and put back into rotation incorrectly?....

I agree as a possible explanation. Looks like that room should not have been available.

 

[astronautmom]

I'm slightly embarrassed to ask this, but does anyone recommend slipping the front desk agent a tip in order to get a better room? I don't mean instead of paying for an upgrade but in order to get the best of what you've paid for? I've seen it suggested elsewhere, but subtlety isn't my strong suit and I dont want to insult someone who would do their absolute best for the guest in front of them without a bribe.

 

[SA mom]

We had the same problem with MDE. We booked 4 rooms, but all 4 were under my husband's name so he took up on of the guest spots in each room. I called Dolphin directly and they added the correct number of people to each room. But it did take 24 hours to update. We are almost at our 60 day mark so cross your fingers everything works!

Same here, 24 hours. They realized that our room was configured so that the sofa bed could not extend so they even brought 2 roll away beds. The girls were very comfortable.

In years past, they have even allowed us 5 in the Alcove, but had to call the hotel directly, not SPG.

 

[Lupeix]

Hi,
I have always stayed off-site in a condo at WDW, since DH needs the space. I just found out I will be having a conference at the convention center July 2016 at the Swan/Doplhin, and I don't think I can go and not take DS, he will never forgive me.
DH is not a fan of WDW and we are all going with his parents next April. So I was thinking of inviting my parents to come on 2016, so they can watch DS while I am at the convention and staying 2-3 days before and after so we can have some fun at WDW as a family.

Is is true that only the swan has rooms with 2 queen beds?
Can they accommodate 3 adults comfortably? will I have to pay extra? It is very likely that my sister will also come with us and I was wondering if they will be fine in one standard room

Can you request adjoining rooms? how likely are they to honor their request?
I will have to go on business dinners and it will be much easier for my mom to put DS to bed if the rooms are next to each other.

At this point I just want to know how much extra I will have to budget to invite my family to the trip, since my room, plane tickets and expenses will be covered through work.

I am exited, the Swan/Doplhin seems like a great hotel and I love the boardwalk area!

thanks in advance

 

[ckelly14]

Hi,
I have always stayed off-site in a condo at WDW, since DH needs the space. I just found out I will be having a conference at the convention center July 2016 at the Swan/Doplhin, and I don't think I can go and not take DS, he will never forgive me.
DH is not a fan of WDW and we are all going with his parents next April. So I was thinking of inviting my parents to come on 2016, so they can watch DS while I am at the convention and staying 2-3 days before and after so we can have some fun at WDW as a family.

Is is true that only the swan has rooms with 2 queen beds?
Can they accommodate 3 adults comfortably? will I have to pay extra? It is very likely that my sister will also come with us and I was wondering if they will be fine in one standard room

Can you request adjoining rooms? how likely are they to honor their request?
I will have to go on business dinners and it will be much easier for my mom to put DS to bed if the rooms are next to each other.

At this point I just want to know how much extra I will have to budget to invite my family to the trip, since my room, plane tickets and expenses will be covered through work.

I am exited, the Swan/Dolphin seems like a great hotel and I love the boardwalk area!

thanks in advance

I'm jealous- it's a great place for a conference! I've been to the Dolphin for both business and pleasure and it was great for both; I'm sure the Swan will be the same. The hotel will be completely renovated by then and I'm sure will look fabulous.

It looks like the Swan charges $25 each for the third and fourth adult in a room. The rooms are smallish so I don't think 3 adults would be comfortable, especially for a week.

Being on Disney property, they are better than most business hotels at honoring requests since they know that families often want connecting rooms, but like most hotels will not come out and guarantee connecting rooms. I would not consider an executive suite as an alternative as the executive suites at the Swan only have an uncomfortable pull-out couch in the "parlor" area.

Regarding budget, the biggest difference between an off-site condo and the Swan will be your food costs. For a family of four this June, I spent about $2300 at the Dolphin for the week on meals. Now, we did hit Shula's one night, which was outrageously expensive, but even Picibu is quite pricey. Disney Dining Plan is not available for stays at the Swan.

Rooms will run about $200 if you book early, but don't forget to budget for parking (if you take a car) and the ridiculous resort fee. Looking online the $185 regular room in July will actually cost you $235 due to fees and taxes (not including parking fee currently $16/day self park).

Do you have a Starwood credit card? I use Starwood points to pay for a room and I consider it one of the best rewards cards out there. I have a Delta Skymiles credit card (for the free bags) and a Disney credit card, but I get MUCH more bang for my buck with the Starwood card.

Good luck and let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[barney4liz]

Hi, I have always stayed off-site in a condo at WDW, since DH needs the space. I just found out I will be having a conference at the convention center July 2016 at the Swan/Doplhin, and I don't think I can go and not take DS, he will never forgive me. DH is not a fan of WDW and we are all going with his parents next April. So I was thinking of inviting my parents to come on 2016, so they can watch DS while I am at the convention and staying 2-3 days before and after so we can have some fun at WDW as a family. Is is true that only the swan has rooms with 2 queen beds? Can they accommodate 3 adults comfortably? will I have to pay extra? It is very likely that my sister will also come with us and I was wondering if they will be fine in one standard room Can you request adjoining rooms? how likely are they to honor their request? I will have to go on business dinners and it will be much easier for my mom to put DS to bed if the rooms are next to each other. At this point I just want to know how much extra I will have to budget to invite my family to the trip, since my room, plane tickets and expenses will be covered through work. I am exited, the Swan/Doplhin seems like a great hotel and I love the boardwalk area! thanks in advance

Just checked out of the Swan this morning. Far and away our favorite hotel at WDW. We have shared a room several times with my adult DD and find it very comfortable. The split bath is a bonus for adult sharing. We've also gotten adjoining and connecting rooms with no problem when traveling with others. Definitely join SPG if you are not already a member, we have gotten free upgrades, late checkout, etc. If your folks are AARP members or gov't employees you can often get a great rate (ours was $167 last night). We spent our first night at Poly this visit. For many reasons I still prefer the Swan, not the least of which is half the price and much comfier beds!

 

[happymommy]

Hi,
I have always stayed off-site in a condo at WDW, since DH needs the space. I just found out I will be having a conference at the convention center July 2016 at the Swan/Doplhin, and I don't think I can go and not take DS, he will never forgive me.
DH is not a fan of WDW and we are all going with his parents next April. So I was thinking of inviting my parents to come on 2016, so they can watch DS while I am at the convention and staying 2-3 days before and after so we can have some fun at WDW as a family.

Is is true that only the swan has rooms with 2 queen beds?
Can they accommodate 3 adults comfortably? will I have to pay extra? It is very likely that my sister will also come with us and I was wondering if they will be fine in one standard room

Can you request adjoining rooms? how likely are they to honor their request?
I will have to go on business dinners and it will be much easier for my mom to put DS to bed if the rooms are next to each other.

At this point I just want to know how much extra I will have to budget to invite my family to the trip, since my room, plane tickets and expenses will be covered through work.

I am exited, the Swan/Doplhin seems like a great hotel and I love the boardwalk area!

thanks in advance

In the past, they used to have a small charge to guarantee connecting rooms.

 

[patty57]

It looks like there is a new S/D site. I was poking around on it, and under "special offers" the nurse, teacher and military discounts are no longer listed. Hmmm...I wonder if that means you have to call for them, or if they no longer offer them?

 

[Mackie Mouse]

It looks like there is a new S/D site. I was poking around on it, and under "special offers" the nurse, teacher and military discounts are no longer listed. Hmmm...I wonder if that means you have to call for them, or if they no longer offer them?

I just booked this discount over Christmas - yes, Christmas! - for this year. I called and asked about it. Ask and ye shall receive.

 

[ownedby3]

Can someone tell me how much time to leave in the morning to get to MK for a 9am rope drop? I was thinking we should leave Dolphin at 8am and leave about 40 min to get there, is that accurate?

Also for an 8am HS ADR should we catch the boat? Do they run that early?

 

[tzolkin]

Any suggestions about discounts or looking things up on their website? Is the nurse discount always so sporadic? It has been quite difficult for me to come up with options that will work for my family. I have priced out trips of different lengths and split-stays, but the Swan/Dolphin website makes this much more complicated than the Disney site.

For example, if I check in on June 12th, I can only stay a maximum of 6 nights (the 18th), but the 17th is not available to check out. Check in June 13th, I must check out the following day. Check in on the 14th my only check-out options are 21,22,23,24.
Is this going to cause problems if I want to change dates later? (ex. I book the 10 nights, but then want to drop to 5 because we decide on a split stay.)

Also, the prices seem to have no consistency and you can't see the price for the individual days. So the same length-of-stay can vary by hundreds of dollars with just a one day difference in check in/out.

I want to call and book today, but I'm still trying to weigh all my options. Any suggestions?

 

[tzolkin]

It looks like there is a new S/D site. I was poking around on it, and under "special offers" the nurse, teacher and military discounts are no longer listed. Hmmm...I wonder if that means you have to call for them, or if they no longer offer them?

I'm on the website now, and they are listed under "Special Offers". Perhaps they didn't have the links available right away when they switched over to the new website but they are there now.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Can someone tell me how much time to leave in the morning to get to MK for a 9am rope drop? I was thinking we should leave Dolphin at 8am and leave about 40 min to get there, is that accurate?

Also for an 8am HS ADR should we catch the boat? Do they run that early?

For me an hour is fine. If a crowded time of the year, maybe board at the Swan, its pickup is before the Dolphin.

And I think to boats start running at 7 AM. I often hear the horns tooting as I am awakening for the day.

 

[vicb]

Can someone tell me how much time to leave in the morning to get to MK for a 9am rope drop? I was thinking we should leave Dolphin at 8am and leave about 40 min to get there, is that accurate?

I think this is plenty of time. We did have to wait for a second MK bus one morning at Dolphin so the suggestion of picking up at Swan is an option. We still got to MK around 8:45 but we were pretty far back in the crush waiting to get in, we saw part of the morning show at the train station while we waited. Even though we were in the initial crowd which was not pleasant, once in the park we had no trouble getting on Buzz with no wait twice in a row before heading to SM for a very short wait. YOu can still get a lot done that first hour!

Any suggestions about discounts or looking things up on their website? Is the nurse discount always so sporadic? It has been quite difficult for me to come up with options that will work for my family. I have priced out trips of different lengths and split-stays, but the Swan/Dolphin website makes this much more complicated than the Disney site.

Also, the prices seem to have no consistency and you can't see the price for the individual days. So the same length-of-stay can vary by hundreds of dollars with just a one day difference in check in/out.

I want to call and book today, but I'm still trying to weigh all my options. Any suggestions?

I just wanted to add that for a stay next June you likely will have several different price adjustments in the coming months. When I booked for May 2014 there were no real discounts to speak of until late Nov or early Dec. I initially booked standard rooms with AAA rate and $50 resort credit per room, that rate dropped several times prior to our May trip. And I was able to upgrade to resort rooms. You have to be vigilant and keep checking, our rate had a final drop in the last three weeks prior to our arrival!

 

[tzolkin]

I just wanted to add that for a stay next June you likely will have several different price adjustments in the coming months. When I booked for May 2014 there were no real discounts to speak of until late Nov or early Dec. I initially booked standard rooms with AAA rate and $50 resort credit per room, that rate dropped several times prior to our May trip. And I was able to upgrade to resort rooms. You have to be vigilant and keep checking, our rate had a final drop in the last three weeks prior to our arrival!

Thanks for the info.

I am looking at the nurse discount rate right now. It seems a bit high ($229/281), but I thought maybe that was just because it was busy Summer season. I know I have seen rates for $159 at other times, so I will keep checking even after I book in case anything else comes out.

 

[SA mom]

I'm slightly embarrassed to ask this, but does anyone recommend slipping the front desk agent a tip in order to get a better room? I don't mean instead of paying for an upgrade but in order to get the best of what you've paid for? I've seen it suggested elsewhere, but subtlety isn't my strong suit and I dont want to insult someone who would do their absolute best for the guest in front of them without a bribe.

We've never done it, just respectfully and politely asked and received upgrades and Epcot view rooms. To be honest, I've only seen people do it in movies.

Anyone else?

 

[vicb]

Thanks for the info.

I am looking at the nurse discount rate right now. It seems a bit high ($229/281), but I thought maybe that was just because it was busy Summer season. I know I have seen rates for $159 at other times, so I will keep checking even after I book in case anything else comes out.

I just looked at our reservation paperwork from May to give you an idea: Our trip was May 5-10.

all rates were AAA with $50 resort credit per room
1/6 booked 2 standard view rooms base rate $215
1/24 changed to 2 resort view rooms base rate $233
3/7 rate dropped to $207 for 2 resort view rooms
4/22 (two weeks before trip!) rate dropped to $167

I have no idea how the nurse/teacher rates compared to those. We were there right before Mother's Day and Star Wars weekends began so a relatively slow week. We used the two $50 resort credits at the pool bar restaurant which was quite nice on our arrival night for dinner before heading to Studios for eve. emh ( a tip from someone on these boards )

Good luck!