The **New** Swan and Dolphin Resort thread ~ April 2012 ~ Please read post #1

[pooh2001]

Sorry to hear about any bad stays.
We have stayed at the Dolphin twice in the past and will go again in June.

We inspect the room when we arrive -
Check the beds for stains, footprints and bedbugs
We flush the toilet and and run the bathtub to look for clogs
We try the A/C unit, and now the refrigerator in the room.
We open every draw and make sure they are empty.
We try the clock radio and TV.
Even go out to the balcony, check the sliding door and the chairs outside.

If good we then unpack, if not good, no unpacking in anyway.

When we are all done with our inspection, we either go to the front desk with our concerns or call housekeeping for extra towels and thank the front desk for a wonderful room.

I hope our room is in great shape. The Dolphin is fully booked and no other room may be available. The Swan is fully booked for our dates too.

I am not sure where they would send us if our room is a disaster

[lizabu]

Originally Posted by turningleaf

So when you stay at Swan you can use the Dolphin facilities and vice versa? I got confused when I saw there are two different operators, Westin and Sheraton.

We would like to be near the boat dock so we would choose Swan, but which hotel has a nice big pool with a slide for kids? If it's the Dolphin, is it far to walk there from the Swan?

Yes. You're free to use the facilities at both properties. The boat dock is exactly 1/2 way between the 2 hotels. The grotto pool is closer to the Dolphin than the swan. It's about a 5 minute walk from the Swan. Both hotels have a Lap pool and hot tub. Even though the two hotels are different brands they are both owned by Starwood. If you're staying at the Swan and you eat at a restaurant at the Dolphin you can still charge it back to your room no problem.

Originally Posted by pooh2001

Sorry to hear about any bad stays.
We have stayed at the Dolphin twice in the past and will go again in June.

We inspect the room when we arrive -
Check the beds for stains, footprints and bedbugs
We flush the toilet and and run the bathtub to look for clogs
We try the A/C unit, and now the refrigerator in the room.
We open every draw and make sure they are empty.
We try the clock radio and TV.
Even go out to the balcony, check the sliding door and the chairs outside.

If good we then unpack, if not good, no unpacking in anyway.

When we are all done with our inspection, we either go to the front desk with our concerns or call housekeeping for extra towels and thank the front desk for a wonderful room.

I hope our room is in great shape. The Dolphin is fully booked and no other room may be available. The Swan is fully booked for our dates too.

I am not sure where they would send us if our room is a disaster

If there were absolutely no other rooms available they would walk you to another hotel of equal or greater quality at their expense. They would likely also comp at least some of your stay if not all of it. Walking a guest is seriously expensive for a hotel.

[Flews]

Originally Posted by turningleaf

So when you stay at Swan you can use the Dolphin facilities and vice versa? I got confused when I saw there are two different operators, Westin and Sheraton.

We would like to be near the boat dock so we would choose Swan, but which hotel has a nice big pool with a slide for kids? If it's the Dolphin, is it far to walk there from the Swan?

Think of it as one, large resort, in two similar buildings. The Dolphin is slightly larger, so has a few more shops and the laundry room. Everything else is pretty well shared. The diffierence in walks to the boats and/or the pools can be meansured in minutes, if not seconds.

I could hit a pitching wedge from one to the other...

Cheers,

[MommyPoppins]

We are set to check in on Thursday(so excited!!) I just looked online at my reservation and it says,"resort view/king bed" we booked a regular room(king bed). Does that mean we got upgraded? Or can that change at check in?

[LexiC123]

Originally Posted by MommyPoppins

We are set to check in on Thursday(so excited!!) I just looked online at my reservation and it says,"resort view/king bed" we booked a regular room(king bed). Does that mean we got upgraded? Or can that change at check in?

You sure did! A regular room would be listed as "limited view". Congrats!

[MommyPoppins]

Originally Posted by LexiC123

You sure did! A regular room would be listed as "limited view". Congrats!

Yay so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dan Murphy]

The boat dock and the pool area are shared equally by both resorts and are equidistant from both. If you have a room in the far east side of the Dolphin, it is probably a bit further walk to the pools than from the Swan.

[melissam2003]

I have read the thread & found so much helpful information!

I'm in the middle of planning our first trip to Disney which has been extremely overwhelming! We have friends that are planning to stay at a Disney All Star resort but however I've been leaning to the Dolphin resort!

-Again this is our first trip, no kids & we are both in our 20's considering this do you think the dolphin would be a great stay for us?
-I have major hotel phobias & by the looks of the photos I believe I would be content in staying here
-I have joined SPG after reading the thread & wondering if joinging AAA would be worth it also for us?

Thanks for all the information in this thread it has been EXTREMELY helpful, Hoping to have our room reserved within the next few days for beginning of Oct.

[chrisf21]

so the upcoming trip approaches... and boy am I glad I booked when I did... swan is sold out for my dates now.... i think the aaa membership is worth the discount on the room rate. for my dates it was the cheapest.

[RachelTori]

Originally Posted by melissam2003

I have read the thread & found so much helpful information!

I'm in the middle of planning our first trip to Disney which has been extremely overwhelming! We have friends that are planning to stay at a Disney All Star resort but however I've been leaning to the Dolphin resort!

-Again this is our first trip, no kids & we are both in our 20's considering this do you think the dolphin would be a great stay for us?
-I have major hotel phobias & by the looks of the photos I believe I would be content in staying here
-I have joined SPG after reading the thread & wondering if joinging AAA would be worth it also for us?

Thanks for all the information in this thread it has been EXTREMELY helpful, Hoping to have our room reserved within the next few days for beginning of Oct.

Yes, I think 20-somethings would much prefer the Dolphin (or Swan) over an All Star resort! The proximity to Epcot and DHS alone make it worth it!

Are you planning to attend the Epcot Food & Wine Festival? You will be sooooo happy you booked Dolphin!

October is historically a busy month at both Dolphin & Swan though so I wouldn't take too long deciding. If there's room availability, grab it!

I know it all seems overwhelming to you now, but you are off to a good start! With the research and planning you are doing, I predict by the time your trip rolls around, you will have it all together and have the time of your life!

[InOverMyHead]

Hello and thank you to all the Disney lovers here, these forums are packed with useful information that I have just begun to explore.

On a whim we decided to book a trip to WDW at the end of August, we are trying to decide between the Dolphin and Swan, is there really any difference between them? The reviews seem to be more favorable at the Swan side of the resort for some reason, but the Epcot Fireworks rooms at the Dolphin side seem pretty cool. Are these hotels good for a family with small children?

There will be 4 of us going, myself, my DW, and our 3 and 6 yr old DDs. My wife has never been to a Disney theme park of any type, and the kids won't know about it until we get to the airport.
From reading this thread I would guess the Dolphin is a little better if you have children.

[RachelTori]

Originally Posted by InOverMyHead

Hello and thank you to all the Disney lovers here, these forums are packed with useful information that I have just begun to explore.

On a whim we decided to book a trip to WDW at the end of August, we are trying to decide between the Dolphin and Swan, is there really any difference between them? The reviews seem to be more favorable at the Swan side of the resort for some reason, but the Epcot Fireworks rooms at the Dolphin side seem pretty cool. Are these hotels good for a family with small children?

There will be 4 of us going, myself, my DW, and our 3 and 6 yr old DDs. My wife has never been to a Disney theme park of any type, and the kids won't know about it until we get to the airport.
From reading this thread I would guess the Dolphin is a little better if you have children.

Congratulations on your upcoming trip!! How exciting for your family!!

I would definitely recommend the Dolphin for your family! I will be there myself the last week of August!

The biggest difference between the 2 resorts is the size. Swan is much smaller and quieter, but for young families, I think the Dolphin is the better choice!

Yes, the Epcot fireworks view rooms are awesome!!

[tuckerkeys]

Originally Posted by melissam2003

I have read the thread & found so much helpful information!

I'm in the middle of planning our first trip to Disney which has been extremely overwhelming! We have friends that are planning to stay at a Disney All Star resort but however I've been leaning to the Dolphin resort!

-Again this is our first trip, no kids & we are both in our 20's considering this do you think the dolphin would be a great stay for us?
-I have major hotel phobias & by the looks of the photos I believe I would be content in staying here
-I have joined SPG after reading the thread & wondering if joinging AAA would be worth it also for us?

Thanks for all the information in this thread it has been EXTREMELY helpful, Hoping to have our room reserved within the next few days for beginning of Oct.

You will LOVE it! Joining SPG is a great step. There are many discounts offered just for spg members - My upcoming trip I got 35% off rates just for spg. Their site is a bit tricky to navigate b/c of all the areas for discounts. Just keep trying all the offers until a number you like comes up.

Also a GREAT place for the discounts is swandolphin.com If you a nurse, teacher, or military they have AWESOME rates ( as low as $135 for teacher rate in season! ) You can book through this website & enter your spg info if there is a rate you like as well.....

The dolphin is a little bit less moneywise than the swan. They both look the same in the rooms. We like the Dolphin better b/c it seems as this is the more happening place...Very quiet at the swan - which is great but my kids like the hustle and bustle...

We were exclusively Disney resort people, but once we tried the swan & dolphin - and with their great room rates PLUS you earn points towards free nights with SPG we keep going back b/c the price and location can't be beat. It's nice knowing we can have unplanned activities at our doorstep with the boardwalk & Epcot & DHS right within walking distance.

Just remember that they DO charge a resort fee which is now $14 a day- this includes wi-fi.....Also there is NO Disney magical express for you, so you'll need to rent a car ( which we do anyway) or book a towncar or cab ride. When my husband has joined my family mid trip, he has taken a towncar with tiffany towncar which was $60 to the dolphin. Cabs are about the same but every time he has done this the line in the airport for cabs were big so he was thankful for the towncar booking...

[LexiC123]

Attention Swan/Dolphin fans...SPG is giving away 100 free points on Facebook!

Like SPG? Like Starpoints? Then you’ll want to check this out. Visit www.spg.com/fb100K

to enter to win 100,000 Starpoints. Plus, each member will get 100 bonus Starpoints just for entering.

[hsmamato2]

which hotel is a closer walk to Epcot? these look cool,and we've wandered through before,just looking..... I'm thinking it might be a good alternative to Beach Club...pricewise that is