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

[Dan Murphy]

So what exactly does the "wet bar" on the alcove suites have? I am trying to decide whether it is worth getting one suite and one regular room or two regular rooms. I would like the rooms to be connected so we can put the baby to sleep in one room while the rest of us unwind from the day in the other.

I checked on the SPG site, and there are no rooms available at regular or discounted rates for all the dates I need. I think this is likely because there's a huge block of rooms reserved for the conference. I will wait until the conference rates post.
Everyone beware that from July 8-12th 2016 there will be somewhere between 3000-5000 people attending a conference at the Swan/Dolphin

Thanks for the info on the towncar. I assume I will have to bring a car seat for the baby and booster for the toddler on the ride form the airport, do they help with the installation? I will be arriving by myself and meeting my parents at the hotel.

As for the wet bar at the Dolphin, (none at the Swan), not sure what is there besides a sink amd possibly the fridge, but I can assure you there is no microwave (unless they have changed their policy). I would think it best to call the Dolphin direct and ask what is in the wet bar area.

As for car seats, those are covered here under the rates section of Tiffany.

http://www.tiffanytowncar.com/rates.html

For a few dollars over the towncar, the mini-van or suv look like they would work well.

 

[nat8199]

Hello, everyone!! My DH and I are planning a kids-free trip this spring, and though I would love to stay on property, it looks like the budget will only allow for Swan or Dolphin since we can stay a few nights on points. I have been looking over this thread, and have a few questions.

1) From what I am understanding, I can add the S&D reservations, the tickets I buy separately, and any magic bands that I buy to my MDE account, link them together, and then it will be just like staying on property, right? We get the magic hours and the 60 day FP window?

2) For two commando people, for whom view and room isn't the biggest deal, which hotel should I pick? I think nearest elevator to minimize walking will be our biggest concern, I think. Though, thinking about it, we would also want a quiet room.

3) I don't think that we will have enough points for all three nights, so for the third night, how do I go about getting the best rate? Should I just watch the special offers page on the S&D site to see what pops up? When would specials for May typically begin showing up?

Thank you all so much!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Number 1 is all correct. Just remember, you are staying on property, with probably one of the best locations anywhere on property. For number 2, I would say the Swan. I prefer that one myself, but for guests looking to reduce walking within the hotel, the Swan would certainly be your choice. For number 3, you can check the SPG and S/D sites (offers link here http://www.swandolphin.com/offers/index.html, sign up for the 'recipe club' emails or other newsletters here (http://www.swandolphin.com/signup/index.html)(usually a link there for some special rates), and probably one of the best, watch this thread.

 

[nat8199]

Number 1 is all correct. Just remember, you are staying on property, with probably one of the best locations anywhere on property. For number 2, I would say the Swan. I prefer that one myself, but for guests looking to reduce walking within the hotel, the Swan would certainly be your choice. For number 3, you can check the SPG and S/D sites (offers link here http://www.swandolphin.com/offers/index.html, sign up for the 'recipe club' emails or other newsletters here (http://www.swandolphin.com/signup/index.html)(usually a link there for some special rates), and probably one of the best, watch this thread.

Thank you so much!!! I feel like I am learning a whole new set of rules, as the last two trips we went straight through Disney. This thread has helped a lot. I am feeling much better about trying out a new resort!

 

[airhead]

Thank you so much!!! I feel like I am learning a whole new set of rules, as the last two trips we went straight through Disney. This thread has helped a lot. I am feeling much better about trying out a new resort!

You will love this resort! Have fun!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Here are some current special offers for stays in the coming months.

ALL BOOKINGS RECEIVE

COMPLIMENTARY ONE CATEGORY UPGRADE

WHEN BOOKING ONE OF THE BELOW PACKAGES

RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL

$50 RESORT FOOD & BEVERAGE CREDIT

WHEN TWO OR MORE PACKAGES ARE BOOKED*

Summer may be coming to an end, but the deals aren’t! Enjoy these special rates and book a last minute stay with the whole family! Be sure to mention offer SUMMER when making your reservations.

CALL NOW 888.828.8850 or 407.934.4000

October offers food, frights and fun! Join us for our very own Sixth Annual Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic or take a short stroll over and enjoy the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Kids and adults alike will have a spooktacular time at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park! Be sure to mention offer WDWOCT when making your reservations.
Learn more: www.swandolphinfoodandwineclassic.com

CALL NOW 888.828.8850 or 407.934.4000

There’s no better place to enjoy quality time with your family during the holiday season. With numerous dining options, resort activities, and theme parks galore, the entire family will say THANKS for treating them to a holiday getaway! Be sure to mention offer THANKS when making your reservations.

CALL NOW 888.828.8850 or 407.934.4000

Santa named us his favorite resort! He, Mrs. Claus, and their helper Elf Kandy Kane are here every year for some much deserved down time before the busy holiday season. Book a stay now to relax in the Florida sun and meet Santa himself along with special holiday activities, our giant tree-lighting, and more! Be sure to use code SANTA when booking. Learn more: www.santasfavoriteresort.com

CALL NOW 888.828.8850 or 407.934.4000

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well we are trying this again. Remember we had to cancel our May trip due to the blood clot in my leg. Well we just booked the Swan for Oct.20-27. I am going to the vascular surgeon Sept. 10 and I am praying he will give me the go ahead to travel if the sonogram turns out well.

I have a few questions

1. It says we are getting a $100 resort credit. It does not specifically say food and beverage credit, but wondering if that is implied. So we have never had this before and I am wondering is this good at only the Swan (the hotel we booked) or can we use it at the Dolphin too? Can it be used for the gift shop?

2. I didnt make any specific requests. Last time I did ask closer to an elevator and that room was right across from the housekeeping room, so I am wondering if all the floors have like a 6 room to the end walk. Or was this just the floor we were on. I figure 6 rooms would not be far of a walk for me to push the wheelchair etc.

3. It says they are paying the $17 resort fee each day as part of our package. I dont think this is the current price, is this correct?

We booked this with my dh ff miles so I know there is a number he can call if need be. But I think they use a third party to do all this. So its alot of calls and verifying before we sometimes get the correct answer.

But hopefully is this is all correct I think we did good as we got the whole trip for free, not having paying the resort fee which we have had to do in the past and got the $100 resort credit. It did say something like fall savings package.

It also says complimentary room upgrade, so I dont know what we would get.

I feel like I really need a vacation. So hopefully this works out this time.

TIA in advance for answering the questions.

 

[Kelly25]

i just watched a walk through video of a swan renovated room. the bathroom had no bathtub only a shower. is that how all of the room are going to be???

EDIT: just an FYI, i emailed the swan asking about this and they responded with this...

"In regards to the accommodations in the hotel, all of our newly renovated rooms with King beds will have a stand-alone shower, while all rooms with Queen beds will have a tub/shower combinations. All of our alcove rooms at the Swan have King beds and a stand-alone shower."

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi Mary. Great to see you. Hope you, hubby and kids are all doing well. It always seems like something, doesn't it?

I'll see if I can answer some.

1. The credit would be good for things purchased at either resort. I am confident it would not be applicable to the Disney gift shops, not sure about the other gift shops at the Dolphin.
2. If I recall, there are housekeeping rooms adjacent to the elevator areas on each floor. 6 rooms would be fine I am sure, far enough away from elevator area (noisy by itself) and not too far for walking purposes. I would make that as your request, both on the phone with reservations as well as the concierge link here. http://www.swandolphinconcierge.com/public/login.cfm Also, here is a link to the resort view itself. The elevators are roughly located below the swans on the roof. The east side is closer to the Boardwalk, west closer to the S/D beach/pool area. You can get an idea of rooms per floor. http://binged.it/1J3ZhUP
3. The resort fee is currently $23 plus tax. I have not heard of any packages that include the resort fee.

Hoping you get the okay from your doc, Mary. Enjoy.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Yes Dan, you are right, we have always paid the resort fee before. But I did print out dh airline page that says about this resort fee of $17 being paid by them. I am sure they will say this was a mistake etc. I think this is one thing that dh is going to have to call about.

So I am thinking that we can use the resort credit at hmm, maybe Shulas and then throw in the TIW discount that makes it a great deal and meal for sure! Last time dh and I went to Shulas we were sitting next to Hank Aaron during the baseball winter meetings.

But would this work out ???- The TIW is in my name and the resort reservation (for the $100 resort credit) is in dh name, so do they both have to be the same for it to work??? I dont know how strict they would be about this or what their policy is with the credit. Of course I always ask these strange questions.

And we just got an e mail from the airline booking agent that says there will be renovations from 9-7 and no guests will be put in renovation areas. Last time we got a renovated room and it was nice except for the strange glass desk. So I dont know what we are getting this tie. It only said Swan Wing as usual.

TIA if anyone knows the answer to my latest question.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Just so you have no expensive surprises, I would call and verify about Shula's and the credit. It probably is good, but I would verify. As for the TiW card, you are fine there. It has nothing to do with the room reservation. As for the 'not in renovation areas' I would take that to be you would not be in areas where they are doing work. Might be wrong, but that is how I read it.

Again, a call to the resort would clarify.

And nice about sitting by Hank Aaron, one of the game's best ever, and still the home run leader in my book.

 

[Momtomouselover]

When you book online at the Swan there is a room category called "Grand Deluxe" and mentions a renovated room. Is this the only category of room that has been renovated? I have never stayed at the Swan before but have stayed at the Dolphin. Are the rooms comparable? I do like a new or refreshed room when I can get it

 

[Dan Murphy]

My understanding is that the rooms which have completed their renovation at the Swan are referred to as 'Grand Deluxe'. They are a few dollars more than the ones not completed. Not sure how many are and are not.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/wal...at-the-walt-disney-world-swan-and-dolphin.htm

The layouts of the rooms would not have changed, here is a link for S to D comparisons.

http://www.swandolphin.com/accommodations/standard.html

 

[luvallprincesses]

Advice needed! I hope I can explain this well. I have a room at the Swan booked for Nov 24-Dec 4. The first 6 nights are at a teacher rate of $220 plus resort fee. The last 4 night are now sold out so I can only keep my rate of $298 plus resort fee. I have 40,000 SPG points to apply. They will not let me turn the more expensive cash nights into points because it is sold out (even though I already have the room?!), I have spoken to 2 agents at the Swan and an agent at SPG who had a conference call with another Swan agent verifying this. There is a chance that some of the room have been blocked for a conference, and closer to the date may become available for either a reduced rate and/or to apply my points to the expensive nights. At this point, I have not applied the 40,000 points for 5 nights to any part. The SPG agent told me if I booked them for the cheaper nights now that I should be able to change them to the more expensive nights later if they become available.

Part 2: AKL is available for the more expensive nights for close to $200/night. Considering we will have just spent 3 nights on site at Universal, then transfer to Swan for 6 nights, would I regret moving again to AKL to save $400+? Is the convenience of not moving and the ease of walking to 2 parks worth $400?

 

[RachelTori]

Advice needed! I hope I can explain this well. I have a room at the Swan booked for Nov 24-Dec 4. The first 6 nights are at a teacher rate of $220 plus resort fee. The last 4 night are now sold out so I can only keep my rate of $298 plus resort fee. I have 40,000 SPG points to apply. They will not let me turn the more expensive cash nights into points because it is sold out (even though I already have the room?!), I have spoken to 2 agents at the Swan and an agent at SPG who had a conference call with another Swan agent verifying this. There is a chance that some of the room have been blocked for a conference, and closer to the date may become available for either a reduced rate and/or to apply my points to the expensive nights. At this point, I have not applied the 40,000 points for 5 nights to any part. The SPG agent told me if I booked them for the cheaper nights now that I should be able to change them to the more expensive nights later if they become available.

Part 2: AKL is available for the more expensive nights for close to $200/night. Considering we will have just spent 3 nights on site at Universal, then transfer to Swan for 6 nights, would I regret moving again to AKL to save $400+? Is the convenience of not moving and the ease of walking to 2 parks worth $400?

I personally find it fairly effortless to change resorts! You can't beat the location of Swan/Dolphin, however AKL is like a vacation within a vacation! DH & I are headed there Sunday morning for 5 nights; then we'll move to OKW! We always take a taxi, moving our luggage with us. To me, it would be worth the savings (especially since you're considering AKL!)

 

[luvallprincesses]

I personally find it fairly effortless to change resorts! You can't beat the location of Swan/Dolphin, however AKL is like a vacation within a vacation! DH & I are headed there Sunday morning for 5 nights; then we'll move to OKW! We always take a taxi, moving our luggage with us. To me, it would be worth the savings (especially since you're considering AKL!)

Thank you for your thoughts. I think I will go ahead and book the passholder rate at AKL while it's available. Then if the Swan works out, that's great and we'll stay put, but if it doesn't then we have a great back up plan. I've never resort-changed before, and we've also never stayed at AKL although we have visited friends staying there and thought it was great.

 

[Flews]

i just watched a walk through video of a swan renovated room. the bathroom had no bathtub only a shower. is that how all of the room are going to be???

EDIT: just an FYI, i emailed the swan asking about this and they responded with this...

"In regards to the accommodations in the hotel, all of our newly renovated rooms with King beds will have a stand-alone shower, while all rooms with Queen beds will have a tub/shower combinations. All of our alcove rooms at the Swan have King beds and a stand-alone shower."

We absolutely love the Swan; but not too thrilled about shower only rooms. Our young kids buck showers, so I need to check to ensure we are getting queen beds in one of the bedrooms.

Thanks for sharing. One of the best things about this forum is getting updates and being able to stay on top of new developments.

Cheers,

 

[kappyfamily]

I personally find it fairly effortless to change resorts! You can't beat the location of Swan/Dolphin, however AKL is like a vacation within a vacation! DH & I are headed there Sunday morning for 5 nights; then we'll move to OKW! We always take a taxi, moving our luggage with us. To me, it would be worth the savings (especially since you're considering AKL!)

I totally agree with this! We did a double split stay last time and really wasn't a big deal. AKL is just amazing.... You can use that $400 savings and go to the spa or book a tour!

 

[luvallprincesses]

I totally agree with this! We did a double split stay last time and really wasn't a big deal. AKL is just amazing.... You can use that $400 savings and go to the spa or book a tour!

Thank you for the extra confirmation. I truly hope the Swan rates drop significantly so we can avoid another packing and moving, but I have the AKL rate booked for our last 4 nights as an awesome backup plan.

 

[Dominion]

We're going to the Swan for the first time in October. Last time at Disneywe stayed club level at the Polynesian and were totally spoiled by having a great, quick breakfast waiting just down the hall. Can someone give me the best breakfast options at the Swan/Dolphin for a group of 5 - 3 adults and 2 kids. Would like it to be quick but have a variety of food options to meet everyone's tastes as much as possible. Thanks!