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

[SA mom]

During our 2014 stay at the Swan, we were upgraded to a junior suite with a king bed and and sofa bed. The way the room was configured, we could not unfold the sofa. They brought two tollway bed for our daughters. It was crowed when the beds were down, but every morning we place the beds upright against the wall. We were very comfortable.

 

[DJFan88]

A couple of quick questions since we are going next week!!!

Are there any discounts on food, etc., in the hotels with the SPG card, AAA or Visa? And also, if you show them your card when you buy there, do you accumulate points?

Realistically in the Dolphin, will it be okay in the standard room for 2 teen boys, a mom and dad at the standard 360 sq. foot room. Or is it worth
the extra 100 bucks a night for a more expensive room, like the 460 sq. foot or even the 700 sq. foot.

Are the 700 square foot rooms only located on higher floors? And are alcove rooms (460) on all floors?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Are there any discounts on food, etc., in the hotels with the SPG card, AAA or Visa? And also, if you show them your card when you buy there, do you accumulate points?

S/D signature restaurants honor the Tables of Wonderland discount card program and 20% discount with your AAA card at the following dining locations.

AAA Card accepted at the following places ~
GARDEN GROVE in the Swan
FRESH in the Dolphin
MEDITERRANEAN MARKET in the Dolphin
THE FOUNTAIN in the Dolphin
CABANA BAR AND BEACH CLUB at the Grotto pool
SPLASH TERRACE & GRILL at the rectangular pool by the Swan
PICABU 24/7 in the Dolphin

If you charge the meals to your room, you will accumulate SPG points.

 

[SA mom]

A couple of quick questions since we are going next week!!!

Are there any discounts on food, etc., in the hotels with the SPG card, AAA or Visa? And also, if you show them your card when you buy there, do you accumulate points?

Realistically in the Dolphin, will it be okay in the standard room for 2 teen boys, a mom and dad at the standard 360 sq. foot room. Or is it worth
the extra 100 bucks a night for a more expensive room, like the 460 sq. foot or even the 700 sq. foot.

Are the 700 square foot rooms only located on higher floors? And are alcove rooms (460) on all floors?[/QUOTE

We have teen daughters and the size of the room isn't really an issue since we are rarely in the actual room. However, you may want to ask for a room with a wet bar. That extra sink saves our sanity. My girls are not into hair and make up or anything, it's just nice to be able to brush teeth or put in contacts while someone is in the shower.

 

[jd99]

Sent an email to Dolphin yesterday asking about renovations. Asked if they'd be done by our trip Nov. 4 and if not, was there a room category I could book to ensure we would get a renovated room. Answer I got was "You should book the Swan if a renovated room is important." Alrighty then. Booked Yacht Club because with annual pass discount, price was the same as the Swan.

 

[ImprovGal]

S/D signature restaurants honor the Tables of Wonderland discount card program and 20% discount with your AAA card at the following dining locations.

AAA Card accepted at the following places ~
GARDEN GROVE in the Swan
FRESH in the Dolphin
MEDITERRANEAN MARKET in the Dolphin
THE FOUNTAIN in the Dolphin
CABANA BAR AND BEACH CLUB at the Grotto pool
SPLASH TERRACE & GRILL at the rectangular pool by the Swan
PICABU 24/7 in the Dolphin

If you charge the meals to your room, you will accumulate SPG points.

I believe the full name of Fresh is Fresh Mediterranean Market.

Dan, are you sure about Cabana Bar & Beach Club? I know they used to (and may still) offer DVC discount, but I was told I did not get AAA discount there. It's been a few years since I tried, though.

You do earn points for the F&B purchases charged to your room (including in-room dining, excluding personal pantry and prepackaged items at Picabu considered merchandise). However, I have had problems in the past with charges from the opposite hotel's restaurants not automatically posting (I was staying at Swan, but got food from Picabu; I was staying at Dolphin, but went to Kimonos). It took some contact to Starwood Preferred Guest Customer Service to get it reconciled.

Swan and Dolphin also offer a Dining Passport loyalty program for their signature restaurants (earn dining passport points from bluezoo, Shula's, Kimonos, Il Mulino; redemption certificate valid at bluezoo, Shula's, Il Mulino). The dining passport points are accrued independently but concurrently with SPG points. And if you use a discount like TIW, you earn points on the post-discount amount.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I believe the full name of Fresh is Fresh Mediterranean Market.

Dan, are you sure about Cabana Bar & Beach Club? I know they used to (and may still) offer DVC discount, but I was told I did not get AAA discount there. It's been a few years since I tried, though.

Yes, that is the correct name, IG. I did change the name in the OP. I am not sure about the Cabana Bar, I have never eaten there myself.

It does show up on Mousesavers AAA discounts.

http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-dis...world-meal-snack-drink-discounts-coupons/#aaa

Save 20% on food (not beverages) at the following casual dining restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin hotels on Disney property: Cabana, Fountain, Fresh, Garden Grove, Picabu and Splash.

Did you have drinks, not food at Cabana?

 

[ImprovGal]

Did you have drinks, not food at Cabana?

I had food and was told no AAA discount. But like I said, it was a while ago and policies may have changed.

I'm not back until October to check.

 

[DJFan88]

I had food and was told no AAA discount. But like I said, it was a while ago and policies may have changed.

I'm not back until October to check.

Well I'll give it a try and see how it goes! I'll report back in a few weeks.

 

[Mmw37]

Thank you! DH and I are both nurses, and AAA members as well. I'll call once we're a little more firm on things.

My son is a nurse and we did a mother/son trip two years ago I think. If I remember the nurses discount is only available at the Dolphin and I think we called the hotel directly because he wanted to know about what proof of employment to bring.
He brought a copy of his license and they didnt even ask for it when we checked in.
I dont know when to look or request it for your time frame. My son only has a schedule a month or two in advance if that and people are always trying to switch shifts with him anyway.

I would check out your dates ahead of time. You can always book if its a refundable rate and to make sure there is not a large conference that would limit rooms.

Transportation - we use Tiffany Towncar since they do a grocery stop and we just do a quick stop at the Speedway by the resort.
Uber is much cheaper although we have never used them.

 

[Mmw37]

Next question, I'm having trouble finding this online. Do any Disney package or room only discounts apply at the Swan and Dolphin? Our last visit we stayed at a moderate and did s/p/d, and will be traveling again when that discount is historically available. If not I'll just crunch my numbers and figure out what is likely to be the best rate! Thought about trying a travel agent this time too, but the one I tried's form wouldn't let me enter swan or dolphin. We haven't used one in the past and I kind of like planning, so I'll probably just do it myself again.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Disney discounts and packages do not apply at S/D.

 

[Tess]

Disney discounts and packages do not apply at S/D.

S/D used to offer Annual Passholder discounts--has that been discontinued. The discount was typically the same as a AAA/Nurse's/Govt. discount. Just curious.

 

[Mmw37]

Disney discounts and packages do not apply at S/D.

Ok, thanks. So no reason to wait to call then!

 

[Heartheocean]

So I'm back again asking about my Dolphin reservation! I booked online on the SPG website. Called the Dolphin and asked them to add everyone's name to the reservation. Was able to add the reservation in MDE however it only automatically linked me to the reservation. The other party members names were blank but it allowed me to choose from my family members listed in MDE to link to the reservation. Thought everything was all set but every time I pull up my information in MDE, next to my Dolphin reservation it says "We are experiencing difficulties requesting additional details about this reservation." And it also says I have 68 days until my vacation but that would represent the number of days until I checkin at my second resort (AKL), not the number of days until I checkin at the Dolphin (where I will checkin first). I'm concerned this is going to mess up my fast pass window. Should I be worried? Should I call Disney or the Dolphin to try to get this straightened out?


UPDATE -- I called Disney and the person at reservations told me she would be unable to see my Dolphin reservation but talked to someone in their online/MDE department who looked at my info in MDE and said everything looked fine and gave me the date that I would be able to book fastpasses which did correspond with my Dolphin reservation. I also called the Dolphin and asked if there was a different confirmation number that I should have used to link in the DME site and the person I spoke to their confirmed that the number I used (9 digits, began with '2') was the correct one but since the DME site was stating there was an error, she would "resend" the info again.
Whew. Hoping all this means that I will have no problem and my fastpass window will open on the correct day!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Disney discounts and packages do not apply at S/D.

S/D used to offer Annual Passholder discounts--has that been discontinued. The discount was typically the same as a AAA/Nurse's/Govt. discount. Just curious.

I have to take my reply back, Tess. As far as I know, AP discounts are still available. Not sure about DVC discounts on rooms, but there are DVC and TiW discounts at various S/D restaurants.

 

[happymommy]

Two questions: if we aren't renting a car and are flying into the Orlando airport, what's the easiest way to get to the S/D? Is there free transportation, or is cab/uber my only option? Also, anyone know what the typical nurse discount is, and when to look for it for a Jan 2017 trip? Haven't stayed here before, but I think it would be perfect for our family this time.

You can take a taxi or book ahead of time a town car service from the airport. Uber can't pick up at the airport (but they can pick up at the resort to return to the airport).

 

[Tess]

I have to take my reply back, Tess. As far as I know, AP discounts are still available. Not sure about DVC discounts on rooms, but there are DVC and TiW discounts at various S/D restaurants.

Thanks Dan!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Uber can't pick up at the airport

Uber black is able to pick up at the airport, but not the other Uber levels.

 

[happymommy]

Uber black is able to pick up at the airport, but not the other Uber levels.

I forgot that! I think they're more than a cab, but I may be wrong.