Can't decide if Swan/Dolphin is the right choice!

[danalee]

I would stay here in a heartbeat! We were here years ago and just loved and cant wait to go back.

That said for the time being we dont stay here because we love the DDP and have been traviling with family on past (and upcoming) trips and for us the convience of the DDP plan and purchases being shipped back to the room from the parks and such are to big a plus for us at this point.

But hubby and I will "go it alone" someday, and it will be at the Dolphin or Swan!

 

[Crazy Kanga]

is there really?!
if i may ask, where are they?
sometimes we would like a late-night snack (norm stay at BWV's) ~ that's great to know!

never stayed at the swan nor dolphin, & curious: do only some rooms have balconies, or are they "on the other side" or in some sort of configuration i'm not getting ?

ty

Only some of the rooms at each resort have balconies. Look at some of the pictures and you'l see that the sides of the resorts that face each other have balconies, but only every other room has one at the Dolphin, and most do at the Swan on that side.

 

[Joshua_me]

We've often wondered if there are rooms at the top of the 'pyramid' part of
the Dolphin...

Anyone know ?

 

[Crazy Kanga]

We took the elevator all the way to the top to see, and there were doors up there that appeared to be hotel room doors. Don't know for sure though.

 

[elise72]

I plan to stay at the Dolphin for a week of my next stay...seems great to me.

 

[NMAmy]

and purchases being shipped back to the room from the parks and such are to big a plus for us at this point.

While purchases aren't sent to the rooms, you can have them sent back to the hotel and pick them up in the hotel gift shop.

 

[Tink415]

We stayed at BWI this past summer and took a walk over to Swan & Dolphin to eat at Picabu and check out the pool area. Picabu had the best selection of food and snacks of any WDW resort I've been too (all except ASSp) and the pool area looked fantastic, with the best services I've seen at any WDW resort. Either hotel is in our 'want to stay at' list.

 

[LSchrow]

Meh...

In the Dolphin there's a place called 'Picabu' that's open 24/7....

It's on the ground floor, (not to be confused with the 'Lobby floor') which is actually the 2nd floor.....

UM, yeah, it's a bit confusing....

Anyhoo... Picabu has packaged salads and juices and things like meatloaf and gravy.... Not terribly exciting, but it'll do if you are hungry...

I will take this time to recommend 'Fountain'.... Some of the best burgers
( a half pound pattie, at least) on all of the property....

great to know! & i just checked.......both give 20% for DVC!! guess where we're checking out in may ( since we get our rental car there anyway )
ty everyone for all the info!

 

[toledo13]

STAY AT THE SWAN AND DOLPHIN! Well, one of the two . I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Swan. We've stayed there twice, and if I have it my way, ALWAYS WILL. The proximity to the Boardwalk, MGM, and Epcot can't be beat. We use the teacher rate too, and you get a LOT for the money you pay, as compared to the Mods. I don't feel any less Disney magic staying there, since Stacey is counting down the attractions 24 hours a day in the room and at the bus stop. It's my FAVORITE hotel EVER.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Thank you so much! Reading all your thoughts makes the decision to try the Swan or Dolphin an easy one!

 

[lomillerin]

I really like to have a fridge for water etc..
From my understanding, there is no fridge at S/D. I think they have a filled room minibar type.
Anyone know what my options are for getting a fridge?

 

[AndyMcV]

Hi Jennifer

You really can't go wrong with the Swan and Dolphin resorts. They are really really nice. For the price of a Disney moderate resort, for us, it wins hands down. Here are a few things that stick in my head from the 2 times that we've stayed there...

- The S/D are the first bus pickups before going to the BC/YC/BWI. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus. The boats seemed to come every few minutes. Not a long wait at all.
- The Grotto pool is huge and really nice. It includes a huge waterfall and a waterslide.
- A tonne of great restaurants right in the resort itself.
- Camp Dolphin and an arcade for the kids
- the Mandarin Spa
- laundry facilities, guest concierge desk and a Disney services desk, car rental desk
- being able to walk along a sandy beach right at the resort
- being able to see the Epcot fireworks from your room or from the beach or anywhere on the S/D property
- the really good milkshakes from the Dolphin Fountain
- being a 2-5 minute walk to the Disney Boardwalk and the BC/YC
- Beaches and Cream (at the BC)
- the trademarked "Heavenly Beds" are truely heavenly
- the rooms are nice and big
- being able to take a bus or boat ride to the parks. Our kids loved the boats and the castmembers that manned them.
- the thought of paying under or just over $200 per night and being on Disney property in a deluxe resort right beside Epcot and MGM. Right in the middle of the magic. If you get the Teacher/Nurses rate then it's even lower.

I'm sure I'll think of lots more after I post this.

We are pretty particular when staying at hotels and we find the Swan and Dolphin a really great place to stay while at WDW.

Andy

 

[lady danger]

We stayed at the Dolphin for our WDW trip last August and loved it. We found the resort to be plenty magical and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The hotel staff was friendly, the rooms well appointed, the beds heavenly, and the location!! We were within a 5-10 walk to the BWI, BC & YC resorts, and I can tell you that even though we spent time exploring these resorts, we were never envious of their guests. Not because the Epcot Deluxe resorts aren't great, they definitely are, I just felt like we were staying at a resort that was equally as wonderful yet we were paying less than half what they were a night.

Plus, I don't think there's anything more magical than being able to walk to Epcot, which we were easily able to do from our resort even in the oppressive August heat. To me that more than makes up for any missing Disney touches that I mind have had at a moderate. These are great resorts and we're looking to return to them for our next trip!

 

[AndyMcV]

Hey Jen

Here's a view out the window at our last stay at the Dolphin in June 2005. We could see the Epcot fireworks every night from the window and also we could see some fireworks from MGM too. Awesome view!

 

[rie'smom]

The Swan and Dolphin are wonderful hotels!
Someone on page 1 posted about waiting in the sun for a bus. You wait under a covered walkway. I don't know of anywhere that you would wait in the sun for a bus...
Honestly, we don't miss any Disney ambiance when we stay at the S/D.

 

[happymommy]

I really like to have a fridge for water etc..
From my understanding, there is no fridge at S/D. I think they have a filled room minibar type.
Anyone know what my options are for getting a fridge?

My DS has severe food allergies, and I need to keep soy milk cold for him. I always note that on my reservation, so they bring me a fridge for "medical reasons". They used to do this for me at Disney resorts, before they put them in all the rooms. This is actually one reason I always take the kids to WDW; they are great about allergies! They don't ask for any doctor's note or anything. With his limited diet, I always needed to have some nutrition like that in the room. If you have an instance like this, it's no charge, otherwise, they can either empty the minibar for you (which is a GREAT idea if you have toddlers that may get into it) for a fee (I forget what it is) or they'll get you a fridge (I think it's like $12 a day or something). You could also have a styrofoam cooler and fill it with ice and bottles of water - much cheaper if you pick it up at the grocery store on your way, then just leave it there. I guess they're under $10. Oh, and twice I had antibiotics that had to stay cold, so I needed the fridge right when we got to the hotel - I even showed it to them at check in once!

 

[bobaron32]

We stayed at the dolphin this past August. We had a great time. Picabu is a great choice for a quick meal, and the location can't be beat. I would definately recommend the resort to anyone. The staff was great and once again you can't beat the LOCATION!!!!
Enjoy your trip!!!!

 

[Joshua_me]

Just one more rave about 'The Fountain' restaurant in The Dolphin.

At first glance, it just looks like a place for yet another burger and fries.
And while that's technically what it is...but,WHAT burgers they are !

I'm a big guy, and I could only finish half of one. Also, they have an Ahi Tuna sandwich, and great pita flatbreads with delish toppings ...

We ended up eating three out of four lunches there.

GO...