DISadvantages of staying at the Dolphin?

[Babsy]

I have stayed here before, but it was preCovid and I am sure things have changed. Are there any lost benefits vs staying in aDisney owned resort?

Thanks y'all!

 

[DPgrlz]

I stayed at the Dolphin for my last trip in December 2022. Prior to that I had stayed at Pop, PO Riverside (pre covid) , and Coronado both during and the beginning of post covid.

We prefer Dolphin even though it is not a Disney owned property. Next trip will be staying at the Swan just to see if there is any difference between the two. The only downside that I have noticed is the inability to buy pre arrival magic bands at a discounted price. And I guess the inability to use a magic band as a room key but I don't remember that being a big issue.

 

[Best Aunt]

And the inability to get bus service from Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve directly to Magic Kingdom. Those hotels don't use Disney buses and go to Transportation & Ticket Center.

And if you make a purchase outside the hotel you can't charge it to your room -- but that's not new. (Which means that if you have a Magic Band, you can't use it for making purchases, because using a Magic Band to make purchases is essentially charging to your room.)

 

[Babsy]

Thank you both!

So, where does the Swan and Dolphin drop you off now at the TTC? at the parking lot or the bus area for 'outside' buses? (They always used to use Disney buses when I stayed there before) How often does the bus run? And what about the AK? Does the dolphin use the Disney bus to the AK? I assume that the Disney boats still pick up Swan/Dolphin guests for DHS and Epcot? Are Uber or taxis allowed to drop you at the GF or CR?

One 'new' deluxe perk is the extra evening hours for deluxe Disney resort guests. Do people staying at the Dolphin also get this perk?

 

[musicguy856]

Thank you both!

So, where does the Swan and Dolphin drop you off now at the TTC? at the parking lot or the bus area for 'outside' buses? (They always used to use Disney buses when I stayed there before) How often does the bus run? And what about the AK? Does the dolphin use the Disney bus to the AK? I assume that the Disney boats still pick up Swan/Dolphin guests for DHS and Epcot? Are Uber or taxis allowed to drop you at the GF or CR?

One 'new' deluxe perk is the extra evening hours for deluxe Disney resort guests. Do people staying at the Dolphin also get this perk?

Yes you get extended hours.

You can walk to Boardwalk or YC and catch a bus to MK if you don’t want to deal with TTC. Normally they don’t allow rideshare into the monorail resorts, especially in the morning.

 

[teawar]

The bus to AK from dolphin/swan drops you off near the rideshare drop off/pickup on the parking lot side of the front of AK. There is a little covered area to wait, and it actually may seems a little closer to the entrance than some of the WDW bus stops.

Some people have mentioned walking over to yacht club to pick up or take the bus back from MK and walking back to the resort from there.

 

[musicguy856]

Also at the end of the night there is nothing stopping you from walking from MK to CR or GF and requesting an Uber from there.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Thank you both!

So, where does the Swan and Dolphin drop you off now at the TTC? at the parking lot or the bus area for 'outside' buses? (They always used to use Disney buses when I stayed there before) How often does the bus run? And what about the AK? Does the dolphin use the Disney bus to the AK? I assume that the Disney boats still pick up Swan/Dolphin guests for DHS and Epcot? Are Uber or taxis allowed to drop you at the GF or CR?

One 'new' deluxe perk is the extra evening hours for deluxe Disney resort guests. Do people staying at the Dolphin also get this perk?

Swan/Dolphin doesn't use any Disney branded bus now. Not to any destination.

 

[TeamSy]

Swan/Dolphin doesn't use any Disney branded bus now. Not to any destination.

Do they still have the boat option to Hollywood and Epcot?

 

[teawar]

Do they still have the boat option to Hollywood and Epcot?

The buses are usually contracted through Mears and are normally charter buses.

The boat still runs like in the past, which is usually quickest to/from Hollywood Studios since it doesn’t have any other stops in between.

On the way to Epcot, it still stops at boardwalk and beach club to/from the park.

 

[Lewisc]

Swan/Dolphin doesn't use any Disney branded bus now. Not to any destination.

Disney buses service Swan
.. when boat service to EPCOT and DHS isn’t running

 

[Dave006]

I have stayed here before, but it was preCovid and I am sure things have changed. Are there any lost benefits vs staying in a Disney owned resort?

Thanks y'all!

The mandatory Resort fee is now $40 and self-parking is $29. Disney does not have a Resort fee and no longer charges for resort parking as of this year.

You can't use MDE or MBs to open your resort room door but you can use the Bonvoy app. You should also download the Swan & Dolphin app for the latest information on the resort activities, hours and menus.

Reminder: Disney Gift cards can't be used at the Swan / Dolphin / Swan Reserve.

Dave

 

[Dave006]

Next trip will be staying at the Swan just to see if there is any difference between the two.

The biggest differences is the Swan has Queen beds vs Double beds and most Swan rooms have 2 separate sink / vanity areas. One in with the tub or shower and toilet and one in the open area across from the closet (much cooler area).

Final bonus: the Swan is 1/2 the size of the Dolphin so more compact to navigate.

Dave

 

[DL1WDW2]

The mandatory Resort fee is now $40 and self-parking is $29. Disney does not have a Resort fee and no longer charges for resort parking as of this year.

You can't use MDE or MBs to open your resort room door but you can use the Bonvoy app. You should also download the Swan & Dolphin app for the latest information on the resort activities, hours and menus.

Reminder: Disney Gift cards can't be used at the Swan / Dolphin / Swan Reserve.

Dave

I assume those fees are per day also…
I stupidly booked a Non cancel in the Swan before all these discounts released. I don’t recall the specifics of those fees when I booked.
Any tips to cancel non refundable booking ?
I am calling to discuss my options but Marriott Rewards just informed me they would file a dispute if I do not have success.
I don’t want to cancel but adding 2 nights of extra fees is making me feel not so good about SWAN .
Plus terrible bus service apparently ! Especially with Disneys new announcement over weekend with plans to combine more Resorts with more stop offs and pickups to “save” money for Disney .

 

[Dave006]

I assume those fees are per day also…

Yes per day for the Resort fee and parking fee

I stupidly booked a Non cancel in the Swan before all these discounts released.

You may be able to simply modify your reservation to take advantage of any discounts at the Swan. You can check on the Bonvoy app or the Marriott web site for a "Modify" option vs Cancelling.

Link: https://swandolphin.com/offers/

I am calling to discuss my options but Marriott Rewards just informed me they would file a dispute if I do not have success.

Make sure to call the Resort directly at 1-407-934-4000 or 1-888-828-8850. You also want to verify that you are talking to "In House" reservations as the phones roll over to a Marriott call center when local agents are busy.

Dave

 

[DL1WDW2]

Thank you I promise to report back since you have been so kind .

I wanted to let you know I just spoke to Louis/ Lewis In house reservations and very helpful and I left a message with manager voice mail because they do not have “Survey” …
He was able to help me realize this AAA Package includes Daily Resort & Parking Package and therefore was only $81 difference off the current Passholder rate coded QWH … plus free Swan Boat Rental to enjoy with my grandchildren !
I told manager voice mail, with Lewis explanation & research , I am looking forward to arriving for Swan on New Years for 2 nights !

I wanted to thank you again because that phone number avoided speaking to a computerized voice that never seems to have the selection really needed! Haha

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Do they still have the boat option to Hollywood and Epcot?

Yes

 

[loves to dive]

Most of the disadvantages have been listed. No using MBs, no charging back to the room, different bus service. Silly resort fee and parking fee. You really have to be careful when comparing costs to add those things in, especially if you have a car. More than once I've actually found, with my AP discount, that it was less to stay at BW then at Dolphin.

About the buses, I've stayed at Dolphin a lot, last trip was this last April. Yes, they are Mears buses most of the time, I've had them be Disney buses every once in a while. With the Mears buses you can not take the stroller on the EVC on the bus, they must be stored underneath. They drop off where ride share does at AK, which I think really is closer than the Disney buses. They run just about as often as the Disney buses do. They drop off at TTC at MK. Right at TTC, much closer than people who drive get to park. The only problem with that and being dropped off where Disney buses drop off is you then have to either take the ferry or monorail to get to MK. The good thing is you go through security there at TTC so it might be a tad quicker than going at MK gates. The walk from the bus to TTC is short, much shorter than the walk from the YC/BC/BW bus stops at MK. I'm not sure you save any steps by using the Dolphin bus as opposed to walking over to YC/BC or BW.

Advantages - you can walk or boat to both HS and Epcot, the rooms are bigger than most Disney rooms, the food choices are plentiful and probably better, the pool is huge and both Dolphin and Swan share their pools. Dolphin is bigger than Swan but I like it better since most of the food options are there and I like the pools at Dolphin better than the one at Swan. But you can use the Dolphin pool if you are staying at Swan. If you catch a good discount, even adding in the extra costs, it can cost the same to stay at Dolphin as it does to stay at a Disney moderate.

 

[DPgrlz]

The biggest differences is the Swan has Queen beds vs Double beds and most Swan rooms have 2 separate sink / vanity areas. One in with the tub or shower and toilet and one in the open area across from the closet (much cooler area).

Final bonus: the Swan is 1/2 the size of the Dolphin so more compact to navigate.

Dave

I knew about the beds but I recently read that a queen is only 1 inch wider than a double? I travel with my daughter and we wont be sharing a bed so its irrelevant to us. 2 sinks will definitely be nice.

I'm very interested to see if the smaller size of the hotel makes a difference to me personally. At the Dolphin we were in a room with a view of Epcot, seeing the ball lit up at night was nice. (I imagine that it was an upgrade although we didn't know it until we got to the room) But it was at the end of a long hallway. And it felt like it took us at least 5 minutes just to get out of the hotel every time. I suspect that there were some shortcuts throughout the hotel but it took me a day or two to make a mental map of the campus and I never figured out those shortcuts.

When I booked, Swan was cheaper. Dolphin has been consistently cheaper since that time but not enough to make me change my reservation.

 

[Wood Nymph]

My sister stayed at the Dolphin while we were at the Beach Club. She had a room that was just about as far away from the main lobby and elevators as you can get. One of the reasons she didn't like the Dolphin was because it was so huge. And her room was overlooking the parking lot. But she loved the boats to DH and Epcot.