Evening Magic Hours for Deluxe Guests Only

[mercuryvenus]

They are not Disney hotels...they do not get Magic Express....they can't charge to a magic band, etc. If Disney wants to give a perk to Deluxe guests who are paying $600 a night so be it....but they should not be giving a Non Disney hotel a benefit that they are not giving their own guests...it's just bad PR.

Most people don’t even know Swan + Dolphin exist. I doubt it’ll impact much in terms of Disney’s image.

 

[Marionnette]

All I’m saying is Swan and Dolphin (the only non-official Disney resort to qualify other than SoG) has always gotten deluxe benefits. This isn’t new.

No. They haven't. S&D guests did not get free package delivery. They did not get MDE. To my knowledge they do not get free theme park parking. Why? Because they are not a Disney Resort, regardless of geography. There have never been benefits at Disney that were exclusive to deluxe resorts before this recent announcement. It stinks if this rumor is true and until we see it on the Disney website, it's a rumor.

 

[mercuryvenus]

No. They haven't. S&D guests did not get free package delivery. They did not get MDE. To my knowledge they do not get free theme park parking. Why? Because they are not a Disney Resort, regardless of geography. There have never been benefits at Disney that were exclusive to deluxe resorts before this recent announcement. It stinks if this rumor is true and until we see it on the Disney website, it's a rumor.

Ok — but they did get many of the deluxe resort benefits. We do know extended evening hours are exclusive to deluxe resorts. Disney feels they need to incentivize people to book at deluxe resorts.

 

[Moliphino]

Ok — but they did get many of the deluxe resort benefits. We do know extended evening hours are exclusive to deluxe resorts. Disney feels they need to incentivize people to book at deluxe resorts.

What "deluxe resort benefits"?

 

[Marionnette]

Ok — but they did get many of the deluxe resort benefits. We do know extended evening hours are exclusive to deluxe resorts. Disney feels they need to incentivize people to book at deluxe resorts.

Disney doesn't need to incentivize stays at properties they don't own.

And to echo @Moliphino, exactly what "deluxe" benefits are you speaking of?

 

[mercuryvenus]

What "deluxe resort benefits"?

I think they used to be able to do early ADRs and FP bookings, back when that was a thing. I think they also had club level benefits, like the ability to purchase additional FP. I could be wrong.

 

[Jhoyer5150]

I think the confusion over Swan and Dolphin with the constant "are the 'in' or are they 'out'?" with respect to everything - this Early Entry snafu just the latest pertinent example - shows that Disney ought to end the charade of a "non-Disney owned" hotel on property to begin with. They should buy the hotel out from Tishman who I believe owns it and then wind down the Marriott operating contract. They could jack the rates closer to their neighbor hotels. Mind you, I'm glad they haven't done this, but it makes a lot of business sense if you're Josh D'Amaro/Bob Chapek. In the interim, with the Early Entry & After Hour benefits, Magical Express ending...there's almost no distinction between Swolphin and a deluxe Disney resort....except you pay upwards of 2x the amount for the latter.

 

[DisLiss]

I’ve noticed and been saying for years that Disney promotes itself as child friendly; but the secret is, that in practice, they make many aspects punitive to families with children.

I don't really understand your thought process. Many families love to stay at Deluxe resorts. It's not like only adults stay at the deluxes and Disney is therefore trying to exclude families with kids since they only stay at less expensive resorts. "Family-friendly" does not necessarily have to mean "less expensive". And families prove that by flocking to Disney parks no matter how high the prices go.

If anything, when my own family was young, we would have opted to go back to our room earlier to try to keep the kids' sleep schedules at some level of normalcy, so we would have missed out on any extra evening hours, no matter what resort we were staying at.

 

[Marionnette]

I think they used to be able to do early ADRs and FP bookings, back when that was a thing. I think they also had club level benefits, like the ability to purchase additional FP. I could be wrong.

No one could book "early ADRs". It was always 180+10 for Disney hotels until the pandemic and now it is 60+10. All others were 180 in advance, day by day, and now it's 60 days in advance.

Same thing for FP+, when it existed. 60+length of stay for Disney hotels. 60 days out for others.

Neither of those were "deluxe benefits". Even people staying at ASMu got that perk.

An no, S&D guests could not purchase additional FP+. That was strictly Disney Deluxe Club Level guests and (for a short period) guests staying in DVC grand villas.

 

[HashberryOTG]

What "deluxe resort benefits"?

They also don't get little things like package delivery, refillable mug options, MDE. I don't think they'll get the resort visits from characters whenever that starts. No magic band benefits such as room keys or charging back to your room. The full 60 days to make ADR is not a benefit at S&D, is it? I think it's you can't do 60+, you have to do each at exactly 60. Can't do dining plans (when available). No free parking at the parks, and S&D charges a resort fee.

Ugh, so much info is dated and different. I'm not 100% sure about any of this anymore.

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

An no, S&D guests could not purchase additional FP+. That was strictly Disney Deluxe Club Level guests and (for a short period) guests staying in DVC grand villas.

Just a minor point, but I believe certain S&D rooms could purchase FP, similar to Disney CL, at one time as well.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Just a minor point, but I believe certain S&D rooms could purchase FP, similar to Disney CL, at one time as well.

Right, that’s what I was referring to. I think they have a CL as well, and those guests could purchase additional FP. Someone on another thread was talking about it.

 

[orangecuse]

They also don't get little things like package delivery, refillable mug options, MDE. I don't think they'll get the resort visits from characters whenever that starts. No magic band benefits such as room keys or charging back to your room. The full 60 days to make ADR is not a benefit at S&D, is it? I think it's you can't do 60+, you have to do each at exactly 60. Can't do dining plans (when available). No free parking at the parks, and S&D charges a resort fee.

Ugh, so much info is dated and different. I'm not 100% sure about any of this anymore.

S&D gets 60+ for dining book, and previously had the "onsite" FP benefit when that was a thing.

 

[Lewisc]

Rumor is Disney tried to buy out Swan Dolphin lease. S D does a big convention business. Great for reward booking. No interest in selling out.

S D guests get free theme park parking.

S D guests have always received the same theme park benefits as guests staying at Disney operated resorts. FP ADRs and access to extra park hours. I suspect such access could be a contractual right under the terms of their lease.

 

[cakebaker]

Ok, but it’s hardly “off site,” as cakebaker said.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/swan-hotel/

They are not owned or run by Disney and that makes them as offsite as any other non-Disney hotel to me. You are free to think otherwise. What they are most definitely not are DVC or Deluxe Disney resorts which is what the original release said.

I think it stinks that true on-site resorts are excluded when S&D get the benefit.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I've been catching up on this thread and was a few pages back and it sounds like folks are talking about the Swan/Dolphin being added to the Early Morning entry when this thread is about the Evening hours for the Deluxe hotels....or am I reading these posts incorrectly?

Where is the new wording on the webpage from Disney about adding the S&D??

 

[NuJoy]

I don't really understand your thought process. Many families love to stay at Deluxe resorts. It's not like only adults stay at the deluxes and Disney is therefore trying to exclude families with kids since they only stay at less expensive resorts. "Family-friendly" does not necessarily have to mean "less expensive". And families prove that by flocking to Disney parks no matter how high the prices go.

If anything, when my own family was young, we would have opted to go back to our room earlier to try to keep the kids' sleep schedules at some level of normalcy, so we would have missed out on any extra evening hours, no matter what resort we were staying at.

Only meant maneuverability (like making it it hard to have a stroller on transportation) and some of the adult events that don’t make it easy to bring young children.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Only meant maneuverability (like making it it hard to have a stroller on transportation) and some of the adult events that don’t make it easy to bring young children.

Walt always wanted his parks to be for people of all ages. I think that necessarily includes events for adults as well.

 

[Lewisc]

They are not owned or run by Disney and that makes them as offsite as any other non-Disney hotel to me. You are free to think otherwise. What they are most definitely not are DVC or Deluxe Disney resorts which is what the original release said.

I think it stinks that true on-site resorts are excluded when S&D get the benefit.

They are on Disney property. Disney has say on things like architecture design. They have a lease with Disney which might confer contractual rights. Disney offered S D to guests booking a land sea package. Guests who booked DCL transfers were transported on DME buses for the MCO to S/D leg.


S/D guests always had pariety with Disney resort guests with theme park benefits. FP, ADR extra hours and theme park parking. S/D is allowed to use Walt Disney has part of the hotel name.

S/D are located on Disney property and have always had access to many of the same perks offers to guests of Disney owned hotels. They are certainly not the same as off-site hotels.

Virtually all of the perks of higher category resorts were limited to hotel perks. Better landscaping, nicer pools,room service, better restaurants etc.

Theme park benefits derived from staying at a WDW resort regardless of resort category.

 

[jujubiee4]

I don't think they should get it when other actual Disney resorts don't.

Agree. I see some moderates priced more than Swan and Dolphin and they don't get it. I read a poster here
said they are paying 500 a night on Art of Animation suite and they aren't getting the evening hours either.