First time at Swan, any "must do"?

[luckytso]

We will be staying at Swan for 6 nights starting from Next Friday. This will be our first time. There are so many restaurants there including Tubby's.

We will be at the club level, plus I will be making a stop at Winn-Dixie after we check in to get diapers, water and milk.

What are the must-dos (me, DH, DD4 and DD1) in terms of activities and food? The only thing that I can think of right now is play miniture golf once.

I look forward to meeting Mama T and try out the club level before our Xmas trip (staying there again for 4 nights).

We are Disney Club members and it seems that except for Shulas, we get 20% off on other restaurants.

The final wait for Friday to come is so hard. It feels so much longer than any other time.

Thanks for any input.

 

[jgates]

I'm not even sure where to start.....

But mini-golf is a good idea - you are right across the road from the one location - very easy walk.

I would suggest walking to the Boardwalk one night and renting one of those bikes and driving around. I don't know about the 1 year old, but I bet the 4 year old would love it!

If you need to keep the milk cold and are not renting a fridge, I believe you can still pay $25 and have them empty the mini-bar. If you don't want to do that, you can remove enough items from the mini-bar to keep the milk in there, then put them up (maybe in the closet) and put a sign on the mini-bar that they have been moved to make room for the milk and to not bill or replenish the supply.

I would bet the kids would like Tubbis or the Dolphin Fountain. If the 4 year old is old enough to actually play video games well, then rent (free- just leave DL at counter) the game controllers at ESPN club and sit in one of the booths near the bar and DD can play video games with Dad while you wait for food.

 

[robinb]

I would plan on relaxing! I see you post a lot and it's hard to believe that you're not one of the WDW uber-veterans . Like us ... we go 2-4 times per year! I see by your signature, you're working up to that status .

My 2 year old DD really liked doing kareoke (sp?) at Kimono's. I think it starts at 8pm and perhaps your youngest will be asleep by then. The kareoke singer has an assortment of songs, including children's songs. My 2 year old had a great time singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and it was very, very cute! I'm sure your 4 year old will love it .

 

[luckytso]

igate and robin, thanks so much.

It is kind of embarassing to go this many times a year. Except on the DisBoard, I try not to tell others how many times we are going to WDW this year. People who know we went in Feb. would right away say "weren't you just there?"

I think I am more addicted now than before, I even started packing a little bit, I NEVER packed until the night before any of our trips anywhere.

Thanks for the refrig idea.

My 1 year old loves to sing, but I don't think anyone at Komono would appreciate it, we may be the only family left in the restaurant. It sounds fun, we will check it out and maybe watch others sing.

This is the first time we are staying at a non-Disney hotel for this many nights. I know I know, there are many S/D fans including DF99 and many of the regulars. But I just want to make sure that we won't miss anything that is special for these 2 resorts, try them out, and then I can take my whole family, 13 and all, around Xmas time, to show them the best of what WDW offers.

 

[gschmerl]

We loved our dinner at Palio at the Swan. Don't know about taking small children there through. IT was more quiet and romantic.

 

[luckytso]

gschmerl, thanks. So Palio is off the list

Ever since we tried California Grill and Citricos with our 1yr DD 2 years ago, fine dining is off our list for a while.

 

[chrissyk]

We just got back from the Swan yesterday. We ate at Palio, and there was a family with 2 little kids in the restaurant. The kids were no problem. It was the mother who was an issue! She was loud and angry and shouting things at her kids I think that as long as you don't plan to be loudly grousing at your toddler all night, you all should be fine eating at Palio

Also, there is a restaurant in the Swan called "Gullivers". It is a character meal at dinner. We didn't know this so we made a PS for this place (we don't have kids yet). At first, I was apologizing to my DH for accidentally booking a character dinner (he thought it was funny!), but then we realized that the food was actually really good We think that we may eat there again on our next trip! The characters that we saw were Goofy and Pluto, and each one spent a LOT of time at each table, because the restaurant was not that full. I think that our PS was at 6PM. Goofy came around to each table 3-4 times! If your child likes characters, this would be a good place to eat

 

[robinb]

Originally posted by chrissyk
We just got back from the Swan yesterday. We ate at Palio, and there was a family with 2 little kids in the restaurant. The kids were no problem. It was the mother who was an issue! She was loud and angry and shouting things at her kids I think that as long as you don't plan to be loudly grousing at your toddler all night, you all should be fine eating at Palio

Chrissyk: Do you have children? Grousing at them comes with the territory! I bet the mother was just (keyword) trying to make her kids behave in the nice restaurant and ended up making a bigger fool of herself . It's really funny how I think annoying kid behaviour is cute ... as long as it's someone else's kid! The same behaviour in my child will make me nuts .

 

[chrissyk]

Originally posted by robinb
Chrissyk: Do you have children? Grousing at them comes with the territory! I bet the mother was just (keyword) trying to make her kids behave in the nice restaurant and ended up making a bigger fool of herself . It's really funny how I think annoying kid behaviour is cute ... as long as it's someone else's kid! The same behaviour in my child will make me nuts .

We don't have kids yet I'm sure that some grousing comes with the territory, but this woman was yelling both her toddler-aged daughter and at her baby It wasn't like once or twice...this appeared to be the way that she addressed her infant. It was also the way she addressed her husband It wasn't your normal, everyday type of grousing at a misbehaving child. It was yelling at a baby because he wasn't eating his babyfood right, and then yelling at him because he reached for something on the table, and then yelling at him for some other perceived offense...the kid was in a high chair and couldn't have been more than 6 ot 7 months old. It was pretty lousy

 

[dahess]

Make sure you visit the Dolphin. The lobby is so beautiful. There is refillable mugs at Tubbies in the Dolphin. Make sure you ride the boats to MGM & Epcot. You & your kids will get a blast out of it. Have a magical trip!!

 

[BuzzMe]

luckytso, we'll also be staying CL at the Swan this Thurs-Sun! I'll be with DH, DD-19, DS-14. It's our first time staying at the Swan and I can't wait for the heavenly beds! This will be our sixth WDW visit since July-I know what you mean about not wanting to tell people where you're going. My daughter has been working in WDW as part of the college program so we've been using her as our excuse for all the visits! Hope to see you this weekend!

 

[luckytso]

BuzzMe, great. We may run into each other in the club lounge. I can't wait. Even called the airline to see if we can go standby to get there earlier.

That is a great excuse. I think by early next year, we will be making our 6th trip too. This year alone is already 5 trips (with all airline tickets purchased too).

Can't wait, can't wait!!!

I have to pretend it is no big deal when talking to others so that they won't know how excited I am going back to WDW

 

[BuzzMe]

I"M thinking of standby to an earlier flight also! I'm not sure if I want my son to miss another day of school though. I've heard so may great things about the Swan, I can't wait to check in. Have a safe trip!

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

We love the character bfast at Dolphin - Coral Cafe on Sundays. The Buffet is excellent - IMHO the best at Disney.
Characters are Chip and Dale, Goofy and Pluto. They came around at least twice and were excellent.
Make sure you check out the Boardwalk - easy walk from the Swan.
Your kids will love the Grotto Pool - they have a kiddie pool near shade. Saw one child asleep on a lounge chair (in the shade) while Mom sat nearby with other child in the kiddie pool.
Enjoy!

 

[gm]

I stayed at Swan during Xmas and Mama T is the best!!!If there is something you are really craving for and it is not there like Cookies or muffin "just ask" and she will do her magic with the biggest smile in the world.

If you get a chance, a good value of a meal is the grilled chicken sandwich and fries at Tubbis's. It is huge and delicious!! Perfect for coming back after the parks. I usually get it to go!!

If you get a chance, go by the swimming area of Beach club and there is a small restaurant hut called Hurricane Hanna and it has a very good value for kids meals. You get a bucket of chicken strips, grapes, drink and a shovel for like $4.00.

Another good value is the ice cream on the boardwalk. Especially cookie dough. I am not sure but I believe it was like $1.50 for a cone. The ice cream shop is inside the taffy store. Perfect for after the parks.

The Dolphin fountain has the Best curly fries I have ever tried. I usually get it to go and it is like $2.99 for a whole LOT of fries.

I had also used my disney club for discount at Gullivers buffet for 20% off.

I hope you have a great time. We are looking forward for our trip in June for 10 days. Can't wait

 

[luckytso]

gm, thanks. I will print out your tips and bring it with us. Thanks Have a great trip to you too.

 

[Princess Dot]

I haven't been in a couple of years but when we were there the kids meals at both the pool bars by the Swan and the Dolphin were great deals. Chicken fingers, grilled cheese, etc with fries a drink and cookies for around $4. I know you shouldn't but we ordered them for the adults too! It was a nice amount of food, the drink was included and it was perfect for lunch around the pool.

Have fun!

 

[MaybeFall]

Did you know that the Swan has a special package right now?
-------
WALT DISNEY WORLD SWAN
Book by 06/08/2003
For Each Night Paid Get 1 FREE + Park Tickets
Experience the imagination and magic brought to life at the Walt Disney World Swan. This unique resort captures all the extraordinary spirit of a Disney vacation with all the comforts and amenities of a luxury hotel. Book now and for each night paid, get one FREE, plus theme park tickets are included!
Valid for Travel: 05/01/2003-09/30/2003
Package Includes:
*Round-trip air to Orlando, Florida (except for land only package)
*Accommodations for number of nights selected
*For each night paid, get one FREE
*Disney's Ultimate Park Hopper Ticket w/advanced purchase savings, which includes admission into the four Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Water Parks and more
*Hotel tax

Pricing examples:
FROM Boston - 5 Nights - $1039
FROM Philadelphia - 5 Nights - $1019
FROM Portland - 5 Nights - $1169
5 Nights - $849 Land Only
Savings already reflected in package price. Packages are based on the lowest available airfare at the time of printing. Prices shown may not apply to group travel.

Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person, based on double occupancy accommodations (unless otherwise noted). Air-inclusive packages are based on round-trip midweek coach air (unless otherwise noted). Cruise rates are per person, double occupancy, cruise only and include port charges. Government fees/taxes are additional. Single, triple, and children's rates, if available, on request. Prices are valid for new bookings only, subject to availability, may change without notice, and are not retroactive. Blackouts, peak period surcharges, cancellation charges, and other restrictions may apply. September 11th Security Fee of up to $10, U.S. departure taxes of up to $94, and PFCs of up to $16 may be additional and payable prior to departure. Foreign departure taxes of up to $41 may also be additional and payable directly to the appropriate airport authority or prior to departure depending on destination. Advertised prices already reflect savings and free nights when applicable. Some package prices are based on the lowest available airfare at the time of pricing and may be subject to availability and change. Not responsible for errors or omissions in the content of the offers displayed here. Prices valid from U.S. departure cities only.


I hope someone can take advantage of this package! It sounds fantastic!!

Tina's Travel
www.tinastravel.com
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