How to look for Dolphin/Swan on Hotwire,etc.

[BC]

I know this has been asked before, but once again will someone please tell me how to look for Swan/Dolphin on pages such as Hotwire. I know the stars and amenities is the giveaway, but what do I look for?? Thanks for the info.

 

[jeffreyml]

I just punched in 8/14-8/17 on Hotwire to see if the Dolphin was still coming up. The 4* that shows up in the Disney world area with the Amenities: Restaurants,Pools, fitness center, Buisness center, Golf Nearby, Tennis nearby and laundry is most likely the WDW Dolphin.

Try it yourself for these dates and then try it for the dates you need to see if it still comes up...

Good luck!!!!

 

[Poohbear123]

How do you KNOW its the Swan/Dolphin? After the money is on the credit card?

 

[Muffy]

You won't know exactly which hotel you get until you buy it with Hotwire. If you read carefully as the hotel are discribed for your dates you can be somewhat sure though. Unlike Priceline, you do get a discription of what you are getting. The Dolphin is coming up around 50.00 per night on Priceline but I would rather gamble with hotwire for obvious reasons! Good luck!

 

[disneyfan551]

ok, call me clueless...what are the obvious reasons for using hotwire? i am not familiar with it at all, but i use PL frequently. any help would be wonderful!!

 

[sherry8253]

The obvious reason is that you save alot of money. We booked using hotwire for $79 a night. But one of the drawbacks is that if you can't go for some reason you lose your money and you also cannot change your reservation dates later. You can pretty much be certain that you are getting the Swan or Dolphin by the icons that describe the hotel as well as the fact that it is listed as a resort. When I booked a few months ago, both the Swan or the Dolphin had the laundry icon was being displayed for both of them even though the laundry is actually located at the Dolphin. Since you do not actually know the name of hotel you are getting until you pay, some people only book their first night and then if the hotel of their choice comes up they go ahead & book the other nights. Good luck if you decide to go that route. PS - I really didn't want to stay off property so even after I keyed in the credit card info, I wasn't sure if I was going to actually book. But when my DH saw the $79 rate he reached over and pushed the button because he said there was no way he was paying what they charge for the YC if we could get the Swan for $79 and lucky for him the Swan popped up!

 

[disneyfan551]

that's too funny! sometimes it is good to listen to our dh's!!

thanks for taking the time to post your info!!

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by disneyfan551
ok, call me clueless...what are the obvious reasons for using hotwire? i am not familiar with it at all, but i use PL frequently. any help would be wonderful!!

Hotwire is like PL in that your credit card is charged for your entire stay and you can't change, cancel or transfer your reservation.

Like PL you pick a zone and star level. Unlike PL you are given a specific hotel and price, you're not told the name or address but a list of amenities IS SHOWN. If you look at a site like betterbidding you can get a very good idea as to what hotel you're getting by looking at the amenities. NOT GUARANTEED and you may pay a little more than PL but you can get a very good idea as to what you're getting.

In some zones you may not know the exact hotel but at least you know if you're getting things like an airport shuttle or free breakfast.

 

[Palenque]

Looking at the resort hotels in the WDW area on biddingfortravel web site, Wyndam Palace, Gaylord Palms, and Marriot were listed as having having taken priceline bids and they have similar amenities as the Dolphin or Swan. How can you tell them apart on Hotwire? The Hilton does not have tennis so it is easy to avoid.

 

[Cleokitty]

Sherry8253,

With the Swan/Dolphin on Hotwire, is there actually a "resort" icon along with the dining, swimming, fitness, business, golf, tennis and laundry icons?

Thanks.

 

[Dodie]

Icky pop-ups but good information: http://pub77.ezboard.com/ftravelbiddingfrm7

 

[goofyfordisney]

Another options with Hotwire...Look into their "vacation packages"--this area DOES tell you what the hotel is. They use Swan and Dolphin alot for their packages. It shows the amenities for each hotel. It looks like the Swan is a 4*-- with the "R" (for Resort). Last time I checked, the Dolphin was showing as a 4*--but NO "R" (for Resort)

Also, you can read the reviews. Sometimes it will help too. If the reviewer is talking about DTD being close by--it's probably not the Swan or Dolphin!

Good luck...

 

[LinLant]

I used priceline to bid on a stay for 8/25-8/30. I bid 65 per night and was hoping for the swan/dolphin. I ended up with the Wyndham across from Downtown Disney. They all have the same ratings so you might get stuck with what you don't want like I did.

 

[Wolfelaw]

The deals on Hotwire are sometimes so great -- I would kill (well, not really) to get the Swan or Dolphin for under $100 a night -- but the dates available never seem to work with when I'm going to be in Orlando. I use Hotwire a lot, and a big part of it is the thrill -- will this be the hotel I hope it is? There is that ten seconds or so between the time you click the button to purchase the room and the time the name of the hotel pops up on the screen that is so exiciting -- I guess it's kind of like the same thrill gambler get when they pull the roulette wheel. I have been disappointed at times, and swear never to use Hotwire again, but I can't stay away -- and most of the time things have worked out great.

Note that Hard Rock Hotel and the Portofino Bay (at Universal) often show up on Hotwire and are very easy to spot -- PB is the only five star in the Universal area, and the HRH is the only 4.5 star. Unless I'm mistaken, HRH is showing up around Christmas time for about $70 an night!

Woops -- Apparently I am mistaken. I just read on another thread that the Peabody (which is very beautiful, and has elevator riding ducks, which is pretty cool, but not onsite, so no FOTLA) is now listed as a 4.5 hotel in the Universal area -- so I bet that's what the super cheap 4.5 hotel is. I am sure that PB is still the only 5 star.

P.S. Dodie -- you aren't kidding about the pop-up ads at the bidding assistance site -- I could not get rid of them and finally had to reboot my computer!

 

[sherry8253]

Hi Cleokitty - When I booked using hotwire a few months ago, I am pretty sure that resort was also displayed. But since hotwire changes from time to time, I would go by what recent people are posting rather than what was displayed several months ago. You should check out the description of the Swan as well as the other available hotels using the package option. The descriptions should be the same. Good luck - I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. I hopeyou get the Swan or Dolphin if you decide to go the hotwire route.