NEW...DOLPHIN/SWAN..."questions and answers"...tips and hints!

[dreamflight99]

Originally posted by ozziewags
DF.....tell your daughter for sprains it is RICE...... Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. It takes awhile, but will heal faster if you do it, rather than walking on it! Right, nurses?

You're a life-saver! My DS (The RN) left a message to my message. She said remember...it's RICE. I was clueless, and she said it like I would remember. Ugh...I was thinking all day, what is RICE! You have solved the dilemma. I appreciate your help...thanks so much. I'll put this to the test immediately. She has been elevating it this afternoon, yet insisted on attending a school championship BB game this eve. Her ankle and some of her calf appeared swollen. She put on the brace and off she went. I'll TIE HER DOWN as soon as she returns. LOL. Thanks again, and again.


mom23guys2....LOL...."I'm not fond of sweat." Me either! The summers can be grueling, but the only time for DD to get away for an extended trip. Coming from Cali..where we have ZERO humidity...it's a real TEST for us. But...we seem to acclimate enough to skip from store to store (AC) and attraction to attraction! LOL. Showers & cool clean sheets are a real treat in the Florida summer. My DD & DH both know the spanish Monorail spiel...and make me laugh everytime we ride (Some things, I never tire of hearing). So glad to read others enjoy this as well.

AS for the points, yes...you may definitely be able to use your points to pay for your friends upgrade. This past summer, we had "friends" staying in the resort while we were there. They actually live two houses away from us...and we are all in LOVE with WDW & the Dolphin. They did not have Concierge, and I called the lounge and asked if we could have them accompany us as our "guests", and they obliged. We all had a great time, and they joined us in the lounge on two more occasions. The concierge were so nice and accomodating. They are the BEST at the Dolphin & Swan. One of the reasons, the MANY reasons, we always return...year after year.

 

[disnurse]

Dreamflight- lots of ice and elevation. Id DD calf is swelling it may be because the wrap needs to be loosened. If shes up and about on it she will have more swelling and that will cause her wrap to tighten a bit too much. Try to keep her off it for the weekend if thats at all possible with teenage DD.

 

[ozziewags]

DF, you are welcome. Isn't this great? Not only can we get tips for a great trip to the S/D, but free medical advice! Here comes some pixie dust for a speedy recovery........

* * * * * * *

* * * * *

*********

************************************************

 

[Dead End Kid]

I know this has been discussed before on this loop, but after spending a frustrating hour reading "back" posts I still can't find an answer - so.....

Dreamflight (or anyone else) can you tell me about the size of the "suites" at the Swan? We are thinking of making a return trip in July (just got back from 5 days in Feb that were pure heaven).

The Swan room is great, but a little small for our family of 4. And all my two teenage sons kept telling us on this last trip was how loud my wife and I snored!!!

I did some checking on the Starwood site today and for the first time a government discount for the rooms appeared. $129 for the standard view (which we usually get - then upgrade with points to Club Level). Another option I was given was a "suite" with a King bed for $199.

I assume this room is the Jr. Suite that has a king bed and includes a sofa that opens to provide the second bed. My question - is it a queen size or a full size sofa bed? Also, is the king bed in a "separate" room -which is really what we need to solve the "snoring" problem. I went to the SwanDolphin website and in one photo it looked like the king bed and sofa were in the same room and in the second photo it looked like the king bed was in a separate room.


Finally, what about a renovated room? Are there suites on other floors or are they mainly on 11 & 12 (Club Level). Our 12th floor room in Feb was not renovated and this time around we'd love to try those heavenly beds.

Thanks to all who can provide any info.

Dead End Kid

 

[ozziewags]

lol...deadendkid......we have the same problem. I think that the jr suites at the Dolphin are two separate rooms, but not at the Swan. The Swan has the L shaped jr. suites on the lower floors. The one we had on the 12th floor was one huge room. The bathroom was so large you could put a roll-away in there! We almost did that for my DH! Snoring! Our sofa was a double, but my teen son slept on it by himself. Maybe others can give you more specific info.

 

[ozziewags]

lol...deadendkid......we have the same problem. I think that the jr suites at the Dolphin are two separate rooms, but not at the Swan. The Swan has the L shaped jr. suites on the lower floors. The one we had on the 12th floor was one huge room. The bathroom was so large you could put a roll-away in there! We almost did that for my DH! Snoring! Our sofa was a double, but my teen son slept on it by himself. Maybe others can give you more specific info.

 

[ozziewags]

lol...deadendkid......we have the same problem. I think that the jr suites at the Dolphin are two separate rooms, but not at the Swan. The Swan has the L shaped jr. suites on the lower floors. The one we had on the 12th floor was one huge room. The bathroom was so large you could put a roll-away in there! We almost did that for my DH! Snoring! Our sofa was a double, but my teen son slept on it by himself. Maybe others can give you more specific info.

 

[2002Disneybride]

We are looking to book the swan...
we are booked for swan for may cl...we are going to go in dec, but not cl...what view should i ask for?

 

[Mom2aPrincess]

I am so glad to have found this thread. I was thrilled to have received the Dolphin on a Hotwire bid. I have a few questions if anyone can help. I am a SPG member and wondered if we would be able to receive the upgrades or a late checkout(3pm) even though we booked through Hotwire. We also would like to add a night at the front of our stay. Is there any chance of doing that through the hotel at a good rate? We are arriving this Thursday and I have tons of questions about the character meals for our 2 small children, crib rental,etc. I guess I'll try to read through as much of this thread as I can. We are so excited to get to stay at the Dolphin. Everyone has such great things to say about this resort.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Kept looking at the Dolphin every time my students and i were on the bus this past week. Just wanted to share some pictures a friend took of us all at the Scoop Sanderson pin seminar on Wed, and for the inquiring minds, i am the gorgeous lady with the pin lanyard and khaki overalls on. A very good friend in the last picture with Scoop is Epcotkilterfan receiving her coveted Scoop pin!

http://nhmickey.homestead.com/scoop2.html

We had the most magical time! Look at all their happy faces!!
Caroline

 

[Dead End Kid]

I really appreciate your info on the Swan suites. It would be much better if the suite had two rooms, but one larger room would make it a nicer stay also. Maybe my sons could sleep in that giant bathroom - one in the tub and one on the floor - so they could escape the thunderous noise their parents create!!

Not sure if they would be able to share the double sleep-sofa either - but I'd be willing to pay extra for the rollaway just to keep peace. We were unable to get a rollaway in a standard room and after staying there have to agree it really is too small.

By any chance was the suite at the Swan a renovated room? You mentioned it was on the 12th floor, so I'm assuming it wasn't - yet in Feb while passing some other rooms on the 12th floor when the maids were cleaning and the doors were opened, we noticed they had different carpeting and drapes, so perhaps those rooms had been outfitted with heavenly beds???

The Dolphin is another possibility - if I can find a suite for that type of discount. When I tried our dates for the Dolphin on the Starwood site, only regular room types came up. Of course, I can always call the hotels directly to see what they have available.

What we would really love is to stay at the new BCV - in a one bedroom unit, but those go for $390/night (not including tax). Perhaps there will be some sort of AP discount offered in July, but it would have to be major to justify that expense.

Anyone else have any experience staying in a Swan suite they would like to share???

Dead End Kid

 

[dreamflight99]

The bruising is gone, and the swelling is down. She stayed home most all day, and rested. The ankle appears better, with a raised "ball" shaped area around the ankle bone. I'm so pleased with the assistance I received from OZZIE & DISNURSE! Thanks!!
You're correct about the ankle-wrap, Disnurse. She kept the wrap off today, and the calf remained normal. I'm so relieved to have your input and help. Thank you, again.

CAROLINE!! WHAT GREAT PICS! I saw you and the kids, and EVERYONE looked MAGICALLY HAPPY amidst the KINGDOM. Wow, what a special event you witnessed. Plus, you were able to see another DISer be recognized in such an eventful fashion. It appears you are having a FABULOUS time in WDW. Blessings to you, for giving your time and energy for this venture. You are a SPECIAL LADY, indeed.

Mom2aPrincess...Congrats on your upcoming stay at the Dolphin. Please, call the resort directly asap in regards to the extra day (prior to the ressie). There are many discounts available, including Teachers, Nurses, Government, and Entertainment & Annual Passholders. Yes, there are Cribs available, and every Sunday there is a Wonderful Character Breakfast in the Coral Cafe. Upgrades and late check-out are available irregardless of HOW the reservation was made. Again, call the resort and place your requests with a reservation specialist. They will be able to locate your reservation and assist you with this. Good luck. You are going to LOVE the Dolphin!

 

[ozziewags]

DF......so glad DD is on the mend!

Deadendkid.......we were at the Swan at Christmas and our room was not renovated, but I have read that all rooms have been renovated since. Fast work! But we still loved the room we had. There was plenty of room for a roll away and it stands up during the day, so no problem. I posted pics of our room when I got back, so if you go to a early Jan. date on this thread you can see our room. May help you make a choice. Also posted views from our room. MGM side.

Caroline.....great pics. Hope you had a magical time. It looks like some lucky kids sure did.

 

[RobMax]

We are planning this years trip for mid-december, but we are flirting with a long weekend as well and may stay somewhere besides the S & D for that short trip.

The Question Is..........

IF YOU WERE GOING TO STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR 3 NIGHTS WHERE WOULD YOU STAY?

Glenn

 

[Shelly]

Well, Are you talking about on-site? If your talking about on site Poly is our fav.
If your talking about off then I can tell you we are staying at Sheraton Safari. Still SPG and they have a 40 foot snake slide.

 

[ozziewags]

RobMax........it depends on a couple things, like Shelly said. How much do you want to spend? Are we talking on site or off? Deluxe or moderate? What parks do you like? I would either stay at AKL or Poly......to be near other parks. (since you have already stayed at S/D) Poly seems to have gotten pretty expensive for us. We have stayed there twice and would definitely stay there again if we could find a 'deal'. Wilderness Lodge is also very nice. (my DH's fav) Can't find anything that beats the S/D teacher rate, with platinum SPG. I would stay there again if it was me!

 

[RobMax]

Yea - that's on site and Delux.

 

[Muffy]

RobMax,
I highly recommend AKL if you want an onsite deluxe resort! We returned on 1/13 from a split stay at the Dolphin/AKL. AKL is gorgeous with atmosphere to spare. I must admit we prefered the Dolphin for location and perks (Plat. SPG) But AKL runs a close second! Happy planning!

Muffy

 

[Muffy]

Does anyone know if you can pay your taxes with your Starwood Am Express? I hope this is the right place to post this question? Afterall, the extra points will get me back to the Dolphin faster! DH is ready to pay his taxes (ouch) and of course I want to get the points! He seems to think you can only use a CC if you do it online. Has anyone used the Starwood Am. Express for this? Thanks in advance for any commnets!

Muffy

 

[ozziewags]

What a good idea! Have never done it; hoping they pay me! I bet your DH is right.......you can charge online.