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

[labst60]

I was told YES when we asked at the BWV in May but ended up moving it ourselves so we had access to our bags (in our car) during the day before check-in.

 

[Harambe]

Hi! I joined Starwood today, and got my membership #. I then called Swan and had them add that to my ressies.

Now, the info on the Starwood site said "complimentary upgrades". Do I need to ask for that when I check-in, or should I assume that if I don't get one, there were no upgrades available.

I HATE asking for upgrades, but I only reserved standard for our two connecting rooms, and would love to "improve" our view.

Anyone have experiences with this?

Thanks!

 

[Mouseteacher]

Absolutely ask, Harambe! I, too, was hestitant my first time but I took a deep breath and just politely asked if there was any possibility of a comp upgrade. My heart was pounding but it worked! If you don't ask, it may not happen. Ask - nothing lost, nothing gained. I have asked on all my stays and have never been denied wonderful upgrades.

Go for it! You'll do fine.

 

[elaine and the boys]

Harambe,

We had our first stay at the Dolphin last week. We had joined Starwood and built up points, using our Starwood AMEX card for most all purchases since last August. I knew all the hotels were packed, so I wasn't expecting the upgrade, as you can only get the comp upgrade if rooms are available when you check in. So, I made a polite request at check-in, noting that the guy in front of us had asked and received a "sorry, but no". Well, the initial response was "Sorry, but there are none available" and I said I thought as much because I knew how busy President's Week was, etc... So I inquired about using 10,000 Starwood points to purchase a "free" night's stay (my last night on my reservation). The woman said yes, and while she was computing all my info, she said she did have a larger room available, but it was not ready yet. Well, we snagged it immediately. We waited about 30 minutes for the room (she "comped" us $20 on our bill for our time, too!!) and couldn't believe the size of it when we opened the door. Instead of a standard room, we had over 500 sq. feet of space....two double beds, a pull out sofa, coffee table, two chairs, entertainment center, desk area, wet bar, huge closet, large bathroom.....YIPEE!! We had no view to speak of, but we wouldn't have in the standard room we reserved anyway. We were 8 floors up and very centrally located. Our huge windows looked out over the outside of the rotunda dome. We could catch a glimpse of the rotunda sitting area through one of the circular glass windows way up at the top of the rotunda. Kinda cool, actually. We were so close to everything!
So I say, never be afraid to ask. You might get a "no", but then again, it could change to a "yes"!

 

[wld]

Hi All,
Lovely to join this thread, it has been several years since we stayed at the Swan but will be at the dolphin in a few months. Between 6 nights at the nurses rate and 2 free nights with points we are spending what we would have at CSR with the AP rate!!!
Now on to my question. My first 6 nights are the nurses rate booked through du. My last 2 nights are the free nights I booked myself with points on the spg website. Is there a way to tie these ressies together or do we wait until we get there? I don't know if du has that we are starwood members on the initial ressie or not...do we need to do that or mention it when we get there?
Also since we can't use DME what is everyone using for towncars?
And for anyone that has stayed lately what is the situation on a fridge?
We enjoyed our free one at CBR last October.
Thanks all, hears hoping we like the Dolphin as much as we liked the Swan!!

 

[SingingMom]

Hi All,
Also since we can't use DME what is everyone using for towncars?
And for anyone that has stayed lately what is the situation on a fridge?
We enjoyed our free one at CBR last October.
Thanks all, hears hoping we like the Dolphin as much as we liked the Swan!!

Hi! We LOVED the service we received last year with "Southern Elegance" and will use them again this June.

We didn't have a fridge at the Dolphin... kept the ice bucket filled and used it for our water & coke...

We are finding that the airfare is higher than we anticipated... still holding out a little that it "might" go down, but in the meantime we decided to book a night at the Hyatt right in the airport and fly in on Thursday evening instead of Friday. The hotel vs the flight savings is a wash, but it WOULD mean an entire day for the parks... we figure we'll get a towncar BRIGHT & EARLY to the Dolphin and have them hold our luggage until the room is ready, and we will 'go play'!

 

[Faith&Hope]

Is Picabu the "food court"? The 24 hour buffet? I've read myself until I'm confused!!

How much does food run at the Dolphin? What are the different options for eating there?

Thanks!

 

[wld]

Airfare is a bit more than we want to spend either. Almost have enough credit card points for 2 though........
Singingmom...looks like you will be at the dolphin over our anniversary...we'll be home for our nieces open house....well she only graduates once

 

[SingingMom]

Is Picabu the "food court"? The 24 hour buffet? I've read myself until I'm confused!!

How much does food run at the Dolphin? What are the different options for eating there?

Thanks!

Picabu is 24 hour buffet - nice selections... a little pricey...
we used it a few times in June. It was very convenient.

Shula's Steakhouse is delicious - similar to a "Ruth's Chris Steakhouse", if you are familiar with those. Expensive.

bluezoo is a neat place - we didn't eat there last June, but plan to try it this June. Expensive.

There is a "mediterranian" type restaurant (can't remember the name) that serves breakfast & lunch ... we enjoyed it for breakfast and wished it was open for dinner, too.

The Fountain is open I think until 11pm - ice cream, etc... there is also a sitdown diner style area adjacent to it.

The bar & grill at the pool is very good - only problem is it is only open until 5pm. I think that should be open later - pub type food and great drinks.

 

[SingingMom]

Airfare is a bit more than we want to spend either. Almost have enough credit card points for 2 though........
Singingmom...looks like you will be at the dolphin over our anniversary...we'll be home for our nieces open house....well she only graduates once

Wld - just saw your info under your username "used to love Bobby Sherman" - what a hoot! lol

We'll drink a toast to your anniversary while we are at the Dolphin!

 

[DisneyFanatik]

I saw this question addressed over on the restaurants board, with no real definite response, so I thought I would ask here: When making ADR's can you make them for 10 days forward from your check in date like you can when staying at a Disney resort? Thanks!

 

[MSC]

Hi All,
Lovely to join this thread, it has been several years since we stayed at the Swan but will be at the dolphin in a few months. Between 6 nights at the nurses rate and 2 free nights with points we are spending what we would have at CSR with the AP rate!!!
Now on to my question. My first 6 nights are the nurses rate booked through du. My last 2 nights are the free nights I booked myself with points on the spg website. Is there a way to tie these ressies together or do we wait until we get there? I don't know if du has that we are starwood members on the initial ressie or not...do we need to do that or mention it when we get there?
Also since we can't use DME what is everyone using for towncars?
And for anyone that has stayed lately what is the situation on a fridge?
We enjoyed our free one at CBR last October.
Thanks all, hears hoping we like the Dolphin as much as we liked the Swan!!

We combined a paid reservation w/ a couple nights of points the last time we we stayed there in '05. Unless they changed things, the reservations can not be combined. As a matter of fact, we actually had to "check-out" of our room at the end of our first (paid) reservation and "check-in" to the same room for our points reservation. We even needed new keys!!

As for transportation, you may have seen suggested elsewhere in this thread that you rent a car one-way airport to Dolphin on day one and another car one-way Dolphin to the airport on the last day. I have found that this was cheaper than the limo service, more convenient, because I was in control of the transportation, and it gave us the freedom to stop at DTD on the way to the airport for some last minute souvie shopping.

 

[SingingMom]

As for transportation, you may have seen suggested elsewhere in this thread that you rent a car one-way airport to Dolphin on day one and another car one-way Dolphin to the airport on the last day. I have found that this was cheaper than the limo service, more convenient, because I was in control of the transportation, and it gave us the freedom to stop at DTD on the way to the airport for some last minute souvie shopping.

Interesting to read about how different people do different things - and then you can learn from them and make the choices that best work out for your family! thanks for ALL the suggestions!

I, however, really liked "Southern Elegance", because I really don't like the hassle of renting a car at the airport. If I'm not mistaken, you have to take a shuttle bus to all the car rental locations - even the ones that are listed as "onsite". And if you request it when you are making your reservation, they will stop at a grocery store on the way to the hotel for supplies. we bought a case of water and some snacks... on another thread, I read that you can have that delivered to your room... so there's ANOTHER suggestion I learned here! This is a great place for LOTS of ideas!

 

[Harambe]

I saw this question addressed over on the restaurants board, with no real definite response, so I thought I would ask here: When making ADR's can you make them for 10 days forward from your check in date like you can when staying at a Disney resort? Thanks!

Yes - if you get the right CM! The first time I called it was my 180 day, and the dining CM I got said I couldn't make any ADRs beyond my 180 day. But them others here on the boards said they had no trouble doing that. I called back the next day and the CM took all my ADRs. Even asked me for my reservation number at the Swan - so he knew I was staying there.

Good luck!

 

[Harambe]

Absolutely ask, Harambe! I, too, was hestitant my first time but I took a deep breath and just politely asked if there was any possibility of a comp upgrade. My heart was pounding but it worked! If you don't ask, it may not happen. Ask - nothing lost, nothing gained. I have asked on all my stays and have never been denied wonderful upgrades.

Go for it! You'll do fine.

Thanks for the info! And for your story ELAINE AND THE BOYS! I guess I'll ask - my face will be purple, so maybe the CM will feel bad for me! LOL!

 

[Blondie]

I, however, really liked "Southern Elegance", because I really don't like the hassle of renting a car at the airport. If I'm not mistaken, you have to take a shuttle bus to all the car rental locations - even the ones that are listed as "onsite".

I think they're all onsite now, I know Dollar is. We've rented from them for the last 7 trips. The rental desks are located on the lower level of the airport, then you simply walk across the street (very short walk) to where the cars are parked. It's so easy!

 

[NancyIL]

If I'm not mistaken, you have to take a shuttle bus to all the car rental locations - even the ones that are listed as "onsite".

National, Alamo, Avis, and Budget are in the parking garage right across the street from the terminal. Hertz is the only major rental company I'm aware of that shuttles you to another location.

 

[BlueFairy]

from allears.net dated 2/27/07. A nice little perk for supporting a great cause:

"Now through September 30, 2007, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort will offer special prizes to guests who make a $20 or more contribution to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. When you make a qualifying donation, you will be presented with a selection of envelopes to choose from, each featuring a special reward, such as:

-- upgraded guest room accommodations for length of stay
-- complimentary use of health club for two guests during their length of stay
-- two breakfasts at Fresh Mediterranean Market or two breakfast buffets at Garden Grove Cafe
-- two lunches at Fresh Mediterranean Market
-- two buffet dinners at Gulliver's
-- two cocktails or domestic beers at the Lobby Lounge or Java Bar
-- t wo large soft serve ice creams at The Fountain "Sweet Treats"
-- one complimentary half-hour Swan paddle boat rental

For information and reservations, visit www.swandolphin.com or call 800-227-1500. "

and dated 2/20/07 (not meaningful to me, but of interest to someone here??:

"The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has appointed Jim Hogg its new hotel manager. Hogg, most recently general manager of the Sheraton Vistana Village Resort in Orlando, spent the first eight years of his hospitality career at the Swan and Dolphin. The resort recently completed a $60 million redesign project, which unveiled new lobbies and public spaces, including a $500,000 contemporary art program. Select upper level guest rooms, which offer breathtaking views, will soon also receive a makeover and be converted into boardroom hospitality suites."

 

[Harambe]

That's great!

A good cause, that's for sure!


And speaking of those Swan Boats. Where exactly do you paddle them? Not right in the same waters that the resort boats use, right? I'd hate to get picked off by a boatload of folks headin' to Tower of Terror!

 

[SingingMom]

That's great!

A good cause, that's for sure!


And speaking of those Swan Boats. Where exactly do you paddle them? Not right in the same waters that the resort boats use, right? I'd hate to get picked off by a boatload of folks headin' to Tower of Terror!

No need to worry! You are in the private little lake between the Dolphin & the Swan, along the beach and beside the pools!