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

[Blondie]

You know the phrase "slow boat to China?" Well, I think it applies to the Friendship Boats/water taxis that go between the S/D and Epcot. Due to the two stops it makes along the way to Epcot (stopping at the Boardwalk AND the Yacht/Beach Clubs) it seems to take forever! You can easily beat the boat to Epcot walking at a nice normal pace. When going to MGM, it's a straight shot over and a straight shot back so we always ride to/from MGM.

The walk is very nice. We walk via the Boardwalk, but you can always go the other way which will take you along a walkway in front of the Yacht & Beach Clubs.

After staying at the S/D so many times now and utilizing the Friendship boats, we now know which boat is going where down to a science! If it's coming from the direction of Epcot, that boat is going to MGM. If the boat is coming from the direction of MGM, that's your Epcot boat.

 

[VernRDH]

Thanks again everyone for the quick responses!!! We are going to do dinner at Ohana on Sat while we are at MK. We will need to take a break on Fri as we will be up at 5am to fly down, and EC has EMH that night, so a break will definately be in order. Just want to figure out how long I will have to hear the whining about how far the walk is (from either DH or DD)

 

[SingingMom]

I priced out the rental from National and it was $92 for one day (only 2 hours) I can rent through Dollar for the whole 3 days for $71.00 TOTAL. So we are going to go with Dollar at the airport (we have used them a number of times, and will again this Sept when DH and I go alone). Then we can drive to Contempory for Chef Mickeys and then go to DTD before heading to the airport.

I appreciate everyones help. I will try to read all the posts on this thread so that I am up to speed on the delights of S/D.

Thanks!!!

Using Dollar is a wise choice! We've been renting from them for at least 4 years now, and every time with the exception of once we were upgraded. In May we got a red Mustange as opposed to a Sebring! We didn't complain! One year we got a Dodge Durango with a Hemi for the price of an intermediate. Dollar car rental all the way for us!

Have a great trip!

I am curious.... have things changed? I thought getting to the car rental areas at Orlando's airport was such a hassle. After doing it once, I vowed I'd never go through that again - lugging the luggage and getting the bus to the outskirts of the airport to the Alamo rental! Of course, we did have luggage AND a three year old with stroller, etc.

But, even now, with a 13 year old , DH and I are calling Southern Elegance.

 

[Blondie]

Dollar is right in the airport. You conduct your business at the Dollar counter, then simply walk a few steps across to the garage to retrieve your vehicle. No more taking a shuttle, at least not with Dollar anyway. I remember back in 1998 we had to take a shuttle to Hertz I think it was. That was definitely a hassle!

 

[Dan Murphy]

On and off site rentals.............



http://www.orlandoairports.net/ops/rac.htm

 

[debsays]

Here are the car rental areas that are in the lower level at the airport. They are:
Alamo 1800-327-9633
Avis 1-800-230-4898
Budget 1-800-527-0700
Dollar 1-800800-4000
National 1-800-227-7368

I only use the above as they're at the airport. I always call and get the most reasonable rate i.e. AAA, BJ's, etc. Also They all have some type of speedy check in service. However you have to go online and register for it. This way you pass the counter and go directly to the garage. I have that for all of them. (L) Like Avis has a Wizard Program, Dollar - Fast Lane, Budget - Fast Break,etc. If you call ask them about it. Also, I keep calling like every few weeks to see if the rate has gone down. Many times it has and they will modify your reservation.

Hope this info helps. Have a good trip.

 

[SingingMom]

Dollar is right in the airport. You conduct your business at the Dollar counter, then simply walk a few steps across to the garage to retrieve your vehicle. No more taking a shuttle, at least not with Dollar anyway. I remember back in 1998 we had to take a shuttle to Hertz I think it was. That was definitely a hassle!

On and off site rentals.............



http://www.orlandoairports.net/ops/rac.htm

Here are the car rental areas that are in the lower level at the airport. They are:
Alamo 1800-327-9633
Avis 1-800-230-4898
Budget 1-800-527-0700
Dollar 1-800800-4000
National 1-800-227-7368

I only use the above as they're at the airport. I always call and get the most reasonable rate i.e. AAA, BJ's, etc. Also They all have some type of speedy check in service. However you have to go online and register for it. This way you pass the counter and go directly to the garage. I have that for all of them. (L) Like Avis has a Wizard Program, Dollar - Fast Lane, Budget - Fast Break,etc. If you call ask them about it. Also, I keep calling like every few weeks to see if the rate has gone down. Many times it has and they will modify your reservation.

Hope this info helps. Have a good trip.

Thank you for your info! I will keep it in mind for future trips.. we leave this Thursday and we will be using Southern Elegance this time.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

How big are the coffee makers?

 

[BlueFairy]

How big are the coffee makers?

They make 4 cups. I believe they are basket style. The coffee provided is an off-brand in the circular filter pouch.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

They make 4 cups. I believe they are basket style. The coffee provided is an off-brand in the circular filter pouch.

Great thanks. I bought some filter packs to take with me and I wanted to make sure they would fit. They will!

 

[Blondie]

IIRC, I think the brand of coffee they leave for you to use is Sanka. I bring my own!

Before you use the coffee maker, look inside the water well. Sometimes they have hardly been used, and sometimes they need a really good cleaning!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Jumping in on the coffee theme here.....who makes a good tasting filter pack? I am used to making fresh ground Starbucks French Roast every morning here, and sure do miss it there. The in-room stuff is

, about the only thing I do not like about S/D. Well that, plus no Picabu-like place in the Swan.

 

[SingingMom]

Jumping in on the coffee theme here.....who makes a good tasting filter pack? I am used to making fresh ground Starbucks French Roast every morning here, and sure do miss it there. The in-room stuff is

, about the only thing I do not like about S/D. Well that, plus no Picabu-like place in the Swan.

Dan - That's why we chose the Dolphin over the Swan - I like that 24 hour Picabu option!

Instead of the filter packs, another option is the Maxwell House or Folgers "Coffee Bags"...(same concept as a tea bag)... My husband, the coffee drinker of the family (I only drink the "Starbucks peppermint mocha latte light whip fancy shmancy oh there's COFFEE in there, too?" variety LOL) says he doesn't really mind the coffee bags if he can't get his Dunkin Donuts.

I run a few pots of clear water through the system to start, and then use it to make hot water and DD and I have decaf tea at night before turning in. DH usually gets his Picabu cup to take back to the room, but will use a coffee bag if necessary.

 

[RachelTori]

Jumping in on the coffee theme here.....who makes a good tasting filter pack? I am used to making fresh ground Starbucks French Roast every morning here, and sure do miss it there. The in-room stuff is

, about the only thing I do not like about S/D. Well that, plus no Picabu-like place in the Swan.

Dan, I bring my own Starbucks with me! Not freshly ground that morning, but it beats those "other" coffees!!! I always pack a small package of paper filters and my Starbucks - works like a charm!

 

[Blondie]

I'm another one who brings my own filters and little Tupperware container of coffee with me!

 

[madge]

I am curious.... have things changed? I thought getting to the car rental areas at Orlando's airport was such a hassle. After doing it once, I vowed I'd never go through that again - lugging the luggage and getting the bus to the outskirts of the airport to the Alamo rental! Of course, we did have luggage AND a three year old with stroller, etc.

But, even now, with a 13 year old , DH and I are calling Southern Elegance.

we've never had a problem using National Car Rental's Emerald Aisle - we get off the plane, pick up our bags, and walk across the street to the parking garage. National/Alamo is located on the upper floor of the garage - we go to the EA, choose a car, stop at the kiosk and sign the receipt (after the cashier swipes our National card) and head on out! It's very easy

 

[always_learning]

All righty folks I made it to page 120 something and then gained a headache. So I had to skip to the most recent pages but I still have a question. I would be able to use the Teacher discount if it's available next Feb/Mar but we are a family of 6. Our youngest will be under 2 at the time of our visit. Will we need to book a Jr. Suite? Can we still get an Epcot view w/ one of those rooms? Also I see all the talk of walking to Epcot and MGM...we will not have Park Hopper tickets plus having the 4 children I am wondering what options we have in getting to the parks. It looks like it would cost $300 to rent a minivan plus adding in parking. How much do taxi's cost if we needed to use one of those?

 

[BlueFairy]

All righty folks I made it to page 120 something and then gained a headache. So I had to skip to the most recent pages but I still have a question. I would be able to use the Teacher discount if it's available next Feb/Mar but we are a family of 6. Our youngest will be under 2 at the time of our visit. Will we need to book a Jr. Suite? Can we still get an Epcot view w/ one of those rooms? Also I see all the talk of walking to Epcot and MGM...we will not have Park Hopper tickets plus having the 4 children I am wondering what options we have in getting to the parks. It looks like it would cost $300 to rent a minivan plus adding in parking. How much do taxi's cost if we needed to use one of those?

I can't help you with your room, but don't worry about the tranportation. You don't need hoppers. You can go direct to MGM or EPCOT without entering another park. You can also access the buses from MGM's lot without entering MGM itself (a plus if you need to get to another resort, and quicker than going by way of DTD). Finally, S/D have great bus service like most other Disney hotels. We had no trouble in Feb 06 going direct to MK and AK via the buses which load right outside your front door. At that time, there was no sharing with other hotels. For a regular sized taxi the ride is usually around $15, but may cost more if you need a bigger car. I don't know about that. However, there's no real reason you need one unless you're going someplace besides a major park or DTD.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

We leave tomorrow, and I am so excited. I booked a standard room with the teacher rate, but I am a SPG member with a SPG AMEX card. What is the likelyhood of a free upgrade. Also if I am not upgraded, what type of view are we likely to get for standard? I figured it would be parking lot, but since MGM is in the distance beyond the parking lot, we would at least have that too. Is that right?

 

[Ronald Duck]

We leave tomorrow, and I am so excited. I booked a standard room with the teacher rate, but I am a SPG member with a SPG AMEX card. What is the likelyhood of a free upgrade. Also if I am not upgraded, what type of view are we likely to get for standard? I figured it would be parking lot, but since MGM is in the distance beyond the parking lot, we would at least have that too. Is that right?

Have a wonderful time Crazy Kanga

I think you stand a good chance of an upgrade, but it's so dependent on conventions, time of check-in, etc. The Standard rooms are hard to figure out. I know some have excellent views, but ours in 2003 (when we checked in after midnight) looked right at the roof of the Garden Gazebo, facing west from the west wing.

Like you, we're hoping to get a Starwood upgrade from a Teacher rate Standard Room when we go in August, but if we don't we'd at least like to get a Standard Room with a better view this time. No biggie, though!

Have fun