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

[francie]

Hi all. does anyone have any suggestions as to what requests to make as far as views, floor, etc. to make a standard room at the swan a little more "magical"? thanks in advance.

 

[Lives4Disney]

I agree - I can't figure out why a quality hotel would put DOUBLES in their rooms! DH & I love a King on vacation... but that usually means DD has to suffer through a pullout sofabed or a rollaway. For a short stay, that's ok, but we can't do that to her for a week or more vacation!

Earlier this month we had a lovely jacuzzi king room in Atlantic City for one night on our way to Cape May.... DH ended up on the rollaway and DD and I had the KING! Serves him right for staying down at the casino until 3 am. lol

oops double post....speaking of doubles!

 

[Lives4Disney]

I agree - I can't figure out why a quality hotel would put DOUBLES in their rooms! DH & I love a King on vacation... but that usually means DD has to suffer through a pullout sofabed or a rollaway. For a short stay, that's ok, but we can't do that to her for a week or more vacation!

Earlier this month we had a lovely jacuzzi king room in Atlantic City for one night on our way to Cape May.... DH ended up on the rollaway and DD and I had the KING! Serves him right for staying down at the casino until 3 am. lol

Ya, that double things kills me. I am seeing it more and more. Honestly, I have absolutely skipped over any hotel anywhere no matter what deal it has been for whatever fabulous property. I cannot get a good night sleep on a double bed. (Well, if I had it to myself, haha - all I need to do is bring another aero for DH ) Anything with a double bed loses my business.

Happy travels,

Lives4Disney

 

[anbouk]

To be honest with you - the "double bed" at the Dolphin is bigger than a regular double. It is almost the size of my queen at home.

SingingMom....you took the words right out of my mouth! We've stayed at the Swan and continued our stays over at the Dolphin cause it just was much more 'livlier' for us! The beds aren't a big factor for us, as the fulls are quite fuller than the average full... We sleep very comfortably on them to say the least, oh and we have a KING!!!

***TAG FAIRY!!! I just said a "FUNNY"***

 

[anbouk]

SingingMom, since this visit we are Gold Star members, I've always stayed on the 6th fl., ya think I should ask for a bit 'more'. Pls give me suggestions, I already know to ask for the turndown as it sounds nice to come to a 'cleaned-up' room after the park...so I am getting ideas from reading these threads, anything else? BTW, have you had turndown at your most recent stay at the Dolphin? What level were you on?

 

[Mouseteacher]

We have stayed at both Swan and Dolphin. The difference in the bed size IMHO... I found no appreciable difference. We have a king at home - sleeping in a queen or double is dicey at best...DH is a bed hog and snores .

So, in my opinion, don't let the size of the beds at S/D be an issue. You won't find the beds that much larger at the Swan, not noticably so.

DSs when in their teens could not share a bed at either resort. It wasn't comfortable for them due to being teen boys' size and...ahem...an unwillingness to compromise. They took turns sleeping on the floor...go figure - didn't want a rollaway. I guess that was more palatable than sharing a bed with your brother! LOL

 

[kimmar067]

...DSs when in their teens could not share a bed at either resort. It wasn't comfortable for them due to being teen boys' size and...ahem...an unwillingness to compromise. They took turns sleeping on the floor...go figure - didn't want a rollaway. I guess that was more palatable than sharing a bed with your brother! LOL...

....that is SOOOOO like the scenario when WE go on vaca.....

 

[kimmar067]

We, also, use Tiffany Town Car - as I have discovered that on many trips the cost of a car rental on property is much less expensive.

...me three, me three!! WE used Tiffany Towncar too.....must be a 'teacher' thing.........

 

[Blondie]

....that is SOOOOO like the scenario when WE go on vaca.....

Count me in too! My two teens would rather sleep on a bed of nails than sleep in the same double/queen/king size bed together. Nope. Ain't happening!

 

[SingingMom]

SingingMom....you took the words right out of my mouth! We've stayed at the Swan and continued our stays over at the Dolphin cause it just was much more 'livlier' for us! The beds aren't a big factor for us, as the fulls are quite fuller than the average full... We sleep very comfortably on them to say the least, oh and we have a KING!!!

***TAG FAIRY!!! I just said a "FUNNY"***

It is certainly a matter of personal preference, but I'm with you on the "Liveliness" of the Dolphin as compared to the Swan! We just love the hussle and bussle and "bigness" of the place! We took a walk over to the Swan this time, and it was too "quiet" for me. Very lovely, just not what we look for in a "Disney vacation".

SingingMom, since this visit we are Gold Star members, I've always stayed on the 6th fl., ya think I should ask for a bit 'more'. Pls give me suggestions, I already know to ask for the turndown as it sounds nice to come to a 'cleaned-up' room after the park...so I am getting ideas from reading these threads, anything else? BTW, have you had turndown at your most recent stay at the Dolphin? What level were you on?

I have never requested turndown service, it just was automatically included. And the housekeeping staff has always been VERY gracious about extra pillows and towels. Both of our stays have been on the 7th floor. Have a great trip!

ps: I'm giggling over the discussion of the teen boys and vacation sleeping arrangements! I was the oldest of four children - 2 girls, 2 boys. My younger brothers always slept on the floor in sleeping bags! Never really a complaint, because it was such a treat to GO ON VACATION!!

 

[dingoballs]

OK, I booked the SWAN for our March trip....we are a family of 5 (2 dds and a teenage son) I am just going to bring our aero for him. He can sleep on anything anytime anywhere. At check in, they always ask how many keys would we like....I am going to say 5 and that's that. There is no way we can sleep in double beds. I had a difficult time in a queen last vacation. The March rate at Swan is about $220/nt vs $990 at GF in my favorite RPC. I can do w/out the concierge at my favorite resort and settle for the Swan, but no way no how will I sleep in a double bed at the Dolphin. It would be worht the $700 difference/nt to get a good nt sleep in a queen at GF.

We have stayed at the Swan many times with our family of 5. Not sure when the change to 4 max was made - I know it's been a while - but I haven't yet had any problems with it.

Southern Elegance Limos are WONDERFUL! We have used them tons of times. They will do a 15 min grocery stop, but it's best to have your order completed ahead of time and they do need notification that you are expecting to stop.

Lives4Disney

Hi Lives4Disney, when will you guys be at the Swan? We'll be at the Dolphin from March 11-18...

Allen

 

[anbouk]

Count me in too! My two teens would rather sleep on a bed of nails than sleep in the same double/queen/king size bed together. Nope. Ain't happening!

Count us in too, "No way Jose"...we bring along our Aerobed! Then take turns using it, because of the 'heavenly beds', as it wouldn't be fair if only one of them had it during the entire stay... guess it is our fault, they were taught well from an early start...

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Sorry OT, but I have a question. Starwood has 3 offers on their site that we're eligible for. You choose one of the 3, & I don't know which I should choose. I'm hoping you guys understand the program better than I do. Unfortunately, we always forget to show our card, which means we rarely get points for our stays. Anyway, here's the choices:


Earn double stays toward elite status. For example, if you stay three times, you'll receive credit for six stays toward elite-level status (Gold status typically requires 10 stays within a calendar year; Platinum 25 stays).

Earn double Starpoints® on all your stays.

Earn up to 8,000 bonus Starpoints. With every two stays, you'll earn 2,000 bonus Starpoints (up to eight stays and 8,000 total bonus Starpoints).

Remember, unlike other programs, Starwood Preferred Guest allows you to redeem Starpoints for Free Night Awards without blackout dates, capacity controls or extra point charges on standard rooms — regardless of your member level.


ETA: Since we're not going to WDW until next May, should I wait to see if they offer another promotion later? This promotion is good for stays between September 1 and November 30, 2007. I don't know, if we'll be staying in a Starwood hotel within those dates. If I select one of the choices, will I be exempt from future offers? Thanks in advance for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[RachelTori]

I would suggest you sign up for one of the offers. (we signed up for the double points just in case!) If you end up not accumulating any bonus points, they don't penalize you in any way. But if you don't sign up, you risk not being offered future promotions.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Hi Lives4Disney, when will you guys be at the Swan? We'll be at the Dolphin from March 11-18...

Allen

Hi, Dingoballs....sounds like we will just miss ya! Our spring break is the end of March and I am booked March 20 - 30. Still not positive I want to face the Easter/spring break crowds at WDW, though. I had a great rate opportunity so I booked it while I could.

Happy planning,

Lives4Disney

 

[TinkOhio]

Hi Lives4Disney

We'll be at the Swan from the 24-30th and have gone during the Easter break many times. The Swan feels serene and relaxing after a hectic day in the parks! We have done this for many years, but two years ago we tried TGM and I can't stress enough what a difference it makes! I have read these boards for years and thought that I knew how to best make use of our time. Then we tried TGM and now we rarely ever wait in more than a ten minute line...even at the Easter and Christmas breaks! We love going at Easter break!

I'm sure that with some planning, you'll have a great Easter trip!

 

[Lives4Disney]

Hi Lives4Disney

We'll be at the Swan from the 24-30th and have gone during the Easter break many times. The Swan feels serene and relaxing after a hectic day in the parks! We have done this for many years, but two years ago we tried TGM and I can't stress enough what a difference it makes! I have read these boards for years and thought that I knew how to best make use of our time. Then we tried TGM and now we rarely ever wait in more than a ten minute line...even at the Easter and Christmas breaks! We love going at Easter break!

I'm sure that with some planning, you'll have a great Easter trip!

I have been to WDW a TON of times but I have always subscribed to TGM just for the least crowded park days, lol. My CM friends laugh at me that I even do TGM because they know I am there so much, lol. I didn't think he helped us at all last Xmas when we were there, though. Every place was overcrowded and I think his main hint is not for us. We have our own techniques that work out better & we're more comfortable with. We were at WDW for 12 nts over the 4th of July and we had a ball with our own plans.

I just don't even feel like planning for March yet. We are going to WDW for a 10nt Thanksgiving stay and I still have to get past that one before I can get in the mood to think about another. I hate feeling the pressure to book/plan so far in advance but I know if we go during Easter time we will have to. Just not up for it yet. I miss the days when I could get the room I wanted with a great deal & all my ADRs 6 wks out!

Thanks for the pep talk about the Swan over spring break!! We enjoy staying at the BW area resorts. Maybe we'll see ya there!?

Lives4Disney

 

[pooh2001]

Bed Bath & Beyond products in the bathroom.

I have read they are at the Swan now.

We were at the Dolphin this year, 2007, and received the Oatmeal soap. No complaints, we like it- but would have enjoyed BB&B.

I called the Dolphin today and they said they have upgraded the bathroom products to Bed Bath & Beyond.

Is this true ? Any stay in a Standard room at the Dolphin and have BB&B bathroom products ?

Thanks

 

[paras4ri]

Bed Bath & Beyond products in the bathroom.

I have read they are at the Swan now.

We were at the Dolphin this year, 2007, and received the Oatmeal soap. No complaints, we like it- but would have enjoyed BB&B.

I called the Dolphin today and they said they have upgraded the bathroom products to Bed Bath & Beyond.

Is this true ? Any stay in a Standard room at the Dolphin and have BB&B bathroom products ?

Thanks

It's Bath & Body Works products! The oatmeal and glycerin soaps haven't changed but the shampoo, conditioner and body lotion are from Bath & Body Works - the scent is Coconut Lime Verbena.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Hmm...Bath & Body Works... What a great excuse to check out the products now! Generally, am not a fan of Bath & Body Works products - unless these are the higher end products....those can be nice Love coconut..not sure about the Lime and Verbana.

Now to find time to get to the Mall!