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

[anitad]

Can anyone tell me what a Swan Court Yard View is? I originally had a Water View. When I checked the SPG site this morning, it was changed to a Court Yard View. Could this actually be a level up from a Water View?

Thank you.

 

[dwheatl]

More questions!

Since we are driving down, we'll be utilizing the parking lot at S/D. IF we were to then drive to a park (AK/MK/Epcot etc...) would we need to pay for parking again or is there some kind of a voucher or pass given to you at the resort to allow you to park for free elsewhere?

Also, we have decided to do an overnight drive and will likely arrive at 2am-3am. My sister will have already checked into the room 3 days before we arrive. Should she ask for keys to be left at the front desk for us, or will DH and I have to do a seperate check-in at 2am when we arrive, or should she just get the extra keys herself when she checks-in before us and then we go straight up to the room and wake her up to let us in when we arrive???

The parking for the parks is included when you stay at the S/D.
As for the keys, if it were me, I would wake up my sister. That seems like the least-complicated solution. I hope she's not a deep sleeper.

 

[Jennasis]

HAHAHA! I want to wake her up just to wake her up! Nothing like annoying a sibling in the wee hours of the morning.

So it looks like we will be buying our park tix through AAA (best price out of them, Disney, and Ticketmania)

Then we drive 10'ish hours to WDW, arriving around 2am.

Wake my sister up to let us in the room (she'll have our room keys waiting)

Go to sleep for a few hours and then hit the parks in the morning!

Ohhh...those heavenly beds will be so nice after a long car ride. Actually our bed at home is a heavenly bed (same company and model). It'll be just like home!

 

[Mark P.]

Thanks for the reply

 

[twojo21]

Your post made me smile as I have a surprise massage booked for myself anf my BF for our upcoming trip! Just a few q's if you don't mind:

Is the gratiuity included in the price?

If we are not booked for a couples massage can we still use the jacuzzi together?

Thanks for the great review of the spa!

what a nice surprise gift! if i remember correctly gratuity wasnt included. the jacuzzi rooms are reserved for those receiving couples massages but it couldnt hurt to ask. have fun!

 

[Bimmy56]

I had a hard time finding this thread - it was buried so I'm bumping it up. Staying Aug 10-15th - Can hardly wait!!

 

[ericafny]

what a nice surprise gift! if i remember correctly gratuity wasnt included. the jacuzzi rooms are reserved for those receiving couples massages but it couldnt hurt to ask. have fun!

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, he has no idea and he is sitting here in the living room with me as I type...hahaha

 

[timandlesley]

I am considering the Swan with my discounted teacher rate (149 per night) at the Swan next summer. I booked it to keep the rate (can cancel if we decide to return to the WL.) I'm trying to convince DH right now. He is VERY concerned it doesn't have a Disney feel. Why is it you can't order the dining plan (that is a MAJOR hold up of his too). Are the CM's there Disney employees?? Do you get the Disney wake up calls? Anything else on this line you could help me with compared to normal Disney resorts to convince him (and save me money : ) would be GREAt.

Thanks!
Lesley

 

[ericafny]

I am considering the Swan with my discounted teacher rate (149 per night) at the Swan next summer. I booked it to keep the rate (can cancel if we decide to return to the WL.) I'm trying to convince DH right now. He is VERY concerned it doesn't have a Disney feel. Why is it you can't order the dining plan (that is a MAJOR hold up of his too). Are the CM's there Disney employees?? Do you get the Disney wake up calls? Anything else on this line you could help me with compared to normal Disney resorts to convince him (and save me money : ) would be GREAt.

Hi Lesley! Loved your trip report on the other board...

Anyways, I am leaving in 9 days ( ) and I will definitly be posting a trip report so look out for that to see how 'Disney' the Dolphin really is (this will be my first time there). If you have the time then try to read this whole thread, or at least skim it. This thread is what made me make the decision to stay at the Dolphin!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I am considering the Swan with my discounted teacher rate (149 per night) at the Swan next summer. I booked it to keep the rate (can cancel if we decide to return to the WL.) I'm trying to convince DH right now. He is VERY concerned it doesn't have a Disney feel. Why is it you can't order the dining plan (that is a MAJOR hold up of his too). Are the CM's there Disney employees?? Do you get the Disney wake up calls? Anything else on this line you could help me with compared to normal Disney resorts to convince him (and save me money : ) would be GREAt.

Thanks!
Lesley

The Swan is fine, feels like Disney to me. No dining plan as it is not a Disney owned resort. 20% AAA discount though. The CM's there are not Disney employees, but you sure would not know it. No Disney wake up call. No bill back to room of purchases at the parks, though items will be delivered back to resort. Other than those few items, it is thesame as a Disney resort, IMO. Enjoy.

 

[AndyMcV]

I am considering the Swan with my discounted teacher rate (149 per night) at the Swan next summer. I booked it to keep the rate (can cancel if we decide to return to the WL.) I'm trying to convince DH right now. He is VERY concerned it doesn't have a Disney feel. Why is it you can't order the dining plan (that is a MAJOR hold up of his too). Are the CM's there Disney employees?? Do you get the Disney wake up calls? Anything else on this line you could help me with compared to normal Disney resorts to convince him (and save me money : ) would be GREAt.
Lesley

Hi Lesley

I think that the Swan and Dolphin have their own special feel. These are really (really) nice resorts and we've enjoyed staying at them. Our son now interchanges the Swan/Dolphin with Disney. Our kids our close to yours in age, our son is 6 now and our daughter is 2. They both loved the resort and can't wait to go back.

If you're expecting to get the full Disney experience at the Swan/Dolphin you simply won't get it. However, that being said it has some really nice perks...

- nice big rooms with the "Heavenly" beds. These rock and are sooo comfortable. They are the best thing we've slept on, seriously.
- You can get rooms with balconies and also rooms with fantastic views of the nightly Illuminations from Epcot.
- the location of these resorts are great. You are within a 5 minute walk to the Disney Boardwalk and a 10 minute walk to Epcot. I think maybe 10-15 to MGM but we've never walked there.
- you get the Disney bus and boat transportation
- the Grotto pool is really nice with a huge waterfall and waterslide and a sand beach close by
- something like 17 restaurants to choose from right on site (not including all the others that are close - Boardwalk, YC/BC, Epcot and MGM. These include Shula's and Todd English's Blue Zoo (which offer babysitting services while you eat).
- 2 Disney stores
- the new Mandara spa
- nightly/weekly(??) outdoor movies (this is new to me)

This is just going by memory off the top of my head as I'm sure there's lots more. I personally wouldn't think of it as whether or not is has a true Disney feeling or not. I would just consider it as another great place to try at Disney. I think you'll really like it.

For our family it's a lot of money to come from Canada to stay at Disney. Our first time at the Swan we stayed on the club level for $179 per night for 11 nights. I'll always remember this trip because we were upgraded for free to a Swan Studio suite. Wow that was awesome!! The second time we stayed at the Dolphin for $169 with a great view and a nightly view of the fireworks. If you're getting the teacher rate for $149, wow, how can you go wrong at a deluxe resort on Disney property for that.

The only one thing I'd consider is asking for a room with a view of Illuminations for sure.

Have a great trip!
Andy

 

[DisneyDotty]

Hi All!
We'll be staying at the Dolphin soon for 9 nights--very excited! However, I'm a bit concerned now--my DH just returned from a conference there, and said the A/C is out of whack. He (and many others at the conference staying there) woke up drippy every morning--as though the A/C couldn't handle the humidity. He reported it to the front desk, who said they're aware of the problem.
Is this a constant problem at the Dolphin (ie, the source of some of the mold complaints I've read about) or just recent because of all the renovations?
Any suggestions on how to deal with it? Specifically, I think dreamflight has stated that she always requests a fan--would that help?
Any tips/comments greatly appreciated!

 

[dwheatl]

Dotty, Erica, we're almost there! I can hardly wait
Dotty, I think some people mentioned that motion detectors keep the ac going, so get a helium balloon that will float around the room and keep the ac going. Has anyone here tried that?

 

[dent373355]

Lesley et. al.

I TOTALLY understand your concerns. We stayed at the Dolphin in May and I was very concerned it would feel like we were just staying at some hotel. My sister was staying at The Yacht Club next door and she won her trip so The Dolphin seemed right for us.

I really LOVED everything about the Dolphin. A few months before I got a starwood amex and used it to get a very VERY nice upgrade from a very nice staff member. We had a balcony and a wonderful of Epcot and The Boardwalk. That totally felt like we were in the middle of the magic as we were looking right at it.

That said, staying at a Disney resort is a really special experience and staying at the Dolphin is something different. Usuaually we walked around YC/BC each night down the halls and areound the restaurants so we could as well have been staying there.

If you are trying to save money I think this is the right choice. You spend most of your time in the parks and when in the room it felt like we were still in the parks. Remember, walking to MGM and Epcot is a huge plus!!

We had no problem with the air but I imagine that happens in all hotels at some point.

The only issue I had with the dolphin was that there was only ONE entry exit and this was a bit of a long walk to get out of the building but this is also true at the YC.

 

[QueenOfCelts]

Dotty, Erica, we're almost there! I can hardly wait
Dotty, I think some people mentioned that motion detectors keep the ac going, so get a helium balloon that will float around the room and keep the ac going. Has anyone here tried that?

I have noticed that "motion detector" nonsense at a few hotels now. The Dolphin, the Portofino and Hard Rocks. I am not a big fan of it. Personally, I despise waking up all hot and sticky. The balloon idea sounds like it might work...will definitely have to try it.

 

[rie'smom]

I know that we've done it ourselves:

"On the thermostat push the power button and the down arrow (that adjusts the temp) at the exact same time. If you do this correctly there will be the letters "bp" where the temp numbers usually are. You are now bypassing the sensors in the room. You can then set the temp to whatever you want and it keeps the room that cold whether you are in it or not. You might have to do this once a day as the thermostat tends to go back to sensor mode after 24 hours."

This has worked at both WDW and Universal hotels so I guess it must be standard.At some of the hotels you can call the front desk and they'll send someone up to reset the ac.

 

[ericafny]

Dotty, Erica, we're almost there! I can hardly wait
Dotty, I think some people mentioned that motion detectors keep the ac going, so get a helium balloon that will float around the room and keep the ac going. Has anyone here tried that?

Yeah!!! I am sooo excited! This little heat wave we are having here in the North East is preparing me for the steamy hot days to come (and I love it!!!)

I had heard about the motion detectors but figured there was a way to turn that feature off. I am one of those who needs to wake up in the freezing cold or else I am very upset

Thanks to rie'smom for posting how to bypass the motion sensors!

 

[newholidayx2]

Does the Swan take room requests? Whats the best resort view to ask for?

 

[dwheatl]

CA is having its heat wave too. It was hotter here today than in Orlando (although, I know, we have dry heat). We don't even have AC, so I feel prepared for WDW. I just wrote down the motion sensor override.
I can't wait to be in the S/D grotto pool, with the waterfall pounding down on my head. I wonder if the kids will still want to go on the waterslide? I do, and I'm way past being a teen.
Way back on this post, folks were fantasizing about doing at the Dolphin. I'm even looking forward to that!

 

[happymommy]

Yeah!!! I am sooo excited! This little heat wave we are having here in the North East is preparing me for the steamy hot days to come (and I love it!!!)

I had heard about the motion detectors but figured there was a way to turn that feature off. I am one of those who needs to wake up in the freezing cold or else I am very upset

Thanks to rie'smom for posting how to bypass the motion sensors!

Regarding the motion sensor, on our recent April stay at the swan, maintenance came and removed the fuse from the sensor for me. I told them my DS has asthma and can't have the air go off during the night. The air never shut off and it was nice and freezing in the room! I think you could remove the fuse yourself, but just insist they do it! It took two visits to my room before they were willing to ADMIT that there is a motion sensor (they really don't want to remove the fuse!).

It's hot here also and we're going next month - get used to sweating! Better there than at home though!