QUESTION about S&D - Advice needed

[loonertic]

First off thanks for having this forum - its so cool knowing its here to pick some Disney pro's brains. Advice needed on where to stay. I am 25 and have been to Disney 5 times, and every time I have stayed on the property @ either a value or moderate resort. This upcoming trip (some time this summer - probably August) my girlfriend and I wanted try a deluxe resort. However, when pricing it out it was too much for our budget (plus, we are going for 6 nights 7 days). Hotels we priced included Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin, Grand Floridian and the like. THEN, thanks to this WONDERFUL site I came across an advertisement for discounted rates for teachers at the Swan and Dolphin - and I am a certified social studies teacher. Now, on all my trips to Disney I have always loved these resorts (the S&D)... so needless to say I was ecstatic to find it not only affordable but less than a stay at one of the moderate resorts (Coronado, Caribbean, or Port Orleans) Now, when comparing the two I took into account the need to purchase tickets separate and when I called Disney's ticket center I almost broke into tears to find out that because S&D are not Disney owned resorts the "ultimate park hopper passes" are not extended to it's guests! They offered the "park hopper plus" but I wasn't happy with the idea of limitations of any kind. Now on to the question I promised to ask .... for all those who have stayed at the S&D, or to anyone who has an opinion on the matter...

Is it worth sacrificing the Disney "perks" i.e. ultimate park hopper passes, Disney soaps and shampoos - to stay at a nicer hotel, or would you rather stay at a moderate hotel with all the perks? Keep in mind the traveler's are 25 and 21. And, what else would we be missing out on (if anything) by staying at this non Disney owned resort? Anything exceedingly beneficial to the current resort choice (S&D)? I know it has an amazing pool and 24hr room service, both big pluses you can't find at a moderate resort. Just looking for some suggestions, pros and cons.

PS - Sorry so long winded
PPS - Once the resort decision is made beware of the millions of other questions I will post before the trip -

 

[aesalsa]

Can't answer all of your ??s, but the Ultimate Park Hopper is only good for the legth of stay. So if you're having a 7-day trip, the UPH is only good for those 7 days that you booked. Park Hoppers and Park Hopper Pluses, on the other hand, do not have expiration dates. For example, if you bought a 7-day Park Hopper Plus (that has 4 pluses), and you only went to the 4 main theme parks on 5 days and used 1 Plus, the other 2 days NEVER expire, and the other 3 pluses do not expire either. I could be wrong, but i think that the general consensus here is that PHs or PHPs are usually a better deal than the UPH.

 

[Muffy]

My DS and his GF bought UPH at the Dolphin last May. They were allowed to drop the first day and last day too. They arrived late on arrival day and left early on departure day so that saved $$$. If you call the Dolphin directly you can find out if they still sell UPH. 1 407 934 4000 I'm quite certain they do.

 

[finnie48]

Ultimate Park Hopper

Hi Loonertic,
And welcome to this place! To the best of my knowledge UPH's are available for stays at the Swan and Dolphin, and as Muffy says, a day at either end of your stay can be dropped, but that is only if the passes are purchased at the resort. I certainly hope this is the case as we will be at the Swan in August, and this is what we have been told to be a fact! I'm sure you will get more replies about this.
Have a most wonderful trip. The location can't be beat. Bob

 

[Kaycee]

Welcome to the DIS boards! It seems that everyone has answered your ticket question, I just wanted to say how much we enjoy staying at the Dolphin. It is a beautiful resort with wonderful amenities, but one of the best parts is the location. You can walk to Epcot and MGM (MGM is a longer walk, but very pleasant) or take a boat to both. The Dolphin buses to the other parks and DTD run often, and we never had to stand (unlike at other resorts where we've stayed).

After staying at a moderate last trip, we appreciate the Dolphin even more than before. I'll miss my Mickey wake-up calls, I'll admit, but there are so many more advantages to staying at the Dolphin!

 

[RhondaS]

Both the Swan and Dolphin have a Disney Guest Relations desk in their lobby areas where you can get UPH's. You are also eligable for Early Entry's to the parks and E-Ride Nights at the Magic Kingdom if any are held during your stay, your transportation is the same as Disney's Epcot resorts, and you can have your Disney purchases delivered to the gift shops at both resorts so you don't have to carry them around all day.

The main perk you give up with the Swan or Dolphin is the ability to charge Disney purchases to your hotel room.

As for the soap, the Swan and Dolphins oatmeal soap is almost as heavenly as their beds!

Some people feel they are lacking in the Disney immersion magic, but my family has never felt any less.

 

[CamColt]

I cant comment on the tickets because we usually get park hoppers, or this year we have APS, but as for the hotel...Go with the Swan or Dophin!

We stayed at the Swan for the first time this past December and we were very impressed. The hotel was very nice, the location was great, and those heavenly beds are just wonderful! Transportation was so easy. We loved having the boat option for leaving MGM or Epcot at closing time. Plus you are just a short stroll away from the bars at the BW(I remember being 21 & 25 ).

 

[GoofItUp]

I am a 26-yr-old married kid, and I highly recommend the Swan or Dolphin. We stayed at the Dolphin last November for the first time and LOVED it! The beds are truly heavenly, the oatmeal soaps and all other amenities are great, and the location can't be beat. We ran over to the Boardwalk 2 or 3 times for breakfast, were right around the corner from Tubbi's for our free refills (in a mug purchased this trip!) and also hit their ice cream shop/cafe for dinner and dessert one evening. This is a great resort to stay in and especially at the $129 rate. Go for it!

 

[loonertic]

THANK YOU EVERYONE
Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the advice. As it turns out, while I was whining at work today, I found out that one of my co-workers (in his younger years) worked as a chef in WDW. He said he worked in many different kitchens all over WDW and had nothing but great praises for the S&D... he too said go for it. I am going to call the S&D desk today to find out for sure what they can do for me. As far as the WDW ticket center the woman I spoke to said sorry, there was NOTHING she could do. She actually felt really bad as I pleaded with her. But I will do my best to get to the bottom of this, and if not I will still be staying there (as recommended) and getting the "Park Hopper Plus". Thanks again everyone, and if I get anymore pertinent information I will pass it along. And get ready for my barrage of other questions soon to come

 

[RhondaS]

You can call the Swan/Dolphin direct at 1-800-227-1500, choose option 2 and ask to be connected to the Disney guest relations desk. That will get you to one of the Disney Cast Members at the actual hotel and they can give you all of your ticket options and prices.