staying at Swan/Dolphin in 2 weeks! last minute questions!

[nurseberta]

Hi guys! we leave in 2 weeks so excited! a few last minute questions!!

Any rooms at the Swan that actually might have a view of either Spaceship Earth or Tower of Terror? any room request recommendations? would they possibly upgrade (rare i know) or move you to the other hotel? or do they function as 2 total separate properties?

Is Fantasia Gardens walking distance/ do you have to walk on the main road or is there a path?

Is there a water slide or zero depth entry for the grotto pool?

do the buses to the parks pick up in a predictable pattern? ie: we miss the Swan bus and run over to Dolphin to catch it? is that distance not reasonable to think we would make it with an 8 yr old and 2 yr old with stroller?

Is there a possibility for walking into the restaurants on site without a Disney reservation in MDE? My thinking is that if its a convention center they may need to leave availability for non Disney guests.

thanks in advance!!!!

Edited to add one more question!!! how late are grocery deliveries? the front desk told me they do not accept food deliveries and we would like to head to HS for a few hours. Could we get groceries delivered later into the evening at 7-8ish hour? any company better or worse with this?

 

[SteveH]

I can't say I've read that they will move you between either hotel as an upgrade. Some users report that they do get bumped to a balcony room or view room, but if you want one hotel or the other or a upgrade you really want to pay for it.

There is a slide in the main pool. As for zero depth entry, not in the main pool, there might be for the kiddie pool.

Fantasia Gardens is very much within walking distance, walk way is right between the Grotto pool and the Swan Pool.

The pattern for buses is Swan -> Dolphin, with your kids into tow I don't think you could make it trying to run between.

If there is no convention going on you should be able to get a same day or walk into an on-site restaurant. For reservations you can always just call 407.934.1609 or use the OpenTable app too. Do keep in mind that if there is a convention getting into the main bar can be a challenge as all those expense accounts are looking for a few drinks!

Don't forget about the great resource on here; the Swan & Dolphin Information & Questions thread:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...olphin-resorts-information-questions.3264274/

 

[chris benton]

nurseberta -
there's a great big Swolphin thread here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...-resorts-information-questions.3264274/unread
Many Swolphin fans in that thread - they'll field your questions.

There are rooms with views, yes. I don't know specific room numbers to ask for, but a concierge should know. I like rooms as close to the pools as possible, so I know exactly which ones I like the most.

Fantasia is definitely walkable, not sure if you have the play frogger, though.

The grotto pool doesn't have a zero entry, but there is a slide on the right side of the waterfall (if you are facing directly in front of the waterfall.)
BTW - enjoy the pool complex (you will.)

The busses are Disney busses. They run in the same pattern as the Disney busses run - they are disney busses. Dolphin has a bus times board -not sure about Swan, I didn't check Swan last time I was there, but I'd assume they do as well. They stop at Swan first, and then Dolphin. If you JUST missed a bus at Swan, you'd really have to check to see how full the bus was, because if you DO wanna high tail it over to Dolphin to try, you'd have to wait your turn to get on it if there were a buncha ppl waiting for it, and then, if it was too full, you'd then be at Dolphin waiting for a bus that was gonna load up 1st at Swan again. I'm not 100% sure you'd have enough time to high tail it from Swan to Dolphin, anyway.

You don't have to play the MDE shenannigans for reservations. You can use open table, like a person. Some places don't take ressies anyway. If the place isn't crowded, you should have very little problem. Quick shout out to Kimonos for sushi love that place. And Also, watch for Garden Grove, and Cabanas to have special menu night - like BBQ

Also, a friendly recommendation: Check out Fuel for hot sandwiches, and their frozen yogurt self serve counter.

 

[nurseberta]

Frogger!! hahahahaha thanks for the laugh!

and thanks for the recommendations on food, we do have a sushi lover in our midst!

 

[chris benton]

What's I'd say about Kimonos is this:
Their menu has a some fancy $$$ stuff, and it also has plain ol nigiri. You'll see that most of the nigiri is priced like your neighborhood sushi joint. The quality is pretty decent, so if you stick with nigiri, you won't feel like you are overpaying for Disney Hotel food, so I think Kimonos is an absolute gem.

Also, if it's hot out, check out the seating area BEHIND the waterfall of the pool. Plenty of chairs, bathrooms, and also a water fountain. You can hop into the grotto pool behind the waterfall, and that waterfall will give you a pretty nice massage.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hi guys! we leave in 2 weeks so excited! a few last minute questions!!

Any rooms at the Swan that actually might have a view of either Spaceship Earth or Tower of Terror? any room request recommendations? would they possibly upgrade (rare i know) or move you to the other hotel? or do they function as 2 total separate properties?

Is Fantasia Gardens walking distance/ do you have to walk on the main road or is there a path?

Is there a water slide or zero depth entry for the grotto pool?

do the buses to the parks pick up in a predictable pattern? ie: we miss the Swan bus and run over to Dolphin to catch it? is that distance not reasonable to think we would make it with an 8 yr old and 2 yr old with stroller?

Is there a possibility for walking into the restaurants on site without a Disney reservation in MDE? My thinking is that if its a convention center they may need to leave availability for non Disney guests.

thanks in advance!!!!

Edited to add one more question!!! how late are grocery deliveries? the front desk told me they do not accept food deliveries and we would like to head to HS for a few hours. Could we get groceries delivered later into the evening at 7-8ish hour? any company better or worse with this?

1) The fireworks view rooms at the Swan have views of either Epcot or DHS. You could certainly ask at check-in, but I wouldn't expect a free upgrade. I would consider becoming a Marriott Bonvoy member to possibly up your chances. Are you asking if they'll move you to the Dolphin? The Dolphin is lovely, but you would be moving from queen beds to double beds if you went that route, unless you have a king bed booked?

2) Yes, Fantasia Gardens is within walking distance. You have to cross a main road, but there is a crosswalk.

3) They now have monitors which give you the expected wait time for all park buses. You will also be able to check bus times for Swan on the MDE app. You won't be able to see Dolphin bus times though, so, personally, I wouldn't risk walking all the way over there. Buses typically never come more than 20 minutes after the last one has left. You can always splurge for a Minnie Van as well if you are in a rush.

4) The Swan/Dolphin restaurants, in my experience, typically have tons of availability. Kimono's is walk-up only as is Garden Grove, Fresh and the Fountain. If you know you would like to eat in one of the other restaurants (bluezoo, Shula's or Il Mulino), you can usually make day-of reservations on opentable which doesn't require a CC hold. You can also do walk-ups in the lounge at bluezoo or simply stop in the restaurant and ask the host to make a reservation for you. We tried to get reservations for Il Mulino on our last trip, but opentable wasn't showing availability so I simply walked in and made a reservation and they had a ton of availability. On our last trip in March we ate at Kimono's, Il Mulino (day-of reservation), bluezoo lounge and Fresh with little to no wait.

 

[Shellyred8]

If you miss the bus at the Swan, I would not plan on running to the Dophin to try to catch it. You would pretty much have to sprint to get there, and with an 8 yo and a stroller that most likely won't be possible.

I loved our stay at the Swan because it was so close to Fantasia Gardens.

If you are booked in the Swan, it would be unlikely that you would get moved to the Dolphin (and vice versa), unless there was some big issue at the hotel.

Have a great trip!