Swan Dolphin ?????

[gayles]

In Oct. DD , Me (grandma) ,her 2 DS 10ys & 12 yrs . We will be going to Epcot & Hs ... ( Hopper) Next Day Halloween Party ... which place would be best to stay at ? do they accept AARP discount? Can I use my old Bands we have from previous trip ? ( & not pay that. 12.95 ) Do all the Resort Fees , Parking Fees Add up to price of Beach Club ? any Hints would help . Tyia...

 

[Deb & Bill]

You should be able to use your old magic bands, but they won't open doors and you won't be able to use them for charging. Not sure if S/D have AARP discount, but check the Marriott website to find out.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Yes, Swan/Dolphin typically offers AARP discounts, but only if they are available for your travel dates.

The best thing to do is to either price your trip out directly on the Swan/Dolphin site (you will see a box to click to check for AARP discounts) or call the hotels directly (sometimes the hotel reservation staff knows more about special offers at the resort than the general reservation line.)

Here is the Swan/Dolphin website: http://www.swandolphin.com

When you price out the trip, you will see total costs with resort fees, etc. I would then price out the Beach Club to see if you are getting a better price. In my experience, Swan/Dolphin has always beat out the WDW EP resorts even with the fees.

As PP noted, you can use your old MB's, but you will only be able to access your park tickets on them. Swan/Dolphin doesn't participate in the MB program.

 

[patty57]

Swan/Dolphin discounts, including nurse, teacher, AARP, AAA etc. really seem to be nonexistent these days. You can click on them, but I haven't found them to be any less than regular price...sometimes more! Too bad because I used to use AAA and nurse's discounts to get some great pricing. I don't know if it's because Starwood and Marriott merged, but the discounts seem to be gone.

With that said, it's probably still cheaper than Beach Club, but you will have to plug your dates in and crunch the numbers.

 

[bryanb]

Yes, Swan/Dolphin typically offers AARP discounts, but only if they are available for your travel dates.

The best thing to do is to either price your trip out directly on the Swan/Dolphin site (you will see a box to click to check for AARP discounts) or call the hotels directly (sometimes the hotel reservation staff knows more about special offers at the resort than the general reservation line.)

Here is the Swan/Dolphin website: http://www.swandolphin.com

When you price out the trip, you will see total costs with resort fees, etc. I would then price out the Beach Club to see if you are getting a better price. In my experience, Swan/Dolphin has always beat out the WDW EP resorts even with the fees.

As PP noted, you can use your old MB's, but you will only be able to access your park tickets on them. Swan/Dolphin doesn't participate in the MB program.

Totally agree about calling the Swan / Dolphin for access to all of the rates. For example, they had special annual passholder rates that weren't listed on the Starwood and SwanDolphin.com websites. I would also keep checking the SPG.com website over time to see how the prices are trending. Sometimes you can snap up a really good deal.

Resort fees are such a sham, since they are mandatory. They should be included in the quoted price but there is no law preventing resorts from this practice, yet. But I agree that Swan / Dolphin are always better values than most Disney Deluxe rates. They are some of my favorite places to stay for the location and amenities.

Swan/Dolphin discounts, including nurse, teacher, AARP, AAA etc. really seem to be nonexistent these days. You can click on them, but I haven't found them to be any less than regular price...sometimes more! Too bad because I used to use AAA and nurse's discounts to get some great pricing. I don't know if it's because Starwood and Marriott merged, but the discounts seem to be gone.

With that said, it's probably still cheaper than Beach Club, but you will have to plug your dates in and crunch the numbers.

Yeah, I agree. It seems like AARP and AAA pricing is now just the same as the regular SPG pricing. The one benefit is that they're usually more flexible for cancellations. For example, the lowest SPG rate might be non-refundable but the equivalent AARP/AAA rate can be cancelled without penalty up until a certain date. That can come in handy sometimes.

 

[gayles]

Thx all Imfo was very Helpful . A few more ?? . To make FP I would think I needed to buy my Tickets ahead of time Right . Once I got to Hotel then they acative Bracelets I already have , correct? Also do I choose Swan or Dolphin ? Which is better for our Family ? are they same Price?

 

[Best Aunt]

The Swan and Dolphin do not activate the Magic Bands. That is only something you do at a Disney hotel, to make sure they will open the hotel room door.
The Magic Band will not open the hotel room door at Swan and Dolphin.

To make FastPass reservations before your trip, you need to have a My Disney Experience account, you need to purchase your theme park admission tickets, and you need to enter the ticket information into your My Disney Experience account. You then create a profile for each person who will be going on the trip, and assign a ticket to each of them (within your MDE account).

As to whether Swan or Dolphin will be better for your family, and what they will cost - you need to go on the website, which is linked above, look at the descriptions and crunch the numbers.

 

[patty57]

As to whether Swan or Dolphin will be better for your family, and what they will cost - you need to go on the website, which is linked above, look at the descriptions and crunch the numbers.

Agree with this. You need to do a little research on the Swan & Dolphin site, including pricing. If you have specific questions after that, then by all means, ask them. Also, after some research, post questions on the Swan & Dolphin thread.

 

[chris benton]

Gayles, if you're a Costco member, you might want to look through their Swan/Dolphin pkg.