The **New** Swan and Dolphin Resort thread ~ September 2010 ~ Please read post #1

[NancyIL]

I will be staying a WDW for a few days solo while toursing with and visiting friends who live north of Orlando. I have been to all the moderates, and am thinking about the Swan or Dolphin based on their location and proximity to Epcot and nice dining for my group. Are there many differences between the two? Which do you prefer and recommend and why? The Swan seems slightly more expensive and I am curious as to why this would be. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and comments. Beachfan

I prefer the Swan as it's half the size of the Dolphin, it has a bathroom sink inside and outside the bathroom, it's closer to the Boardwalk (for walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios), and the buses stop there before picking up at the Dolphin. I don't know why the Swan costs more than the Dolphin - other than there are twice as many rooms to fill at the Dolphin.

 

[RachelTori]

I prefer the Swan as it's half the size of the Dolphin, it has a bathroom sink inside and outside the bathroom, it's closer to the Boardwalk (for walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios), and the buses stop there before picking up at the Dolphin. I don't know why the Swan costs more than the Dolphin - other than there are twice as many rooms to fill at the Dolphin.

This might not be why but Swan is a Westin, Dolphin is a Sheraton. In Atlanta, the Westins are typically $10-$30 more per night than the Sheratons (for similar accommodations).

 

[NancyIL]

This might not be why but Swan is a Westin, Dolphin is a Sheraton. In Atlanta, the Westins are typically $10-$30 more per night than the Sheratons (for similar accommodations).

Good point!

 

[Mouseteacher]

I prefer the Swan as it's half the size of the Dolphin, it has a bathroom sink inside and outside the bathroom, it's closer to the Boardwalk (for walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios), and the buses stop there before picking up at the Dolphin. I don't know why the Swan costs more than the Dolphin - other than there are twice as many rooms to fill at the Dolphin.

I agree with all of Nancy's points. We have 7 S/D stays. Two at the Dolphin and 5 at the Swan. I have enjoyed my stays at the Dolphin but really like the Swan for all the reasons Nancy posted.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I agree with Nancy's thoughts also. (Good seeing you too, Nancy. ) Plus I know all the bellman on a first name basis, and they me, and several other staff at the Swan, LOL.

 

[Ramsfan28]

I have about a dozen or so stays at the S/D and of that dozen only 2 have been at the Dolphin.

I just prefer the size and feel of the Swan better but you really can't go wrong at either resort.

 

[beachfan]

thanks for all your input. I am leaning towards the Swan. What might a standard room view be for there? I am guessing parking lots or rooftops. If I do book the Swan, what rooms/floors should I request, if one area is better than another? Thanks again. Beachfan

 

[guarn3md]

thanks for all your input. I am leaning towards the Swan. What might a standard room view be for there? I am guessing parking lots or rooftops. If I do book the Swan, what rooms/floors should I request, if one area is better than another? Thanks again. Beachfan

I am interested in the answer to this question too... Just booked two standard rooms at the Swan for Spring Break but I didn't make any room requests. Took me a long time to make this decision to stay at a non Disney property...but the cost difference between the Swan and a Disney Deluxe at Spring Break was too huge...

Curious if anyone has ever felt the need to have a rental car when staying at the Swan. We are flying in and then going on the Dream. We have a car taking us to the port and then back to either the airport to pick up a rental car or we can have the car take us to the Swan. I called the car service yesterday and was told it would be an additonal $99 (Swan back to airport) to add on a third leg to our roundtrip...don't think I can rent a car for 6 people for the 5 days for less than $99.
Debbie

 

[Dan Murphy]

I would ask for a high floor (5 or above, Boardwalk view.

If you do have a car, keep in mind the parking fee. I always do rent a car, find it easiest for me.

 

[OKW Lover]

Keep in mind that you need to get from the Swan back to the airport at the end of your stay. Swan doesn't participate in ME so you're going to either need to ride the Mears bus at some cost, or take a cab or car service.

However, I've never felt the need for a car at the Swan unless we were doing a lot of resort-to-resort stuff or going off property. If you do rent a car, remember that the Swan charges extra to park - even self-parking.

 

[chris44]

We've stayed at the Swan/Dolphin several times and have never rented a car. We use a town car service to take us to the port, to hotel, to airport, etc - a 3-leg trip like you mentioned.

In fact, that's what we'll be doing in June when we stay at the Dolphin and then sail on the Fantasy!

 

[beachfan]

Do standard rooms have Boardwalk views? thanks Beachfan

 

[lizabu]

All the prices for car service is here http://swandolphinconcierge.com/public/login.cfm
We're doing the van than picks you up at the airport and then it's bringing us back to the airport after. For 7 people they charge $97 from the airport to the Swan and $63 from the Swan to the airport. There's a little drop down menu so you can see all the options. I think if you have fewer people than I have there are options that will take you from the Swan to the airport for less than $99

 

[Dan Murphy]

http://www.swandolphin.com/feedback/transportation.html

 

[Rosanne]

So... two questions.

1. My sister (who stayed at the Dolphin a few years ago) said that the Grotto pool was colder than the Disney Resort pools. We will be going in early April. Do you think this is just her perception or is the water not heated or not heated as much?

2. You know how if you call the "front desk" for Disney resorts you are not really getting the front desk but a central call center? When you call the number on the S/D website are you really getting the actual hotel site? I wanted to ask if they have bed rails or not but didn't know if I'd get the resort itself. Both of my daughters are swirling dirvishes and if they don't have bed rails I will bring them but I'd much rather not have to pack them.

TIA

 

[chris44]

In my experience, the Dolphin pool has not been colder. And most of the time, my phone calls have been answered locally at the Dolphin.

 

[RachelTori]

In my experience, the Dolphin pool has not been colder. And most of the time, my phone calls have been answered locally at the Dolphin.

Swan & Dolphin's "front desk" has always been very responsive. And they always call back and follow-up to make sure your needs were met (or problem resolved).

 

[summersalt]

We arrived around midnight to check in at the Dolphin. Since it was very late and the hotel was fully booked, we were given a pretty crappy room. The view was a roof top overlooking the service area. The toliet wouldn't not flush along with several other problems that I won't go into now. I went down to the front desk to see if there was ANYTHING else but no luck. The customer service person (Rebecca) said she would leave a message on my phone as soon as another room became available. She was very pleasant and professional and it was a pleasure working with her. The next morning, we wanted to make the 7:00 am rope drop at Magic Kingdom (and I'm so glad we did!). We missed all the crowds and did everything we wanted with no lines. Returned to the awful room around 2:00 and sure enough there was a message from Rebecca. She found us another room! . She went over and above!!!! We got a balcony with a lovely view of the pool area. It was just a few steps down the stairs to Picabu. I didn't expect this much of an upgrade but I was so happy to get it!

We eat at Picabu, Fresh, The Fountain and Bluezoo. The prices were high but I knew this before we left so I was prepared. The food was excellent! I was extremely pleased.

The pools were awesome and we spent most every afternoon here. Cabana bartendars are the best! Be sure to try the Blueberry beer next time you're there!
Yummy!!

I have stayed at many offsite places as well as the Wilderness Lodge, Pop Century, POFQ, the Beach Club and the Poly. I must say that the Dolphin has impressed me and I will definitely be back again! However, my next trip is with a bunch of teenagers so we're giving the family suite at ASM a try next.
When it's just me and the hubby, we're staying at the Dolphin and plan to give Shula's and Ill Mulino a go!

 

[Rosanne]

Thank you all for your quick responses. I guess if the pool was warm enough in December it will probably be fine in April

I will call the front desk to ask about the bed rails in a few days.

 

[SRUAlmn]

After weeks of going back and forth and calling the S&D what felt like a hundred times checking different rates, views, balconies, rooms, etc.. We finally just booked for Summer 2012 in a 1 Bedroom Grand Suite at the Dolphin and then added a stay connected second room to make it a 2 Bedroom suite.

(Just an aside, you CAN do this even if you have another discount like we do, teacher rate. Two people we spoke to said you couldn't, but we called back and found out you could. It saved us $500 for a week over booking an outright 2 Bedroom Suite.)

Ok, so questions....

My mom loves nothing more than to sit on a balcony at Disney, but after much debate about the space we needed and the S&D agents telling us that there are only 1-2 Grand/Exec Suites that have balconies & it's not guaranteed, we chose to book with the knowledge that we won't have one. So my questions are, does anyone have RECENT pictures of a Grand Dolphin Suite, and where in the building are they located? What will our possible views be? We are going to celebrate my mom's retirement and my husband and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary (we got married 5 years ago IN WDW ) so we want it to be special and not be looking at a roof


Also- another note, Gonzalo is AMAZING! He was so helpful and tried so hard to get us exactly what we needed. If you have a lot of questions or need help, ask for him I sent an email to the main S&D email address to give him a shout out!

Thanks so much in advance!!