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

[SRUAlmn]

106 Days from today we (me, DH and DS16) will be checking into the Swan. We are only staying 2 nights just to get a feel for the resort and hoping we will feel it. If that makes any sense. Haven't had my coffee yet.

102 days for us

 

[Tess]

102 days for us

66 for us!

 

[DisneyJen0504]

18 days for us!

 

[paras4ri]

14 days for me!!!!!

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

102 days for us

Oh I see from your signature that you are staying in the 2 bdrm grand suite at the Dolphin. We have the 1 bdrm grand suite at the Swan. There are only three of us so the 1 bdrm is plenty of space. Gotta love the extra bathroom especially with a 16 year old.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Oh I see from your signature that you are staying in the 2 bdrm grand suite at the Dolphin. We have the 1 bdrm grand suite at the Swan. There are only three of us so the 1 bdrm is plenty of space. Gotta love the extra bathroom especially with a 16 year old.

There are only 4 of us It will be my husband and I, my mom, and my sister, so we all kind of wanted our own "space" and bathroom. We are SO excited to be able to spread out and have plenty of room for less $ than we would've paid for 2 rooms at a Deluxe resort (which wouldn't have had the third bathroom or living/dining area!) Maybe we'll see you on the boats or busses

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

There are only 4 of us It will be my husband and I, my mom, and my sister, so we all kind of wanted our own "space" and bathroom. We are SO excited to be able to spread out and have plenty of room for less $ than we would've paid for 2 rooms at a Deluxe resort (which wouldn't have had the third bathroom or living/dining area!) Maybe we'll see you on the boats or busses

You have to love the space for the money. We were looking into the YC but for a standard room, the grand suite was comparable in price. Oh how cool would that be if we ran into each other. I take it your DH gets along with your mom and sister.

 

[SRUAlmn]

You have to love the space for the money. We were looking into the YC but for a standard room, the grand suite was comparable in price. Oh how cool would that be if we ran into each other. I take it your DH gets along with your mom and sister.

We were looking at the BWI (we stayed in a deluxe room all together last time, and while it was manageable, only having one bathroom was a pain!) Two water view BWI rooms would have cost us a little over $6000 for the week (and that was with a 25% off PIN code I received.) Let's just say we're paying substantially less than that for a 2-bedroom grand at the Dolphin

Oh, and yes, my DH gets along GREAT with my mom and sister. In fact, he and my mom are two peas in a pod And as for running into you, my sister and I have Coach bag radar, so I'm sure we'll see you

 

[MBELSANTI]

Thank you for all of those that replied to me!

I am going to look into the grocery delivery and see if they still allow it and will post back.

I am getting more excited to stay there! Only 86 days left!!

 

[MommyPoppins]

Staying 4 nights in May. First time staying here! Really excited to be staying at an Epcot area resort for a Disney's Moderate price! Woohoo!

Are the mini fridges, regular ones or mini bar type fridges?

Also we are planning on driving up after work one night, staying somewhere cheaper that night and checking into the Dolphin around 8am, so we can park there and walk/ride over to HS. Will it be a problem to check in that early(not expecting to get into a room or anything).

And do they give upgrades ever? I did join(when I booked) the SPG and noted my number on my reservation, if that matters.. I know to only expect the room we booked(king bed standard view, no balcony.) but it's always fun to dream about upgrades. On my DH and my last Disney no kids trip we were upgraded from a garden view room at the poly to a castle view.

Also what is a standard view generally like? People only post pictures of good views. lol

 

[lovingthemouse]

Only 70 days for us!! Since our Feb vacation was taken away due to all the storm days at the end of last Oct, this vacation is well deserved by both of us!!!!!

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

We were looking at the BWI (we stayed in a deluxe room all together last time, and while it was manageable, only having one bathroom was a pain!) Two water view BWI rooms would have cost us a little over $6000 for the week (and that was with a 25% off PIN code I received.) Let's just say we're paying substantially less than that for a 2-bedroom grand at the Dolphin

Oh, and yes, my DH gets along GREAT with my mom and sister. In fact, he and my mom are two peas in a pod And as for running into you, my sister and I have Coach bag radar, so I'm sure we'll see you

Oh yeah, 1 bathroom for four people is a pain. It's good that you are able to get such a great price at the Dolphin. I love the fact that you are so close to Epcot/DHS and paying less for a deluxe.

My DH and my DMom get along great as well. I wish I got along with my DMIL like that but no and that's fine with me. I mean we "get along" but that's as far as it goes. There's no way I would vacation with her for any length of time.

I will definitely have some sort of Coach bag, whether it's my back pack, swing pack or wristlet. If I could use all three at once, I would but that's not a very nice fashion statement now is it. The closer we get I will give you a description of us.

 

[Annie78]

Just got back from the Dolphin and wanted to say that the BlueZoo lounge menu is a great hidden bargain!
DH and I had two very nice dinners there for much more reasonable prices than the regular BlueZoo menu. Notably, there is a crab nacho appetizer that is so ENORMOUS the two of us had trouble finishing it as our entire dinner - tons of crab, plus black beans, salsa, and freshly fried tortilla chips. The waitress volunteered that we could order a half portion - when we went back a few days later, I tried that, and the size was still huge (enough to be dinner for me) but they charged me exactly $8.50 (half). Might be one of the best food deals I got all trip...
You can order off the full menu in the lounge as well, but not vice-versa.

 

[Annie78]

And do they give upgrades ever? I did join(when I booked) the SPG and noted my number on my reservation, if that matters.. I know to only expect the room we booked(king bed standard view, no balcony.) but it's always fun to dream about upgrades. On my DH and my last Disney no kids trip we were upgraded from a garden view room at the poly to a castle view.

Upgrades are definitely possible. I booked my Dolphin stay using a third-party site (airline miles), so I should have been getting their very cheapest room. Instead, even though I only have a small number of SPG points, we got a resort view room. No balcony, though.
It's possible the upgrade was because we wanted to check in so early (10 am) that other rooms weren't available, but then again, if the policy were not to upgrade for free, they could just have refused us early check-in and made us wait.

 

[onelilspark]

Question, and forgive me as I haven't read this whole thread.

What's the difference between the Swan and Dolphin? Like, is there an advantage to staying at one over the other?

The Swan is quoted at $30 more per night than the Dolphin and I'm trying to understand why.

 

[lizabu]

Thanks, one less thing to worry about. Saved me buying two things: coffee and disposable cups.

Emily

I'm not a coffee drinker but DH is. The only thing that bugged him was they give you that powder coffee creamer which he doesn't like. We ate at Picabu frequently and whenever we were there he would grab some creamers for his morning coffee. That seemed to satisfy him.

Staying 4 nights in May. First time staying here! Really excited to be staying at an Epcot area resort for a Disney's Moderate price! Woohoo!

Are the mini fridges, regular ones or mini bar type fridges?

Also we are planning on driving up after work one night, staying somewhere cheaper that night and checking into the Dolphin around 8am, so we can park there and walk/ride over to HS. Will it be a problem to check in that early(not expecting to get into a room or anything).

And do they give upgrades ever? I did join(when I booked) the SPG and noted my number on my reservation, if that matters.. I know to only expect the room we booked(king bed standard view, no balcony.) but it's always fun to dream about upgrades. On my DH and my last Disney no kids trip we were upgraded from a garden view room at the poly to a castle view.

Also what is a standard view generally like? People only post pictures of good views. lol

The fridges are regular mini fridges (not the mini bar type with stuff already in them). Upgrades are common. We booked a standard room and god courtyard balcony rooms. Upgrades and early checkins are based on available which just means if you ask for it and they have it they will do their best to give it to you.

Thank you for all of those that replied to me!

I am going to look into the grocery delivery and see if they still allow it and will post back.

I am getting more excited to stay there! Only 86 days left!!

Everything I've read and heard tells me they do not allow deliveries from places like garden grocer because they have their own "Personal Pantry" grocery delivery service. We didn't bother with it and just brought a few things from the Super Walmart nearby and walked to Hess for a few items mid-week.

 

[SRUAlmn]

 

[MommyPoppins]

Question, and forgive me as I haven't read this whole thread.

What's the difference between the Swan and Dolphin? Like, is there an advantage to staying at one over the other?

The Swan is quoted at $30 more per night than the Dolphin and I'm trying to understand why.

From what I've read(on these boards) the only difference is the Swan has Queens instead of Doubles. But the Dolphin has bigger rooms????(I think I saw that?) And most the restaurants and pools are closer/at the Dolphin. So I don't know why you'd pay more for the Swan if you didn't have to. lol

 

[LBYC-19]

Are the mini fridges, regular ones or mini bar type fridges?

Also we are planning on driving up after work one night, staying somewhere cheaper that night and checking into the Dolphin around 8am, so we can park there and walk/ride over to HS. Will it be a problem to check in that early(not expecting to get into a room or anything).

And do they give upgrades ever? I did join(when I booked) the SPG and noted my number on my reservation, if that matters.. I know to only expect the room we booked(king bed standard view, no balcony.) but it's always fun to dream about upgrades. On my DH and my last Disney no kids trip we were upgraded from a garden view room at the poly to a castle view.

Also what is a standard view generally like? People only post pictures of good views. lol

The last two trips we arrived early (room wasn't ready), stored our bags in Baggage Claim and went to HS so we'd be close by, then called from the parks in the afternoon to see when room was ready. Both times I booked standard view (but requested low levels). We were upgraded (SPG), one was a free upgrade from standard room view to resort view (11th floor). but I missed not having a balcony for the fresh air. Another trip at check in we requested ground level, poolside as we have stayed here several times before. Upon check in we were informed it was an upgrade, and they offered this room (at $20 more a night) which we paid because I love this area. We have had SPG for years (and multiple trips to Dolphin, not sure if this matters?)

Re: fridge- I think Dan posted a picture of this recently? It's a decent size. Have a great trip.

 

[pooh2001]

How many cups is the coffee maker ?

Does it use a filter - or - pod coffee things ?

If a pod coffee thing - like keurig or those flat ones - What type of pods
does the Dolphin coffee maker use ?

Maybe we could bring our own ?

DH does not like strong coffee - but the flavored kind - like french Vanilla, or breakfast blend.

Thank you!