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

[Dominus]

I called to make reservations and wanted the king room at the Dolphin. I asked if all the king rooms had a sleeper sofa and was told that some do not. I asked what percentage do have the sleeper sofa and was told she had no idea and would hate to guess. Has anyone gotten a king room without a sleeper sofa? This is my unscientific research survey.

 

[rie'smom]

I called to make reservations and wanted the king room at the Dolphin. I asked if all the king rooms had a sleeper sofa and was told that some do not. I asked what percentage do have the sleeper sofa and was told she had no idea and would hate to guess. Has anyone gotten a king room without a sleeper sofa? This is my unscientific research survey.

If you have a child traveling with you, you will get a sleeper. If not, then you may not. Hotels do not like to have a child in the room with out a separate sleeping area.

 

[Lzylitnin]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but my husband is attending a medical conference at the Swan.We will be staying at the Wilderness lodge and i am looking to find the best way to get to the conference. We do not have a car there so any helpful advice would be very appreciated.

You could ride the boat from the Wilderness Lodge to the Magic Kingdom, then take the resort bus to the Swan.

 

[Dominus]

If you have a child traveling with you, you will get a sleeper. If not, then you may not. Hotels do not like to have a child in the room with out a separate sleeping area.

That's great. I'll have the 2 boys. I'll have to ask about that when I call back. Thanks

 

[duffy]

We've stayed at the Dolphin twice with points and cash. We're going down in November for just a long weekend, but it will be on points and cash again.

I use my Starwood AMEX for everything. I pay it off as soon as I can, and use the points + cash option.

We choose our visit based on when the option is available. Both hotels are 4,000 points and $60 per night. You have to look on the calendar and select the cash and points option, after plugging in dates. Be prepared, usually it will say that there's nothing available. Then click the "dates flexible?" link.

I did this way back in the early spring. I saw that the cash and points option was available for November, and booked a long weekend for just my husband and I. A few days later, the dates were no longer available.

So grab the dates if you can, if they're available! You have to have the points in your account, or you can buy more if you need a few more. But, you don't have to pay anything until you check in.

 

[Pixiedustspreader]

We just backed out of a split stay between POR and Dolphin and decided on staying the whole week at the Dolphin! First time at the Dolphin and the first time over Thanksgiving.

Questions:
1. Can I get my annual passes and Tables in Wonderland card at Dolphin guest services?
2. And if they do sell them...Can I use my Disney Visa Rewards points towards these purchases?

 

[duffy]

If you have a child traveling with you, you will get a sleeper. If not, then you may not. Hotels do not like to have a child in the room with out a separate sleeping area.

In all my years of travelling, I have never heard this.

Are you speaking of just the Swan and the Dolphin, or all hotels?

Even the values don't have a "separate sleeping area" if there's a child!

We have 3 daughters. Two of them are only 2 years apart, and the third is 10 years younger than one, and 12 years younger than the other. When our family was just my husband, the 2 older girls and I, we almost always had 2 queen/double beds, and the girls shared one. If the room happened to have a sleeper sofa, one girl slept there, but that was certainly not routine.

We've never been asked if we have a child traveling with us, or offered a sleeper because we had a child. On the contrary, on occasion, when travelling with all 3 girls, we've PAID for a rollaway, not a sleeper, and put 2 girls on one bed and the third on the rollaway.

 

[NancyIL]

We just backed out of a split stay between POR and Dolphin and decided on staying the whole week at the Dolphin! First time at the Dolphin and the first time over Thanksgiving.

Questions:
1. Can I get my annual passes and Tables in Wonderland card at Dolphin guest services?
2. And if they do sell them...Can I use my Disney Visa Rewards points towards these purchases?

I don't think you can get an AP at the Dolphin, and I'm almost positive you'll have to get the Tables in Wonderland card at Guest Services at one of the parks or Downtown Disney. Yes, you can use your Disney Visa Rewards dollars towards the cost of those.

 

[rie'smom]

In all my years of travelling, I have never heard this.

Are you speaking of just the Swan and the Dolphin, or all hotels?

Even the values don't have a "separate sleeping area" if there's a child!

I meant a separate bed.

 

[duffy]

I meant a separate bed.

 

[Tyme4wdw]

I haven't had time to read through each post as of yet. Can those staying at the Swan and Dolphin use Magical Express from the airport? If not, what are the options for travel from/to airport?

 

[NancyIL]

I haven't had time to read through each post as of yet. Can those staying at the Swan and Dolphin use Magical Express from the airport? If not, what are the options for travel from/to airport?

No to Magical Express. You can take the Mears shuttle, use a limo service, or rent a car. (National and Alamo cars can be dropped off at the Dolphin.)

 

[Beka]

No to Magical Express. You can take the Mears shuttle, use a limo service, or rent a car. (National and Alamo cars can be dropped off at the Dolphin.)

Dial 66 in your room to schedule shuttle service. It was $20 per person for us.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Dial 66 in your room to schedule shuttle service. It was $20 per person for us.

Is that shuttle a Mears shuttle?

 

[Tyme4wdw]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Beka]

Is that shuttle a Mears shuttle?

yup

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Hi all! My husband and I will be taking a ten-day "Land and Sea"-style Disney trip this summer to celebrate our anniversary. Our Disney cruise on the Dream is booked and ready to go - we're pretty excited! I'm now trying to plan out the WDW part of our stay, which is a little tricky as we will be traveling during summer peak time for the first time. We'll be staying August 2-7; our anniversary is on August 7 (departure date for the cruise - whoohoo!).

I discovered today that staying at the Swan or Dolphin might be a great way to save some cash for this trip, but I have a few questions. Let's see if you can help before I bother with calling the hotel directly

1) I am a teacher, and we also belong to AAA. Assuming both discounts are available for our dates, can we combine these? How much do you think we might expect to save next summer with these discounts?

2) Since we won't be able to rely on DME (which I have always used in the past at Disney), what should we expect to spend on travel to/from the airport and Port Canaveral? I imagine hiring a car service will be cheapest if it's just the two of us, although any Mears info you have is also useful.

3) If you were two adults looking for a little romance on your WDW vacation, would you rather stay at the Dolphin or the Swan? We'd be looking at a king bed at either hotel, so the room/bed size is a non-issue. I am leaning towards the Swan right now because of its slightly closer proximity to Epcot and the Boardwalk. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

 

[rie'smom]

Hi all! My husband and I will be taking a ten-day "Land and Sea"-style Disney trip this summer to celebrate our anniversary. Our Disney cruise on the Dream is booked and ready to go - we're pretty excited! I'm now trying to plan out the WDW part of our stay, which is a little tricky as we will be traveling during summer peak time for the first time. We'll be staying August 2-7; our anniversary is on August 7 (departure date for the cruise - whoohoo!).

I discovered today that staying at the Swan or Dolphin might be a great way to save some cash for this trip, but I have a few questions. Let's see if you can help before I bother with calling the hotel directly

1) I am a teacher, and we also belong to AAA. Assuming both discounts are available for our dates, can we combine these? How much do you think we might expect to save next summer with these discounts?

2) Since we won't be able to rely on DME (which I have always used in the past at Disney), what should we expect to spend on travel to/from the airport and Port Canaveral? I imagine hiring a car service will be cheapest if it's just the two of us, although any Mears info you have is also useful.

3) If you were two adults looking for a little romance on your WDW vacation, would you rather stay at the Dolphin or the Swan? We'd be looking at a king bed at either hotel, so the room/bed size is a non-issue. I am leaning towards the Swan right now because of its slightly closer proximity to Epcot and the Boardwalk. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

1. Call and ask if they can be combined.
Toll Free
888-828-8850
Direct
407-934-4000


You can get an idea of both discounts if you click here:
http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dreamsres/sd.cfm


Also check here for discounts that open:
http://swandolphin.com/offers/index.html

We were able to get a suite for our upcoming trip for 50% off rack rate!


2. Here's a link to Mears info on cruise transfers:
http://mearstransportation.com/services/cruise-transportation.htm

3. The Swan is closer to the Boardwalk and DHS. The Dolphin is closer to Epcot. The difference though is negligible.
The Swan is smaller so that may appeal more.

 

[SingingMom]

Any one else having trouble with email notifications?

 

[tinkert77]

Thanks for all the great information. Staying at the Dolphin for the first time in 2011.