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

[lissiesmum]

I would call the S/D Suite reservation line for the inquiry about a suite with 2 beds plus a sleeper sofa. There are Deluxe Alcove rooms, Premium Studios, Executive Suites, and on up. You can see the layouts on www.swandolphin.com, but most do not have 2 beds plus a sleeper sofa. Most have one bed plus a sleeper sofa, or just 2 beds. They DO have roll-aways for $25 a night, as long as the type of room you have can accomodate an extra person in the room.

I've found the layouts on the S/D website are not always 100% accurate - for example we booked a 2BR Executive Suite at The Swan, and according to that no Executive Suites there have the extra Murphy Bed. When we arrived, ours did have the Murphy Bed, plus the sleeper sofa, in the parlor room. So if you call & tell them exactly what you need, they can let you know what is available. Just the Parlor Room of an Executive Suite is HUGE, you could inquire about that. It would have a king Murphy bed, a double sleeper sofa, and plenty of room for a rollaway. We could have fit 3-4 roll-aways in the Parlor Room we had.

I personally could not handle a regular room with 2 beds, plus a rollaway or an air mattress, but many people do it. The rooms aren't all that big to begin with, in my opinion. We're a family that does spend some time in the room and with 2 growing teen boys, it's almost unbearable with 4 of us in there on top of each other! But to each their own, and that's fine.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks so much for the info, Tara! I agree about the extra bed in the room and being cramped...especially since we are used to just DD and I! I will call Dolphin directly and see if they have anything else available

 

[mince]

Planning our trip this summer. In 2006 we stayed at AS Movies. Looking for a moderate resort. What are the benefits for staying at the Swan/Dolphin over the CBR? They seemed to be priced similarly. Thanks in advance.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Hi, and welcome! If you happen to be a teacher, a nurse or a government employee - there could be a considerable difference for either of these wonderful resorts, in price
I was able to get the teacher rate of $149 plus tax, per night for the end of May. Like last year, i will now watch for the rates to lower some.

 

[gumbo1009]

We'll be staying at the Dolphin this August - does anyone know whether Swan/Dolphin guests are eligible for the Campfire Program at Fort Wilderness? It says only "WDW Resort" guests are invited, but since the Swan/Dolphin seem to be "quasi" WDW Resorts, I was not sure.

Thanks!
~pg

 

[TaraPA]

Ok regulars....I should know the answer to this & am just too lazy at the moment to go back through the thread...I know Disney Resorts will transfer luggage on a split stay TO S/D....will S/D transfer luggage TO a Disney Resort? While I do love my S/D, I was able to snag a 35% off AP discount on BC Deluxe CL room, so we'll be transferring there after a few nts at S/D in March. Just wondering if we will really be schlepping our own luggage over past YC & into BC, or if S/D will handle it for us.

 

[Mcar]

Hello
We have booked a standard, two double bed guest room in the Dolphin. We booked it through a UK travel site, TravelRepublic. We booked the Sunsational Savings offer, and also listed in the offer was 'half board'. We phoned the company but they were not sure what the half board included. Does anybody know what it is typical of half board at the Dolphin? It would be really useful for our family if anybody can help out. Half board would usually mean breakfast and dinner, but where can we receive this?

Also, do you think the Dolphin guest rooms will be fine for a family of 4? We have two double beds, two adults, a 15 year old and an 11 year old. We will not be spending too much time in the room, and know it will be small, but will it suffice? Thank you.

 

[chris44]

I don't know anything about half board, but the room should be sufficient for your family. We have stayed in a room this size with two double beds (with two teen-age girls), and we have been fine. If you happen to have two large boys, I'm not sure how comfortable they would be in a double bed, though.

The bathroom has a vanity with mirror outside the toilet/tub area, plus there's a large mirror over the dresser in the bedroom area. So several people can get ready at the same time. And there are usually a couple of chairs in the room. It's not a huge room, but not tiny, especially by European standards.

Hope you enjoy your stay!

 

[Dan Murphy]

We'll be staying at the Dolphin this August - does anyone know whether Swan/Dolphin guests are eligible for the Campfire Program at Fort Wilderness? It says only "WDW Resort" guests are invited, but since the Swan/Dolphin seem to be "quasi" WDW Resorts, I was not sure.

Thanks!
~pg

Yes, anyone can do that.

Ok regulars....I should know the answer to this & am just too lazy at the moment to go back through the thread...I know Disney Resorts will transfer luggage on a split stay TO S/D....will S/D transfer luggage TO a Disney Resort? While I do love my S/D, I was able to snag a 35% off AP discount on BC Deluxe CL room, so we'll be transferring there after a few nts at S/D in March. Just wondering if we will really be schlepping our own luggage over past YC & into BC, or if S/D will handle it for us.

I have read quite a number of times of people having luggage transferred either way, to or from Disney to or from S/D.

 

[TaraPA]

Thanks Dan. If not, you'll just see my boys & I walking to BC via YC that morning, rolling our luggage behind us! I'm sure it's not the first time anyone's done it, but I bet we'd get some stares! It will be fairly early, I read we can use the Cub Level lounge the entire day of check-in, so we'll probably just get up at Dolphin & head right over for a continental breakfast before hitting the parks.

 

[livndisney]

Hello
We have booked a standard, two double bed guest room in the Dolphin. We booked it through a UK travel site, TravelRepublic. We booked the Sunsational Savings offer, and also listed in the offer was 'half board'. We phoned the company but they were not sure what the half board included. Does anybody know what it is typical of half board at the Dolphin? It would be really useful for our family if anybody can help out. Half board would usually mean breakfast and dinner, but where can we receive this?

Also, do you think the Dolphin guest rooms will be fine for a family of 4? We have two double beds, two adults, a 15 year old and an 11 year old. We will not be spending too much time in the room, and know it will be small, but will it suffice? Thank you.

According to the Swan and Dolphin site:

Sunsational Savings

Delight in Sun and Savings with this exclusive package. Book now for stays by December 23, 2012, and enjoy the following:

•6th Night Free (applied at check out)
•$100 Food and Beverage Credit for every 6 nights reserved
•Complimentary upgrade based upon availability at check-in


I am guessing that is your "half board".

 

[NOLA_Tink]

Just booked 4 nights at the Dolphin! I've also booked a dinner at Flying Fish for our first night & breakfast at Kouzzina for our last morning! So excited!!!

 

[bas71873]

I have been running some numbers for a 7 night stay at the Dolphin in August through the S/D site that's advertised in the banner you see on this thread (in other words, not through WDW). I have been looking at the Sunsational Savings promo, but my question is, is it standard procedure to have to pay in full? Is there no one night deposit when you book the Dolphin? It wants me to pay in full for the 7 nights and I'm just not ready to do that right now.

 

[TaraPA]

Just booked 4 nights at the Dolphin! I've also booked a dinner at Flying Fish for our first night & breakfast at Kouzzina for our last morning! So excited!!!

You'll love Flying Fish - anyway we do!

I have been running some numbers for a 7 night stay at the Dolphin in August through the S/D site that's advertised in the banner you see on this thread (in other words, not through WDW). I have been looking at the Sunsational Savings promo, but my question is, is it standard procedure to have to pay in full? Is there no one night deposit when you book the Dolphin? It wants me to pay in full for the 7 nights and I'm just not ready to do that right now.

Unfortunately, yes it's very common for special promos at S/D to have to be paid in full at time of booking. Also check the cancellation policy - sometimes their promos are non-refundable as well. When booking a regular room through them, you only have to leave a 1-night deposit, and you can cancel up to a week prior to arrival, same as Disney room only bookings.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I have been running some numbers for a 7 night stay at the Dolphin in August through the S/D site that's advertised in the banner you see on this thread (in other words, not through WDW). I have been looking at the Sunsational Savings promo, but my question is, is it standard procedure to have to pay in full? Is there no one night deposit when you book the Dolphin? It wants me to pay in full for the 7 nights and I'm just not ready to do that right now.

Are you by any chance a teacher, nurse, or government employee? We are teachers and initially looked at getting 2 rooms with the Sunsational Rate for our large group, but ended up paying LESS for a grand suite with the teacher rate which gives us a third bathroom, a living room, a dining room, and a sleeper sofa in addition to what we would've had in 2 rooms.... for less money Plus, you only have to pay a one night deposit, the balance isn't due until you check in, and you have 5 days prior to check in to cancel.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

You'll love Flying Fish - anyway we do!

Thanks! We can't wait!

 

[bas71873]

Unfortunately, yes it's very common for special promos at S/D to have to be paid in full at time of booking. Also check the cancellation policy - sometimes their promos are non-refundable as well. When booking a regular room through them, you only have to leave a 1-night deposit, and you can cancel up to a week prior to arrival, same as Disney room only bookings.

Thanks. It did say I could cancel with a full refund up until a few days prior to arrival, but I'm just not ready to cough up the total cost at the moment

Are you by any chance a teacher, nurse, or government employee? We are teachers and initially looked at getting 2 rooms with the Sunsational Rate for our large group, but ended up paying LESS for a grand suite with the teacher rate which gives us a third bathroom, a living room, a dining room, and a sleeper sofa in addition to what we would've had in 2 rooms.... for less money Plus, you only have to pay a one night deposit, the balance isn't due until you check in, and you have 5 days prior to check in to cancel.

Nope. We are none of those unfortunately, but thanks for trying

 

[lizabu]

We just got back from the Swan and had a wonderful stay. We had 2 adults and 5 kids. We had 2 standard connecting rooms. We were delighted to find that they gave us rooms with balconies. The girls could see some of the fireworks from Epcot at 9pm each night. We had a coutyard view so that was a fun surprise. I really liked that we had queen beds and a sink outside the bathroom so one of the kids can brush their teeth while another person can shower. We used Mears transportation booked through the Swan. Dolphin concierge website. Everything went very smoothly. Our driver Frank even stopped at the super Walmat so we could buy groceries. We bought plenty of milk, cereal and snacks as we have teens and preteens who never stop eating. We brought food back to our room very frequently from Picabu. It was pretty reasonable for Disney. I was thinking next time I may just stay at the Dolphin due to Picabu, the closeness to the grotto pool and the fact that they have a laundromat. It seemed as though I was walking over to the Dolphin at least every day for something. Doing laundry at the Dolphin was so convenient and easy. I just threw everything in and took the girls to the games room for a bit. Came back and threw it in the dryer and walked down to The fountain for a banana split to share came back and it was done. If you're on a budget the kids meals at Picabu are pretty big. I ate them myself a few times. You could get a pizza for $12.99 and put some salad beside it for a nice dinner (This will feed 4). They also have a market meal where you can get a whole chicken and 2 sides for $25. This will also feed 4. We went back to our room for dinner most of the time. We were beat from all that walking and wanted to recharge before getting back out there for fireworks. I thought maybe these tips may help someone planning their trip.

 

[TaraPA]

lizabu thanks for the review! Glad to hear you had a great stay.

 

[xceebeex]

Since the Swan and Dolphin do not offer the Magical Express to/from the airport, what is the next best option? We will have 6 adults and 3 kids. Right now I have it narrowed down to two resorts; POR and the Dolphin. The nice thing about POR is that we have nothing to worry about as far as transportation goes, but if we stay at the Dolphin (which will be a nicer hotel) we have to figure out how to get to and from the airport and we most likely won't be renting a car or bringing child seats.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

Dolphin is also location location location, while I like POR and have stayed there twice. The Dolphin is hands down the better option. I am sure others will share on transportation. I know going bac to airport there are always an abundance of town cars waiting outside to take you where you need to go. You could also book a town car service ahead of time which will take you and pick you up. Since it's been so long since we have done this. i will let others chime in and give you a name of a company.