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

[texaskathy]

I am wondering what the character dining experience is there. I saw Pluto and Goofy but wondering if it was worth it?

kathy

 

[texaskathy]

I just booked the Swan last night for March 4th - March 8th for $189 (+$25 per night because we are 3 adults - so $214 total). Does this seem like a good rate for this time of year or does anyone know of better?

Thanks!

I think that is a great rate. We are paying more than that on a conferece rate for dates very similar.

KB

 

[patty57]

Trying to help my son and DIL plan their first family trip with their 2 sons (our grandsons ), ages about 3 and 1 at time of trip, to WDW in May, about a week, between the 15th and 25th. DIL is talking about Y&BC and the SAB pool/s. Does anyone know if any of the S/D pools are zero entry?

SAB does have zero entry and a kiddie area over toward Hurricane Hannah's and the Yacht Club. Sandy bottom and shallow. There are also areas of sand where kids can sit and play.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks, Patty.

I was aware that Y&BC had the zero entry at SAB, but was wondering if Swan Dolphin had similar.

 

[lizabu]

Thanks, Patty.

I was aware that Y&BC had the zero entry at SAB, but was wondering if Swan Dolphin had similar.

No they have stairs or ladders to enter. I remember seeing a lift for handicapped people at the hot tub near the lap pool.

 

[SingingMom]

That wasn't my experience when I ate breakfast there a few times, but that was several years ago. I LOVE staying at the Swan/Dolphin, and have had very good breakfasts at Fresh and Garden Grove. However, I never cared much for Picabu.

NancyIL I've heard so many good things about Fresh but never ate there. I'm going to have to try it!

Just made a reservation for Fresh breakfast for our June trip. After looking at the menu we are excited for some of the healthier options, and Starbucks coffee!

Fresh is great, you'll have a wonderful meal.

Howdy all! Wasn't getting email notifications and have been super busy so haven't checked in in a while!
Just my own 2 cents about Fresh for breakfast: We really enjoy it very much, but service can be a little slow. Not the place to eat if you are in a hurry to get to the parks. We pick our Fresh breakfast for our "lazy day at the resort". Especially enjoy the waffles!

Thanks, Patty.

I was aware that Y&BC had the zero entry at SAB, but was wondering if Swan Dolphin had similar.

No they have stairs or ladders to enter. I remember seeing a lift for handicapped people at the hot tub near the lap pool.

Definitely only steps or ladders at the Dolphin pools... there is also a handicap lift at the grotto pool. Located on the left side if you are facing the waterfall.

 

[patty57]

Thanks, Patty.

I was aware that Y&BC had the zero entry at SAB, but was wondering if Swan Dolphin had similar.

Sorry Dan. I obviously didn't read your post very carefully. I missed the S/D.

 

[litlpixie]

I just booked our 1st stay at the S/D using the Superbowl promo. The Dolphin was not available, we had to book the Swan. Can someone tell me why the Swan is more expensive?

My other question is- we booked a std room, but since we are from NY, we will get the free upgrade that was stated as part of the promo. Does anyone know what one upgrade from std is? I forgot to ask the rep on the phone.

Thnaks for any help. Cant wait to check this place out!

 

[autumnblue]

You're quite welcome. The Super Bowl promo is saving us tons of $$ on our October trip. The AAA rate for our week at the Swan was $209/night (plus taxes and fees); after factoring in the two free nights, our Super Bowl rate works out to $139/night...$156 with taxes and fees.

Hope it works out as well for you, too.

Wow when are you going in October? I have $179 with AAA and the reservationist ( who struggled to figure out how to get the quote) quoted me $269 for the superbowl promo. Even with the 3rd nights free the AAA seems to be better for me.

Autumn

 

[RachelTori]

I just booked our 1st stay at the S/D using the Superbowl promo. The Dolphin was not available, we had to book the Swan. Can someone tell me why the Swan is more expensive?

My other question is- we booked a std room, but since we are from NY, we will get the free upgrade that was stated as part of the promo. Does anyone know what one upgrade from std is? I forgot to ask the rep on the phone.

Thnaks for any help. Cant wait to check this place out!

The Swan is a Westin-branded hotel (Dolphin a Sheraton) and is a touch more plush. It is true Swan is usually $20-$30 more per night than Dolphin, but I have found times when the opposite is true.

Your upgraded view will likely be a "Resort View". I must say though that the front desk CMs at both resorts are always willing to work on finding the best available room for their guests.

 

[sab53085]

I've read a lot of people getting gift certificates for S/D restaurants on restaurant.com, and also House of Blues in DD. However, I just searched the zip code for the area and none of them showed up on the list. Has anyone gotten them recently?

 

[litlpixie]

The Swan is a Westin-branded hotel (Dolphin a Sheraton) and is a touch more plush. It is true Swan is usually $20-$30 more per night than Dolphin, but I have found times when the opposite is true.

Your upgraded view will likely be a "Resort View". I must say though that the front desk CMs at both resorts are always willing to work on finding the best available room for their guests.

Thank you Laura for clearing everything up for me. I had no idea they were two different "brands"

 

[olive]

Any idea if you can combine the Superbowl discount with the Stay Connected rate? Stay Connected is not available yet for our dates (January 2013), and in fact it seems that the Superbowl discount is the ONLY available discount for those dates. If Stay Connected becomes available later for January, can we add that for the second room without losing the Superbowl discount for the first? (We will have a set of grandparents joining for the trip and looked into booking 2 rooms or a suite, but two rooms seems to be the better way to go.)

Right now only full rates are showing up for January, and they are higher than we paid in late May/June of this past year. It's so hard to plan when I don't know what the "real" rates will be, but thankfully S/D were great about changing rates last time around.

We also now have a Starwood Amex and are figuring out how to maximize use of those points. Should have around 35K points or so by the time of the trip.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I've read a lot of people getting gift certificates for S/D restaurants on restaurant.com, and also House of Blues in DD. However, I just searched the zip code for the area and none of them showed up on the list. Has anyone gotten them recently?

I got the ones for Garden Grove and Kimonos about 4-5 months ago. They aren't always available, you just have to catch it at the right time. Keep your eyes on this thread and on mousesavers.com. It's usually announced when they become available We got all of our $25 certificates for $2 each!

 

[melliej]

Any idea if you can combine the Superbowl discount with the Stay Connected rate? Stay Connected is not available yet for our dates (January 2013), and in fact it seems that the Superbowl discount is the ONLY available discount for those dates. If Stay Connected becomes available later for January, can we add that for the second room without losing the Superbowl discount for the first? (We will have a set of grandparents joining for the trip and looked into booking 2 rooms or a suite, but two rooms seems to be the better way to go.)

Right now only full rates are showing up for January, and they are higher than we paid in late May/June of this past year. It's so hard to plan when I don't know what the "real" rates will be, but thankfully S/D were great about changing rates last time around.

We also now have a Starwood Amex and are figuring out how to maximize use of those points. Should have around 35K points or so by the time of the trip.

Here are a couple things we found when using SPG points for our upcoming trip.
1) If you have enough points, the buy 4 nights with points and get the 5th night free deal is an awesome way stretch them. It is just my opinion, but unless you really need to save some money on your reservation, I would wait until I had 40,000 points to get 5 nights for free.
2) The redemption rate (10,000 points/night) is the same all year long. In other words, you use the same number of points whether you are traveling during a peak time (we are going for Spring Break) or during a slower time. In a way, it is making your points worth more for booking during those more expensive times.
3) Depending on how your other party feels about credit cards, you can always refer them to the SPG AmEx, get the 5,000 referral points for yourself and they will get at least 10,000 themselves (assuming they use it for 1 purchase).
Hope this makes sense!

 

[melliej]

Does anyone have a summary of the discounts you can receive at S/D with a AAA membership? We are considering one for my husband since his car manufacturer roadside assistance just expired. It seems like the AAA website does not give a lot of details out unless you already have the membership. I thought I had seen some % off discounts in some posts and thought someone might have a complete list available. Thanks!

 

[patty57]

I haven't seen either bluezoo or Shula's on Restaurant.com for a long time, although I wasn't looking for them until this past December. I bought a bluzoo in late 2010.

 

[olive]

Here are a couple things we found when using SPG points for our upcoming trip.
1) If you have enough points, the buy 4 nights with points and get the 5th night free deal is an awesome way stretch them. It is just my opinion, but unless you really need to save some money on your reservation, I would wait until I had 40,000 points to get 5 nights for free.
2) The redemption rate (10,000 points/night) is the same all year long. In other words, you use the same number of points whether you are traveling during a peak time (we are going for Spring Break) or during a slower time. In a way, it is making your points worth more for booking during those more expensive times.
3) Depending on how your other party feels about credit cards, you can always refer them to the SPG AmEx, get the 5,000 referral points for yourself and they will get at least 10,000 themselves (assuming they use it for 1 purchase).
Hope this makes sense!

Thanks! I figured we can book with this deal, and if we hit 40K points, which is certainly possible, consider switching so that 5 of our 6 nights are covered. My one concern with using points is view. Last time we stayed at the Dolphin we paid for an Epcot fireworks view room. It was spectacular! We loved seeing Spaceship Earth from our room everyday. If we stay at the Dolphin again, we would want the same view, and if we stayed at the Swan, I think we would get a boardwalk view. How does view work with points? Can you pay $40 a night or whatever amount to specify your room on top of cashing in 10K points?

Thanks!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Does anyone have a summary of the discounts you can receive at S/D with a AAA membership? We are considering one for my husband since his car manufacturer roadside assistance just expired. It seems like the AAA website does not give a lot of details out unless you already have the membership. I thought I had seen some % off discounts in some posts and thought someone might have a complete list available. Thanks!

20% discount at the non-signature restaurants.

http://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/

The coffee bars, one each in the Swan and Dolphin, also do not give discount.

 

[lizabu]

Thanks! I figured we can book with this deal, and if we hit 40K points, which is certainly possible, consider switching so that 5 of our 6 nights are covered. My one concern with using points is view. Last time we stayed at the Dolphin we paid for an Epcot fireworks view room. It was spectacular! We loved seeing Spaceship Earth from our room everyday. If we stay at the Dolphin again, we would want the same view, and if we stayed at the Swan, I think we would get a boardwalk view. How does view work with points? Can you pay $40 a night or whatever amount to specify your room on top of cashing in 10K points?

Thanks!

No but you can get upgraded rooms by using more points. 10000 pts is for the standard room, 11000 for a specialty room and 11500 for a specialty select room. The upgrade rooms work the same way...pay for 4 on points get the 5th night free.