The *NEW* SWAN & DOLPHIN RESORT Thread ~ April 2009 ~ Please read Post #1!

[chell]

Just saw on Travelocity Dolphin @ 129 a night in December THROUGH 12/24...that is for the non-refundable type booking. That is too risky for us so I called and they offered 139 for the regular 5 day out cancellation

Awesome!!!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I'm so excited to stay at the Dolphin in March. Of course, it is for a conference but at least I can expense my food. Downside to them paying is that I have a tighter budget. I'm ok with with paying for part of my meal and expensing the other part, but if I could stay withing the budget, that would be great. So what restaurant has a decent price at Swan/Dolphin (or nearby - excluding Epcot because I know all about Epcot) for food? So <$20 for lunch and <$35 for dinner?

 

[chell]

Check out the menus on All Ears to find out where would be the best places for you to stay in budget. Are those prices just for you? If so, you shouldn't have any problem staying within budget.

 

[mollygirl13]

Looks like Swan/Dolphin has availability now for NYE!

DH and I have had a NYE trip booked for a little while now and couldn't get a room at the Swan or Dolphin for 12/30 and 12/31 (we are already booked into the Dolphin from 1/1 to 1/4) So we booked a room at the Beach Club for the 30th and 31st hoping & praying that rooms at the Dolphin would open up for the beginning of our trip. (esp since we weren't thrilled w/ the idea of having to switch resorts after 2 days!)

I checked online tonight and they have rooms available. Now we don't have to switch resorts AND pay a fortune!

The Beach Club is costing us more than $550 a night & we are more than happy to cancel the Beach Club ressie (and save alot of money!!) Was able to get the Dolphin for around $200 a night, inc tax and resort charge.

 

[chell]

We check into the Swan on 12/31!

 

[Mouseteacher]

I'm so excited to stay at the Dolphin in March. Of course, it is for a conference but at least I can expense my food. Downside to them paying is that I have a tighter budget. I'm ok with with paying for part of my meal and expensing the other part, but if I could stay withing the budget, that would be great. So what restaurant has a decent price at Swan/Dolphin (or nearby - excluding Epcot because I know all about Epcot) for food? So <$20 for lunch and <$35 for dinner?

Il Mulino in the Swan offers half portions of their pasta dishes for a reasonable price. I wish I could remember the exact price. The portion, even though it says half portion. was a good size - not skimpy at all. I had a tortellini in some type of very delicious white sauce. I couldn't finish my portion. My DS had the same but ordered the regular portion and I honestly saw only a small difference in the size.

 

[Zuzu03]

Looks like Swan/Dolphin has availability now for NYE!

DH and I have had a NYE trip booked for a little while now and couldn't get a room at the Swan or Dolphin for 12/30 and 12/31 (we are already booked into the Dolphin from 1/1 to 1/4) So we booked a room at the Beach Club for the 30th and 31st hoping & praying that rooms at the Dolphin would open up for the beginning of our trip. (esp since we weren't thrilled w/ the idea of having to switch resorts after 2 days!)

I checked online tonight and they have rooms available. Now we don't have to switch resorts AND pay a fortune!

The Beach Club is costing us more than $550 a night & we are more than happy to cancel the Beach Club ressie (and save alot of money!!) Was able to get the Dolphin for around $200 a night, inc tax and resort charge.

That's awesome! Good for you - enjoy!!!!

 

[webray]

I'm so excited to stay at the Dolphin in March. Of course, it is for a conference but at least I can expense my food. Downside to them paying is that I have a tighter budget. I'm ok with with paying for part of my meal and expensing the other part, but if I could stay withing the budget, that would be great. So what restaurant has a decent price at Swan/Dolphin (or nearby - excluding Epcot because I know all about Epcot) for food? So <$20 for lunch and <$35 for dinner?

For one person you should have no problem. Picabo/Dolphin (breakfast/lunch and dinner), IL Mulino/Swan (dinner), Blue Zoo/Dolphin...grab an app at the bar and you will be way below your budget.

Flying Fish on the Boardwalk...grab apps at the bar for dinner
Big River on Boardwalk lunch/dinner...anything within your budget.

Needless to say you are going to be able to eat a lot, lol.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Is there somewhere to get the S/D menus at their restaurants and prices, etc?
Also, is it easy to get an upgrade at S/D? I usually find it is at other Starwood properties. Also what about early checkin, etc., anyone have good experiences, or bad? Thanks for the info.
PS Oh I do see on this board a place now to get the menus, that's great!

 

[Mouseteacher]

For menus, go on to the S/D website. I have received complimentary upgrades for all 5 of my stays. I am a Starwood AMEX card holder and spg member.

On our 2009 and 2008 trips, our room wasn't ready. We do arrive at about noontime and don't really expect it to be. However, our check-in in 2008 was pretty stressful. The previous guests did not check out of our room until well after check out time. I knew our room was a great upgrade with view and balcony, so I didn't want another room but the resort was booked anyway. The CMs were trying their hardest to get the guests to check out. We did have to be bit pushy with the CMs to keep them on top of the situation. As it approached 4:00 and we still hadn't heard anything, we kept checking with the front desk. Finally, we got our room at about 5:00 pm and rushed to get rady for our 5:30 ADR at Blue Zoo.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Does the Swan/Dolphin have any villas/suites that have 2 separate rooms (a bedroom + a living area where you could also have kids sleep like on a pull out couch)? I am interested in this type of arrangement as my kids are getting a little older but definitely not old enough to have their own room (they are 5 & 7). I like the idea of the 1 bedroom villas because I am more interested in the room type than 'concierge' level. But I also know that 'suites' can cost a LOT of money and I'm not interested in that either! Just wondering if the S/D had something like a 2 room set up that was around the same price of a 'villa'.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Il Mulino in the Swan offers half portions of their pasta dishes for a reasonable price. I wish I could remember the exact price. The portion, even though it says half portion. was a good size - not skimpy at all. I had a tortellini in some type of very delicious white sauce. I couldn't finish my portion. My DS had the same but ordered the regular portion and I honestly saw only a small difference in the size.

Half portions are right up my alley!!! Thank you for the recommendation!

For one person you should have no problem. Picabo/Dolphin (breakfast/lunch and dinner), IL Mulino/Swan (dinner), Blue Zoo/Dolphin...grab an app at the bar and you will be way below your budget.

Flying Fish on the Boardwalk...grab apps at the bar for dinner
Big River on Boardwalk lunch/dinner...anything within your budget.

Needless to say you are going to be able to eat a lot, lol.

Excellent - I usually PREFER apps anyway because they seem to be more unique and interesting. Great idea. I like soup too so that plus an app should be fine.

I realize I have a decent budget but when you go to a big city, it can be difficult to find an entree + veggie side (if it doesn't come with it) + beverage and still stick to a $35 budget for dinner after tax and tip. At Disney, it absolutely is possible, but I also don't want to get a burger or chicken strips every night

 

[PolyAddict]

Any 2010 special rates yet? I have AAA but i am not a teacher. The AAA rate for May 30 is $197, looking for something better.

thanks

 

[Ramsfan28]

Does the Swan/Dolphin have any villas/suites that have 2 separate rooms (a bedroom + a living area where you could also have kids sleep like on a pull out couch)? I am interested in this type of arrangement as my kids are getting a little older but definitely not old enough to have their own room (they are 5 & 7). I like the idea of the 1 bedroom villas because I am more interested in the room type than 'concierge' level. But I also know that 'suites' can cost a LOT of money and I'm not interested in that either! Just wondering if the S/D had something like a 2 room set up that was around the same price of a 'villa'.

They don't have a "villas" at the S/D. They do have lots and lots of suites (1 or 2 bedroom). Yes, they can be expensive; however, if you are a Starwood Pref. Guest - you might be able to get a confirmed upgrade.

 

[TaraPA]

Just back from a great girls only trip to BLT....and I have to say...I was longing for The Dolphin!! I could see it off in the distance, and we passed it every so often. When we took the boat from DHS to Epcot I was sooooo tempted to get off at The Dolphin & just walk around for awhile.

There's no place like home....there's no place like home!!

 

[clover]

Does the Swan/Dolphin have any villas/suites that have 2 separate rooms (a bedroom + a living area where you could also have kids sleep like on a pull out couch)? I am interested in this type of arrangement as my kids are getting a little older but definitely not old enough to have their own room (they are 5 & 7). I like the idea of the 1 bedroom villas because I am more interested in the room type than 'concierge' level. But I also know that 'suites' can cost a LOT of money and I'm not interested in that either! Just wondering if the S/D had something like a 2 room set up that was around the same price of a 'villa'.

We just booked a Junior suite (2 rooms with 2 baths, 2 tvs) in June for $249 a night. There are other varieties of either larger rooms or suites available. Call and ask about the pricing. I don't think you can see the suite prices on-line. One negative about the Junior suite is that they don't come with a resort view. We also considered getting two adjoining rooms which would have been $149 each - a few bucks more with a view. We stayed in the Junior suite last year and the place is huge! We loved the Dolphin and the awesome location and the fact that it's about 1/2 price of a similar sized and quality Disney resort.

 

[PolyAddict]

We just booked a Junior suite (2 rooms with 2 baths, 2 tvs) in June for $249 a night. There are other varieties of either larger rooms or suites available. Call and ask about the pricing. I don't think you can see the suite prices on-line. One negative about the Junior suite is that they don't come with a resort view. We also considered getting two adjoining rooms which would have been $149 each - a few bucks more with a view. We stayed in the Junior suite last year and the place is huge! We loved the Dolphin and the awesome location and the fact that it's about 1/2 price of a similar sized and quality Disney resort.

This sounds awesome. Can you tell me how many this room sleeps and how did you get such a good rate?

 

[clover]

This sounds awesome. Can you tell me how many this room sleeps and how did you get such a good rate?

I forgot that this is the teacher rate. Other than that - nothing special and I'm not sure the teacher discount is THAT huge so probably not much more without it?

We had a king in one room (I'm guessing there could be 2 doubles instead?) and then a pull out double sofa and a murphy bed (double) in the other room. Those beds were NOT the Heavenly Beds! But my 2 kids didn't care about that. They liked having their own bed and not having to share.

If I remember correctly the rep told me that there aren't a lot of this type of room in the hotel. Again, one negative is lack of a good view. It's totally worth a call to check it out.

 

[PolyAddict]

I forgot that this is the teacher rate. Other than that - nothing special and I'm not sure the teacher discount is THAT huge so probably not much more without it?

We had a king in one room (I'm guessing there could be 2 doubles instead?) and then a pull out double sofa and a murphy bed (double) in the other room. Those beds were NOT the Heavenly Beds! But my 2 kids didn't care about that. They liked having their own bed and not having to share.

If I remember correctly the rep told me that there aren't a lot of this type of room in the hotel. Again, one negative is lack of a good view. It's totally worth a call to check it out.

I did just call and they quoted me $279 per night for AAA. It is 650 square feet with 2 doubles and a sofa bed. thanks for posting the info on it or i would have never called.

 

[clover]

I did just call and they quoted me $279 per night for AAA. It is 650 square feet with 2 doubles and a sofa bed. thanks for posting the info on it or i would have never called.

That's great!
Make sure you have the same room I was talking about though. I think the one you are describing is a Premium Studio... still an awesome deal (and it probably comes with choice of a view) but it isn't two separate rooms (if that is what you want). The Junior Suite is two different rooms and it and the Premium Studio were quoted at the same rate to me. It's just that he said there weren't many Junior Suites in the hotel.

Either is a steal as far as I'm concerned! Glad you got a great rate.