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

[R and C's momma]

The total of $95.xx for our two reservations DOES include all of the fees. The base fees were $45 (for the overnight) and $35 (for the one day) then adding the other fees on top. For us it seemed a wee bit cheaper than Town Car or Taxi (after including driver tips) and was worried it might take me longer than the 15 or 30 minute grocery stop they say you could request if round trip reservations were made.

I will be missing the driver with a name sign though! Maybe I'll make one of my own and be my family's chauffer

 

[SingingMom]

The total of $95.xx for our two reservations DOES include all of the fees. The base fees were $45 (for the overnight) and $35 (for the one day) then adding the other fees on top. For us it seemed a wee bit cheaper than Town Car or Taxi (after including driver tips) and was worried it might take me longer than the 15 or 30 minute grocery stop they say you could request if round trip reservations were made.

I will be missing the driver with a name sign though! Maybe I'll make one of my own and be my family's chauffer

Oh yes, you must make your own sign.

(fyi - they never have held us to "15 minutes" for the grocery stop. I think that's just a guideline so you aren't planning on doing a week's worth of shopping for a family of four. )

 

[Needafix]

R and C's Momma - thanks for that info. I'm definitely going to look into that option also because we may be taking a day to go off Disney grounds. We're still working out the logistics of what we're going to be doing so I want to get all the information together then make a decision.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

[ozziewags]

We used FloridaTours Town Car Service...they are a sponsor here on the boards and have a coupon link. DH liked it because he didn't have to drive!

 

[HyeSpeed]

Hi Everyone-

We are two adults traveling from California to Universal Florida for a couple of days; then transferring to WDW Dolphin for a week in October (we would like our grocery stop prior to checking in at the Dolphin).

A high level of professionalism and efficiency is more important to us than cost. Online reviews are mixed at best and down right scary at worst regarding this type of service. Are Fl Tours & Tiffany absolutely the best of the bunch? Any other honorable mentions for comparisons sake would be appreciated. Thanx!

 

[Poly-Anna]

TaraPA - The Wishes Dessert Party was nice. The desserts were excellent and the view of the fireworks was great. It was nice to sit down on something other than a curb. I would do it again if the time for Wishes was earlier - my DS6 fell asleep 5 minutes before the fireworks and slept all the way through! He was worn out from being up too early for the MK rope drop at 7 a.m. What was I thinking???!!!

SingingMom - To my knowledge the Premium Studio Suites do not have a balcony, ours definitely didn't. The Executive Suites might because they are attached to a regular room. We don't use balconies anyway, plus a balcony on the 17th floor would have freaked me out.

 

[SingingMom]

TaraPA - The Wishes Dessert Party was nice. The desserts were excellent and the view of the fireworks was great. It was nice to sit down on something other than a curb. I would do it again if the time for Wishes was earlier - my DS6 fell asleep 5 minutes before the fireworks and slept all the way through! He was worn out from being up too early for the MK rope drop at 7 a.m. What was I thinking???!!!

SingingMom - To my knowledge the Premium Studio Suites do not have a balcony, ours definitely didn't. The Executive Suites might because they are attached to a regular room. We don't use balconies anyway, plus a balcony on the 17th floor would have freaked me out.

Thanks, Poly-Anna, for the update. We will probably just stay with our regular room & balcony. I have to look into the Wishes Dessert Party!

 

[Poohlovr]

Hi Everyone-

We are two adults traveling from California to Universal Florida for a couple of days; then transferring to WDW Dolphin for a week in October (we would like our grocery stop prior to checking in at the Dolphin).

A high level of professionalism and efficiency is more important to us than cost. Online reviews are mixed at best and down right scary at worst regarding this type of service. Are Fl Tours & Tiffany absolutely the best of the bunch? Any other honorable mentions for comparisons sake would be appreciated. Thanx!

There are so many town car services available, it's hard to say which one is the absolute best. I'm sure if you search for all of them, you'll find both good and bad reviews for each one.

The last time I used one (can't remember which) it had great reviews on this board.
He was 45 minutes late picking us up to go back to the airport (we were really worried that we might miss our flight), the a/c didn't work and the driver was the most unfriendly one we had ever had.
You just can't say one service is always great.

 

[duffy]

We have our heart set on booking the Dolphon for May 2011 BUT I just read on another thread that the pool is really cold. It kinda scares me. The kids won't care, my DH won't care, but I CAN'T STAND COLD!! Will I hate it? Is it REALLY that cold?

We went to WDW in Feb. 2008, and had a split stay, 5 nights at the Wilderness Lodge, and then 3 nights at the Dolphin. We found the pool at the Lodge to be nice and warm, and then when we switched to the Dolphin, we thought the grotto pool was freezing!!

Agreed. We're two adults, no kids. So we get a town car (as opposed to a van or limo) from a company already mentioned. We actually request the same driver every time. Now he doesn't even hold up a sign with our name. He knows us. He just waits at the bottom of the escalator.

This last trip that felt really luxurious, like we had our own personal driver We didn't check any luggage, so coming down the escalator he saw us and waved. We said, "Let's go Sam (yes, that's really his name ), we don't even have to wait for bags." And off we went, to the special parking area for the town cars, opposite of where you walk out to get the rental car buses. LOVELY!!!

This is what my husband and I are doing on our next trip in Nov. We got the killer $60/night + 4,000 Starwood points rate, and we're just going for an extended weekend, arriving Friday late and leaving Monday, also late. NO KIDS!! We will most likely be at Epcot for at least 2 days, and well, not sure which other park!

I bought us each a 10-day, no expiration park ticket last summer, and we also have old tickets that still have water park entitlements on them. So, we just need to figure plane tickets and food!

 

[haleofafamily]

and was worried it might take me longer than the 15 or 30 minute grocery stop they say you could request if round trip reservations were made.

Our car service recommended a grocery store and gave us the number so I could call ahead and give our order. Someone shopped for us and I just went in to customer service and gave our name. They brought the cart out of the back and I took it to the registers and paid. It was so convenient.

 

[HyeSpeed]

Thanks for responding Poohlovr, that's exactly the kind of situation we'd like to avoid. I'll try poking around some more since we have time before settling on any one company.

 

[teacher5]

Is the $60 a night still available? I've been out of town and didn't hear about that deal!

 

[duffy]

Is the $60 a night still available? I've been out of town and didn't hear about that deal!

Here's how to get the Swan or Dolphin for $60/a night:

1. Apply for an American Express credit card at spg.com.

2. When the card comes, use it to buy something. Anything. You'll get 10,000 points right away. I use my AMEX card for everything! You'll get a point in your spg.com account for each dollar. Of course I pay it off right away each month!

3. Stalk the spg.com website. I find it's best to click either the Swan or Dolphin, and then put in any dates. Then click "continue".

4. Now I see a page telling me my starwood options: "book our best rates", "redeem starpoints for free nights", or my favorite, "book with cash and points". Unfortunately, the dates I picked aren't available.

5. BUT, luckily, there's a "dates flexible?" link!! A calendar opens, and I can see that there's very little availability for the cash and points option for the next few months. But as of right now, approximately 8:30 am EST on Sunday, April 11, 2010, the entire month of August, 2011 and most of July 2011 are available. Yes, I had to go that far ahead in the calendar. But, advance planning is what what the DIS is all about, right?

6. If nothing acceptable is available at the Swan, repeat the process with the Dolphin. Or vice versa.

7. Understand that there is no logic to when these dates are available. Grab them when you can!! If there are absolutely no dates you can use, try again in a few days.

I've stayed at the Dolphin twice with starpoints. Love, love, love it.

 

[gemmybear83]

Thanks for the heads up on the town car service - we will need to book that later in the year.

Here is a question for you all, is it free to phone between guest rooms at the using your hotel phone? I have 4 rooms booked and as we are international travellers it would be handy to avoid high phone bills!

Thank you

 

[SingingMom]

Thanks for the heads up on the town car service - we will need to book that later in the year.

Here is a question for you all, is it free to phone between guest rooms at the using your hotel phone? I have 4 rooms booked and as we are international travellers it would be handy to avoid high phone bills!

Thank you

Yes -calls room to room within the hotel are free. You also get a set amount of local/long distance included in the $10 a day resort fee. Be careful with that, however - as they WILL bill you if you go over.

 

[gemmybear83]

Yes -calls room to room within the hotel are free. You also get a set amount of local/long distance included in the $10 a day resort fee. Be careful with that, however - as they WILL bill you if you go over.

Brilliant I forgot about that - I have family staying in a villa nearby so that is very handy!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Also, if you go through S/D operator, you can (or at least could in the past; may be best to check if still the rule, if you decide to make a call) call any Disney resort guest in any Disney hotel for no charge.

The resort fee covers....

• up to 60 minutes of free local telephone calls, toll free and credit card access calls per day
• minutes of domestic long distance per day

 

[lovingmy2boys]

Can anyone tell me what past Government rates have been for the first week in March???

 

[jreeves628]

We are SPG platinum members. Are platinum upgrades normally available or are the hotels usually fully booked? Is there a better chance getting an upgrade at the Dolphin over the Swan?

 

[Poohlovr]

Totally depends on the time of year and how many conventions, if any, are going on.