Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

They charged my card today for the Labor Day weekend reservation I made yesterday, only 1 night sans taxes/fees. Feeling very good about it since I had a Chase Offer for up to 10% cash back on my CSP for Bonvoy and it would have expired prior to check in.
 
We were in the middle of Whistler Village a few years back, having dinner in the courtyard tables of one of the many restaurants. All of a sudden, the table of 10 next to us stands up suddenly. We hear “BEAR!”. The table runs past ours. I look, and there’s a baby bear crawling under the table, like someone’s black lab sniffing for scraps. We stand up and calmly (but quickly) back away. The security team quickly chased the bear out of the village back up to the mountainside.

Definitely wouldn’t surprise me to see critters running around when the Disney properties back onto so much wilderness. And as the article Dan pointed to indicated, it seems bears are not uncommon in central Florida.
 
How does the Plat breakfast benefit work at dolphin? Is it similar to Swan? I think Swan was 1 $10 voucher for up to 2 people that had to be redeemed at their restaurant or in person at their coffee shop.
 
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My experience with this has been inconsistent. For my most recent reservation, a one-night deposit was charged to my card a few days after booking. For previous stays, no deposit was charged. The balance has always been authorized/charged the day of check-in, but not before.
Same. It’s never the same, sometimes they charge deposit, sometimes they don’t
 
Booked swan for week of thanksgiving at AP rate, it was cheaper than riverside under AP rate, so a no brainer!
couple of questions, why is everyone’s favorite breakfast option? My daughter has to have breakfast. Does their casual place do to go?
can you stream hbo and Netflix on their tvs?
 
Anyone 8:30 ropedropped SDMT recently? Wondering how it went time wise. Hoping to get it done along with PPF right afterwards with little wait.
 
Anyone 8:30 ropedropped SDMT recently? Wondering how it went time wise. Hoping to get it done along with PPF right afterwards with little wait.
You might get one with a shortish wait depending how aggressive you are about staying at the front of the pack when the running of the bulls commences, you won’t get both.
 
Booked swan for week of thanksgiving at AP rate, it was cheaper than riverside under AP rate, so a no brainer!
couple of questions, why is everyone’s favorite breakfast option? My daughter has to have breakfast. Does their casual place do to go?
can you stream hbo and Netflix on their tvs?
Sounds like a nice deal. Is it cheaper with the resort fee included? Resort fee and parking fee are where Swolphin gets people.
 
Booked swan for week of thanksgiving at AP rate, it was cheaper than riverside under AP rate, so a no brainer!
couple of questions, why is everyone’s favorite breakfast option? My daughter has to have breakfast. Does their casual place do to go?
can you stream hbo and Netflix on their tvs?
I liked The Standard breakfast sandwich at Java a lot. Here is the menu: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/swan-hotel/java-bar/menus/breakfast

Not sure about streaming...
 
Yup, it’s quite popular. That said if you’re able to get in line before general public rope drop it’ll be a shorter wait than later in the morning.
That’s what I was getting at. We are staying on property so with the 30 min head start, I was hoping to still beat the General public to PPF after hitting SDMT.
 
That’s what I was getting at. We are staying on property so with the 30 min head start, I was hoping to still beat the General public to PPF after hitting SDMT.
The only problem with that is everyone else heading to Mine Train is thinking the same way, so unless you're at the very front of the pack on one of the first loads it's a crapshoot. Even then you'll be competing with the EE stragglers who came into Fantasyland, saw the Mine Train wait already crazy, and just kept going to PPF.

I would just go to PPF first. If you can be there that late, SDMT is really best saved for the end of the night imo. Rope dropping that ride is an exercise in misery and tbh you'll get more done by starting in Tomorrowland even if you don't do Space. Mine Train usually drops to like 15-20 minutes right after the fireworks and again right at park close.
 
The only problem with that is everyone else heading to Mine Train is thinking the same way, so unless you're at the very front of the pack on one of the first loads it's a crapshoot. Even then you'll be competing with the EE stragglers who came into Fantasyland, saw the Mine Train wait already crazy, and just kept going to PPF.

I would just go to PPF first. If you can be there that late, SDMT is really best saved for the end of the night imo. Rope dropping that ride is an exercise in misery and tbh you'll get more done by starting in Tomorrowland even if you don't do Space. Mine Train usually drops to like 15-20 minutes right after the fireworks and again right at park close.
Appreciate your insight.
 
I keep reading that Swan/Dolphin use "dynamic pricing". Does that mean the best time to book for the cheapest rate is as soon as rooms are released or alternatively close to date of stay and if so just how far out does anyone know when they release room availability/ rates?
I'd obviously book a refundable rate in case a better deal came along but as we usually stay 2+ weeks I feel booking earlier makes more sense to secure a room. I'm currently looking at either summer/Easter 2024/2025. Thanks for any advice
 
I keep reading that Swan/Dolphin use "dynamic pricing". Does that mean the best time to book for the cheapest rate is as soon as rooms are released or alternatively close to date of stay and if so just how far out does anyone know when they release room availability/ rates?
I'd obviously book a refundable rate in case a better deal came along but as we usually stay 2+ weeks I feel booking earlier makes more sense to secure a room. I'm currently looking at either summer/Easter 2024/2025. Thanks for any advice
If you see a price you like, I would book. You can always modify your reservation if cheaper price pops up. I do it all the time! Marriott app is very easy to use
 
I keep reading that Swan/Dolphin use "dynamic pricing". Does that mean the best time to book for the cheapest rate is as soon as rooms are released or alternatively close to date of stay and if so just how far out does anyone know when they release room availability/ rates?
I'd obviously book a refundable rate in case a better deal came along but as we usually stay 2+ weeks I feel booking earlier makes more sense to secure a room. I'm currently looking at either summer/Easter 2024/2025. Thanks for any advice
Not in my experience. Dynamic pricing is an algorithm that evaluates room supply and demand according to set parameters and moves prices accordingly. I just look for a price I like, book the room and then keep an eye on prices as time goes by. It’s easy to rebook with a lower rate later. For me, it’s rare that the “opening price” is the lowest.
 
















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