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

[Disneyhanna]

Are the S/D beds the best beds at WDW??



https://allears.net/2024/05/31/ive-...-world-and-i-need-you-to-know-these-4-things/

I’ve Slept in Every Hotel Bed in Disney World and I NEED You to Know These 4 Things​

By Quincy Stanford
Posted on Posted onMay 31, 2024

My job description is pretty unique. Every day looks a little different, but most days, you can find me conducting bed science at a Disney hotel, trying to see how much you can really do in the parks in one day, or sharing my honest thoughts on Disney food. I go to Disney World a LOT (and even visit some of Disney’s international parks!), but it’s all to help YOU have a better vacation.

Quincy at the Riviera Resort
If there’s one thing I’ve gotten comfortable with after all this time in Disney World, it’s how to review a hotel room. I know what little details make a room extra special. I know which resorts have plenty of counter space (and which ones don’t). I even know what kinds of pillows and sheets are the softest. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about Disney beds after visiting EVERY hotel. My findings may surprise you!

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The WINNER​

OK, the moment you’ve been waiting for: which Disney hotel has the BEST bed? My absolute top choice is the Swan and Dolphin Hotel. The rooms here use the Westin Heavenly Bed — featuring a pillow-top mattress, a white goose-down comforter, and four overstuffed pillows. They are SO comfortable.

©Westin Store


If you want the full details behind the Westin Heavenly Bed, I’ll drop some for you below.

• Reinforced, pocketed coil technology that distributes weight for even support
• Layers of temperature-regulating gel-infused foam that stimulate airflow and rest atop individually Pocketed Coils to relieve pressure points and reduce motion transfer
• Innovative silver fiber weave delivers natural antimicrobial and antibacterial properties while pulling heat away from your body, keeping you cool and comfortable all night long

So yes, after you walk back from EPCOT after a long park day, you can get an amazing night’s sleep.

I agree with this review! After doing several split stays with Dolphin in recent years, their beds really are the best. The newer mattresses they've been using in the moderates/deluxes with the refurbs in recent years are definitely nice, but nothing beats the heavenly S/D beds. And the mattresses at the values are horrible, I stayed at Movies and Pop a couple years ago (post refurb) and have never slept on such lumpy mattresses, and I am not that picky. The Murphy beds were actually more comfortable than the regular mattresses, I presume because the Murphy gets lighter (kids) or no use a lot of the time.

 

[Babsy]

The Swan/Dolphin beds are aptly named. Yes, they are the BEST! even better than the beds in GF RPC, IMO.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Tried to search this thread but couldn't find any info, sorry if it's obvious!
We booked a balcony deluxe guest room, 2 queen beds at the swan for March, where are the balcony rooms located?
Is there a preferred room number to try to request?
We stayed at the swan once before by accident - we had booked a king room at the dolphin and when we checked in they didn't have any king rooms available so they moved us to the swan - telling us it was an upgrade - however the room was on the third floor and all you could see from the balcony was the trees that were right in front!
We book the swan on purpose this time and hope for a better view!

Hopefully this map link will work right for you. Make sure it is in 3D version. The balconies are in the rooms that are in the two arms of the resort. Try to be at least 5 floors or higher.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VHzcdxa5GPDTD829A

 

[Disneyhanna]

I’m officially a Swan convert. The refurbished rooms are great and practical. Sorry for the dark photos as they were taken at night.





Swan was such a massive upgrade coming from Beach Club Villas. We rented a studio at BCV for one night and even though they renovated recently, the room felt tiny and had no full length mirror (and the mirrors they did have were practically chest height or higher), and the shower only had a power wash setting (glad I didn’t have sunburn). And it was almost twice the cost of Swan even with renting!

Lots to love about the Swan. Let’s start with the AP price of $260/night including fees for the holiday weekend It really is a much shorter walk than Dolphin. Dolphin was $248/night so it was an easy choice to upgrade to Swan. Our room is close to the lobby, we have yet to wait for an elevator, love love the free water bottles. Upgraded as a gold elite to theme park view from no view. View is obscured by trees but hey it isn’t parking lot! The beds are so cushy and they have comforters!

The room is so spacious and love that they got rid of the carpet. The two sinks are nice and though the door by the toilet is still a bit annoying it’s not as tight of a fit as it is at Dolphin. Nice shower heads and glass sliding door. This means no musty curtain smell which I have occasionally had at Dolphin. Room feels clean and new overall. HUGE TV, and love that they installed the box so that the HDMI ports are accessible and near an outlet without moving the TV (perfect for Roku stick).

I’m not sure what my threshold for choosing Swan over Dolphin is (maybe $20-30/night) but I definitely agree with folks that say it definitely is better (especially if you’re sharing a bed). The only fault I have is I wish they had a solid quick service option. Other than Riviera and maybe Poly I find deluxe quick service lacking in general though. I also need to stop getting takeout at Kimono’s as the food is truly terrible and I don’t know why I expected anything different this trip (sorry to anyone that likes it ).

 

[Dan Murphy]

I’m officially a Swan convert. The refurbished rooms are great and practical. Sorry for the dark photos as they were taken at night.

View attachment 916958

View attachment 916959

Swan was such a massive upgrade coming from Beach Club Villas. We rented a studio at BCV for one night and even though they renovated recently, the room felt tiny and had no full length mirror (and the mirrors they did have were practically chest height or higher), and the shower only had a power wash setting (glad I didn’t have sunburn). And it was almost twice the cost of Swan even with renting!

Lots to love about the Swan. Let’s start with the AP price of $260/night including fees for the holiday weekend It really is a much shorter walk than Dolphin. Dolphin was $248/night so it was an easy choice to upgrade to Swan. Our room is close to the lobby, we have yet to wait for an elevator, love love the free water bottles. Upgraded as a gold elite to theme park view from no view. View is obscured by trees but hey it isn’t parking lot! The beds are so cushy and they have comforters!

The room is so spacious and love that they got rid of the carpet. The two sinks are nice and though the door by the toilet is still a bit annoying it’s not as tight of a fit as it is at Dolphin. Nice shower heads and glass sliding door. This means no musty curtain smell which I have occasionally had at Dolphin. Room feels clean and new overall. HUGE TV, and love that they installed the box so that the HDMI ports are accessible and near an outlet without moving the TV (perfect for Roku stick).

I’m not sure what my threshold for choosing Swan over Dolphin is (maybe $20-30/night) but I definitely agree with folks that say it definitely is better (especially if you’re sharing a bed). The only fault I have is I wish they had a solid quick service option. Other than Riviera and maybe Poly I find deluxe quick service lacking in general though. I also need to stop getting takeout at Kimono’s as the food is truly terrible and I don’t know why I expected anything different this trip (sorry to anyone that likes it ).

Thanks for the review and pictures, @Disneyhanna. Sounds great,

 

[SteveH]

@Disneyhanna shhhhhh not so loud, the other Disney people will finally realize what a great deal the Swan can be! Glad you had a great stay, thanks for sharing!

 

[CJK]

Hi all! I wondered if there have been any recent reports about the Swan Reserve and booking dining? There used to be a known problem of the dining reservation system not recognizing a Swan Reserve reservation. I ran into that problem myself about a year ago. Has this known glitch been resolved? TIA!

 

[SteveH]

@CJK - I do not see nearly as many posts as we once did, so it appears that it's mostly been resolved - though I'm sure not 100% of the time.

 

[CJK]

@CJK - I do not see nearly as many posts as we once did, so it appears that it's mostly been resolved - though I'm sure not 100% of the time.

Thank you!

 

[kes601]

Has anybody had recent experience returning a car at Dolphin? We are moving from Beach Club to Poly on Dec. 30 and I'm trying to decide if we should return the car to Dolphin or the Car Care Center.

 

[Dave006]

While I have not used the Car rental service since it's return to the Dolphin yet, it does have limited hours vs the Car Care Center which is open 7 - 7 daily. Would you be be returning a rental while at the Beach Club or from the Poly?

If you return it at the Dolphin then you would need to use various transportation options to get to the Poly, none of them direct. If you return your rental at the Car Care Center they offer drop off service for you to the BC, Poly or various other Disney locations.

Note; Only Enterprise, Alamo, and National rentals at both locations.

Dave

 

[kes601]

While I have not used the Car rental service since it's return to the Dolphin yet, it does have limited hours vs the Car Care Center which is open 7 - 7 daily. Would you be be returning a rental while at the Beach Club or from the Poly?

If you return it at the Dolphin then you would need to use various transportation options to get to the Poly, none of them direct. If you return your rental at the Car Care Center they offer drop off service for you to the BC, Poly or various other Disney locations.

Note; Only Enterprise, Alamo, and National rentals at both locations.

Dave

I think we are just going to drop it off at the Car Care Center when we move from Beach Club to Poly. Seems like the simplest solution.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Can anyone share their experience with gluten free dining at the Swan/Dolphin? I’m primarily looking for quick service & casual dining for my picky son who would be thrilled to eat chicken tenders & French fries that are baked or made in a dedicated fryer.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I think we are just going to drop it off at the Car Care Center when we move from Beach Club to Poly. Seems like the simplest solution.

If the price is same for Dolphin I’d go Dolphin. Car Care Center has a free shuttle but it sometimes makes other stops & it’s located out at MK area.

 

[NicoleLarson]

I did know about the delay, I've never had any issues at Dolphin after waiting a few days, but the Swan ones did have to get resent as they never automatically went through. It was very easy to text S&D though, so I was glad that was an option vs calling!

Where did you find the text number? I hate calling.

 

[SteveH]

@NicoleLarson snag the SD Mobile App then open it up and use the text us, I hesitate to give you the # as it might change, so the link via the mobile app is your best bet.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Where did you find the text number? I hate calling.

Addibg to @SteveH's reply above, the texting function is great. So easy to do and VERY quick replies.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I'm asking this question with the assumption that S/D restaurants still validate parking. If I'm staying there for two nights with a rental car but not using the car until we leave for the airport, can I eat a breakfast morning of and leave with validated parking or is there some marker indicating when my car actually came into the lot?

 

[Dan Murphy]

I'm asking this question with the assumption that S/D restaurants still validate parking. If I'm staying there for two nights with a rental car but not using the car until we leave for the airport, can I eat a breakfast morning of and leave with validated parking or is there some marker indicating when my car actually came into the lot?

You'd be charged for the 2 nights of your stay and not your final partial day stay.

 

[gottalovepluto]

… is there some marker indicating when my car actually came into the lot?

Yeah... You aren’t going to escape paying the parking fee. If you don’t want to pay to park the car there for the 2 nights you’re staying return it early. If you’re with a Disney Car Care company you can return it on property. Dolphin even has a rental car desk.

(Might want to be careful with things like this. It’s against board rules to ask for ways to work around rules/regulations. Maybe you’re safe because you’re looking to cheat Marriott and not Disney but seems like a slippery slope.)