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

[Dan Murphy]

If you’re with a Disney Car Care company you can return it on property. Dolphin even has a rental car desk.

Enterprise, National or Alamo

 

[Dave006]

I'm asking this question with the assumption that S/D restaurants still validate parking.

Yes most of the resultants (quick service not included) will validate your parking for the time you are dining. You will need the parking receipt you received as you entered the parking area. You don't need your parking validated.

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 are charged per night and have multiple exit and entry privileges to the parking lot. The parking charges will be on your Final Folio. Day guests don't have in and out parking privileges.

You will not be charged additionally for your third day of parking since you are checking out. There is no need to validate your parking. Just retain your room key and use it to exit the parking lot.

Dave

 

[TheDailyMoo]

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.)

Enterprise, National or Alamo

So if renting through Hertz at MCO it's a no go just at Dolphin or the other car care rental place on property (I forget the name and where it is)

 

[Dave006]

So if renting through Hertz at MCO it's a no go just at Dolphin or the other car care rental place on property (I forget the name and where it is)

Correct both the Dolphin resort car rental desk and the Disney Car Care Center are only the Enterprise family which includes National and Alamo car rental brands only.

Dave

 

[Disneydawg74]

So I just checked in online for our customary holiday stay at the Swan. I was very surprised to see that our reservation had been changed to a higher category of room. I didn’t receive any notice about an upgrade. Has this happened to others? I’m a little bewildered because we don’t have high status in the reward program and the reservation just shows the higher category room as if that was the reservation all along. Happy to have some pixie dust, but in the many years we been staying at the Swan, this has never happened. I did check and our original room category is still available to book (although at a much higher rate than we booked).

 

[gottalovepluto]

So I just checked in online for our customary holiday stay at the Swan. I was very surprised to see that our reservation had been changed to a higher category of room. I didn’t receive any notice about an upgrade. Has this happened to others? I’m a little bewildered because we don’t have high status in the reward program and the reservation just shows the higher category room as if that was the reservation all along. Happy to have some pixie dust, but in the many years we been staying at the Swan, this has never happened. I did check and our original room category is still available to book (although at a much higher rate than we booked).

Yes, this what happens when you get upgraded. Congrats on the holiday pixie dust!

 

[Disneyhanna]

So I just checked in online for our customary holiday stay at the Swan. I was very surprised to see that our reservation had been changed to a higher category of room. I didn’t receive any notice about an upgrade. Has this happened to others? I’m a little bewildered because we don’t have high status in the reward program and the reservation just shows the higher category room as if that was the reservation all along. Happy to have some pixie dust, but in the many years we been staying at the Swan, this has never happened. I did check and our original room category is still available to book (although at a much higher rate than we booked).

I was automatically upgraded one level from no view to resort view. I have been upgraded every time I have stayed at S/D as a mere gold elite. No notification, could just see when I looked at my reservation details after the room had been assigned.

 

[Dan Murphy]

So I just checked in online for our customary holiday stay at the Swan. I was very surprised to see that our reservation had been changed to a higher category of room. I didn’t receive any notice about an upgrade. Has this happened to others? I’m a little bewildered because we don’t have high status in the reward program and the reservation just shows the higher category room as if that was the reservation all along. Happy to have some pixie dust, but in the many years we been staying at the Swan, this has never happened. I did check and our original room category is still available to book (although at a much higher rate than we booked).

That's great, @Disneydawg74!! Enjoy your stay.

 

[AussieFan8]

I am curious if this has happened to anyone else. With an upcoming stay at Dolphin, I booked my lightning lanes seven days in advance. Since then, I've received multiple emails from Disney Destinations reminding me to book my lightning lanes and that I'm eligible three days in advance. My LL's are still showing in MDE, and I've taken screen shots of them just in case, but it's making me a little nervous.

 

[Dave006]

I booked my lightning lanes seven days in advance

Is your Dolphin reservation still showing as linked in MDE? If yes you can ignore the emails.

Just keep your Marriott confirmation number handy if for any reason your Dolphin reservation drops from MDE. It has been know to happen right after check-in but they claim that bug has been fixes.

Dave

 

[AussieFan8]

Is your Dolphin reservation still showing as linked in MDE? If yes you can ignore the emails.

Yes, thank you!

 

[emilyann704]

Does anyone know how to change a secondary person on MDE staying in the room? I'm the lead person whose account is attached to the room and when I booked it months ago my partner hadn't yet created an account. So I created one for her that I "controlled." Just today she created her own account and I'm not able to swap out the original account I created for her with her real one. It was easy enough to do for our park tickets and dinner reservations so I suspect it has something to do with Marriott?

 

[Dave006]

So I created one for her that I "controlled."

What do you mean by an account you controlled? If the account you created is a real separate MDE account then you can just drop it from your Family and Friends list.

Just today she created her own account and I'm not able to swap out the original account I created for her with her real one. It was easy enough to do for our park tickets and dinner reservations so I suspect it has something to do with Marriott?

You would not swap out but drop her "Managed" MDE account from your Family and Friends list and add her new MDE account by using your Family and Friends tab in MDE to send her a request to her and she would send a request and you link your MDE accounts.

For the Hotel reservation she just needs to link the Marriott Configuration number to her MDE account.

Does this make sense?

 

[DisneyGamer11]

What's the max additional per night you would spend to upgrade from Dolphin to Swan Reserve? For our dates, it's an additional $70/night to go from Dolphin to SR. I think it's a no-brainer, especially because there's a higher chance of suite upgrade (with status) since SR is majority suites.

 

[Dave006]

What's the max additional per night you would spend to upgrade from Dolphin to Swan Reserve?

$70 is a reasonable upgrade if you are comparing 2 QBs to 2 Doubles in the Dolphin. Often the regular Swan is $50 upgrade over the Dolphin.

Dave

 

[gottalovepluto]

What's the max additional per night you would spend to upgrade from Dolphin to Swan Reserve? For our dates, it's an additional $70/night to go from Dolphin to SR. I think it's a no-brainer, especially because there's a higher chance of suite upgrade (with status) since SR is majority suites.

Depends on you and your travel party. Sometimes SR upgrades me to a suite, sometimes not.

Traveling solo I prefer Dolphin, I request a room near the elevators and like the easy to access dining options and pool, and that I don’t have to do the uncovered walk to/ from the boat. I would pass at any price to upgrade to SR, but if SR were cheaper than Dol I’d do SR as SR is a very nice hotel and has a shuttle bus to Dol/Swan.

When traveling with my older parents they quite prefer the nicer rooms at SR and the ease with which the ECV can be dropped at Bell Services on return to the hotel. In that case so I would pay up to $100/nt/room for SR over Dol if I were traveling with them.

 

[DisneyGamer11]

Both valid points dependent upon situation - thanks for your input!

 

[mickey916]

Heads up: Swan, Dolphin & Swan Reserve appear to be upping their resort fee to $50. I booked a reservation for May on Dec. 19 and noticed today when I went into the Bonvoy account that the total estimated cost for 9 nights went up about $50. I called to question it and was told that the resort fee by the time we stay in May will be $50/day up from $45, hence the increased total. I also noticed parking will be $38/day, up from $36. Ugh.

 

[Disneydawg74]

Heads up: Swan, Dolphin & Swan Reserve appear to be upping their resort fee to $50. I booked a reservation for May on Dec. 19 and noticed today when I went into the Bonvoy account that the total estimated cost for 9 nights went up about $50. I called to question it and was told that the resort fee by the time we stay in May will be $50/day up from $45, hence the increased total. I also noticed parking will be $38/day, up from $36. Ugh.

Same thing happened to me. I’m amazed that they can increase the resort fee at will (but must honor the room rate in the reservation) without notice.

 

[mickey916]

Same thing happened to me. I’m amazed that they can increase the resort fee at will (but must honor the room rate in the reservation) without notice.

I just noticed it in the fine print today that they can do that. It is amazing. In December we saw people using the swan boats and I thought to myself, "there's some people making sure to get every dime of their resort fee."...lol