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

[Dan Murphy]

We'll be at first stay at Swan in 11 days! We've stayed at BC & BW multiple times so we know how great the area is. We can not wait!!! My only question left is are there pool towels at any or all pools? Thank you!!!

Yes, towels are available at the

Cabana Beach Hut

Cabana Beach Hut location

 

[loves to dive]

Yes, towels are available at the

Cabana Beach Hut

Cabana Beach Hut location

Make sure you have your room key with you, not that you are going to leave your room without it, but just in case. They do ask to see it (or they have every time I've gotten a towel and I have to dig down into the bottom of my bag to find my key).

 

[Shula]

Thank you!

 

[LSK]

This thread has been a wealth of knowledge and I am looking forward to our first Christmas trip! I have a booking question for you Disney/Marriott experts - I booked AAA rates through Marriott and bought park tickets separately through Disney. Today I discovered Costco's Disney deals, man do I wish I went that route. It looks like I am able to book Swan through Costco with a Universal ticket for 1 member of my party and STILL save money over my AAA rate for the hotel. Like $700. Am I missing something here? My tickets are through Disney so those shouldn't be impacted, but if I am buying a "Universal package" will my Swan reservation still show up in MDE? Will this somehow impact early park entry if that is around in December? I'd love to save money if I can, but I don't want to do something that will impact our trip.

 

[LSUmiss]

Are the pools at the swan & dolphin shared & can you use any of them regardless of it you’re staying in the swan or dolphin?

 

[loves to dive]

Are the pools at the swan & dolphin shared & can you use any of them regardless of it you’re staying in the swan or dolphin?

Yes, you can use any of the facilities at both resorts.

 

[Scott R. Scherr]

This thread has been a wealth of knowledge and I am looking forward to our first Christmas trip! I have a booking question for you Disney/Marriott experts - I booked AAA rates through Marriott and bought park tickets separately through Disney. Today I discovered Costco's Disney deals, man do I wish I went that route. It looks like I am able to book Swan through Costco with a Universal ticket for 1 member of my party and STILL save money over my AAA rate for the hotel. Like $700. Am I missing something here? My tickets are through Disney so those shouldn't be impacted, but if I am buying a "Universal package" will my Swan reservation still show up in MDE? Will this somehow impact early park entry if that is around in December? I'd love to save money if I can, but I don't want to do something that will impact our trip.

The prices for the Swan and Dolphin will fluctuate a great deal between now and then. I have a AAA rate for July which has dropped significantly and is a better deal than the Costco rate for the same period. I check daily and the AAA rate is fully refundable so I can rebook whenever the price drops.

 

[Gearbm95]

Just tried to reserve a pool chair using the ResortPass page that S&D link from their website. Seems like there’s no availability through the rest of the year, I’m assuming this is an error, as there’s plenty of cabanas available.


For anyone who has been there lately, is there currently a way to reserve pool chairs in advance? Thanks

 

[epicot]

Is true that the S&D buses only drop off at the TTC for MK? If so, is it ideal/possible to sneak over to one of the nearby resorts in the morning and use their buses?

 

[Antonio]

Is it easier to walk back from HS to swan or take the skyliner to Epcot and walk from there? Going in the summer and normally 15-20 minute walk is nothing for us but at the end of the night I wouldn’t mind the easiest route back.

 

[SMRT-1]

Is it easier to walk back from HS to swan or take the skyliner to Epcot and walk from there? Going in the summer and normally 15-20 minute walk is nothing for us but at the end of the night I wouldn’t mind the easiest route back.

The easiest way back would be to take the Friendship ferry boats. To the left of the HS exit there's a ferry dock. The Swan/Dolphin is the first stop from HS.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes, you can use any of the facilities at both resorts.

Do you (or anyone here) know the difference between a deluxe king room & a king room booking category on Marriott’s website for the swan? They seem to be the same square footage.

 

[Dave006]

Is it easier to walk back from HS to swan or take the skyliner to Epcot and walk from there?

You actually have 3 options. Walking, taking a Friendship boat or using the Skyliner. The Skyliner will take the most time.

Dave

 

[LSUmiss]

One more question, does anyone know if there are any king rooms in the swan that have tubs vs just showers?

 

[SteveH]

Is true that the S&D buses only drop off at the TTC for MK? If so, is it ideal/possible to sneak over to one of the nearby resorts in the morning and use their buses?

Many S/D guests have, some noted some signs over at YC/BC saying the buses were for resort guests only. But there is a great FAQ page from WDW stating that Disney transportation is for all guests, Q. I’m not staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Can I use the monorails, buses and boats to get around Walt Disney World Resort?

 

[maui2k5]

We (wife and daughters 10, 12) have a split stay with UOR planned for this Aug 4-12 and currently have the Yacht Club booked for the 7-12. However, we have rethought the cost for all of this and are looking for ways to keep the magic, still stay in the boardwalk area all while saving some $$$. In the past we have stayed at the Swan and have, for the most part, enjoyed our stays. Now that the kids are older, sleeping arrangements are not quite as easy as they used to be (which is what drew us to the YC which sleeps 5). Then I came to know that the Dolphin has 2 Premium Double/Double Rooms with a pull out couch (500sf) for roughly $100 less per night than the YC.

Now for my questions.

1) It appears as though the Premium Double/Double/Sofa is only bookable with a AAA prepaid reservation. Is that really the case or should I just call the hotel to discuss the reservation options for that room type?

2) Any downsides (aside from bus transportation changes which may or may not be a downside) for staying at the Dolphin compared to the Yacht Club? YC is a little closer to Epcot and has Stormalong Bay, but we are not going to be spending too much time in the pools since we only will be visiting the parks for 4 days (including the first Boo Bash party - hopefully)

Thanks!

 

[MarBee]

We (wife and daughters 10, 12) have a split stay with UOR planned for this Aug 4-12 and currently have the Yacht Club booked for the 7-12. However, we have rethought the cost for all of this and are looking for ways to keep the magic, still stay in the boardwalk area all while saving some $$$. In the past we have stayed at the Swan and have, for the most part, enjoyed our stays. Now that the kids are older, sleeping arrangements are not quite as easy as they used to be (which is what drew us to the YC which sleeps 5). Then I came to know that the Dolphin has 2 Premium Double/Double Rooms with a pull out couch (500sf) for roughly $100 less per night than the YC.

Now for my questions.

1) It appears as though the Premium Double/Double/Sofa is only bookable with a AAA prepaid reservation. Is that really the case or should I just call the hotel to discuss the reservation options for that room type?

2) Any downsides (aside from bus transportation changes which may or may not be a downside) for staying at the Dolphin compared to the Yacht Club? YC is a little closer to Epcot and has Stormalong Bay, but we are not going to be spending too much time in the pools since we only will be visiting the parks for 4 days (including the first Boo Bash party - hopefully)

Thanks!

I’ll answer #2 with my opinion. I believe YC/BC is nicer than Dolphin. If they were the same price, I’d go with the Disney hotel every time. However, I don’t think YC is so much nicer than Dolphin that I’d pay $100 more a night for it, especially if the sleeping configurations work better for you there. They’re essentially the same location, and they’re both amazing resorts. I’d save the money if I were you.

 

[samara]

Hi! Have so much fun! I was just at swan in April and can help a little:

2. I didn’t have my own cabana but I spent enough time at the swan lap pool to notice that some people did not spend their whole day, and did come and go. I would just make sure you tell the staff you aren’t done for the day so they don’t clear out your towels and stuff.

3. We had two meals booked at CR, a lunch and a dinner. The lunch we drove ourselves, and I just showed my Id and reservation details on my phone to the guard and she told us where to park. The Uber was even easier. And both times we were a bit early because for lunch, we weren’t sure about protocol, and for dinner I wanted shop a bit before we ate, and neither was an issue.

Hope this helps!

Thank you! We will take an Uber over, so good to know it’s easy!

Dave006 - Thanks! I can’t believe they are just letting people out in traffic!!

 

[tigertides]

I have a trip in Mid-June. I went to Marriott official website, and modified reservation because... 4 night Double Bed for 2adults/2kids went from

$1041 to $868 total ( includes taxes/fees).

Wow!!!!!

 

[mickey916]

I'm almost in the window to book my May 2022 trip...I think next Wednesday will work from my calculations....can't wait! Got a Bonvoy credit card to get the last few thousand points I may need to book so I'm ready!