Resort Thread Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE Resorts

[JayMass]

Swan has queen sized beds, Dolphin has double. May be worth it for some and not others

According to most, beds are nicer at the Swan. I've only stayed at the Swan and their beds were some of the best hotel beds I've ever slept in. If you are OK with the bed situation at Dolphin then I'd go with that. They really are the same resort and the extra $$$ could be better spent.

 

[Nabas]

According to most, beds are nicer at the Swan. I've only stayed at the Swan and their beds were some of the best hotel beds I've ever slept in.

We stayed at the Swan earlier this year and the beds were heavenly!

 

[cgattis]

Yes, BUT apparently there is some sort of known glitch in the system that can occur. My window opened today and I had to call to get my reservations for the week.

And what number did you call? It’s been a couple of years—I’m rusty!

 

[Ducky'sMom]

Hello! Could any of y'all tell me a good configuration for 3 adults/2 children? Myself, my husband, my adult sister, then our 2 children, a 13yo girl and 1 or 2 year old boy (depending on when in Sept 2022 we'd go). Swan/Dolphin/Reserve are kind of confusing and not seemingly forthcoming with room layouts. Are there any other options besides 2 rooms that we could book without it being a presidential/grand/whatever suite? (I'm confused about junior suites, alcove rooms.)

Also, if I book via Disney's site, could I use Disney gift cards to pay, or does it need to be regular payment methods since they're a non-Disney hotel?

 

[JayMass]

Hello! Could any of y'all tell me a good configuration for 3 adults/2 children? Myself, my husband, my adult sister, then our 2 children, a 13yo girl and 1 or 2 year old boy (depending on when in Sept 2022 we'd go). Swan/Dolphin/Reserve are kind of confusing and not seemingly forthcoming with room layouts. Are there any other options besides 2 rooms that we could book without it being a presidential/grand/whatever suite? (I'm confused about junior suites, alcove rooms.)

I just got back from a Swan alcove room. You could fit 5 people in one. You and your husband on the king bed, sister on a roll-away, and the kids share the pull-out. Another option would be to put the 1 or 2 year old in the king bed with you and your husband. I think it depends on how long of trip you are taking and what kind of sleepers you all are. If they have a two queen alcove configuration that would be better but I'm not sure if they have those.

If it were me I'd go with two rooms. You, your husband, and son in one and your daughter and her aunt in the other. You could also consider one of the family suites at AoA but their bed situations are similar (1 queen, 1 full murphy, 1 sofa bed). If you could get a roll-away at AoA then you'd be set. AoA also has a second bathroom.

In terms of paying for the S/D with Disney GCs, I'm sure you could if you book through Disney. However, with your vacation being a year away, I'd open up a Marriott Bonvoy credit card and start earning some points you could use at the S/D to defray some of the cost--especially if you go with two rooms. IMO, the Marriott connection is one of the things that makes the S/D so appealing (plus the amazing pools and central location.)

 

[SteveH]

@Ducky'sMom you got some great advice from @JayMass - we did a trip to WDW years ago with 3 adults and 2 kids at the Cabins, downside was 1 bathroom in the morning. Seems no matter how good the murphy or sofa beds are, they are just not great for most adults and some of the reports from S/D seem to agree with that. I think it would be important to see if your sister is ok with that on a trip. I would be more inclined to try to get 2 rooms at the Dolphin just for the 2 bathrooms and 4 beds.

As far as booking, the plus to the Disney system is using your Disney gift cards and booking a package. The downside is you end up paying full price. So I'd plug in your dates in the S/D system and price compare, the discount you get from Marriott maybe large enough to offset the use of the gift cards. If you are a AAA member be sure to check those rates when comparing too, sometimes it pays to join AAA for the rates. It appears the old Value Days is off the main site but I found this, unsure if its still being updated though since its using a secondary SD site. Depending on when you go and far ahead you book you can get some great deals at SD, but do be aware they us a dynamic pricing system so as it begins to fill prices go up.

Good luck in your decision making and welcome to the SD thread!

 

[Grasshopper2016]

Garden Grove question:

If we don't cancel, we will be back at the Swan for Labor Day weekend. It looks like Garden Grove has temporarily abandoned the buffet format during the pandemic. Do you think it would be possible to get our breakfast to go and then take it into one of the Swan courtyards to eat? If we do end up going, we will want to minimize our indoor dining.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Do you think it would be possible to get our breakfast to go and then take it into one of the Swan courtyards to eat? If we do end up going, we will want to minimize our indoor dining.

I can't see why you wouldn't be able to do that. Not positive, but sure seems like that's fine. And good idea to not eat inside. Hard to be too careful today.

 

[SteveH]

@Grasshopper2016 I would think so, if somebody here doesn't know for certain I'd get the SwanDolphin Mobile App and you can text them directly or email them or even call 407-934-1199.

 

[CJN]

Hello! Could any of y'all tell me a good configuration for 3 adults/2 children? Myself, my husband, my adult sister, then our 2 children, a 13yo girl and 1 or 2 year old boy (depending on when in Sept 2022 we'd go). Swan/Dolphin/Reserve are kind of confusing and not seemingly forthcoming with room layouts. Are there any other options besides 2 rooms that we could book without it being a presidential/grand/whatever suite? (I'm confused about junior suites, alcove rooms.)

Also, if I book via Disney's site, could I use Disney gift cards to pay, or does it need to be regular payment methods since they're a non-Disney hotel?

As far as both the Swan and Dolphin go, I think the family/alcove rooms are the same thing but don’t know if they allow the particular configuration of guests you asked about. This link, if you scroll down to occupancy under “Features”, specifically states 2 adults/2 children at Swan and 2 adults/3 children at Dolphin. I wonder why.

https://swandolphin.com/accommodations/family-room/

However, on our past reservations I think it just stated the total number of guests allowed, making no mention about number of adults vs children. The only alcove rooms I’ve seen available at Swan have one king bed, a sleeper sofa, and one rollaway allowed. At Dolphin it’s mostly the same configuration except they do also have at least one (very hard to book) alcove room with two double beds and sleeper sofa.

 

[cgattis]

At Dolphin it’s mostly the same configuration except they do also have at least one (very hard to book) alcove room with two double beds and sleeper sofa.

I’m booked in an alcove two Queen plus sleeper sofa in November, so there’s at least one of those also.

 

[CJN]

I’m booked in an alcove two Queen plus sleeper sofa in November, so there’s at least one of those also.

Ohhhh, you score!! That would be perfect for us but I’ve never seen the option come up, no matter how far ahead we booked. So we booked the one at Dolphin instead. IMO it makes sense to make a few more available. A king bed doesn’t work for every family.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hello! Could any of y'all tell me a good configuration for 3 adults/2 children? Myself, my husband, my adult sister, then our 2 children, a 13yo girl and 1 or 2 year old boy (depending on when in Sept 2022 we'd go). Swan/Dolphin/Reserve are kind of confusing and not seemingly forthcoming with room layouts. Are there any other options besides 2 rooms that we could book without it being a presidential/grand/whatever suite? (I'm confused about junior suites, alcove rooms.)

Also, if I book via Disney's site, could I use Disney gift cards to pay, or does it need to be regular payment methods since they're a non-Disney hotel?

I'd think outside the Swolphin box and give serious consideration to 2 rooms at a Disney Value if 2 rooms at Swolphin aren’t in the budget. Not as convenient but

• two bathrooms with a teenager is never a bad idea
• if baby/toddler is having a rough day that gives you and DH some quiet space to focus on him- or if he has a rough night it will allow the teen and sister to sleep so at least everybody isn't grouchy the next day
• room for a crib if he's not confident in bed sleeping at that point or if he is ready for a bed he could have his own bed without needing your sister to share a bed with the teen

Do note Dolphin has double beds, Swan has queens

 

[cgattis]

Ohhhh, you score!! That would be perfect for us but I’ve never seen the option come up, no matter how far ahead we booked. So we booked the one at Dolphin instead. IMO it makes sense to make a few more available. A king bed doesn’t work for every family.

Sorry, I guess I lost track of the discussion! Im at the Dolphin. Sorry for any confusion I caused!

 

[cgattis]

Do note Dolphin has double beds, Swan has queens

Hmmm my Dolphin res specifically says 2 queen……the mysteries of the suite rooms just keep getting deeper!!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hmmm my Dolphin res specifically says 2 queen……the mysteries of the suite rooms just keep getting deeper!!

That's so confusing lol. Alcove 2 queens doesn't even show on their website as an option! if it matters to you I would call the hotel direct to make sure they didn't IT glitch on you.

 

[cgattis]

That's so confusing lol. Alcove 2 queens doesn't even show on their website as an option! if it matters to you I would call the hotel direct to make sure they didn't IT glitch on you.

Oh I booked it over the phone with in-house reservations! As long as I end up with three beds of some sort, I’m calling it a victory!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh I booked it over the phone with in-house reservations! As long as I end up with three beds of some sort, I’m calling it a victory!

If it was 2020 I’d say there was a chance you’d walk into the hotel room to find 0 beds but it’s 2021 so I’m gonna crazy and predict there will be beds!

 

[cgattis]

If it was 2020 I’d say there was a chance you’d walk into the hotel room to find 0 beds but it’s 2021 so I’m gonna crazy and predict there will be beds!

If it was 2020, I’d say there was a chance I’d open the door and we’d all just fall down a dark hole, like Alice!! But I’m crossing my fingers for 2021!!!

I’m also continuing to try to change to the Premium Studio, which (supposedly LOL) has two DOUBLES and a sofa bed, BUT has an extra wall for a little more privacy between the beds and the sofa area. But it’s been booked for my dates ever since we changed from May to November

 

[phoenixconfidential]

Hey Everyone!

I booked Dolphin for Thanksgiving Day thru 12/2. This is my first time staying closer on property (2018 we stayed at B Resort) and I have some questions as I've had trouble finding some answers.

-Confirming: Dolphin does not participate in the refillable mug program like other Disney resorts, correct?
-I booked through undercover tourist. I know this is a Marriott hotel. Can or How do I link to my Marriott account? My reservation only has 7 #s and it says reservations have to have 8 #s.
-We like Queen beds and its what we have at home - will doubles be much different?
-Does anyone have any info on if we need anything from the hotel to access the extra early hours or extended evening hours? We had this perk at B Resort last time but i can't remember how it works
-How is it with ordering with Amazon or Instacart for the hotel? I've NEVER done this (not even at home) and the thought gives me anxiety with the unknown, but I'd love to get a case of water and maybe snacks.