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

[Dan Murphy]

I would call S/D directly. Here is the number. Or do it on the Open Table link there.

http://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/gardengrove/index.html

 

[hawaiiangal]

Several rates specials and packages from email today........

Pack your bags and plan your next vacation to the award-winning

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in sunny central Florida!

Within walking distance of Epcot® and Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ we’re the perfect place for you and your family to experience all the excitement of Walt Disney World® first hand.

BOOK ONE OF THESE SPECIAL SEASONAL OFFERS BY FEBRUARY 14, 2016

School Is Out, Summer Is In.
Let The Fun Begin!

Have some fun in the sun from
June 1 - September 30, 2016

Rates starting from: $168 per night
Rate Code: SUMMER

Experience the 7th Annual
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
Food & Wine Classic

Wine & Dine from
October 28th - October 29th, 2016

Packages from: $392 per night

Find Out Why USA TODAY Named
Us A Top 10 Holiday Resort!

Experience Santa's Favorite Resort
Select Dates in December, 2016

Rates starting from: $159 per night
Rate Code: SANTA

Reservations: 1.888.828.8850

Take advantage of one of these great rates and start your year off with some much needed time away!

Make some time to enjoy yourself and create magical memories.

BOOK ONE OF THESE SPECIAL SEASONAL OFFERS BY FEBRUARY 14, 2016

Escape The Cold And
Soak Up The Sun!

Take a dip from
January 1 - February 29, 2016

Rates starting from:
$159 per night
Rate Code: SUNSHINE


Need A Romantic
Weekend Getaway?

Spend some time together
weekends in February, 2016

Rates starting from:
$199 per night
Rate Code: SUNWKDS


Take Some Time To Stop
And Smell The Roses.

Take a break from
March 1 - April 15

Rates starting from:
20% Off Best Daily Rate
Rate Code: SPRINGBK

Disney's Hollywood Studios™

•

Travel to a galaxy far, far away with new Star Wars-inspired experiences at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ including an epic firework finale bursting with Star Wars music.


•

Grown-ups can enjoy a frightfully fun dance-and-dine event at Sunset Showcase hosted by Dr. Facilier and his evil-diva cohosts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™.

Epcot®

•

A whole new Soarin’ journey awaits you with Soarin’ Around the World at Epcot®.


•

Enjoy dazzling gardens, high-energy entertainment, family fun and more when the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival returns March 2 - May 30, 2016.


•

Be transported into the world of “Frozen” and experience the Winter in Summer Celebration, Elsa’s Ice Palace and the Bay of Arendelle this spring.


Disney’s Animal Kingdom

•

Watch as the night comes to life with the new Rivers of Light show, an innovative new show featuring floating lanterns, water screens and swirling animal imagery.


•

Travel through the African savanna amid the orange glow of the setting sun when Kilimanjaro Safaris expands operating hours this spring.


Plus

•

Atlanta Braves spring training games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.


•

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park.


•

Be jolly at Walt Disney World Resort with the return of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Candlelight Processional!



Reservations: 1.888.828.8850

Walk to both Epcot® and Disney’s Hollywood Studios™

Westin Heavenly® Beds and Baths

17 restaurants & lounges

Supervised Kids Camp

The Balinese-Inspired Mandara Spa

WestinWORKOUT® Health Club

Disney’s Extra Magic Hours

Complimentary transportation to Disney Theme Parks

Disney’s FastPass+ benefit

Complimentary parking at Disney Theme Parks

On site Disney character dining in Garden Grove

Preferred tee times at Disney golf courses

Do you know if there is there a special way to enter these promo codes? I tried entering "SANTA" for December dates and it said code is not valid. I also tried March dates with "SPRINGBK" and it also said invalid code.

 

[Sheila K]

Do you know if there is there a special way to enter these promo codes? I tried entering "SANTA" for December dates and it said code is not valid. I also tried March dates with "SPRINGBK" and it also said invalid code.

You must use the promo codes for a phone reservation. We had an existing reservation and when I called they immediately gave us the lower rate

 

[BlueFairy]

#2. Some sites say "free high speed internet included" (under "resort fee" amenities) and others list wifi internet access as a separate and additional fee. Does that mean that if you bring a laptop, you can access the internet via an in-room port if you bring an Ethernet cable? We will only be bringing an Ipad (or two)

For #2, it used to be an extra fee, but now it is included. It is wifi, no cable needed. You can pay an additional fee for even faster speed wifi, but I have never found that necessary.

Well, that's interesting. DH's SANS 2016 conference is all tech people. Lots of them. Both hotels even sold out for the first Sunday (3/13) night of the 9 day meeting. A quote from the hotel page of the conference:

"Top 5 reasons to stay at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin:

1. All SANS attendees receive complimentary High-Speed Internet when booking in the SANS Block."

(ETA: And from the swandolphin.com website:

"The Resort Service Package includes:

• Complimentary enhanced high speed wireless Internet.
(Upgraded Internet available for a fee)")

So does that mean that we'll get that higher speed access for free? Or the regular wi-fi may be included with a discounted resort fee? Or the conference is promoting something that is included with all rooms as part of the resort fee? "Complimentary" is what's throwing me off.

The Dolphin website calls the standard room amenity "Wifi/High Speed Internet Access."

I guess there are 2 reasons this is important: First, I know that with DH working all week, having reliable internet access will be important. Since he is a network engineer, standard e-mail access isn't really going to cut it. Second, I don't want to find that what's included in the resort fee is inadequate and pay for extra that should have been part of our convention rate. Or pay the resort fee and find it should have been included in the convention rate.

All of this are yet more reasons that the extra fees are confusing to guests and should just be rolled into the room rate. I can't tell how good $218 per night is if I don't know what I'm supposed to include.

I'm expecting that we will pay $218 + $25 and have access only to the same wifi everyone else gets. But it would be really nice to find out otherwise.

 

[j37o]

We are staying at the Swan in April. Can someone tell me if it feasible to make an 8:30 a.m. reservation at Kona Café and think I'll be able to make it in time since I have to catch the bus to MK and then the monorail to Poly? Do the buses start running to the Swan early enough? I've done 8 a.m. reservations before from other WDW resorts, just didn't know how the setup is at Swan. Thanks!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Well, that's interesting. DH's SANS 2016 conference is all tech people. Lots of them. Both hotels even sold out for the first Sunday (3/13) night of the 9 day meeting. A quote from the hotel page of the conference:

"Top 5 reasons to stay at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin:

1. All SANS attendees receive complimentary High-Speed Internet when booking in the SANS Block."

(ETA: And from the swandolphin.com website:

"The Resort Service Package includes:

• Complimentary enhanced high speed wireless Internet.
(Upgraded Internet available for a fee)")

So does that mean that we'll get that higher speed access for free? Or the regular wi-fi may be included with a discounted resort fee? Or the conference is promoting something that is included with all rooms as part of the resort fee? "Complimentary" is what's throwing me off.

The Dolphin website calls the standard room amenity "Wifi/High Speed Internet Access."

I guess there are 2 reasons this is important: First, I know that with DH working all week, having reliable internet access will be important. Since he is a network engineer, standard e-mail access isn't really going to cut it. Second, I don't want to find that what's included in the resort fee is inadequate and pay for extra that should have been part of our convention rate. Or pay the resort fee and find it should have been included in the convention rate.

All of this are yet more reasons that the extra fees are confusing to guests and should just be rolled into the room rate. I can't tell how good $218 per night is if I don't know what I'm supposed to include.

I'm expecting that we will pay $218 + $25 and have access only to the same wifi everyone else gets. But it would be really nice to find out otherwise.

I would contact the folks running the convention for clarification as to what is and is not included and pricing. Also, for email, almost any speed connection is fine. If downloading large files, such as music or video files, a super high speed connection may be noticeable.

We are staying at the Swan in April. Can someone tell me if it feasible to make an 8:30 a.m. reservation at Kona Café and think I'll be able to make it in time since I have to catch the bus to MK and then the monorail to Poly? Do the buses start running to the Swan early enough? I've done 8 a.m. reservations before from other WDW resorts, just didn't know how the setup is at Swan. Thanks!

Buses to the S/D, just like all of the other Disney resorts, start running about 6:30 AM. If you are at the bus stop then, you should be fine.

 

[OKW Lover]

We are staying at the Swan in April. Can someone tell me if it feasible to make an 8:30 a.m. reservation at Kona Café and think I'll be able to make it in time since I have to catch the bus to MK and then the monorail to Poly? Do the buses start running to the Swan early enough? I've done 8 a.m. reservations before from other WDW resorts, just didn't know how the setup is at Swan. Thanks!

Buses to the S/D, just like all of the other Disney resorts, start running about 6:30 AM. If you are at the bus stop then, you should be fine.

As @Dan Murphy noted the bus starts running early for those who need to get to the parks before opening. Be sure you allow an hour though to get to the Poly. You could also take Uber for fairly cheap and save a lot of time.

 

[j37o]

I would contact the folks running the convention for clarification as to what is and is not included and pricing. Also, for email, almost any speed connection is fine. If downloading large files, such as music or video files, a super high speed connection may be noticeable.

Buses to the S/D, just like all of the other Disney resorts, start running about 6:30 AM. If you are at the bus stop then, you should be fine.

Thanks to you and OKW for the answers. I didn't know if the schedule was any different at Swan with it not being an official WDW resort. I had seen some posts on here that made me wonder... Thanks for clearing it up.

 

[patty57]

I've posted this on the Transportation Board with no responses. I was thinking S/D people might have more cause to use a town car service. Poking around online, I came across a company reviewed on Yelp called Orlando Airport Towncar Service. All good reviews on Yelp, although have since been told that Yelp is known for fake reviews and trying to extort money from businesses for good reviews. In any case, has anyone here ever heard of, or used them? I know about the usual town car companies, but this one is less expensive. I can't find any reviews or info about them anywhere, except for Yelp.
Anyone know anything about Orlando Airport Towncar Service?

 

[BlueFairy]

I have been active on the DISboards on and off since 1998. In all of those trips I have never heard of them here. I would not use a service I could not find consistent reviews for. The Orlando Better Business Bureau does not find a business with that name in the database on their website. It's of course possible that they are small and entirely reputable, but is it worth rolling the dice to find out? Not for me. I would trust Mears, Tiffany, FL Tours, or any service the S/D or Disney, wdwinfo, allears, or MouseSavers recommends.

 

[patty57]

I have been active on the DISboards on and off since 1998. In all of those trips I have never heard of them here. I would not use a service I could not find consistent reviews for. The Orlando Better Business Bureau does not find a business with that name in the database on their website. It's of course possible that they are small and entirely reputable, but is it worth rolling the dice to find out? Not for me. I would trust Mears, Tiffany, FL Tours, or any service the S/D or Disney, wdwinfo, allears, or MouseSavers recommends.

This is probably very sound advice. Thank you. I also find it very odd that I can't see anything about them other than their website or Yelp. On the other hand, I'm tempted to try them (because they are very reasonably priced) and if they don't show up...I could hop in a cab. As they say...first world problems.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have been active on the DISboards on and off since 1998. In all of those trips I have never heard of them here. I would not use a service I could not find consistent reviews for. The Orlando Better Business Bureau does not find a business with that name in the database on their website. It's of course possible that they are small and entirely reputable, but is it worth rolling the dice to find out? Not for me. I would trust Mears, Tiffany, FL Tours, or any service the S/D or Disney, wdwinfo, allears, or MouseSavers recommends.

I agree, Patty.

because they are very reasonably priced)

Unless I am missing something, there appears to be only a $10 difference between Orlando Airport Towncar Service and Tiffany. I personally would do Tiffany, or other well known service.

http://www.orlandoairporttowncar.com/

http://www.tiffanytowncar.com/rates.html

 

[mar21]

Hi, everyone! My family and I are interested in staying at the Swan for our "spur of the moment" Disney World vacation. Our prospective dates are 4/17 - 4/23.

We qualify for both the Senior and Teacher Discount Rates. Upon first glance, it appears as though the Teacher Rate is a better deal. However, I am concerned about hidden costs. I know that there is a resort fee of $25 per room for each night, but I didn't see any sort of charge related to this in the Booking Information for the Teacher Rate. Conversely, I think the resort fee was included in the Senior Rate Booking Information under "Service Package."

Have any of you ever booked the Swan with the Teacher Rate? If so, were you charged for a resort fee at check-in or check-out?

Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm still learning how to navigate the threads.

 

[Tess]

Hi, everyone! My family and I are interested in staying at the Swan for our "spur of the moment" Disney World vacation. Our prospective dates are 4/17 - 4/23.

We qualify for both the Senior and Teacher Discount Rates. Upon first glance, it appears as though the Teacher Rate is a better deal. However, I am concerned about hidden costs. I know that there is a resort fee of $25 per room for each night, but I didn't see any sort of charge related to this in the Booking Information for the Teacher Rate. Conversely, I think the resort fee was included in the Senior Rate Booking Information under "Service Package."

Have any of you ever booked the Swan with the Teacher Rate? If so, were you charged for a resort fee at check-in or check-out?

Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm still learning how to navigate the threads.

Yes we have used the Teacher Rate and yes, the $25 per night service fee is added to that rate just as it is for every other rate offered.

 

[patty57]

I agree, Patty.

Unless I am missing something, there appears to be only a $10 difference between Orlando Airport Towncar Service and Tiffany. I personally would do Tiffany, or other well known service.

http://www.orlandoairporttowncar.com/

http://www.tiffanytowncar.com/rates.html

I'm only using a car from the airport to the Dolphin, so it's a $15 difference. Still, probably not enough to take a chance. Darn my obsessive need to get the best rates on things. I think both of you are right, and I'll book with someone known.
Thanks for the opinions.

 

[mar21]

Yes we have used the Teacher Rate and yes, the $25 per night service fee is added to that rate just as it is for every other rate offered.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Tess! I'm so embarrassed because it was all spelled out for me on the webpage advertising the Teacher Rate.

"Rates are per room, per night based on availability and do not include the mandatory Resort Service Package, daily parking fees (if applicable), applicable taxes or gratuities."

I guess the website threw me for a loop when it included the Resort Service Package as an additional charge for the Senior Discount. And if that managed to confuse me, I think I might need a break from researching hotels, lol.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I saw A refurbishment list that the Dolphin was down for refurbishment October through December 2015. What was done?

 

[CJK]

My friends are coming up on 60 days before their trip. Their reservation at the Swan is linked to MDE, and their park tickets are also linked. Will they be able to book fast passes like guests at Disney owned hotels right at 60 days? I'm booking their fast passes for them, and this is my first time booking for someone staying at the Swan. Just want to make sure everything works in the same way for guests staying at the Swan/Dolphin so I don't have any unwanted surprises at midnight! Thanks!!

 

[MaryKatesMom]

My friends are coming up on 60 days before their trip. Their reservation at the Swan is linked to MDE, and their park tickets are also linked. Will they be able to book fast passes like guests at Disney owned hotels right at 60 days? I'm booking their fast passes for them, and this is my first time booking for someone staying at the Swan. Just want to make sure everything works in the same way for guests staying at the Swan/Dolphin so I don't have any unwanted surprises at midnight! Thanks!!

If you can book 30 days out now than you should be good to go. Midnight at 60 days it will open up the FP+ window. I just did this last weekend.

 

[CJK]

If you can book 30 days out now than you should be good to go. Midnight at 60 days it will open up the FP+ window. I just did this last weekend.

Thank you! Yes, they can book fast passes right now 30 days in advance, so it looks like we should be fine at the 60 day mark. Thanks for the reassurance!