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

[Dan Murphy]

Anything specific to the Swan that I forgot?

Make sure they know no buses to Epcot or the Studios. Boats or walk only. Make sure to check out the Dolphin across the causeway, it's really pretty inside. And to maybe try some of the restaurants on property, each are very nice and unique. Enjoy the Grotto Pool area, one of the best in WDW.

Enjoy.

 

[patty57]

Had a two night stay at the Dolphin, Dec. 11 & 12. For anyone fretting about an upcoming stay based on bad reviews (looking at you Tripadvisor), we had a clean and comfortable room. It was ready early in the day. The days of Starwood's free upgrades are gone, but it was a good stay. Room was much nicer than our current BWV studio.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Had a two night stay at the Dolphin, Dec. 11 & 12. For anyone fretting about an upcoming stay based on bad reviews (looking at you Tripadvisor), we had a clean and comfortable room. It was ready early in the day. The days of Starwood's free upgrades are gone, but it was a good stay. Room was much nicer than our current BWV studio.

Thanks for the report, Patty. And enjoy the balance of your stay there at WDW.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I had a 1 night stay at Swan last week. I have had HORRIBLE luck with Swan, love SR but I swore off Swan. The only reason I was willing to do this was I had a FNC and SR & Dolphin didn’t have availability and it was just for 1 night. I had a 1 SNA left and I applied that to try to get an alcove room. To my shock it cleared. And then to my utter shock on check-in I was told I had been upgraded to a Grand Suite and received keys for the bedroom and the parlor room. Needless to say that was my best Swan stay ever, too bad the space was mostly a novelty as I was a solo traveler just looking to crash for the night Obviously being just 1 night upped the chances for an upgrade but I didn’t even expect the SNA to clear lol. Fwiw I got the impression at the Disney hotels I stayed in (ASMu, CSR, YC) it was pretty quiet last week and I don’t think Swan was any different- and prices for Swolphin only increased up to my trip so that was weird…

No ants dropping on my face this time, no peeling fiberglass in the tub and no chipped tiles all around the tub/shower- Swan *might* go back on my list

 

[champagne&disney]

I had a 1 night stay at Swan last week. I have had HORRIBLE luck with Swan, love SR but I swore off Swan. The only reason I was willing to do this was I had a FNC and SR & Dolphin didn’t have availability and it was just for 1 night. I had a 1 SNA left and I applied that to try to get an alcove room. To my shock it cleared. And then to my utter shock on check-in I was told I had been upgraded to a Grand Suite and received keys for the bedroom and the parlor room. Needless to say that was my best Swan stay ever, too bad the space was mostly a novelty as I was a solo traveler just looking to crash for the night Obviously being just 1 night upped the chances for an upgrade but I didn’t even expect the SNA to clear lol. Fwiw I got the impression at the Disney hotels I stayed in (ASMu, CSR, YC) it was pretty quiet last week and I don’t think Swan was any different- and prices for Swolphin only increased up to my trip so that was weird…

No ants dropping on my face this time, no peeling fiberglass in the tub and no chipped tiles all around the tub/shower- Swan *might* go back on my list

What a fun experience!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope the whole trip was fantastic.

 

[gottalovepluto]

What a fun experience!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope the whole trip was fantastic.

It was really lovely! I was hesitant to do it but I adored EP's holiday offerings and the CP.

The only thing I would do different is I would skip the YC portion and stay Swolphin. I was originally going to stay Dolphin and switched to SR (I'm a serial resort changer) but an AP rate hit at YC and I decided I wanted to be all in on the bubble- but it was simply not worth it.

 

[piglet1979]

Thank you so much for the info. How far a walk is the Swan from Beach Club or Boardwalk?

It wasn't long at all to go to the Boardwalk. We did this often. We tend to not want to walk any more then we have too while at Disney and this walk didn't seem like it added too much more. The walk to BC or YC seemed longer so we only did that once.

 

[kylenne]

It was really lovely! I was hesitant to do it but I adored EP's holiday offerings and the CP.

The only thing I would do different is I would skip the YC portion and stay Swolphin. I was originally going to stay Dolphin and switched to SR (I'm a serial resort changer) but an AP rate hit at YC and I decided I wanted to be all in on the bubble- but it was simply not worth it.

This is the debate we’re currently having for our pre-cruise stay next May. We’re doing 5 days at the World to use up a lingering covid cancellation era 4 day hopper ticket my partner keeps moving, before taking a 4 nt cruise on the Wish. I loved my Labor Day weekend stay at the Dolphin and am considering that as our resort but gf has her heart set on GDT, which she has wanted to stay at ever since I talked up my solo weekend there.

I feel like it’s a no brainer given the comparable pricing (the cruise is eating most of the budget, so we’re trying to keep resort costs down). I booked a placeholder king room at the Dolphin but I think it will come down to whatever discounts come out for our dates. I just have a hard time staying at a mod, even a fancy mod I love, when I know I could be walking to 2 parks for the same price. But being all in the bubble is super important to us too, especially since this is our first Disney cruise. We kinda want to keep the vibe going. We do have 1 nt post cruise at AKL just spending the day at the resort though, at least.

 

[gottalovepluto]

This is the debate we’re currently having for our pre-cruise stay next May. We’re doing 5 days at the World to use up a lingering covid cancellation era 4 day hopper ticket my partner keeps moving, before taking a 4 nt cruise on the Wish. I loved my Labor Day weekend stay at the Dolphin and am considering that as our resort but gf has her heart set on GDT, which she has wanted to stay at ever since I talked up my solo weekend there.

I feel like it’s a no brainer given the comparable pricing (the cruise is eating most of the budget, so we’re trying to keep resort costs down). I booked a placeholder king room at the Dolphin but I think it will come down to whatever discounts come out for our dates. I just have a hard time staying at a mod, even a fancy mod I love, when I know I could be walking to 2 parks for the same price. But being all in the bubble is super important to us too, especially since this is our first Disney cruise. We kinda want to keep the vibe going. We do have 1 nt post cruise at AKL just spending the day at the resort though, at least.

That's a tough call! Mostly because I also love GDT so my go to stay has become GDT/EP area split With only 4 nights before hoping a cruise I wouldn't want to hassle with a split, so I would be in complete indecision in your shoes!

 

[kylenne]

That's a tough call! Mostly because I also love GDT so my go to stay has become GDT/EP area split With only 4 nights before hoping a cruise I wouldn't want to hassle with a split, so I would be in complete indecision in your shoes!

I almost stayed there Labor Day Weekend but I ended up doing the Dolphin because of EEH. I’m glad I did, don’t get me wrong, but I LOVE GDT and always joke if they stuck it on the Boardwalk I’d never stay anywhere else in that area again. This time it’s 50/50 because this is basically another long weekend trip but we come in on a Wednesday, which means MK EEH. Normally I’d just split but it’s such a short trip I don’t want to mess with that. At this rate I swear I’m gonna end up flipping a coin (or knowing me, taking a third totally different option when the discounts come out!).

 

[nw6675]

I almost stayed there Labor Day Weekend but I ended up doing the Dolphin because of EEH. I’m glad I did, don’t get me wrong, but I LOVE GDT and always joke if they stuck it on the Boardwalk I’d never stay anywhere else in that area again. This time it’s 50/50 because this is basically another long weekend trip but we come in on a Wednesday, which means MK EEH. Normally I’d just split but it’s such a short trip I don’t want to mess with that. At this rate I swear I’m gonna end up flipping a coin (or knowing me, taking a third totally different option when the discounts come out!).

I trust your judgment. Is Dolphin really great? I've stayed at all the deluxe minus BWI and AK. I loved the Dolphin vibe when we visited

 

[kylenne]

I trust your judgment. Is Dolphin really great? I've stayed at all the deluxe minus BWI and AK. I loved the Dolphin vibe when we visited

I love it! Admittedly a lot of that love is childhood nostalgia because I stayed there a lot on family trips growing up. But I have stayed there as an adult and enjoy it a lot. The rooms are fine, if a bit generic, but no more so than the BC refurb imo. Excellent on site food options, best of the Crescent Lake resorts imo and unlike the Disney ones, the QS is open early enough to make it a feasible stop on the way to super early rope drops at HS. I really liked being able to mobile order a wrap and a drink and pick it up on the way out at 6:30a. I enjoy the spa there too, though the prices are on par now with GF. Customer service there is fantastic, the S/D app makes it super easy to get assistance. I had an issue with my shower not draining and used the chat/text feature on my way over to HS and by the time I got back for my midday siesta it had already been fixed. Pool area is great and you can mobile order food by scanning the QR codes on the chairs, which was really convenient.

I actually prefer the Dolphin to Yacht and Beach if I’m honest. But I am not a big fan of SAB (I find it a bit overwhelming). One minus to me is the bus situation. Losing the Disney buses was way more annoying in practice than I thought it would be. I ended up taking rideshares to MK and AK because I didn’t find their shuttles reliable at all. But you absolutely can’t beat the prices. Over Labor Day weekend with the AP discount I paid less than it would have cost to stay at a moderate. This is why I have a really hard time justifying YC/BC/BWI anymore.

 

[Best Aunt]

Some of my family is going to Disney at the end of the month. I've heard that you get a great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Transportation & Ticket Center. My niece asked about taking the bus from the Swan to TTC on their non-park day to watch the MK fireworks, and then get on the bus to return to the Swan. Does that make sense? When should they get on the bus at the Swan to do this? (Half hour before fireworks time, hour before fireworks time, etc.)

 

[SoloDisFan]

This is the debate we’re currently having for our pre-cruise stay next May. We’re doing 5 days at the World to use up a lingering covid cancellation era 4 day hopper ticket my partner keeps moving, before taking a 4 nt cruise on the Wish. I loved my Labor Day weekend stay at the Dolphin and am considering that as our resort but gf has her heart set on GDT, which she has wanted to stay at ever since I talked up my solo weekend there.

I feel like it’s a no brainer given the comparable pricing (the cruise is eating most of the budget, so we’re trying to keep resort costs down). I booked a placeholder king room at the Dolphin but I think it will come down to whatever discounts come out for our dates. I just have a hard time staying at a mod, even a fancy mod I love, when I know I could be walking to 2 parks for the same price. But being all in the bubble is super important to us too, especially since this is our first Disney cruise. We kinda want to keep the vibe going. We do have 1 nt post cruise at AKL just spending the day at the resort though, at least.

So, would y'all say Swolphin definitely feels outside the bubble?

 

[patty57]

So, would y'all say Swolphin definitely feels outside the bubble?

I don't find that at all. It doesn't have hidden Mickeys everywhere, but I very much feel in the bubble, since I can walk to two parks.

 

[Cynt]

@SoloDisFan Idk. I'll let you know Friday! We're going to Disney World!

 

[Lewisc]

So, would y'all say Swolphin definitely feels outside the bubble?

I wouldn't say that. You can't charge back to your room from Disney is the major difference. The location is in the bubble. Disney operated transportation to 2 parks. Transportation to 2 other parks is as frequent as Disney. Being dropped off at TTC isn't as big a deal as some claim. Not enough to consider hotels outside the bubble.

DME, including luggage handling, was the one big in the bubble difference


Posters say Bonnet Creek is in the bubble since you pass the Welcome to Disney signs to get to your resort. I don't agree

 

[SoloDisFan]

@SoloDisFan Idk. I'll let you know Friday! We're going to Disney World!

Have a great time!

 

[SoloDisFan]

I wouldn't say that. You can't charge back to your room from Disney is the major difference. The location is in the bubble. Disney operated transportation to 2 parks. Transportation to 2 other parks is as frequent as Disney. Being dropped off at TTC isn't as big a deal as some claim. Not enough to consider hotels outside the bubble.

DME, including luggage handling, was the one big in the bubble difference


Posters say Bonnet Creek is in the bubble since you pass the Welcome to Disney signs to get to your resort. I don't agree

Thank you for your reply!

 

[SoloDisFan]

I don't find that at all. It doesn't have hidden Mickeys everywhere, but I very much feel in the bubble, since I can walk to two parks.

Great! Thank you!!!