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

[Dan Murphy]

Well after many years of staying at the Swan I finally got a chance to stay at the Dolphin. All I can say is that the Dolphin really is a superior resort in so many ways and is very impressive inside and out...but I did not like it compared to the Swan. Something just didn't feel as "right" as my Swan stays, can't put my finger on it but I guess I can officially say I'm team Swan lol.

For me, a Swan team member also, I think the Dolphin is too big, too pretentious and not as 'wsrm' as the Swan.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

not as 'wsrm' as the Swan.

This may really be it. I love the pinkish Spanish tiles and the relative quaintness of the building. Also, in the Dolphin I was on the first floor, which made it very convenient for getting to walkway but something about it didn't work for me...Felt very basement-y being lower than the lobby. Then the self parking lot didn't allow any more cars in to park even though they had room and I was a guest! I drove around all day and finally got into the lot late at night. I'd rather do what I've always done and stay at the Swan and walk over to the Dolphin for the fun atmosphere. Would love to try SR one day to see how that changes the S?D equation.

 

[Nimbus]

Well after many years of staying at the Swan I finally got a chance to stay at the Dolphin. All I can say is that the Dolphin really is a superior resort in so many ways and is very impressive inside and out...but I did not like it compared to the Swan. Something just didn't feel as "right" as my Swan stays, can't put my finger on it but I guess I can officially say I'm team Swan lol.

We stayed at Dolphin once during Covid. It was nice and quiet and I liked it so I tried to book it again on our next trip but it was sold out so we stayed at Swan instead. Swan had much better rooms I thought, and when we walked over to the Dolphin it was an absolute zoo! Nothing like the last time we had stayed. We've been team Swan ever since! A much better vibe than Dolphin after a busy, overstimulating day in the park. Quiet, calm, less echo'y, and easier to get out of.

 

[MarBee]

We stayed at Dolphin once during Covid. It was nice and quiet and I liked it so I thought I'd book it again but at a later date but it was sold out so we stayed at Swan instead. Swan had much better rooms I thought, and when we walked over to the Dolphin it was an absolute zoo! Nothing like the last time we had stayed. We've been team Swan ever since! A much better vibe than Dolphin after a busy, overstimulating day in the park. Quiet, calm, less echo'y, and easier to get out of.

I always say that the Dolphin is the better resort but the Swan has better rooms. The full sized beds are a deal breaker for us, and I’ll never understand why a hotel that has the room for 2 queens opts for 2 fulls instead

 

[AussieFan8]

Random question - does anyone know if Java has the single serving oatmeal cups that you add water to? Do they have the same coffee options as Fuel?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Overnight oats

Are these helpful?

https://allears.net/dining/menu/java-bar/all-day/

https://allears.net/dining/menu/fuel/all-day/

 

[Dave006]

Overnight oats

Are these helpful?

They may be helpful but these offering are not the Single Serving Instant Oats cups. But the real thing served cold. @AussieFan might be convinced to go with the Overnight Oats version.

Dave

 

[AussieFan8]

Overnight oats

Are these helpful?

https://allears.net/dining/menu/java-bar/all-day/

https://allears.net/dining/menu/fuel/all-day/

Yes, thanks!

 

[AussieFan8]

They may be helpful but these offering are not the Single Serving Instant Oats cups. But the real thing served cold. @AussieFan might be convinced to go with the Overnight Oats version.

Dave

Yep, was hoping for the cups but am glad to hear there is some version of oats, thank you!

 

[kylenne]

I think they’re chasing “experience” money. Experiences are what people want these days, bowling is multigenerational, not weather impacted. I get it, don’t know if it will work, but I get why the gamble over just another dining establishment.

I do hope they invest in some good soundproofing lol

Fancy bowling alleys with elevated gastropub type food are very popular and have been trendy for a while outside of the bubble even. Locally in NYC we have Bowlero and many others but Splitsville over at DS does very well too and the food is supposed to be pretty good. It'll be cool to have a similar concept in a more convenient spot like the Dolphin, especially with Jellyrolls closing.

 

[Dave006]

It'll be cool to have a similar concept in a more convenient spot like the Dolphin, especially with Jellyrolls closing.

I thought it might work out at the Dolphin but after some research it will only has 4 lanes of bowling. Bowlero are mostly converted Bowling alleys with many lanes. Our local Bowlero has 64 lanes. The Splitsville in DS has 30 lanes.

It does not look like Marriott and/or Tishman Reality & MetLife is making much of an effort with the new Lagoon Games, Lanes & Eats.

Dave

 

[gottalovepluto]

I thought it might work out at the Dolphin but after some research it will only has 4 lanes of bowling. Bowlero are mostly converted Bowling alleys with many lanes. Our local Bowlero has 64 lanes. The Splitsville in DS has 30 lanes.

It does not look like Marriott and/or Tishman Reality & MetLife is making much of an effort with the new Lagoon Games, Lanes & Eats.

Dave

I hope the "exclusive dining space" is not those 4 couches

 

[StarTunnelVibes]

Has anyone had recent experiences with getting to check in early? I am staying at the Swan next month.

When I stayed at the Swan last March, I arrived at the hotel around 11am and my room was ready. I was pleasantly surprised!

Is this normal and should I expect it again? Or maybe just lucky timing?

 

[Disneydawg74]

Has anyone had recent experiences with getting to check in early? I am staying at the Swan next month.

When I stayed at the Swan last March, I arrived at the hotel around 11am and my room was ready. I was pleasantly surprised!

Is this normal and should I expect it again? Or maybe just lucky timing?

We’ve stayed at the Swan dozens of times and had a wide variety of room ready times. I think it’s mostly a matter of luck, meaning how crowded the hotel is at the time affects how early rooms might be available (also room category can be a factor.). We’ve gotten ours early (before 11:00), late (after 5:00) and in between (1:00-2:00). I wouldn’t expect 11:00 a.m.

 

[summerlvr]

We’ve stayed at the Swan dozens of times and had a wide variety of room ready times. I think it’s mostly a matter of luck, meaning how crowded the hotel is at the time affects how early rooms might be available (also room category can be a factor.). We’ve gotten ours early (before 11:00), late (after 5:00) and in between (1:00-2:00). I wouldn’t expect 11:00 a.m.

Definitely agree with this. I've gotten into my room as early as 10 am and as late as 8 pm.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Has anyone had recent experiences with getting to check in early? I am staying at the Swan next month.

When I stayed at the Swan last March, I arrived at the hotel around 11am and my room was ready. I was pleasantly surprised!

Is this normal and should I expect it again? Or maybe just lucky timing?

Do not expect it again. It depends on how busy the hotel has been prior to your arrival + housekeeping staffing. In other words- crapshoot.

 

[Dave006]

Is this normal and should I expect it again? Or maybe just lucky timing?

No you should not expect it to be available at 11 AM. The only way this happens is if you hit the front desk and they still have rooms that are ready for check-in unless you want to pay for an add-on service.

Now if you want to pay extra the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve offer a Guaranteed Early Check-in service for a fee if rooms are available. For example the current rate for the Swan is $100 for a 10 AM Check-in time and $75 for the Dolphin.

Link: https://swandolphin.247activities.com/

Select your resort, check the availability on the displayed Calendar and complete the process. Not available for all dates.

Dave

 

[Disneyhanna]

Yep, was hoping for the cups but am glad to hear there is some version of oats, thank you!

I definitely saw both the cups (didn't look closely, but the kind I imagine you just add hot water to) as well as refrigerated overnight oats during my stay last week at the Swan.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Had a great stay at Swan for Princess weekend last weekend. Did mobile check in and obviously room was not ready in app, but stopped by the desk and was pleasantly surprised our room was ready at noon. Hotel was booked up online but I overheard someone trying to do a walkup reservation and I think they were successful. The staff were so nice, the person checking us in complimented some of our very niche Disney shirts and asked us about the festival and gave us her recommendations. The bell services staff were great with luggage and helping us out without asking (we had to repack bags a bit when leaving and they brought our bags over to the sitting area on the other side of the lobby). I know some people say the staff at the S/D aren't as magical but I find they always go above and beyond!

For any fellow runDisney friends, I highly recommend the Swan. It is the first bus stop, so they stack buses at the Swan and then go to the Dolphin. We walked onto an empty bus every day between 3AM and 3:40AM for the races, and they would wait a few minutes until the bus was maybe half full and head to the Dolphin. Meanwhile there was always a long line at the Dolphin and we never had enough room (so they would get on the next bus, and they kept them coming). We were far from being on the first bus and one morning we heard the bus manager say they had five busses stacked and ready at the Swan! Now, the drivers were supposed to go to the Swan Reserve if they had room, but every morning we filled up at the Dolphin. One morning the bus manager asked the driver to save 5 seats for the Reserve and the driver was like nah, I'll fill up here and go straight to the race lol. So I have no idea what the bus situation is like at the Reserve (hopefully they send a separate bus) but I probably wouldn't stay there for the races. Swan was the first resort to drop off after the races, so it was a really great experience. I've stayed at the Dolphin for race weekends and I definitely prefer the Swan due to the smaller size. Never waited long going back and the trip is so quick.

We had a great room, no view but we were right by the elevator on the 3rd floor. We had some noisy neighbors including a crying baby, but I slept with earplugs and a noise machine, so I had no trouble sleeping through the noise. One night housekeeping did not come until 5PM when we were already settled down for the night, so we just got some water from her and said skip the cleaning. The other days they cleaned the room before we returned around 5-6.

We ordered room service two nights for dinner, and I highly recommend it. It was very quick (30-40 minutes) and easy to order in the app. A bit spendy due to the room service fee and 22% service charge (which it says is a tip, so I did not tip extra when they brought the food), but Uber Eats / DoorDash would have been a similar price and not as fast. We thought the food was great, far better than we expected for room service, and the menu was pretty big. I love dining at WDW but when you go pretty often and are tired during race weekends, sometimes room service or food delivery is just the better option.

There is spaghetti on the sides menu for $13, and you could get marinara or just buttered noodles. This came with two dinner rolls and my friend still raves about her buttered noodles she had the night before the half marathon, and she's Italian, so we were both shocked by this I had one of the warm dinner rolls and it was delicious!

The kids chicken nuggets (which I think was just a smaller portion of the adult version, which was Japanese style) were great and far better than any nuggets you can get in the parks, and the quesadilla was crisp and had so much cheese. I wish there was more salsa but that's my only complaint. The carrot cake was very nice and a huge slice, and we ordered too much so didn't actually eat the caesar salad but it looked good. My friend enjoyed her kids pizza (small personal size), no picture sorry!





Also one nice thing, I booked the room for three adults so there was a hefty extra person fee of $39/night. However, I was not actually charged this additional amount in the final bill. I'll take it!

 

[AussieFan8]

Trying to book Swan now and it looks like I'll have to pay in full at time of booking? I know others have mentioned this before, but in the past I have only had to pay for one night when I booked. Does anyone have any recent experience with this?