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

[duder92]

Im guessing the answer is no, but are there any outdoor dining options at the resort?

 

[julesann]

The complimentary bus, monorail, boat, and Skyliner within WDW are available for all to use. The buses to/from the Swan and the parks/Disney Springs are no longer the official Disney motor coaches; they are buses operated by Mears, which is the company that operates Magical Express (the currently complimentary transfer service to/from MCO that Disney provides to its resort guests). The Magical Express is not offered to Swan and Dolphin guests, as those two resorts are not owned by Disney.

The drop off and pick up locations in the parks and Disney Springs for the Mears buses are different spots, than when the official Disney buses, up until recently, used to serve the Swan and Dolphin; the walk is a bit farther with Mears. Also, the Mears buses to/from the Magic Kingdom will not drop off/pick up at the park, but will require a transfer at the TTC. To avoid a transfer, some Swan guests are taking a short walk to/from the neighboring Boardwalk or Yacht Club to use the official Disney buses. There currently is no rule against this.

The Swan and Dolphin are beautiful resorts and are a very short walk to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. You can also hop on the Friendship ferry boats, for a relaxing ride to/from those two parks. The Friendship boat dock is located out the back doors of the Swan and Dolphin.

Feel free to post any other questions. There are some very helpful and knowledgeable folks, here, who will be glad to help out.

Thank you so much for this detailed info. It is really helpful and cleared up my confusion.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

The complimentary bus, monorail, boat, and Skyliner within WDW are available for all to use. The buses to/from the Swan and the parks/Disney Springs are no longer the official Disney motor coaches; they are buses operated by Mears, which is the company that operates Magical Express (the currently complimentary transfer service to/from MCO that Disney provides to its resort guests). The Magical Express is not offered to Swan and Dolphin guests, as those two resorts are not owned by Disney.

The drop off and pick up locations in the parks and Disney Springs for the Mears buses are different spots, than when the official Disney buses, up until recently, used to serve the Swan and Dolphin; the walk is a bit farther with Mears. Also, the Mears buses to/from the Magic Kingdom will not drop off/pick up at the park, but will require a transfer at the TTC. To avoid a transfer, some Swan guests are taking a short walk to/from the neighboring Boardwalk or Yacht Club to use the official Disney buses. There currently is no rule against this.

The Swan and Dolphin are beautiful resorts and are a very short walk to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. You can also hop on the Friendship ferry boats, for a relaxing ride to/from those two parks. The Friendship boat dock is located out the back doors of the Swan and Dolphin.

Feel free to post any other questions. There are some very helpful and knowledgeable folks, here, who will be glad to help out.

I just have to say... this was an incredibly well written and insightful comment. I mean, I already knew all of this, and yet I still read the entire thing and appreciated it as a refresher! Kudos! SUPER helpful!!

 

[julesann]

We have an upcoming reservation at the Swan for Christmas week and have not received any notifications. If it weren’t for the dis I would have never known.

Thankfully I kept our reservation at the GDT and I’ll be canceling the Swan and sticking with the GDT reservation. Even though it’s more expensive, the lack of communication from Marriott/Swan has left a really bad taste in my mouth about their customer service.

I am wondering what GDT stands for? And is there a list of acronyms for WDW newbies anywhere? Thank you.

 

[Typeo]

@julesann - GDT = Grand Destino Tower, the new tower hotel at the Coronado.

Is there a list of all the benefits you end up missing by staying at an off site hotel such as the Swan rather than an on site hotel Coronado or Animal Kingdom Etc.? We currently have our trip planned and booked for 7 nights at the Coronado Standard room at $211 in late May. Was looking around and with my wifes teacher discount, we could pick up a room at the Swan/Dolphin for $150 ($120+$30 resort fee).

Is the saved $420 worth the potential losses from what we would gain from staying on site? Couple I know of is the Buss transportation from the Airport and the use of Magic Bands. Also the hotel no longer using Disney, but Mears busses (How big of an issue is that)?

This is our first trip to any Disney resort, so I am trying to keep it as smooth of a vacation as possible.

 

[Tom_E_D]

I am wondering what GDT stands for? And is there a list of acronyms for WDW newbies anywhere? Thank you.

Here's an acronym list, but it isn't complete:

https://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm
For one thing, it doesn't have GDT.

 

[armerida]

@julesann - GDT = Grand Destino Tower, the new tower hotel at the Coronado.

Is there a list of all the benefits you end up missing by staying at an off site hotel such as the Swan rather than an on site hotel Coronado or Animal Kingdom Etc.? We currently have our trip planned and booked for 7 nights at the Coronado Standard room at $211 in late May. Was looking around and with my wifes teacher discount, we could pick up a room at the Swan/Dolphin for $150 ($120+$30 resort fee).

Is the saved $420 worth the potential losses from what we would gain from staying on site? Couple I know of is the Buss transportation from the Airport and the use of Magic Bands. Also the hotel no longer using Disney, but Mears busses (How big of an issue is that)?

This is our first trip to any Disney resort, so I am trying to keep it as smooth of a vacation as possible.

Not sure if there is a list, but the main things are as you mentioned - no airport transport on MDE and no magic band charging. Swalphin also uses Mears coach buses now with different drop off areas than the official Disney buses. We didn’t mind this for Animal Kingdom, as the charter stop was very close to the entrance. For Disney Springs, it drops off by Cirque de Soleil, which is a bit longer of a walk depending on where you’re headed. For Magic Kingdom, drop off is now at the TTC, so we Ubered to breakfast at the Contemporary and walked over one day, and grabbed a bus at the Boardwalk resort another.

We have stayed once at Coronado in GDT when it first opened, and while it was lovely, we would choose the Swan over it any time due to location and convenience. Being able to walk to Hollywood and Epcot, especially now that park hopping is back, is super convenient. We found the transportation at Coronado to be the worst we have ever experienced at Disney - buses took forever to come and there are so many bus stops, ours at the tower always being the last (this may have changed now post-covid).

If you don’t mind paying for an Uber for airport transport (which is between $20-$30 each way depending on time of day/demand), I would make the switch, especially since you’d be saving ~$400.

 

[Typeo]

Thanks for the information Amerida, appreciate it!

Would there be anything stopping us from taking the bus from Boardwalk to Magic Kingdom both days well be going and if we decided to Disney Springs? Assuming we could also take the bus back to the Boardwalk from both locations and walk back to the Hotel from Boardwalk on the trips back to the hotel?

 

[SMRT-1]

@julesann - GDT = Grand Destino Tower, the new tower hotel at the Coronado.

Is there a list of all the benefits you end up missing by staying at an off site hotel such as the Swan rather than an on site hotel Coronado or Animal Kingdom Etc.? We currently have our trip planned and booked for 7 nights at the Coronado Standard room at $211 in late May. Was looking around and with my wifes teacher discount, we could pick up a room at the Swan/Dolphin for $150 ($120+$30 resort fee).

Is the saved $420 worth the potential losses from what we would gain from staying on site? Couple I know of is the Buss transportation from the Airport and the use of Magic Bands. Also the hotel no longer using Disney, but Mears busses (How big of an issue is that)?

This is our first trip to any Disney resort, so I am trying to keep it as smooth of a vacation as possible.

Swan and Dolphin aren't "off-site." They're on Disney property (and were actually commissioned by Disney, but due to complicated disputes involving construction contracts Disney doesn't own the buildings or manage them) and as such have historically been afforded the benefits of an on-property resort with the exception of free Magic Bands, Magical Express airport transportation, and the ability to charge to your room with your Magic Band.

COVID has changed things a bit currently. Disney Resort guests no longer get free Magic Bands, and Magical Express is being discontinued in 2022, so those are no longer differentiators between full-Disney resorts and Swan/Dolphin. Pre-COVID, Swan an Dolphin offered official Disney Transportation to and from the parks just like a Disney-owned resort. However, while they still offer official Friendship boat transportation to/from Epcot and HS, they recently switched to third-party bus service through Mears to/from MK and AK instead of Disney buses (this may only be temporary until bus service returns to "normal"). Pre-COVID, on-property, including Swan and Dolphin, offered 60-day advanced FP+ reservations, while off-site guests only got 30 days. However FP+ is not in use since the re-opening, so that is not currently an advantage for on-property guests. Similarly, on-property (again including Swan and Dolphin) had access to Extra Magic Hours. EMH was discontinued post-COVID, but soon will be replaced with Early Park Entry where on-property guests will get 30-min early admission to all parks every day.

Pre-Covid:

Disney Resorts

• Free Magic Band
• Magical Express airport transportation
• Charge to room w/ Magic Band
• 60-day FP+ window
• Extra Magic Hours
• Disney transportation to/from parks and Disney Springs
• Free parking at the theme parks

Swan & Dolphin

• 60-day FP+ window
• Extra Magic Hours
• Disney transportation to/from parks and Disney Springs
• Free parking at the theme parks

Off-Site

• 30-day FP+ window.

Post-Covid (may change in the future as things return to "normal"):

Disney Resorts

• Magical Express airport transportation (only until 2022)
• Charge to room w/ Magic Band
• Early Park Entry (sometime in 2021)
• Disney transportation to/from parks and Disney Springs
• Free parking at the theme parks
• "Disney Resort Guest" park pass reservation group

Swan & Dolphin

• Early Park Entry (sometime in 2021)
• Disney transportation to/from Epcot and HS. Third-party buses to MK, AK, and Disney Springs
• Free parking at the theme parks
• "Disney Resort Guest" park pass reservation group

Off-Site

• "Ticket Holders" park pass reservation group

Edited to remove erroneous post-covid 30-day off-site FP+ copy/paste error
Edited again to add the free parking at the parks on-site benefit that I forgot

 

[Dan Murphy]

free Magic Bands, Magical Express airport transportation

Pretty sure the free magic Bands are gone now, ME will be gone 1/1/2022.

 

[SMRT-1]

Pretty sure the free magic Bands are gone now, ME will be gone 1/1/2022.

I mentioned that in my post.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I mentioned that in my post.

Oops, you sure did. I have to read more carefully, SMRT-1

 

[SMRT-1]

Oops, you sure did. I have to read more carefully, SMRT-1

Well my post was the length of a novel, so I can't blame you.

 

[julesann]

Well my post was the length of a novel, so I can't blame you.

You really helped me figure it all out and it was soooo helpful Thank you for taking the time to list it like this!

 

[Gitelfor]

Im guessing the answer is no, but are there any outdoor dining options at the resort?

Subject to weather and other conditions, there is the Splash Pool Bar & Grill.

Poolside outdoor seating with table service just steps from our white sand beach. Enjoy contemporary lunch fare that includes custom made salads, burgers, fish tacos, and a refreshing selection of your favorite frozen libations or classic cocktails. Beer and wine is also available. Open seasonally.

There also is the Cabana Bar and Beach Club.

Enjoy a sophisticated variety of appetizers, salads, gourmet flat breads and other entrees at this chic restaurant and bar, located just steps from the Dolphin lap pool. Transition into evening with signature cocktails and frozen drinks at our illuminated bar. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations are not necessary.

http://www.iceportal.com/brochures/...2&publicid=475598&transfer=1&type=vr&size=big

 

[SMRT-1]

You really helped me figure it all out and it was soooo helpful Thank you for taking the time to list it like this!

Glad it was helpful, I'm not always sure if I'm being too detailed or not.

I also realized I forgot that another on-property benefit is free parking at the parks. I'll update my previous post to reflect this.

 

[armerida]

Thanks for the information Amerida, appreciate it!

Would there be anything stopping us from taking the bus from Boardwalk to Magic Kingdom both days well be going and if we decided to Disney Springs? Assuming we could also take the bus back to the Boardwalk from both locations and walk back to the Hotel from Boardwalk on the trips back to the hotel?

My pleasure
You should be able to take the boardwalk bus both to and from both Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs (we did this the second time after we found out how far from the restaurants/stores we were visiting the Springs bus stop was). It is a very quick 2-3 minute walk from the Swan to the Boardwalk bus area and the buses come frequently.

 

[Dan Murphy]

My pleasure

Do you work with Chick-fil-A, amerida?

 

[armerida]

Do you work with Chick-fil-A, amerida?

Hmm, I’ve never even been to Chick-fil-a...is that their catch phrase?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hmm, I’ve never even been to Chick-fil-a...is that their catch phrase?

Yes, it is (The link works, but not the post preview. Just click.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/the-real-reason-chick-fil-a-employees-say-my-pleasure/