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

[goldie28]

Please post what the pools are like? We arrive next week and would really like to know how construction is affecting the Grotto pool.

I really need the answer to this question too. Does anyone know if you can hear construction noises at the Grotto Pool? Pool time is very important to us and the last thing we need is construction noise at the pool. This may seem trivial, but last year our home was heavily damaged in a flood. The entire summer all we heard was pounding, banging and sawing from dawn to dusk through our entire neighborhood. We're working on healing from evacuating with little notice, coming home to near-total destruction and spending over six months rebuilding. We're looking forward to pool time. Normal noises...talking, laughing, kids playing, music...all good, but I've had enough construction noise to last a lifetime.

 

[travellovingirl]

Has anyone used instacart recently at the dolphin?

 

[KuiilHasSpoken]

Are the Mears busses to Animal Kingdom running on the same schedule as Disney's or do you need to find alternate transportation to get there for rope drop?

If being there for rope drop is important, you may want to consider alternate transportation. When we went to AK, the park opened at 8:00 and we were on the 1st bus from the dolphin which left around 7:15ish. We were delayed a bit getting to the park due to the bus lane being blocked, but by the time we got there there were already plenty of people in the park. We went to Flight of Passage first and it was a 25-30 minute wait at the time. My only complaint with our recent stay was that the current buses don't really make for good rope drop experiences for either AK or MK.

 

[julesann]

Do any of the restaurants at the Swan/Dolphin have a happy hour like some of the ones at Disney Springs?

 

[Dave006]

How many lounges do you need? There are 5 currently open. As to specific Happy Hours I can't help you there but you can explore...

1. II Mulino Lounge
2. Kimonos Lounge ( Closed Mon - Tue )
3. Phins
4. Shula's Lounge
5. Todd English's bluezoo lounge - ( Closed Mon - Tue - Wed )

Dave

 

[julesann]

How many lounges do you need? There are 5 currently open. As to specific Happy Hours I can't help you there but you can explore...

1. II Mulino Lounge
2. Kimonos Lounge ( Closed Mon - Tue )
3. Phins
4. Shula's Lounge
5. Todd English's bluezoo lounge - ( Closed Mon - Tue - Wed )

Dave

I have the app but I couldn't find Happy Hour info. Just thought it would be fun to know--I heard this idea as a tip recently for certain DS restaurants. Any one else know where I could get this info?

 

[closetmickey]

4. i have the cheapest king bed room booked. im a marriott member but no status . just a few thousand points, does it pay to tell them about the membership to try to get an upgrade of some kind. i dont want a view of a dumpster if

I also had the cheapest room booked. When I inquired about a balcony room, I was offered the upgrade for $25 night. The beautiful resort view and balcony to enjoy was well worth it to us.

 

[closetmickey]

If being there for rope drop is important, you may want to consider alternate transportation. When we went to AK, the park opened at 8:00 and we were on the 1st bus from the dolphin which left around 7:15ish. We were delayed a bit getting to the park due to the bus lane being blocked, but by the time we got there there were already plenty of people in the park. We went to Flight of Passage first and it was a 25-30 minute wait at the time. My only complaint with our recent stay was that the current buses don't really make for good rope drop experiences for either AK or MK.

You may already know this but when exiting AK, the Swan/Dolphin bus pick up spot is to the left- the opposite direction of the Disney resort bus stops. It is close, however, with benches under a nice little covered area. Maybe it was just us but we found the signage a little bit lacking.

 

[Pats Dragon]

We chose an inexpensive view but were upgraded free to a balcony. I love the Swan. To me the balcony was worth the extra charge. If you have a less than stellar park experience, the Swan is definitely a great stay and compensates for the less than wonderful park experiences. Transportation was great.

 

[Dave006]

I have the app but I couldn't find Happy Hour info. Just thought it would be fun to know--I heard this idea as a tip recently for certain DS restaurants. Any one else know where I could get this info?

Yes you could call contact the in-house Concierge Desk at 407-934-4000. They are very helpful.

Dave

 

[pix13dust]

OMG!!! me again. Is it really $300 to rent a cabana on the weekends?? Do they ever offer a discount?

Quoting myself. I did some research and found a post from 2018 that said you can use your AAA card to get 20% the cabana rental and extra cabana food and drinks. Can someone confirm this is still true AND does the AAA card have to be in my name. We have AAA but the card is in my husbands name.
thanks!

 

[JM_97]

For those that have stayed, is there any benefit to staying in the Swan vs the Dolphin? I know they are sister resorts like the Yacht/Beach Club but was wondering if there are any benefits to one over the other.

 

[MarBee]

For those that have stayed, is there any benefit to staying in the Swan vs the Dolphin? I know they are sister resorts like the Yacht/Beach Club but was wondering if there are any benefits to one over the other.

In general, there’s not too much, but here is the list. Swan rooms have queen beds vs Dolphin having full sized beds. The Swan also has an extra sink in the room.
There is more to do in the Dolphin part of the hotel, but all the amenities are shared, so you have a 2 minute walk from Swan to get to them.

 

[SteveH]

Has anyone used instacart recently at the dolphin?

Not seeing any replies, I was wondering if you had some questions about food delivery or specifically about Instacart? In general you will want to meet your driver when your items are delivered. S/D, in the past, charges per pound for deliveries (this is done as it would be for a business/convention) I don't think this has changed during the pandemic. I took an empty suitcase down and met our driver, loaded it up and took it back to our room.

 

[julesann]

We chose an inexpensive view but were upgraded free to a balcony. I love the Swan. To me the balcony was worth the extra charge. If you have a less than stellar park experience, the Swan is definitely a great stay and compensates for the less than wonderful park experiences. Transportation was great.

So glad you enjoyed your stay! I have a balcony room booked in April at the Swan. I am still confused about what I need to ask for to get a water view and what the different water view options are. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you

 

[closetmickey]

So glad you enjoyed your stay! I have a balcony room booked in April at the Swan. I am still confused about what I need to ask for to get a water view and what the different water view options are. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you

We had a resort view overlooking the walkway between the Swan and Dolphin and the Friendship Boat dock. It was perfect and so fun to watch the boat come and go. I would request it again. I had originally hoped for a Boardwalk view, which was unavailable at the time. I think we were lucky as it seemed to me that because of the location of the Swan, those views would have just been of the side of the Boardwalk inn/villas, as opposed to the actual Boardwalk shops and dining area.

 

[MarBee]

Are there any rooms that will accommodate 7 of us in one room/suite in either the Swan, Reserve, or Dolphin? I know we could get 2 adjoining rooms but was hoping to stay in just one room/suite if possible.

 

[Dave006]

Why not just call 407-934-4000 and ask for in-house Reservations.

Dave

 

[travellovingirl]

I also had the cheapest room booked. When I inquired about a balcony room, I was offered the upgrade for $25 night. The beautiful resort view and balcony to enjoy was well worth it to us.

When did you ask for the upgrade?

 

[MarBee]

Why not just call 407-934-4000 and ask for in-house Reservations.

Dave

Then work could tell that I’m actually planning vacations instead of doing actual work