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

[travellovingirl]

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.

Thanks for the response. Was trying to find a delivery service to the dolphin but found many did not deliver there. Who did you use, may I ask? Also how big of a window did they give you? Thanks!

 

[travellovingirl]

We will be at the dolphin the week of April 11th. Just achieved gold status with Marriott. Any explanations how upgrades work? Does the reservation desk see the status and decide on upgrades? We have booked a two bed room, but would be willing th share a king if we were able to get a better upgrade.

Do we need to note something in our reservation, or ask if an upgrade is available upon arrival? I understand upgrades are not guaranteed, but would like to improve our chances, if possible. Thank you.

 

[SteveH]

Thanks for the response. Was trying to find a delivery service to the dolphin but found many did not deliver there. Who did you use, may I ask? Also how big of a window did they give you? Thanks!

We used Amazon PrimeNow at the time, not sure why others dropped. But part of why may be since you need to meet the driver, they can't just drop and go. Depending on how you are getting to S/D a grocery stop might be easier.

 

[travellovingirl]

We used Amazon PrimeNow at the time, not sure why others dropped. But part of why may be since you need to meet the driver, they can't just drop and go. Depending on how you are getting to S/D a grocery stop might be easier.

We will be taking Uber/Lyft, seems most economical for 2 people. Unless someone had another recommendation?

 

[Best Aunt]

We will be taking Uber/Lyft, seems most economical for 2 people. Unless someone had another recommendation?

I take TIffany Towncar from MCO to hotel. Driver meets me at baggage claim. The cost includes a stop at a grocery store. I do not use it round trip; I use Uber or Lyft to go from hotel to MCO.

 

[MarBee]

Thanks for the response. Was trying to find a delivery service to the dolphin but found many did not deliver there. Who did you use, may I ask? Also how big of a window did they give you? Thanks!

I know this wasn’t directed to me, but we’ve used Dizzy Dolphin in the past. Their customer service was excellent, and they’ll meet you in the lobby. The ordering process was a little antiquated when we used them last, but they were still good.

Also, since Swolphin doesn’t use Magical Express, we usually use a car service that allows for one stop at Publix on the way, so that could also be an option for you

 

[SteveH]

We will be taking Uber/Lyft, seems most economical for 2 people. Unless someone had another recommendation?

Though a town car or something might be a bit more $ is seem, I'm reading reports of some pretty expensive Uber/Lyft trips. This issue is compounted by fewer rental cars being available and Covid concerns for Uber/Lyft drivers. The option for a grocery stop can cut that cost factor down since you can get exactly what you want. Just thoughts.

 

[JM_97]

I see there are some rooms that say "no view." Are these like inside staterooms on cruise ships where it's an interior room? I've never heard of these in a hotel, especially for one that's over $200/night.

 

[travellovingirl]

I take TIffany Towncar from MCO to hotel. Driver meets me at baggage claim. The cost includes a stop at a grocery store. I do not use it round trip; I use Uber or Lyft to go from hotel to MCO.

Thanks to you, and others, that encouraged me to look at a town car and grocery stop. That is what we used to do when our kids were little. I assumed that we could find a more economical way with Uber/ grocery delivery now that kids are adults.

We have decided to do town car w/grocery stop. Will save time and stress compared to grocery delivery, and once we arrive our day will be free. Plus, as you have noted, Uber to a grocery store is an unknown cost these days.

Appreciate all the feedback. Thank you!

 

[travellovingirl]

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.

Was the bus lane blocked at the hotel? Can you provide additional info? Thanks

 

[KuiilHasSpoken]

Was the bus lane blocked at the hotel? Can you provide additional info? Thanks

No, it was blocked at Animal Kingdom, not at the hotel. This probably cost us 5 minutes or so. Sorry for the confusion!

If you want to be on the first bus leaving the hotel, I'd recommend getting to the bus stop about 20 minutes before the time you expect the bus to arrive. If you miss the first bus, the second is usually about 10 minutes later.

 

[travellovingirl]

No, it was blocked at Animal Kingdom, not at the hotel. This probably cost us 5 minutes or so. Sorry for the confusion!

If you want to be on the first bus leaving the hotel, I'd recommend getting to the bus stop about 20 minutes before the time you expect the bus to arrive. If you miss the first bus, the second is usually about 10 minutes later.

Thanks for the info! What alternative transportation would you suggest? I assume Uber drop off would be stuck with the regular cars entering to park. Would that be arriving later?

 

[KuiilHasSpoken]

Thanks for the info! What alternative transportation would you suggest? I assume Uber drop off would be stuck with the regular cars entering to park. Would that be arriving later?

I'm sure others might be able to offer better wisdom than I can on this. Uber might work out fine as long as it leaves early enough. I'm not sure what time they open the parking lot at AK, but I think the park opens around 45 minutes before the posted opening time. The bus from the dolphin left at around 45 minutes before park opening as well, so AK was already letting in guests at the same time that I was leaving the hotel. Ideally, you'd be able to arrive at AK 45 minutes prior to the posted opening time. I've never used a ride share to/from the parks, so I'm not sure what that experience is like.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I see there are some rooms that say "no view." Are these like inside staterooms on cruise ships where it's an interior room? I've never heard of these in a hotel, especially for one that's over $200/night.

I don't know of any windowless rooms. It might be a room with a 'view' that is not worth 'writing home' about.

 

[empedocles]

I see there are some rooms that say "no view." Are these like inside staterooms on cruise ships where it's an interior room? I've never heard of these in a hotel, especially for one that's over $200/night.

No view would mean the windows face something that most people don't consider aesthetically pleasing, such as a roof, mechanical systems, loading docks, dumpsters, a wall, etc. Somewhere a dozen or so pages back there is a post where someone compiled pictures of bad views people have posted here over the years.

 

[Callsdodisney]

We will be at the dolphin the week of April 11th. Just achieved gold status with Marriott. Any explanations how upgrades work? Does the reservation desk see the status and decide on upgrades? We have booked a two bed room, but would be willing th share a king if we were able to get a better upgrade.

Do we need to note something in our reservation, or ask if an upgrade is available upon arrival? I understand upgrades are not guaranteed, but would like to improve our chances, if possible. Thank you.

I wouldn't count on an upgrade. We were there last week and my husband (also gold) inquired about an upgrade, and all rooms were fully booked.

 

[closetmickey]

When did you ask for the upgrade?

In person at check in. We were there Feb 28- March 2 so I’m guessing they still weren’t very full at that time...but that is merely a guess

 

[Gitelfor]

I see there are some rooms that say "no view." Are these like inside staterooms on cruise ships where it's an interior room? I've never heard of these in a hotel, especially for one that's over $200/night.

No view would mean the windows face something that most people don't consider aesthetically pleasing, such as a roof, mechanical systems, loading docks, dumpsters, a wall, etc. Somewhere a dozen or so pages back there is a post where someone compiled pictures of bad views people have posted here over the years.

I think you were referring to:

Most really aren't bad, the old title was "Limited View Rooms" . That said, here are some that we get a laugh at
from amalone1013 and another from amalone1013 and yet another from amalone1013 and one from robinb, can't forget the one from shoreward the dreaded dumpster view photos seem to have disappeared. Keep in mind the S/D has 2,270 rooms so your chances are pretty good and knowing they are not at capacity I think chances of a good room are even better now.

 

[SteveH]

I see there are some rooms that say "no view." Are these like inside staterooms on cruise ships where it's an interior room? I've never heard of these in a hotel, especially for one that's over $200/night.

I will give S/D credit for calling them what they are. Even the old "Limited View" would make you think you're going to see something exciting. Not every room can have a view, as somebody shared there are some "classics" where you wonder what view they were talking about, I'm assuming these "No View" rooms would be in this category. Upgrades are possible, but free ones are not as common at S/D or even Disney resorts, sort of the old adage - you get what you pay for.

But even at $200/night you're getting a great room at a great price considering the location, and amenities (beds alone are wonderful). For comparison the other area resorts low rates; Beach Club $512, Boardwalk $573 and Yacht Club $780.

 

[Turk February]

Dang what a bummer. Swan rates for mid-October are about $700 more for our 6 night trip than when I first started looking a few months ago. Totally slipped my mind that Marriott prices go up haha