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

[Grasshopper2016]

Odd that the gift shops at the Swan and Dolphin are Disney gift shops that only sell generic Disney souvenirs. Aside from t-shirts featuring the house pale ale for sale at Java and Fuel, they don’t seem to sell any Swan and Dolphin swag—like coffee mugs, shirts, hats, etc. Bummer!

 

[oceanmarina]

@brockash is the waterfall turned back on at the Grotto Pool?

I texted the Swan on my Swan and Dolphin app and asked about the waterfall. The agent was very nice and said they are "reimagining" the waterfall. (We are checking in on 8/16 and my kids literally picked the Swan because of the "waterfall pool" they love water features

I asked if this means was there going to be pool construction during our stay and she wrote back "not at this point." as there was not a set date to reimagine the waterfall pool - although if they are not working on it not sure why it is not on

 

[klemsaba]

Thank you! That’s quite a hike without a direct path over to BWI. Dolphin laundry room it is!

Dolphin has a decent laundry room. I went early morning around 6am and no one was around. Relaxed on the couch watching videos.

 

[maxiesmom]

Dolphin has a decent laundry room. I went early morning around 6am and no one was around. Relaxed on the couch watching videos.

Or go grab a chair by the feature pool. It is very close to the Dolphin laundry room.

 

[Sandi]

I texted the Swan on my Swan and Dolphin app and asked about the waterfall. The agent was very nice and said they are "reimagining" the waterfall. (We are checking in on 8/16 and my kids literally picked the Swan because of the "waterfall pool" they love water features

I asked if this means was there going to be pool construction during our stay and she wrote back "not at this point." as there was not a set date to reimagine the waterfall pool - although if they are not working on it not sure why it is not on

That has been the story for quite some time. We were here in April and that’s what they said when we asked about the waterfall. I am sitting at the Dolphin pool right now (we like the bar here better than the Swan side) and there is no waterfall. I have no faith it will ever be turned on again.

 

[oceanmarina]

That has been the story for quite some time. We were here in April and that’s what they said when we asked about the waterfall. I am sitting at the Dolphin pool right now (we like the bar here better than the Swan side) and there is no waterfall. I have no faith it will ever be turned on again.

I called to confirm our stay and ask for an early check-in - she reached out to the recreation team and they said "the waterfall is down for maintenance until further notice. It has been down since March, sorry for the inconvenience"

So disappointing - they need 5+ months to fix a water feature?

 

[SteveH]

My guess is there is a crack or something in the line that feeds the waterfall. With the major pool upgrade on the horizon it may not come back until they start construction, it could require the whole pool to be closed off - not something you want done in the summer months.

 

[sophy1996]

Hi,

Do I understand this correctly for Platinum members regarding the free breakfast?

A) Swan or Dolphin: the voucher is worth $20 at quick service or you could pay a bit more and get the buffet at Fresh inside Dolphin?

B) Swan Reserve: the voucher is only good for in the room service continental - no other upgrades possible.

Is that correct? There’s no way to upgrade to a buffet/hot food if staying at Reserve? Thanks

We were able to use our coupons for a limited selection in the restaurant at the Reserve, and we could have upgraded to the full breakfast buffet. This was in March.

 

[mindy lou]

Can't wait for our first Dolphin trip in 12 days! A few quick questions.

Has anyone had a Shipt delivery? Can they leave with bell services or do I need to meet them?

Is there a microwave available anywhere for guest use (this will impact what we order/bring for breakfast)?

Food allergies at their restaurants? Unlike most Disney menu, the Swan/Dolphin menus don't list food allergies. Are there options? (Specifically gluten free and peanut/treenut allergies).

Thanks!!

 

[SteveH]

Has anyone had a Shipt delivery? Can they leave with bell services or do I need to meet them?

This post should help. I can't speak to using Shipt but if it's a delivery service and not a shipped package, you should be good.

 

[ilovevacation]

I didn't use Shipt but I did get an order from Walmart (signed up for a free month of Walmart + and it includes free delivery from store >$35). It was 10pm and bell services received it for us. called us to let us know it arrived and offered to bring it to the room but I went down and grabbed them.

 

[melking23]

Swan rates dropped yesterday and again today! I booked a Swan king balcony room yesterday but got an email this morning that there was a problem with my card. I called in-house reservations and got that squared away quickly and made sure my reservation was noted that we’d like an Epcot view. I also asked about the waterfall. She said an email went out this weekend stating that the work was previously on hold but will begin soon. She said that it should hopefully be fixed by our trip in a few weeks. However, she wasn’t aware that it’s been down since March so I’ll take it with a grain of salt for now.

As soon as I hung up I re-checked Swan’s rates and they had actually dropped a little more. I called in again but I think I got sent to the call center. The agent was able to check the rates and actually cut it a little lower than the new price. She calculated the total based off the even number listed for the average nightly rate ($261) on the search page rather than the rate details. Basically calling in to request the difference saved me 57¢ per night plus tax. I even told her what the total was supposed to be but she did it her way and I’m not mad at it. Now I’m only $17.98 above what it would’ve been at Dolphin which is solely attributed to the increased parking rates since I last booked. Here’s to hoping for another at least small decrease!

 

[patty57]

Here’s to hoping for another at least small decrease!

Or large decrease!

 

[snayak]

Long time Lurker - haven't been to WDW since just after getting married in fall 2014.

We're taking our 4 yo twin girls for their first trip in mid-September, we're staying at the Swan Reserve on points.

I've read a lot of threads and googled, but things have changed over the past couple of years that I"m not sure what info is correct...any advice is welcome.

• Neither the Swan nor Dolphin were available for our dates (9/11-9/16) - is there an event or conference or something? It was supposed to be lower crowds (whatever that means in 2022), but those 2 resorts are showing fully booked for the week and week following our trip. Just curious - we're locked into the dates due to flights, but I won't complain about shifting resorts if possible for fewer points.
  
  
• Minnie Vans do not pick up from Swan Reserve, and busses drop off to TTC for Magic Kingdom. Was thinking Uber (still TTC) or walking to YC/BC for Minnie Van to get to MK for Early Entry on Tuesday 9/12. It's the one (and only) MK day.
  
  
• Are the Swan bus drop-off locations for the other parks (AK/HS) good enough? We rented a BOB Revolution Duallie from Kingdom Strollers so we'll need to lug that onto whatever transportation. I'm hardy enough to carry things, just wondering if it was an exceptionally long walk from the drop-off point, or if we should Uber/Lyft in the morning, and take the bus/skyline on the way out.
  
  
• Any preferred transport from MCO? I know about Mears, Sunshine Flyer, Uber, Transportation by Mike, Happy Limo, and Tiffany Towncar. Was considering doing a grocery stop for non-perishables and pre-ordering for pickup from Publix. Our flight should land about 7 pm Sunday, no checked bags, no car seats (have travel harnesses). My concern is the flight takes off on time. I understand there is a price difference between shared and limo services - I am more time sensitive.
  
  
• What is the possibility of watching fireworks from "The Vue" - I am Bonvoy Gold if that helps (probably doesn't help - everybody seems to be Plat except me). Not sure how often this happens (if at all) - my wife mentioned it, so was trying to help set expectations.

 

[georgina]

Swan rates dropped yesterday and again today! I booked a Swan king balcony room yesterday but got an email this morning that there was a problem with my card. I called in-house reservations and got that squared away quickly and made sure my reservation was noted that we’d like an Epcot view. I also asked about the waterfall. She said an email went out this weekend stating that the work was previously on hold but will begin soon. She said that it should hopefully be fixed by our trip in a few weeks. However, she wasn’t aware that it’s been down since March so I’ll take it with a grain of salt for now.

As soon as I hung up I re-checked Swan’s rates and they had actually dropped a little more. I called in again but I think I got sent to the call center. The agent was able to check the rates and actually cut it a little lower than the new price. She calculated the total based off the even number listed for the average nightly rate ($261) on the search page rather than the rate details. Basically calling in to request the difference saved me 57¢ per night plus tax. I even told her what the total was supposed to be but she did it her way and I’m not mad at it. Now I’m only $17.98 above what it would’ve been at Dolphin which is solely attributed to the increased parking rates since I last booked. Here’s to hoping for another at least small decrease!

It would be helpful if you include what dates the rate dropped for in your post. They have not dropped for December that I can see.

 

[SteveH]

Long time Lurker - haven't been to WDW since just after getting married in fall 2014.

We're taking our 4 yo twin girls for their first trip in mid-September, we're staying at the Swan Reserve on points.

I've read a lot of threads and googled, but things have changed over the past couple of years that I"m not sure what info is correct...any advice is welcome.

• Neither the Swan nor Dolphin were available for our dates (9/11-9/16) - is there an event or conference or something? It was supposed to be lower crowds (whatever that means in 2022), but those 2 resorts are showing fully booked for the week and week following our trip. Just curious - we're locked into the dates due to flights, but I won't complain about shifting resorts if possible for fewer points.
  
  
• Minnie Vans do not pick up from Swan Reserve, and busses drop off to TTC for Magic Kingdom. Was thinking Uber (still TTC) or walking to YC/BC for Minnie Van to get to MK for Early Entry on Tuesday 9/12. It's the one (and only) MK day.
  
  
• Are the Swan bus drop-off locations for the other parks (AK/HS) good enough? We rented a BOB Revolution Duallie from Kingdom Strollers so we'll need to lug that onto whatever transportation. I'm hardy enough to carry things, just wondering if it was an exceptionally long walk from the drop-off point, or if we should Uber/Lyft in the morning, and take the bus/skyline on the way out.
  
  
• Any preferred transport from MCO? I know about Mears, Sunshine Flyer, Uber, Transportation by Mike, Happy Limo, and Tiffany Towncar. Was considering doing a grocery stop for non-perishables and pre-ordering for pickup from Publix. Our flight should land about 7 pm Sunday, no checked bags, no car seats (have travel harnesses). My concern is the flight takes off on time. I understand there is a price difference between shared and limo services - I am more time sensitive.
  
  
• What is the possibility of watching fireworks from "The Vue" - I am Bonvoy Gold if that helps (probably doesn't help - everybody seems to be Plat except me). Not sure how often this happens (if at all) - my wife mentioned it, so was trying to help set expectations.

I'm not seeing a conference, but not all are listed. You might try Swan Reserve for your dates, openings there. Could be that the work on the balconies (discussed previously) is taking wings out of service beyond just August. Be after Sept 1 is still a very popular time since school is back in session.

Most going to Epcot or DHS walk or boat, there are no bus options for either. The Bus spot for AK is just as good, if not better then the other location IMHO.

MCO transport is up to you, if you are stopping for items then you want to use town car service. They will monitor your flights and adjust pick up accordingly. If budget isn't issue, get a towncar service then.

I'm not sure about the Vue, I guess if was unused for an reserved event I'm not seeing any thing that indicates its open to the general guest though. As for Gold... well that's pretty basic, don't expect much from it - I'm surprised if I get anything with Gold but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[melking23]

It would be helpful if you include what dates the rate dropped for in your post. They have not dropped for December that I can see.

Labor Day week.

 

[snayak]

I'm not seeing a conference, but not all are listed. You might try Swan Reserve for your dates, openings there. Could be that the work on the balconies (discussed previously) is taking wings out of service beyond just August. Be after Sept 1 is still a very popular time since school is back in session.

Most going to Epcot or DHS walk or boat, there are no bus options for either. The Bus spot for AK is just as good, if not better then the other location IMHO.

MCO transport is up to you, if you are stopping for items then you want to use town car service. They will monitor your flights and adjust pick up accordingly. If budget isn't issue, get a towncar service then.

I'm not sure about the Vue, I guess if was unused for an reserved event I'm not seeing any thing that indicates its open to the general guest though. As for Gold... well that's pretty basic, don't expect much from it - I'm surprised if I get anything with Gold but I wouldn't count on it.

Thanks!

We are staying at Swan Reserve, I was more interested why the other 2 properties showed zero availability (either paid or points). They are slightly closer to the parks and the feature pools. I don’t expect much from Bonvoy Gold at all - I think my wife saw an article where some bloggers got up to the Vue and was curious - 99% we’ll be asleep by firework time (or the kids will be, and I’ll sneak down to the bar.)

I figured we’d walk to Epcot, but didn’t realize there was no bus service to DHS - I don’t mind walking, now its an excuse to get on the road early for rope drop. Kid’s wont care, they’ll be in the stroller.

 

[Dan Murphy]

didn’t realize there was no bus service to DHS - I don’t mind walking,

The boat is a nice, pleasant ride the DHS. Direct to DHS, no stops between.

 

[SteveH]

Thanks!

We are staying at Swan Reserve, I was more interested why the other 2 properties showed zero availability (either paid or points). They are slightly closer to the parks and the feature pools. I don’t expect much from Bonvoy Gold at all - I think my wife saw an article where some bloggers got up to the Vue and was curious - 99% we’ll be asleep by firework time (or the kids will be, and I’ll sneak down to the bar.)

I figured we’d walk to Epcot, but didn’t realize there was no bus service to DHS - I don’t mind walking, now its an excuse to get on the road early for rope drop. Kid’s wont care, they’ll be in the stroller.

I'd ask when you check in, the bloggers were all I could find too, guess that was a media day. But you never know they may allow others too, but if they do I sure can't find any info on it, please update us!

This map should show you the route to DHS from SR, it's less then a mile, it's a bit shorter (or about the same) depending on how you go. Map to Epcot.

Keep checking on openings but hard to say if you'll find any at the other 2 resorts. Have a great trip!