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

[phoenixconfidential]

Is there really a benefit to use a MB when staying at Swolphin since it doesn’t open your room and you can’t charge back to it? Why not just do the mobile pass or card?

 

[Dave006]

No other than to access your MDE account for your Park tickets. You can also use the new Mobile Pass or free RF ticket cart.

Dave

 

[CBMom01]

You will need to purchase through the normal Retail channel. There is no options for Discounted MBs with a Swan, Dolphin or Swan Reserve reservation linked to MDE. You can use Shop Disney online or even purchase them in the Disney store in the Swan & Dolphin.

Note: Even Disney guests don't get Free MBs after Jan. 1, 2021 for new new reservations. They do get the option to purchase discounted MBs with a Disney resort stay.

Dave

Ok, that makes sense. Thank you.

 

[Best Aunt]

Is there really a benefit to use a MB when staying at Swolphin since it doesn’t open your room and you can’t charge back to it? Why not just do the mobile pass or card?

No other than to access your MDE account for your Park tickets. You can also use the new Mobile Pass or free RF ticket cart.

My understanding is that you still need a Magic Band for some ride photos. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

 

[Meglen]

My understanding is that you still need a Magic Band for some ride photos. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

If you have magic mobile set up it was my understanding that your phone would snag the photos. My family will still use our bands for easy of use tapping into the park and soon to be genie+

 

[CBMom01]

Today, a CM told me that I would be given my tickets when I check into SR and that they will never be in MDE.

Thays not right, is it?

 

[champagne&disney]

Today, a CM told me that I would be given my tickets when I check into SR and that they will never be in MDE.

Thays not right, is it?

That’s not correct. You won’t be able to unlock your door from MDE and need the hotel keys. Maybe they spoke too quickly and got confused. Tickets and Passes definitely show in MDE even when at the S/D/SR.

 

[CBMom01]

That’s not correct. You won’t be able to unlock your door from MDE and need the hotel keys. Maybe they spoke too quickly and got confused. Tickets and Passes definitely show in MDE even when at the S/D/SR.

This will make the third time I’ve had to call and wait on hold because of a problem with my reservation and bad info from a CM

 

[Turksmom]

This will make the third time I’ve had to call and wait on hold because of a problem with my reservation and bad info from a CM

We stayed at one of the Disney Springs hotels in 2019 (back in the days of FP+) and did not receive tickets before arrival. Disney created "dummy" tickets for FP booking, so they probably do that now for park passes. As long as your hotel reservation shows in MDE, Disney should be able to see tickets on your package and should be able to help you.

 

[Dave006]

Today, a CM told me that I would be given my tickets when I check into SR and that they will never be in MDE.

Thays not right, is it?

First do you have a Disney package or something else?

With things like a Costco Package you get physical RF ID tickets when you check-in a the front desk at the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve. You need to stop at the front desk at the Swan & Dolphin but the Swan Reserve may have the Bonvoy Mobile Key installed. We don't know just yet as it has not opened.

You normally should have an email that has the details of your package and you should have ticket numbers that you can link in MDE.

Dave

 

[CBMom01]

First do you have a Disney package or something else?

With things like a Costco Package you get physical RF ID tickets when you check-in a the front desk at the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve. You need to stop at the front desk at the Swan & Dolphin but the Swan Reserve may have the Bonvoy Mobile Key installed. We don't know just yet as it has not opened.

You normally should have an email that has the details of your package and you should have ticket numbers that you can link in MDE.

Dave

Disney package.

 

[Elsaspiritanimal]

You need to stop at the front desk at the Swan & Dolphin but the Swan Reserve may have the Bonvoy Mobile Key installed. We don't know just yet as it has not opened.

Just checked out of the Swan today and they do have mobile key installed there now. Was able to unlock my room for the entire trip using the Bonvoy app.

 

[SteveH]

With all the issues being reported here and all the issues I'm reading about ADRs I'm thinking that Disney's IT is either trying to to a massive update or parts of their server farm has gone down. It's just all to coincidental to be happening at the same time.

Thinking when the Genie gets out he's going to be a Grumpy Genie.

 

[champagne&disney]

Just checked out of the Swan today and they do have mobile key installed there now. Was able to unlock my room for the entire trip using the Bonvoy app.

That’s awesome! I’m at the Dolphin next week and hope they updated too. So convenient.

 

[jbaysingar]

Seeing some strangeness going on with package prices...

We had a trip planned originally for May '20 that obviously got cancelled. It's been rebooked and cancelled a couple times since then (Dec '20 & May '21) as we watched the progress of the parks return to "normal." We'd booked/rebooked our trips through Costco and gotten a really good price every time, so we'd intended on rebooking again through Costco for May '22.

However, by late July of this year, Costco still wasn't booking the Swan for '22, so we booked with Disney Travel even though it was $1500 more than what we'd paid for May '21 through Costco because we wanted to at least be sure we had a room, and wanted to get all our Park Pass reservations sorted. It turns out it was fortunate that we did.

I did my periodic check of Costco Travel today, and found that they were finally booking for the first half of '22; however, I was shocked to see that their price has jumped up $2000 over what we paid for May '21, making it $500 more expensive than our Disney Travel booking. Wondering if it was just Costco, I checked Disney Travel, and their current package price has increased as well - $1100 over what we paid just two months ago . That makes the current Disney package more expensive than just booking the room through Marriott and buying tickets separately. The room rates through Marriott have not gone up since May '21, so why have all the Swan package prices increased so drastically? I checked prices for several other dates, and they all showed the same drastic increase. Has the new Swalphin GM shortsightedly decided to no longer offer package discount rates to 3rd parties like Costco and Disney?

We love the Swan, but if it no longer offers a significant savings over Disney resorts, then we'd be very tempted to stay at the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach instead.


Edited to adjust Disney package price because I forgot to select Park Hopper, so the quote was actually $200 more than I had originally thought.

 

[CBMom01]

Seeing some strangeness going on with package prices...

We had a trip planned originally for May '20 that obviously got cancelled. It's been rebooked and cancelled a couple times since then (Dec '20 & May '21) as we watched the progress of the parks return to "normal." We'd booked/rebooked our trips through Costco and gotten a really good price every time, so we'd intended on rebooking again through Costco for May '22.

However, by late July of this year, Costco still wasn't booking the Swan for '22, so we booked with Disney Travel even though it was $1500 more than what we'd paid for May '21 through Costco because we wanted to at least be sure we had a room, and wanted to get all our Park Pass reservations sorted. It turns out it was fortunate that we did.

I did my periodic check of Costco Travel today, and found that they were finally booking for the first half of '22; however, I was shocked to see that their price has jumped up $2000 over what we paid for May '21, making it $500 more expensive than our Disney Travel booking. Wondering if it was just Costco, I checked Disney Travel, and their current package price has increased as well - $900 over what we paid just two months ago . That makes the current Disney package practically the same price as just booking the room through Marriott and buying tickets separately. The room rates through Marriott have not gone up since May '21, so why have all the Swan package prices increased so drastically? I checked prices for several other dates, and they all showed the same drastic increase. Has the new Swalphin GM shortsightedly decided to no longer offer package discount rates to 3rd parties like Costco and Disney?

We love the Swan, but if it no longer offers a significant savings over Disney resorts, then we'd be very tempted to stay at the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach instead.

Swan is a deluxe resort now. There’s no advantage to the more expensive Disney resorts anymore and Marriott is pricing accordingly

 

[jbaysingar]

Swan is a deluxe resort now. There’s no advantage to the more expensive Disney resorts anymore and Marriott is pricing accordingly

But, as I said, Marriott hasn't raised their room rates, though; the rates directly through Marriott are almost identical to what they were when I priced them for May '21. It's only the 3rd-party packages that have increased in price. And the prices changed suddenly, the package I booked less than two months ago is $1100 more now. Third-party packages increasing thousands of dollars all of a sudden when Marriott's own listed rates haven't gone up seems very odd.

 

[SteveH]

Hard to say, as the non-hotel portion is priced by Disney it could be they have jacked their prices up, which would not be surprising. Try comparing a non-package deal.

 

[jbaysingar]

Hard to say, as the non-hotel portion is priced by Disney it could be they have jacked their prices up, which would not be surprising. Try comparing a non-package deal.

I know from the price breakdown on my previous Costco packages (as well as having to pay for cost of the tickets up front) that there was no discount on the tickets through Costco; their price was exactly the same as buying tickets separately from Disney, and the entirety of the discount was in the room cost, so I feel pretty confident that the $2000 increase in the Costco package was all in the room rate.

Unfortunately, you can't really to do that for Disney prices (as they only book Swalphin rooms in a package, and don't break down the price), but since Disney didn't raise ticket prices by $1100 between Aug. and Sept but their price went up $1100 at some point after we booked at the end of July, I certainly suspect it's an increase in room costs, and not Disney charging significantly more for the ticket portion - especially given that other non-Marriott prices dramatically increased as well.

The room-only rate through Marriott, however, is almost identical to what it was for '21 (if not slightly cheaper)

Just for reference here are the rough numbers (I hope it's not bad form to post prices here):

May '20:

• Costco Pkg. (10 nights) - $3900 ($2600 room + $1300 tickets)

May '21:

• Costco Pkg. (11 nights) - $3900 ($2500 room + $1400 tickets)
• Marriott Room-only (11-nights) - $6400 ($5000 room + $1400 tickets separately from Disney)

May '22:

• Disney Pkg. (11 nights, booked late July) - $5400

• Disney Pkg. current price, 9/20 (11 nights) - $6500
• Costco Pkg. current price, 9/20 (11 nights) - $5900 ($4500 room + $1400 tickets)
• Marriott Room-only current price, 9/20 (11-nights) - $6400 ($5000 room + $1400 tickets separately from Disney)

Edited to adjust Disney package price because I forgot to select Park Hopper, so the quote was actually $200 more than I had originally thought.

 

[ckelly14]

I am surprised you are seeing the same price on the Marriott site. I was seeing under $200 for a trip in April of this year and over $350 for a trip in April '22.