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

[backformore]

ou can book through Marriot and then LINK your reservation to your GoDisney Account.
You can CALL and deal with a person at the resort (call during "business hours" Local: 407-934-4000 / Reservations: 1-888-828-8850 and then you'll link it through GoDisney)
You can book on the Swan/Dolphin Website: https://swandolphin.com/

I usually book through Marriot but it's nice that you can call directly to the resort (don't call the Marriot booking number - that goes to the call center)

Thank you! I appreciate the help.
Family members think we're crazy going to WDW at our age. But I say - compare it to a resort stay. Relax in a resort, enjoy the pool and spa, experience the restaurant. And also have the option of some Disney attractions. We know we cannot walk as many steps as we used to, and will not spend rope-drop to fireworks in the parks. But walking around World Showcase sampling food/drinks, riding Rise of the Resistance, and riding Haunted Mansion and Pirates - those are the things you can't do anywhere else.

 

[jmasgat]

We plan to go in January-February 2026, are open to any dates. Is that a good time to go?

January can be all over the map for weather--hard to predict. Marathon weekend will be from Jan 8-11, so expect lodging to be more solidly booked. I've been to many MW and weather has ranged from freezing (literally) to warm (80 and the races were shortened)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you! I appreciate the help.
Family members think we're crazy going to WDW at our age…

They obviously haven’t seen the older couples ECVing around Disney! You can always rent his and hers ECVs if it’s too tiring.

Avoid Mardis Gras and the days leading up to it.

 

[crystal1313]

I would call and ask for options. For our May trip with all our young adult children, we stayed in a Dolphin corner alcove room that was connected to another room. It wound up being cheaper than booking two regular rooms and it was a huge space with a balcony, king bed, sectional sofa.

Thank you!! This sounds amazing and exactly what we are looking for. Really appreciate the help

 

[AngusIsMySpiritAnimal]

As @gottalovepluto mentioned, I second the rebooking perk! Called reapeatedly on our 1 BR balcony suite and got THREE drops since March. They also offer an AP rate AND a D23 rate, which I confirmed with reservations is often lower.


@crystal1313 a caveat, however is that if you add or subtract a night after booking, whole reservation will revert to CURRENT rate, not maintain your previous possibly lower rate. I got bad intel on this from a rep at Swan ... added another night "JIC" to add flexibility to our arrival/departure, and then discovered after the fact I cannot change w.out rate adjustment . So YIPPEE one more night at Christmas! I swear it was really a mistake...

 

[Judy from Boise]

Judy!!! From Boise!!! How the heck are you? So nice to see you again. Sounds like all is well with you. Hope also with Dave, Kenz, Mom & Dad.

Always a great time to go, right after Thanksgiving. I've taken many trips at that time. Though none for too long now. Enjoy your time there. If you see SSB, please share a 'hello' from me.

I'll always remember the flag retreat with your dad, a WDW highlight for me. Do you ever hear from Tia. Always fun times with the princess.

Anyway, Judy, thanks for the shout out. And you'll always get your S/D answers here, from so many knowledgeable S/D experts. Enjoy your future trip, great to see you.

ETA...... Another memory I have with you guys was in December, probably a MVMCP night. I took a picture of the 3 of you by Cinderella coach, behind and next to the Castle.

Hey Dan, my friend, we are doing well, Dave just retired, my Mom is 86 and dad is 91. We celebrated his 90th with a week at DLR. he rode BTMRR 4 times. We treasure all of our Dan memories!

 

[MarBee]

Thank you!!! I will check into it. We are open to swan. All the resorts look lovely.

The Swan and Dolphin Resort is absolutely a wonderful choice, but I noticed you mentioned All Star Movies. As a budget issue, you may want to check out the family suites at All Star Music or Art of Animation. They each sleep 6 and have 2 bathrooms. While S/D are much more luxurious, both of the Disney value resorts are very nice and might save you a ton of money.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Hey Dan, my friend, we are doing well, Dave just retired, my Mom is 86 and dad is 91. We celebrated his 90th with a week at DLR. he rode BTMRR 4 times. We treasure all of our Dan memories!

Ps. I lost touch with Tia, but our daughters have remained life long friends, so I keep up that way.

 

[crystal1313]

The Swan and Dolphin Resort is absolutely a wonderful choice, but I noticed you mentioned All Star Movies. As a budget issue, you may want to check out the family suites at All Star Music or Art of Animation. They each sleep 6 and have 2 bathrooms. While S/D are much more luxurious, both of the Disney value resorts are very nice and might save you a ton of money.

Thank you!! I priced all that out and it is actually cheaper to get 2 rooms at all star movies than the family suites. I really appreciate the suggestion though!!! I’m going to keep checking all the rates too. We have to coordinate with my sons girlfriends family on dates, because they are also taking a family vacation next summer. So when I get an idea of the date range, I’m going to price everything out again. Thank you!!!

 

[patty57]

A couple of questions -
My husband and I, age 70, haven't been to WDW for a few years but love the Swan for a lot of reasons. We plan to go in January-February 2026, are open to any dates. Is that a good time to go?
We plan to enjoy the resort, spend a few hours each day at the parks, not rushing around, planning a few nice lunches or dinners, etc.
The weather is cooler then, right? what about crowds?

Second - The disney.go site, is what we have always used. but none of the dates I put in are showing availability. If I book through Mariott, can I still add the park tickets to the reservation? DIsney.go has always been what I've used, and it was easy to get a package with park tickets included for a reasonable price. how does that work if I book through Mariott?

Thanks in advance, We've been wanting to go back for a few years but health issues have kept us away.

I always book directly on the Swan/Dolphin website. You can check for discounts that way as well. AAA, senior discount, AP etc. After you buy your tickets, you add them to your My Disney Experience account.

 

[Isthisnormalatdisney]

To be honest while I hate Parking & Resort Fees, the parking rates at SD really are not all that insane. Yes, Disney was wise and ditched their parking fees. But resorts like the Waldorf $40, Wyndham Grand $40, JW Marriott $38, Gaylord $40 all similar pricing and their locations aren't as good as SD. The crazy one is the TownPlace Suites charging $15.

When staying at SD you need to take the Parking & Resort fees into account with the pricing only then will you have a fair comparison.

We've never opted to use a rental when we stayed a SD, we can use the water transport, walk or busses. For late nights at Trade Sam's we just Uber back. Have fun & enjoy your time at SD!

They are insane when you consider all the hotels around don’t charge for parking nor do they charge resort fees. It’s all relative! The reason they charge for parking still is to make point stays less worth it and to nickle and dime people especially people using points!

 

[gottalovepluto]

They are insane when you consider all the hotels around don’t charge for parking nor do they charge resort fees. It’s all relative! The reason they charge for parking still is to make point stays less worth it and to nickle and dime people especially people using points!

PP literally gave you a list of nearby hotels that do charge parking fees. If you have a nicer level hotel, you can charge parking fees and people will still come.

And no, the hotel doesn’t charge fees to “get” points bookers, they charge fees to get all bookers. It’s not like points bookers are more likely to drive than others. Swolphin isn’t known for its amazing points deals so those hunting good points deals within driving vicinity might actually be less inclined toward Swolphin…

Frankly, I’m surprised Swolphin doesn’t have a $20/nt destination fee like hotels are rolling out in select locations just because they can. Now THAT is a fee I hate, not even disguising you are getting literally nothing for it.