what is the swan/dolphin hotels like?

[julieannbabe]

okay as some of you may know i would love to stay on site next year.

i think that i can get a okay deal with virgin holidays for either the swan or dolphin next june.

these are meant to be five star hotels - what are they like?

i must admit that they look ghastly from the outside - but the facitlies are probably superb.

also even though they are on disney property they are not actually run by disney - are there any differences between these two hotels and the disney operated hotels?

thanks,

xjx

 

[jwfla422]

These are our favorite resorts in all of WDW...leaning a bit towards the Swan because it is a little smaller than the Dolphin and a little more intimate. We are frequent visitors at WDW and stay here at least 3x a year.

I highly recommend these resorts. Their amenities are deluxe all the way & they offer MOST of the same benefits as the Disney owned resorts. They don't offer package delivery and you can only charge items and meals from the S/D. They also don't have the ADR deal where you can make them for your whole trip at the 90 day mark. (keep in mind this is not to the fault of the S/D but Disney decided to exclude them from these offers).

That being said, these are all very "small" things that I could care less about, would never stop me from staying at the S/D.

Their rooms are recently renovated and their heavenly beds are the most comfortable in ALL of WDW. Those beds alone are worth their weight in gold. The CM's are extremely friendly and helpful. The grotto pool is really neat as well as their lap pools.

In addition to the resorts themselves you are right in the middle of the "Magic". You can walk or boat to Epcot or MGM and everywhere else is accessible by their bus system which is part of WDW's transportation system. The BW/BWV, BC/BCV and YC are all within walking distance and you'll never run out of places to dine within walking distance.

Some people will claim that the S/D are more "business" and true they do attract business people because they hold a lot of conventions HOWEVER not only have we met some of the nicest guests here and many of their guests are vactioners, but we've been finding more and more business people at the WDW resorts as well as many of the WDW resorts also have convention facilities.

You will not be disappointed

 

[HeatherPage]

Ghastly? Well, they're definitely not Motel 6. Whimsical, yes. What catches your eye in a resort's exterior?

 

[finnie48]

Hi,

Both Hotels are great - the service is wonderful. There is a Disney desk at each to help you with anything in regards to tickets, etc. Don"t want to get into an argument with jwfla, but when we were at the Swan last August, there was package delivery to the Hotel's gift shop - does make shopping much easier when you can have what you bought sent back your resort. Hope that hasn't changed. Have a great trip!!

 

[Pkdcoastrs]

okay as some of you may know i would love to stay on site next year.

i think that i can get a okay deal with virgin holidays for either the swan or dolphin next june.

these are meant to be five star hotels - what are they like?

i must admit that they look ghastly from the outside - but the facitlies are probably superb.

also even though they are on disney property they are not actually run by disney - are there any differences between these two hotels and the disney operated hotels?

thanks,

xjx

By far one of the most BEAUTIFUL and FUN resorts in all of Walt Disney World. . The sheer scope of the resort is amazing and everything is so well done. From check-in to where you eat, they go out of their way just like a "Disney" hotel. To be honest, we got treated just as good or if not better whenever we stay at the Dolphin!

The newly renovated rooms are so great and the beds are the best in WDW. There is so much to do at the resort! The great pool, arcade, tennis, mini-golf (Fantasia Fairways), and all of the Disney Boardwalk at your feet!

I really dislike when people who have never stayed at the resort put it down, but hey that's less people at the resort to bother me

Don't pass the opportunity, it's as Disney as the other hotels on-property.

 

[christinou]

Can you get Disney Magical Express from the airport to got to the Swan and Dolphin?

 

[familyfirsttimer]

You can walk or boat to Epcot or MGM and everywhere else is accessible by their bus system which is part of WDW's transportation system. The BW/BWV, BC/BCV and YC are all within walking distance and you'll never run out of places to dine within walking distance.

How long is the walk to these places? I have 2 DD so I have to keep that in mind.
Also, they just have the regular WDW buses? A stop at each park, run every 20 min, etc? I stayed at the POP last year and would LOVE to stay at a monorail or waling to a park resort but I can't justify the $$$,

This may be the perfect solution! Thanks jwfla422

BTW, can you use DME? If not, I would have to factor that cost into my figures.

 

[Blondie]

Can you get Disney Magical Express from the airport to got to the Swan and Dolphin?

No, the Magical Express is not offered to the S/D resorts.

 

[Blondie]

How long is the walk to these places? I have 2 DD so I have to keep that in mind.
Also, they just have the regular WDW buses? A stop at each park, run every 20 min, etc? I stayed at the POP last year and would LOVE to stay at a monorail or waling to a park resort but I can't justify the $$$,

This may be the perfect solution! Thanks jwfla422

BTW, can you use DME? If not, I would have to factor that cost into my figures.

No DME.

The walk to Epcot/MGM takes us about 15-20 minutes, depending on how fast we walk! It's a beauty of a walk though, lovely scenery! To walk to the Boardwalk, it's basically out the back door of the Swan and Dolphon. You walk over a bridge and you are there! The Yacht and Beach Club are a little further, but I'm only talking a few minutes walk.

The transportation is exactly the same as if you were to stay at another "Disney" resort, with the added advantage of the water taxis that take you to Epcot and MGM. Personally, I'll take a water taxi over a bus any old time! The water taxis are air conditioned in the summer, and heated in cooler weather, so that's not a concern.

We have fallen in love with the Epcot resort area, and can't imagine staying anywhere else now!

 

[familyfirsttimer]

We have fallen in love with the Epcot resort area, and can't imagine staying anywhere else now!

Thank you so mich for the info. We LOVED Epcot so much when we were there and it would be great to be able to get there so easily. I looked at the BC but way too $$$$$$ for me. This might be a great option.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[swilphil]

The walk from the Swan to Epcot was only about 10 minutes, the walk to MGM is 15-20. I prefer to take the boat to MGM if possible.

I did think that the hotels were a little strange looking the first time that I saw them, but when we stayed there I noticed the design elements all work together very well. The landscaping and grotto pool are beautiful and the room decor is much classier than any of the Disney resorts. I would highly recommend Swan or Dolphin if you get a good rate. The Dolphin lobby is much more impressive, but the Swan is easier to get around in and I like the room layout a little better--much more bathroom space.

The only thing that I missed by not being at a Disney Resort is not being able to charge to the room key, but it's not a big deal at all. I always carry a credit card and a little cash anyway.

 

[ead79]

I consider myself a Disney operated resort loyalist, but I got a deal too good at the Dolphin to pass up, so I gave it a try. We were really, really pleased with the resort. Those heavenly beds are amazing, and the rooms have lots of nice details that we enjoyed. Among these were air conditioners that let you make the room nice and cold, a shower curtain rod that is bowed out (really makes it a lot roomier in the shower), and the nice chair with ottoman to relax on. The new décor is fun and whimsical, and the resorts have a lot of character. They did offer package delivery to the resort’s gift shop when we were there back in January, which was very nice to have. The proximity to Epcot and the BoardWalk area is wonderful. The only minor things we missed compared to Disney’s resorts were the Mickey wakeup calls, the Mickey toiletries (although the Swan/Dolphin’s are very nice), and the room key charge privileges in the parks. All in all these were very minor to us, and we look forward to returning to the Dolphin and Swan soon.

 

[vacationsareamust]

Can you get dining and tickets added to your room? A package deal like Disney does.

 

[Rhonda]

Can you get dining and tickets added to your room? A package deal like Disney does.

You can get the package with tickets -- but no dining.

 

[jwfla422]

The buses are part of the WDW transportations system. They run pretty frequently during peak times of the day and about 15 min or so during slower times of the day.

As mentioned you can walk or boat to MGM and EPCOT. The boats bascially do a round trip from each park stopping at the BW and the YC/BC. It's about a 20 min boat ride on average. When going to EPCOT you'll stop at the YC/BC, then the BW and then onto EPCOT. The S/D is the last stop before going to MGM.

The walk is nice when it's cooler out. Depending on your dd's ages will depend on whether you'll want to use the boats or walk. We still bring a stroller for dd because I like to get as much walking in as I can

 

[bizeemom4]

The only minor things we missed compared to Disney’s resorts were the Mickey wakeup calls, the Mickey toiletries (although the Swan/Dolphin’s are very nice), and the room key charge privileges in the parks. All in all these were very minor to us, and we look forward to returning to the Dolphin and Swan soon.

The Mickey Wake Up Calls used to be a BIG sway for us for staying onsite. During my last trip in May with my boys, I arranged for the special wakeup calls every morning. Every morning, I was the only one to listen. None of the boys wanted to wake up and listen to Stitch screaming at them on the phone at 7 a.m. So we've scratched that off of our 'pro-onsite' list.