Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

[AussieFan8]

Hello everyone and a Happy New Year to you all.
I haven’t been on here in quite a while but am now looking at booking either summer 2023/2024 and was wondering if using the Marriott site is the best for deals at swan/dolphin resorts? It would be 2 families ( ourselves and our daughter’s) both of which have a teacher in them possibly looking 2 or 3 rooms. My adult son not sure if he wants his own space which he will pay for himself. I reckon once he hears the price he will be happy to share
I see there are teachers rates and stay connected rates and even annual pass rates but I’m not sure which works best or if the can be stacked ? Don’t think annual passes on sale yet for new owners so that one likely out. We have stayed at YC/BC the last few years and both swan and dolphin around 2002/2003 . Love the area but Disney has out-priced us. We walked around the swan/dolphin last summer and loved the look of it. Also do I add the resort fee on myself to get an accurate estimate of cost or is it automatically included?
So sorry for the long post but honestly no idea if I’m going about this the right way and trying to get a great resort choice at a good price.
Thanks for any help.

Sharing my experience for what it's worth - I booked on the Marriott site. I initially booked the teacher deal, but I found it only saved several dollars per day. However, when the price fluctuated and I wanted to modify to get a lower price, I had to call to get it rather than just modifying on the website. I finally gave up on the teacher discount and just booked the Bonvoy member rate. (It is possible I was doing something wrong or they have fixed this by now, but it's something to look for if the ability to modify online is important to you.)

We just got back from our first Dolphin stay, having previously stayed at Beach Club and then primarily at Wilderness Lodge, and we really liked it! I hope you will feel the same. I'm with you - the rates for the deluxes, especially at the time of year we usually go (holidays), have just gotten outrageous.

 

[georgina]

Also do I add the resort fee on myself to get an accurate estimate of cost or is it automatically included?

In my experience booking on the Marriott site, the resort fee is not included in the reservation price anywhere. It is an extra charge once I get there and check in. It is deceptive pricing and there have been attempts to pass legislation to prohibit it but they have not passed that I know of.

 

[gottalovepluto]

In my experience booking on the Marriott site, the resort fee is not included in the reservation price anywhere. It is an extra charge once I get there and check in. It is deceptive pricing and there have been attempts to pass legislation to prohibit it but they have not passed that I know of.

If you click the button up top that says include taxes & resort fees it is included in the price listed. The app also has this feature. It’s one thing Marriott actually does right. The button is easy to see and very user friendly.

 

[Bella749]

My family is planning a trip to Disney the week after Thanksgiving and we were hoping to stay at the Dolphin, but when I look to check in the weekend after Thanksgiving Marriott site says sold out for the Dolphin and Swan. Does anyone know if there is a big convention that week? I looked at Costco travel and they have availability for the weekend after Thanksgiving for the Dolphin. I rather not go through Costco because once you book you will only get 50% of your refund if you need to cancel.

 

[georgina]

If you click the button up top that says include taxes & resort fees it is included in the price listed. The app also has this feature. It’s one thing Marriott actually does right. The button is easy to see and very user friendly.

OK, but why add an extra step? Would be simpler to just roll it into the price instead of an extra fee. Resort fees have always irritated me.

 

[jlundeen]

OK, but why add an extra step? Would be simpler to just roll it into the price instead of an extra fee. Resort fees have always irritated me.

Agree with you about fees being annoying, and are seemingly a charge for something everyone else already gets.... but asking "why the extra step" is like asking "why is the sky blue?" LOL

That's how they do it... it's not Disney, it's Marriott. This one we can't blame on Disney's IT.... ha ha ha

 

[stinkpickle]

My family is planning a trip to Disney the week after Thanksgiving and we were hoping to stay at the Dolphin, but when I look to check in the weekend after Thanksgiving Marriott site says sold out for the Dolphin and Swan. Does anyone know if there is a big convention that week? I looked at Costco travel and they have availability for the weekend after Thanksgiving for the Dolphin. I rather not go through Costco because once you book you will only get 50% of your refund if you need to cancel.

The non-refundable part seems to be park tickets.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I usually use the Marriott site. You can check a box that says “show rate with taxes and fees” so you get the true price. Also you can add in the discounts to see which ones yield the best prices.

We just got back from our first Dolphin stay, having previously stayed at Beach Club and then primarily at Wilderness Lodge, and we really liked it! I hope you will feel the same. I'm with you - the rates for the deluxes, especially at the time of year we usually go (holidays), have just gotten outrageous.

@georgina @gottalovepluto

Thanks to you all for your help. We go for quite a long time 14+ nights so think it’s likely to be 2024 but at least I know how to get accurate pricing now

 

[wilckepedia]

@georgina @gottalovepluto

Thanks to you all for your help. We go for quite a long time 14+ nights so think it’s likely to be 2024 but at least I know how to get accurate pricing now

Understanding this IS the swan and dolphin thread…. With you booking that far in advance you could look into renting DVC points if you’re comfortable with that. Depending on the timeframe, you might be able to get Boardwalk or BC for a comparable out of pocket cost to Swolphin. I’m doing a split stay between Dolphin and Dvc, but just because there wasn’t availability.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Understanding this IS the swan and dolphin thread…. With you booking that far in advance you could look into renting DVC points if you’re comfortable with that. Depending on the timeframe, you might be able to get Boardwalk or BC for a comparable out of pocket cost to Swolphin. I’m doing a split stay between Dolphin and Dvc, but just because there wasn’t availability.

Love the location and look of Swan and dolphin but would also be open to dvc. My only concern is how to ensure I have a genuine reservation there. Do you use a company recommended here or do it privately?
I like the certainty with booking direct with the hotels but I’m open to dvc if there’s a way to guarantee my money is safe.

 

[patty57]

Love the location and look of Swan and dolphin but would also be open to dvc. My only concern is how to ensure I have a genuine reservation there. Do you use a company recommended here or do it privately?
I like the certainty with booking direct with the hotels but I’m open to dvc if there’s a way to guarantee my money is safe.

I often rent DVC points. I do it privately through owners here on the Dis and other sites. However, for such a long stay, so far in advance, I would be leery due to the lack of flexibility and cancelation that comes with renting DVC points. I have rented 11 months in advance to get what I want, however, I was fully aware that something could happen within that time so that I couldn't make the trip.

 

[wilckepedia]

Love the location and look of Swan and dolphin but would also be open to dvc. My only concern is how to ensure I have a genuine reservation there. Do you use a company recommended here or do it privately?
I like the certainty with booking direct with the hotels but I’m open to dvc if there’s a way to guarantee my money is safe.

I'm a current DVC member, just booked a last minute trip and was already out of points for this year. I looked at sites and here on the boards, ended up that my last minute trip coincided with someone else needing to use up expiring points. With multiple families and that far in advance, I'd probably recommend a company, since you may pay a slightly higher price, but there is a little extra security with payment schedules & agreements. Ultimately, it's totally up to you what level of risk you're comfortable with.

 

[Duck143]

Has anyone booked Swan or Dolphin using ticketsatwork.com site? I have access to it and can get a pretty good rate, but confused about the room choices available.

 

[jlundeen]

Has anyone booked Swan or Dolphin using ticketsatwork.com site? I have access to it and can get a pretty good rate, but confused about the room choices available.

Last February I went through Sam's Club, which uses tickets at work. I inadvertently chose a non-refundable room, and immediately (within minutes of confirming the reservation), contacted Sam's Club who directed me to the tickets at work people, and they were totally unmovable on canceling that reservation.

I wanted to do a refundable room, because our trip wasn't for 8 months away, and who knows what will happen in that amount of time. They would not budge after several pleas and back and forth emails for over a week. Luckily, we were able to take our trip and not lose the full amount that they charged.

So I guess if I were to do it again, I would be very very careful that I chose the type of room that I really wanted, cuz there is not a lot of wiggle room for changes.

 

[JulieODC]

After months of daily checking for openings at S/D/SR in February, a room just popped up at the Dolphin!!

Traditional, 2 doubles, no view……for $1178 a night (prepaid) or $1304 (standard). YIKES!!!

 

[patty57]

After months of daily checking for openings at S/D/SR in February, a room just popped up at the Dolphin!!

Traditional, 2 doubles, no view……for $1178 a night (prepaid) or $1304 (standard). YIKES!!!

Wow! This requires stronger language than YIKES.

 

[gottalovepluto]

After months of daily checking for openings at S/D/SR in February, a room just popped up at the Dolphin!!

Traditional, 2 doubles, no view……for $1178 a night (prepaid) or $1304 (standard). YIKES!!!

On the bright side those Disney Club level rooms now look cheap!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thanks @patty57 and @wilckepedia for your input. I have admit I'm risk adverse when it comes to booking our holidays so that has always put me off a private renter. I think if it was only for a night or two I'd risk it but not when its for as long as we stay. I will check out some of the companies that rent points and also keep an eye on summer rates for Swan and Dolphin.
Very much appreciate all the help and advice given here by everyone

 

[f1rstxlas7]

My recent personal experience booking the Swan, just for context if anyone is searching for answers or guidance in the future:

The Capital One Travel portal offered the lowest rate on a single room with 2 Queen beds with no view. Fiance used her CapOne card because it's a travel card so she got more miles booking thru the portal than had we used any other card. She received an email from CapitalOne almost immediately with 2 confirmation numbers, one of which was a CapitalOne confirmation number and the 2nd number was just listed as "Hotel Confirmation". I still have no idea what this second number is for.

Every 24 hour period after we booked the stay, I called the Swan and Dolphin number, (407) 934 - 3000, and went through the automated menu until I could speak to a representative. Since I made the booking shortly before 3 non-business days in a row, each representative told me it wasn't in the system yet. After the 2nd business day, the rep told me that they found it in their 3rd party booking portal, but the confirmation number was not yet available. The next day I called back and they were able to provide me with another 8 digit reservation number that I added to my Disney account and successfully link. For the record, this number does not match the same confirmation number that Disney now shows in My Plans. I basically have 4 different numbers between Capital One, Marriott/Swan, and Disney.

I learned that only the lead guest on the Marriott/Swan reservation can add that 8 digit number to their Marriott/Bonvoy account/app and the names have to match on both. I initially tried adding the reservation to my account rather than my fiance's, but got a technical error and Customer Service told me that only the lead guest can add it to their Marriott/Bonvoy account. This is important because the app provides a mobile key to enter our Swan room, provides for check-in/out information, as well as some other things.

The only thing I have not done is added myself to the reservation. I was told by a few parties I'd have to go through CapitalOne to get them to add me to the reservation. At this point, I don't think I necessarily need to because the reservation already accounts for 2 people, Disney allowed me to match myself to the 2nd guest, and I'm also a little worried it'll change the confirmation number(s) in some way.

This was definitely a process, and we won't be staying at the Swan until this Summer, but hopefully this helps anyone else looking to book in the future. (Also, you'll notice I spelled Capital One differently above, this is because I was purposely trying to make this post more easily searchable).

 

[Dave006]

The only thing I have not done is added myself to the reservation. I was told by a few parties I'd have to go through CapitalOne to get them to add me to the reservation. At this point, I don't think I necessarily need to because the reservation already accounts for 2 people, Disney allowed me to match myself to the 2nd guest, and I'm also a little worried it'll change the confirmation number(s) in some way

You don't need add specific names for any additional guests to your Marriott reservation for either adults or children as long as the counts match correctly. The primary name on the reservation must match exactly as you found out to add to MDE.

As long as the guest adult / child counts are correct you can just add all additional guests to MDE. But again it must be done by the individual listed on the hotel reservation in MDE.

Note: your MDE entry may still drop if you use Bonvoy Online Check-in vs checking in at the Front desk. We have had multiple reports of this happening.

Dave