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

[JulieODC]

Finally working out some of the details for our Feb-mar trip - husband is spg platinum so I am thrilled about the free breakfasts we should qualify for...

Am I correct that GG and Fresh and both sit down for breakfast? And no reservations (including for the weekend character breakfast at GG)?

 

[patty57]

If any of the pools are closed down, there will be other pools for guests to use. You wouldn't be without a place to swim.

 

[Yarbogash]

Not sure about Swan/Dolphin, but other places you register for the conference with the host, and book the hotel separate, you just need to tell them when booking...BUT most conferences only get a certain number of rooms in their block for the rate, and most sellout their block, it would be freezing out an attendee...and they often get a special rate so it is a morally shady action. The former scout leader in me says it is cheating.

I have booked hotels a few times where I booked the conference rate and was not attending the conference. Never lied about it to anyone. If the hotel has an issue I'll adjust the res. Couple times it's been offered to me by an agent when it was clear I was not attending the conference, like last year at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I don't think that conference was selling so well and that fits my overall experience; if occupancy is tight they will be vigilant about restricting it to attendees. If occupancy is loose they don't really care. Which I think fits your reasoning. You call them and book a week or two out and you can usually get a good idea of if the hotel is fine with it or not.
And another idea, there's been times I have bought a conference guest pass (still saved a lot of money overall) like for a mountain bike and outdoors convention again in Las Vegas that turned out to be really cool.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have booked hotels a few times where I booked the conference rate and was not attending the conference. Never lied about it to anyone. If the hotel has an issue I'll adjust the res. Couple times it's been offered to me by an agent when it was clear I was not attending the conference, like last year at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I don't think that conference was selling so well and that fits my overall experience; if occupancy is tight they will be vigilant about restricting it to attendees. If occupancy is loose they don't really care. Which I think fits your reasoning. You call them and book a week or two out and you can usually get a good idea of if the hotel is fine with it or not.
And another idea, there's been times I have bought a conference guest pass (still saved a lot of money overall) like for a mountain bike and outdoors convention again in Las Vegas that turned out to be really cool.

One word of caution on conference rates. Not sure about S/D, never booked a conference rate there. But I have attended conferences in other resorts in many different cities, always in top tier hotels like S/D. Oftentimes, discounted rates available to anyone, or specific groups, like nurses, teachers, etc., are lower than rates available to conference attendees. The hotels/resorts know they have a somewhat 'captive' guest attending a conference and often price accordingly. Less than rack, but not necessarily to lowest. Always good to check all available discount rates.

 

[Ladyfish77]

With the Marriott acquisition when will they start accepting Marriott rewards members for booking and points? Are they already doing so? DH is a Marriott member so this may open up new opportunities for us to stay a S&D.

 

[CJN]

One word of caution on conference rates. Not sure about S/D, never booked a conference rate there. But I have attended conferences in other resorts in many different cities, always in top tier hotels like S/D. Oftentimes, discounted rates available to anyone, or specific groups, like nurses, teachers, etc., are lower than rates available to conference attendees. The hotels/resorts know they have a somewhat 'captive' guest attending a conference and often price accordingly. Less than rack, but not necessarily to lowest. Always good to check all available discount rates.

Absolutely true. I've been attending conferences for 35+ years. In the "olden days" (as my young nephew would say), conference rates were generally much lower than those available to the other guests. But not so anymore, or at least the ones I'm affiliated with. About the time I decided I could make cheaper reservations on my own, we started seeing warnings posted by our organization and/or hotel that we could not attend the conference without booking through their special code and paying that particular negotiated rate. As Dan said, the resorts have a captive audience but also the organizations putting on the conferences are often getting a piece of the lodging pie, driving prices up. My company paid so I didn't really care but I've certainly learned I can (usually) do much better on my own.

 

[MarBee]

Has anyone had any luck booking in person when the resort was full on dates you wanted? I'm going in January (staying at a different hotel) and could swing by the desk to see if my June dates would open up.

 

[CJN]

Has anyone had any luck booking in person when the resort was full on dates you wanted? I'm going in January (staying at a different hotel) and could swing by the desk to see if my June dates would open up.

If it's due to a conference the answer is likely no, because the rooms are held in a block until a certain cutoff date. In my case, it was usually about two weeks before the conference that any unused rooms were turned back to the hotel for booking. Getting one at the last minute might be your most likely scenario.

 

[JulieODC]

With the Marriott acquisition when will they start accepting Marriott rewards members for booking and points? Are they already doing so? DH is a Marriott member so this may open up new opportunities for us to stay a S&D.

You can already convert your Marriot points to sPG points and book - just log into your accounts and there are easy instructions. We did this for our trip coming up Feb-Mar and had enough for 8 nights!

 

[Ladyfish77]

You can already convert your Marriot points to sPG points and book - just log into your accounts and there are easy instructions. We did this for our trip coming up Feb-Mar and had enough for 8 nights!

Thanks!

 

[Violet Parr]

Is there a photo thread with recent room photos?

Thanks!

VP

 

[aggiegirl1234]

Hi everyone, I'll be at the Swan in three weeks I've stayed there once before, but this was several years before Magic Bands were around. So I've linked my reservation to the my Disney Experience app and was able to make my fast pass reservations 60 days out. We'll be at Epcot for the Extra Magic morning hour, and I've still got a Magic Band from a previous trip that I believe is linked to my tickets, but my boyfriend hasn't got a Magic Band. So my question is, will I be able to get into the Extra Magic morning hour with just my Magic Band? Do I need to buy a band for my boyfriend/would this be more convenient? I think when I stayed at the Swan several years ago, we just showed our room key. Anyone who has gone recently, what was your experience using the extra magic hours benefit as a Swan/Dolphin guest?

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Has anyone had any luck booking in person when the resort was full on dates you wanted? I'm going in January (staying at a different hotel) and could swing by the desk to see if my June dates would open up.

I did do this once at the Swan. I said the specific date and told them that the reservations number told me that they were sold out. So the front desk person said, well then we are fully committed to the conference and no rooms will be available. She didnt even bother to look up anything for me. She just said I could call the regular reservations number again instead. Not a very helpful experience, just matter of fact I guess.

I think I asked about 2 months ahead of time. That is why I like holding onto some of my dh ff miles and sometimes that does not even work, but most of the time it does.

Hope it might work out for you

 

[luvmarypoppins]

You can already convert your Marriot points to sPG points and book - just log into your accounts and there are easy instructions. We did this for our trip coming up Feb-Mar and had enough for 8 nights!

Can I ask how many Marriott miles that was? My dh has about 18K and I don't know if that would get us anything. We would only stay at the Swan though, not the Dolphin.

 

[JulieODC]

Can I ask how many Marriott miles that was? My dh has about 18K and I don't know if that would get us anything. We would only stay at the Swan though, not the Dolphin.

I don't remember how many Marriott points we converted - but in terms of sPG points for the Swan, our room was around 12,000 points a night, and I think the Dolphin was 10,000 a night.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi everyone, I'll be at the Swan in three weeks I've stayed there once before, but this was several years before Magic Bands were around. So I've linked my reservation to the my Disney Experience app and was able to make my fast pass reservations 60 days out. We'll be at Epcot for the Extra Magic morning hour, and I've still got a Magic Band from a previous trip that I believe is linked to my tickets, but my boyfriend hasn't got a Magic Band. So my question is, will I be able to get into the Extra Magic morning hour with just my Magic Band? Do I need to buy a band for my boyfriend/would this be more convenient? I think when I stayed at the Swan several years ago, we just showed our room key. Anyone who has gone recently, what was your experience using the extra magic hours benefit as a Swan/Dolphin guest?

The S/D room key card will be just fine for emh entries.

 

[aggiegirl1234]

The S/D room key card will be just fine for emh entries.

Oh good, thank you!

 

[chris benton]

The S/D room key card will be just fine for emh entries.

And also, your magic band will allow entry as well. You can purchase a magic band for your boyfriend, and link it if you'd like to. Might make it easier for park entry and fastpasses. Your preference. For me, the 13 bux for the magic band is worth it. No fiddling through pockets for a card.

 

[Violet Parr]

The coffee pods in the room...is it a type that I can purchase at a grocery store at home?

VP

 

[Dan Murphy]

The coffee pods in the room...is it a type that I can purchase at a grocery store at home?

VP

They are similar to these, except Starbucks.

https://www.officesupply.com/cleaning-breakroom/breakroom-supplies/foods-beverages/coffee-cocoa/folgers-gourmet-selections-coffee-pods/p360858.html?ref=pla&cid=ad-pla-non-brand&product_id=360858&adpos=1o4&creative=82620378993&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KEQjw9IS-BRC4qZXagbLs6uMBEiQAYHBh-zPM6hO5jrNYHKmeItFR1XF7Sr-fI9IUZjlPCiXwhxsaAnC28P8HAQ

They are about 4 inches in diameter, not like a K-cup.