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

[ww52]

Lorimay -
Sorry to hear your stay was disappointing. We are going back this July (as I posted above) and we are bracing ourselves for a less enjoyable experience than we had in 2018. sad to say

I had a questions about this sentence - The resort fee is $35 a day beside the pools, I'm not sure what this cover...

I think I'm misreading it (I hope so) but did you mean you are not sure what the $35 covers besides the pools? I'm hoping so - that is, I hope the pools are a separate charge!

Resort fees are strange in that they are mandatory and taxed at the same rate as the room - so it just seems like it's a "trick" to make the room rate seem cheaper. Well, at least they don't say "room rate, $100 - resort fee - $200"!

We always have a car despite the huge parking fee because the busses are so unreliable - especially with small kids, it's worth being able to just hop in the car and go

You answered one of my questions above - rooms cleaned every 4 days. so for a seven night stay, we will get the room cleaned once. Do they put out fresh towels or other things that we can get on our own?

I hope your days in the parks made up for the Dolphin disappointment.

 

[supamaki]

Lorimay -
Sorry to hear your stay was disappointing. We are going back this July (as I posted above) and we are bracing ourselves for a less enjoyable experience than we had in 2018. sad to say

I had a questions about this sentence - The resort fee is $35 a day beside the pools, I'm not sure what this cover...

I think I'm misreading it (I hope so) but did you mean you are not sure what the $35 covers besides the pools? I'm hoping so - that is, I hope the pools are a separate charge!

Resort fees are strange in that they are mandatory and taxed at the same rate as the room - so it just seems like it's a "trick" to make the room rate seem cheaper. Well, at least they don't say "room rate, $100 - resort fee - $200"!

We always have a car despite the huge parking fee because the busses are so unreliable - especially with small kids, it's worth being able to just hop in the car and go

You answered one of my questions above - rooms cleaned every 4 days. so for a seven night stay, we will get the room cleaned once. Do they put out fresh towels or other things that we can get on our own?

I hope your days in the parks made up for the Dolphin disappointment.

I'm going down in May and was able to book all my dining on the first day of eligibility. I'm only going for 6 days, so I cannot speak to the 60+10 part, but I was able to do 60+6.

I had already linked tickets and the room in My Disney Experience App

 

[hedberg1661]

Got back yesterday from our stay at The Dolphin.
I think we are done with these resorts, it seems to me if you need to use the bus transportation, you are not going to get the same treatment as in the past. I don't know when they switched to Mears because we haven't stayed at these two properties for quite a while.
We ubered over to Disney Springs Thursday morning then walked back to the bus depot in the afternoon only to find out that the resort bus for The Swan/Dolphin picks you up on the other side of DS.
We just jumped on an available Beach/Yacht Club bus.

The resort fee is $35 a day beside the pools, I'm not sure what this covers, the Wifi was very slow, rooms are only cleaned every 4 days, its just not worth it. Parking $29 a day.

We were told our room was upgraded for being Bonvoy members, we got exactly the room we paid for minus the balcony it said was included.

The only plus was being close to the boardwalk and the boats and skyliner.

I am sad to hear you had a bad experience. I agree the bus transportation must get better. I also got an "upgrade" but it was only a view upgrade so nothing too crazy to report there.

Did you request any additional room service? I have read reports of folks asking for service and housekeeping came by like normal. I also asked for extra shampoo and towels and that worked out well.

I still think for the price and location, the Swan/Dolphin will continue to be my resort of choice.

 

[Best Aunt]

I see FP+ comments. That's back? We have a park reservation for each of the days on MDE. Can we actually get FPs? If so - when (apologies in that I'm sure I'll have this answered somewhere else)

No. I think someone mentioned it while talking about making dining reservations and Disney owned hotels versus hotels owned by other companies.

 

[SteveH]

Hi folks - long time "member" of this board (I recall back when there was a Sigma Delta "sorority" of Swan/Dolphin advocates many years ago now).

We are planning a trip this summer (July 1-8) after cancelling last year. I have several questions that I realize can be answered with searches at various forums, but I was hoping for a one stop place.

I see dining reservations are 60 days out, not 90. And it MAY be 60 days for each day - or MAYBE (if the stars align) 60 days for the whole trip.

I see FP+ comments. That's back? We have a park reservation for each of the days on MDE. Can we actually get FPs? If so - when (apologies in that I'm sure I'll have this answered somewhere else)

Housekeeping - how is it working now? Is there anything in room? Or is it all "do-it-yourself"?

I'll look up early entry - late hours somewhere else, but if anyone could be so kind as to let me know if that's back?

What construction is going on and will it be done by July? I see references to the pool are.

Again, I realize I can get all these answers with research and so if that's the "answer" to my questions I will do my leg work.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

Hi Bill! Glad you are back. You should get your Full ADR for the length of your stay. As report some people have some issues, here are some tips at linking your reservation with MDE; linking to My Disney Experience. As of now there are no updates for FP+ and no idea if it will be back and when. Housekeeping is supposed to be every 4th day, but if you need something use the Marriott app to communicate with S/D and they will be on it. Don't forget to get the Swan/Dolphin App as it is the most up to date resource for restaurant and even where the bus picks up and drops off at. Disney is ditching the Extra Magic Hours early morning days, and late nights. For resort guests they will be opening 1/2 hour early but I don't think that has started yet.

Got back yesterday from our stay at The Dolphin.
I think we are done with these resorts, it seems to me if you need to use the bus transportation, you are not going to get the same treatment as in the past. I don't know when they switched to Mears because we haven't stayed at these two properties for quite a while.
We ubered over to Disney Springs Thursday morning then walked back to the bus depot in the afternoon only to find out that the resort bus for The Swan/Dolphin picks you up on the other side of DS.
We just jumped on an available Beach/Yacht Club bus.

The resort fee is $35 a day beside the pools, I'm not sure what this covers, the Wifi was very slow, rooms are only cleaned every 4 days, its just not worth it. Parking $29 a day.

We were told our room was upgraded for being Bonvoy members, we got exactly the room we paid for minus the balcony it said was included.

The only plus was being close to the boardwalk and the boats and skyliner.

Sorry your stay wasn't as wonderful as you hoped. I'm not sure S/D is doing a good job advertiging the bus information as they should. Without the Swan/Dolphin app you won't know where drop off or pick up locations are at. None of us are sure what happened with the Disney bus, if it was Disney that said no more or if S/D wasn't willing to pay what Disney wanted. Mears isn't ideal, we've talked about options. My guess is since you didn't take the bus to Disney Springs you didn't know it wasn't the same as Disney buses. Nobody is a fan of the Resort fee or Parking, though normally based on the price plus those the rate is still better then the area Disney resorts. Getting Disney buses back would be a big help though.

I’ve been curious about the view towards Boardwalk so thanks for this description. The last few trips our rooms have overlooked the courtyard but some of those views we’ve not enjoyed quite as much as others. Out on the edge of the wings we’ve liked a lot but not so much when the view is looking directly at the Dolphin. So I was contemplating requesting a high floor with a view east. It sounds like you really liked it. The only thing is we’ve also booked a balcony and I can’t quite tell from pictures if there are any out that direction.

Glad to help. We had room 444, you can see a photo I took in this post

 

[happ]

We were told our room was upgraded for being Bonvoy members, we got exactly the room we paid for minus the balcony it said was included.

Did you pay for a balcony room? Since that is an upcharge, I would think they should offer you some compensation.

 

[SteveH]

Did you pay for a balcony room? Since that is an upcharge, I would think they should offer you some compensation.

Always hard to say, may have moved up higher for a better view, etc. Really Gold and below don't get much as far as free upgrades, occasionally but nothing automatic - those are reserved for Platinum and above and even then it's not always a guarantee. I've had a few nice surprises over the years at some locations but mostly my upgrades were higher floors.

 

[ww52]

I'm going down in May and was able to book all my dining on the first day of eligibility. I'm only going for 6 days, so I cannot speak to the 60+10 part, but I was able to do 60+6.

I had already linked tickets and the room in My Disney Experience App

Good to know; our 60day window isn't for a while yet (thought it was 90 so it would be coming up but not until about May 1;

Fast passes are still not a thing, right?

We have a park reservation for each day and I see we can "hop" to another park if we want after 2PM

 

[Araminta18]

Sorry your stay wasn't as wonderful as you hoped. I'm not sure S/D is doing a good job advertiging the bus information as they should. Without the Swan/Dolphin app you won't know where drop off or pick up locations are at. None of us are sure what happened with the Disney bus, if it was Disney that said no more or if S/D wasn't willing to pay what Disney wanted. Mears isn't ideal, we've talked about options. My guess is since you didn't take the bus to Disney Springs you didn't know it wasn't the same as Disney buses. Nobody is a fan of the Resort fee or Parking, though normally based on the price plus those the rate is still better then the area Disney resorts. Getting Disney buses back would be a big help though.

Sorry for jumping in as a newbie - are the Disney park buses from Swan/Dolphin to the parks no longer a thing? I'm considering a stay here, but if there are no more buses to the parks, that may be a big problem.

 

[supamaki]

Sorry for jumping in as a newbie - are the Disney park buses from Swan/Dolphin to the parks no longer a thing? I'm considering a stay here, but if there are no more buses to the parks, that may be a big problem.

There are buses, just not Disney buses. They're owned and operated by Mears.
They don't drop off at the bus stop at Magic Kingdom either, they can only get you to the TTC. Animal Kingdom is near the front but I have heard they don't get there very early if rope drop is important to you.

 

[Araminta18]

There are buses, just not Disney buses. They're owned and operated by Mears.
They don't drop off at the bus stop at Magic Kingdom either, they can only get you to the TTC. Animal Kingdom is near the front but I have heard they don't get there very early if rope drop is important to you.

Oh bummer, when did that happen!? Last time I stayed at Boardwalk (admittedly a few years ago now) we shared buses with Swan/Dolphin. Is there a post somewhere in the thread i should look for to get up to speed?

 

[ww52]

Steve - thanks for your reply;
I guess it's possible to get "extra housekeeping"? I'll get the both the Marriot and S/D apps to add to my Disney Folder on my phone (along with MDE and TouringPlans)

And now I do remember reading about the half hour early entry (which doesn't seem like much given I'm sure non resort park goers will already be lining up anyway - do they really spend the time enforcing it with everything else they have to check? Rhetorical question.

We are linked up on MDE already; have a park reservation for 6 of the 8 days we will be there (nothing on departure day and we a "pool day" in the middle. Glad we can "hop" to a different park after our early afternoon naps.

Not much more to do except dining. I sort of like the lack of stress not be able to get FPs ahead of time. Last time (2018) my older son did the honors (being in the Central time zone it wasn't too early) and he did pretty good but of course it's never exactly what you hope for. But he was GREAT at refreshing in the parks and juggling schedules.

Now less stress but we may miss more (not keen on long lines with 4 littles ones as part of the group.

I'm assuming the Lines App from Touring Plans will be even more useful given no FPs.

After having to cancel last years' trip - we'll be fine with whatever happens. Excitement is starting to build in all the families that are going (myself, my wife, our two sons and their families, and one daughter-in-law's mother. Our daughter will be home with a newborn by then.

But she and husband and then 4 year old will join us in 2025 (unless they happen to be have another addition right around) .

We hope!

 

[Dave006]

Oh bummer, when did that happen!? Last time I stayed at Boardwalk (admittedly a few years ago now) we shared buses with Swan/Dolphin. Is there a post somewhere in the thread i should look for to get up to speed?

It happened last October and there are 2 versions of why the buses were changed.

One is that the Swan & Dolphin management made the change to save money by not renewing the contract with Disney. The second version is that Disney wanted out due to the limited availability of Disney buses and drivers do to the need for additional buses due to limiting bus capacity.

However the Friendship boats still stop at the Swan & Dolphin dock.

Dave

 

[lorimay]

Lorimay -
Sorry to hear your stay was disappointing. We are going back this July (as I posted above) and we are bracing ourselves for a less enjoyable experience than we had in 2018. sad to say

I had a questions about this sentence - The resort fee is $35 a day beside the pools, I'm not sure what this cover...

I think I'm misreading it (I hope so) but did you mean you are not sure what the $35 covers besides the pools? I'm hoping so - that is, I hope the pools are a separate charge!

Resort fees are strange in that they are mandatory and taxed at the same rate as the room - so it just seems like it's a "trick" to make the room rate seem cheaper. Well, at least they don't say "room rate, $100 - resort fee - $200"!

We always have a car despite the huge parking fee because the busses are so unreliable - especially with small kids, it's worth being able to just hop in the car and go

You answered one of my questions above - rooms cleaned every 4 days. so for a seven night stay, we will get the room cleaned once. Do they put out fresh towels or other things that we can get on our own?

I hope your days in the parks made up for the Dolphin disappointment.

Yes I meant $35 resort includes the pool, also two bottles of water a day.
If you are a Bonvoy member you can request towels, shampoos, etc. right on the app.

 

[SteveH]

@ww56

I’m not sure you can get extra visits to clean, I can’t say I’ve seen that happen but if you need more towels, garbage emptied, etc you can order through the app.

I totally agree with you about the early entry, time will tell what it looks like but sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. My concern is that they will hold traffic up at TTC and only actual Disney Resort guests via bus & boats will get in early and S/D will get cut out... at least until they get back to using WDW transportation.

Do check with app for park hopping, depending on when you go they very will could fill up. So stay tuned - this is one thing I hope they change soon.

Have a great trip!

 

[lorimay]

I am sad to hear you had a bad experience. I agree the bus transportation must get better. I also got an "upgrade" but it was only a view upgrade so nothing too crazy to report there.

Did you request any additional room service? I have read reports of folks asking for service and housekeeping came by like normal. I also asked for extra shampoo and towels and that worked out well.

I still think for the price and location, the Swan/Dolphin will continue to be my resort of choice.

Room Service is not happening right now, if that's what you meant.
If you have the Bonvoy app. you can request extra towels, shampoo's etc.

 

[lorimay]

Did you pay for a balcony room? Since that is an upcharge, I would think they should offer you some compensation.

It says some rooms have balcony, we got there late and I wasn't going to change rooms.
Our view was very nice to the right you could see in the distance The Star Wars area and Tower of Terror was very close.

 

[luckydriver]

I canceled swan for tomorrow 4 nites and hope someone got a nice last minute booking. I wasnt expecting 90 in march. Rebooked in. A month when it will be cooler and gonna try contemporary since its my 1st time. Looking forward to the additional perks

 

[ww52]

Do check with app for park hopping, depending on when you go they very will could fill up. So stay tuned - this is one thing I hope they change soon.

Thanks - can we "reserve" a second park then through the app in advance? Or only on the day we hit the one we have the reservation for?

And if what you say is true about MK stopping people at TTC - then we're out anyway because we always drive.

 

[SMRT-1]

Thanks - can we "reserve" a second park then through the app in advance? Or only on the day we hit the one we have the reservation for?

You don't reserve a second park with the current Park Hopping procedures. You only reserve your first park for the day, and then after 2pm, you can just enter any of the other parks, assuming that they aren't at capacity; which is what Steve was warning you about - check the app to see whether your next intended park is at capacity so you don't waste travel time going to a park that's not letting anyone in.