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

[Earningmywings]

The rates can vary greatly in the same reservation time also. All of the dates I searched are weeknights and they range from $170 to $233 (Friday). I can’t seem to figure out why the difference from day to day.

 

[tigertides]

ANY UPDATES re: Travel Time to Magic Kingdom???

WHAT TIME should we leave our hotel room to start the MEARS-TTC-WDW journey?

what times do MEARS buses start with “unofficial soft opening 45min - 1 hour”?
I realize the hotel website says 45 minutes prior to official start time, but that would already put you behind most other Disney resort guests.

Anyone getting booted from YC or BC buses? Will Uber drop off at Contempo with mobile order?

And lastly:
With all the hassle… Is it worth returning mid day for a nap/rest to get out of the June heat? That seems like at least two hours would be wasted that just in transit.

thanks!

 

[Best Aunt]

Will Uber drop off at Contempo with mobile order!

Check the Disney app, but last I heard you could only do mobile order at Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary if you were staying at the Contemporary. I think Disney did the same thing at the Grand Floridian.

 

[SteveH]

@tigertides

I've read of nobody being turned away from the YC/BC or BW bus. They may have signs and that's about all they are doing. As I mentioned in another post I'd also heard that this may have been to try to prevent people from exiting out of the International Gateway and going to YC/BC to catch a bus. I am generally a rule follow and if I were at S/D I'd be going to one of the two hotels for my day at MK. You will see it all over this group if somebody does ever get turned away.

A large number of reports that the Guard are turning people away from CR/GF & Poly that were placing mobile orders - one Podcast I listen to said they have shut that option down pretty hard and firm. So you'll need an actual ADR not just a mobile order. This is what happens when Disney forces people to get dropped off at TTC.

Like you said is it worth the hassle, only you can decide. At least you could take an Uber/Lyft from CR/GF/Poly back to S/D pretty easy. I think I'd be more inclined to spend more time at the park the head out and be done, but I haven't been to WDW in the summer since around 1995 - and yes it was crazy hot & humid but I was coming from Missouri which was crazy humid too - the difference was Florida humidity smells like Ocean and Missouri smelled like cows

 

[Dan Murphy]

and yes it was crazy hot & humid but I was coming from Missouri which was crazy humid too - the difference was Florida humidity smells like Ocean and Missouri smelled like cows

 

[Nabas]

But if you don't have a Park Reservation... what good is it? So little wonder last minute is discounted greatly with the way things are right now. And I think Disney's going to stick with Park Reservations. But if I were somewhat "local".... $112 a night and walking around the Boardwalk would still be a "get-a-way".

Please keep in mind that the $112 rate is for mid-week, not exactly a getaway. But we, for example, decided to extend our trip because the rate on the date that we checked out from CCV was so low. I think is is exactly what they were going for.

Also please keep in mind that that there is plenty of park availability for the middle of the week, when these super cheap rates are available.

 

[iujen94]

uh oh. Now I feel really obsessive. I enjoy doing a daily price check

I was trying to not sound TOO crazy. I love a daily price check - along with checking the price on my Southwest flights daily too!

 

[scjm222]

I was trying to not sound TOO crazy. I love a daily price check - along with checking the price on my Southwest flights daily too!

Me, too! And, probably more than once a day

 

[supamaki]

I was trying to not sound TOO crazy. I love a daily price check - along with checking the price on my Southwest flights daily too!

So I did that and just found a better rate. I went ahead and booked it. Do I cancel my other one and then add my new reservation number into MDE? I don't want to lose anything like park passes or dinner reservations.
I did them all separate, not as a packsge

 

[iujen94]

So I did that and just found a better rate. I went ahead and booked it. Do I cancel my other one and then add my new reservation number into MDE? I don't want to lose anything like park passes or dinner reservations.
I did them all separate, not as a packsge

Yes, that’s what you’ll need to do. And park passes and dining won’t be affected at all.

For future reference, a simpler way to do this is to go into the Marriott app under Trips and find your reservation. Click Modify Dates, and search for new rates that way. Choose your same dates, but if you find a better rate, select that rate, and it will apply to your existing reservation. Easy peasy!

 

[Turk February]

Me, too! And, probably more than once a day

I check my Swan rate about twice a day as well to see if it goes down haha. It's so easy in the Bonvoy app because it saves my search so it's literally a 5 second process.

 

[VeronicaZS]

This thread is amazing! I just found a rate on the app that is even lower than the AAA rate that I thought was a steal. Already rebooked and canceled my original reservation.
(May 7-9 $471 vs $514)

 

[mickey916]

Can't wait until the end of May so I can start checking the app everyday for May 2022...lol.

 

[chicky monkey]

Thanks for the info! When you say the buses were on schedule, did they come at specific times each hour? Every 20 minutes? Thanks!

Thanks for the info! When you say the buses were on schedule, did they come at specific times each hour? Every 20 minutes? Thanks!

We never waited more than 15 minutes for any bus. I do think there is a schedule they keep to, but they don't post it anywhere. I was quite pleased!

 

[chicky monkey]

I'm also curious how the busses are working these days. Following....

I am telling you...buses are not an issue at all. If anything, its a major improvement over what I experienced riding the Disney buses last October. I never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus. It was great!

 

[chicky monkey]

new to this board: so besides ttc/mk , what are the other perks that you don't get when compared to staying at other wdw resorts? i assume no magical express bus? is there anything else? Thank you.

You cannot use a magic band to get into your hotel room, they give you a key card---not really a very big deal. You can still use magic band to get into the parks. Correct, no magical express bus, but we don't mind using Uber. Honestly, I didn't feel like I had a lesser experience at all...in fact, it felt more magical than any other Disney resort stay I have had and I go there twice a year. The location is truly phenomenal because you have so many amazing options for dining, shopping, etc in walking distance!! We loved being able to take the boat to Hollywood Studios and the walks to either Hollywood Studios and EPCOT were both very pleasant.

 

[Lugan]

Anyone know if rewards nights availability opens back up at Swan or Dolphin? I checked for a 5-night stay just a couple of days, ago to get point pricing at the Dolphin, while we discussed whether we would go back to Disney or not. There was availability then. But, when I went back to make a reservation today, I was met with the indication that there were no reward nights available for either Swan or Dolphin. I'd been saving away points for just this kind of opportunity, so I'm quite a bit bummed at my bad fortune. Hoping that someone inside knowledge or anecdotal evidence about additional reward stays coming available.

Just to follow-up for anyone else that finds themselves in this place. I patiently kept searching over the past week, as there were 2 days right in the middle of my planned stay that had no points availability blocking me from booking. Yesterday it opened up one of those dates, and today I can book my original 5-night timeline without any issues.

 

[mickey916]

Dumb question: I've never booked with points before but discovered my husband has quite a bit accumulated. My dates aren't available yet but I was on the app just to see how many points a night would typically cost. When I entered four nights it came up with 220,000 is that for the total stay or just per night? sorry to be so clueless. I didn't want to go too far and accidentally book something I didn't want.

 

[sophy1996]

Dumb question: I've never booked with points before but discovered my husband has quite a bit accumulated. My dates aren't available yet but I was on the app just to see how many points a night would typically cost. When I entered four nights it came up with 220,000 is that for the total stay or just per night? sorry to be so clueless. I didn't want to go too far and accidentally book something I didn't want.

Swan and Dolphin are both category 6, needing 40,000 to 60,000 points per night (Pointsavers nights a bit less). So the 220,000 should be the entire stay.

By the way, the rewards chart states "Stay for 5, Pay for 4: Receive a complimentary night when you redeem for five consecutive nights."

 

[hsmamato2]

Dumb question: I've never booked with points before but discovered my husband has quite a bit accumulated. My dates aren't available yet but I was on the app just to see how many points a night would typically cost. When I entered four nights it came up with 220,000 is that for the total stay or just per night? sorry to be so clueless. I didn't want to go too far and accidentally book something I didn't want.

Best part about booking with points...5th night is free. So 4 costs the same as 5. I try to find the 50k nights instead of the 60