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

[marymoo86]

1. They will transfer luggage to the Dolphin. Friends had been staying at the Contemporary before joining us at the Dolphin last week, and their luggage was sent over without issue.

2. We had a rental car and the youngest member of our party was 10 so I’m not certain, but we witnessed several car seat issues with regular Uber and Lyft vehicles, so I’d not hesitate to spend a bit more for an SUV booked direct from the hotel. I believe per FL law, kids over 5 don’t need car seats. We have used a Bubble Bum in the past without issue, and it deflates to a fairly small size.

3. If you call Swan/Dolphin reservations direct, they can tell you for sure-but be sure to call the hotel, not the general Marriott number. The pilot program was still going on as of this week. I believe that room type qualifies, though-we had a Deluxe Alcove (just checked out yesterday) and we were able to purchase the extra FP.

4. There is seltzer in the fountains, whether it’s worthwhile depends upon how much you plan to drink. We opted to have water and seltzer delivered instead, which worked well for us as we could keep bottles/cans in our fridge and throw them in our bag.

5. I ordered seltzer at several table service restaurants in various parks and resorts and it was never an issue. Some places had flavor options, some did not, but plain seltzer was always an option.

Thanks!

follow/up on the refillable mug - the resort bulletin specifically notes "refillable soft drink mug" - is it just softdrinks or coffee/tea included? Only asking b/c it seems awfully specific and says - you can fillup your soft drink at ......Picabu, Cabana, Fountain, Fresh, and Garden Grove

 

[alohanole]

OK, this thread inspired me. I just switched my reservation from the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista to the Dolphin for my upcoming trip in June.

I have POP booked for my Thanksgiving trip, but if I like Swan as much as I think I will, I will change that reservation as well. We are only doing 2 park days for our June trip (MK/EP) and being able to walk to EP will be nice. I hope the Swan is not booked solid so I will have at least a chance at a Platinum room upgrade.

As for my previous question/issue, I booked a Bonvoy Member Rate that did not say "deposit required". Even though it said in the rate details that prepayment was required, my credit card was not charged yet.

Thanks everyone for all the great info!

 

[emarie]

Hi Swan/Dolphin fans! I'm looking into options for our family of 5 for a 2nd Disney trip in June of 2020-we went last June and had a wonderful stay at Caribbean Beach, even in the midst of construction, but I'd like to stay at an Epcot area resort where we have the option of walking to Epcot and HS. The busing was our only complaint about our CBR stay!

In looking at our options, I feel like the Dolphin (am I correct that a family of 5 in a standard room can stay at the Dolphin, but not the Swan?) will be the most affordable option for our family in the Epcot area, unless we rent DVC points for BWI or BCV. I am well aware of some of the "perks" we'd be giving up by not staying at a Disney-owned hotel. My primary question is regarding the sleeping options at the Dolphin and whether this would be comfortable for our family.
What are your experiences with sleeping a family of 5 in these rooms, with the double beds and a rollaway bed?? We don't need a lot of space- it will be me, DH, DS13, DD10, and DD7. We had plenty of space at CBR and spent very little time in the room, but we had queen beds there and the small pullout bed. I read somewhere that the double beds are actually larger than the usual size? Is that true?

Thanks for helping- we'd be happy to stay at CBR again if that ends up making sense financially, but I'm trying to explore other options and I'm uncertain if the cost of CBR will also be much higher next year with the skyliner open!

 

[snappy]

I think you can call Disney and get rack rate pricing for next year at CBR. We found excellent discounts at the Dolphin with AAA and now the senior rate is even better. We book a king room so I can’t weigh in on the beds. I think the Dolphin has double beds while the Swan has queens so I imagine the rollaway would fit better at the Dolphin?

 

[SteveH]

@emarie You are correct, Dolphin will allow a roll-away while Swan does not. This is due to the bed size and the square footage in the room. My gut says that its a probably a fire code reason behind that. We've stayed at the Dolphin with our two boys sharing a double bed, they were about the same age as yours. My wife and I shared the other bed. If your DS is good with a roll-away I think this is a very good option.

The big plus to S/D is the location, you have 2 great parks that are within walking distance, or a boat launch ride away. I've found the bus service to/from MK & AK to be very good. If you are a AAA member be sure to check the rates out when you're checking rates.

Right now we're booked at POFQ for our Feb 2020 stay, we've had that booked since last December with a non-Disney owned Travel agent. I'm watching to see how rates between POFQ and S/D look. Right now I'm not finding great rates at S/D, but if we do then we'll have a decision to make of where we want to stay. Both my wife and I are very happy to stay at S/D, for the right price but we are also excited about staying at POFQ too.

 

[jerseyjersey]

Thanks!

follow/up on the refillable mug - the resort bulletin specifically notes "refillable soft drink mug" - is it just softdrinks or coffee/tea included? Only asking b/c it seems awfully specific and says - you can fillup your soft drink at ......Picabu, Cabana, Fountain, Fresh, and Garden Grove

We are not hot beverage drinkers when it's hot outside, but it did appear that folks were able to use their mugs for coffee and tea.

 

[marymoo86]

Awesome! I'm a morning coffee drinker and we will be there in December. Debating on getting a refillable for me or snag some discount starbucks GCs for in park and deal with in room coffee

 

[marymoo86]

Hi Swan/Dolphin fans! I'm looking into options for our family of 5 for a 2nd Disney trip in June of 2020-we went last June and had a wonderful stay at Caribbean Beach, even in the midst of construction, but I'd like to stay at an Epcot area resort where we have the option of walking to Epcot and HS. The busing was our only complaint about our CBR stay!

In looking at our options, I feel like the Dolphin (am I correct that a family of 5 in a standard room can stay at the Dolphin, but not the Swan?) will be the most affordable option for our family in the Epcot area, unless we rent DVC points for BWI or BCV. I am well aware of some of the "perks" we'd be giving up by not staying at a Disney-owned hotel. My primary question is regarding the sleeping options at the Dolphin and whether this would be comfortable for our family.
What are your experiences with sleeping a family of 5 in these rooms, with the double beds and a rollaway bed?? We don't need a lot of space- it will be me, DH, DS13, DD10, and DD7. We had plenty of space at CBR and spent very little time in the room, but we had queen beds there and the small pullout bed. I read somewhere that the double beds are actually larger than the usual size? Is that true?

Thanks for helping- we'd be happy to stay at CBR again if that ends up making sense financially, but I'm trying to explore other options and I'm uncertain if the cost of CBR will also be much higher next year with the skyliner open!

You may also want to check and see if you have a corp travel program available that works for Marriott. Our travel program gets a double room down to $189 depending on if you prepay or not.

 

[SteveH]

Debating on getting a refillable for me or snag some discount starbucks GCs for in park

Just be advised that the lines for Starbucks in the morning can be intense, so if you're rushing into the park early you can expect that Starbucks will be the first line of the day.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

I read somewhere that the double beds are actually larger than the usual size? Is that true?

Based on my experience, that is a lie. We have stayed at the Dolphin many times and if anything, I would say the double beds are smaller than the usual size. Last trip with DW, DS12 and DS8 we vowed to never stay there again unless we got a suite or multiple rooms. My boys are even slightly small for their ages, but we just were uncomfortable both with the sleeping arrangements and with the overall size of the room. But every family is different in those regards.

 

[marymoo86]

Just be advised that the lines for Starbucks in the morning can be intense, so if you're rushing into the park early you can expect that Starbucks will be the first line of the day.

It's been a couple of years since last trip but it wasn't terrible - do they do mobile ordering in park?? That would be awesome.

 

[snappy]

I do in room coffee but use bottled water.

 

[msb578]

Hi Swan/Dolphin fans! I'm looking into options for our family of 5 for a 2nd Disney trip in June of 2020-we went last June and had a wonderful stay at Caribbean Beach, even in the midst of construction, but I'd like to stay at an Epcot area resort where we have the option of walking to Epcot and HS. The busing was our only complaint about our CBR stay!

In looking at our options, I feel like the Dolphin (am I correct that a family of 5 in a standard room can stay at the Dolphin, but not the Swan?) will be the most affordable option for our family in the Epcot area, unless we rent DVC points for BWI or BCV. I am well aware of some of the "perks" we'd be giving up by not staying at a Disney-owned hotel. My primary question is regarding the sleeping options at the Dolphin and whether this would be comfortable for our family.
What are your experiences with sleeping a family of 5 in these rooms, with the double beds and a rollaway bed?? We don't need a lot of space- it will be me, DH, DS13, DD10, and DD7. We had plenty of space at CBR and spent very little time in the room, but we had queen beds there and the small pullout bed. I read somewhere that the double beds are actually larger than the usual size? Is that true?

Thanks for helping- we'd be happy to stay at CBR again if that ends up making sense financially, but I'm trying to explore other options and I'm uncertain if the cost of CBR will also be much higher next year with the skyliner open!

We recently packed five into a Dolphin room. We brought a very small air mattress. It fit fine on the window side of the room. The double beds were exactly the size I’d expect doubles to be. We were only there for two nights- it may have “gotten old” had we stayed there longer. But we LOVED being able to walk to Epcot!

We actually booked a Hotwire Hot Rate and got a great view of the Tower of Terror.

 

[Dan Murphy]

It's been a couple of years since last trip but it wasn't terrible - do they do mobile ordering in park?? That would be awesome.

No, no Starbucks for mobile ordering.

 

[SteveH]

It's been a couple of years since last trip but it wasn't terrible - do they do mobile ordering in park?? That would be awesome.

Dan is right, but it's my understanding you can use the Starbucks app to pay.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Adding to Starbucks question.......

https://wdwprepschool.com/starbucks-at-disney-world/

 

[jennypenny]

Hi Swan/Dolphin fans! I'm looking into options for our family of 5 ...
In looking at our options, I feel like the Dolphin (am I correct that a family of 5 in a standard room can stay at the Dolphin, but not the Swan?) will be the most affordable option for our family in the Epcot area, unless we rent DVC points for BWI or BCV.

We haven't done 5 in one room in a while, but when we did we preferred a Swan room and used an air mattress. The queens were nice and the extra sink was very helpful with so many people sharing a bathroom.

I'd also keep an eye on discounted cash rates for bigger DVC studios or 1 bedroom units. We're paying $430/night for a 1bd at the Beach Club this June. It's more than a Swan or Dolphin room, but we get a full kitchen and laundry (we'll save on meals and won't have to pack as many clothes). It also includes airport transportation, so eliminates that cost as well.

I'm not trying to talk you out of S/D -- we just spent a few days at the Swan because we like it -- but with 5 including kids, make sure you look into cash discounts at the DVC rooms. Many studios now have a pullout and a pulldown bed which sounds like it would work for your family.

 

[Ariel1080]

Thanks!

follow/up on the refillable mug - the resort bulletin specifically notes "refillable soft drink mug" - is it just softdrinks or coffee/tea included? Only asking b/c it seems awfully specific and says - you can fillup your soft drink at ......Picabu, Cabana, Fountain, Fresh, and Garden Grove

I believe they said when we bought our mugs that coffee was allowed but not tea. They said that there used to be a separate mug for coffee and tea but they didn't have anymore. The cashier didn't seem really sure about the information. I saw people using it for both while we were there.

 

[BigOnDis]

Dan is right, but it's my understanding you can use the Starbucks app to pay.

That is correct, but you can't use rewards at the Starbucks in the parks, only at Disney Springs.

 

[emarie]

I think you can call Disney and get rack rate pricing for next year at CBR. We found excellent discounts at the Dolphin with AAA and now the senior rate is even better. We book a king room so I can’t weigh in on the beds. I think the Dolphin has double beds while the Swan has queens so I imagine the rollaway would fit better at the Dolphin?

Thanks, I will probably call to check on rates next month if they don't come out online in time for me to decide about renting DVC points. I don't think we qualify for any discounts except that there may be a teacher discount, though I'm not sure how much that is!