New 350 room hotel near Swan and Dolphin "The Swan Reserve”

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I am not a huge fan of the rather bland construction going on at Disney when it comes to the new hotels. I believe the exterior design and landscaping are key to the ability to transport you to a different time and place. I love WL specifically because I no longer feel like I am in Florida when I stay there. The ability to carry the theme both inside and out to that extent is what made Disney resorts special. These new hotels may very well be nice and have good restaurants and service, but they won’t have the Disney bubble feel that many of us want when we stay on property. I can find hotels of a similar look, feel, and quality standards off property and probably for less money. But I stay at a Disney resort for the same reason I go to Disney theme parks - to get away from the drab and generic real world for a while. I go to enjoy whimsy, and color, and magic, and fun. Perhaps it’s because my trips tend to be 10-11 days and I spend as much time at the resorts as I do at the parks. If all you want is a place to sleep, this will fit the bill nicely, even if it does look like a medical building or offices. To each his/her own - just not my thing.
 
Curious if there have been any updates to this?

When I attended a Marriott Vacation Club presentation in early 2017, the salesperson said (take this with a large grain of salt) that MVC was planning to add timeshares to the Swan/Dolphin. I have no idea if this could ever happen, considering the DVC competition, but just something that I remembered.

I personally would love a St. Regis here! :)
 
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Curious if there have been any updates to this?

When I attended a Marriott Vacation Club presentation in early 2017, the salesperson said (take this with a large grain of salt) that MVC was planning to add timeshares to the Swan/Dolphin. I have no idea if this could ever happen, considering the DVC competition, but just something that I remembered.

I personally would love a St. Regis here! :)

Seriously doubt that. During presentations, they take a grain of salt and somehow make it into a new resort.
 


I'm an avid Swolphin fan. I won't use ME, ever. It's gross.

What? I'm not sure the last time you used it then, but it's *amazing.* It's one of those nice coaches with a restroom in the back and TV monitors throughout. They play Disney cartoons, including the new ones with Mickey & Minnie as well as the classics. My kids were in stitches over some classic they played of Chip & Dale bugging Donald Duck. It was the nicest, most stress-free way of leaving the airport. Seriously, we don't even need to get our suitcases, and kids love that first time they get to scan their MagicBands!
 
What? I'm not sure the last time you used it then, but it's *amazing.* It's one of those nice coaches with a restroom in the back and TV monitors throughout. They play Disney cartoons, including the new ones with Mickey & Minnie as well as the classics. My kids were in stitches over some classic they played of Chip & Dale bugging Donald Duck. It was the nicest, most stress-free way of leaving the airport. Seriously, we don't even need to get our suitcases, and kids love that first time they get to scan their MagicBands!

And that's awesome for you...the long bus ride makes me literally ill, so it's not something I'm going to do again. And I have to wait 0 minutes for an Uber/cab, and they'll stop for me at a liquor/grocery store:) I was just spelling out my perspective, and I'm NOT riding a bus for that long as that slight swaying makes me so darn sick. The idea of using a bus powder room is bad enough; I never want to do it in actuality. Lots of people love it; but there are some people like me that don't. It doesn't feature in my idea of a vacation, so it doesn't feature into my cost evaluation either.
 
What? I'm not sure the last time you used it then, but it's *amazing.* It's one of those nice coaches with a restroom in the back and TV monitors throughout. They play Disney cartoons, including the new ones with Mickey & Minnie as well as the classics. My kids were in stitches over some classic they played of Chip & Dale bugging Donald Duck. It was the nicest, most stress-free way of leaving the airport. Seriously, we don't even need to get our suitcases, and kids love that first time they get to scan their MagicBands!

It is a really nice bus! We got the cruise ship bus last time, like that one too.

And that's awesome for you...the long bus ride makes me literally ill, so it's not something I'm going to do again. And I have to wait 0 minutes for an Uber/cab, and they'll stop for me at a liquor/grocery store:) I was just spelling out my perspective, and I'm NOT riding a bus for that long as that slight swaying makes me so darn sick. The idea of using a bus powder room is bad enough; I never want to do it in actuality. Lots of people love it; but there are some people like me that don't. It doesn't feature in my idea of a vacation, so it doesn't feature into my cost evaluation either.

Yeah, but you said it was gross. It's not gross, you just don't like it.
Now on a hot/humid day, I can see describing the monorail as gross...
 


I'm not a fan of DME. The two times I've had to use it, I sat on an empty bus for over 30 minutes before we finally left - with the bus still empty. A $20 Uber/Lyft ride would've had me at my final destination way before that bus even left MCO.

That said, I don't travel with children so I know that entertainment and their accommodations is important, but DME isn't anything special - it's a shuttle bus.
 
Of course it's a shuttle bus, but as far as buses go, it's a nice one! I'm guessing you don't ride the CTA? :rotfl: :p

And it is a nice perk for those of us not in a hurry and happy to get a free, comfortable ride from the airport to our hotel.

That said, I would still love to see this boutique hotel happen.
 
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I will gladly take the DME, one less thing I have to worry about. I sit in enough traffic to an from work, if someone is going to drive me to my hotel for free, I'm all in. Considering we fly in early am or late pm, I don't want to think about driving.

As for the bus bathroom, I wouldn't use it or sit near it. That's why you stop in the airport before you leave.

Now back to the original topic, I can't wait to see the new hotel.
 
I'm just back from the Dolphin and saw nothing - just the construction for the Coronado addition from my window. I haven't read this whole thread - will do so later.
 
OK - I read most of the thread (the most off topic thread I ever read - surprised it didn't get shut off - and to think I got reprimanded by a mod for making a light hearted (not offensive at all!) comment once - because the joke was not pertinent to the thread topic.

Anyway - staying on topic - I guess I simply missed it. Drive by the site every day coming into the Dolphin. Never noticed anything. Not very far along I guess. The article I guess was in Feb of this year (side note - why do SO many web articles pages fail to put a date anywhere??)

The comment section there is indicative of where we've come in "discourse". The hotel is clearly fits better outside of WDW than inside - but mentioning that got the person criticized by people who really missed the point.

People don't like the Swan and Dolphin for a similar reason, and I truly understand that. To me, their location and price that makes up for that. This new (relatively small) hotel is in fact nothing special looking. But I suspect that kept the cost down. Still, why only 350 rooms?

In fact, why a hotel there at all? I really wonder if the whole idea is on hold or cancelled already.
 
OK - I read most of the thread (the most off topic thread I ever read - surprised it didn't get shut off - and to think I got reprimanded by a mod for making a light hearted (not offensive at all!) comment once - because the joke was not pertinent to the thread topic.

Anyway - staying on topic - I guess I simply missed it. Drive by the site every day coming into the Dolphin. Never noticed anything. Not very far along I guess. The article I guess was in Feb of this year (side note - why do SO many web articles pages fail to put a date anywhere??)

The comment section there is indicative of where we've come in "discourse". The hotel is clearly fits better outside of WDW than inside - but mentioning that got the person criticized by people who really missed the point.

People don't like the Swan and Dolphin for a similar reason, and I truly understand that. To me, their location and price that makes up for that. This new (relatively small) hotel is in fact nothing special looking. But I suspect that kept the cost down. Still, why only 350 rooms?

In fact, why a hotel there at all? I really wonder if the whole idea is on hold or cancelled already.
No work to the site was ever done other than height test balloon and survey markers.
 
OK - I read most of the thread (the most off topic thread I ever read - surprised it didn't get shut off - and to think I got reprimanded by a mod for making a light hearted (not offensive at all!) comment once - because the joke was not pertinent to the thread topic.

Anyway - staying on topic - I guess I simply missed it. Drive by the site every day coming into the Dolphin. Never noticed anything. Not very far along I guess. The article I guess was in Feb of this year (side note - why do SO many web articles pages fail to put a date anywhere??)

The comment section there is indicative of where we've come in "discourse". The hotel is clearly fits better outside of WDW than inside - but mentioning that got the person criticized by people who really missed the point.

People don't like the Swan and Dolphin for a similar reason, and I truly understand that. To me, their location and price that makes up for that. This new (relatively small) hotel is in fact nothing special looking. But I suspect that kept the cost down. Still, why only 350 rooms?

In fact, why a hotel there at all? I really wonder if the whole idea is on hold or cancelled already.

I think the reason for the hotel is that if you are a third party hotel corporation and you have the rights to build on Disney property, you would be foolish not to do it. The size of the available land limits the size of the hotel footprint, and the taller you build the more expensive it gets per room, so they probably figured that the 350 number was a good compromise.
 
...third party hotel corporation and you have the rights to build on Disney property...

I guess I was unaware there were third parties with rights to build in the "World". I thought Starwood (or whoever they are these days corporately) was the anomaly. And quite some time ago I thought I read that the deal expired at some point with Disney having the right to take it over. Not sure that was accurate at all - or perhaps it's been extended.

Interesting though that they are still "outsourcing" their hotel space to some extent. I realize now I've read there are other brands that have already built excluding "hotel row" (though I don't recall the names and locations - I know it's relatively recent.)
 
I guess I was unaware there were third parties with rights to build in the "World". I thought Starwood (or whoever they are these days corporately) was the anomaly. And quite some time ago I thought I read that the deal expired at some point with Disney having the right to take it over. Not sure that was accurate at all - or perhaps it's been extended.

Interesting though that they are still "outsourcing" their hotel space to some extent. I realize now I've read there are other brands that have already built excluding "hotel row" (though I don't recall the names and locations - I know it's relatively recent.)
I don’t believe there is any sort of expiration on that property.
 
And quite some time ago I thought I read that the deal expired at some point with Disney having the right to take it over. Not sure that was accurate at all - or perhaps it's been extended.

It's a land lease arrangement. Disney owns the land but the hotels are owned by the Tishman Hotel Corporation and an insurance company. (I think it's MetLife, but don't quote me on that.)

It's a 99 year land lease. I'm not sure if that's 99 years from when construction started or when the hotels opened. Whichever it is, they're good until at least the year 2084. That's 99 years from when I think construction began.

Edited to Add: Looks like The Pho beat me in addressing this by about 20 minutes!
 
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Whichever it is, they're good until at least the year 2084
Works for this old guy and my adult kids. We love the Swan/Dolphin complex. Especially the price (relatively cheap) and location.

Which reminds me - we're planning on going for the 50th. Strange to realize my grandkids (2 of which came with us this past July) will be in their late 50s when the 100th comes around.
 
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