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

We will probably just do Mears shared shuttle. We already have snacks and drinks coming from GG. Thanks for all the suggestions
 
There are soooo many rooms at the Dolphin I personally have not seen anyone keeping track of specific rooms or the views from each room like folks do for the Disney branded resorts. There are definitely nice standard rooms available. I've had good luck just using the concierge link to request a "nice view" - even some of the rooms that overlook roofs or have obstructions might also have a nice view of the Tower of Terror or fireworks if you're in the room at the right time. Since we never spring for a balcony I honestly don't care about the room view very much, as I'm not likely to spend a lot of time looking out the window (except to check the weather).

It sounds like it might be important to explain this when you make your room request. There are several elevator banks so maybe if you request to be reasonably near the elevator that would help you out. "We have mobility issues and would love to be near to an elevator for that reason. We are so excited for our first stay at the Dolphin and would love it if we could be assigned a room with a nice view, on a high floor if possible" something like that.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5K8SEF_7GQBedXIjtXLCRg

Thanks! That is a great way of wording the request. It's funny since I work front desk and fulfill special requests, but I still feel like a pain if I ask for (what I see as) too many things.

No idea if it would be standard or not, BUT, I will always, from now on, request a room in the bank of rooms closest to the little lake, down the hall from the fitness room. They have patios, quick walk to the pools, fitness room, Picabu, there's a quick, secluded, path to the bus queue next to the basket ball court, there's also an escalator to the bus queue right next too PIcabu.
We are in it for the pools much more than a view, so that bank of rooms is prime real estate, imo. I think they are 1300 series. If we stay at Dolphin again, 1300 series for us. We could walk out of the patio door right to the pools, and everything we wanted was super convenient.
Great info! The pool is a pretty big deal for us as well, DD loves swimming and we will hit the pool most (if not all) days.
 
All options would be cheaper then a Minnie Van. Favorite might not fit a ride from the airport but a Uber / Lyft would be the cheapest & direct.

You could also rent a car one-way and drop at the Dolphin for National & Alamo this would allow you to make a stop to pickup items for your vacation. Or you might want to do a little Outlet Mall shopping. You can drop your rental car from National / Alamo with the Dolphin valet.

Last option that I would pick is a Mears Shared Shuttle or individual SUV or luxury Van, pricing ranges from about $24 per person for the shared shuttle to about $112 private direct SUV / Van. You can reserve via the web and save a few dollars.

Dave
I just thought of an idea! I’m going to download a YouTube video of the DME video they play and we can watch that on our trip to Dolphin using Mears shuttle 😃
 


We finally made our decision and booked The Swan this morning for our 8 night trip in October. I am so excited to be staying in the Epcot Resort area for the Food and Wine festival. We plan to add hoppers so that we can wander over several times and sample the offerings.
I booked through Priceline after a lot of research. Does anyone know offhand what I do to add my child to the reservation and then add to MDE? I assume there’s an order to do this in so I don’t want to mess it up.
 
We finally made our decision and booked The Swan this morning for our 8 night trip in October. I am so excited to be staying in the Epcot Resort area for the Food and Wine festival. We plan to add hoppers so that we can wander over several times and sample the offerings.
I booked through Priceline after a lot of research. Does anyone know offhand what I do to add my child to the reservation and then add to MDE? I assume there’s an order to do this in so I don’t want to mess it up.
And a great decison for sure! You'll love it for easy access to Epcot and the Studios, along with Star Wars..

Not sure if different with Priceline reservation, but normally call the Swan directly (407 934-3000) to add her and then wait a couple days to check MDE.
 
Not sure if different with Priceline reservation, but normally call the Swan directly (407 934-3000) to add her and then wait a couple days to check MDE.
Works fine with Priceline. When you call the Swan directly (407 934-3000), you will reach the operator so just ask for in-house reservations. Very easy to add your daughter and you should also ask for the Confirmation number to enter in MDE to link your reservation.

On my last Priceline reservation the reservation was not automatically added to MDE even after waiting 48 hours. I had to use the MDE app and enter the confirmation number provided by the Swan.

Dave
 


Thank you both ! I will give them a call tomorrow . Now I’m off to catch up on all the great information in this thread ! :)
 
What time would you recommend leaving Swolphin to catch bus for MK EMM?

Frankly, for EMM, for the price you are paying, I'd plan on using a rideshare to the contemp. Watch the bus board, of course, but you could plan a rideshare and not have to wake up to chance an early bus, if that makes any sense. If emm starts at 745am, id walk out of my room at 7, order a rideshare as i closed the door, and be in line at mk with time to spare. Just my 2 cents. If i chanced a bus and wound up late, i'd be pist. For the price, imo, rideshare is easily cheap instead of chancing missing prime emm time.
 
Any suggestions on the best standard rooms in the Dolphin? Info on specific rooms or area would be greatly appreciated. We do not have any of the Bonvoy cards, just signed up for their rewards program and have 2 rooms so I am not delusional enough to think we would get a comp upgrade, oh and I booked through PL ;)

We do not care very much about the view (it would be nice but not a necessity) but I rather not look directly at a dumpster. I read of far flung rooms that have a nice view. Ideally we would be on the close-side to the lobby area since DH has a fake knee - no need for wheelchair or anything like that, but the humidity kills him and he needs a cane...which is one of the reasons we live up in the mountains of CO - no humidity!

I was thinking of just requesting a high floor near the elevators but if anyone has a better suggestions I am all ears. I have read that sometimes you can pay for an upgrade - how much is it usually to upgrade from standard to a higher category? Would not be opposed to paying if it was not too much. I am so frugal DH was shocked when I mentioned the S&D as an option, always stay value so this is a splurge for us (although with the Disney rates the way they are the Swolphin is looking like a great deal!)

We are not going until May but I like to be prepared ;)


I liked the location we stayed in earlier this month. It was on the same floor as check in and the shops. If you went to the left past the 2 shops, and turned right down the hall, that is the area we were in. Very convenient! And it was nice not to have to use the elevator at all to get to the room.
 
I liked the location we stayed in earlier this month. It was on the same floor as check in and the shops. If you went to the left past the 2 shops, and turned right down the hall, that is the area we were in. Very convenient! And it was nice not to have to use the elevator at all to get to the room.
Was it a standard room? What are the room numbers in that section?
 
Yes it was standard. I'll try and see if I can find what the room numbers were, or if my sister still has it.

I believe it is the West elevator bank we had to go past, if that helps at all.
 
Staying at the Swan for the first time this October and very excited! Two questions - I understand there’s a ticket desk in the lobby of the Swan (or dolphin, not sure). Can APs be activated there?
Also, I know the swan gift shop is currently under construction. Is there any swan/dolphin logo merch for sale in the dolphin gift shop? Thank you!
 
Disney desk in both but no AP activations at either.

Not sure about S/D merchandise, but I'd be surprised if not. I know they've had magnets in the past, I've purchased those.
 
We will probably just do Mears shared shuttle. We already have snacks and drinks coming from GG. Thanks for all the suggestions
For some reason I thought that Garden Grocer didn’t deliver to Swan and Dolphin. Do they now?
 
We finally made our decision and booked The Swan this morning for our 8 night trip in October. I am so excited to be staying in the Epcot Resort area for the Food and Wine festival. We plan to add hoppers so that we can wander over several times and sample the offerings.
I booked through Priceline after a lot of research. Does anyone know offhand what I do to add my child to the reservation and then add to MDE? I assume there’s an order to do this in so I don’t want to mess it up.

**Caution! Very, very long-winded, but there’s a prize at the end!***

Just sharing my recent experience with adding my kids to our Priceline Express reservation.

I first called the Swan to add the kids and spoke with a very nice person in their reservations department. He asked for the names of all guests staying in our room (4) and assured me the kids were added. He also gave me the hotel confirmation number that I would need to link in MDE. He said to give it 24 hours for the system to catch up to the recent change he made before linking the reservation in MDE. I checked MDE 24 hours (and then again at 48 hours) later and MDE was still showing the reservation as being for only 2 people. I stopped short of clicking “Confirm” on the MDE linking page with my thinking being I should wait until the reservation is showing the correct occupancy before linking.

I called the Swan again and this time I was told that the original person I spoke to did add my kids’ names to the reservation, but he didn’t modify the occupancy from 2 to 4. This is why MDE was still showing it as being for only 2 people. This same Swan rep. also told me that because I booked through a third party site she is not authorized to change the occupancy on the reservation. She said I would have to call Priceline to do that. Okay, no problem...

I call Priceline and explained that I need to add my two kids to the booking. Priceline rep. is adamant that since I booked and Express Deal she can not, and will not call the Swan and authorize the occupancy adjustment. I explain that this is a common practice and shouldn’t be a problem. I also explain that I have already spoken to the Swan people and changing the occupancy is not a problem as they would indeed be able to accommodate the change. She continues to refuse to do it. I politely end the phone call.

Just for kicks, I call Disney’s wholesale department as I have found them to be very easy to deal with in the past when booking Express Deals at Disney-owned hotels. The Disney wholesale CM says that because this reservation is for the Swan she can not modify the occupancy. Had it been a Disney-owned hotel it would be no problem, but she can’t modify reservations at the Swan. She also suggests that maybe the occupancy issue in MDE is and IT-related issue and transfers me to their IT department. Okay, it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I’ve got a tall glass of iced tea in my hand....I’ll play along...

IT department says it is not an IT issue. Instructed me to call the Swan to adjust the occupancy and the issue will be resolved.

Called the Swan a third time. (Definition of insanity comes to mind here...) Same answer. Swan’s hands are tied due to my booking through a third party website. I am once again instructed to call Priceline. Here we go again. This should be fun.

I called Priceline for a second time and politely explain the situation. Priceline rep. begins to give me the same explanation as the previous one. Since this an Express Deal the occupancy can’t be modified, blah, blah, blah. I explain (once again) that this is a common practice and all I need is for her to make a 60-second phone call to the Swan to authorize the change. She finally agrees to call them, but not before pointing out to me (in a frustrated and rude tone) that she is going “above and beyond” for me. I think to myself, umm, okay, what do you want from me? A cookie?!! I politely thank for understanding my predicament and for agreeing to help me resolve this issue. She puts me on hold while calling the Swan. 30 seconds in to my hold time the call drops! I was calling on my cell phone, but from my house. I never have dropped calls from my house. The signal is more than adequate here. I have to believe she either mistakenly (or intentionally) terminated the call.

I decide to wait 5 minutes with the hopes that she might call me back. Many companies with good customer service practices will call the customer back if a call drops and the issue was still unresolved. I get no call back.

Ten minutes later I call Priceline again and get different rep. I explain that another rep. was assisting me with my issue and that the call had dropped. He looks at the details of my hotel reservation and tells me he can see notes from the previous rep. from a few minutes ago. He says she did add notes to my booking and stated that she called the Swan to authorize the occupancy adjustment. Hallelujah!!! I thought. (Not so fast though.)

I called the Swan to make sure the occupancy is now showing as 4 people. As luck would have it, I was now speaking to the exact same Swan rep. that the Priceline lady spoke to. He tells me he just got off the phone with her a few minutes ago and he informed her that a phone call from Priceline was not enough to authorize the occupancy change. He told her she would need to fax written authorization for him to make the change! Fax?!!! What is this, 1989?!!! I thought to myself that if she felt she was going “above and beyond” by simply calling the Swan for me, there’s no way she would ever consider actually standing up and walking over to the fax machine. That is, if they even have a fax machine in her office.

I decide to wait 24 hours with the hopes that she did send the fax and the Swan made the necessary adjustment. The next day I begin to link the reservation in MDE and it’s still showing as only 2 people. Of course it is!....

I call the Swan again. This time the Swan rep. repeats why I’ve alredy been told three times. The reservation is still showing an occupancy of only 2 people (even though they see the names of all 4 of my family members!) and I would have to call Priceline again. I explain that Priceline has been absolutely no help and I’m now at the mercy of the Swan and anything they can do to help. The Swan rep. decides that I should be transferred to the Marriott Rewards dept. This strikes me as odd, because I’m not a Marriott Rewards member. Never have been. But okay, I’ll go along for the ride.

The Marriott Rewards rep. answers the phone and she is nice as pie. Seriously, she was a breath of fresh air. Very polite and eager to help. But there’s just one problem. She’s (rightfully) a bit confused as to why the Swan rep. thought she’d be able to resolve the issue. She’s in the Marriott Rewards department, she can’t modify the occupancy. I agree with her that I didn’t expect that she would be able to resolve issue and I thank her for her time. She pauses for a moment and tells me to hang on just one second. After a two minute hold she comes back on the line and informs me that she is handing the call off to a gentlemen named Josh. The first words I hear from Josh are, “Mr. Xxxxx, I have resolved the issue and your now showing an occupancy of 4 people for your upcoming stay with us. I want to apologize for the inconvenience and we look forward to welcoming you next month.” Still in disbelief, I ask how he was able to fix this issue that 8 other people could not. Being the consummate professional, he doesn’t badmouth his colleagues. He just says that he doesn’t know everything that transpired, but the issue is 100% resolved and if I have any further issues I can call the Swan and ask for him directly. He did add that I should wait 24 hours to link to MDE.

The next day I go to link the reservation and and to my surprise (and relief!) it was showing 4 people!

So my take away from all of this:
1. Priceline customer service needs improvement. A lot of it! I do realize that I booked an Express Deal, but the rude attitude of multiple reps. was not necessary. I did remain calm, respectful and polite with each one of them. Unfortunately that was not reciprocated.

2. The Swan reps., while very kind and courteous on the phone, did seem to want to pass the buck just a bit. I was assured by the rep. that my kids were added, but all he did was add their names. He didn’t modify the occupancy.

3. That Marriot Rewards rep. was great. Of all the people I spoke with, she was the least responsible or equipped to assist, but she was the most invested in resolving my issue.

4. Josh at the Swan is by far the most knowledable rep. I spoke to when it comes to third party bookings. He did, in fact, resolve the issue in less than a minute. There’s the prize I promised at the beginning. If you’re having issues adjusting the occupancy of an Express Deal, ask for Josh at the Swan.

So after 5 days and who knows how many phone calls I’m finally where I need to be! Swan reservation is linked in MDE! I sure hope those beds are as comfortable as everyone says they are!
 
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Josh at the Swan is by far the most knowledable rep. I spoke to when it comes to third party bookings. He did, in fact, resolve the issue in less than a minute. There’s the prize I promised at the beginning. If you’re having issues adjusting the occupancy of an Express Deal, ask for Josh at the Swan.

So after 5 days and who knows how many phone calls I’m finally where I need to be! Swan reservation is linked in MDE! I sure hope those beds are as comfortable as everyone says they are!
Did Josh have a British accent?
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joshua-gray-72188b108
So glad that your persistence paid off.

The beds are comfortable.
 

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