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

[Saad]

Once we make our reservations with marriott for a dolphin stay, how do we set it up on the disney MDE side to get theme park reservations, etc?

 

[Saad]

@jennypenny you would want to look at what's called the Grande Suite. There is a floor plan link on that page, or click here. As for dinning table, yes and same for Sofa. Fridge sort of, the wet bar area has a minifridge though not sure it's any larger, and I think both bedrooms also have the standard side mini fridge. Keep in mind there is no cooking appliances. This YouTube gives a quick walk through and a flash of the fridge but I can't tell if its any larger then the others.

Is there something similar from a youtube perspective on what they call a family suite? Right now it's tagged as a larger room on our marriot reservation

 

[Saad]

Is there any self serve laundry facility on property at the dolphin? If so where and how does it work?

 

[Poohlovr]

Is there any self serve laundry facility on property at the dolphin? If so where and how does it work?

Yes, on the lower level.
I haven't been in a while, but it was (and I assume still is) down the hall from Picabu.
It's just like a small laundromat, with multiple coin operaterd washers and dryers.

 

[Saad]

Yes, on the lower level.
I haven't been in a while, but it was (and I assume still is) down the hall from Picabu.
It's just like a small laundromat, with multiple coin operaterd washers and dryers.

Got it! Can we bring our own laundry detergent pods?

 

[Poohlovr]

Got it! Can we bring our own laundry detergent pods?

I always bring my own

 

[ilovevacation]

[/QUOTE]

Yes, on the lower level.
I haven't been in a while, but it was (and I assume still is) down the hall from Picabu.
It's just like a small laundromat, with multiple coin operaterd washers and dryers.

Hi everyone. We have a trip to the Dolphin planned for early August and will have a tiny little one in tow so I imagine I am going to need to do laundry. Is it coin only? I was hopeful for a card option. The less weight I have to carry, the better!

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Is there any self serve laundry facility on property at the dolphin? If so where and how does it work?

I peeked in there this past week. Laundry is $3.00 per load (both washers and dryers) and seems to take both quarters and a credit card. I'm sorry I didn't get any photos but there were a lot of folks doing laundry and no clear shots.

The laundry at the Dolphin is on the lowest floor ALL the way down toward the pool near the Game Room.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

I just completed a Seven Night stay at the Dolphin and took a bunch of photos specifically for this thread as a way to pay it back all the helpful info here.

As of February 12 2022 - I am Titanium with Marriot for reference.

Upgrades:
I had reserved a King Alcove Room and that's what I got. On my check in day I was not offered any upgrades and just in conversation with the desk clerk was told the hotel was sold out that night. So, no matter status, reserve the kind of room you want rather than hope for an upgrade. Especially if you are checking in / staying over a Friday and/or Saturday night.

On my stay in Oct 2021, I was given an upgrade on day 2 of my stay which necessitated a room move - worth it in the end because I was moved from a regular room with 2 double beds to a deluxe king room (I prefer a king bed). But I had to talk to the room assigning manager to make that happen (I had some work zoom calls on that trip and didn't want to do it from a bed - the upgraded room gave me a couch that didn't look like a hotel room on the surface)

Housekeeping:
I was told there would be full housekeeping on Day 4 and asked if I'd like a daily freshening of the room and I said yes. I got the full housekeeping on Day 4 and got freshening on 4 of 6 days. To note, though, I DID come back to my room both of those days before 3 PM.

I had two housekeeping "issues" during my stay and they were handled promptly via Text - I used the Swan/Dolphin App which pops out into your regular texting on your phone. After my first shower I saw that the drain on the shower was just not draining (I had a walk in shower) and the water was getting to overflow levels. The next morning on the way to the first park, I texted and told them of the issue and it was taken care of before I returned for the day.

Another day, I had trash to be taken out and wanted to get rid of dirty towels, so I texted first thing in the morning and requested service (this was one of the days they missed the day before) and it was taken care of when I returned around 4 PM.

My advice: if you need service of any sort, use the texting service. And if you text as you're leaving for the day there's a strong chance it will be dealt with before you return.

Breakfast:
As a Titanium Member I was given a certificate that was worth either $20 in Fuel or for a Continental Breakfast at FRESH. I used it at Fuel every day and it covered a breakfast sandwich ($10 each) and a cold brew ($5.00). The one morning I had a pastry rather than a breakfast sandwich, it also covered some snacks. On my Animal Kingdom Day I skipped Fuel. Note that you can use the certificate in fuel any time of day, so that night I grabbed some snacks for later. NOTE: It can be used towards any purchase except Alcohol.

FUEL as of February 2022

Entrance via Dolphin Lobby


Drinks/Cold Self-Serve





FUEL Snacks



Fuel Seating



FUEL Check Out Area (Here is where you order sandwiches and coffee

They have breakfast sandwiches ($10 each), Mickey Waffles (didn't look at price), and pastries such as croissants, muffins, etc. in AM. Deli type sandwiches in the afternoon/evening.



And here is the Wine list




LAUNDRY at The Dolphin

There IS a Laundry Room on the 1st floor of the Dolphin ALL the way down towards the end near the Game Room, Kids Club, and Gym. It's $3 per load and it takes coins and credit cards. There is a machine for laundry detergent as well. It was very busy on the Sunday I popped in there so I didn't get any photos.

They are also doing same day dry cleaning/Laundry (pricing as of Feb 2022)





I'll return with additional photos of the Gym for reference as well as my room.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

GYM at the Dolphin

I used the gym three times during my stay - on a Sunday afternoon around 3:30 PM (there was one other person working out), at 4 AM on a Tuesday (again, one other person working out), and on Thursday morning around 5 AM (and there were 4 or 5 people working out). I was also able to check out a Yoga Mat and take it to my room (no charge).

I talked to the gym attendant one day and asked about crowds and he said they are busiest in the mornings and then right before dinnertime.

There was a fridge with cold towels in the gym as well as a couple of water dispensers but no bottled water.

I didn't use but did peek into the Locker room and the women's locker room had two showers with on the wall dispensers of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner as well as about a dozen lockers. There was also fresh towels/washcloths.

Entry Way/Cardio Equipment - and Yes there is ONE Peloton Bike (original Bike, not Bike+) that I was able to log into and out of to use my Peloton Account.



Same equipment, different angle




Cross Training Room. Here they had dumbbells', kettle bells, boxing bag, yoga mat, exercise mats. There was also some sort of video on demand system available for here but I just did a workout using my peloton app



Weight Room

 

[Dan Murphy]

Wow, Texan! Thanks so very much for all this updated information. I just skimmed for a moment, so much there. Now I'm going to go back up and read and digest. Just WOW! And thanks again.

 

[Sabine W.]

Thank you for these photos!! Particularly of the gym. Those are so hard to find online.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Alcove Room at the Dolphin

I had a King Alcove Room at the Dolphin. This is the 2nd time I've had this room type in the last year and both rooms were slightly different. This room was in the EAST Tower and just on the other side of the elevators which I loved (Room number ended in "063" if that is helpful.

As a reminder, the Alcove Rooms can connect up to two additional rooms on each side with the Alcove room in the middle. All rooms are listed as "limited view".

"Living" Area of the Room

Note the connecting Door. There was a pull out sofa (I didn't open it), two chairs, large ottoman/coffee table, chest, tv, basic fridge



Bedroom area of Alcove Room.

Note the connecting door, there was only one nightstand and the desk/chair was next to the window.






VIEW from East Tower Room ending in "063" -

note that while I could hear fireworks from Epcot there was no view except a very rare peek at higher ones.



Bathroom of Alcove Room

My room had 2 sinks, one in with the toilet/shower and one outside. Note that the room I had in May had a Tub and only one sink.



Entry area:

This room also had TWO closets. One regular size closet and one coat size closet. The room I had in May only had one closet.


Coffee Station:

You can see the coffee stand there on the left of the photo above. There is a small filter/pod coffee maker (not Keurig) and housekeeping did drop off additional coffee twice during my stay with Starbucks Pikes blend.

EDITED to Add:
Found photos of the coffee equipment and an interior photo of the fridge from a previous trip:










For reference, here are my photos from May 2021 - this room was in the WEST Tower and felt like it was MILES away from the elevator: https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...tion-questions.3264274/page-756#post-63220883

 

[Sabine W.]

Did you have any issues with MDE during your stay? Some people were reporting inability to get 7am ILL when Genie + was first introduced, and their reservations dropping off entirely. Has that been fixed?

We are booked at YC but toying with the idea of switching to the Swan to save $$$.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Wow, Texan! Thanks so very much for all this updated information. I just skimmed for a moment, so much there. Now I'm going to go back up and read and digest. Just WOW! And thanks again.

You're very welcome. I have a few more photos/insight about transportation to add but it may be tomorrow before I get back here.

Did you have any issues with MDE during your stay? Some people were reporting inability to get 7am ILL when Genie + was first introduced, and their reservations dropping off entirely. Has that been fixed?

We are booked at YC but toying with the idea of switching to the Swan to save $$$.

I did have one small issue with MDE but noticed it the night before and had to re-link my reservation. But it only happened once during my stay (and once before I checked in). I had zero problems with early entry (which I did every day of my trip - all 4 parks).

 

[disneyfan150]

@TexanInTheMidwest
Thank you so much! We are planning our first Dolphin stay and are very excited. I have read about Dolphin refillable resort mugs in past years, but am wondering if they are available now? I also read something about needing a certain one if you wanted to include coffee as part of your refilling?

As an aside:
Love your screen name! Texas adopted me 34 years ago. I consider myself a Texan in Texas - although a native born Texan might not agree.

 

[TommyLF]

Have a trip booked to stay at the Dolphin in September. However, Dolphin is getting blasted in recent TripAdvisor reviews. Anyone know what’s going on and is housekeeping as poor as reviews make it seem?

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Regular 2 Dble beds rooms at Dolphin...Do they all have balconies??

Any recommendations for QUIETEST location?
(distance from everything NOT important)

This trip is solo and the priority is R & R...
Thanks!

 

[melking23]

Regular 2 Dble beds rooms at Dolphin...Do they all have balconies??

Definitely not. If you want a balcony, it’s best to book that room category. Balconies are very limited.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

@TexanInTheMidwest
Thank you so much! We are planning our first Dolphin stay and are very excited. I have read about Dolphin refillable resort mugs in past years, but am wondering if they are available now? I also read something about needing a certain one if you wanted to include coffee as part of your refilling?

As an aside:
Love your screen name! Texas adopted me 34 years ago. I consider myself a Texan in Texas - although a native born Texan might not agree.

You're very welcome! I really enjoy staying at the Dolphin and am happy to do my part in making other's stays a little easier. And I AM a native Texan - 40+ years - and have only been in the Midwest since late 2010!

AS to a refillable mug, there were none for sell at Fuel which is the quick service location - so any refillable mugs may have been pre-covid.

Have a trip booked to stay at the Dolphin in September. However, Dolphin is getting blasted in recent TripAdvisor reviews. Anyone know what’s going on and is housekeeping as poor as reviews make it seem?

People are more likely to complain that complement so I would take those reviews with a grain of salt.

Like most hotels in the Disney area, there is no daily housekeeping. They are doing true cleaning of the rooms every 4th day for longer stays. And requests for room freshening includes towel changes and emptying of trash. AS I mentioned above, texting for additional housekeeping for towels, etc. is something that has always given me positive results. And even when I only requested fresh towels, they made the bed.

(The only hotel I've gotten daily housekeeping from successfully since Oct 2020 - over 7 trips and 10 different hotels) in the Disney area is the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek)

Regular 2 Dble beds rooms at Dolphin...Do they all have balconies??

Any recommendations for QUIETEST location?
(distance from everything NOT important)

This trip is solo and the priority is R & R...
Thanks!

If you want a balcony, book a room with a balcony. Only a percentage of the rooms have a balcony.

As to a quiet room, ask for a room as far from the elevator as possible (there are 3 elevators and the WEST and EAST wings are the ones that wind around). Unfortunately, you will hear the fireworks from Epcot every night even if you can't see them.