Views on the Swan & Dolphin need your help

[RAIDER]

Hi
Can anyone of you help ...We have been looking at something different and the Swan & Dolphin looks really plush and they say its part of Disney ?

Has anyone stayed there ? and how does it compare with staying at a proper Disney resort ..Do you still get your purchases delivered to your room at the Swan & Dolphin and can you get into the disney parks without paying the car parking fee /

I went on Tripadvisor and its seems to have mixed reviews and one person said you had to pay for staying in their car park ?

heres hoping for your expertise :thumbsup:

[wdwfan]

I've stayed at the Swan and will staying at the Dolphin in Nov.
The rooms were great and the heavenly beds wonderful. The lobby's aren't decorated Disney, but I wouldn't say it doesn't feel Disney. They do a character meal & lots of Disney merchandise in the shops.
You DO have to pay to park your car daily at the hotel 9.00 + tax. There is also a 10.00 a day resort fee. Include 2 btls, water daily, internet, phone calls (there website lists it)
You DO NOT have to pay to park in the parks.
I know you can't charge to your room, (except at the Swan/dolphin shops) but I do think you can get your purchases delivered to your hotel. (you have to pick up at front desk or guest services area) You cannot use Magical Express or purchase the dining plan.
It's a great location as you can walk to Epcot, DHS if you want, & Boardwalk.
Our room in Nov. (resort view w/balcony) is 50.00 a day less (this includes parking & resort fee) than any of the standard rooms at any of the Disney Epcot resorts. To me I'm still on Disney property and saving $.

[Crow]

i stayed once at BC & prefer Swan/Dolphin.
true its not Disney but its a great location.
has Kimonos. heavenly beds. & the balcony I had on my 1 stay far outdoes the balcony I had at BC. im lookin at stayin there again in Sept

[CrazyStudent]

I stayed at the Swan and echo what others say about the location. It's awesome being able to walk to Epcot and the boardwalk area is very nice. Great transportation options. I'd definitely stay there again.

[Dragongirlx]

My sister and I stayed at the dolphin 2 trips ago.

While the hotel was lovely and the transportation was brilliant and we could almost see Fantasmic from our hotel room (jumping up and down to get a better view)we found it didn't have that disney feel.

It is a lovely hotel though and you are really close to the boardwalk

[MOJoe]

WDWFan detailed the particulars pretty well. And since this is one of my favorite places to stay, i also would like to add a few things.

This is a convention resort, and has a decidely more adult feel. The restaurants are upscale, not as noisy or crowded as many Disney eateries, and will appeal to those seeking an adult night out. The pool areas are large, with each hotel having it's own lap pool, and sharing a large free form grotto pool with a hot tub, sandy playground and waterfall. The location is perhaps the best anywhere, as you are able to walk to The Studios, Epcot, The Boardwalk, and Fantasia Gardens. Yes you are right in the middle of The World, but because these hotels are not owned by Disney, you may feel silly wearing mouse ears here.
This is not to say that children are not welcome or will not enjoy this complex. My 2 sons, now 9 & 14 love it here. But you are not immersed in all things Disney during your stay. For some, that obstacle is too much to overcome. For others, this is a fabulous resort, set in a perfect location, that is a little less expensive than the choices next door.

[RAIDER]

Thankyou to all of you who have replied with your valuable advice ...I think i will be swanning off there :D;)

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

These hotels are great. The beds are the MOST comfortable you will ever sleep in. They have a 24 hour restaurant/mini market at the Dolphin. You can buy a refillable mug that you can use at these resorts for the length of your stay. You can also have purchases shipped back to the resort, but you pick them up at the gift shop. I don't know if they charge the parking fee AND the resort fee. I thought it was just the one fee.
And if you are staying here you can still participate in the extra Magic hours. And you show your room key and you don't have to pay to park at the different parks. You can use the facilities at the Swan and Dolphin and charge back to your room at either of them.
And the location is fantastic!

[Tigerinvestigator]

We love the Swan and Dolphin and we are Disney nuts! We absolutely think they have a Disney feel about them and you can see Illuminations and Fantasmic from the high rooms. There is no more Resort fee as it was removed sometime last year I believe. The parking fee is about $9/day as someone posted. We usually get a nurses discount and stay for anywhere from $149-$169/ night. The heavenly beds are the best in the world and you cannot beat the location. If you like to relax around the pool it is the best at WDW. You can sit in a cave as the waterfall falls overhead and relax while enjoying a drink!:thumbsup: We have stayed in almost every Disney resort except Saratoga, Yacht Club, and Old Key West and the Swan and Dolphin rank right up there with the best. You will enjoy your stay there.;)

[iadarolas]

Stayed at the Swan May 2007 with DH and two DDs and a group of 25 friends I got the nursing discount $169 night which was great. The rooms are nice, the beds are "heavenly". We didn't spend a whole lot of time in the rooms due to being at the parks a lot. The Grotto pool is beautiful and the quiet pools are nice. The hotel lobby is lovely. We didn't have a car so never had to pay the fee for parking. We relied solely on Disney transportation and never had to wait for a bus. The location is awesome. We walked to MGM/Disney Studios and Epcot several times and loved having the Boardwalk right there. They run some great special rates from time to time and you can really do well. They do offer the package delivery and the transportation. The only Disney perk that you can't take advantage of is charging food/souveneirs to your room card. That is the only thing. You are still able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours also. I was very happy with our vacation at The Swan and would consider staying there again.:mickey:

[LaurenNJ]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Swan and won't likely stay anywhere else. For those that don't yet have children either by choice or due to other circumstances, like myself, it is nice to have an adult feeling reprieve from the parks in the evenings. The Grotto pool is gorgeous and never crowded. While it is not technically a Disney Resort the proximity to the Boardwalk and Epcot allow it to maintain Disney magic. I never forget I'm at Disney. The only downside is that some of the Conventioneers forget they are at Disney and can act like they "own" the hotel if you know what I mean. I had to help two elementary school aged boys get a spot on the elevator when a group of Pharmaceutical Sales Reps practically knocked them down to get to a Seminar on time. Proving to me once again that some peoples children are better behaved than some adults.

[Disney_Barbie]

We are avid swan/dolphin supporters.
The ONLY thing we do miss when we do a swan/dolphin trip is the option of the dinning plan. But they offer such amazing deals that quite often we do the math : Staying on property @ a deluxe or moderate, using magic express and the dinning plan. VS staying @ the swan/dolphin, paying out of pocket for every snack, meal, ect & EVEN useing a limo service to take us to and from the airport. And quite often the swan/dolphin comes out in our favor! I mean, obviously it depends on the deal you get but often when you lump the whole package together, we save hundreds over the delux resorts, and even save a couple bucks a nt over the moderates (and we feel WAY more spoiled going home to the Swan every nt vs. one of the moderates)
TIP : Join the Starwood Prefered Guest Program before booking, it's free, easy and has tons of benefits

[Jarrod]

I don't think anyone mentioned that the Swan and Dolphin are currently getting a soft refurb. I understand the SWAN is complete, but not the Dolphin. We were at the Dolphin in March this year and got one of the refurbed rooms, which was a major improvement over the pre-refurb room we had the year before at Swan. These hotels are both great and the Swan (being smaller) seemed to have less of the convention feel. Also, the Swan rooms have Queen rather than double beds. The Parking fee is separate from the Resort fee (which still exists) but they will remove the resort fee if you request. However, if you remove the fee, you will not get the free waters (which are really great) or the included internet. My vote is YES on the S & D, you cannot beat the value you get, especially with the new flat panel TV's etc they included with the new renovation. :thumbsup: