Swan / Dolphin

[Zawadi]

Seem to remember Swan / Dolphin being slightly different than other WDW resorts.

Could anybody tell me whether guests staying at Swan / Dolphin are eligible for EMH?

Are guests at Swan / Dolphin able to make ADR's at 180+10?

Anybody encountered any problems when staying there?

Thanks in advance.

[SBETigg]

Definitely yes on the EMH. But not sure on the 180 plus 10. I think not, though. I think you can only do 180, not the plus ten. I could be wrong. I made my reservations for a midsummer Dolphin stay in May, though, and I was able to get all the ADRs I wanted (probably because there were no biggies like 'Ohana or Le Cellier on my list).

Also, no Magical Express. I had a great stay, though. Really great service, lovely room with lots of space, comfortable beds, good experiences at the Dolphin's restaurants. Transportation was reliable and pretty efficient, no problems at all. The location is great. For the price (and I keep getting deal offers from them now) it's a very good option and tempting. I would go back. I much prefer it to the Disney moderates.

[BugeyedMuggy]

You are able to take advantage of EMH but not the 180+10 on dining. We really like to stay there for the cost vs deluxe cost in that area. You can walk to Epcot & Studios. The 2 cons we found are parking cost at the resort & if they have a conference at the time you are there they completely take over the resort. We will be staying there in July & Oct this year.

[greengeen]

We have stayed at both recently. The Swan is nice but I have issues with the Dolphin. The rooms are horribly worn and shabby looking. The carpet hasn't been replaced in a decade and looks it; there were stains and cracks on the tile floor; the desk chair looked like a Goodwill discard; and overall the housekeeping gets a D-. Dolphin is NOT worth even the best discounted price, which is usually around $159.

[SBETigg]

We have stayed at both recently. The Swan is nice but I have issues with the Dolphin. The rooms are horribly worn and shabby looking. The carpet hasn't been replaced in a decade and looks it; there were stains and cracks on the tile floor; the desk chair looked like a Goodwill discard; and overall the housekeeping gets a D-. Dolphin is NOT worth even the best discounted price, which is usually around $159.

I was in the Dolphin, and I did not have any issues at all. My room was beautiful, with a view of the Tower of Terror out my window, and housekeeping was great. I was in several rooms, because I was there for a conference and I was visiting with attendees in other rooms, and none of my associates had any complaints-- all the rooms were in good shape. I would say that your experience is probably the exception and not the norm, though I am sorry to hear that you had such a shabby room/hard time with housekeeping.

The conference concern is something to consider. I was there for a conference and because I was with the conference group, I had no problems. But we really did take the place over and I wondered how I would feel as a vacationer there while my conference was going on.

[Mogie]

We stay at both the Dolphin and Swan. I would say the only issue is that you can sometimes get stuck at either hotel during a large convention which can make the hotel restaurants and lounge/bars crowded. But besides that you cant beat the price and its location is very convenient.

[Zawadi]

Thanks for the advice. Especially the conference and parking info. Hadn't realised they charge for parking unlike the other WDW Resorts.

However, the great deal I found, actually turned out not to be that great, especially when I found out that both the hotel, park tickets and flights from the UK had to be paid for in full up front now, when we didn't intend travelling until November 2011 :down:

[PopPhan]

Thanks for the advice. Especially the conference and parking info. Hadn't realised they charge for parking unlike the other WDW Resorts.

However, the great deal I found, actually turned out not to be that great, especially when I found out that both the hotel, park tickets and flights from the UK had to be paid for in full up front now, when we didn't intend travelling until November 2011 :down:

Understand that the Swan and Dolphin are NOT WDW resorts. They are independent hotel chains with hotels on WDW property, not owned or operated by Disney. They DO have an agreement to allow EMH and use SOME WDW transportation, but not things like DME.