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

[NancyIL]

I’m giving up my SPG Amex at its anniversary date (January).

Not sure if I want the Marriott card. I think we have enough Chase cards already! (Disney, SWA, Freedom Unlimited)

We would probably close our Starwood AMEX account - if not for the fact that we've had it since 2000. We used to have the Marriott card, but we closed that account before they added some bells and whistles to it.

 

[Sam84]

Me and my husband are going on a much overdue adult only trip in September. Have four nights at the Swan to enjoy Food and Wine Festival. We are flying in and always used Magical Express before, since that isn’t an option this time what do you guys recommend as the best way to get to and from the airport? Looking for options that aren’t too expensive but yet also provide a comfortable ride.

 

[MarBee]

Me and my husband are going on a much overdue adult only trip in September. Have four nights at the Swan to enjoy Food and Wine Festival. We are flying in and always used Magical Express before, since that isn’t an option this time what do you guys recommend as the best way to get to and from the airport? Looking for options that aren’t too expensive but yet also provide a comfortable ride.

Many people on this thread recommend Tony Hinds. I have always used Orlando Limo Tours. Most people will probably say to use Uber or Lyft though because that’s the most affordable.
Have a great trip!

 

[NancyIL]

Many people on this thread recommend Tony Hinds. I have always used Orlando Limo Tours. Most people will probably say to use Uber or Lyft though because that’s the most affordable.
Have a great trip!

When I travel solo, I take Mears or Super Shuttle. I have also booked one-way car rentals between the Orlando airport and the Dolphin. With 2 or more people, I would book a limo service like Tiffany Town Cars.

 

[JJ2017]

Can anyone tell me about recent experiences with Camp Dolphin? We have our kids signed up for our fall trip, but we have seen it before and it's very small. Kids will be 7 1/2 and 5 1/2. Do the counselors take them out? Maybe to the campfire or sports courts? We'd love to go out to dinner or go to F&W in Epcot for a bit.

 

[Animal]

500 SPG points are worth 1500 Marriott points. With the Marriott and Starwood programs merging - I hope the Make a Green Choice option will be 1500 points per day without housekeeping, in order to be an equivalent value. However, the Starwood AMEX card didn't keep up when it joined Marriott. The 2 Marriott points per dollar earned since August 1st on non-Marriott/SPG spending is worth 2/3 of its previous value. That credit card will now be used only for Starwood and Marriott hotel stays.

I'd put my $ on the Green Choice being 500 or 1000 MARRIOTT points.

 

[greg9x]

At Dolphin now... No bathroom fans ?? Don't think i've ever been to hotel without one.... makes for a steamy after shower, have to open the door to ventilate. There's a little vent in the shower, but it doesn't do much.

 

[Dan Murphy]

At Dolphin now... No bathroom fans ?? Don't think i've ever been to hotel without one.... makes for a steamy after shower, have to open the door to ventilate. There's a little vent in the shower, but it doesn't do much.

None at the Swan either. It does make for a steamy experience every shower.

 

[jennypenny]

We just returned from a week at the Swan this morning. Random thoughts ...

I was going to post pics of the lobby construction but I see someone else already has. The jackhammers were loud and started very early, but the lobby and shop are accessible. The only thing that bothered me was the overnight painting in the lobby (I'm very sensitive to paint fumes but that's my own issue).

The laundry was easy to use but the soap is expensive. Pack detergent and dryer sheets.

We rented a car from National and dropped it off at the Dolphin ... couldn't be easier. Dropped off my family with the bags so they could check in, drove to the Dolphin and left the car with the valet, then headed back over to the Swan. I picked up a car yesterday to drive to the airport this morning. That wasn't as smooth because the 'standard SUV' they had for me was much smaller than the one we got at the airport and we didn't fit. They were wonderful and got me a bigger car at the Car Care Center, but if I'd waited until the last minute to pick up the car, I'd have been stuck sending a couple of people in a cab.

The pool and cabanas were nice, but the rain would have made the cabanas a lousy deal if you only booked for half a day. You could end up with only a couple of good hours for your money. I think next year we'll book full days so we don't get completely rained out.

The pool bar has excellent gluten free options. Fresh and Garden Grove -- who've been great in the past -- were much less helpful this time. I got the sense they were guessing ('well, it's meat so it doesn't have gluten', which isn't always the case with seasonings or things like sausage).

I was also surprised that there was no fan in the bathroom. There also wasn't a clothesline so I was stuck hanging some things to dry on the balcony one day (tacky, but I was desperate). OTOH, we always had plenty of towels and we liked the shower heads.

It took the Front Desk staff four tries to get our keys to work properly. They were very nice and they mean well, but it's definitely a weak link.

If you want them to book a car service, use the concierge link or see the concierge ... don't go to the desk at the Dolphin. She was not helpful (in stark contrast to the two wonderful women working the national/alamo desk).

The coffee bar in the lobby was good and the staff were nice, but it was $7 for a 'large' latte. I thought that was really steep. Has it always been that high? I don't remember it being that expensive. We bought cream at the store on the boardwalk and used the coffee pot in the room the rest of the trip.

We were charged $25/day for the third person in the room. While that policy has been mentioned to us before, they've always waived it, presumably since we're lifetime platinum. Not this time.

Between that and the resort fee charges on two rooms, the 'free' rooms we got using our points weren't exactly free. It's still a good deal, but I'll have to factor that plus the cost of providing our own transportation when we decide whether to use points again after the rate goes up. Going forward, two rooms means 100K/night plus two resort fees, two extra person charges, and the cost of transportation. Still worth it? I'm not sure. It's certainly not the no-brainer it used to be, and platinum status means almost nothing there compared to other SPG and Marriott resorts.

Don't get me wrong, we had a lovely stay, the staff were mostly very helpful, the rooms were nice, the pool is great, and the location can't be beat. I'm only sharing my hesitations going forward.


NOTE: The airport was a circus. We dropped the car off and were inside the ticketing area a full two hours before our flight, and we just made it to the plane before they shut the doors. Crazy. A woman at security told me that it's always like that now, even with most of the construction finished. Next time I'll try to get there three hours ahead.

 

[j2thomason]

We just returned from a week at the Swan this morning. Random thoughts ...

I was going to post pics of the lobby construction but I see someone else already has. The jackhammers were loud and started very early, but the lobby and shop are accessible. The only thing that bothered me was the overnight painting in the lobby (I'm very sensitive to paint fumes but that's my own issue).

The laundry was easy to use but the soap is expensive. Pack detergent and dryer sheets.

We rented a car from National and dropped it off at the Dolphin ... couldn't be easier. Dropped off my family with the bags so they could check in, drove to the Dolphin and left the car with the valet, then headed back over to the Swan. I picked up a car yesterday to drive to the airport this morning. That wasn't as smooth because the 'standard SUV' they had for me was much smaller than the one we got at the airport and we didn't fit. They were wonderful and got me a bigger car at the Car Care Center, but if I'd waited until the last minute to pick up the car, I'd have been stuck sending a couple of people in a cab.

The pool and cabanas were nice, but the rain would have made the cabanas a lousy deal if you only booked for half a day. You could end up with only a couple of good hours for your money. I think next year we'll book full days so we don't get completely rained out.

The pool bar has excellent gluten free options. Fresh and Garden Grove -- who've been great in the past -- were much less helpful this time. I got the sense they were guessing ('well, it's meat so it doesn't have gluten', which isn't always the case with seasonings or things like sausage).

I was also surprised that there was no fan in the bathroom. There also wasn't a clothesline so I was stuck hanging some things to dry on the balcony one day (tacky, but I was desperate). OTOH, we always had plenty of towels and we liked the shower heads.

It took the Front Desk staff four tries to get our keys to work properly. They were very nice and they mean well, but it's definitely a weak link.

If you want them to book a car service, use the concierge link or see the concierge ... don't go to the desk at the Dolphin. She was not helpful (in stark contrast to the two wonderful women working the national/alamo desk).

The coffee bar in the lobby was good and the staff were nice, but it was $7 for a 'large' latte. I thought that was really steep. Has it always been that high? I don't remember it being that expensive. We bought cream at the store on the boardwalk and used the coffee pot in the room the rest of the trip.

We were charged $25/day for the third person in the room. While that policy has been mentioned to us before, they've always waived it, presumably since we're lifetime platinum. Not this time.

Between that and the resort fee charges on two rooms, the 'free' rooms we got using our points weren't exactly free. It's still a good deal, but I'll have to factor that plus the cost of providing our own transportation when we decide whether to use points again after the rate goes up. Going forward, two rooms means 100K/night plus two resort fees, two extra person charges, and the cost of transportation. Still worth it? I'm not sure. It's certainly not the no-brainer it used to be, and platinum status means almost nothing there compared to other SPG and Marriott resorts.

Don't get me wrong, we had a lovely stay, the staff were mostly very helpful, the rooms were nice, the pool is great, and the location can't be beat. I'm only sharing my hesitations going forward.


NOTE: The airport was a circus. We dropped the car off and were inside the ticketing area a full two hours before our flight, and we just made it to the plane before they shut the doors. Crazy. A woman at security told me that it's always like that now, even with most of the construction finished. Next time I'll try to get there three hours ahead.

I am assuming that since you had a rental car that you had to pay the parking fees also??

 

[OKW Lover]

I am assuming that since you had a rental car that you had to pay the parking fees also??

The Swolphin has always charged for overnight parking

 

[dansdad]

I am assuming that since you had a rental car that you had to pay the parking fees also??

Since the OP had one rental from MCO and another to MCO they should not have been charged for parking. Parking is only charged when parking a vehicle overnight.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I am assuming that since you had a rental car that you had to pay the parking fees also??

Sounds like it was dropped off upon arrival, picked up at departure. No parking, no parking fee.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Welcome home, jp. Sounds like another good vacation, with the usual (not the same ones for everyone) variety of hiccups we all tend to get, one sort or another. And yikes, that was an expensive coffee.

If you do have some lobby pictures different than the one already posted, please do post.

We just returned from a week at the Swan this morning. Random thoughts ...

I was going to post pics of the lobby construction but I see someone else already has. The jackhammers were loud and started very early, but the lobby and shop are accessible. The only thing that bothered me was the overnight painting in the lobby (I'm very sensitive to paint fumes but that's my own issue).

The laundry was easy to use but the soap is expensive. Pack detergent and dryer sheets.

We rented a car from National and dropped it off at the Dolphin ... couldn't be easier. Dropped off my family with the bags so they could check in, drove to the Dolphin and left the car with the valet, then headed back over to the Swan. I picked up a car yesterday to drive to the airport this morning. That wasn't as smooth because the 'standard SUV' they had for me was much smaller than the one we got at the airport and we didn't fit. They were wonderful and got me a bigger car at the Car Care Center, but if I'd waited until the last minute to pick up the car, I'd have been stuck sending a couple of people in a cab.

The pool and cabanas were nice, but the rain would have made the cabanas a lousy deal if you only booked for half a day. You could end up with only a couple of good hours for your money. I think next year we'll book full days so we don't get completely rained out.

The pool bar has excellent gluten free options. Fresh and Garden Grove -- who've been great in the past -- were much less helpful this time. I got the sense they were guessing ('well, it's meat so it doesn't have gluten', which isn't always the case with seasonings or things like sausage).

I was also surprised that there was no fan in the bathroom. There also wasn't a clothesline so I was stuck hanging some things to dry on the balcony one day (tacky, but I was desperate). OTOH, we always had plenty of towels and we liked the shower heads.

It took the Front Desk staff four tries to get our keys to work properly. They were very nice and they mean well, but it's definitely a weak link.

If you want them to book a car service, use the concierge link or see the concierge ... don't go to the desk at the Dolphin. She was not helpful (in stark contrast to the two wonderful women working the national/alamo desk).

The coffee bar in the lobby was good and the staff were nice, but it was $7 for a 'large' latte. I thought that was really steep. Has it always been that high? I don't remember it being that expensive. We bought cream at the store on the boardwalk and used the coffee pot in the room the rest of the trip.

We were charged $25/day for the third person in the room. While that policy has been mentioned to us before, they've always waived it, presumably since we're lifetime platinum. Not this time.

Between that and the resort fee charges on two rooms, the 'free' rooms we got using our points weren't exactly free. It's still a good deal, but I'll have to factor that plus the cost of providing our own transportation when we decide whether to use points again after the rate goes up. Going forward, two rooms means 100K/night plus two resort fees, two extra person charges, and the cost of transportation. Still worth it? I'm not sure. It's certainly not the no-brainer it used to be, and platinum status means almost nothing there compared to other SPG and Marriott resorts.

Don't get me wrong, we had a lovely stay, the staff were mostly very helpful, the rooms were nice, the pool is great, and the location can't be beat. I'm only sharing my hesitations going forward.


NOTE: The airport was a circus. We dropped the car off and were inside the ticketing area a full two hours before our flight, and we just made it to the plane before they shut the doors. Crazy. A woman at security told me that it's always like that now, even with most of the construction finished. Next time I'll try to get there three hours ahead.

 

[mrsdaly]

We just returned from a week at the Swan this morning. Random thoughts ...

I was going to post pics of the lobby construction but I see someone else already has. The jackhammers were loud and started very early, but the lobby and shop are accessible. The only thing that bothered me was the overnight painting in the lobby (I'm very sensitive to paint fumes but that's my own issue).

The laundry was easy to use but the soap is expensive. Pack detergent and dryer sheets.

We rented a car from National and dropped it off at the Dolphin ... couldn't be easier. Dropped off my family with the bags so they could check in, drove to the Dolphin and left the car with the valet, then headed back over to the Swan. I picked up a car yesterday to drive to the airport this morning. That wasn't as smooth because the 'standard SUV' they had for me was much smaller than the one we got at the airport and we didn't fit. They were wonderful and got me a bigger car at the Car Care Center, but if I'd waited until the last minute to pick up the car, I'd have been stuck sending a couple of people in a cab.

The pool and cabanas were nice, but the rain would have made the cabanas a lousy deal if you only booked for half a day. You could end up with only a couple of good hours for your money. I think next year we'll book full days so we don't get completely rained out.

The pool bar has excellent gluten free options. Fresh and Garden Grove -- who've been great in the past -- were much less helpful this time. I got the sense they were guessing ('well, it's meat so it doesn't have gluten', which isn't always the case with seasonings or things like sausage).

I was also surprised that there was no fan in the bathroom. There also wasn't a clothesline so I was stuck hanging some things to dry on the balcony one day (tacky, but I was desperate). OTOH, we always had plenty of towels and we liked the shower heads.

It took the Front Desk staff four tries to get our keys to work properly. They were very nice and they mean well, but it's definitely a weak link.

If you want them to book a car service, use the concierge link or see the concierge ... don't go to the desk at the Dolphin. She was not helpful (in stark contrast to the two wonderful women working the national/alamo desk).

The coffee bar in the lobby was good and the staff were nice, but it was $7 for a 'large' latte. I thought that was really steep. Has it always been that high? I don't remember it being that expensive. We bought cream at the store on the boardwalk and used the coffee pot in the room the rest of the trip.

We were charged $25/day for the third person in the room. While that policy has been mentioned to us before, they've always waived it, presumably since we're lifetime platinum. Not this time.

Between that and the resort fee charges on two rooms, the 'free' rooms we got using our points weren't exactly free. It's still a good deal, but I'll have to factor that plus the cost of providing our own transportation when we decide whether to use points again after the rate goes up. Going forward, two rooms means 100K/night plus two resort fees, two extra person charges, and the cost of transportation. Still worth it? I'm not sure. It's certainly not the no-brainer it used to be, and platinum status means almost nothing there compared to other SPG and Marriott resorts.

Don't get me wrong, we had a lovely stay, the staff were mostly very helpful, the rooms were nice, the pool is great, and the location can't be beat. I'm only sharing my hesitations going forward.


NOTE: The airport was a circus. We dropped the car off and were inside the ticketing area a full two hours before our flight, and we just made it to the plane before they shut the doors. Crazy. A woman at security told me that it's always like that now, even with most of the construction finished. Next time I'll try to get there three hours ahead.

Thanks for the review. Just curious... .. did you find the price to rent the car to be worth the hassle of renting? We usually can get a 10-passenger van roundtrip for around $110. (plus tip).

Also curious if you got any kind of room upgrades as a lifetime plat. I'm wondering if asking for a balcony upgrade on an upcoming 6 night trip will be successful. I'm not expecting a suite or anything (one can dream).. I usually spend the points on the resort view balcony but didn't this time (didn't have extra and didn't want to buy points for that). I'll be platinum this coming trip and have never had status other than "preferred guest plus" before.

 

[jennypenny]

re: parking fees
I dropped off the first rental as soon as we got to the hotel, so no fees. Going home we had to leave for the airport at 3:30am, so I opted to pick up the car the day before so we could pre-pack it. In that case, we had to pay an overnight fee but the rental charge was the same whether I picked it up day of or the day before. (It was $78 for an SUV)


re: convenience of renting a car
I went back and forth on this. I paid $118 for the rental to the Swan which was exactly the cost of an SUV through the concierge (minus tips). We stopped on the way to the hotel at the Target on 417 to pick up snacks, cereal, fruit, and a few cases of water which made the rental car useful. A driver doesn't always have the time to stop and I don't like feeling like I'm 'on the clock' with those quick grocery stops.


re: platinum requests
We always get an email from the concierge a few days before the trip. (will that change later this month when platinums get assigned an all-purpose concierge? not sure) I try not to overwhelm the concierge with requests. I really really want connecting rooms, so that's all I ask for and we get it every time. We've also always been upgraded to balcony rooms but I've never requested them and wouldn't feel deprived if we didn't get them (except where would I hang my laundry? lol). I suspect if we were only booking one room there would be more of a chance for an upgrade.


As far as platinum benefits, you'll get breakfast vouchers you can use at both buffets. It's only for the continental portion, so you have to pay an upcharge for the hot breakfast. It's also only for the first two occupants ... we're a group of five so it's not that big of a perk for us. Otherwise, you mostly just get recognized by everyone as a platinum and get asked frequently if you need anything.


If you want to see what platinum service is really like, take a trip out of the US. I remember in Vancouver, the concierge and bell services kept handing us waters to take with us when we left the hotel, we had surprise treats in our room every day, access to the concierge lounge, and constant pampering and attention. When we booked a room in Costa Rica for my brother for his honeymoon, they treated him like platinum and lavished him with gifts and invited him on a VIP tour of the local area including a volcano, followed by a cocktail party with the resort manager.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Just received email from Marriott......

NEW BENEFITS ARE WORTH THE WAIT.
Manage your account and reservations before planned, temporary disruptions starting August 15.
While we work to launch our new combined program on August 18, our booking and loyalty systems, sites and Mobile app will be offline for several hours intermittently between August 15 and August 19.

During this period, you may experience disruptions with:

• Contacting Member Support
• Making a new reservation
• Managing an existing reservation
• Accessing or updating your account
• Using our Mobile app
• Using points

If you need to manage your account or access upcoming reservations, please do so as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.
Log In Now

 

[chris benton]

Rental Car Dropoff After Hours-
Can anyone give info on after hours (after the rental car desk is closed -4 pm?) how it works.
I can for sure call the desk and ask / confirm, but:

If I get into MCO at 10pm, maybe even later -
Can I reserve a rental, drive it to Dolphin, then simply drop it off (and by drop it off, I mean RETURN IT) at the valet, and not have any reason to worry about that rental car ever again? No parking fees, or anything? Done deal? Is the valet service running into the late hours of the night? I'm expecting to get in to the hotel probably midnightish. I'm weighing my options between uber/car service/rental. We'll definitely need a grocery stop, so a rental is my preference. I know that most (probably all) car services are almost expecting a grocery stop, but getting in later in the evening eliminates some of the the places that are "on the way." We were directed to a Walgreens on our last trip because it was the best thing "on the way" at that late hour. Costco rental of a regular old 4 door sedan is like 70 bux all in from mco to Swolphin, making it a contender.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Check replies here.........

https://www.disboards.com/threads/car-return-at-dolphin-or-car-care-center.3600736/

Rental Car Dropoff After Hours-
Can anyone give info on after hours (after the rental car desk is closed -4 pm?) how it works.
I can for sure call the desk and ask / confirm, but:

If I get into MCO at 10pm, maybe even later -
Can I reserve a rental, drive it to Dolphin, then simply drop it off (and by drop it off, I mean RETURN IT) at the valet, and not have any reason to worry about that rental car ever again? No parking fees, or anything? Done deal? Is the valet service running into the late hours of the night? I'm expecting to get in to the hotel probably midnightish. I'm weighing my options between uber/car service/rental. We'll definitely need a grocery stop, so a rental is my preference. I know that most (probably all) car services are almost expecting a grocery stop, but getting in later in the evening eliminates some of the the places that are "on the way." We were directed to a Walgreens on our last trip because it was the best thing "on the way" at that late hour. Costco rental of a regular old 4 door sedan is like 70 bux all in from mco to Swolphin, making it a contender.

 

[dansdad]

Rental Car Dropoff After Hours-
Can anyone give info on after hours (after the rental car desk is closed -4 pm?) how it works.
I can for sure call the desk and ask / confirm, but:

If I get into MCO at 10pm, maybe even later -
Can I reserve a rental, drive it to Dolphin, then simply drop it off (and by drop it off, I mean RETURN IT) at the valet, and not have any reason to worry about that rental car ever again?

Yup.

No parking fees, or anything?

Correct.

Done deal?

Yup.