Swan/Dolphin vs Disney Resorts

[wisteria1019]

I would make a decision asap. It's a popular time and becomes more pricey as the days draw near. I will be there from Oct 10-20 and tried to switch my current reservation for Swan/Dolphin for half of my ten night stay and there was no availability.

 

[iivye]

Priceline Express deals are usually best when you are within a month of travel. Sometimes when you click on the deal you have the option of choosing bed configuration, it just depends on the deal.

It sounds like you should go ahead and book the Swan. I wouldn't count on anything being available at the last minute on Priceline of Hotwire.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm not seeing anything that looks like the Swan to me for my dates. Even if I do find it, how can I be sure that I will get two queen beds when it doesn't allow me to enter the number of people traveling?



This makes me think I should just book the Swan and call it a day. I do know that the Dolphin is a bit cheaper but the queen beds at the Swan make that the better choice for us. Plus my wife's sister and her family are staying at the Swan as well so it makes sense for all of us to be together if possible. Not seeing the Swan on PL or HW though.

We love the Swan. I don't know if it's important to you or not, but you may be able to get a better rate if you choose a traditional room without a balcony. Keep an eye on cancellation policies too if you want to keep checking Priceline. I just happened to check my August dates after reading about Priceline Express on this thread and I could have saved $400 over my current BWI rate if I booked the "secret" hotel, which, by it's description and everyone's input in these boards is, I think, 99.9% the Swan. Too late for me now as I paid my balance and don't want to lose my deposit, but I'll definitely look there next time!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Just a warning. Priceline only guarantees one bed. One bed. If you are traveling with the family I would not recommend this in spite of all the joy you’re getting on here. You could wind up with a king bed and that’s it.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Just a warning. Priceline only guarantees one bed. One bed. If you are traveling with the family I would not recommend this in spite of all the joy you’re getting on here. You could wind up with a king bed and that’s it.

That's good to know! I believe the king bed rooms have pullouts? They would totally work when I travel alone with DS! I get dibs on the king

 

[dnp]

We love the Swan. I don't know if it's important to you or not, but you may be able to get a better rate if you choose a traditional room without a balcony. Keep an eye on cancellation policies too if you want to keep checking Priceline. I just happened to check my August dates after reading about Priceline Express on this thread and I could have saved $400 over my current BWI rate if I booked the "secret" hotel, which, by it's description and everyone's input in these boards is, I think, 99.9% the Swan. Too late for me now as I paid my balance and don't want to lose my deposit, but I'll definitely look there next time!

Thank you. I actually booked a room through SPG central reservations but I can cancel it up to a few days before my arrival. Based on what I'm hearing here I will probably just end up booking through Costco or Hotwire.

Just a warning. Priceline only guarantees one bed. One bed. If you are traveling with the family I would not recommend this in spite of all the joy you’re getting on here. You could wind up with a king bed and that’s it.

That would not be a good situation for me at all. I think I will stay away from Priceline based on this information. Thank you.

 

[happymommy]

I've stayed at the Swan and Dolphin, and many Disney deluxe resorts. I find the Swan and Dolphin to usually be very superior to most Disney resorts (to the point that I am officially done with Disney resorts for now, after a huge error on their part last trip).

I stayed at both with my kids (just me and the kids), and having a balcony for morning coffee while they sleep in, or glass of wine while they're getting settled into sleep is nice!

My next trip in September is at the Dolphin which I got for $79 through Hotwire (and it guaranteed bedding; I chose king since it was originally going to be just me but now DH is coming along too). I had read all about the deal, and decided to do it, since I've never done Food & Wine (stay at home mom, not convenient when kids were in school). The location cannot be beat!

Hope you enjoy the trip!

 

[cruiser21]

I've stayed at the Swan and I really liked it. 2200 for 6 nights is less then a Disney deluxe and it's as Deluxe as any of the Disney deluxe hotels. I paid 179.00 per night this was in Feb. I can't remember who I booked through. I think Orbitz. You may be able to get it cheaper. I'd book it and keep shopping around through various hotel sites.

 

[dnp]

What’s the cheapest anyone has been able to book the Swan via Hotwire anyway? I figure that I’d be getting a 2-queen room for about $1600 for 5 nights from 10/30-11/4. If I can do significantly better than that I would wait; however, I have to take the 60-day FP window into account. That means that if I want to take full advantage of that window I need to buy my park tickets by the end of August at the latest. If I’m going to do the Costco package deal I would have to book it by then and I’m not sure if Hotwire will have great deals on the Swan by then. Thoughts?

 

[bryanb]

You can sometimes get a really great deal when booking through opaque services (via Priceline and Hotwire), where the hotel name is only revealed after you've paid for your non-refundable reservation. However, the Swan would only appear there if they have excess inventory that they don't think they can sell through regular channels. For me, this seems really risky... especially at this time of year with F&W Festival and other events in full swing.

I'd probably just go with the Costco package deal if that works for you. It sounds like you already have some good ideas. Just wanted to comment that corporate discount rates are not always the best deal for leisure travelers. First, corporate discounts are often not cheapest. They are based on larger agreements and could involve rebates back to the company (where the individual does not benefit) and more flexible cancellation policies (which business travelers need but maybe you don't). Flexible corporate rates can be significantly higher than non-refundable rates.

If you have Starwood points, it would also be a good time to consider using them for a room at the Swan before the points restructure.

 

[greg9x]

What’s the cheapest anyone has been able to book the Swan via Hotwire anyway? I figure that I’d be getting a 2-queen room for about $1600 for 5 nights from 10/30-11/4. If I can do significantly better than that I would wait; however, I have to take the 60-day FP window into account. That means that if I want to take full advantage of that window I need to buy my park tickets by the end of August at the latest. If I’m going to do the Costco package deal I would have to book it by then and I’m not sure if Hotwire will have great deals on the Swan by then. Thoughts?

Not Swan, but I got Dolphin on Hotwire for ~$1000 total for 8 nights back in May for our trip in 2 weeks.

But no one knows when/if those deals will show up on bidding sites... you may never see Swan/Dolphin on one again, or you may find a great deal tomorrow. How long are you willing to let other deals go by waiting around for something that may never happen. I had already booked a refundable room at Dolphin when the Hotwire deal came, so it was easy to alter my booking... but I had the original plan in place to work from.

Agree with the above about Corporate discounts... sometimes (a lot of times) they aren't really the best deal. Most often they are just a front end to a reseller booking company You have to shop around and compare. At least check the hotel itself (my original booking was a AAA discount from Dolphin itself, which was cheapest refundable at the time), reseller sites like Expedia/Cheaptickets, and club packages like Costco.

 

[dnp]

I am going to just keep my current reservation then and keep checking Hotwire as I get closer to my dates to see if a better deal pops up. I have a two queen resort view with a balcony right now though and I highly doubt that will be a booking option with Hotwire regardless.

 

[partigus]

try the Hilton (or even the Waldorf) at Bonnett Springs- in the middle of WDW- Much less expensive- but really close- bt not technically "on site"

 

[dnp]

try the Hilton (or even the Waldorf) at Bonnett Springs- in the middle of WDW- Much less expensive- but really close- bt not technically "on site"

Thank you. I'm going to stick with the Swan because my sister-in-law and her family are staying there as well, and we all want to be together. If nothing pops up on Priceline or Hotwire, I am prepared to pay the rate that I currently have reserved.

 

[partigus]

Thank you. I'm going to stick with the Swan because my sister-in-law and her family are staying there as well, and we all want to be together. If nothing pops up on Priceline or Hotwire, I am prepared to pay the rate that I currently have reserved.

also just remembered - the dolphin and swan also have "family rooms" usually in a corner- significantly larger then their normal rooms, but less expensive then their suites

 

[dnp]

also just remembered - the dolphin and swan also have "family rooms" usually in a corner- significantly larger then their normal rooms, but less expensive then their suites

Hmmm - maybe I will call and ask about that. Thank you for posting that info.