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

[piglet1979]

Can you get an extra bottle of water, or is it only two per room per day?

We had about 4 each day left in our room. The one day we did leave a note to ask for more and and they left a few extra.

 

[PDXmouse]

We booked a "2 Qeen Beds, Resort View, Deluxe Guest Room" at the Swan. What can we expect and is there anything we should specifically request? (floor, distance from elevators, etc.)

 

[shaluminati]

Checked the swan site again. Total price came down about $30 so far. Just to clarify, there is no downfall or limit to me continuously rebooking/modifying my reservation? $30 total isn't a lot, but its something. So I'll probably rebook. But just want to make sure I'm not screwing myself if it goes down more tomorrow or next week or whatever.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Checked the swan site again. Total price came down about $30 so far. Just to clarify, there is no downfall or limit to me continuously rebooking/modifying my reservation? $30 total isn't a lot, but its something. So I'll probably rebook. But just want to make sure I'm not screwing myself if it goes down more tomorrow or next week or whatever.

I rebooked one of mine like 10x, no issues, reservation even stayed in MDE the entire time since confirmation # stays the same.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Checked the swan site again. Total price came down about $30 so far. Just to clarify, there is no downfall or limit to me continuously rebooking/modifying my reservation? $30 total isn't a lot, but its something. So I'll probably rebook. But just want to make sure I'm not screwing myself if it goes down more tomorrow or next week or whatever.

I always tweak my reservations - I think you can do so until 5 days before check in.

 

[Scalemaster34]

We booked a "2 Qeen Beds, Resort View, Deluxe Guest Room" at the Swan. What can we expect and is there anything we should specifically request? (floor, distance from elevators, etc.)

Just what you want....

I tend not to, as I'd like them to have free reign in case they can offer an upgrade (as I'm lowly Gold). I will tell them extra towels or pillows, but room location I leave open. But if you have a need...

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We booked a "2 Qeen Beds, Resort View, Deluxe Guest Room" at the Swan. What can we expect and is there anything we should specifically request? (floor, distance from elevators, etc.)

I feel like the way the swan is laid out, the halls don't feel as long/never ending as the dolphin feel. We've been near the end of a hall and it was not a far walk from the elevators and we've also been closer to the elevators, we didn't really have a preference. It doesn't hurt to ask if you have some preference priorities.

 

[PDXmouse]

So we are staying at the Swan from 6/23-7/6. Total including taxes and fees is just under $6200.

I took the advice from experiences Disboard members and paid an extra $400 to have a flexible room rate.

However, as prices fluctuate I’m completely locked in now because the Swan is “sold out” for one portion of our trip. I think it’s just one of the weekends. It’s not sold out the entire 13 days. I cannot rebook because they show no availability.

There is, however, availability at The Dolphin and Swan Reserve.

Our room now is 2 queens, resort view deluxe with balcony. We have two adults and two teens. (What does the “deluxe” refer to anyway?? It appears to be a standard 340 sq ft room.)

To SWITCH to the Swan Reserve 2 queens Epcot view (no balcony I think?) would add $400. 2 queens no view would save $100.

To SWITCH to the Dolphin, 2 *Doubles*, resort view deluxe, with balcony would save us $900.

Both of these are *not* flexible rates.

Husband is 6’2”. Not sure if the double beds would fly, which is why I picked the Swan in the first place. But it WOULD be nice to be in the same building as the laundry facilities…

We are lowly Gold Elite members on Bonvoy. There is a slim chance for an upgrade at the Swan Reserve since they appear to have more available options.

I’m still choking at paying an average of $475 a night (incl taxes and fees) for a Marriott hotel room. When I booked it I was really hoping to catch and rebook at a lower price. That didn’t work out.

What would you do? Leave it alone? Save by moving to the Dolphin and deal with the smaller beds? Pay roughly the same but move to the Swan Reserve (losing the balcony) and pray for the possibility of an upgrade?

Our arrival is in about 35 days. What are the odds things will get cheaper in the next few weeks?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I would highly doubt that rates will go down as you get closer, I would anticipate increases or no rooms available at all especially as you get closer to 7/4. I think deluxe is just the category they give to balcony rooms. We book the traditional rooms since we don't care about the balcony/view but the room amenities are all the same.

As far as which resort, I like the lobby area at dolphin a little more but I prefer the queen sized beds at the swan however, ultimately, we go with whichever is cheaper which is usually dolphin. They're so similar it's not a big deal to us. I also don't love the way dolphins laid out as it feels like a larger resort, which I believe it actually is larger than the swan. Some of the halls seem to go on and on forever.

As far as what should you do, hmmm that's totally your call but $900 is a big chunk, likely if it were us, I would have booked dolphin and saved $$$. And I agree with you, $475/nt for swan/dolphin is a lot. For us, the bed sizes are not that critical (I'm 5'2", husband is 6' and daughters are 5'10" and nobody noticed any bed size issues in all our stays at dolphin. Overall, rooms/amenities are pretty similar so I just don't see a benefit to paying more. BUT, and it's a big BUT, we don't stay any where for 13 nights so if you think you would be happier at swan, I'd stay put. Our trips are usually 3-5 nights max.

 

[maxiesmom]

Has anyone ever asked for a paid for room upgrade at check in?

 

[SteveH]

Has anyone ever asked for a paid for room upgrade at check in?

Never asked for one, but we've been offered to pay $$ for an upgraded room view/balcony.

 

[baler31]

Has anyone ever asked for a paid for room upgrade at check in?

I have asked and paid for upgrades from standard to an alcove and to a premium studio. At the time the upgrades were less than I would have paid for booking directly at the time I booked my reservation.

If you are flexible Swan/Dolphin usually has availability open up when some of the conventions have no shows. This often creates open inventory "last minute" that is significantly less than when you book farther out.

Edited to add: lately with much higher occupancy rates I would doubt there will be much availability to move up a category, even paid. I have done the paid upgrade many times but not since 2020.

 

[Disneyhanna]

So we are staying at the Swan from 6/23-7/6. Total including taxes and fees is just under $6200.

I took the advice from experiences Disboard members and paid an extra $400 to have a flexible room rate.

However, as prices fluctuate I’m completely locked in now because the Swan is “sold out” for one portion of our trip. I think it’s just one of the weekends. It’s not sold out the entire 13 days. I cannot rebook because they show no availability.

There is, however, availability at The Dolphin and Swan Reserve.

Our room now is 2 queens, resort view deluxe with balcony. We have two adults and two teens. (What does the “deluxe” refer to anyway?? It appears to be a standard 340 sq ft room.)

To SWITCH to the Swan Reserve 2 queens Epcot view (no balcony I think?) would add $400. 2 queens no view would save $100.

To SWITCH to the Dolphin, 2 *Doubles*, resort view deluxe, with balcony would save us $900.

Both of these are *not* flexible rates.

Husband is 6’2”. Not sure if the double beds would fly, which is why I picked the Swan in the first place. But it WOULD be nice to be in the same building as the laundry facilities…

We are lowly Gold Elite members on Bonvoy. There is a slim chance for an upgrade at the Swan Reserve since they appear to have more available options.

I’m still choking at paying an average of $475 a night (incl taxes and fees) for a Marriott hotel room. When I booked it I was really hoping to catch and rebook at a lower price. That didn’t work out.

What would you do? Leave it alone? Save by moving to the Dolphin and deal with the smaller beds? Pay roughly the same but move to the Swan Reserve (losing the balcony) and pray for the possibility of an upgrade?

Our arrival is in about 35 days. What are the odds things will get cheaper in the next few weeks?

Phew. Normally I’d say the Dolphin but two teens sharing a bed is hard enough with a queen, let alone a double. If that’s not a dealbreaker, the AP rate at Dolphin for your dates (refundable) is $4610. Are APs still on sale? I’d buy an AP for one person just for that. (Can you still upgrade a ticket to an AP over phone? Could be worth looking into, you can always book the room with AP rate and cancel if you can’t get the AP. The dining discounts and merch discounts and $99 photopass add on could really add up as well.) The Swan Reserve doesn’t save quite as much money with the AP rate sadly, as those beds would be bigger. I think it was about $5800 with the AP rate. The hardest part of your reservation is the length of stay, it’s hard to modify 13 nights with availability anywhere. I’d be looking to do a split stay to save money at that point. You’ll earn a nice amount of Marriott points if you keep your reservation, make sure to activate any bonus challenges if any are available before your stay.



Is there a reason you’re not looking to stay in a WDW hotel? I know this is the S/D thread but with the summer deals, there are some good prices on WDW hotels. Saratoga and OKW studios are about the same as your current Swan rate. OKW has the benefit of two queen beds. So perhaps a split stay would be possible to optimize costs? I am all for staying at S/D when they are in line with WDW moderate prices but your rates seem so high, it’s not as great of a deal unless the Boardwalk location is your #1 priority.

 

[PDXmouse]

Phew. Normally I’d say the Dolphin but two teens sharing a bed is hard enough with a queen, let alone a double. If that’s not a dealbreaker, the AP rate at Dolphin for your dates (refundable) is $4610. Are APs still on sale? I’d buy an AP for one person just for that. (Can you still upgrade a ticket to an AP over phone? Could be worth looking into, you can always book the room with AP rate and cancel if you can’t get the AP. The dining discounts and merch discounts and $99 photopass add on could really add up as well.) The Swan Reserve doesn’t save quite as much money with the AP rate sadly, as those beds would be bigger. I think it was about $5800 with the AP rate. The hardest part of your reservation is the length of stay, it’s hard to modify 13 nights with availability anywhere. I’d be looking to do a split stay to save money at that point. You’ll earn a nice amount of Marriott points if you keep your reservation, make sure to activate any bonus challenges if any are available before your stay.

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Is there a reason you’re not looking to stay in a WDW hotel? I know this is the S/D thread but with the summer deals, there are some good prices on WDW hotels. Saratoga and OKW studios are about the same as your current Swan rate. OKW has the benefit of two queen beds. So perhaps a split stay would be possible to optimize costs? I am all for staying at S/D when they are in line with WDW moderate prices but your rates seem so high, it’s not as great of a deal unless the Boardwalk location is your #1 priority.

Ugh. I know, I know…

I was considering a split stay originally but didn’t realize that advance ADR’s only gave 60+10 so I was thinking staying put would be simpler. No being “orphaned” for a day. No needing to pack up part way through. (We’re already split staying at universal (Royal Pacific) before we head to the Swan.)

When I was booking everyone encouraged me to pay the extra for flexibility and I really truly thought I’d have the opportunity to book at a lower rate.

No one mentioned that the length of stay would likely eliminate my opportunity to rebook. If I were to do it again I’d consider even splitting our stay at the swan for that reason. Though again, it would mess with ADR booking…

We really wanted to stay in the Epcot/DHS area and BC/YC/Boardwalk were already sold out with no availability. We also wanted to stay deluxe for EEH.

We’ve only ever stayed on property before. This is the first time I’ve tried Marriott as an option.

 

[Lewisc]

Rates frequently go down a week or two before your stay. Last minute business cancellations. Third party booking sites release blocked rooms.

Break up your stay. No more then 2 to 4 nights on one reservation. Book the exact same room type. Call and have it noted as back to back. You won't have to change rooms. You might have to stop by the front desk and have your key cards reprogrammed.

I learned my lesson at Universal. Any change, even dropping one night, results in the entire reservation being repriced at currently available rates.

 

[PDXmouse]

Rates frequently go down a week or two before your stay. Last minute business cancellations. Third party booking sites release blocked rooms.

Break up your stay. No more then 2 to 4 nights on one reservation. Book the exact same room type. Call and have it noted as back to back. You won't have to change rooms. You might have to stop by the front desk and have your key cards reprogrammed.

I learned my lesson at Universal. Any change, even dropping one night, results in the entire reservation being repriced at currently available rates.

Yup, I learned that, too. Next time I’ll break it up.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Ugh. I know, I know…

I was considering a split stay originally but didn’t realize that advance ADR’s only gave 60+10 so I was thinking staying put would be simpler. No being “orphaned” for a day. No needing to pack up part way through. (We’re already split staying at universal (Royal Pacific) before we head to the Swan.)

When I was booking everyone encouraged me to pay the extra for flexibility and I really truly thought I’d have the opportunity to book at a lower rate.

No one mentioned that the length of stay would likely eliminate my opportunity to rebook. If I were to do it again I’d consider even splitting our stay at the swan for that reason. Though again, it would mess with ADR booking…

We really wanted to stay in the Epcot/DHS area and BC/YC/Boardwalk were already sold out with no availability. We also wanted to stay deluxe for EEH.

We’ve only ever stayed on property before. This is the first time I’ve tried Marriott as an option.

The ADR part is definitely the worst part of split stays, I never get what I want to 60 days and have to just rely on cancellations since I do split stays so often. I hope it works out for you and you can get a better rate! I forget if ADRs are even tied to an active reservation. Unless it's changed, I don't think they are, and you might be able to keep all of them even if you end up breaking up your stay to save some $? The EEH will be a fantastic benefit and the location is really unbeatable. Sometimes you just gotta forget how much you're paying and enjoy, it's hard to put value on time with your family. I wish you a great trip!

 

[bookgirl]

The ADR part is definitely the worst part of split stays, I never get what I want to 60 days and have to just rely on cancellations since I do split stays so often. I hope it works out for you and you can get a better rate! I forget if ADRs are even tied to an active reservation. Unless it's changed, I don't think they are, and you might be able to keep all of them even if you end up breaking up your stay to save some $? The EEH will be a fantastic benefit and the location is really unbeatable. Sometimes you just gotta forget how much you're paying and enjoy, it's hard to put value on time with your family. I wish you a great trip!

If it’s really important. Book a second room at the cheapest price available for one night. Room only. You can make reservation with that room, for ten days anyway.

You don’t have to sleep in the room. Just check in. That way you do not skirt any rules, Disney makes a few hundred, and you get reservations.

I am solo so the ADR is not a thing as I can almost always get a walk up but if I were set on one particular meal. I’d do it.

 

[lexybear]

was thinking about staying at swan in middle of January, anyone know when they would release their ap discount for that time frame? jan 10-14 deluxe balcony room is 519 under the discount as of now, but that seems high for that time of year

 

[tysondenning]

Nice post keep it up!