Swan and Dolphin

[sprocket]

Like others we are looking at non Disney hotel options as there are very little benefits to Disney resorts now. If Disney continue the extra hours for Deluxe hotels including Swan/Dolphin then apart from not being able to charge to the room, I see very little difference.
Am I correct in reading the Marriot price guarantee that you can save 25% off the lowest rate you can find?
So I am assuming I find the best rate, then book via Marriot and then submit a price match. I would book cancellable rates just in case.
We usually book more nights than required with Disney and modify after we book our flights. Is this just as easy to do with Marriot?
Dolphin or Swan and is there anything else I could be missing by not being Disney? Seems strange not booking Disney but Swan/Dolphin seem great options if I can get the price match offer.

[DonkeyCentreArf]

For our now cancelled October trip, we were going to stay at the Swan. Great location, decent price (even once you add on the resort fees) etc. However, for 2022, we found it very expensive for the dates we were looking at so booked into CSR instead.

I would be careful around direct booking and make sure that there are no exclusions to that price guarantee.

I looked several times at this using my Marriott Rewards login and never got anywhere near the prices I could see from the likes of BA, Virgin and Travel Republic. I didn't see any reference to price match for these hotels.

If you can get it though, that will be fantastic and I'll be a little bit jealous!

[loldis]

If you would only be looking at Disney deluxe resorts then yes, Swan & Dolphin is a good alternative. One downside is they no longer use Disney buses so transport isn't as frequent as it used to be, but you can always get a bus back to Boardwalk or Beach Club and walk back from there.

But as above, I'm not seeing good prices on them at the moment when comparing to the lower Disney tiers or other partner resorts.

[sha9]

Originally Posted by DonkeyCentreArf

For our now cancelled October trip, we were going to stay at the Swan. Great location, decent price (even once you add on the resort fees) etc. However, for 2022, we found it very expensive for the dates we were looking at so booked into CSR instead.

I would be careful around direct booking and make sure that there are no exclusions to that price guarantee.

I looked several times at this using my Marriott Rewards login and never got anywhere near the prices I could see from the likes of BA, Virgin and Travel Republic. I didn't see any reference to price match for these hotels.

If you can get it though, that will be fantastic and I'll be a little bit jealous!

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Us too. We had an excellent price for the Dolphin this year via VH including resort fee and parking. It was around the same as CSR with the room discount being offered at the time so it was a no brainer. Not even close for next year. The Dolphin is almost £2000 more than CSR before I even take the dining credit and $200 gift card into account. It’s disappointing too as we were really looking forward to the location.

[alansmed]

S&D is a fantastic resort, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Walking to Epcot and HS was great. Boardwalk right next door for an evenings entertainment too.
But as had been said, they no longer use the Disney buses so you are reliant upon a less frequent service. The stands at the parks are also no longer the official Disney bus stands so at Magic Kingdom you have to get the ferry or monorail to TTC. That alone can add 15/20 mins onto your journey.
If that doesn't bother you then its a fantastic place to stay.

[MrsBC]

Originally Posted by sha9

Us too. We had an excellent price for the Dolphin this year via VH including resort fee and parking. It was around the same as CSR with the room discount being offered at the time so it was a no brainer. Not even close for next year. The Dolphin is almost £2000 more than CSR before I even take the dining credit and $200 gift card into account. It’s disappointing too as we were really looking forward to the location.

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We booked after seeing your original post about it and got a great price - just rebooked for next year and we've got 2 nights less - for about £700 more! We could have got a moderate resort for less, but we prefer that location. Shocking, the increases for next year!

[sha9]

Originally Posted by MrsBC

We booked after seeing your original post about it and got a great price - just rebooked for next year and we've got 2 nights less - for about £700 more! We could have got a moderate resort for less, but we prefer that location. Shocking, the increases for next year!

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I have considered a split stay but I’m not sure I can be doing with the faff.

[MrsBC]

Originally Posted by sha9

I have considered a split stay but I’m not sure I can be doing with the faff.

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We're doing a few different things - pre cruise night at Mco, 4 night Wish cruise, 4 nights at Gaylord Palms, 12 nights at Dolphin and a (free) night at GF. I don't think I'd bother with a split onsite stay - once I'm onsite I want to stay put :-) .

[sha9]

Originally Posted by MrsBC

We're doing a few different things - pre cruise night at Mco, 4 night Wish cruise, 4 nights at Gaylord Palms, 12 nights at Dolphin and a (free) night at GF. I don't think I'd bother with a split onsite stay - once I'm onsite I want to stay put :-) .

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I know, that’s my thoughts. We’ll already hopefully have 2 nights at Universal first.

[bronny]

We’ve just booked the Dolphin fireworks view room for our arrival night (mainly to be onsite so bags can be moved to FQ, we can watch the fireworks from the room and walk to Epcot the next morning). Are there fireworks view rooms with a balcony does anyone know?