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

jldeahl · May 27, 2018

(I just posted this in another forum, but someone there suggested posting on this thread as well! Would appreciate any insights that might be helpful)

I know that the Swan's policy is that grocery deliveries (like Instacart) are not allowed. Is there any way around this? (Can we circumvent this if we meet the delivery person in the lobby? Or some other way?) We are staying for 8 days and won't have a car - so would really love to get some staples delivered.

JerseyJanice · May 27, 2018

If you can arrange the delivery so that you are there to accept it, then you don’t pay any fees for Bell Services taking and storing or delivering it to you.

We order pizza from outside and ask that the delivery person call our cell phone when they arrive, then we go down to the front entrance and get it ourselves. We do not have any issues with the resort by doing this, and I believe we could do the same with any kind of delivery.

SteveH · May 27, 2018

@jldeahl hopefully this post helps you find the Swan/Dolphin thread.

Jerry2 · May 27, 2018

JerseyJanice said:
My last night there, we went to Bluezoo’s Happy Hour. .

We did the Bluezoo Happy Hour on the 23rd. We had the calamari and crab nachos. Both were excellent.

MarBee · May 27, 2018

Question for you SPG members:
If I book with the “lowest guaranteed rate” and then show my mom’s Hotwire rate ($150/night lower), will that be one of the “applicable rates” that will get them to price match?
They are for the same dates and room types.

JerseyJanice · May 27, 2018

Jerry2 said:
We did the Bluezoo Happy Hour on the 23rd. We had the calamari and crab nachos. Both were excellent.

That was the night I was there (Wednesday). We were seated in the section with the tables on the far right as you enter. I’m guessing that you were at the bar.

jldeahl · May 27, 2018

JerseyJanice said:
If you can arrange the delivery so that you are there to accept it, then you don’t pay any fees for Bell Services taking and storing or delivering it to you.

We order pizza from outside and ask that the delivery person call our cell phone when they arrive, then we go down to the front entrance and get it ourselves. We do not have any issues with the resort by doing this, and I believe we could do the same with any kind of delivery.

When I called Swan customer service they told me it isn't a matter of fees for grocery delivery, but that they flat out won't accept them. Do you know if that's not normally the case?

Dan Murphy · May 27, 2018

jldeahl said:
(I just posted this in another forum, but someone there suggested posting on this thread as well! Would appreciate any insights that might be helpful)

I know that the Swan's policy is that grocery deliveries (like Instacart) are not allowed. Is there any way around this? (Can we circumvent this if we meet the delivery person in the lobby? Or some other way?) We are staying for 8 days and won't have a car - so would really love to get some staples delivered.

We used Amazon's Prime Now back last August. Worked great!! Very pleased Met the driver in the lobby, no extra fees.

https://primenow.amazon.com/home

jldeahl · May 27, 2018

Dan Murphy said:
We used Amazon's Prime Now back last August. Worked great!! Very pleased Met the driver in the lobby, no extra fees.

https://primenow.amazon.com/home

Awesome - thank you!

SteveH · May 27, 2018

MarBee said:
Question for you SPG members:
If I book with the “lowest guaranteed rate” and then show my mom’s Hotwire rate ($150/night lower), will that be one of the “applicable rates” that will get them to price match?
They are for the same dates and room types.

Nope, wish they did, but they do call it out specifically in the terms & conditions.
"Rates on auction websites, on sites that do not disclose the hotel brand until the reservation is completed (i.e., Priceline and Hotwire), on sites that require a login or specific credit card to view or book, or on sites that don’t provide an immediate confirmation (e.g., an “on request” rate) are not accepted. Pre-paid, advance purchase, or non-refundable rates on Ctrip/Trip.com or Fliggy are not eligible."
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/whybookhere/terms.html

Jerry2 · May 27, 2018

JerseyJanice said:
That was the night I was there (Wednesday). We were seated in the section with the tables on the far right as you enter. I’m guessing that you were at the bar.

Yes, we were sitting at a table across from the bar with our son.

Maxie86 · May 27, 2018

Can you get upgrades with points? I don't have quite enough to book the room. Is it possible to get an upgrade with points at checkin? We added a night at the end of our summer trip at the Swan and since it's only for one night I booked a standard king room, but would enjoy a better view.

spaceacewannabe · May 27, 2018

If our room is not ready when we arrive, does bell services have refrigeration available (we are doing a grocery stop)?
Thanks!

JerseyJanice · May 27, 2018

spaceacewannabe said:
If our room is not ready when we arrive, does bell services have refrigeration available (we are doing a grocery stop)?
Thanks!

They did not when I called and asked right before our trip two weeks ago.

My nephew was the one making the grocery stop. I advised him to buy a cheap styrofoam cooler. He filled it with ice at the resort and put in his milk, yogurt and cold cuts, then stored the cooler with Bell Services until our room was ready.

The cooler itself came in handy during our stay. It did a great job of chilling our water and beer. The refrigerator was fine for the groceries we had, but it didn’t get our beverages very cold.

My nephew and his little family left the Swan last Wednesday and went to Clearwater Beach for a couple of nights before flying home from Tampa. He took the cooler to the beach and used it there. We missed having it. LOL! We kept it under the sink in the bathroom because it got some condensation.

MarBee · May 27, 2018

SteveH said:
Nope, wish they did, but they do call it out specifically in the terms & conditions.
"Rates on auction websites, on sites that do not disclose the hotel brand until the reservation is completed (i.e., Priceline and Hotwire), on sites that require a login or specific credit card to view or book, or on sites that don’t provide an immediate confirmation (e.g., an “on request” rate) are not accepted. Pre-paid, advance purchase, or non-refundable rates on Ctrip/Trip.com or Fliggy are not eligible."
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/whybookhere/terms.html

Thank you! Although I’d rather a different response lol.

hsmamato2 · May 28, 2018

ww52 said:
Mrsdaly - thank you much! I have bus-a-phobia I guess. Always avoided them at WDW, perhaps irrationally. It may be the waiting - don't know. Maybe you're right. We're in the same situation - grandkids are 2 and 4 and my son/DIL are either taking two strollers or using their double (not sure).

We are kind of set on the monorail idea only because it in effect is another attraction for them. So I do think we will go that route the last day (this would be leaving the Dolphin about 3:30-4:00 PM, trying to make it back to Epcot by 8:00PM for Illuminations at 9:00 - we won't at all be picky about where we see it from - in fact the closer to the international gateway the better, even though we'll miss a lot of what happens on the water. We had a spectacular viewpoint one Christmas that to this day - even as I type this - sends a warm feeling throughout. I can't ever imagine topping that - but seeing my grand-girls reaction to the countries lighting up and the lasers etc may well match that.)

We've always driven to MK from the S/D, or Y&BC (we've had 5 WDW trips where we stayed at one of these). We used to drive to GF and take the monrail - before they got strict about parking for non-resort guests there. You are right - the parking lot at MK is a much longer trip (talking two cars, park, get everyone together, tram to the ferry or monorail etc.)

But for the other two trips to MK that we will do in the morning, I think I may try the bus route once.

(The Dolphin is the last resort stop? OK - so it's an express to MK, but potentially full too, right? And then going back, is it the LAST resort stop. I know I could look it up - and I will, Just thinking out loud.)

On our last trip my brother always went from Dolphin,thru Epcot to take the monorail to ttc-then MK b/c he had a scooter,and disliked the bus situation with scooters. It always took them much longer to get to hotel this way than it did for us just taking the bus back and forth. But he didn't mind the extra time.

hsmamato2 · May 28, 2018

Dan Murphy said:
We used Amazon's Prime Now back last August. Worked great!! Very pleased Met the driver in the lobby, no extra fees.

https://primenow.amazon.com/home

Just be REALLY aware of your options,and choose carefully to get around the 'no groceries delivered' rule.... we had a flat out fail in April with Amazon Prime Now..... Our driver apparently didn't know the drill,and instead of texting us and waiting by lobby, he dropped our (huge,3 family) order at package delivery services which charges by the pound to take in and bring to your room... :headache:

it took as some stress filled time to locate our order, then call Amazon and try to get it sorted out,and then pay the (discounted!!!) $85 to get our groceries to our room..... My point is to ONLY use a service that sends drivers that understand what needs to be done,i.e. meet in lobby to receive,etc. I won't do that again personally. I'd rather walk over to the convenience store/gas station and get small stuff than deal with that mess again.

Tess · May 28, 2018

spaceacewannabe said:
If our room is not ready when we arrive, does bell services have refrigeration available (we are doing a grocery stop)?
Thanks!

JerseyJanice said:
They did not when I called and asked right before our trip two weeks ago.

My nephew was the one making the grocery stop. I advised him to buy a cheap styrofoam cooler. He filled it with ice at the resort and put in his milk, yogurt and cold cuts, then stored the cooler with Bell Services until our room was ready.

The cooler itself came in handy during our stay. It did a great job of chilling our water and beer. The refrigerator was fine for the groceries we had, but it didn’t get our beverages very cold.

My nephew and his little family left the Swan last Wednesday and went to Clearwater Beach for a couple of nights before flying home from Tampa. He took the cooler to the beach and used it there. We missed having it. LOL! We kept it under the sink in the bathroom because it got some condensation.

And our experiences have been different. We always do a grocery stop and bell services stored our cold items without an issue. Our last visit was June 2017, so maybe it has changed since then. :confused3

Dave006 · May 28, 2018

spaceacewannabe said:
Hi all!
Two questions:
1. Did I read somewhere (here?) that the TVs at the Swan are all SmartTVs, or do I need to bring a Roku if I want access to streaming services?
2. What are the current toiletries at the Swan?
Thanks!

The LG TV's have built-in support for Netflix, hulu, YouTube and Pandora, note that you need your own account information for each of these services. There is also a setting to remove all your account settings before you leave.

The Swan has the Westin White Tea Aloe products: Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion and finally 2 bars White Tea Aloe soap in the shape of a leaf.

ETA: Corrected erroneous Dolphin amenities information.

Dave

happ · May 28, 2018

jldeahl said:
(I just posted this in another forum, but someone there suggested posting on this thread as well! Would appreciate any insights that might be helpful)

I know that the Swan's policy is that grocery deliveries (like Instacart) are not allowed. Is there any way around this? (Can we circumvent this if we meet the delivery person in the lobby? Or some other way?) We are staying for 8 days and won't have a car - so would really love to get some staples delivered.

I had this question a few weeks back because I was reading conflicting info online. I emailed customer service asking if there were any restrictions with having groceries delivered and this was the response -
Good morning,
There are no restrictions on having your groceries delivered to the hotel. They will just need to meet you at the lobby.
Thanks
Jessica Bruno | Swan and Dolphin Dining Reservations

So, it seems like you should be fine. Hopefully, the policy doesn't change before I get there in 2019.

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

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