Swan/Dolphin - Early Theme Park Entry Eligibility Update

[Horizons '83]

I will, thank you. This will be our first time staying there. It looks really nice so I'm pretty excited.

Not to sound like I work for Marriott or anything (I promise I don't!) but here is a list I put together about the pros and cons of the S&D in another thread that might be helpful:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Swan & Dolphin?

Coming up in February my wife and I are planning on heading to Disney and we were stuck on which resort to stay at. Recently we stayed at Yacht and Beach Club and absolutely loved the ability to walk to Epcot and HWS. What we also loved about YBC is the pool. We were there every day for a few...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[DfromATX]

Not to sound like I work for Marriott or anything (I promise I don't!) but here is a list I put together about the pros and cons of the S&D in another thread that might be helpful:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Swan & Dolphin?

Coming up in February my wife and I are planning on heading to Disney and we were stuck on which resort to stay at. Recently we stayed at Yacht and Beach Club and absolutely loved the ability to walk to Epcot and HWS. What we also loved about YBC is the pool. We were there every day for a few...

forums.wdwmagic.com

And the cons are not really cons to me.

 

[jpinkc]

Good on Swolphin for making it happen, but Disney giving them access to extended evening hours is puzzling unless they were somehow contractually obligated to.

Yes I believe its part of the 100 year lease deal for the property the hotel sits on. They built the hotels and Disney owns the land it sits on.

 

[bee]

We're booked there for January. I was told they do have bus service to the parks.

Yes and no. Currently bus access "to MK" actually goes to the TTC instead of the MK bus stops, so you have to take the monorail or ferry over. Bus service to AK is normal but perhaps less frequent than from other resorts. Friendship Boats to Epcot and DHS are running as usual.

 

[DfromATX]

Yes and no. Currently bus access "to MK" actually goes to the TTC instead of the MK bus stops, so you have to take the monorail or ferry over. Bus service to AK is normal but perhaps less frequent than from other resorts. Friendship Boats to Epcot and DHS are running as usual.

OK thank you. I did not realize that. I've never stayed at the Swan or off property before.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We're booked there for January. I was told they do have bus service to the parks.

They do -- but it's no longer provided by Disney. They've contracted with Mears instead. As @bee noted above, the drop-off locations are also different. They now drop off and pick up at the TTC/AK parking lot in the areas for charter buses, not Disney resort buses. Supposedly the Mears buses are also a little less frequent than Disney buses -- 30 minutes in between instead of 20ish.

 

[DfromATX]

They do -- but it's no longer provided by Disney. They've contracted with Mears instead. As @bee noted above, the drop-off locations are also different. They now drop off and pick up at the TTC/AK parking lot in the areas for charter buses, not Disney resort buses. Supposedly the Mears buses are also a little less frequent than Disney buses -- 30 minutes in between instead of 20ish.

Thank you! I will definitely plan some extra time for transportation.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Thank you! I will definitely plan some extra time for transportation.

We just walked over to Boardwalk to use the buses when we stayed at Dolphin in April. So much easier than waiting for the buses at the Dolphin. At AK they drop off over where the ride shares pick up and we took the bus back twice and waited awhile for the buses to come. They come twice an hour.

 

[DfromATX]

We just walked over to Boardwalk to use the buses when we stayed at Dolphin in April. So much easier than waiting for the buses at the Dolphin. At AK they drop off over where the ride shares pick up and we took the bus back twice and waited awhile for the buses to come. They come twice an hour.

I was going to ask if that was doable. I agree that's probably a much better idea.

 

[Sandurz]

The other thing about Mears buses is they have to go through the regular parking gates, which can impact morning drop off times. I’ve been in a Lyft next to one waiting the 5-10 minutes you might sit if you’re arriving close to rope drop, could have been a fluke (and I haven’t ridden one myself so it might not matter) but it seemed less than ideal