Drawbacks of staying at Swan/Dolphin

[danlb_2000]

What a waste of money.

I did a search of the forum, but I can't seem to find a thread that really talks about this. Everybody knows that the Swan and Dolphin aren't owned by Disney, so I'm wondering how exactly that affects the benefits of staying "on property".

1) I was told that you can't use the Magical Express from MCO. True?
2) Are guests issued Magic Bands for free? Or do they just get the RFID card, with the option to PURCHASE the Magic Bands?
3) I was told that even with Magic Bands, guests can't use it to charge purchases. True?
4) How far ahead of time are they allowed to make dining reservations and FastPass+ arrangements?
5) Do guests get free parking in the parks? Now that I'm thinking about it, is parking free at the resort?
6) Are guests eligible for Extra Magic Hours?
7) Any other issues/drawbacks that I should know about before making a final decision?

Thanks for any help.

I didn't see anyone else mention that you also are not eligible for the dining plan.

Yes, they are a lot of downsides to the S/D, but the reason I have stayed at both of these hotels is you just can't beat the price for a the location. Cheapest hotel you will find that is walking distance to a park at WDW. Arbitrarily I picked 11/17/2014-11/18/2014. You can get a room at the Dolphin for $188 (resort fee included but not tax), Beach club and Boardwalk will run you $400 for the same dates. Even if you have to add on magic bands, transportation from the airport, and parking you will probably still be paying less. We just stayed at the Dolphin a few weeks ago. I sat on my balcony one night and watched the Frozen fireworks at DHS and the firework portion of Illuminations. Where else can you get that for around $200.00 a night. And as others have said, these are comparable to Disney Deluxe level hotels.

 

[epcotisbest]

Recently got Dolphin on a online special for $149 per night. Even with resort fee and parking, it was well less than $200 for an incredible location at a beautiful resort. Drawback....all that money still in the wallet can make sitting uncomfortable.

 

[disney4life2008]

I didn't see anyone else mention that you also are not eligible for the dining plan.

Yes, they are a lot of downsides to the S/D, but the reason I have stayed at both of these hotels is you just can't beat the price for a the location. Cheapest hotel you will find that is walking distance to a park at WDW. Arbitrarily I picked 11/17/2014-11/18/2014. You can get a room at the Dolphin for $188 (resort fee included but not tax), Beach club and Boardwalk will run you $400 for the same dates. Even if you have to add on magic bands, transportation from the airport, and parking you will probably still be paying less. We just stayed at the Dolphin a few weeks ago. I sat on my balcony one night and watched the Frozen fireworks at DHS and the firework portion of Illuminations. Where else can you get that for around $200.00 a night. And as others have said, these are comparable to Disney Deluxe level hotels.

I tried to book a room for my conference next month and it was sold out. I would love to stay at there but its beyond my means right now