Staying at the Swan and Dolphin

[JMcMahonEsq]

Good morning all. I am looking into planning for our 2020 trip to WDW, as most of the arrangements have already been made for 2019, lol. We normally stay at the Contemporary, given its proximity to MK, and having younger kids in our parties in the past that benefit from potential afternoon naps. In 2020 we are only going to have non-napping kids, and we want to be in the Epcot/HS area for easy access to those parks.

From looking at the Swan and Dolphin, although on Disney property, they are actually managed by Starwood, but tt seems that you still get the benefit of magic hours and transportation. My question, for anyone who has stayed there or may know, is do I have to book through Disney in order to get the magic hours benefits? I.E., can I book the hotels through the Marriot site, or directly with the hotel, and still when I get my tickets, have access to magic hours?

 

[JaxFLBear]

All Swan/Dolphin guests are entitled to the available Disney benefits regardless of how the reservation was made.

https://www.swandolphin.com/aboutus/benefits.html

 

[Master Yoda]

There are a few benefits you do not get namely DME, the DDP and Magic Bands. Other than that, everything else is pretty much the same.

 

[cmb5002]

I called Dolphin to book last year, the only thing they said was it may take a few hours for the reservation to show up on MDE. Reservations and FastPass were booked without issue on MDE, just as they should have been.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I booked the Swan for our trip last December through Orbitz and while it took about 24 hours, I was able to link everything up to MDE and had no problems whatsoever with all of the perks that are extended to guests. The only thing we missed was magic bands. I bought them for our park tickets, but I missed using them to open our room door. It was a blessing to not have them for dining as I used my Disney Visa and got the discount at a number of places where we dined (since you normally won't get it if it's just the card assigned on a MB).

 

[Horizons '83]

Great hotels if the price is right. Recently they have been as much or more than the Yacht Club/Beach Club so I haven't stayed there in a while.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Thanks everyone for the info. The location for a HS/Epcot centric trip is perfect, and if I can use Marriott points and still get all the benefits of being on property, its a no brainer.

 

[networkpro]

The food quality is much higher there as none of the locations have to toe the Disney Dining Plan line.

 

[correcaminos]

The food quality is much higher there as none of the locations have to toe the Disney Dining Plan line.

Agreed!

Thanks everyone for the info. The location for a HS/Epcot centric trip is perfect, and if I can use Marriott points and still get all the benefits of being on property, its a no brainer.

I've had some fantastic deals thanks to rewards points.

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

I have stayed countless times at Swan and Dolphin. Good things to know is that the Dolphin has double beds and the Swan has Queen beds. The hotel property is magical and relaxing all at the same time. My kids love the water slide there and the grotto waterfall. It easily compares to other high end Disney properties without the hefty price tag.