4. No MagicBands or room charge
Image: Disney
While this doesn’t affect annual passholders (who already have bands), if you have your heart set on getting a MagicBand for your vacation, you will need to purchase it separately if you are staying at the Swan and Dolphin. Both resorts use standard room key cards rather than MagicBands. Guests are issued entry-cards to use in the parks, but these cannot be used to charge purchases to your room. If you aren’t a fan of MagicBands, this won’t affect you, but for guests hoping for the convenience of that much-loved technology, you will need to make an extra investment in the parks or do without.
Pro: Access to Extra Magic Hours and Fastpass+ 60 Days Early
The good thing is that guests of the Swan and Dolphin still have access to two of the most popular perks beloved by Disney resort guests: Extra Magic Hours and early Fastpass+ booking. While we’ve discussed before how it is up for debate if you want to stay all day in a park where Extra Magic Hours have taken place (due to increased crowds), there is no denying that an extra hour in the morning or evening is a huge plus.
Guests of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin also now have access to the same 60 day window to make Fastpass+ reservations as guests of Disney-owned resorts. For popular rides like Frozen Ever After and Avatar: Flight of Passage, this is a huge boon. This is a recent development, so take advantage of it for as long as it lasts!
5. No Disney Dining Plan or in-room package delivery
Image: Disney
This one might elicit a chuckle from those who have given up on the Disney Dining Plan. We’ve discussed before how many guests no longer consider the DDP in any of its forms a good value. However, there are still plenty of reasons why a family might prefer using the Disney Dining Plan. If you are one of those families, the Swan and Dolphin might not be the best choice for you.
Because the Swan and Dolphin are not officially Disney-owned, guests do not have access to the Disney Dining Plan or in-room package delivery. While you may still be able to pick up packages at the International Gateway in Epcot, this isn’t a guarantee in all the parks, so big shoppers may also want to weigh if that perk is a favorite of yours.
Pro: An amazing array of restaurants
This is a huge one. The Swan and Dolphin have some of the most outstanding restaurants of any resorts at Walt Disney World. You could seriously eat at these two resorts your entire trip and have a different dining experience every night! From world class Italian fare at Il Mulino to mouthwatering seafood at BlueZoo, the choices for remarkable dining at the Swan and Dolphin are myriad with over nine choices! You can even get a free entrée at Shula’s on your birthday if you sign up for their mailing list. In particular, the 24 hour Picabu Marketplace has become one of our favorite places to grab a healthy bite at Walt Disney World!
6. No Magical Express
Image: Disney
The last of the hidden fees for staying at the Swan and Dolphin comes if you will be flying in from Orlando International Airport without use of a rental car. The Swan and Dolphin do not offer complimentary shuttle service like the Disney Magical Express. You can book a Mears Shuttle for around $23 a person, but this additional cost may put off some. Experts suggest that an Uber or Lyft ride will cost you around $20, so this may be the best way to save, particularly if you can get access to a free ride.
Pro: You could pay for your entire stay with reward points
This is one of the biggest perks of the Swan and Dolphin, and for some guests, it is unbeatable. One of the most interesting hacks that’s been shared on the internet for Walt Disney World travelers was one man’s experiment to book an entire Walt Disney World vacation for nearly free. The way he did this was through audacious shenanigans and financial wizardry-- I kid. Specifically, it was through careful accumulation of discounted Disney gift cards from Target, as well as using reward credit cards to cover his family’s flight and room.
You can use Starwood reward points to cover your stay at the Swan and Dolphin. The only other resort on Disney property where you can do something similar is the swanky Four Seasons. If you are patient enough and put all your expenditures on a Starwood rewards credit card for an extended period of time, you could conceivably stay at the Swan and Dolphin for almost nothing. This requires a monumental amount of discipline and patience, but even if you can accumulate enough points to get a few nights for free, this one is a game changer that would easily negate the hidden fees attached to the resorts.
What was your favorite perk staying at the Swan and Dolphin? Were there any other cons that you didn’t care for?
Comments
Since there were so many (negative) changes to the perks of being an on property guest in the offical WDW hotels, this articale is a bit outdated and the con's at the dolphin & swan are now the same in WDW resorts. Nice articale though!