[goofyguy1958]

Well, we decided we will go back to WDW in June of 2005 for, he holds his breath in hopes it is true, 2 weeks. We also are seriously thinking of staying at the Swan or Dolphin because, as a nurse (RN) I can get a really good rate at either resort. Questions, as usual, arise like:
1. How do the Disney resort perks work when staying at the Swan or Dolphin? Are they the same as other Disney resorts even though both the Swan and Dolphin are not owned by Disney?
2. Is there any diference in the transportation than other Disney resorts?
3. Do you still get the early entry into the parks?
4. Has anyone stayed there and what was your experience like?
I am sure I will have a thousand questions but I do not want to drive everyone crazy. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Oh yeah, how do I change my countdown? I tried the user CP edit profile route but must have missed something.

[Bigjon010]

Quick answers to your questions...

1.The same.
2.No differency, by land or by sea, disney transport will get you there.
3.Yep.
4.Haven't stayed there, but gave them both a walk through when we were there two weeks ago, if we go delux again, that is where we will stay.

Countdown----don't know.

[Turnwrench]

A little additional information to add on your question #1:

Guests of the Swan/Dolphin do get most of the same benefits as Disney resort guests such as free parking, guaranteed park entry, package delivery, access to Extra Magic Hours, etc. However, you cannot charge anything to your room outside of the Swan/Dolphin properties like you can if you stay at the other Disney resorts.

[Fran]

We stayed at the Swan resort last Easter and it was wonderful. The only difference is you can not use your hotel card to charge in the parks. Transportation was the same as the other disney resorts. Your park purchases are delivered to the Swan gift shop.

[phayes93]

We held a mini-family reunion was there Christmas - New Year of 2002-2003. There were 13 of us. As a teacher, I was able to get discounted rooms (similar to what you'll get as a nurse). To answer your questions in order:

1. Perks are the same except that you cannot use your room key to charge outside the Swan or Dolphin. You can, however, have park purchases delivered to your resort (to the gift shop).
2. Transportation is the same. We took buses to AK & MK, but walked or took boats to Epcot and MGM.
3. Yes.
4. We liked it very much. We had first-floor rooms and could walk from our room to Epcot in about 10 minutes. We stayed at the Dolphin (a little more kid-oriented). They have a very nice character breakfast at the Dolphin and the ice cream/sandwich shop at the Dolphin is very good! One thing to remember, however: While it is on-site and a very nice resort, it does not have the same "Disney" pixie dust magic as the others. But the positives (price, location) outweigh the negatives.
HAVE FUN!

[asp8tis]

Originally Posted by phayes93

As a teacher, I was able to get discounted rooms (similar to what you'll get as a nurse).

Just curious, what kind of discounts do you get for being a teacher, and how do you get them?

[phayes93]

We got $225 rooms for $98.00. (I'm not sure what the discount is now.) We needed four rooms and we could book just three per teachers discount. Luckily, two of my sisters-in-law are also teachers, so one of them reserved the fourth room under her name. When you call the Dolphin to make the reservation (you must call Swan & Dolphin directly, not the Disney reservation number), tell them you are a teacher and you would like the teachers discount. When you check in, you'll need proof that you're a teacher. I just made a photocopy of my Illinois Teachers Certificate. They looked at it and said, "OK." It was easy.

[asp8tis]

phayes93 - Thanks for the info. I'll definitely keep it in mind for the future. I had no idea that teacher discounts existed, so it may come in handy one day!

[coasterman2002]

I got a chance to stay at the Swan last May, and really enjoyed it. It shares transportation with the Yacht & Beach Club, Dolphin, and Boardwalk. The location is the best at WDW in my opinion, with a 10 minute walk to both MGM-Studios and Epcot. If you don't feel like walking you could take a friendship boat to get to either park. Fantasia Gardens mini-golf is just across the street, the Boardwalk entertainment district is minutes away, and you have many dining opitions that are moments away. I feel that even though it doesn't have the Disney feel, it is a wonderful hotel. Hope you have a great trip, even though it is a year away!

[Disnatic]

The best thing about the Crescent Lake Hotels (Swan/Dolphin, Yacht/Beach, Boardwalk) is that you can walk to Epcot. You can walk to MGM but its a lot farther than Epcot.