[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by gatour

How about offering free self-parking. They are the only hotels on-property where you have to pay for the privilage on parking your own car.

Haha, that is VERY true! I never liked their parking charge I think it's like $15. too!

[tonyksl]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

Tonyksl would get about $450.

Pretty close. I would get about $360. I am on the northern border of Broward County. I use Fort Lauderdale because most people haven't heard of Margate. Although, people who are involved in youth baseball might have heard of us. We won two state championships the past two years and a state runner up. We also had a team finish third in the Pony World Series last year.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by tonyksl

Pretty close. I would get about $360. I am on the northern border of Broward County. I use Fort Lauderdale because most people haven't heard of Margate. Although, people who are involved in youth baseball might have heard of us. We won two state championships the past two years and a state runner up. We also had a team finish third in the Pony World Series last year.

My husband's family has lived all over Margate for years, so I've defiantely heard of it. Wait, are you guys talking about how much it would cost you in gas to drive to WDW? There's no way it's THAT much?!??! What the heck are you guys driving?

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by tonyksl

I use Fort Lauderdale because most people haven't heard of Margate.

Tony, for a while I used to show my "location" as Turnpike Exit 69.
So, I'd guess your car gets about 26 MPG.

PM coming.....

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by WishUponAStar

My husband's family has lived all over Margate for years, so I've defiantely heard of it. Wait, are you guys talking about how much it would cost you in gas to drive to WDW? There's no way it's THAT much?!??! What the heck are you guys driving?

Yes Wishy, it is!

I round it to 200 miles each way and round down gas mileage to 20 MPG for laziness and cushion. I think I did my figuring with gas at $4 per gallon.
But the $400 figure was "if" I won the Swolphin's drawing based on a 400 mile round trip and $1 per mile.
Wait, I haven't posted what actually driving to WDW from North Broward would be.
Gas and tolls driving the Turnpike all the way and then taking Osceola Parkway would come out to something like $110 for a round trip.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

Yes Wishy, it is!

I round it to 200 miles each way and round down gas mileage to 20 MPG for laziness and cushion. I think I did my figuring with gas at $4 per gallon.
But the $400 figure was "if" I won the Swolphin's drawing based on a 400 mile round trip and $1 per mile.
Wait, I haven't posted what actually driving to WDW from North Broward would be.
Gas and tolls driving the Turnpike all the way and then taking Osceola Parkway would come out to something like $110 for a round trip.

Yeah, I was thinking if I still lived in West Palm it would probably cost me about $120. in cash to drive to WDW and back. My car gets about 30 miles per gallon highway though, so that helps.

I still think I'd love to win the Swalphin drawing though, especially since they offer a teacher's discount to stay there. Do they still do that?

[Soundgod]

I'm pretty sure they still are offering the teachers' and nurses' discounts, but I'd check All Ears and call Swolphin to be sure.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

I'm pretty sure they still are offering the teachers' and nurses' discounts, but I'd check All Ears and call Swolphin to be sure.

Well it's too late for all that now since I joined DVC but I think I am going to check on the teacher's discount and try to spread the word at work. Surprisingly enough I've heard a lot of staff members talking about "driving down to Florida" and they all end up going to Disney at some point or another. I bet if I told them about a place that offered a teacher's discount AND were having a raffle for "gas money" if might encourage people to stay there. Cool. Thanks, I'll check on that.

[Prezcatz]

I think it would be a long time before we drove to the world, even with the airline prices getting higher and having to pay extra for second bag, first bag, peanuts, bathroom, seat belts, or whatever they think of next!
Being out of FL, time is the biggest factor; I want to spend it standing in a queue line instead of on the interstate.

I do think this is a good deal if you are already planning a stay at the Swan/Dolphin, but not good enough to lure me there vice another resort.

Prezcatz Paul

[Amanda O'Malley]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

What exactly should they make nicer?
They are pretty much on par with any of the Disney O&O deluxe hotels.
Also, when did you stay and which one as they've just finished an extensive refurb of both hotels.

Maybe I'm weird or something, but my biggest thing with Disney is theme, and to me I don't like either (Swan or Dolphin). I've never stayed there but I have no desire to, probably would chose off site instead. Gulliver's was my family's worse experince in Disney to date. And we've never gone back. They don't really stick to a theme either, maybe I was just spoiled by staying at highly themed places like POLY, WL, POP, and Y&B.. but they seem to be lacking.


The exergeration in my comment was to be funny though, not to just put it down.

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by Amanda O'Malley

The exergeration in my comment was to be funny though, not to just put it down.

Insomnia strikes, so I post at 4 AM.

I didn't take your post to be a put down, and didn't think it was an exaggeration. I took it at face value and asked what was wrong.
A lot of people remark that Swolphin aren't as heavily themed, and certainly not Disney themed, like the Disney O&Os. I think part of that is that Disney theming would get expensive to a non Disney entity because they would have to pay additional licensing fees to The Walt Disney Company for use of Disney intellectual property (anything trademarked by Disney that they decide they have to collect a royalty on). I've eaten at several of the restaurants over the years and never had an issue. I've actually stayed at the Dolphin as many times, and perhaps more times than any of the Disney hotels. Plus, Dolphin is the first on property resort I stayed at, so there's that connection for me as well.
I just thought, or assumed that you had stayed there and had a really horrible experience and wondered what it was.

[tonyksl]

I get around 26 miles per gallon in the car I use to go to Disney. It costs me roughly $80 round trip to drive at $4 a gallon. Of course, I do all the driving while there as well.

[ddoll]

Originally Posted by gatour

How about offering free self-parking. They are the only hotels on-property where you have to pay for the privilege on parking your own car.

Oh, that's a MUCH better idea!!! I like that.

[ddoll]

Originally Posted by WishUponAStar

I still think I'd love to win the Swalphin drawing though, especially since they offer a teacher's discount to stay there. Do they still do that?

Yes, they still have the nurse/teacher discount. I got it for next January's marathon weekend.

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

Sounds like a scam:
You might "win" a reimbursement check during a drawing.
Of course, if I were to win, that would be about a $400 check.
Mickeysgirlz would get about $325-350. (Right?)
Catfish 1999 would get a little m ore than me and depending on how much farther south and east he is, Tonyksl would get about $450.
The winner would be King of Miami.

But it's too much of a crapshoot for me with gas at $4.10 a gallon and more to go and hope you win that week's drawing.
We're talking about 20 gallons plus around $28 in tolls, or a total of $110 just to go and come home. And THAT'S why we haven't been up to WDW that much this year and that's why I can't go up for the 4th of July.

We drive from just north of Charlotte,NC. It's about 500 miles or so for us. The price of gas is one of the biggest reasons we have decided to postpone our trip.