Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

[blahblah18]

As to #2, as long as your reservation is linked--you have access as if you were in a Disney hotel with regard to ILL$, G+, etc.

That's great -- thanks!

So ... there's no need to go the hotel prior to using those park benefits on our arrival day?

As long as the reservation is linked in the app, the system will give us full benefits at 7am ... even though we won't step foot at the hotel until 4pm that afternoon to check in?

 

[Meglen]

Pichabu is really fast and the food is good. We saw it on our way to the pool. What bothered us was the service charge with every purchase. We spend $50 and they add $5 service charge or buy a bottle of water they add $5 service charge. I would love to know if they stopped the service charge. The other wrinkle is the service charge is suppose to be once a day so you need to carry a receipt to prove you've already paid that days service charge - something 1) we didn't know for a few days and 2) never had the receipt to prove the charge.

We only ate there once but didn't notice the service charge. This was in oct.

 

[hedberg1661]

Pichabu is really fast and the food is good. We saw it on our way to the pool. What bothered us was the service charge with every purchase. We spend $50 and they add $5 service charge or buy a bottle of water they add $5 service charge. I would love to know if they stopped the service charge. The other wrinkle is the service charge is suppose to be once a day so you need to carry a receipt to prove you've already paid that days service charge - something 1) we didn't know for a few days and 2) never had the receipt to prove the charge.

Service charge is still there. It's annoying.

 

[mickey916]

Service charge is still there. It's annoying.

Is that at all Swan & Dolphin restaurants?

 

[Meglen]

Service charge is still there. It's annoying.

With the already crazy fees they charge why is this a thing? I'm really confused.

 

[SteveH]

@bakerworld is it a flat $5 charge? It use to be something like 13% - If you are AAA you could get a 10% discount so that nearly negated the service charge aka mandatory tip.

 

[hedberg1661]

Is that at all Swan & Dolphin restaurants?

No. Just a few have a service charge...especially if you get the breakfast voucher with Marriott Status.

 

[hedberg1661]

With the already crazy fees they charge why is this a thing? I'm really confused.

It's a money grab. Swalphin was just ahead of Disney on that current trend.

 

[mickey916]

No. Just a few have a service charge...especially if you get the breakfast voucher with Marriott Status.

That would Platinum right? We're only a measly Gold Elite.

 

[hedberg1661]

Yeah Platinum and above get some options at check in which include a voucher to redeem for your breakfast at the various outlets. My personal (new) favorite is to go to Picabu and get a to-go container full of bacon that we all split (don't worry no calories on vacation!).

 

[Dan Murphy]

@bakerworld is it a flat $5 charge? It use to be something like 13% - If you are AAA you could get a 10% discount so that nearly negated the service charge aka mandatory tip.

It's $5 now, not 13%? And pay once per day only, if having prior receipt? Do any of the other restaurants have mandatory fee charges? It was (is) just Picabu.

 

[SteveH]

@Dan Murphy - wow that's just nuts, I sort of could understand a 13% charge but a flat $5? I just don't understand that type of charge at all. I don't see anything listed about it, sadly the website is sparse on info as the App is - no menu listed these days.

Around here a local brew pub/restaurant started taking on extra amount for back of the house tips and health care instead of raising their prices. Boy did they get blow back, eventually it was such a tarnished reputation they "sold" and changed the name, but didn't take long before the "sale" was figured out to be a fraud and their reputation is damaged even though they stopped with the extra charges.

 

[SteveH]

That would Platinum right? We're only a measly Gold Elite.

About all you get from being Gold are a few points and a Warm Welcome I should say the Tin Foil members get the same Warm Welcome too

 

[mickey916]

About all you get from being Gold are a few points and a Warm Welcome I should say the Tin Foil members get the same Warm Welcome too

Well, I'll take a warm welcome! Gonna be happy just be finally be on our thrice postponed family vacation soon!

 

[Eastern]

It's $5 now, not 13%? And pay once per day only, if having prior receipt? Do any of the other restaurants have mandatory fee charges? It was (is) just Picabu.

Yes, I wish someone would clarify this. I can't imagine a $5 service charge for a bottle of water, that's so crazy.

 

[Tess]

That's great -- thanks!

So ... there's no need to go the hotel prior to using those park benefits on our arrival day?

As long as the reservation is linked in the app, the system will give us full benefits at 7am ... even though we won't step foot at the hotel until 4pm that afternoon to check in?

Correct.

 

[bakerworld]

@bakerworld is it a flat $5 charge? It use to be something like 13% - If you are AAA you could get a 10% discount so that nearly negated the service charge aka mandatory tip.

It seemed like a minimum of $5 - which I only noticed because we stopped to buy a bottle of water. The cashier explained all the rest to me and I might have misunderstood the details because I was still in shock of handing her a $10 bill for a bottle of water. It was a more expensive brand but Geez.

 

[Eastern]

It seemed like a minimum of $5 - which I only noticed because we stopped to buy a bottle of water. The cashier explained all the rest to me and I might have misunderstood the details because I was still in shock of handing her a $10 bill for a bottle of water. It was a more expensive brand but Geez.

Doesn't the resort fee cover bottled water for your room? Is there a limit on that?

 

[SteveH]

Doesn't the resort fee cover bottled water for your room? Is there a limit on that?

Bottled water was always something the old SPG (Sheraton/Westin/etc.) members got, they continued it at SDR once Marriott took over as well as many other locations. It was promoted to be part of your daily resort fee, so it really had nothing to to with the Picabu surcharge. Reports over the past year were the housekeepers were giving out a lot of bottled water if you asked for not just the standard 2 bottles per room per day. In our past trips we'd get a case of water delivered since we'd chug through a lot of water at Disney even in Jan/Feb.

 

[Meglen]

Anyone else have issues at 60 days there swan/dolphin/reserve res didn't tick the 60+10 dining reservations?