Disney World Food Tour: Swan and Dolphin Resorts! 

Stayed in the Dolphin almost a year ago, (Dec 2017) and loved it. The food was wonderful and for an older couple - no kids - the "lack" of Disney vibe was a nice respite. (I should point out that we have been to Disney World 30+ times). As a couple we did the entire trip with _no reservations_ (cue thunder; cue lightning) and these turned out to be the perfect hotels. tips: the lounge at Shula's is wonderful, and they are delighted to split entree's if requested. No waiting, walk right in, and perfect drinks, incredible service, wonderful food. Better steak house, by far than Le Cellier or The Yachtsman. Also, the lounge at Bluezoo is delightful, although the menu is a bit harder to describe. A. J. says that it is different from the main restaurant, but we simply asked and were brought the main menu with no issues. Don't actually remember which we ordered from, however. Don't really remember much about the counter service or "grab and go's" one way or the other. Another tip: if it is in budget (it isn't much $) ask for the Epcot fireworks view...........

Never be embarrassed about really good wings day or night AJ.

Gotta watch all these videos before I travel to Florida and go to Disney world 😂 thanks DFBGuide!

Just arrived back after a two week stay at the Dolphin. Went in fuel and Picabu, the buffet restaurant (breakfast is lovely, maple gammon and french toast, mickey waffles!!) and the fountain and the pool bar. All fantastic (Food better than the Disney resorts in my opinion, not obviously the high end restaraunts, more quick service). The staff are fabulous, so kind, I can't praise them enough. They do refillable mugs,$15 for not only your whole stay but for every trip! You purchase them in Picabu but can refill in fuel too which is handy after coming off the busses. Just note there is a service charge in Picabu x

THE DOLPHIN IS A GREAT HOTEL!!!!

In Summer 2014 we stayed at the Dolphin Resort (my first time at Disney age 13) it was night when we arrived (by car) and when I entered the lobby and looked up it was soo pretty, there were stars and shooting stars on the ceilings it was really cool. I also met Michael Reid (the guy who played Sinjin on the show Victorious) they also have good ice cream! 🙃

AJ, can you do a video about all of the different Brunches offered at Disney world??

Great video, AJ! We stayed at the Dolphin this summer for 12 days. We loved it and can't wait to go back. I was surprised how good Picabu was. The pizza was around 13 bucks and excellent. They also have a great salsa bar in the back of the restaurant. The watermelon salsa was really good. Also, each night they run a special such as fried chicken, which was excellent. The rooms were clean and the beds were really comfortable.

Would LOOVE an updated food tour for swan & dolphin hotels - maybe swan reserve too?

All of this sounds so good. I never been there but now i know i will have to go check it out. The fountain sounds like some place i would really like. Thanks for making this videos AJ. love all you videos and look forward to new ones.

Would love to stay here at some point!! Thanks so much for the breakdown!!

My family is going to Disney soon and your channel has helped us so much thank you DFB Guide!!💞

The timing couldn’t be better. I’ll be staying there on Monday! 😁

My husband and I stayed at the Swan back in May for our anniversary. Will definitely be going back! Absolutely loved our stay at the Swan.

Definitely one of the best experiences ever at Disney. The Swan and Dolphin are great if you have kids ages 12 and up. It's nice to not get bombarded with Disney stuff 100% of the time. Will definitely stay there again.

We LOVE the Dolphin. Our guests stayed there when my husband and I got married at the Boardwalk. They were very accommodating and worked wonderfully with Disney Weddings since just about all our guests ended up staying at the Dolphin instead of the Boardwalk. Also good tip, if you have AAA, use it at the Dolphin for both room and dining discounts!

AJ from DFB: "It's a Marriot now, so you can get discounts, but you don't care about that, right?" Me, a new Marriot employee with Marriot employee discounts: "YES I DO!"

We stayed at the Dolphin in July and loved it! Great resort and great prices and location. We loved the Fountain and the pool bar and will definitely be staying there again when we go back to Disney!

Shula's has the best steaks on Disney property. The 24 oz Porterhouse is a must if anyone goes. The service is also top notch. Expensive but makes for a wonderful date night. I highly recommend this place.

One of your best! TY

Yes! Thank you!

Love love the 20% AAA discount at Swan and Dolphin!

We need some good videos on what to expect for the 2019 festival of the arts! I just found out the dates were announced and I’m going during those dates!!! Yay! I’d love to see some DFB videos on food and events there

The Swan and Dolphin are in one of the best locations in Disney, as being within walking distance to DHS, Epcot and The Boardwalk is amazing! If they ever team up with Disney to offer the DDP, then this resort would be perfect!

Staying at Swan in 2 weeks! I’m going solo for a little getaway. I picked the Swan bc of the great location, great price, great amenities, and great food.

Gurl, you sho is thorough, I sure do appreciate you gurl

Did not realise you could walk to parks from here x nice tips thx KP

A big thanks to DFB Guide for their help !!

Yay! Bills!

The food and drink options at the Swan are excellent. The little coffee shop was my favourite as you don't get jelly doughnuts in the UK so I visited there many a time just to get one. The bars & restaurants that we used in the Swan were super too. Around the pools there is great service and the frozen drinks are brilliant. We had one bad experience at the Dolphin where a barman was too busy chatting to friends to serve us so we reported this to management who were not impressed and we did go there for breakfast one day and it was very nice. In summary, the Swan is yummy.

Love love love this hotel, it has everything there and you can walk to the parks!!! I have stayed there 3 out of the 8 times I have visited Disney and i Loved every trip and visit. With the kids or without the kids this place is just as magical as the parks. I only wish they would offer the restaurants in the Disney dinning plan.

Hey AJ! You are the best!

Dunno why I'm watching this, I can't even afford to smile

Thanks for the background of swan and dolphin in the beginning cause I’ve always been confused at who owns them!

This Resort Needs More Love.

I love these hotels

I worked here for 9 years before moving. Love these hotels.

The Dolphin is awesome! We always go there when my Dad has a convention for his work! We love it! All the restaurants are awesome, it’s close to the parks, and the Boardwalk is right there. Also there is a lot to do there

I have stayed at the dolphin 3 times and (althought the quality of the hotel has certainly decreased from 2007 to my last visit in 2015) the food is just incredible. The oreo milkshake from the fountain was and is my familys favourite thing to get every couple of nights and take back to the room and the Italian in the swan is TOO DIE FOR! Amazing food - would 10/10 visit for a meal or two if I stayed at another hotel!

As an adult, these are my two favorite hotels!

The Fountain is absolutely fantastic! We stay at Yacht Club, and we always walk over to The Fountain. And I have to disagree with AJ over the Fresh Mediterranean. That breakfast buffet is outstanding, and the presentation is better than any Disney buffet. We think it’s definitely a destination!

Best channel EVER

We need a count down of the best pool bars at disney world.

Brilliant and awesome, I been to that hotel and I have my best friend, BFF there and I love to go there, that’s why I love Orlando too, good job and keep up the good work too my friend 👍🏻👌🏻😘❤️

We had Thanksgiving Dinner last year at Fresh Mediterranean Market at the Dolphin and we were very pleasantly surprised. The Turkey, Dressing and all the trimmings were great. Apparently they have been serving Thanksgiving Dinner there for years, and it showed !

I absolutely loved the Dolphin! Definitely a place you should consider staying at when taking a trip to Disney. Prices are cheaper than most of the resorts and the food is pretty great. I personally loved The Fountain. The last time I stayed there, I got a milkshake and it was delicious. Fuel is a great place to grab candy! You can go and fill up a bag of candy of your choice, and just snack on it the whole day! Frozen yogurt is amazing here too! The rooms are pretty nice and standard. Overall, I love the Dolphin, it was the first WD Resort I ever stayed at. I think a lot of people kind of overlook this resort as it is not technically owned by Disney. Great place to stay, definitely a place to consider for your stay at Disney!

Love this resort! Love all the restaurants and I’d say that the Komonos & Il Mulino & Shula’s restaurants are one of my go tos even if I’m not staying at this property (now being a DVC member). I use to extend my visits after DVC time and stay at the Swan for a few more days and always during Food & Wine.

Always wanted to stay there!

Thank you 🙏🏻

We loved Picabu’s rotisserie chicken with collard greens and potatoes! It was so good, we had to go back on our last night and have it again! And at $15.00 at Disney World! Absolutely! Hahahaa!

I love that you are a Bills fan!!! ( horrible start to our season though 😭😞) Are you from Buffalo? Also wanted you to know my husband and I love your videos and often watch them while eating dinner! Keep doing what you do!! 👍🏻😘

I love the hot fudge at the ice cream parlor ( Dolphin)!

AJ I need to compare these hotels with the Disney Resort Hotels. Thanks for the info.

YAASSSS BABY GO BILLS!

My husband and I stayed at the Dolphin for our week long anniversary celebration last year. The view was beautiful! We could see Tower of Terror, World Showcase, Illunimations, the Boardwalk and the water taxi. Gorgeous view! We ate breakfast at the Fresh Mediterranean Market twice. The vegan omelet is wonderfully delicious. We ate at Shula’s. The staff was more than accommodating for my vegetarian needs. I was served a healthy portion of great food. I highly recommend the Dolphin resort.

Went to Shula’s earlier this year. It was dope. I’m planning on going back again.

I remember an awesome late night sushi joint at Kimonos. Highly recommended if your wasted and want some quality late night sushi!

Shula's , best steakhouse in Orlando.... YUM!

Could you please make a video about the good neighbor hotels? Maybe just some general descriptions of each one and advice on why you would choose to stay at each one. If there is already a video like this I apologize. Love your content!

The Swan is where I want to stay if I ever get to do a Disney world vacation.

I stayed here once! Nice place but it did miss the Disney Magic, and the Disney feel! But they are good!

17th Lol Love your vids, when I get a notification I immediately click!

I have not stayed there but after this video I will!!!

AJ please check out the Four Seasons Disney Hotel too! I didn’t even know they had one!

I really like the Swan and Dolphin. We've stayed there several times and it's always been great. We particularly love the location, since it's within walking distance of 2 parks and 3 other resorts so there's tons of food options without having to get on a bus. (Way better than the Boardwalk, which we did on the last trip.) Maybe I missed it in the video, but one thing to be aware of is that since they're not Disney Hotels, you can't do the dining plan. You can't purchase a dining plan if you're staying there and the restaurants don't take the dining plan. That doesn't make a difference to me since I think it's usually better to skip the dining plan and pay out of pocket, but for some people that's a deal breaker.

Hope you do the Boardwalk soon, that’s my favorite hotel!!!

Those Bloody Marys look incredible! When can we expect a “Best Bloody Marys in Disney World” video from AJ?!?

FYI- The "teacher discount" doesn't apply to dates in June, July or August. All those days are blocked. I've tried multiple times as this is a prime location. Geez, I wonder when most teachers visit Disney?

I had a really bad experience at Shula's Steakhouse Ft Lauderdale years ago, so never went to the one at Swan & Dolphin. Instead went to Blue Zoo and had the Cantonese Lobster, which was very good.

My wife, daughter and I stayed here in December during the baseball winter meetings.. the rooms here are very nice. We spent 3 days of our trip quarantined in our room with the flu. It was horrible timing and a rough flight home :( Were from buffalo so were huge Bills fans too!

So excited to get to stay her 2020 for a work conference.

Thanks ABunches for the chicken wings tip, Wise Woman! XOXO Judi

Even if I was blind, I would marry AJ... I could listen to that voice all day long.

You forgot the Fresh Mediterranean Market - Great buffet breakfast + busiest in the hotel!

I like the external colors...I think they are more timeless and natutical

Years ago stayed at the Swan / Dolphin and had an INCREDIBLE time! Tbh was not expecting it to be very good. Was very pleasently suprised 🙂 oh side note: Do NOT fall asleep in one of the hamocks esp w/ no sunscreen! (Oh btw I say Swan / Dolphin bc they are both right there!!!....... And I dont remember atm lol oppsy 😄

Hey A.J.!!!, can you talk about hotels and resorts for the next time please?

I didn’t care for the pulled pork sandwich at The Fountain (a little dry), but their fries are the best that I’ve ever had at Disney! I’d definitely go back for a side of fries and a dessert.

Questions... Can you use the dining plan while staying here? Do you get to use the Magical express from the airport?

“By law I have to hate the Miami Dolphins.” I am from N.H. so I am a NE Patriots Fan. That steak from Shula’s looks fabulous.

Picabu is my go to for grilled chicken sandwich.

the dolphin is by far the best resort

Do they have later hours than the other places to eat at Boardwalk? We stayed at Yacht Club and felt they rolled up the sidewalks at 10:00. We were hungry! Haha

I stayed at the Dolphin about 22 years ago. Really weird seeing The Fountain because I am near positive we ate there.

My mom refuses to stay at S&D because of the giant statutes on top of the building. haha

We ended up staying at the Beach Club, but the only reason why was because no magic express bus and no Disney dining plan at the Dolphin & Swan. I would definitely stay there if Disney offered those perks or at least be able to take the express bus to the Beach Club or Boardwalk resorts and walk over.

Go Bills!

Does Disney offer a meal plan & park tix w/o a Disney property stay? Or do you pay full tilt food prices in the park when you stay at these hotels?

If you stay at sawn and dolphins do you still get to take advantage of extra magic hours, magical express, fastpasses 60 days out, and ADR 120 days out?

Are these restaurants on the Disney Dinning Plan? Or is at least Shula on the Dinning plan? I heard it was a two credit Dinning location?

Can you use the dining plan at these restaurants?

You're a bills fan?!?! WE ARE BESTIES!!!!!!

Does it has early fast pass window?? Can we use Disney transport ?? Do it accept DDP credit ??

I stayed at dolphin and it was amazing and I loved it but it’s sucked that it wasn’t Disney themed and it’s overpriced I personally think but still an awesome resort

Interesting note, the Swan and Dolphin are not owned by Starwood Properties, only managed by them. They are actually owned by MetLife in partnership with Tishman Hotel.

The problem is the room, rooms, rooms. If I ever wanted to know what it was like to live in the 90s, I’d just stay at the Dolphin for a week. Outlets are non existent and you’ll get better sleep on the floor than in the bed. It’s such shame because the lobby and grounds are insanely beautiful. Although I could probably still smell the lobby if I close my eyes and thought about it.

Didn’t Dolphin used to have club level? With light meal included?

Question for anyone: is there a restaurant at the swan or dolphin that would be good for kids that’s not the cafeteria? Good food for adults, not too fancy/quiet for kids?

LOVE U AJ WHY CAN'T DISNEY BUY THE RESORT

Any good veg thing available??