If you’re a Marriott loyalist and are planning a trip to Walt Disney World, the most desirable hotels to stay at are the Swan and Dolphin. These hotels are located in between Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
Marriott knows these hotels are popular and has placed them in Category 6, where regular award nights cost 50,000 Bonvoy points and peak redemptions are 60,000 points.
People still think the perks are worth the cost. Besides the enviable location, the hotels also offered the same perks you’d get if staying at one of the Disney branded hotels, including access to the Disney Transportation system.
That is until now.
Many Disney World blogs reported that the Swan and Dolphin have stopped using the Disney busses and have switched to Mears Transport to take guests to the parks and Disney Springs. While this might not seem like a big deal, it takes away a major advantage of staying at these hotels.
The current bus service to Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios will remain the same as before. Bus service to Epcot and the studios is only temporary until the Friendship boats start running again.
However, the bus service to the Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs will see significant negative changes. At Disney Springs, the busses will drop off guests at the West Side (far left of map) instead of the more centrally located Town Center (between the parking garages.)
While this means you’ll have a longer walk to the busses, it’s nothing compared to the change when going to the Magic Kingdom.
Since only Disney busses are allowed at the Magic Kingdom bus station near the entrance gates, Swan and Dolphin guests will now be dropped off at the Ticket and Transportation Center’s charter bus lot. Once there, they’ll need to take either the monorail or steamboat to the main entrance. This will add at least 20-30 minutes to the time it takes to get to and from the park. Plan for longer delays if you’re going at a popular time because you’ll have to stand in line with everyone who’s parked in the parking lot or taking a bus from an offsite hotel.
Currently, there’s no information about this on the hotel website. People who have talked to guest services are being told that it’s not clear if this is a permanent change or not. Who knows why the switch but what’s clear is that guests staying at the Swan and Dolphin are getting less for their money than they did before.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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