A couple of Disney World’s best hotels aren’t even owned and operated by Disney!
The Dolphin
The Swan and Dolphin Hotels are beloved by many for their prime location, fair rates, and fantastic amenities. Owned and operated under the Marriott umbrella, these hotels have all the Disney perks without actually being Disney hotels! As such, they’re compatible with a special travel card, which has proved its usefulness far beyond a single Disney World vacation.
The Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy points program offer Marriott customers the ability to earn credits and find ways to save, but if you’re a fan of the Swan and Dolphin at Disney World, this travel card and points program works overtime to get you some sweet perks — more so than a lot of other travel cards!
©Marriott Bonvoy
Unlike the Disney Visa, which primarily helps you with Disney-related activities, Marriott Bonvoy has far fewer location-based limitations. In fact, for Disney fans, Marriott Bonvoy may enhance a Disney stay in ways the Disney Visa can’t!
Travelers can use Marriott Bonvoy Points to help pay for future Swan and Dolphin stays! So even if you’ve never visited a single Disney Resort or are just getting into the Disney fandom, your already-accumulated Marriott Bonvoy Points can be applied toward a Swan and Dolphin room.
Swan and Dolphin Resort, Owned by Marriott Bonvoy
While the Marriott Bonvoy program is free to join, the Marriott Credit Card automatically gets you Elite Status. These upgraded tiers may grant you priority late checkout, bonus points on stays, possible room/suite upgrades, late checkout, and possible complimentary breakfast, a welcome amenity, or additional points (depending on your tier). There are Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite tiers. The higher the tier, the more perks you get.
Dolphin Lobby
Most Marriott travel cards offer annual free night awards, which can be used at the Swan and Dolphin! There are spending requirements, but these can ultimately end up saving you hundreds of dollars during your stay, especially when booking off-peak days. This is undoubtedly one of the best ways to score a luxury Disney hotel stay for FREE.
©Marriott
We briefly touched on this, but the card also gets you bonus points on travel purchases. Silver Elite gets you a 10% point bonus, Gold Elite gets you a 25% point bonus, and Platinum Elite gets you a 50% point bonus. If you use your card to pay for a stay, you’re stacking base points, Elite bonus points, AND the credit card multiplier. Talk about making the most out of your travel card!
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
If you’re new to the credit card, you may also get a large sign-up bonus, which can yield free nights at the Swan, Dolphin, or Swan Reserve! If you time your sign-up right, you’re next stay at these properties can be incredibly discounted — if not free!
And — of course — you get similar travel protections that other travel cards offer. We’re talking trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage and baggage delay coverage, trip cancellation/interruption protection, purchase protections, and more.
Swan Resort lobby
Best of all, you can stack all of the perks you get with Marriott Bonvoy with the perks you get with Disney! Mix in all these savings and Marriott perks with Early Theme Park Entry, Extended Evening Hours, Lightning Lane booking advantages, complimentary Disney transportation, free standard theme-park parking, and more! Essentially, you’re collecting Disney World infinity stones when you stay at the Swan or Dolphin and have this credit card.
Swan and Dolphin
Do you have the Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card? Share your experiences in the comments below and continue to follow us here at DFB for more Disney World planning tips!
CONFESSION TIME: Two of My Favorite Disney Hotels AREN’T Disney Hotels
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Basically, im staying at Disney World for virtually for free… I have the card and rewards program. What i like is that i can use my points to stay at the Dolphin for a few nights then switch over to a Disney resort for the remainder of my vacation. Since i also have the Disney Visa, I’ve earned points to use towards my Disney resort stay. Granted I’ve had to use my cards to earn these points, but i look at how much I’ll be saving and its a huge amount.