The Swan and Dolphin

This is a model of the two resorts on display in the Dolphin.



The two resorts are actually NOT Disney. They are on Disney property and guests enjoy many of the same benefits (Extra Magic, Transportation, Character Dining at the resorts), but they are a seperate ownership.

I don't have nearly as many pictures of these two because the design of the buildings do not have a lot of places for photo opportunties. The lobbies are not extravagant nor are the hallways designed for the shutterbugs like me. The rooms are kept away from snoops as these are very business oriented environments.

Their exteriors are much more picturesque than their interiors, believe me. Don't misunderstand. They were impressive and very nice, just didn't have as many of those fun Disney-esque side photo opportunities.

Let's get going, shall we? This is the Swan.



This is the Dolphin.



But wait? Isn't that a fish on the building?



Yes. I guess if they called it the Swan and Fish it wouldn't be as elegant. I've been told it's a dolphin fish but it seems to me a mammal dolphin would be not only more powerful as a symbol, but also, well, make sense. I don't know. They don't pay me enough to think.

You may recognize the tree from an earlier entry. That's the Garden Grove restuarant where me, my sister and mom ate during their stay. Pretty cool. Remember the Garden Grove?



I thought you did.

The pool area is between the two resorts, ajoined by the sandy beach around the lake. Very very nice. But very very deserted.



The picture posted yesterday was me on my lunch break on that sandy beach just relaxing.

Well, that about sums up the Swan and Dolphin. They were included in one entry because they are almost always talked about as a pair (similar to the All Star Resorts) and B, they don't have a lot to them photowise.

On a different note, I did meet with the director of security for Disney's Hollywood Studios. The conversation was private, but it really opened up my eyes to how Disney operates their security force. I now have a much more clear understanding not only of the how's, but the why's. I also learned about something I've very interested in: Emergency Management. We will have a class later, but I am very impressed with the tools ready at Walt Disney World in case of a bad scenerio.

Thank you Mr. Director for taking the time!

I also saw, as part of my shadowing today, the K-9's do a demonstration. The picture below was actually taken a while ago outside the Magic Kingdom, but you get to see the doggie again. The dog for our demo today was actually a Black Labrador retriever, not a German Shepard.



It was really interesting to learn just a little bit more about that unit. And (hope this isn't giving too much away), but everyone at Disney has an ID badge. The higher-ups have their photos on theirs. And guess what? The dogs have their own ID badges with their pictures! It was pretty awesome. The K-9 even had a Mickey Mouse collar.

You know who should be a Disney K-9?



Abbey's dog. I miss that dog now that I don't see it as often.

Oh well. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Right everybody?

TTFN