RUMOR: New Resort to Be Built Next to The Swan & Dolphin
The Swan & Dolphin hotels are undoubtedly very unique resorts. While they are not owned by the Walt Disney Company, these resorts were built in an excellent location, being just steps away from Disney's BoardWalk Resort, Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf, as well as two of the world's busiest theme parks: Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
These hotels are already very large, but it looks like a new resort may join them in the near future.
These hotels are already very large, but it looks like a new resort may join them in the near future.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels are currently operated by Marriott International, Inc., a company that already operates countless hotels and resort around the world. While the company is already investing money on its existing hotels, it appears that there are plans to build a completely new boutique resort right next to Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf.
Not too long ago, some height balloons were spotted in and around the tennis court area of the Swan & Dolphin hotels, which is located directly across from the miniature golf course. You can see the tennis courts in the scale model below:
According to some rumors that we recently heard, a new hotel will replace the tennis courts. While it is expected to be a small building, it will require a reconfiguration of Fantasia Garden's existing parking lot, which will be expanded by taking up some backstage areas located behind the Dancing Hippo and Sorcerer's Apprentice pavilions.
The project will impact the Fairways course at Disney's Fantasia Gardens, but changes should be minor. The first hole could be reconfigured to make way for a new pathway and a new storage space will be created (that will be necessary to make up for the storage space that will be lost due to the parking lot expansion):
Here's an aerial view of the location showing the area where the new resort should be built (from Google Maps):
As a reminder, this is simply a rumor at this time. The timeline of this project is currently unknown, but we will continue to keep you up-to-date. Be sure to stay tuned on Orlando Theme Park News for additional updates.
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They are also quite ugly and big eyesores. So good...more of that. :/
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame they can be seen from inside Epcot, but I actually think they are beautiful buildings and the whole Swan and Dolphin area looks really nice.
DeleteWhy does Disney have to reconfigure their mini golf courses if Swan And Dolphin aren't theirs? Did Disney build on their property?
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, Disney was strapped for cash at the time, so they partnered with a third party. That third party built the hotels. The land under them is still owned by Disney but the hotels operate on a long-term leasing structure known as a leasehold. It is not unusual to have leases of 99 years.
DeleteAlthough this may sound strange, it's actually common in some parts of the country. In Hawaii, lots of buildings don't own the land on which they sit. That includes some of the huge skyscrapers in Honolulu all the way down to a simple 1-bedroom house.
Actually it was more like Eisner had promised the company that they could build on Disney's land but reneged on the deal. The Swan and Dolphin was the result of the court ruling that Disney owed them the resorts. Disney, however, had full say in the design of the buildings and this is the rumor as to why they are very garish and un-Disney like. The WiKi has been wrong for ages.
DeleteThanks guys, I appreciate it. I thought they had owned the property. I know they have an agreement with Disney as far as The Boardwalk entertainment, but didn't realize they didn't own the land. Thanks again!
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