Disney Swan - Reviews Please

[SeaotterGirl]

i would love to read reviews of the Disney Swan Resort. Thank you!

 

[chris benton]

You're going to be much better off spending some time reading through the 320 odd pages of the Swan / Dolphin thread, and coming up with your own synopsis.
I personally, think Swan / Dolphin is fantastic for my family's needs.

A recurring "con" for some is that Swan/Dolphin "do not feel Disney enough."

The concrete examples of pros and cons are not hidden, you will be able to see them all, the ones that matter to you might not matter to others.
The "pros" that mattered to me:
60 day FP
THE FREEKIN RESTAURANTS!!
The LOCATION - Epcot area, walking distance to EP and HS, and BW.
The amenities in general - beds, the pools,
The price.

The cons that mattered to me:
No DME (Uber made this point moot by allowing me to leave WHEN I WANTED for a nominal fee. I also wanted to stop at a grocery on my way there. My conclusion was that DME did not matter to me.)

No ability for the Dining Plan, but when I researched the Dining Plans, none would make any sense for my family.

These are not the only pros and cons, those were just the deciding factors for me. YMMV.

For my family, Swan is a no brainer. It surpassed my expectations.

Check out the Swan/Dolphin thread, and get in some specific questions if you have any.

 

[msteddom]

I haven’t stayed at the Swan, but one of my favorite WDW trips was my stay at the Dolphin a few years ago. I wholeheartedly agree with the previous poster on the pros and cons. The only reason I haven’t been back is that the rates at Swan/Dolphin haven’t been competitive with Disney.

Melissa

 

[DisneyWishes14]

The Swan is our go-to when I can't get a good discount at a WDW EP resort. It's a beautiful resort with comfortable, recently refurbishes rooms, great restaurants and a great pool complex. There is no Magical Express or 180+10 ADR planning, but that doesn't bother us. We will be there during Christmas week this year and our room was half the price of comparable rooms at the WDW EP resorts.

 

[DSLRuser]

Have stated at both in the last year for work....my only gripe is the pool area is not staffed by life guards......there fore it gets over run by riff raff not staying there swimming in a pool they dont belong in.

 

[thelegacy27]

There is no Magical Express or 180+10 ADR planning, .

Wait, so if you stay at the swan/ dolphin you have to make adrs every day?

 

[elfling8]

Wait, so if you stay at the swan/ dolphin you have to make adrs every day?

I am going next month because my husband is attending a conference at the Swan. I was able to make dining reservations 60 days out. Not sure if you can do it sooner than that.

 

[chris benton]

Wait, so if you stay at the swan/ dolphin you have to make adrs every day?

Some have reported that they do get 180 +10, perhaps it's just luck. I think the standard is you do not get the +10.

Thelegacy27, the standard (I think) is that you would have to make adr's at 180 days out for each day that you wanted an adr for. So, you couldn't do them all on 1 day at 180+10.

I never have any hard to make adr's, so no worries for me.

 

[msb578]

Some have reported that they do get 180 +10, perhaps it's just luck. I think the standard is you do not get the +10.

Thelegacy27, the standard (I think) is that you would have to make adr's at 180 days out for each day that you wanted an adr for. So, you couldn't do them all on 1 day at 180+10.

I never have any hard to make adr's, so no worries for me.

Yep, luck of the draw.

I don’t think Disney and Swan/Dolphin particularly care one way or the other about the issue. I just chalk it up to IT laziness. They could make it happen if they wanted to, like they did with the 60-day FP+.

 

[JerseyJanice]

My favorite resort! Love, love, love.

It’s so beautiful, and the beds are so comfortable. The staff is outstanding; I have had great experiences with every employee I’ve encountered. Front desk, housekeeping, servers at the restaurants and bars, etc. I feel like they go above and beyond to help, and they make you feel so welcome.

The location is obviously its strong suit, but I find the overall vibe relaxing. I was there for 8 nights just about a month ago, and I can’t wait to go back.

 

[LYSE]

I've only stayed at the dolphin but I will say the biggest perk to me is being able to earn and burn starpoints (soon to be Marriot points) you get to use an actual loyalty program and get free nights ...something Disney obviously will never do.

 

[SeaotterGirl]

You're going to be much better off spending some time reading through the 320 odd pages of the Swan / Dolphin thread, and coming up with your own synopsis.
I personally, think Swan / Dolphin is fantastic for my family's needs.

A recurring "con" for some is that Swan/Dolphin "do not feel Disney enough."

The concrete examples of pros and cons are not hidden, you will be able to see them all, the ones that matter to you might not matter to others.
The "pros" that mattered to me:
60 day FP
THE FREEKIN RESTAURANTS!!
The LOCATION - Epcot area, walking distance to EP and HS, and BW.
The amenities in general - beds, the pools,
The price.

The cons that mattered to me:
No DME (Uber made this point moot by allowing me to leave WHEN I WANTED for a nominal fee. I also wanted to stop at a grocery on my way there. My conclusion was that DME did not matter to me.)

No ability for the Dining Plan, but when I researched the Dining Plans, none would make any sense for my family.

These are not the only pros and cons, those were just the deciding factors for me. YMMV.

For my family, Swan is a no brainer. It surpassed my expectations.

Check out the Swan/Dolphin thread, and get in some specific questions if you have any.

Thank you. I am a newbie, need to learn the ropes of this Board.

 

[SeaotterGirl]

Have stated at both in the last year for work....my only gripe is the pool area is not staffed by life guards......there fore it gets over run by riff raff not staying there swimming in a pool they dont belong in.

Thanks for the heads up. I do not like riff raff either.

 

[Beer Me]

I had a conference there and went with my wife and son. It was great. I would stay there again without hesitation. Incidentally we spent a lot of time at the pool and didn't notice any riff raff. Makes me think maybe I was the riff raff .

 

[SeaotterGirl]

I had a conference there and went with my wife and son. It was great. I would stay there again without hesitation. Incidentally we spent a lot of time at the pool and didn't notice any riff raff. Makes me think maybe I was the riff raff .

Hilarious response!

 

[maxiesmom]

I give you my review letting you know ahead of time that I am indeed staying at the Swan again this fall.

My room was very musty smelling, which is very bad for someone like me with allergies. What also was bad was not knowing if my room was feather-free like it was supposed to be. The bedding was identical to that in my sister's room, which wasn't designated feather-free. Again, very bad for someone with allergies to down. I ended up calling the desk, and they had someone bring up a few very light blankets. Obviously not down-filled. For the musty smell, I sprayed the room with Febreeze before heading off to dinner, and cranked the air way down. That seemed to do the trick.

Also, the phones had problems for a few days. As in, it was very lucky I was up when my dad needed to wake up at the crack of dawn to make a flight. We were notified the phones were only working some of the time. But we were not told we would be better off setting an in-room alarm than depending on a wake up call.

Giving it another shot this fall. I complained at the time, and now have the e-mail address of someone who said should I give the resort another try I should e-mail them and they would make sure everything goes smoothly. And I am doing that.

 

[samsonjs]

I stayed at the Swan for one night after staying at Coronado Springs Resort. We preferred CS and while I have SPG points to use I'm not sure if I will use them at Swan.

It doesn't really have the Disney feel. It felt HUGE. I know a complaint is that CSR is big but this felt way bigger, maybe because CSR is only 2-3 floors spread out, while this is a giant building. The big pool was a very long walk. I'm not sure if we could come back for a short swim midday like we could at CSR. At CSR we just went down the stairs and there was a pool right there. At Swan it was at least a 10 minute walk, maybe more. You had to wait in line and check out life vests, while at Disney they are just there. No lifeguards. The pool was really spread out so it was hard to sit and watch the kids, unlike at CSR it was all visible and I could watch the kids and husband play from a lounge chair.

I can't use a magic band to pay for stuff. We really liked the cafe at CSR because they had treats and coffee. The cafe I looked up required a hike to dolphin and when I went over there it wasn't like Disney treats. It was candy bars and bags of chips.

The room was more spacious at Swan though. I think my biggest gripe was the size of the resort and how far away the pool was. I didn't think the pool was that great for families with young kids. It would be better for older kids or adults.

 

[SeaotterGirl]

I stayed at the Swan for one night after staying at Coronado Springs Resort. We preferred CS and while I have SPG points to use I'm not sure if I will use them at Swan.

It doesn't really have the Disney feel. It felt HUGE. I know a complaint is that CSR is big but this felt way bigger, maybe because CSR is only 2-3 floors spread out, while this is a giant building. The big pool was a very long walk. I'm not sure if we could come back for a short swim midday like we could at CSR. At CSR we just went down the stairs and there was a pool right there. At Swan it was at least a 10 minute walk, maybe more. You had to wait in line and check out life vests, while at Disney they are just there. No lifeguards. The pool was really spread out so it was hard to sit and watch the kids, unlike at CSR it was all visible and I could watch the kids and husband play from a lounge chair.

I can't use a magic band to pay for stuff. We really liked the cafe at CSR because they had treats and coffee. The cafe I looked up required a hike to dolphin and when I went over there it wasn't like Disney treats. It was candy bars and bags of chips.

The room was more spacious at Swan though. I think my biggest gripe was the size of the resort and how far away the pool was. I didn't think the pool was that great for families with young kids. It would be better for older kids or adults.

Sounds like the Swan would be perfect for us (no kids). We also like walking so trekking to the pool, etc. wouldn’t be a bother. Thank you!

 

[JerseyJanice]

IDK @samsonjs, I think if you spent one night at the Swan versus several at CSR, your perception of the size is not accurate.

I’ve stayed at both resorts. Two trips at CSR, one at the Dolphin and three at the Swan. The Swan is by far the smallest of these three hotels.

The walk to the main pool complex from the Swan is under 10 minutes, but there is a pool and hot tub right next door to the Swan. It’s literally steps away from the door.

CSR is a lovely resort. I chose it for my 50th birthday celebration, but the Swan is a luxury hotel. When the price at the Swan or Dolphin is equal or less than a Disney moderate, the Swan about 900 times better.

 

[SeaotterGirl]

IDK @samsonjs, I think if you spent one night at the Swan versus several at CSR, your perception of the size is not accurate.

I’ve stayed at both resorts. Two trips at CSR, one at the Dolphin and three at the Swan. The Swan is by far the smallest of these three hotels.

The walk to the main pool complex from the Swan is under 10 minutes, but there is a pool and hot tub right next door to the Swan. It’s literally steps away from the door.

CSR is a lovely resort. I chose it for my 50th birthday celebration, but the Swan is a luxury hotel. When the price at the Swan or Dolphin is equal or less than a Disney moderate, the Swan about 900 times better.

Luxury hotel.......I like the sound of that. We are looking for a quiet place to relax and recharge after park hopping. Sounds like we made the right choice.