Does anyone prefer the Swan over a Disney resort?

[mommykds]

How does it rate? DH may be able to get a starwood discount & I was wondering how nice it was. Thanks!

 

[Trekker]

I cannot say I prefer it over a Disney resort - but I enjoy it just as much...

The one thing I can state as a fact is that the beds are way better than any bed I've slept in at a Disney resort...

 

[deej696]

If by "starwood" rate you mean the "starhot" employee rate, then yes I would def prefer the swan I stayed here several times when I was a starwood employee and always enjoyed it. Nice recently renovated rooms with the Westin heavenly bed, as well as a good character breakfast, although it is no Chef Mickey's. Now that I pay full price, if I had to choose between Swan or CSR for the same price, I still choose CSR. Something about it being truly "disney" that makes a difference....

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I stayed at the Swan last November, and I LOVED it!! I don't know why I waited so long to try the Swan/Dolphin hotels! I got the Swan for only $20 more a night than a moderate, and there is no comparison between the two, in my mind. At moderates, I tend to have rooms in the boonies near nothing, usually with a view of the parking lot, and always many rides on crowded standing-room buses. Ugh.

At the Swan, I was right next to MGM and Epcot, and could walk to either! The rooms were wonderful at the Swan, and the long spacious desk was great if you use a laptop. I loved hanging out at the Boardwalk at night. I had a 10th floor view of the Tower of Terror! Just overall a great room in a great location!

For $20 more a night, I would forget the Disney moderate resorts and go for the Swan anyday! I wish I tried the Swan sooner!

 

[kapoof]

I stayed at the Swan last November, and I LOVED it!! I don't know why I waited so long to try the Swan/Dolphin hotels! I got the Swan for only $20 more a night than a moderate, and there is no comparison between the two, in my mind. At moderates, I tend to have rooms in the boonies near nothing, usually with a view of the parking lot, and always many rides on crowded standing-room buses. Ugh.

At the Swan, I was right next to MGM and Epcot, and could walk to either! The rooms were wonderful at the Swan, and the long spacious desk was great if you use a laptop. I loved hanging out at the Boardwalk at night. I had a 10th floor view of the Tower of Terror! Just overall a great room in a great location!

For $20 more a night, I would forget the Disney moderate resorts and go for the Swan anyday! I wish I tried the Swan sooner!

very well said!! my dh wants to stay at the s/d next trip. like you stated for just 20.00 bucks more your staying deluxe and close to 2 parks!

 

[swilphil]

The Swan is probably my fav. resort to stay at. It's much nicer than the Disney Deluxes and the location is awesome.

 

[ILVPOOH]

I also love the Swan. It is one of my fav resorts. The beds are so comfortable. The transportation was great. We went in March, the parks were crowded, but not the hotel. Sometimes we were the only ones on the bus going to MK. Being so close to to Epcot and MGM was a big plus. The pool was nice too. The only downside is that you can't get the DDP and the food in the food court seemed to be more expensive than the other hotels.

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

It is a nice hotel and I would stay there if it was anywhere else but when I stay at Disney I want a Disney Hotel. I want more theming. I want disney soap. I want the wake up call. It just doesnot fell right

 

[sarahsmom73]

The location is FABULOUS!!! I jump at the chance to stay at the Swan Dolphin!

 

[Laz]

I love the Swan for all the reasons mentioned above. The only other negative I can think of is that you can't charge to your room because it is not a Disney resort.

 

[Esmerelda]

I have stayed at the Swan a few times and had great experiences. The 'heavenly' beds are just that...heavenly!!!

I got some great rates at this hotel and would not hesitate to stay there again!! The views of Epcot from our last balcony were fantastic.


have a great trip whereever you stay! remember..you're at Disney..
Esmerelda

 

[DisneyFans4]

As you can see from my signature after my visit to the Swan it's the only place we'll go. We love it and have never felt more like we were in Disney until our stay there.

 

[G8r4evr]

We absolutely loved the SWAN as well.

 

[CarolA]

Compared to the Disney "Deluxe" resorts... I think it's a lot nicer. It's not my favorite resort, but with a discount it is overall a better value then Disney "deluxe" MUCH MUCH MUCH nicer beds.... (I can give up the Mickey soap and the wake up call for the feeling that I am paying something close to market value for my room LOL!)

Downside is no Magical Express.

 

[TDC Nala]

I love the Swan.

I don't stay there much anymore. Used to take a lot of advantage of the special rates for government employees. But now, the cost of adding transportation offsets that, if I'm not at DVC I can stay at a value and get DME.

This is especially true since the Swolphin started charging for parking, so using a rental car doesn't help much.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We love the Swan 2nd only to the Polynesian and just chose it again for our trip last month. We saved $500 over the Polynesian rack rate. I would rather give my money to a place that offers exceptional customer service and good value. The Disney Deluxes really seem to be lacking lately. Having the lst bus stop when you have to share a bus with 6 other Disney Resorts on one Epcot Resorts Loop also is a big plus, queen sized beds, location, 2 sinks etc. I think Disney can learn alot from Westin and its customer service, pricing, value etc. We deal with the charging issue by using our credit card and giving the teens some cash. I dont care about not having the dining plan, we only usually do one good meal a day and a snack or two if needed. We dont enjoy the magical express either. We do a soda stop with Berkley Edwards Transportation and there is no stopping at additonal resorts, waiting for others, worrying about the luggage etc, its worth the added expense to our family. We love the Swan, great location etc.

 

[DisneyFans4]

We love the Swan 2nd only to the Polynesian and just chose it again for our trip last month. We saved $500 over the Polynesian rack rate. I would rather give my money to a place that offers exceptional customer service and good value. The Disney Deluxes really seem to be lacking lately. Having the lst bus stop when you have to share a bus with 6 other Disney Resorts on one Epcot Resorts Loop also is a big plus, queen sized beds, location, 2 sinks etc. I think Disney can learn alot from Westin and its customer service, pricing, value etc. We deal with the charging issue by using our credit card and giving the teens some cash. I dont care about not having the dining plan, we only usually do one good meal a day and a snack or two if needed. We dont enjoy the magical express either. We do a soda stop with Berkley Edwards Transportation and there is no stopping at additonal resorts, waiting for others, worrying about the luggage etc, its worth the added expense to our family. We love the Swan, great location etc.

I totally agree. Customer service at the Swan is impeccable and it's why after my first stay it's the only hotel I will now go to. I don't care for the dining plan either since I don't want to commit myself to having all my meals at WDW since during our stay we visit friends and we also do Universal and Sea World. Yes, the heavenly beds are so nice and I sleep comfortably and they are very clean, they take good care of them and I love having the 2 sinks as well.

The location can't be beat with Epcot and MGM right there as well as BC, YC, BW and the Dolphin. I too also love being the first bus pick up.

 

[Ronald Duck]

I'll hop on the Swan bandwagon, although I do respect the views of those who prefer Disney resorts. In terms of "bang for the buck", the Swan is WAY ahead of almost all Disney resorts, with the possible exceptions of booking Standard Rooms at AKL and WL (where you almost always get upgraded). And, as someone once said in another thread, if you don't feel it's Disney enough, just go to your window or balcony (or outside) and look at the Crescent Lake trio of resorts, Illuminations, etc. That is PURE Disney magic!

 

[Tiffany]

How does it rate? DH may be able to get a starwood discount & I was wondering how nice it was. Thanks!

Hi,

We have stayed at the Swan and or Dolphin many times over the years, see my sig. below. In fact I am writing this from our room at the Swan right now. We were able to get a rate of $179 night plus tax for the three nights that we are hear and we were given a free upgrade to a resort view balcony room, since I am an Gold SPG, we checked in at 10:30am and they took my cell phone number and said that they would put a rush on our room and that they would call me when it was ready. Well at 12:30pm I got the call. Not to bad in my opinion. You can also schedule your housekeeping and right now depending on how full they are going to be on Tuesday I should be able to get at least a free 2pm checkout and possiably even a 4pm checkout. At a Disney hotel a free late checkout is almost unheard of.

If you can get the Swan or the Dolphin for less than $200 it is a great deal for our location to EC and the ST. There is no one paying less than $200 a night to stay at the BW or the YC/BC.

We also enjoy staying at the AKL when we do our weeklong trips but the Swan is still a great place to stay. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will try to answer them since I am physically here.

 

[marvel]

Any downside to staying at the Swan? We were only considering on site resorts like POR and WL but all this positive talk has go me thinking. Maybe the swan could be an option?