Pros/cons of staying at Swan Hotel

[SWDisfan]

My family and I (husband and 1 daughter) are planning our first trip to Disney. I'm considering the Swan hotel but see its not officially affiliated with Disney. What are the pros and cons of staying at the Swan? Do you receive less Disney perks? Is there easy transportation to the Magic Kingdom? I like that the hotel is close to Epcot and Hollywood Studies but I'm not sure if we'll get the full Disney experience staying there. Thank you!

We love the swan and dolphin! Best pool, other than stormalong bay at YC/BC. Convenient walk to Epcot and HS. As for the bussing drawback, you could always walk over to one of the other resorts and catch a bus there, especially if you’re already enjoying breakfast at one of their great restaurants. I would highly recommend not driving there either, but rather Uber/Lyft as the parking fees are high, and just not worth it. As for Magic Express, that is nearing its end for everyone, so really not a big deal. You can still use magic bands in the parks and some places in Disney springs. To us, if we can’t stay at BC or BW we choose Dolphin. It’s always been in our top 3! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Miffy]

OP, I'm not sure how helpful this thread is, with near-equal parts "I love it" and "I wouldn't stay there again," but here goes.

I wouldn't stay there again. I stayed at the Swan once, after having stayed onsite at different Disney resorts several times. I was hugely disappointed in the Swan for a number of reasons, and the first day that I was there, I called the WDW resort line and got a room at AKL for the following day. I would've switched that day, but nothing was available.

Why did I not like the Swan?

First of all, there's no theming there. I'm not talking about in-your-face Disney characters, I'm talking about the overall theming that, to me, makes the WDW resorts so wonderful. The theme at the Swan could be described as "pretty nice hotel anywhere in America." I didn't feel like I was at WDW, even though I could walk to Epcot and DHS. I could've been in the middle of Iowa (no offense to Iowa meant).

The room I had was loud--it was right next to a mechanism on the roof--maybe a generator?--and it was impossible to get away from the noise. I probably would've lived with this had everything else been to my liking, but it wasn't. In order to get a QS-style meal, I had to go over to the Dolphin and use their cafetaria-esque facilities, which I found lacking in a lot of different aspects. This was years ago, so that might've changed.

And, to top it all off, the bus service to the nonwalkable-to parks was awful.

I was happy to check out and go to AKL and more than happy to spend the extra bucks. I had an AP at the time and was able to get the AP rate at AKL, so the price wasn't anything like what it is now, but whatever it would've been, I would've paid it.

Many people, as you can tell from this thread, love the Swan/Dolphin. I am not among them but I understand why they like it. It has convenience, location, and good rates.

But, OP, if this is your first trip, do yourself a favor and stay at a WDW resort. Got the full-immersion experience. It's terrific.

 

[stinkpickle]

.... Unless and until WDW restricts transportation (or the MK bus, in this instance) to resort only guests, no one is in the wrong for doing this since its not breaking any rules. Its apparently not been an issue because there have not been any restrictions implemented by WDW to address it.

Bingo.

 

[Pats Dragon]

I have posted my love for the Swan before but I disagree with the above post because : For us, the parks were a disappointment with all of the covid changes but coming back to our room to sit on the balcony and watch the friendship boats and having multiple restaurants and bars to visit was wonderful. The hotel is beautiful and service perfect. We ubered or took YC bus to MK (were there absolutely first and no one was displaced) . AK bus was as good as Disney resorts and we walked to the other two parks. The walk is pleasant and not long and really fun to us.

 

[mousehouse23]

I would say that people who are comfortable using Uber/Lyft would feel pretty great about the money they'd saved by choosing the Swan over the Boardwalk-area resorts. Just bear in mind the added resort fees.

I've never stayed, but I'm envious of those super-comfy mattresses I've heard so much about!

 

[CynBeth]

That stinks. Unfortunately, I think there is enough blame to go around and not all on Marriott. Even if the agent didn't tell her it was non-refundable, she should have received an email with the details about the cancellation policy spelled out. She apparently did not read the email when it came. I too might file away a confirmation email without reading it, but if she had read it she may have been able to change things right away to a refundable rate. Instead, she realized that it was a non-refundable rate only when she wanted to cancel and get a refund. In addition, they tried to work with her and offered her a voucher because she couldn't travel due to Covid. However, it was her choice not to accept that voucher. It's totally within your rights to refuse to stay at Marriott properties, but your DM has responsibility in the situation too. She's out thousands of dollars because the agent didn't tell her it was non-refundable and the hotel wouldn't budge BUT she's also out thousands of dollars because she didn't read her confirmation and wouldn't accept the voucher.

I appreciate your opinion but you are incorrect in assuming we did not look at the confirmation. Nothing was mentioned on there about this being non refundable we always read it to make sure everything is ok. If it had been on there we would have called right away. Also DM should not be forced to accept a voucher we can’t use she wanted her money back which she was misled into paying.

 

[loves to dive]

About the using other resorts buses, when I stay at any of the Epcot resorts, be it YC/BC/BW or Swan/Dolphin I always get in the shortest line going back to the resort, no matter which of those resorts it is. I might be staying at YC but the BW line is shorter so I hop in it. I have also gotten off the bus while coming back at a different resort just because I know I can walk back to my resort faster than the bus can make it's rounds. I have also been staying at BC and walked over to the YC bus stop because that bus services both YC and BC and a lot of the time by the time it gets to BC (this is pre-Covid) there was either standing room only or no room on the bus. I have also walked to a different bus stop at the moderate resorts that have multiple bus stops to get on the bus earlier so it's not so crowded. I've stayed at YC and gotten on a Dolphin bus going back to the resort many times. I've also gotten on a bus at the park to a resort I'm not staying at to just wander around that resort and then on the bus at that resort back to a park. The buses are there for anyone, even people not staying on property.

 

[Animal]

For guests who only go to Disney World every 3-5 years or so, I would recommend they stay at a true Disney resort to immerse themselves in the theming that only Disney can offer. As frequent visitors, we like to stay at Swan every other trip or so. (see other threads for Swan vs Dolphin pros/cons.) The location is amazing. Getting to Epcot and DHS is a dream. At this time, I would recommend driving to AK, although I would recommend this for Disney resorts as well! MK is going to be challenging to get to for any non-MK resort. Driving means you have to deal with the TTC. With limited capacity bussing, that could also be an issue, especially at park open and close. I'm sorry to hear about the report of a loud room. Some rooms are more ideally located than others. For S/D, and quite frankly for a lot of hotels, I recommend always booking a premium room with a view or somesuch. This may cost 20 or 30 bucks or more per night, but this drastically reduces the chance of a bad room (every hotel has bad rooms). I do not strictly apply this logic to Disney resorts; they have many fantastic "Standard View" rooms. But even at POR or POFQ, I book at least garden view because the premium is nominal and keeps you away from parking lot views.

 

[robinb]

I appreciate your opinion but you are incorrect in assuming we did not look at the confirmation. Nothing was mentioned on there about this being non refundable we always read it to make sure everything is ok. If it had been on there we would have called right away. Also DM should not be forced to accept a voucher we can’t use she wanted her money back which she was misled into paying.

Hmmm. I wonder why your mom's credit card company didn't side with her then. I would have expected them to back her up with proof that she didn't know it was non-refundable.

 

[nkereina]

First of all, there's no theming there. I'm not talking about in-your-face Disney characters, I'm talking about the overall theming that, to me, makes the WDW resorts so wonderful. The theme at the Swan could be described as "pretty nice hotel anywhere in America." I didn't feel like I was at WDW, even though I could walk to Epcot and DHS. I could've been in the middle of Iowa (no offense to Iowa meant).

This is reflective of the fact that Swan/Dolphin are corporate-owned by Marriott (Starwood). The hotels are very much on-brand for Marriott, so that's what people should expect. Its a good point to make because if someone wants an immersive experience at WDW, which is something unique about staying at a Disney property, then Swan/Dolphin is not it. Its subjective though, so each family should decide if location/convenience of logistics is more important or if the overall atmosphere and resort experience is more important.

 

[DeutscherDon]

We love the proximity of the swan to the boardwalk area, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. My wife loves to say all rooms look alike when the lights are off! I believe the pool is one of the best in Disney and it’s in walking distance to the putt putt Fantasia course which is awesome. The are really good restaurants in the swan and dolphin as well! The price point is also really good if you shop around on different hotel sites. The hotels do have disney touches and there’s even a Disney store in the Dolphin. I would definitely recommend it!

 

[Nabas]

Any word on how the construction is affecting the Swan & Dolphin pool area?

 

[cgattis]

I get it and understand where you're coming from, but the fact of the matter is that its perfectly permissible for Swolphin guests to do this. Unless and until WDW restricts transportation (or the MK bus, in this instance) to resort only guests, no one is in the wrong for doing this since its not breaking any rules. Its apparently not been an issue because there have not been any restrictions implemented by WDW to address it.

I also have to think that many guests who stay at Swolphin aren't even aware they have to transfer at TTC on the MK bus, and there's probably some who don't even know or realize they could walk to the other resorts to catch the MK bus instead. The ones that are aware may not be keen on walking that far, and would prefer to just use the bus at Swolphin even if it means a TTC transfer (which is not a big deal). Also, the issue people take with TTC is primarily when they are trying to make rope drop - it would be a small segment of guests on a given day that are a) trying to make rope drop and b) realize TTC adds unnecessary time and c) knows they can go to Boardwalk/Beach Club to catch the MK bus instead. I honestly don't think it would significantly impact the MK buses at these resorts enough to notice.

This. And not to mention the longest wait I’ve ever had for a Disney bus was staying at Beach Club. The monorail broke down so they were diverting buses over to the monorail resorts, guess they paid more so we had to wait an hour?? We were offered bit even an apology. So “fair” is all relative.

 

[samsonjs]

I don’t know why Disney would allow swan to end the contract knowing it would cause people to go to other bus stops. It seems like Disney would expect a good amount of people to do this so I feel like it was somehow mutually beneficial to end direct swan/dolphin transportation during covid and hopefully it’s reimplemented within the year.

 

[Ross Kratter]

I don’t know why Disney would allow swan to end the contract knowing it would cause people to go to other bus stops. It seems like Disney would expect a good amount of people to do this so I feel like it was somehow mutually beneficial to end direct swan/dolphin transportation during covid and hopefully it’s reimplemented within the year.

I doubt they'll go back to using Disney buses anytime soon, as they've had the Mears buses wrapped with the Swan & Dolphin logos and ads for their restaurants.