PamNC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 4,597
CAST OF CHARACTERS: Me, 42 and my DH, 34. First-timers at the Swan.
INTRODUCTION: This was an extra trip for us this year...we've already been twice. Our main goal was to see the decorations and partake in the festivities to kick-off our Holiday season. We were there 11/25, checked out 11/29. The trip was way too short, and went by at breakneck speed. We drove, which in hindsight wasn't a great idea. It was too short of a trip to spend so much time driving. We live in NC, it's about 9 hours for us. I wanted to drive because we have a convertible, and I was thinking it would be very cool to be riding around Disney with the top down in November. We didn't get much convertible time....a little chilly. :-( Oh well. I'll move on to the trip report:
DAY ONE: ARRIVAL DAY/TURKEY DAY
We left home on Thanksgiving morning at 5:00 a.m. Early, yes. But my husband insists on leaving early every time. He's smart to insist, because you do miss the traffic when you leave this early. We stopped by the ATM machine on the way to the highway, so really we hit I-40 at 5:18 a.m. I don't know why, please don't ask, but I remember the exact time for some unknown reason. It was actually unseasonably warm for November in NC, 58 degrees BUT the wind was howling. A cold front was coming in. Good thing we were leaving, I hate cold weather and it was headed straight for NC. We giggled as we drove through the wind because we knew we were headed to warmer, greener pastures. The drive down was uneventful, except for the fact that I had to stop at least every 2 hours to use the bathroom. I actually got annoyed with myself. My husband stayed positive, which is a good thing. He kept saying "no big deal, no hurry." And he's a typical type A personality!
I watched the temp on the car on the drive down, and it pretty much stayed around 60 until we got way into Georgia. Then the ascent began! 62, 65, 70, 72, and on up to 75 when we arrived in Orlando. Of course, I had to stop at a rest stop on I-4, so we braved it and put the top down. We saw other people with their tops down, so I was getting jealous. It was nice - 75-85 is good convertible weather. Arrived at the Swan at 2:30. It was Thanksgiving so there was a security guard as we pulled in...I think due to all the Thanksgiving dinners going on. Not only was there a security guard, but an Orlando police car, complete with policeMAN at the entrance. Lots of security - which is a good thing. The weather was nice and warm, although a little windy. Nothing like the wind in NC though.
We checked in - our room wasn't ready...it was about 2:45. Check-in is between 3-5 so we weren't upset that it wasn't ready. But, I will have to note that in the past we've only stayed at Disney-owned resorts and we always arrive between 2-3 and only once during 10 years has our room not been ready. They took our cell phone number and told us they would call us when it was ready. The first thing we did was get our bearings...we found Tubbi's. When I saw the "We are proud to serve Starbucks" sign, I lit up like a Christmas tree. I'm a coffee snob, and I'm filled with bitterness about this Nescafe thing going on. I insisted that we buy a refillable mug so we could consume as much Starbucks as we wanted during our trip. We also split a brownie - which was quite delicious.
Next we headed for the boardwalk for a stroll. It was quite enjoyable, everything was so beautiful and the weather was delightful. We stopped by the Boardwalk lobby to see the decorations. They have a beautiful display made completely with chocolate. The smell of the chocolate made me hungry. Speaking of hungry...we were starving. We had a 5:30 ps at the Yacht Club Galley for our Thanksgiving dinner feast. On the drive down, we tried not to eat too much so as to save our appetites. I almost bit into the display at the Boardwalk I was so hungry. Even after the 1/2 brownie at Tubbi's. We took some pics of the display and continued our trek around the boardwalk. No call from the Swan yet - so why not carry on, right? We went to the Beach Club to check out the decorations. What a delight! They had a beautiful tree and a carousel. Very impressive. Snaped more pictures and then on to the Yacht Club. They had a great train display and a huge tree....complete with yacht ornaments.
At this point, we were beyond starving and it was only 4:00. Since our room wasn't ready, or so we thought, we decided to go to the Yacht Club Galley and see if they could take us early. Luckily they were able to seat us right away. And, the table wasn't in the middle of the restaurant...which was quite loud. We were pleased with the location. About 5 years ago we were there for Turkey Day and we ate at the Yacht Club Galley. It was very good so that's why we repeated it this time. I'll have to say that this time it wasn't as good - but it was "adequate." The turkey was HORRIBLE. Very dry. My husband claims he was choking on it and had to pour gravy all over it. Now, he tends to exaggerate a bit, but it wasn't very good. The ham was delicious, as was the stuffing. The sweet potatoes were good, but I didn't like the mashed potatoes. The green beans were very good!! The desserts were nothing to write home about. All in all, I would give it a 6 on a scale of 1-10. We met a nice couple from NJ, who were now Orlando transplants. They talked about how much they loved the weather and being able to pop in to Disneyworld whenever they wanted to. They live in Clermont, which is west about 30 minutes. We were a bit jealous, but we liked them nonetheless.
By this time it was well past 5:00, and no call from the Swan. My husband called them from the Yacht Club lobby while I was in the....YOU GUESSED IT...the bathroom. They told him the room had been ready. Hmmmm. Not a great first impression of the Swan. Obviously they had failed to call us to tell us it was ready, but we weren't that upset about it because our bellies were now full and we had enjoyed a lovely stroll.
On to the Swan. We were given a room on the 5th floor, nice view looking straight on at the Dolphin. But, there was a big problem. MOLD. The room smelled like a basement. My husband figured it was just stuffy because the air had been off so we turned it on in an effort to clean the air. I took a shower and we went down to take the Friendship to MGM to see the Osbourne Lights. IT WAS QUITE CHILLY and a bit windy. I figured it would add to the magic of the lights. The friendship was full of other light-seekers going to Osbourne. You could hear the crowd rumbling about it. About the Osbourne Lights...it was of course beautiful, but we much preferred it when it was located on residential street. The cityscape just isn't the same, IMHO. I think it's because the houses give it dimension and they were all decorated in different themes. Plus, it just felt more "Christmasy" - that's the only word I can think of right now. Not saying we didn't like it, we just didn't like it as much. It was snowing of course, and they had lots of places to buy drinks, even hot chocolate. We left the lights around 7:45, park was closing at 8:00 so on the way out we jumped on the Great Movie Ride to cap off our evening. Only a 5 minute wait. We got the Chicago show..I like the western show better but it was fun. I do think it's time for an upgrade to this attraction. I wouldn't change everything, but c'mon..Alien?? How about the Matrix? I don't know - maybe I'm being too critical but I really think it's time to refresh this attraction, although I love the idea and I always do it when we go.
Back to the Swan, in hopes of a less modly room. Not the case. The air didn't help. We called the front desk and they were very very helpful and willing to make us happy. They gave us a room on the 4th floor, it was just as bad. In fact, in both rooms you could see the mold spores behind the bed in the cracks of the wallpaper. Third time was a charm...they gave us a room on the 8th floor...808...NO MOLD SMELL AT ALL! Same view - so we were happy. My husband is an opera singer and he has asthma so he is very sensitive to this type of thing. I could smell it too! We were quite pleased with the room, it seemed spacious to me. The bed is OUTSTANDING. Everything you hear about the heavenly bed is true, plus some! The room seemed more modern than the Disney-owned resorts, especially the TV. You can call up your account on the TV, they have full cable, and the screen is very clear unlike some of the Disney resorts. Even after such a rocky start, we were happy with the Swan.
So - to sleep we went. Happy, full, and ready for the Holidays!
Next day - Magic Kingdom, Fantasia Minature Golf and Sushi!! Be on the lookout for the next report.
PamNC
INTRODUCTION: This was an extra trip for us this year...we've already been twice. Our main goal was to see the decorations and partake in the festivities to kick-off our Holiday season. We were there 11/25, checked out 11/29. The trip was way too short, and went by at breakneck speed. We drove, which in hindsight wasn't a great idea. It was too short of a trip to spend so much time driving. We live in NC, it's about 9 hours for us. I wanted to drive because we have a convertible, and I was thinking it would be very cool to be riding around Disney with the top down in November. We didn't get much convertible time....a little chilly. :-( Oh well. I'll move on to the trip report:
DAY ONE: ARRIVAL DAY/TURKEY DAY
We left home on Thanksgiving morning at 5:00 a.m. Early, yes. But my husband insists on leaving early every time. He's smart to insist, because you do miss the traffic when you leave this early. We stopped by the ATM machine on the way to the highway, so really we hit I-40 at 5:18 a.m. I don't know why, please don't ask, but I remember the exact time for some unknown reason. It was actually unseasonably warm for November in NC, 58 degrees BUT the wind was howling. A cold front was coming in. Good thing we were leaving, I hate cold weather and it was headed straight for NC. We giggled as we drove through the wind because we knew we were headed to warmer, greener pastures. The drive down was uneventful, except for the fact that I had to stop at least every 2 hours to use the bathroom. I actually got annoyed with myself. My husband stayed positive, which is a good thing. He kept saying "no big deal, no hurry." And he's a typical type A personality!
I watched the temp on the car on the drive down, and it pretty much stayed around 60 until we got way into Georgia. Then the ascent began! 62, 65, 70, 72, and on up to 75 when we arrived in Orlando. Of course, I had to stop at a rest stop on I-4, so we braved it and put the top down. We saw other people with their tops down, so I was getting jealous. It was nice - 75-85 is good convertible weather. Arrived at the Swan at 2:30. It was Thanksgiving so there was a security guard as we pulled in...I think due to all the Thanksgiving dinners going on. Not only was there a security guard, but an Orlando police car, complete with policeMAN at the entrance. Lots of security - which is a good thing. The weather was nice and warm, although a little windy. Nothing like the wind in NC though.
We checked in - our room wasn't ready...it was about 2:45. Check-in is between 3-5 so we weren't upset that it wasn't ready. But, I will have to note that in the past we've only stayed at Disney-owned resorts and we always arrive between 2-3 and only once during 10 years has our room not been ready. They took our cell phone number and told us they would call us when it was ready. The first thing we did was get our bearings...we found Tubbi's. When I saw the "We are proud to serve Starbucks" sign, I lit up like a Christmas tree. I'm a coffee snob, and I'm filled with bitterness about this Nescafe thing going on. I insisted that we buy a refillable mug so we could consume as much Starbucks as we wanted during our trip. We also split a brownie - which was quite delicious.
Next we headed for the boardwalk for a stroll. It was quite enjoyable, everything was so beautiful and the weather was delightful. We stopped by the Boardwalk lobby to see the decorations. They have a beautiful display made completely with chocolate. The smell of the chocolate made me hungry. Speaking of hungry...we were starving. We had a 5:30 ps at the Yacht Club Galley for our Thanksgiving dinner feast. On the drive down, we tried not to eat too much so as to save our appetites. I almost bit into the display at the Boardwalk I was so hungry. Even after the 1/2 brownie at Tubbi's. We took some pics of the display and continued our trek around the boardwalk. No call from the Swan yet - so why not carry on, right? We went to the Beach Club to check out the decorations. What a delight! They had a beautiful tree and a carousel. Very impressive. Snaped more pictures and then on to the Yacht Club. They had a great train display and a huge tree....complete with yacht ornaments.
At this point, we were beyond starving and it was only 4:00. Since our room wasn't ready, or so we thought, we decided to go to the Yacht Club Galley and see if they could take us early. Luckily they were able to seat us right away. And, the table wasn't in the middle of the restaurant...which was quite loud. We were pleased with the location. About 5 years ago we were there for Turkey Day and we ate at the Yacht Club Galley. It was very good so that's why we repeated it this time. I'll have to say that this time it wasn't as good - but it was "adequate." The turkey was HORRIBLE. Very dry. My husband claims he was choking on it and had to pour gravy all over it. Now, he tends to exaggerate a bit, but it wasn't very good. The ham was delicious, as was the stuffing. The sweet potatoes were good, but I didn't like the mashed potatoes. The green beans were very good!! The desserts were nothing to write home about. All in all, I would give it a 6 on a scale of 1-10. We met a nice couple from NJ, who were now Orlando transplants. They talked about how much they loved the weather and being able to pop in to Disneyworld whenever they wanted to. They live in Clermont, which is west about 30 minutes. We were a bit jealous, but we liked them nonetheless.
By this time it was well past 5:00, and no call from the Swan. My husband called them from the Yacht Club lobby while I was in the....YOU GUESSED IT...the bathroom. They told him the room had been ready. Hmmmm. Not a great first impression of the Swan. Obviously they had failed to call us to tell us it was ready, but we weren't that upset about it because our bellies were now full and we had enjoyed a lovely stroll. On to the Swan. We were given a room on the 5th floor, nice view looking straight on at the Dolphin. But, there was a big problem. MOLD. The room smelled like a basement. My husband figured it was just stuffy because the air had been off so we turned it on in an effort to clean the air. I took a shower and we went down to take the Friendship to MGM to see the Osbourne Lights. IT WAS QUITE CHILLY and a bit windy. I figured it would add to the magic of the lights. The friendship was full of other light-seekers going to Osbourne. You could hear the crowd rumbling about it. About the Osbourne Lights...it was of course beautiful, but we much preferred it when it was located on residential street. The cityscape just isn't the same, IMHO. I think it's because the houses give it dimension and they were all decorated in different themes. Plus, it just felt more "Christmasy" - that's the only word I can think of right now. Not saying we didn't like it, we just didn't like it as much. It was snowing of course, and they had lots of places to buy drinks, even hot chocolate. We left the lights around 7:45, park was closing at 8:00 so on the way out we jumped on the Great Movie Ride to cap off our evening. Only a 5 minute wait. We got the Chicago show..I like the western show better but it was fun. I do think it's time for an upgrade to this attraction. I wouldn't change everything, but c'mon..Alien?? How about the Matrix? I don't know - maybe I'm being too critical but I really think it's time to refresh this attraction, although I love the idea and I always do it when we go.
Back to the Swan, in hopes of a less modly room. Not the case. The air didn't help. We called the front desk and they were very very helpful and willing to make us happy. They gave us a room on the 4th floor, it was just as bad. In fact, in both rooms you could see the mold spores behind the bed in the cracks of the wallpaper. Third time was a charm...they gave us a room on the 8th floor...808...NO MOLD SMELL AT ALL! Same view - so we were happy. My husband is an opera singer and he has asthma so he is very sensitive to this type of thing. I could smell it too! We were quite pleased with the room, it seemed spacious to me. The bed is OUTSTANDING. Everything you hear about the heavenly bed is true, plus some! The room seemed more modern than the Disney-owned resorts, especially the TV. You can call up your account on the TV, they have full cable, and the screen is very clear unlike some of the Disney resorts. Even after such a rocky start, we were happy with the Swan.
So - to sleep we went. Happy, full, and ready for the Holidays!
Next day - Magic Kingdom, Fantasia Minature Golf and Sushi!! Be on the lookout for the next report.
PamNC
I imagined myself marrying an Italian (love the food) a mechanic (always have car trouble) but never even imagined an opera singer....I'm sure it's not as romantic as I imagine it but BRAVO to his talent. Glad you all had a great trip and glad you got out of the mold...that's the worst! 
