Swan and Dolphin - Am I the only one that cringes when they see them?

[edingerc]

Sorry, I just never have liked the looks of the outsides of these two hotels. They kind of remind me of Der Wienerschnizel restaurants.

 

[ep4244]

on our recent trip, while staying at BWI, everytime our bus stopped, my DD's started calling it the Swan and Ugly Fish Hotel (whoever thought that was a dolphin was smoking something funny)

 

[Jennasis]

Stayed at the Swan shortly after it opened (while Dolphin was still unfinished) and the decor was a bit over-the-top for me. We had a good chuckle over it and enjoyed the hotel, but it does hurt my eyes sometimes. I often wondered who designed the two Dolphin Icons as they look like large fish and nothing like Dolphins!

 

[Pkdcoastrs]

Stayed at the Swan shortly after it opened (while Dolphin was still unfinished) and the decor was a bit over-the-top for me. We had a good chuckle over it and enjoyed the hotel, but it does hurt my eyes sometimes. I often wondered who designed the two Dolphin Icons as they look like large fish and nothing like Dolphins!

I have stayed at the Dolphin and it near impossible to express how amazing of a resort it is. By far it blows MANY of the "Disney" owned hotels out of the water. It felt more Disney at the Dolphin half the time then when we stayed at the Grand Floridian.

To each his own though, to me they are amazing pieces of architecture that house a great resort. The inteior of the resorts look so nice and really make you feel welcome. Let's see .... $99 to stay at the Dolphin or Pop Century

 

[Sammy]

on our recent trip, while staying at BWI, everytime our bus stopped, my DD's started calling it the Swan and Ugly Fish Hotel (whoever thought that was a dolphin was smoking something funny)

The Dolphins depicted on the hotel are not the mammals everyone is familiar with. They are dolphin fish ....see link:

http://www.indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/dolphin.html

And I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine happens to be that the Dolphin may be a little eccentric looking on the outside, but you should see it on the inside. It is really beautiful. I love the waterfalls in the walls of the entry hallway and the blinking stars in the ceiling. And the atrium lobby with all the twinkling lights in the columns is just wonderful. We had a huge room overlooking Crescent lake and Epcot....could see Illuminations every night. Housekeeping twice per day....turndown service with chocolates on the pillows. 3-acre free-form grotto pool with waterfall and waterslide. Hmmm....all this for $99/night. I would return here again in 1/2 a heartbeat. It is also my kids favorite resort so far.

Its a good thing we all have different opinions and like different things or we'd all be at the same hotel at the same time!

Sammy

 

[madge]

I have stayed at the Dolphin and it near impossible to express how amazing of a resort it is. By far it blows MANY of the "Disney" owned hotels out of the water. It felt more Disney at the Dolphin half the time then when we stayed at the Grand Floridian.

To each his own though, to me they are amazing pieces of architecture that house a great resort. The inteior of the resorts look so nice and really make you feel welcome. Let's see .... $99 to stay at the Dolphin or Pop Century

I agree.

I look at the Swan & Dolphin and see many, many happy memories for my family.... the buildings, while may not be appealing to some, are only part of the resort. It's a lovely place.

 

[#1hockeymom]

I agree.

I look at the Swan & Dolphin and see many, many happy memories for my family.... the buildings, while may not be appealing to some, are only part of the resort. It's a lovely place.

shhh you're going to let everyone in on our secret!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

i think both resorts are absolutely gorgeous and the rooms are great as well!! as another poster said it's not supposed to be the Dolphin that everyone is used to it's a dolphin fish...

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Haven't stayed at either the Swan or Dolphin but we did visit on our last trip and loved the resort! I thought the dolphin fish or whatever they are were cute! We hope to stay there in the future!

 

[GoofyGirlnPrincessV]

I miss staying there, it is such a wonderful and whimiscal resort. Like another poster said, it is a dolphin fish.

I still wished DH worked for ITT Sheraton (now Starwood), I miss the rates we used to get and the perks of fruitbaskets, champagne in our room, oh and boxes of Godiva.

 

[NancyIL]

I remember the old days when we stayed at my mom's and went to WDW for the day. As we drove down World Drive to the Magic Kingdom, we passed the Swan and Dolphin, and I remember thinking how cool they looked, and how I'd love to stay there. Well, they've been my resort of choice since 2000!

 

[The_Insider]

They are nice resorts if they were in Vegas, but they just don’t fit the theme of WDW.

 

[madge]

shhh you're going to let everyone in on our secret!

oh, shoot....you're right!

It's a hideous, ugly, shabby old hotel.

And the beds....well, they are uncomfortable. really.

 

[Sammie]

If these two hotels were not placed between the BW and the YC, I would find them more appealing, but Yes I do find them an eyesore for the area.

I really wished they had tried to build something similar to the other resorts.

 

[treehugger]

Ugly? Hardly! I love the eclectic look of the Swan & Dolphin! The vacations that we have spent in both were amazing. I know that this has nothing to do with the exterior facade, but I could go on and on about the cleanliness, beds, amenities, hassle free upgrades and customer service that blows many Disney resorts away. To me they embody the true spirit of what a deluxe resort should be. If you ever get a chance to stay at them, you'll know what I mean.

 

[treehugger]

If these two hotels were not placed between the BW and the YC, I would find them more appealing, but Yes I do find them an eyesore for the area.

I really wished they had tried to build something similar to the other resorts.

Actually the Swan and Dolphin were open before the Disney Resorts.

 

[Blondie]

The only resort that makes me cringe when I see it is the Contemporary, aka the big toaster in the sky! Yuk!

I'll take the S/D over that any day!

 

[xmelissax]

I think the Swan and Dolphin look much nicer than many of the other Disney resorts. I remember being little and driving towards MK and seeing those 2 hotels and being dissapointed we were staying at the Contemporary and not them. I much prefer the Swan and Dolphin

 

[Blondie]

Actually the Swan and Dolphin were open before the Disney Resorts.

I think you mean before the Yacht and Beach Clubs and the Boardwalk, right?

 

[Viki]

I've never stayed at either, though we're thinking about the dolphin for a long weekend just to SEE!

But, like other posters, I used to find them distasteful and not at all in keeping with the other Epcot resorts. But my sister, an award-winning interior designer (who lives in Orlando and independently contracts with disney on some projects - the witch's cauldron at DD is her design) introduced me to the concept of ACCENT, like in an accent chair, one piece of furniture which stands out because it's so different and I've applied that concept to just this situation and found it works here too. I've managed to embrace these resorts as accent pieces that provide contrasT, thus working to highlight the wonderful qualities of the other resorts.

Hey! It works for me!