Swan recommendation

[jmcross]

I currently hold a reservation at the teacher rate for the Swan at club level. Can anyone recommend a particular location or view on the 11th or 12th floor that I might want to reserve via fax prior to my trip? Should I request another location with a balcony?
Thanks!

 

[rbgford]

I just returned from a stay at the Swan Club Level and would recommend that you save a little money and opt for a room with a balcony/view. All Club Level allows is entry into a small lounge with very limited hours. Every time we used it we ended getting some food and bringing it to our room because it was so crowded.
The Lounge closed at 10 AM and didn't open until 5 PM.

 

[CarolA]

I have to agree, the Swan Club Level is WAY overrated. I stayed there this past weekend on free upgrade. Breakfast was OK, but contrary to what you have heard there are NO water bottles at breakfast for you to use in the park. Breakfast was pastries, cereal, limited fruit, bagels, coffee and tea. It was packed and I took it back to my room

The evening program was cheese, crackers, fruit, bread, some spring rolls, soft drinks and bottled water. I have heard people claim they could eat here and skip dinner. I did not find that to be the case. The water is the 8 oz size, awfully small and if you wante to scoop up some to take to the park, you are going to need a lot of bottles! They do have beer and wine for fee and even though milk is free at breakfast they seemed to charge in the evening.

I would not pay for this. I could not believe the club lounge was not open with beverages thoughout the day.

 

[Muffy]

You can ask for water in the morning from CL at the S/D. I think it is a great time saver and enjoy the perk. Being Plat SPG we get it as an automatic upgrade. I' not sure i would pay for it though.

 

[hookedup]

Wow - that is not what I was expecting! I have to say that I am dissapointed to hear that news.

 

[CarolA]

The problem with asking for water is that the lounge is just so crowded and the hostess is very busy just keeping the tables clean. Plus I still find the use of the 8 oz bottles pretty useless. I can drain one of those pretty quick. I think they should at least have 16 oz bottles. I was there around 9 so I figured the early entry crowd was gone, but there was no place to sit.

 

[#1hockeymom]

jmcross>> I also had a club level room at teacher rate, but I requested to have a resort view balcony which the club level, although higher floors, does not have. (no balconies). I had room 726 which was the corner room facing the Dolphin and Epcot.

We only had a problem finding a seat once during our stay, most of the time we were coming in just before ten. I have no idea what the crowd may have looked like before then. We always asked for water to take with us, and usually received two per person. I would put one in the mini bar per person, and we'd take the others with us to the park. We usually ended up drinking them on the bus or the boat and refilling them in the parks. Since I never expected to survive off club level amenities, we really appreciated having the water/water bottles for our first few hours until we'd start snacking around whichever park we were in.

During the evening hours we'd have a pop there with some snacks, and take a full can back with us to the room where we'd swap out with the mini-bar. Coming back from a late dinner it was nice to have a nice cold pop to kick back with in the evening.

We really enjoyed adding club level onto our reservation. Our kids (9 and 17)were able to wander in there when they wanted breakfast. We much prefered a light breakfast of pastriesand fruit to a heavy one in the parks or restaurants. The Florida heat just seems to get to you too fast!

I dont remember a fee being there for the milk in the evening. My son only needed milk in the morning for his cereal, and he had usually switched to pop and water in the evenings. DS, DD and Thabo really hit it off and my kids thoroughly enjoyed stopping in and chatting with him when we were at the hotel. I was not worried about them being alone there, or unsure of how their manners would be, I raised them well!

The Swan/Dolphin concierge is no match for the disney hotels when it comes to dessert offerings or cordials, but it is a small percentage of their concierge price! It was a very nice friendly place to sit down and have a few snacks, and allow us to have a later dinner away from the crowded times. MommaT and Thabo are fantastic and their personalities alone would make me rebook CL in an instant!

Debbie

 

[ww52]

Since the CL is likely to be crowded in the morning, is there any reason you can't ask for water in the evening to take to the parks the next day?

I'm also a bit concerned that booking CL was a mistake. It seems many people who rave about it aren't actually paying for it (or "pay" using SPG points). It's costing us $70 per night, so I do intend to at least get water bottles to take to the park; two per person sounds reasonable, even if they are 8 oz; I wouldn't want to carry a case of them around the park!

This is the first I heard about the room being so crowded, though other posts are talking about the parks being more crowded than in the last few years, so I guess it follows. Maybe with FTP, more people will change from the Swan/Dolphin to a Disney run resort, and it will be less crowded when we go in August.

 

[#1hockeymom]

I paid for the club level, and asked for a lower level room since we wanted balcony/resort view. Having two kids who seem to graze every hour, I know we got our monies worth. The crowds at the Swan CL were nothing in comparion to the other Disney resorts. We only encountered one time where we couldn't find a seat immediately, and that the offerings weren't in abundance. That also happened to be a time when MommaT or Thabo weren't working that day. Thabo specifically asked us about the lounge the next day, and we told him our concerns.

We also tended to bring back a breakfast plate for our DD, nicknamed sleeping beauty, during the trip. That was never a problem, infact it was encouraged when they'd notice her missing when we were up in the mornings. For breakfast alone CL was worth it for our family of four.

Debbie

 

[ww52]

Thanks, #1hockeymom. It's good to hear someone thinks CL is worth the price difference - even worth the trip not being on 11 or 12.

Our budget is tight for this trip - hence the second thoughts as we get closer (that's one good thing about the Disney resorts asking for full payment in advance - it gets it off your mind). Compounding that is the fact we have two rooms for 6 people total - but I don't want to "price" the difference that way.

I know if I go in with a negative expectation of its value, it may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So your positive review is a big help.

 

[CarolA]

I hate to keep repeating this, but this is in NO WAY worth $70 a night especially if that is per room! Unless you figure it would cost at least that much to feed your family breakfast each day. I mean I don't know that I would even always be back for the evening offerings which closed before the parks did. The crowding is not as big an issue with me as the quality of the offerings and the fact that in normal 4 star hotels the lounges like this are open a lot more hours. I was there the 4th of July so I expected things to be crowded. I just would have expected the lounge to be open in the afternoon when people come back to take a break. I did express my concerns to the front desk when I checked out and the clerk said they had received numerous requests to keep the lounge open more, but....
Now one of the reasons I may not have gotten as much out of it is that I had purchased my own Diet Cokes to swap out of the mini bar with the Swan's so there was no real reason to take beverages from the lounge back to my room.

Let me point out that I really liked the Swan and would stay there again. The room was wonderful, the bed is everything it is cracked up to be. I liked the pool and loved the hammocks by the pool! The Swan was well worth what I paid for it.

 

[Muffy]

I think 70.00 per day for CL is very high and not worth it. I LOVE the Dolphin and will be staying their for 16 days this Dec/Jan but would not pay 70.00 per day for CL! You could put the 70.00 per day towards a great restaurant and have breakfest in your room. You could easily keep milk in the fridge and have cereal, coffee, tea and juice in your room. If you are on a budget you may want to rethink this.

 

[ww52]

Deja Vu all over again...

I'm sorry I posted the issue of CL price, only because I realize I already did in the Swan/Dolphin thread probably a couple months ago. In fact, I'm guesing that some of the same people responding now gave those same opinions before. We may change out yet, but the convenience is worth something so maybe we won't - I guess it will be a "game time" decision when we get to five days before our trip.

To me, it seems the price level for CL is set too high (and if I posted this thought before, I again apologize for the repeat). With so many people able to get the perk using SPG points or comped, it seems many people decide it's not worth the money. Thus the number of empty club rooms - thus the point upgrades and comps - thus people like me feeling like I overpaid. But then there is always a question of value vs price at any resort when considering certain views or other room choices.

Another odd thing - if the room is so small, why do they allow people off the CL floors to have access? I don't mean those paying for it (like #1hockeymom), but people off the floors getting CL as a comp or even for points. Adding to the crowds that way seems unfair to the people paying full price for CL privilege. Just a thought.

 

[RAV]

I thought I would add my 2 cents. We stayed on the CL level last year for 17 days and paid for CL. We are returning in a few days and are paying for CL again. We did not wish to risk not being given the comp. upgrade. We figure at least we are continuing to accumulate Starwood Points. We have stayed at the Yacht Club Concierge and the offerings there are more plentiful and the hours are longer. The price is also considerably higher than CL at the Swan. My family enjoyed the CL and the convenience of grabbing a quick breakfast and heading to the parks. We generally dine rather late in the evening and did take advantage of some of the evening snacks and cold beverages. With the exception of one individual who did not maintain the lounge well in the evening, everything was terrific. My son enjoyed taking a cookie back to the room for a bed time snack. The staff was congenial and accommodating with the one exception I mentioned. I don't believe that any concierge experience is meant to be a replacement for dinner. I am just wondering if the poster means 70.00 extra for 2 rooms or per room. That would make a big difference.

 

[ww52]

The difference is $70 per room ($199 CL teacher rate vs $129 regular teacher rate - these prices were as of our booking date in March I think). If it were for two rooms, no question it would be worth it.

I'm not looking at it as $140 for two rooms though. Complicated reasoning, but here goes: we need two rooms only because our family of 5 is two adults, and adult child, and two older teenagers. For the sake of two bathrooms alone, we need two rooms. Added in is a sixth guest (adult) and thus the two rooms. Naturally, we want these on the same level, and we're told we will likely get connecting rooms (nothing is certain until we get there - but given we're paying for CL - not getting comped or using points - and this is booked many months in advance I pretty much expect we will get that.) So in a sense we're also paying a premium just to have the two rooms together - and since we chose CL for ourselves, the other room almost has to be the same.

So while in the straight dollars and cents sense it's not worth it, I'm just thinking of it as a two step decision. And changing now risks having rooms with worse views and / or separated. So - it's either CL for both or saving money but risking possibly having an overall worse location.

 

[CarolA]

You do realize that you are not guranteed a good view with the CL floor don't you? My room looked out over the meeting hall area. Not what I would call a great view.
Now if you ask for a lower level with a balcony I wonder if that is going to wind up with one room split anyway. I would assume there are balcony rooms on the CL. (Mine was not, but it was an end room and did not connect with another room either.)

If you stay with it, I would ask for a balcony room on the CL when you get there. If they put up a stink you might point out what you have learned that not many people actually PAY for the CL and you are!

My upgrade was a result of my company. We book a lot of travel and in order to encourage us to use Starwood we get an upgrade of some type. Guess this was it for this hotel. (Sometimes it is hard to tell that you were actually upgraded so this was an improvment over others!)

 

[jmcross]

Thanks for all of your replies!!
I don't think that the 11th-12th floor rooms have balconies at all except for the suites(only from what I've read). Do you think it's worth it to request a lower floor with a balcony still at CL?
I was quoted $169 regular vs. $214 club level a night for President's week. This is a $45 difference which for a family of four, I thought, was worth it. Any more opinions on this or other room/area ideas would be great!!
Joanne

 

[#1hockeymom]

There are no balcony rooms at all on club level. This is why I requested a different floor than the club level floor. I actually almost waffled and asked to be put back on club level so we'd be on the same floor as the lounge, and would get turn-down service. I was wondering how much I'd use my balcony in June. We still had turn down every night, which my kids loved, expecially the nine year old as he thought the weather reports were great!

As it turned out, we loved our balcony and it was nice to step out at night after the kids were asleep, or sometimes when they were out and about as a second line of privacy from the door being opened with the room key. You won't get a room higher than floor seven so if you want a higher view, stick with the club level floors.

We were originally scheduled to be in a room on the fourth floor. I asked nicely and politely for the best of the best views on a higher floor, understanding that "balcony" wouldn't go higher than seven. We received a corner room on the seventh floor. It was wonderful! We directly overlooked the grounds of the Swan and Dolphin, and the bridge to the boardwalk. The Epcot ball was straight ahead and I watched illuminations from our room one night when my feet just couldn't hold out any longer.

I know the predicament you're in. I was in the same one and went back and forth knowing I could get a room(standard) for much less at the teacher rate. I went in with the idea that this was a convenience that I was paying for at a much lower rate than a Disney deluxe. Although they didn't have the "spread" of the deluxes during the evening hours, not stepping over toddlers at each second or ruining my credit rating was also a plus! I wanted us to be pampered and have less worries, we were!

If you have any more questions, feel free to send me a pm!

Debbie

 

[Mskanga]

OK, I have never stayed at the Swan CL yet, eventhough I am booked to stay there for two weeks next February but I can tell you one thing.
I stayed Tower Club at the Contemporary two years ago, the lounge was not even a lounge, it was right outside of the elevator doors, it had about maybe 3-4 tables, they offered the same thing in the mornings from 7-10, pastries, cereals, coffee, tea, milk and fruit . In the afternoon they offered pastries, soft drinks and cookies basically from 2-4 and then in the evenings they would offer basically the same but add also some fruit, that was I believe from 7-9 pm.
We never sat down at one of the tables, we always took our food back into the room with us, sometimes we took some extra and left it in the room because we may get back to the room when the lounge wasn't open and we wanted something to snack on. I can guarantee you that you can not get that for $199 a night tower club at the Contemporary, it's more than that.
To me, for my family , yes it is worth it because every time we go out for breakfast it's minimum of $50-60 for a family of 4, tower club saved us a lot of money in breakfasts and snacks.
I'm not going to the Swan CL with the expectation of having extender hours , not being crowded or anything like that, I will do as I did at the Contemporary, go get my food, take it back to my room and bring some extras to my room if I feel like it. If I find a table in the lounge anf we want to sit down we will, if not , no problem. Then from that point on, with a full belly we can go off to the parks and start having fun.

 

[ww52]

CarolA: I realize that CL has rooms without any kind of view, but we were told (and it's on our confirmation) that we'll have an MGM view. This allows us to see Fantasmic from our room, though we'll also get a view of the Swan parking lot as well. Someone a while ago posted pictures from that view on the Swan thread.

CL does not have balconies, except for suites, as I think #1hockeymom pointed out. I must say since I'm paying for the CL upgrade I do expect to get the view we were designated, but I guess nothing is definite until we get there. I suppose there may be people paying rack rate for CL, but I doubt that very much.

I saw another poster say that their CL difference was only $45. Maybe it's the season (October) or maybe they have gotten the idea. I'm tempted to call back and get a quote now. Still, that rate of $214 is higher than my $199, but the differential is now much less (old teacher rate was $129 - a steal; new rate is $169).

Thanks for everyone's opinions. Assuming we get the view we expect, I think we will be satisfied. Whether it's literally worth it is something that's hard to answer. We've stayed at GF three times (paying for a lagoon view once) and BC twice; there are those who would say GF is not worth it, and there are those who would say why stay at BC when the Swan is more reasonable. (I'll probably be one of those when we get back).