The **New** Swan and Dolphin Resort thread ~ April 2012 ~ Please read post #1

[meeshkamooshka]

Yes, I agree with you. I would rather have chlorine, especially in a PUBLIC pool. We planned on taking long breaks every afternoon and hanging at the pool because it's going to be super hot in the afternoons. The part that pisses me off the most is that obviously the pool has issues and was scheduled for a renovation around this time. When I made reservations, I was never told of the possiblity of not having the main pool working and there is nothing on the website that states it either. To be honest, I would have kept my CSR reservation with free dining if I knew the pool was not going to be operational. Thanks for the kind thoughts.

I would think you might have some recourse in canceling your reservation because of this, or at least getting an upgrade, or FREE meal... give it as least a try ...their policy is ONLY a guideline and management can override it...if they want to keep a positive image of their hotel!

 

[madge]

grotto pool closure in September?

nowhere on the spg site is that mentioned ... and that is one of the main reasons we booked the Swan (and have been trying to get a second night) ... will be following this to see how it plays out!

 

[LaurenT]

LaurenT, will you post a mini-review here? I'm always interested in your opinion whenever I see you post.

Thanks!

Tina,
Here's the mini review I posted for the Swan:
Just a small review....
We were there from Aug 21 to 30, stayed in 6184, a 2 double bed resort view room in the West wing.
For the most part, we were very happy with the resort. We got a great deal (paid about $1200 total for the 9 nights) because we jumped on the Super Bowl special when our state's team won (buy 2 nights get the 3rd free if your state makes it to the SB, plus an upgrade for the winning state). I also joined the SPG rewards program and signed up for the Amex card - this resulted in over 30,000 points which made me look like a big customer...so we were also given a free rollaway for my friend's DD (who is a thrasher, lol). Those 30,000 points are also good for 3 free nights in the future.
The staff was extremely friendly and attentive, our room was clean and well stocked with towels and such, and our location was very convenient to breakfast (Picabu), laundry and the boat and bus.

We ate most mornings at Picabu. If you have a AAA card, you get a 20% discount (I believe at all the counter service locations, but definitely at Picabu). We all ordered the kids breakfast (tons of food - eggs, toast, bacon and potatoes) and it cost about $22 per day for the 4 of us!

I saw the posts about the condition of the Grotto pool. We only went to the pool one day, early on in the trip. Maybe the 23rd or 24th. The pool LOOKED fine at that point. The staff got our girls involved in a water volleyball game and they had a great time. The wait staff was very attentive and my friend and I very much enjoyed our poolside drinks.
OK...on to a few things that were less than ideal.

We wanted to go to the morning EMH for AK. We were at the bus stop at 7:10 am. This should have been plenty of time to not only get there before the open, but be AT the rope.
We waited and waited and waited and....etc. I spoke to other drivers and they radioed in several times. I then used the house phone and was eventually patched through to Disney transport. I was told by one driver that the bus would arrive in 4 minutes. Twenty minutes later, I was told by Disney transport that the bus would arrive soon... It seems that the AK busses were filling to capacity at the Swan and, therefore, bypassing the Dolphin completely. At about 8:15 am an empty "floater" bus finally arrived and took us to AK. We weren't in the park until about 8:40. I stopped into guest services to let them know about the issue. They did of course give us FP's for 2 rides to make up for all the EMH time we lost, and I appreciated that.... But, my favorite thing to do at AK is to grab my FP for the Safari and then walk through Pangani before anyone else is interested in it. I love having those trails to myself. Needless to say, by the time we got there, the trails were packed full of people. So, my advice - when going to EMH, if you are staying at the Dolphin, walk over to the Swan for the bus! The rest of the trip, busses and boats were fine....

Another issue was the smell by the 6th floor elevators. We thought it was a dirty diaper that a guest had been kind enough to dispose of in the garbage/ashtray by the elevators. We reported it to guest services....but the smell never entirely went away during our nine days there! Just glad my room wasn't near it!

Finally, we had lunch ADRs for Fresh Mediterranean Market. We made sure we were back at the resort in time for it. We arrived at the restaurant only to be told that they weren't open for lunch and that we should eat at the Fountain. I was assured that the Fountain also accepts TIW. Well, the Fountain was fine, no biggie, but when the check came I was informed that they do not, in fact accept TIW. The waitress got the manager for me and she extended the discount anyway, so it all worked out. But how strange that they would allow you to make an ADR and give you a confirmation number for a restaurant that isn't open.

In summary, the hotel is beautiful, the pool is beautiful (and will hopefully be fixed soon), the staff is very friendly, the location is great and most issues were dealt with satisfactorily. We are DVC and also have an offsite timeshare, but if I ever found myself out of points/weeks again, I would not hesitate to stay at the Dolphin again - in fact, I may have to make an extra trip to use my points for free nights!

 

[kandb]

Just got off the phone with a manager at the dolphin. The grotto pool will be closed from 9/24 thru 11/10 for renovations. We will not be affected but I would be upset if we were considering, there is still nothing on the website about the closure.

 

[GC&S]

I just posted on another thread about the closure of the pool. I am beyond livid. No mention of the pool closure when I made the reservations. For our travel dates it would cost $1000 more to stay at the Beach Club. The pool is a huge factor where we stay on vacation. I cant understand why they wont tell you about the renovations or put anything on their website. We already have flight reservations so we cant change the dates.

 

[PNO4TE]

Just got off the phone with a manager at the dolphin. The grotto pool will be closed from 9/24 thru 11/10 for renovations. We will not be affected but I would be upset if we were considering, there is still nothing on the website about the closure.

That is a long closure, isn't it? And it certainly affects our vacation in October. We are going to have to give some serious thought to this...

 

[madge]

Just got off the phone with a manager at the dolphin. The grotto pool will be closed from 9/24 thru 11/10 for renovations. We will not be affected but I would be upset if we were considering, there is still nothing on the website about the closure.

I wonder if the dates are concrete yet ... they've got that event for Food & Wine mid-October, and the big Gartner Symposium is also in October. IIRC, they have a big beach/pool party during that convention. If they're closing the Grotto pool then, there's got to be a lot of scrambling going on at the resort.

 

[LexiC123]

The renovations will take place during our stay as well, but I guess I'm in the minority, because the closure of the Grotto pool is just not that big a deal to me. We're perfectly happy with the less crowded, more relaxing lap pool and jacuzzi @ the Swan.

And yes, I do realize that the lap pool areas will be more crowded as a result of the Grotto pool closure, but pool time represents only a couple of hours of our vacation (at most), so it certainly won't ruin our trip.

 

[kandb]

The receptionist had me on hold a while when I called this am. Then the manager (a man) got on the phone and told me those dates. I didn't push the issue since we are checking out on 9/22, so it won't effect us. I would be pissed if it did, but perhaps they will let the guests go to the surrounding pools, even though it will be a long walk to go take a dip.

 

[madge]

The receptionist had me on hold a while when I called this am. Then the manager (a man) got on the phone and told me those dates. I didn't push the issue since we are checking out on 9/22, so it won't effect us. I would be pissed if it did, but perhaps they will let the guests go to the surrounding pools, even though it will be a long walk to go take a dip.

I don't doubt that manager told you what he knows to be true today. In all the reading I've done last night and this AM suggests to me that this may still be a developing situation. My guess is that it's now developing much faster than they anticipated

 

[kandb]

Why wouldn't they wait until Jan/Feb to refurbish the pool? Why do it at a very hot time of the year when there are many events taking place. This makes me believe that there is something wrong with the filtration system and they need to close it sooner then later.

 

[GC&S]

The renovations will take place during our stay as well, but I guess I'm in the minority, because the closure of the Grotto pool is just not that big a deal to me. We're perfectly happy with the less crowded, more relaxing lap pool and jacuzzi @ the Swan.

And yes, I do realize that the lap pool areas will be more crowded as a result of the Grotto pool closure, but pool time represents only a couple of hours of our vacation (at most), so it certainly won't ruin our trip.

How old are your kids? Because I hope you dont mind my 10 year old whooping it up in the more relaxing lap pool and jacuzzi. I have a feeling the lap pool wont be as relaxing when everyones kids are in it. Just prepare yourself.

 

[LexiC123]

How old are your kids? Because I hope you dont mind my 10 year old whooping it up in the more relaxing lap pool and jacuzzi. I have a feeling the lap pool wont be as relaxing when everyones kids are in it. Just prepare yourself.

No kids, just DH and I. And as I posted earlier in the thread, we don't spend a lot of time in the pool, so we're just gonna go with the flow. If naps in the air-conditioned room replaces a cool dip in the pool, so be it.

But thanks for the warning.

 

[nessz79]

Just got off the phone with a manager at the dolphin. The grotto pool will be closed from 9/24 thru 11/10 for renovations. We will not be affected but I would be upset if we were considering, there is still nothing on the website about the closure.

Frustrating as that was one of the things we were looking forward to with our children. We can make other plans besides the pool, but it would be nice if the rates were a bit lower during that time.

 

[robinbutterfly]

Frustrating as that was one of the things we were looking forward to with our children. We can make other plans besides the pool, but it would be nice if the rates were a bit lower during that time.

Oh no!!! This is horrible news! We were excited to go swimming!
I guess it is out of the question that we can use a pool at another hotel?

 

[peeputt]

What about those of us who will be there BEFORE the scheduled rennovation? I'll be there Sept 20-22nd. Is the pool safe to go into???

 

[kpadalik]

What about those of us who will be there BEFORE the scheduled rennovation? I'll be there Sept 20-22nd. Is the pool safe to go into???

I'll be there those same dates for a pre-cruise stay. Hoping for a clean pool

 

[NancyIL]

Tina,
Here's the mini review I posted for the Swan.
Just a small review....
We were there from Aug 21 to 30, stayed in 6184, a 2 double bed resort view room in the West wing.
For the most part, we were very happy with the resort. We got a great deal (paid about $1200 total for the 9 nights) because we jumped on the Super Bowl special when our state's team won (buy 2 nights get the 3rd free if your state makes it to the SB, plus an upgrade for the winning state). I also joined the SPG rewards program and signed up for the Amex card - this resulted in over 30,000 points which made me look like a big customer...so we were also given a free rollaway for my friend's DD (who is a thrasher, lol). Those 30,000 points are also good for 3 free nights in the future.
The staff was extremely friendly and attentive, our room was clean and well stocked with towels and such, and our location was very convenient to breakfast (Picabu), laundry and the boat and bus.

We ate most mornings at Picabu. If you have a AAA card, you get a 20% discount (I believe at all the counter service locations, but definitely at Picabu). We all ordered the kids breakfast (tons of food - eggs, toast, bacon and potatoes) and it cost about $22 per day for the 4 of us!

I saw the posts about the condition of the Grotto pool. We only went to the pool one day, early on in the trip. Maybe the 23rd or 24th. The pool LOOKED fine at that point. The staff got our girls involved in a water volleyball game and they had a great time. The wait staff was very attentive and my friend and I very much enjoyed our poolside drinks.
OK...on to a few things that were less than ideal.

We wanted to go to the morning EMH for AK. We were at the bus stop at 7:10 am. This should have been plenty of time to not only get there before the open, but be AT the rope.
We waited and waited and waited and....etc. I spoke to other drivers and they radioed in several times. I then used the house phone and was eventually patched through to Disney transport. I was told by one driver that the bus would arrive in 4 minutes. Twenty minutes later, I was told by Disney transport that the bus would arrive soon... It seems that the AK busses were filling to capacity at the Swan and, therefore, bypassing the Dolphin completely. At about 8:15 am an empty "floater" bus finally arrived and took us to AK. We weren't in the park until about 8:40. I stopped into guest services to let them know about the issue. They did of course give us FP's for 2 rides to make up for all the EMH time we lost, and I appreciated that.... But, my favorite thing to do at AK is to grab my FP for the Safari and then walk through Pangani before anyone else is interested in it. I love having those trails to myself. Needless to say, by the time we got there, the trails were packed full of people. So, my advice - when going to EMH, if you are staying at the Dolphin, walk over to the Swan for the bus! The rest of the trip, busses and boats were fine....

Another issue was the smell by the 6th floor elevators. We thought it was a dirty diaper that a guest had been kind enough to dispose of in the garbage/ashtray by the elevators. We reported it to guest services....but the smell never entirely went away during our nine days there! Just glad my room wasn't near it!

Finally, we had lunch ADRs for Fresh Mediterranean Market. We made sure we were back at the resort in time for it. We arrived at the restaurant only to be told that they weren't open for lunch and that we should eat at the Fountain. I was assured that the Fountain also accepts TIW. Well, the Fountain was fine, no biggie, but when the check came I was informed that they do not, in fact accept TIW. The waitress got the manager for me and she extended the discount anyway, so it all worked out. But how strange that they would allow you to make an ADR and give you a confirmation number for a restaurant that isn't open.

In summary, the hotel is beautiful, the pool is beautiful (and will hopefully be fixed soon), the staff is very friendly, the location is great and most issues were dealt with satisfactorily. We are DVC and also have an offsite timeshare, but if I ever found myself out of points/weeks again, I would not hesitate to stay at the Dolphin again - in fact, I may have to make an extra trip to use my points for free nights!

The pricier restaurants accept TIW, and Picabu. Fountain, and Fresh accept the AAA discount. Did you make the lunch reservation at Fresh on Disney's web site or directly with the hotel? Glad you were able to be accommodated at the Fountain.

You said the review was of your stay at the Swan, but mentioned waiting for the AK bus at the Dolphin. Which hotel was it? (Never mind - I re-read your last line!)

I will arrive at the Swan on 9/25, but the pool closure will have no effect on me. I have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin many times since 2000, but I have never used any of the pools. I'm a park gal!

 

[LaurenT]

The pricier restaurants accept TIW, and Picabu. Fountain, and Fresh accept the AAA discount. Did you make the lunch reservation at Fresh on Disney's web site or directly with the hotel? Glad you were able to be accommodated at the Fountain.

You said the review was of your stay at the Swan, but mentioned waiting for the AK bus at the Dolphin. Which hotel was it? (Never mind - I re-read your last line!)

I will arrive at the Swan on 9/25, but the pool closure will have no effect on me. I have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin many times since 2000, but I have never used any of the pools. I'm a park gal!

Yeah, I meant the Dolphin - sorry.
I reserved Fresh on the Disney site - along with all of my other ADR's - I guess there's a coordination issue between their site and the Starwood restaurants.
I should have just used my AAA card for The Fountain - didn't occur to me. I had been using it every morning at Picabu for breakfast - very nice perk!

 

[madge]

According to the S/D Facebook page, grotto pool renovations have been postponed until 2013. So, take that for what it's worth. They do seem pretty on top of things over there, though.