The **New** Swan and Dolphin Resort thread ~ September 2010 ~ Please read post #1

[lovingthemouse]

BTW - did you ever receive any explanation for the late night shower curtain check? Does seem odd to me too.
In all my stays at the Dolphin, we never had any evening room checks.

Hope all of you have a wonderful New Year.

 

[ClareH37]

what are the buses like?

I've stayed at the BWI before and the few occasions I took the bus it seemed that by the time it reached the Swan/Dolphin it's been packed to capacity.

I'm only planning on going to MK/AK once, most of my time will be at Epcot which I'll walk to, so if needs be I'll get a town car/taxi for my visit to MK or AK, not so concerned about getting the bus back from the park but the morning 'rush' is making me think about things.

Thanks

 

[Dan Murphy]

In all my stays at S/D, I have never had a packed bus going to MK, AK or DtD. Most of the time, they are pretty empty.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Have to agree with Dan (hi Dan) that going to the parks is much easier than coming from the parks. For the HS and Epcot, walking or taking the Friendship boats is so convenient.

 

[ClareH37]

In all my stays at S/D, I have never had a packed bus going to MK, AK or DtD. Most of the time, they are pretty empty.

Have to agree with Dan (hi Dan) that going to the parks is much easier than coming from the parks. For the HS and Epcot, walking or taking the Friendship boats is so convenient.

Thanks guys It's my first stay at the Swan and the more photos/reviews I'm seeing the more excited I'm getting.

 

[NancyIL]

The last time I stayed at the Dolphin, the MK bus filled up with people who were waiting ahead of me to board the bus. So - I walked over to the Swan and waited for the next MK bus. I usually have no problem getting on a bus from the Swan, but I don't always get to sit down due to fewer seats on the newer buses.

Dan - sorry I missed seeing you at WDW earlier this month. I changed my plans and cut my stay at the Swan to only 2 nights (Dec. 12 & 13). It was a cccCold 2 nights!

 

[SingingMom]

In all my stays at S/D, I have never had a packed bus going to MK, AK or DtD. Most of the time, they are pretty empty.

Our experience too... however, coming BACK to the S/D from the MK in June is quite another story..,

 

[ClareH37]

Thanks everyone re. the buses

I have another question for you all - I'm getting a little 'twitchy' re. the reviews on tripadvisor. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to be giving the Swan a try, the beds look like I won't ever want to get out of them lol, the resort looks stunning, but there's quite a lot of negative reviews about the Swan/Dolphin.

Would appreciate some honest feed back please.

 

[tiggersmyguy]

Thanks everyone re. the buses

I have another question for you all - I'm getting a little 'twitchy' re. the reviews on tripadvisor. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to be giving the Swan a try, the beds look like I won't ever want to get out of them lol, the resort looks stunning, but there's quite a lot of negative reviews about the Swan/Dolphin.

Would appreciate some honest feed back please.

In my opinion, do not fret over the tripadvisor reviews. We stayed at the Swan this past June for the 1st time and loved it. We have stayed at YC twice and BWI once and I actually enjoyed the Swan just as much. Actually, I liked the Swan even more because we used Starwood points and stayed 5 nights free! (Can't do that with the Disney resorts no matter how often you stay!).

 

[NoodlesMom]

Thanks everyone re. the buses

I have another question for you all - I'm getting a little 'twitchy' re. the reviews on tripadvisor. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to be giving the Swan a try, the beds look like I won't ever want to get out of them lol, the resort looks stunning, but there's quite a lot of negative reviews about the Swan/Dolphin.

Would appreciate some honest feed back please.

I'm not an S/D expert by any means but I've stayed at the Dolphin twice. The first visit was just a one night visit and I really wasn't impressed. We usually stay at Pop and I missed the animated feel of Pop. We used the Disney transportation to go to Ohana that night and came back to the room. The second time was an adult only trip for me a DH and this time we got to explore the pools and really enjoy the boardwalk area. I am now hooked on S/D. I know that you may have read this before but all I can say is location, location, location. It just can't be beat for the price. The location makes up for the lack of the hotel not feeling very "Disney" for me. To get the Disney feel, all you have to do is look out the window. I am not in love with the rooms and I think that they do need an update but thats not what's most important to me. The location makes up for the small things that I don't like about the hotel. If you stay there you wont be disappointed. Just make sure you experience the best part about S/D and take advantage of the convenience of your surroundings.

 

[jcb]

In my opinion, do not fret over the tripadvisor reviews. We stayed at the Swan this past June for the 1st time and loved it. We have stayed at YC twice and BWI once and I actually enjoyed the Swan just as much. Actually, I liked the Swan even more because we used Starwood points and stayed 5 nights free! (Can't do that with the Disney resorts no matter how often you stay!).

I agree about TripAdvisor. We stayed at the Swan the second full week of December 2010. The rooms (we did a split stay) were renovated, were very clean (DW always checks for bed bugs), the beds were very comfortable and the staff exceptionally friendly.

 

[ClareH37]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone

 

[NancyIL]

I'm not an S/D expert by any means but I've stayed at the Dolphin twice. The first visit was just a one night visit and I really wasn't impressed. We usually stay at Pop and I missed the animated feel of Pop. We used the Disney transportation to go to Ohana that night and came back to the room. The second time was an adult only trip for me a DH and this time we got to explore the pools and really enjoy the boardwalk area. I am now hooked on S/D. I know that you may have read this before but all I can say is location, location, location. It just can't be beat for the price. The location makes up for the lack of the hotel not feeling very "Disney" for me. To get the Disney feel, all you have to do is look out the window. I am not in love with the rooms and I think that they do need an update but thats not what's most important to me. The location makes up for the small things that I don't like about the hotel. If you stay there you wont be disappointed. Just make sure you experience the best part about S/D and take advantage of the convenience of your surroundings.

The rooms were recently updated within the last 2 years. I prefer the previous decorating scheme, but I love the Swan's location, beds, and service.

 

[Music City Mama]

I already have my June trip reserved at the Dolphin ($152/night (AAA) -- yay, me!), but for the last couple of days, I've been trying to review the rates again because I'm considering upgrading to a resort view. If I enter my dates on swandolphin.com and click directly on the AAA discount on the special rates/offers section OR if I just enter the dates on the main page (and later select the AAA option) OR if I just go to the Starwood website, it tells me that the nightly rate with the AAA rate is $419/night!

If I don't select any discount, it shows the typical rack rate of $179/night (for a standard room), but if I select AAA or senior discount (I'm not a senior, just checking it out), it shows $419/night, and for the government rate it doesn't give any discount off of the rack rate of $179. Do you think their system is just messed up? Would there be a logical explanation for this?

 

[lovingthemouse]

Everyone tends to have their own taste. In the past, we stayed at great timeshares, and a number of WDW resorts, but the best is the Dolphin (in our opinion). Both S/D offer discounts for teachers, which can't be beat!!
From the excellent service to the location, for us, it is tops.

We have ressies for the end of May at the teacher discount of $159. but I keep calling on Fridays when rooms go back into the reservation system, to see if lower rates are available. I have been fortunate in the past to lower my rates, so I'll keep trying.

 

[jcb]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone

When I look at TripAdvisor reviews, the thing I look for first is whether the reviewer states they reported problems to the manager and, if so, what response the reviewer received. The nature of the lodging business is that things break - whether by accident or otherwise - and cleaning staff don't usually test every device, shower nozzle etc. The point being many folks on TripAdvisor will not report issues to management. I haven't looked at the Swan/Dolphin TripAdvisor reviews for this but I have always found the resort management very responsive. We "lost" our remote (it got made up in the bedding) and a new one was brought to us promptly.

 

[cjsm&d]

I already have my June trip reserved at the Dolphin ($152/night (AAA) -- yay, me!), but for the last couple of days, I've been trying to review the rates again because I'm considering upgrading to a resort view. If I enter my dates on swandolphin.com and click directly on the AAA discount on the special rates/offers section OR if I just enter the dates on the main page (and later select the AAA option) OR if I just go to the Starwood website, it tells me that the nightly rate with the AAA rate is $419/night!

If I don't select any discount, it shows the typical rack rate of $179/night (for a standard room), but if I select AAA or senior discount (I'm not a senior, just checking it out), it shows $419/night, and for the government rate it doesn't give any discount off of the rack rate of $179. Do you think their system is just messed up? Would there be a logical explanation for this?

Unlike WDW, where I find it easier to do all my ressies online, when it comes to the S/D I think you're better off to call the reservation line and get a live quote.

 

[SingingMom]

Thanks everyone re. the buses

I have another question for you all - I'm getting a little 'twitchy' re. the reviews on tripadvisor. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to be giving the Swan a try, the beds look like I won't ever want to get out of them lol, the resort looks stunning, but there's quite a lot of negative reviews about the Swan/Dolphin.

Would appreciate some honest feed back please.

When I look at TripAdvisor reviews, the thing I look for first is whether the reviewer states they reported problems to the manager and, if so, what response the reviewer received. The nature of the lodging business is that things break - whether by accident or otherwise - and cleaning staff don't usually test every device, shower nozzle etc. The point being many folks on TripAdvisor will not report issues to management. I haven't looked at the Swan/Dolphin TripAdvisor reviews for this but I have always found the resort management very responsive. We "lost" our remote (it got made up in the bedding) and a new one was brought to us promptly.

Another thing that I have found is most people will take the time to complain about something that made them unhappy, but not post when they found something wonderful. So you have to weigh that into the equation. This thread, for example, is filled with S/D lovers, but I think we are fair about our reports. We will mention if something was up to par, etc.

Read through and see our reviews AND read TripAdvisor. That way you can come up with different points of view.

And, by the way - we've stayed at the Dolphin five years in a row, and wouldn't stay anywhere else! LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, and TRUE "resort" feel!

 

[alliecats]

I am about to book our third trip to the Swan for May. I am so excited. I can't imagine staying anywhere else. We love the atmosphere, the quiet, laid-back feel, the location, the food options, the boat access, everything. I CAN'T WAIT!!! Now I just need a good discount code.

 

[KENNYBOT]

I have stayed at the Dolphin and Swan about 5 times with my family. Last year we bought a dvc timeshare and stayed at Kidani Village. The family wanted to kill me. They want to stay at the Swan. You just can't beat the dining options and location.