Why Do Some People Dislike the Swan & Dolphin?

[LMO429]

i'm one of the folks that does not like the swolphin. Why? Because i don't care for their architecture and they way they visually intrude when inside epcot. Imho, the first of michael eisner's blunders.

Now, lets talk about the bah.

bah?

 

[Decorated_Dust]

Personally, I think the Swan/Dolphin is the most un-Disney resort on property. Does that make it a bad resort? Of course not. It is a great resort and I had a good time when I stayed there. However, they do not have as much immersion as the other resorts do, which can make it less appealing to some people. One example is the height of the hotel. You can see off property of you are on the sixth floor or above, which can take away from the experience. You can also see the top of the building from the road and from EPCOT, which takes away a little bit. Also, the resort does not give me the same vibe I get when I go to a Disney property. If it were not for the location, I would think I was staying off property.

This is taking away nothing from the resort, I can just see why people, including myself, do not like it as much.

 

[GraceLuvsWDW]

I stayed at the Swan on pts last year. I agree that while it had it's good points: Clean (that was my experience), convenient to EP area, and free , the negatives would probably keep me from staying there unless it was a very good deal. These prices of $149-199 per night are pretty good for what you get there. But then you add on the parking, the req daily internet/water/whatever it is fee and it adds up pretty fast. The negatives are definite lack of Disney charm & magic, more of a corporate feel. Some people actually LIKE the non Disney, corporate aspect but I think those of us on these boards are a bit different.
But the location is great, the rooms are pretty good although a bit on the small side and the beds are top notch!!!

To each his own.

 

[aspen37]

I stayed at the Dolphin pre podcast cruise 1.0. I don't have anything bad to say. I used the bar fridge for my drinks. They gave me the key at the front desk. The bed was very comfortable. If I was staying more than a couple of days it would not be my first choice. But for a couple of days it was great.
I was hardly in my room.
If you're not driving in then you can't use Magical Express so you would have to pay for a cab or a town car.
I do like sending my packages to my resort so having to lug them around with me is inconvenient. If your at Epcot or DHS you could just walk over or take the boat and drop the packages off, but you can't if your at the MK or AK.

 

[Joshua_me]

Personally, I think it's a mistake to always lump the Swan and Dolphin together. They are two separate resorts owned by two different companies and each of them have their own very different vibe.

The Swan seems rather cold to me. From the very no nonsense lobby to the boring pool area, you could really be staying in any number of hotels across the country. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's awfully yawn-inducing for us.

The Dolphin, by contrast, is an entirely different experience. The 'magic' starts as soon as you enter the building. The whimsical, towering lobby defies description. The pool and 'beach' areas are fantastic and scream 'you're on vacation !' to us. The staff are top-notch and our rooms (they DO have a fridge, it's just a little hard to find) are always clean and well stocked with goodies.

And frankly, it's been our experience that mousekeeping at both The Swan and Dolphin excedes the quality of what's going on in the Disney-owned resorts these days.

With many rooms having views of Epcot and fireworks and The Boardwalk and 'friendships' that pull up right to your backdoor, the 'not Disney enough' comments have always escaped us.

We can't wait to go back

 

[noladave]

I've never even considered staying there becuase of 2 main reasons - paper tickets and can't charge on the room card.

I love staying on property because I have one ticket, and 1 driver's license, and a couple of bucks in my pocket - nothing else! I either put it on my room card, or pay cash - that's what makes staying on property so nice. You can't do that if you stay at either of these properties.

 

[robind]

I also stayed at the Dolphin pre and post cruise in May. The first room, the A/C was leaking and the carpet was wet and musty, the second room did not have that problem.

I don't see anything heavenly about the beds.

I was also turned off by the daily internet/water fee - I guess if I had known about it before I checked in - it wouldn't have been so bad.

But the biggest thing I don't care for is not being able to charge to my room or have packages delivered to the resort.

I do however, love the location.

 

[NancyIL]

I almost always stay at the Swan (first choice) or the Dolphin when visiting WDW. My feelings about staying at the Swan/Dolphin vs. a Disney-owned resort are similar to my feelings about cruising without the MOUSE: fewer kids and better prices!

1. You certainly can get packages delivered to the Swan/Dolphin, and their guests can take advantage of Extra Magic Hour at the theme parks. It's true that you can't take Magical Express to and from the airport, and Swan/Dolphin guests can't purchase the Disney Dining Plan. However, the Swan/Dolphin recently started their own dining plan.

2. The Swan has refrigerators, and the mini-bars at the Dolphin are in the process of being replaced by refrigerators.

3. If you can swipe your KTTW card in the parks to pay for purchases, you can swipe your credit card, too!

4. The Swan/Dolphin use the same boat and bus transportation as the other Epcot resorts. They share a bus to the MK and AK with the Boardwalk, whereas the Yacht and Beach Club have their own bus to the MK/AK. If you don't like the Swan/Dolphin's transportation options, then you won't like them at the 3 Disney-owned Epcot resorts, either.

5. Beds - Heavenly!

6. I get plenty of Disney-ness in the parks, and I don't need Mickey wallpaper border or wake-up calls to remind me where I am.

7. I think the Swan and Dolphin are cool looking. I've heard people say the Swan/Dolphin don't "fit in" with the look of the other Epcot resorts, but the Swan and Dolphin were there first!

8. I prefer the more adult atmosphere of the Swan/Dolphin.

9. While I'd prefer not to pay a resort fee at the Swan/Dophin, you'll pay for internet access, telephone calls, and bottles of water if you use them at a WDW resort.

I'll stay at the Wilderness Lodge for the first time when I'm at WDW in December - due to a great rate and a roommate to split the room cost. I'm really looking forward to being there at holiday time, but I know I'll miss my beloved Swan and the convenience of walking to Epcot - where I spend the majority of my time.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Personally, I think it's a mistake to always lump the Swan and Dolphin together. They are two separate resorts owned by two different companies and each of them have their own very different vibe.

Josh - Just a minor correction - they are actually both Starwood properties. Westin is the high end product line and Sheraton is a lesser price point brand.

They were both awarded to the parent cocmpany of Starwood in the same court case....

 

[thatslygirl]

Love love love the Dolphin. Comfortable, convenient, and (when we went) relatively cheap compared to the surrounding resorts.