So I guess this is a bit of a trip report. Long story short decided to stay at swan as I could do it on points. First off the resort is in a great location. And if location was the only thing you Iliad to justify ~ $400 a night. This hotel is for you. However if you expect a bit more - as I do. Skip the swan and presumably the dolphin as well. Swan did recently go through a remodel but it still has a sense of the 80s. There was also a bit of an odor in our hallway. Our view is awesome though. Overlooking the water and the dolphin. This is where the charm ends.
Housekeeping has been horrible. The room hasn’t been vacuumed. Even after we called about it. Items continue to not be refreshed and it wasn’t u too ten last night when our daughter was getting out of the tub did we notice there were no new towels. They said they would be up in 20 minutes. I told them they would be up NOW. Today we came back after leaving at 8 ( now 4) and our room still not made up. I obviously brought that to someone’s attention as well. I am a bit of a hotel snob and if I were to pay for the room - I would skip the swan. As it was on points and I am only paying fees it is ok. Do prefer it to a moderate - but did not live up to expecatations or the price point.
Thanks for this report! We’ll be checking into the Dolphin in one week, and I’m kind of a hotel snob too. Glad I’m only paying $200/night! I’ll keep my eyes out for housekeeping and alert them early.
FYI. The fridges r not cold - just kind of cool. So we got an extra ice bucket put milk in there and then stuck it in the fridge. Worked great. There is a convenience store on the first floor of Dolphin that is great.
Not sure where to submit pictures. But the view from room 493. It is a balcony room on the 4th floor. West wing
Sorry you didn’t really enjoy it. I will say it’s not a $400/nt hotel. Usually either can be had for $200 or under. I find the same issue with fridges in the Disney resorts but we never keep anything in them, other than some booze occasionally so it’s never been a big problem.
We didn’t love the actual room we had at the dolphin… it was damp and run down and blah. BUT, we did like the resort. The location was great and my kids loved the pool We stayed on points though. No way I would pay to stay there otherwise.
Did you use points to upgrade to the balcony room or was it just assigned to you? That is a pretty good room if you didn’t use points to upgrade. I usually do the go green program and decline housekeeping. Personally I do not like people being in my room plus you get some free points that is a pretty good value. We didn’t have a balcony room and had the WORST VIEW of the roof. Using points for the balcony next time and hopefully get a good room due to my SPG Platinum.
We had this view too, We could see MK fireworks from our bed though which was cool.
David, was there a Keurig in the room or one of those little sad hotel coffee makers?
That’s too bad about your experience. I have heard lots of negative feedback about these hotels, unfortunately. We have Marriott rewards, and I know Marriott is in the process of buying the Starwood brand hotels. I am hoping Marriott takes care of these issues, because I would love to use our points staying there.
Just spent 5 nights at the Swan (my husband had a work conference there) and I will echo the OP’s impressions. I also had heard something about a remodel but neither of the 2 rooms we saw showed any evidence of such. Why 2 rooms, you ask? Because the first one we were assigned had a soaking wet carpet which we discovered as soon as we arrived. It was 10:30 pm after a long day of work/school/travel, so we wanted to go to bed. We called front desk for a new room and were told they would send service right up to see if they could dry it. They were NOT in a rush to give us a new room but after 10 minutes of no one arriving, we insisted. So we got another room which at least had dry flooring. Like the first room, however, both doors showed evidence of wear (paint peeling, etc.), and there was just a general air of being outdated. We also had the housekeeping issue where the room was empty all day and at 4pm was still not made up. I won’t even say anything about the two beetle-type bugs I encountered.
I should add however that the location was GREAT, especially if you like Epcot and the Studios, as getting there by boat (or even walking) is so much faster than driving or taking the bus system. We left Epcot immediately after fireworks one evening and were back in our ROOM before my brother had even reached his car in the parking lot. Additionally the pool at the Dolphin was very nice (although very disappointing to find the water slide closed at 6pm), and the bar (both drinks and food) at Il Mulino was very good. All that and a comfortable “heavenly bed” and pillows. So there are many “pros” to this hotel – but housekeeping/decor is not one of them.
So to add a bit more color. The location was AWESOME. I would highly recommend getting a balcony if you can. We loved sitting out there and watching things. We were in the west wing facing East (towards the other wing). Our view was awesome. Very kinetic and loved watching the boats come in and out at the dock. The room itself was fine. Two separate sinks was nice. The safe was large enough to hold a full size camera. The coffee machine was a MR COFFEE and they served Starbucks. I am not a coffee snob - so it was ok for me. There was a nice coffee shop downstairs (pastries were great).
Housekeeping was a mess. Carpet was not vacuumed (or at least not done well). We are a family of 4 - but I am a Project Manager and my wife is a personal organizer - so you can say we are “neat nicks”. We can’t stand leaving things out - so as a family of 4 I am sure we kept the room nicer than most singles. The pool at the Swan was simple but clean - but when we asked for napkins at the bar - the guy handed me a roll of paper towels (not even the nice kind - the kind they have in the park bathrooms). I sad never mind. The “grotto pool” seemed old and tired. The poolside service SUCKED. We ordered food and it came in to go boxes. I wasn’t expecting fine china - but it was just done with NO LOVE. Now the burger and fries were actually pretty good - but the presentation was classless.
They just don’t seem to have the level of service that I would expect and have received at other Westin properties.
However - I paid with points - so my 5 nights only cost about $125 total. The internet service in the room was actually pretty good.
As a whole - if you go there thinking this is a room in a great location - you won’t be disappointed. If you are expecting a “wonderful resort experience” - go elsewhere.
I was thinking of changing my upcoming stay from the beach club to the swan but after reading this I am reconsidering. I thought it was supposed to have just finished a big remodel? What you are describing sounds like there was no remodel. The pool and pool slide are a big part of our vacation. My daughter spent so much time on the slide in the contemporary pool last year that I decided to try the beach club this year which is supposed to have the best pool. The swans grotto pool looks nice online but a lot of our pool time is after 5 so the slide closing at 6 would be a problem for us. The big Pro was the difference in price, and I haven’t even looked at my points or discounts. I was really hoping to hear great things.
Do NOT switch. The grotto pool was ok at best. We had hoped to spend more time there - but were non plused by it. They did remodel the rooms - and the common areas are nice. Pool is NOT an attraction by any means. Next time we will stay at beach club
Thanks. It’s a tough decision as we could save over $1000 by staying there, but I booked the beach club specifically for the pool. I am curious to see if we have enough points for a free room so I’m going to check that out in a bit.
So for me. We were able to stay at the swan for free with points. So for FREE - it was awesome. If I was paying $200 - 300 a night - I would be a bit pissed. I always have a hard time - is it worth saving the money or not. So this is going to sound a bit crass as well - but it is what it is. I like staying at the nicer hotels as not only are the facilities nicer - but I think the clientele is a bit more refined as well. So that goes into my equation as well. We want to do beach club next time - if your kid(s) like the pool and will be spending a lot of time there - I would say go for it. we didn’t like the grotto pool at all. It was dingy, crowded and the service was bad. For $1000 I say go for it. I think the rooms will be nicer for you as well.
We were going to stay at the Swan on points in our original WDW plans. The thing that swayed me was that the only “on-site” perk was the EMH. There was no FPP at 60 days and the biggest kicker, the dining every night. We live in Mountain Time and I did NOT want to get up 9 days in a row at 4 AM to be trying for the first time dining ADRs that I was getting excited about (CRT, BOG and Chef Mickey’s).
We ended up using the same points towards all four of our flights and chose to stay at a full Disney on-site hotel. Also because we weren’t renting a car the DME was a huge convenience and also couldn’t use it at Swan/Dolphin.
In the end the only plus I saw for Swan over where we ended up (All Star Movies) was the location but even then looking at the time it took to get from ASMovies to the parks it wasn’t terrible compared to the other resorts. We also ended up being very satisifed with using Disney Transportation, the only truly horrible experience being coming back from Disney Springs, but also from my research on transportation times I had expected this to be the worst of all the transportation.
However, we are in the room as a place to crash when not in the parks so we care less about resort amenities/facilities. I don’t regret not staying here, especially after your review, thanks for sharing!
To be honest - it wasn’t horrible - but I would not be pleased if I was paying a lot. I got it on points so it was free. I did very much like the location and the view from our balcony. But the resort itself wasn’t fantastic. If you ever plan on going to Universal - the Portafino is spectacular
The Beach Club is worth it. You’ll be floored by the pool complex. And, they too recently had a full refurbishment. Everything is sparkling as of when we were there in January.
The cast members were incredibly warm and welcoming.
It seems from most folks experiences that the big draw to Swan/Dolphin are the restaurants. By all accounts those are worth the effort.
@davidtyost We’ve stayed in all categories of resorts on site, and I echo your sentiment on clientele. I think a big factor is the smaller number of guests that the deluxes can accommodate. Few people per square foot makes for a better experience usually.
Just to correct, the Swan and Dolphin do allow booking fast passes at 60 days out.