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"I have stayed at the Swan an Dolphin resorts since, well...
forever. I am always there and I keep going back. Other resorts
like the Grand Floridian are wonderful but the Swan and Dolphin
seem to be my favorites. I have been to WDW around 30 times and
everytime these resorts have been a joy to stay at. With clean,
newly renovated rooms and a wonderful staff your WDW va-k will b
the best yet! I always enjoy my room and view of Epcot and on the
other side MGM and the Tower of Terror (my favorite ride). The pools
(completely with slide and waterfall) are wonderful and kid and
adult friendly. The dining is so fun and creative. I enjoy the themed
dinig and character dinig as well. The quick bite stops are wonderful
also. They also have something the whole family can enjoy. If i
had to give stars to these resorts (5 being highest) they would
get a ten." (10/04) Lizzy
" I absolutely love this place! I've stayed here twice now
(once in May 2004 and once in May 2002)and I think it is great and
would recommend this resort to anyone. I like how it is convenient
that you can walk to Epcot and the boardwalk is just around the
corner, where we watched the Epcot fireworks every night. I also
like how effecient the bus and boat systems are to the parks. We
never had to wait long for either form of transportation. When we
visited in May 2004, we were on the 8th floor and our room had a
porch with a beautiful view!
I can't say enough how much I love resort........I LOVE IT, LOVE
IT, LOVE IT!" (5/04) Patti
"Our stay at the Swan was wonderful. The rooms were recently
refurbished but the halls still showed some wear. The staff were
exceptional - from the front desk to housekeeping. The beds were
just heavenly. We stayed in a standard king size room and had a
view of Epcot. We did miss the balcony that WDW deluxe reorts offer.
You cannot beat the location - just a short boat ride to MGM and
Epcot. Bus service was also excellent. We never waited more than
about 5 minutes for a bus to MK or AK. Because of the location,
we ate at Epcot restaurants more often then we do when we stay at
AKL or WL. For the price, you can't beat the Swan for service or
location. we only had breakfast and used room service one evening
for dinner. The room service menu selection was excellent and the
food was hot when it arrived. We had breakfast at both Fresh and
Gulliver's. Gulliver's was good but Fresh was awesome!! I would
highly recommend this resort." (12/03) Sherry
"I stayed at the Dolphin. They had recently been remodeling
the lower floors. The 8th floor and above are the old rooms, the
lower rooms have been completely redone and are beautiful. We originally
were put in a higher floor and we hated it. The rooms were old and
cheap looking- we were not impressed at all. We actually could not
believe they were charging us $200 a night for those rooms. I would
compare them to a Motel 6 quality- no joke.
Thankfully, I was there for a conference and heard that the new
rooms were on the lower floors. We called and they moved us to the
3rd floor. What a difference!! It really was deserving of the $200+
we were paying per night. Be sure to ask for the newly remodeled
rooms when checking in." (3/04)
"Our room, which had a step out balcony and a view of Spaceship
Earth was very clean and very spacious. Although showing some wear
and tear, they are still nice rooms and I enjoyed the comfort of
the queen size bed. On this visit, I did not eat in the Hotel. However,
I did eat at Palio at the Swan several years ago (1999) and enjoyed
it very much. Great food and nice ambiance. We arrived at the Swan
after a delayed flight in Boston and a missed connection in Miami.
The front desk staff were very friendly, even joking to us "where
have you been? we've been waiting for you!" All of the staff was
friendly and accomodating. The best part of the Swan and Dolphin
hotels is their location to Epcot. Anyone who prefers Epcot to the
Magic Kingdom should consider staying at either of these hotels.
You can walk to the park. All in all, I would highly recommend."
(11/02) Rob
"the hotel is a stunning place the decor is very pleasant
with all facilities one would require.however the staff some are
very pleasant and there are some who are not disney orientated.
The hotel was used as a convention centre and used for various functions
people attending these seem to look down on the ordinary type person
i felt like a second class tourist. The transportation to and from
the parks was excellent especially if you do not have transport.
The car parking facilities are not very good as there was not any
security and the car park is not lit up at night We have only just
come back from the states and whilst we have stayed in some disney
hotels this is one of the best but somewhat lacked in certain areas
especially when the evacuation alarm went of in the middle of the
night the only way we could exit was to go down the fire exit where
people were rushing and pushing to get out it was quite scary when
we did get out one person at the back of the hotel was guiding people
back into the elevator when we arrived back in the lobby there was
still smoke prescence there were no hotel staff and this is supposed
to be a disney hotel where high standards should be maintained we
had no roll call of persons in rooms to check off against list and
no explanation from staff until reqested if disney staff do look
at these comments then they really need to think about their security
and the other matters mentioned." (12/02) R Leveson
"Accomodation
was clean and the hotel was very pleasant. Most of the staff were
very friendly and helpful... However I must agree with the comments
about some of the staff who were very undisney-like. The disney
information centre where you would expect the very best service
was manned by staff who either made it clear that it was a chore
to be giving information or treated you as if you were stupid for
asking a question to which you could not possibly have known the
answer. I also have to agree about the valet parking. I am sure
that this system is the 'done thing' in America, although there
was no valet parking at my previous (Sheraton)hotel in America.
Having arrived late and tired and in the dark after a long journey
to an unfamiliar hotel, you have virtually no choice but to have
your car valet parked. In fact to self park the car you have to
drive out of the main entrance to a second entrance about two hundred
yards away and walk back. It was a big shock to p ick up the car
after three days to find a charge of $30 plus tax plus tips added
to my bill. I don't remember valet charges being mentioned. The
guys in the established tipping system looked like well-to-do college
boys doing vacation jobs. It is a pity there is not a formal system
in place for the people who really deserve the tips, the mainly
Hispanic and Black cleaners and maids. Breakfast Buffet was excellent.
Lots of other restaurants with limited choice of food and high cost.
Would definitely go again, but need to be more 'street-wise' with
regard to additional costs and finding proper information in advance."
(8/02) Andy
"The hotel
was excellent it was my first time in a disney resort and it couldn't
have been better everywhere was very clean and also very peaceful
and relaxing I would recomend the swan to anyone even familys with
young children my son was only 2 years old at the time of our visit.
there was a great choice of places to eat suiting every mood and
occassion." (98) Deborah McGOWAN
[Dolphin] "WOW!
That was our first and lasting impression of this great resort.
We researched extensively before picking a resort and settled on
the Dolphin. The location is fantastic. Just steps to boardwalk,
and quick and relaxing boat rides to Epcot and MGM. We couldn't
have been more pleased with our stay. The room was clean and comfortable
and the decor was bright and cheery. There is only one way I can
really describe the resort as a whole: over the top! Everything
about it is just far beyond anything we imagined. The pools, the
fountains, the beach, the landscaping, everything was just fantastic!
This is not a place where you can expect to be frugal, however.
Meals were quite expensive which was totally expected and budgeted
for, so not a problem. The staff was friendly and not agressive
in any way, as one reviewer mentioned. We had also heard stories
about long waits for the elevator. We never had to wait more than
1 minute for an elevator, and more times than not, the wait was
more like 10-30 seconds. Overall, this resort is excellent. You
can't beat the location. Don't waste your money renting a car. The
transportation at Disney World is first rate, and at the Dolphin,
you are in the heart of everything!" (4/02) Eric
"The location
of this hotel was convenient to the Boardwalk, Epcot and MGM. The
boat ride service to Epcot and MGM was very nice and very convenient.
The room at the Swan was clean. Our room was on the 5th floor and
had a little balcony. We liked the decor. The water pressure and
temperature fluctuated and the toilet handle had to be held down
during the whole flushing process.
This resort needs improvement. The following problem left such a
bad taste, especially considering the price of the accommodations,
that we would never consider going back and will let others know
what to expect. There was a large problem at this resort with the
attitude of the employees in the luggage loading and valet parking
area. Clearly unconcerned for the comfort or convenience of their
guests, these workers enforced rules that were blatantly designed
to force guests to run up extra charges for valet & bellhop services.
The tip-off was their demanding, militant attitude and their blatant
attempt to inconvenience you, when you politely declined their services.
One worker even threatened us with having our car towed if we didn't
hand over the keys to our car immediately! It was an outrage. (We
had arrived at the hotel approximately 10 minutes earlier, checked
in, and at 11:45 pm, there were no other cars or guests in sight!
Leaving our car parked well away from the main entrance for 10 minutes
could not possibly have caused a problem.) Is anyone thinking 'mercenary',
yet? This was our very first impression of Disney World. It was
very disappointing and in marked contrast to what we were expecting.
We had been hearing from friends and family about the wonderful
treatment and helpful attitude of employees at Disney World, and
that was a big plus for me." (1/02) G Lockman
"We stayed
at the Dolphin in July 2000 and loved it! We found a deal in the
Entertainment Book for half off. We got a room with a balcony and
a view of Epcot fireworks for $177.50 per night. It still was much
better to see the fireworks in person. The pools were fabulous.
The restaurants were pricey. We could get to Epcot or MGM by boat
and other parks by bus." 8/00
"We stayed
at the Disney Dolphin Resort in October 1999. Liked the proximity
to EPCOT and the Boardwalk. The room was small, infested with ants,
long walk to pools. In fact, they often shut down guest use of the
pools in the afternoon for private parties. The only pool left to
use is the unheated lagoon pool. Guest services for our ant problem
was terrible-basically, they felt bad that it happened but they
were booked and couldn't do anything about it. We self parked but
were charged for valet parking. Took 5 months and several phone
calls to resolve the charges. Double charged on two occasions for
dining in the hotel restaurant. Took 3 months to resolve. Overall,
management staff is very un-Disney and very unfriendly."
Have you stayed in the Swan or Dolphin? Would you like to add
any comments (good or bad), thoughts, or stories of staying in the
Swan or Dolphin,(either about the resort & its amenities, the
rooms, the staff, transport, etc.) to this page? Email
me or fill in the review
form.
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