Swan differences due to being non-Disney?

[Lindslou]

Hey all. I'm going to give the Swan a try on my next trip in September. My husband and I are using some hotel points so accomodations will be free! I am a little unclear as to the differences in staying at a non-Disney (but Disney affiliated?) resort. From what I can tell there is no DME and we can't charge to the room from the parks. But we can use Disney transport and do get EMH, right? Anything I am missing? We are staying there regardless (you can't argue with free) but just want to be prepared for whatever will be different from staying at a Disney resort. Thanks in advance for the help!

[SBETigg]

The location and price (or in your case lack of) makes up for the few differences, for me. I'll be there in March, tagging along with my husband who has a conference. No Disney Dining Plan, no DME, no "Key to the World." But yes, you do participate in EMH and Disney transportation-- there are buses shared with other Epcot resorts (Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, depending). But last I was at the Dolphin, we were usually first pick-up, first drop off. And of course you can walk or take the boat to DHS and Epcot.

Plus, the Boardwalk is walkable, too. There are Disney themed gift shops with Disney merchandise. And, the restaurants and lounges are pretty good, too. Picabo at the Dolphin is a 24 hour quick service place. A lot of people feel that theming isn't quite "Disney" enough, but I found the "Swolphin" to be whimsical and fun.

[emerzmom]

SBETig summed it up nicely. I would think using points to stay free at WDW is worth a few minor differences.
A few good points:
The pool is beautiful. I love the waterfall.
And, the location is fantastic. The Boardwalk is literally right around the corner and it is so fun especially at night. The staff are friendly and the service is usually great.
Enjoy your WDW vacation!
:tink:
Julie

[Lindslou]

Thanks guys, that is encouraging! I am looking forward to the location because I've been wanting to stay near the Boardwalk for a while. This may be a stupid question but does staying at the Swan affect my ability to make ADRs?

[Kenny1113]

The location and price (or in your case lack of) makes up for the few differences, for me.

:ditto:

[Jeff]

Thanks guys, that is encouraging! I am looking forward to the location because I've been wanting to stay near the Boardwalk for a while. This may be a stupid question but does staying at the Swan affect my ability to make ADRs?

You still make ADRs, no problem.
My family loves the Swan, we have stayed there many times!:thumbsup:

[Figment!]

We've stayed at the Swan once and the Dolphin twice; and loved all three stays.

Picabu is one of our favorite counter service and we have also enjoyed getting sundaes at the Dolphin Fountain.

You can also have packages sent to your room from the theme parks, you pick them up in the gift shop.



... does staying at the Swan affect my ability to make ADRs?I believe the "+10" rule does not apply, so the earliest they can be made is 180 days in advance of each dining date. Personally, this has never effected us, but we also don't try for the most popular meals at peak times either.

[BrerGnat]

Will you be driving a car while there?

The Swan charges a "resort fee" daily, whether your room is free with points or not. This fee is $15/day. If you have a car parked there, add on another $15. We stayed for one night free in August on Starwood points, and our bill at checkout was $31. If we had been there a week for "free", it would have actually been $217. So, there really is no "free" nights at the Swan/Dolphin. As long as you're aware of that going in, you'll be fine. I did know about it, but it still stung to have to pay it. ;)

I will say that besides the obvious differences, for us, the customer service at the Swan was non existent to bad. The prices of the food were sky high (at Picabu), although the food was good. We found the pool area and the room itself to be the biggest disappointments. The public areas like the lobby and grounds are SO beautiful, luxurious and well kept, and that ends as soon as you get off the elevator. Our room was dingy, smelly, and just worn out. I doubt we'll go back, although I can only complain so much about a "free" stay.

[DisneyFan1979]

I think the main thing to remember with the Swan/Dolphin is that their "target" audience is slightly less-family and more business traveler than the Disney resorts. The Swan is a Westin hotel, so you'll want to expect similar service to other hotels in their chain and similar ones--like Marriott. We stayed their last year over Christmas and it was a wonderfully relaxing, quiet and cheaper alternative to its Boardwalk/Beach Club neighbors during the holiday season. I've stayed their multiple times and have always found the rooms to be pleasant and clean; the Swan got comforter style bedding before the Disney hotels so that used to be a bonus feature comfort-wise. The bathrooms could probably use some updating as compared to the Disney hotels.
Picabu at the Dolphin is great for fast-food and various sundries--and it's open 24 hrs.

One thing they don't have that I wish they did is luggage check-in for the airport. We do not use Magical Express but being able to leave our bags at the hotel the day we depart and save all that time at the airport is great. The Swan, however, does have a computer to print out boarding passes.

[Dream'nDisney]

We've never stayed at Dolphin or Swan, but always walk over there and usually eat at Picabu at least once during our stay. It is such a close walk between Dolphin/Swan / BW and YC/BC. It is beautiful and more relaxing outside than most Disney resorts (we feel). The pool that the Dolphin and Swan share (closer to the Dolphin) is awesome! It has a beautiful waterfall. My sister stayed at the Dolphin a couple years ago, and the only complaint she had was that most Disney resorts only have a few floors, and they had a room pretty high up, so that didn't feel like Disney to them. But other than that, they loved taking advantage of EMHs and the bus seemed to always pick them up / drop them off before YC/BC and BW. I heard that that bedding at the Swan is wonderful. I hope you enjoy your stay!!

[Tigerinvestigator]

The Swan/Dolphin are among our favorite resorts on WDW property. We've stayed too many times to count over the last few years for a couple of reasons: The view is spectacular, especially if you get a balcony room. The pool is our favorite at WDW and I love to just sit in the waterfall grotto. The staff has always been extremely nice and helpful, and there is also a Disney Guest Relations desk. The heavenly beds are fantastic. The transportation is good and we like the different means to get to the parks. We love the walk to Epcot and alternate between the Boardwalk route and the Yacht/Beach Club route. We occasionally walk to DHS, but prefer the water taxi and you are the first stop from DHS and DHS is the first stop from the Swan/Dolphin. We usually get upgrades during our stay which is always a plus, and we also get frequent starwood point free nights. We also get a nurses discount for my wife. We love Picabu which is open 24 hours a day and has a great variety for kids. I really can't think of one bad thing to say about this resort. In the dozens and dozens of nights we have stayed there I can't say we ever had a bad night. I highly recommend this resort to people who like the deluxe accomodations and location, at Moderate resort prices. You will love your stay!

[Keneva]

These are all accurate accounts of the Swan. Our room was clean and the beds were "heavenly". It was a very nice stay and we will not have any problem returning. The biggest benefit for us was the good valve you received for the price :thumbsup:vs what Disney offers

[Lindslou]

Thanks everyone for the awesome info. After a couple of years of stalking these boards I finally decided to join and post and now I have no idea what I waited for!

We won't have a car so we'll escape the parking fee but thanks for the warning. = ) I am okay with the resort fee ($15/day is still less than staying at a value resort after all). My husband and I don't have kids so a more "adult" resort will suit us fine. I am excited to be able to walk to EPCOT and DHS. Speaking of, does anyone know how long these walks will take? I am wondering if we'll save any time as opposed to taking the boat.

[BrerGnat]

Thanks everyone for the awesome info. After a couple of years of stalking these boards I finally decided to join and post and now I have no idea what I waited for!

We won't have a car so we'll escape the parking fee but thanks for the warning. = ) I am okay with the resort fee ($15/day is still less than staying at a value resort after all). My husband and I don't have kids so a more "adult" resort will suit us fine. I am excited to be able to walk to EPCOT and DHS. Speaking of, does anyone know how long these walks will take? I am wondering if we'll save any time as opposed to taking the boat.

The walk either is 10-15 min. You're about equidistant from both, with DHS being slightly further away.

You can get to DHS faster by boat IF the boat is at the dock when you are. After the S/D pier, DHS is the next stop. However, be warned that on the way BACK from DHS, it's the LAST stop, so walking back from DHS is definitely faster.

Epcot, just walk both ways. The boat won't save you any time there.

[Awesome_guy]

We (as two adults travelling without children), too, loved our Dolphin stay, Swan's neighbour. I certainly would recommend Dolphin or Swan after our experience. Great value for location! We had a great room, and great experience with amenities and staff. EMH privileges as well as having purchases sent-back to the resort shop (rather than carrying around) all still apply. Again, we loved our stay.

A great rate was what also got us thinking Dolphin. Then after checking in with INTERCOT it just made total sense. Others have already factoring in that there are a few potential "extra" costs: transportation to/from any airport, a resort "fee" and parking considerations (if any of those apply)... we didn't have a vehicle. For us, it was still good value but always nice to factor everything in.

We found transportation and the location PERFECT for potential breaks. Having Park Hoppers we could also walk into International Village in Epcot, monorail over to MK, and have a full wander (hardly the most efficient way of transportation, though). Another neat perk was that we didn't request a fridge or pay extra for one and happened to have one. 24h counter service right there, too.

We appreciated being in the Boardwalk resort area, too. It was nice to explore the nearby resorts which felt nice and close. Boardwalk Bakery (might be refurbed now?), awesome. Beaches and Cream at Yacht/Beach, also awesome. Lots to discover!

Let is know how it goes! I'm pretty optimistic after our experience. We didn't even get to the pool we were so busy (and did Typhoon Lagoon), but it looked pretty warm and inviting, too.

[Tigerinvestigator]

The walk either is 10-15 min. You're about equidistant from both, with DHS being slightly further away.

You can get to DHS faster by boat IF the boat is at the dock when you are. After the S/D pier, DHS is the next stop. However, be warned that on the way BACK from DHS, it's the LAST stop, so walking back from DHS is definitely faster.

Actually thats not true. The Swan and Dolphin are the first stop coming from DHS. The boat stops at every stop as it gets to the stop. So when you leave Swan/Dolphin the DHS is your first stop and when you leave DHS the Swan/Dolphin is your first stop. It would however be the last resort stop coming from Epcot and I agree the walk to Epcot is usually a little quicker than the water taxi.:thumbsup:

[Keneva]

Don't forget, you get 2 bottles of water in your room each day to help off-set the $15 resort fee (I'm sure after hearing this most people will cancel their reservations at the other resorts and flock to the Swan...). Concerning walking to Epcot or DHS......we took the launch 95% of the time and saved our energy for the parks. Then again our DS7 may have had something to do with that.