Swan & Dolphin - anyone stayed recently?

[Suellen4]

We are planning a September trip, the first since 2003! We have always enjoyed staying at the Swan in past years and found good prices on the Dolphin for this trip. But now I'm reading some negative Yelp reviews of both hotels that have me concerned: mildew smells /mold issues in the rooms, and construction issues at the Dolphin in particular. Has any one stayed at either of these recently and if so what was your experience?

 

[Brett Wyman]

We are there two nights post cruise in 7 days, at Dolphin. Stayed in Swan November 2019 (was great then). They have been in reno mode lately though.

 

[LoveDaisy]

I stayed at the swan in December and there were no issues with the room. My husband and I can’t do a full bed so we’ve never stayed at the dolphin.

 

[loves to dive]

I was there last April and had no issues. I have a reservation again for this April. They are working on the pool and were working on the balconies before but I'm not sure they are doing any other renos. There is a thread on the boards for it and people who have stayed as recent as last week have reported their stays.

 

[Suellen4]

Thanks for the replies so far! How do you find the thread on the boards specifically for Swan and Dolphin? I'm new to the discussion board, still finding my way around. Thanks!

 

[piccolopat]

We were at the Swan in January. Other than a minor sink drain issue that was quickly resolved, we had no problems. We also waited a little longer than usual to get into our room but still in before dinner. We went over to the Dolphin lobby a few nights to hang out, to do laundry and to eat a couple of times and saw no issues there either.

 

[Karalee402]

We were at the Dolphin in the fall and absolutely loved it! I read a bunch of negative reviews, too, and was very nervous, but our stay was perfect. No mildew, no mold, everything was very clean. And you can't beat the location! They were working on the balconies while we were there, but it didn't bother us at all - definitely not disruptive. It's now one of our favorites!

 

[loves to dive]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...ion-questions.3264274/page-1015#post-64645658

Here

 

[jgl130]

I’m staying at the Dolphin for a quick trip this weekend for the AP Tron Preview. I’ll let you know how it was once I’m there. I’ll be curious to see how it is compared to the last time I stayed there in 2015.

 

[PepperjackDragon]

Been 3-4 trips the past 1.5 years plus some friends. Nothing to worked about. It doesn’t feel quit as Disney as boardwalk, but unless you can score an incredible deal on boardwalk the swan and dolphin are easily worth it. Criticisms for the deals that are generally available are laughable, only the parking/resort fee irritated me.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We have stayed at the Dolphin several times in the last few years.
While we never thought it was an *awesome* experience, it was always good enough.
Definitely more lively party (bar) experience than any Disney resort.

 

[patty57]

I stayed at the Swan for two nights this week. Loved it as always.

 

[champagne&disney]

I stayed at the Swan Reserve for 4 nights last week - it was great! My favorite hotel on property with all the great amenities available between the 3 hotels and the proximity to EP & HS!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We've stayed a handful of times at the S&D over the last several years and only once did we have a negative experience, it was at the Dolphin, room#9004. We got a room that had no fan in the bathroom so our room humidity with 4 people, 2 of which are teenage girls that take long showers, was amazon rain forest levels. The mirrors in the vanity area, not the bathroom were also fogging. We called the front desk and they couldn't move us since it was over spring break, which was fine, we didn't care to move but they did something to our AC in our room and brought in some fans which helped pull some of the moisture. We also had a roach in our room, again it's FL and I'm used to it since I've grown up there but it was not fun when the bug is in your teenage daughter's bed at 3am. Of the two properties, we've stayed at Dolphin more since the cost is usually less but if it's close, I will book Swan. Swan has queen sized beds and is a bit smaller feeling than Dolphin. The way the dolphin is built, the hallways can be very, very long. Our room was a corner/end of the hall room and it took a while to walk to/from the elevators. I would definitely say our stays have always been more positive but the more you go, I feel like your odds of having some bad luck increase. We still had a great trip and enjoyed the hotel.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

We had over $100 of Ganachery chocolates covered in ants at the Dolphin. I'll never stay there again.

 

[jgl130]

Checked in last night. It’s definitely been updated since I was here last. Beds are great.

 

[francis2688]

Hello, I'll be staying at the resort starting this Friday. As a Marriott Platinum member I am offered the choice of points or breakfast voucher. What does the voucher entail? I booked two rooms, and 4 people in each room. Do they give me a voucher for all guests in the reservation? What are the meal options? Please let me know and any suggestions you may have. Thanks!

 

[Brett Wyman]

We have stayed at the Dolphin several times in the last few years.
While we never thought it was an *awesome* experience, it was always good enough.
Definitely more lively party (bar) experience than any Disney resort.

Conference people!

Stayed at Dolphin back in March. Room was fine, feels like a Marriott. Shared pool needs some repairs(which they are doing).

Going for 6 nights at the Swan on May27th. In my experience the Swan(Westin) is always a touch above the Dolphin(Marriott).

We are Bonvoy gold so we have a guaranteed room upgrade so we can book the no-view room for super cheap and (almost) be guaranteed an upgrade to a view.

For the upcoming trip we were able to get Swan for the same price as a Coronado springs standard view, so we went with the Swan.

 

[BeachMouse1]

I have stayed at the Swan a few times in the past year. It’s not my favorite just due to the fact that it feels like just a regular hotel And not Disney. Location wise it’s great for an Epcot/Hollywood Studios trip. the upgrade to a balcony theme park view not worth it my opinion. Balcony not big enough to sit a relax on and the view is overlooking the boardwalk hotel(at least where we were) not worth whatever the extra cost was. We stayed there as an add on for a Beach Club trip it was much less expensive at the time. With the discounts Disney is offering now make sure you take into account Swan & Dolphin resort fee and parking fee (if you have a car) When comparing. For me they are perfectly acceptable hotels but if it’s close or even a little more I would choose a Disney property. I will say other than dropping you off at TTC when going to Magic Kingdom the swan and dolphin busses were plenty and always seemed to be empty

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

I was at the Dolphin earlier this month and It was a nice trip. I had a "no view" king room - which overlooked the driveway. But it was close to the elevator and had a walk in shower rather than a tub (my preference). It was fine, clean, housekeeping was great. And I wasn't looking for a view - I was either in the parks OR when I was in the room I was working/showering/sleeping.

I did walk out to the pool to have drinks with some friends and it seemed fine. I did not use the gym this time around though I have in the past.

While my room was nowhere new and shiny, there was no mold. It's a Sheraton property so the rooms at the Dolphin are two DOUBLE beds (not queens) or else the King beds (which I prefer).

I DID take a Minnie Van to MK for rope drop on my last trip as they are allowed into the area with the buses - it's extra $$ but worth it to me. going back from MK, I walked to the Contemporary and got a lift rather than deal with TTC/buses (as I was leaving after fireworks with the masses of folks).

Otherwise I walked to HS for rope drop, took the boat back. Took the boat to Epcot and back a couple of times for evenings/dinner. Bus to AK was fine and I think in a better location than the Disney buses.

I like Fuel - there are a lot of options in the mornings as well as snacks. And I love the lounge at Shulas.