Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE RESORTS Information & Questions

[smile145]

Yes. Our room is missing it and many other things (as mentioned like make up mirror, like paintings, furniture). We have the bed, the drawers with TV on it and one night stand. No chairs or table or desk. Just vast empty space.

 

[patty57]

Yes. Our room is missing it and many other things (as mentioned like make up mirror, like paintings, furniture). We have the bed, the drawers with TV on it and one night stand. No chairs or table or desk. Just vast empty space.

Wow...that isn't acceptable at all.

 

[NancyIL]

The refrigerator is inside one of the furniture cabinets. Did you check all of the "drawers"?

It's the Swan that is being renovated now - not the Dolphin. I would definitely ask for a different room.

 

[drnp]

I made an award reservation for an Alcove room at the Swan over the phone with SPG for 11,500 pts/night for my family of 4. When I got the email confirmation, I noticed it was for 2A/1C instead of 2A/2C. Sure enough, when I tried to link the reservation to MDE, it only had 3 spots for guests.
I called them back and they said they couldn't add another person because the limit of the room (which is 500 square feet with a King and sofa bed) was only 3 people, but I could downgrade my reservation to a deluxe room (which is 340 square feet but 2 Queen beds). The agent called the hotel directly and I was told I would still be allowed to check in with 4 people and that they did something that would allow me to link my reservation.

I tried again 4 hours later it still says the reservation is for 3 people and won't let me add all my family members. Anyone have any experience with this? Can you add a family of 4 to your MDE while in an Alcove room?

 

[Ozzygirl]

We just got back last night from a week at the Dolphin and had a great time! We had room 9170, west wing, east facing. We had 2 balconies and watched Illuminations from our balcony every night, it was an amazing room!! I have stayed there a few times but never lucked into that view before

We had a king bed, 2 end tables, couch with a small round table at the end, desk, the bureau with the fridge in it and a shaving make up mirror that was hanging near the sink area. We had a large picture above our bed so I thought our room was perfect. It didn't seem worn out and was very clean. Housekeeping did a great job.

The few things I did notice;
The large urn like fountains on top of the Dolphin weren't working
The Clam shell fountains on top of the Swan weren't working
The walkway tree lights changed colors the first few days but were stuck on pink for the last 4 days or so.
The hallway carpets seemed worn.
We used FL Tours for our transportation and they were punctual, professional and the cars were clean. I highly recommend.

I still love the Dolphin and my DH just LOVED the hotel and the balcony When we go back we will definitely be staying there again.

 

[7evans]

I made an award reservation for an Alcove room at the Swan over the phone with SPG for 11,500 pts/night for my family of 4. When I got the email confirmation, I noticed it was for 2A/1C instead of 2A/2C. Sure enough, when I tried to link the reservation to MDE, it only had 3 spots for guests.
I called them back and they said they couldn't add another person because the limit of the room (which is 500 square feet with a King and sofa bed) was only 3 people, but I could downgrade my reservation to a deluxe room (which is 340 square feet but 2 Queen beds). The agent called the hotel directly and I was told I would still be allowed to check in with 4 people and that they did something that would allow me to link my reservation.

I tried again 4 hours later it still says the reservation is for 3 people and won't let me add all my family members. Anyone have any experience with this? Can you add a family of 4 to your MDE while in an Alcove room?

We had the same problem with MDE. We booked 4 rooms, but all 4 were under my husband's name so he took up on of the guest spots in each room. I called Dolphin directly and they added the correct number of people to each room. But it did take 24 hours to update. We are almost at our 60 day mark so cross your fingers everything works!

 

[Tess]

The refrigerator is inside one of the furniture cabinets. Did you check all of the "drawers"?

It's the Swan that is being renovated now - not the Dolphin. I would definitely ask for a different room.

According the The Dolphin, it is getting ready for an overhaul as well:

Thank you for taking time to complete our Guest Experience Survey.
Please accept my personal apology on behalf of our resort for your dissatisfying experience during your recent stay relating to the condition of the room.

Fortunately, we have begun full renovation efforts here at the Swan and Dolphin and I am confident we will provide you with the luxurious room accommodations you have come to expect from your stays with Starwood hotels.

Thank you for your feedback and for giving us the chance to make our team better.

Sincerely,
Gina Castro | Complex Assistant Director of Housekeeping
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort
1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard | Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830
P: (321) 388 7653
www.swandolphin.com
​

I received this email after our recent stay.

 

[crostorfer]

Here you go:

Swan

Dolphin



In other news, I just called and got a rate adjustment for my December stay at the Swan...saved $30 a night!

The simulated view from the Google computer is actually much better than the actual view from the third floor west wing. :-(

 

[DanaMA]

Has anyone been to the Dolphin recently? Seems to be some bad reviews as of lately on Trip Advisor but I know to take them with a grain of salt. I just don't like the reviews that rooms aren't clean...dated is one thing dirty skeeves me out!

We just returned from four nights at the Dolphin. It was our first stay, and we were traveling with our three young children. My husband and I have fairly high standards for hotels (the W brand is our go-to), and we still were very pleased with the Dolphin. They upgraded us to a resort view room in the east wing. It was very clean, and the decor really did not seem all that dated to us. The staff members were kind and helpful. The location was great- a short walk to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the Boardwalk. And the bus service to MK and AK was fairly slow but manageable if you knew you would be on the bus for a bit. We would definitely stay at the Dolphin again if we go back to Disney.

On a side note, we used Tiffany Towncar as our transportation to and from the airport. They were on time and very professional.

 

[NancyIL]

According the The Dolphin, it is getting ready for an overhaul as well:

Thank you for taking time to complete our Guest Experience Survey.
Please accept my personal apology on behalf of our resort for your dissatisfying experience during your recent stay relating to the condition of the room.

Fortunately, we have begun full renovation efforts here at the Swan and Dolphin and I am confident we will provide you with the luxurious room accommodations you have come to expect from your stays with Starwood hotels.

Thank you for your feedback and for giving us the chance to make our team better.

Sincerely,
Gina Castro | Complex Assistant Director of Housekeeping
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort
1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard | Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830
P: (321) 388 7653
www.swandolphin.com
​

I received this email after our recent stay.

I think the "Swan and Dolphin" just refers to the name of the resort. The renovations at the Dolphin will begin in 2015, according to this: http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General...d_Swan_and_Dolphin_Hotel_to_be_redesigned.htm

 

[hsmamato2]

another dumb MB/ticket question.... I have a split stay, first at Allstars,then moving to Dolphin.... I currently have a 5 day pass,plan on adding to it to make it 10 when I get to the park.
My question is if I get a MB at allstars with the park tix in it (???) for 10 days, what do I do when I go to Dolphin? Just keep using that bracelet for entry? I know I will have a keycard for the door,and that's fine. If my allstars stay is finished, I can still keep using the MB just for a ticket? ( I hate all these details) Thanks! I feel like an old fashioned plastic card ticket would be smarter,unless I am missing something

 

[Vivianne]

another dumb MB/ticket question.... I have a split stay, first at Allstars,then moving to Dolphin.... I currently have a 5 day pass,plan on adding to it to make it 10 when I get to the park. My question is if I get a MB at allstars with the park tix in it (???) for 10 days, what do I do when I go to Dolphin? Just keep using that bracelet for entry? I know I will have a keycard for the door,and that's fine. If my allstars stay is finished, I can still keep using the MB just for a ticket? ( I hate all these details) Thanks! I feel like an old fashioned plastic card ticket would be smarter,unless I am missing something

We got back last Friday. We did split stays at Disney resorts ending at the Dolphin. We used the hotel card for the room and MB for park entry & FP during our Dolphin stay. Our tickets were linked to MDE. We pay OOP for dining so I don't know about that part. Have a great trip.

 

[smile145]

The refrigerator is inside one of the furniture cabinets. Did you check all of the "drawers"?

It's the Swan that is being renovated now - not the Dolphin. I would definitely ask for a different room.

Yes, we only had an empty cabinet. It seems that your experience at the Dolphin just depends on what room you get. Two PPs got great rooms (two balconies etc) with nice views and had great times. Myself, I had a room devoid of art or furnishings that was not nice and had extremely bad soudproofing to hall, other rooms and elevator. Another PP had a bad room that smelled of the conference room kitchen, another with bad roof view. So its all a matter of the luck of getting a good room, cause they do have a lot of bad rooms there. I did ask about being moved (we checked out Sat) and they were full due to the PestWorld convention.

Here is a photo showing our room. Where is the "fresh contemporary decor"? We had no plants or chairs or side tables as shown in the photos on their website. It looked even more bare before I moved the luggage holder our of the closet. This was all the furniture except one end table on one side of bed. The space was VAST.

 

[Tess]

I think the "Swan and Dolphin" just refers to the name of the resort. The renovations at the Dolphin will begin in 2015, according to this: http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General...d_Swan_and_Dolphin_Hotel_to_be_redesigned.htm

Okay. . .the Dolphin will be undergoing renovations in 2015, so the point being it will be getting an update soon which is what Ms. Castro was conveying to me in response to our survey wherein I mentioned the wear and tear on the rooms and the unacceptable nature of two rooms we originally received. . . We were staying at The Dolphin, not the Swan and it was the concerns expressed over The Dolphin to which she responded. My take on her email to me was that both resorts were undergoing (The Swan) or will soon be receiving (The Dolphin) a refurbishment.

Based on the photos posted by the guest in the nearly vacant room, it appears that room is being deconstructed for one purpose or another.

 

[hsmamato2]

Thankyou!

 

[NancyIL]

Okay. . .the Dolphin will be undergoing renovations in 2015, so the point being it will be getting an update soon which is what Ms. Castro was conveying to me in response to our survey wherein I mentioned the wear and tear on the rooms and the unacceptable nature of two rooms we originally received. . . We were staying at The Dolphin, not the Swan and it was the concerns expressed over The Dolphin to which she responded. My take on her email to me was that both resorts were undergoing (The Swan) or will soon be receiving (The Dolphin) a refurbishment.

Based on the photos posted by the guest in the nearly vacant room, it appears that room is being deconstructed for one purpose or another.

Yes, the renovations at the Dolphin will start soon, but perhaps not until the last 1/3 of the Swan rooms are finished in 2015. The Dolphin has about twice as many rooms as the Swan, and many people will still get unrenovated rooms in the short term.

As to the complaints about the views - unless you pay for a specific view (that usually costs more) - one may get a room that overlooks the roof of a nearby building, a parking lot, or the dreaded dumpster view! I don't spend much time in my room, so the view isn't important to me. If it is important to others - then be specific when you reserve your room.

 

[smile145]

I had a resort view and it was lovely (water and tower of terror). It didn't make up for the horrible horrible room.

 

[NancyIL]

I had a resort view and it was lovely (water and tower of terror). It didn't make up for the horrible horrible room.

I agree with you about the room! A letter or email to the hotel is in order, unless you've already done so.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

There is no hotel manager that is going to think that room is acceptable to any guest and they absolutely need to see it to believe it. I feel SO BAD for you. DH and I are staying at the Dolphin in two weeks for our 25th anniversary. I shudder to think of us staying in that room. NO ONE should be staying in that room.

You are strong than me.....I am the type who would be at the front desk CRYING in the faces of the CMs if we had been assigned that room and I am not even kidding. Wow. How anyone on-site can think that is ok is beyond me.

Again, I am so sorry. I hope the rest of your trip was magical.

 

[Disneychick75]

I have never seen a "mini bar" in any of the rooms in which we stayed--only the standard small coffee maker on the counter.

Never had any in room movies either

The make up mirror has been in every room in which we stayed.

The weekday newspapers are no longer delivered to each room; rather they are placed at the ends of hallways on the tables.

The artwork has always been in our rooms. Perhaps this room is on the list for the new update that is expected soon and they have removed the artwork pending replacement? Just a thought--no solid information.

Sorry that you received a room that isn't what you expected. On our last stay in September/early October, we were less than impressed with all three rooms we received--located in East, West and Central and only one with a king bed despite the request for two king bedded rooms. Have you asked to be moved or are you basically content?

I agree that the first page should be updated to reflect changes.

Found out about no more in room movie rentals last month. I wasn't happy. This was one of the biggest perks to staying at the Dolphin/Swan as opposed to a WDW resort. We loved ordering room service and kicking back with a movie because we don't have a lot of time at homw to go to the movie theater.