The following are recent reviews for the Swan from our Reader Review system. Click the Show All Reviews link to see every review for this location. To browse all reviews in the system, please see this page.
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June 9-17, 2010
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Reviewer: whbtdw4t
Rapid City, South Dakota
June 20, 2010
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When we first pulled up to the Swan, 3 valets came out to help us (there were 3 families in our shuttle van). They separated our luggage/groceries and waited for us to check in. Once we checked in they brought our luggage to our rooms~very convenient. Check-in was easy and quick. We had a standard room using a government employee discount and they upgraded us to a room with a balcony at no extra charge. The nightly charge was 169.00 with room tax being 10.99, resort tax of 10.14, resort service package of 10.00 and tax on the resort service package of 65 cents. The total for a night stay coming to $200.78. The $10 resort package includes using the health club, internet access and two bottles of water daily. We used the health club and enjoyed the waters so the $10 wasn't an issue for us. The room was clean and we liked having two sinks in our room. The balcony view was of the water and ferry services between the Dolphin and Swan which was a nice view especially at night. The coffee was Starbucks pods. I wish there would have been more brew options. We received bold flavor which was too strong for us in flavor. The other families staying on a different side of the hotel said they received a variety of flavors. When we inquired about different brews to housekeeping she said she only had one. The hotel was clean with quick elevators. The bus system to Disney was good with the exception of going to Magic Kingdom. Buses for Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney and Water Parks were short wait times. However, there were times where we waited 35 minutes between Magic Kingdom buses. On the positive side, none of the buses were crowded. The ferry was a relaxing way to travel and we used it to go to and from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. The quietness of the hotel was nice. I've read reviews were others are concerned with the Swan being a "business persons" hotel. My kids (9 and 15 years old) were comfortable and liked the hotel. Both preferred it to some of the other hotels that we have stayed at while at Disney where there are kids everywhere and the noise level was high. The pool/beach area was nice. The room service was a bit spendy but worth getting a good meal. The meal is served hot with everything you could possibly need (condiments, cloth napkins, covered drinks, and a cart that is left in the hallway when you are finished). The beds were truly wonderful. My children even commented on the feel of the beds. After a long, hot day it was wonderful to come back to a queen-sized bed that was comfortable to sleep in and had luxurious linens. The bed alone makes this hotel worth the stay! The only downfall to the hotel is laundry services. We needed to go over to the Dolphin to use their laundry services. We would definitely stay at this hotel again.
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7
out of
8
people found this review helpful
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June 23-30, 2008
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Reviewer: dmwang9
San Francisco, CA
July 05, 2008
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I stayed at the Swan for 7 nights at the end of June 2008 on a teacher's rate of $179/night. Adding in taxes and the resort fee upped this to a total of $200/night. I didn't have a car, which would have added an additional $9/night parking fee.
I was in a standard room on the third floor. I had a view of the roof over the main entrance, which many people would not have liked, but I've learned from experience that the view doesn't matter to me, so I didn't try to get moved.
The Swan is a high-quality convention hotel that just happens to be on Walt Disney World property. It lacks the "all Disney, all the time" theming that you find at Disney-owned resorts, but that isn't a negative to me (but I completely understand that some people want this).
The Heavenly Beds are AMAZING to dive into after a long day at the parks. I also liked the fact that there's an empty "dorm-cube" sized refrigerator in the room rather than a minibar. Toiletries were from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and really nice -- coconut verbena shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion.
There's a single-cup coffee maker in the room with Starbucks coffee pods, which I found very convenient.
There were two conventions taking place at the Swan during my stay, so there were a decent number of conventioners floating around the place, but this didn't really affect the quality of my stay at all. They did their thing, and I did mine, and our paths seldom intersected.
Getting to the parks was simple and convenient. Boats run from the dock between the Swan and Dolphin to Epcot and the Studios every 15-20 minutes, but I often opted to walk instead on the footpaths than run beside the canals. It was maybe a 10 minute walk to Epcot and a 15 minute walk to the Studios. To get everywhere else, buses stopped in front of the hotel, and the longest I ever had to wait was 10 minutes.
I've read some complaints about the mandatory resort fee, but I found it useful. For $10/day, you get two 750-mL bottles of water each day, unlimited Internet access in your room, and access to the health club. Since I used all three of those things each day, I found the resort fee a great deal, since paying a la carte for these things would have cost more than twice as much.
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21
out of
21
people found this review helpful
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June 18-22, 2008
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Reviewer: mouseketeer70
Northport, Alabama
June 22, 2008
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We go to Disney as a family at least once a year. We took the kids in the spring but this time was our anniversary trip without the kids. We wanted a hotel that wasn't going to be swarming with children and would be relaxing and romantic. We decided on the Swan for the amazing teacher rate & it was an excellent choice! It is a beautiful hotel and the lobby and main hallways smell absolutely lovely! The hotel was peaceful & the staff friendly and helpful. When they learned it was our anniversary they upgraded us to the theme park view. I would not pay extra for the view though, I would just go to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks. They also had chilled champagne waiting for us our first day. The pool could stand a refurbishing but it was fine for our needs, and very large. It wasn't "themed" like at the Disney owned properties but if our kids had been with us we could have walked to the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach pools if they wanted frills. The pool staff came by constantly to offer towels, drinks, and such. The proximity to the boardwalk and Epcot can't be beat. The hotel restaurants were very expensive so we chose to eat on the Boardwalk or Epcot. We walked to Epcot in under 10 minutes at a comfortable pace. We would definitely return! Wonderful, wonderful hotel! Everything you need is at your fingertips. Even though you are not immersed in Disney 100% of the day, which was a nice change for us, you are still treated with the "Disney Difference". We were worried about the Swan being too business like as it is used for conventions and business travelers but we never felt that way. There were mostly regular folks there and the hotel just never felt like a convention hotel. It was relaxing, pleasant, and overall a wonderful stay! Final note----the bed truly is "HEAVENLY"!!!! We hated to leave it behind! Would definitely return and highly recommend.
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4
out of
5
people found this review helpful
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