Swan & Dolphin in Orlando

Re: Swan & Dolphin in Orlando

• ktwed09

  February 2012

  DH and I stayed at one of them (Dolphin, I think, but they're pretty much the same) 4 years ago. The hotel was perfectly nice, had a nice pool, was clean, etc.... The best part was the free transportation to the parks and the proximity to the Boardwalk. I would definitely stay there again without hesitation, but it's also the only "Disney" hotel I've ever stayed at (not sure if these are actually owned by Disney, I just mean the only time I've ever been so close, and had included transportation to the parks), so others may have stronger feelings one way or another.
  

  Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

  Report0 Reply
• MrsD2006 member

  

  February 2012

  I've stayed at one, don't remember if it was the Swan or Dolphin. They are pretty much the same. They are owned by Starwood, so they are the equivalent to a Westin.

  Report0 Reply
• sallygal

  February 2012

  I stayed there about a year ago. I thought it was pretty average. Nothing wrong with it per se, but I didn't think it was great. It was clean, but it could use some updating/sprucing up. The pool area was nice enough, but extremely busy. I'm not into the whole Disney thing though, so that may have colored my experience there a little.
  

  Report0 Reply
• stephm0188

  February 2012

  We stayed at the Swan in December. We paid with points.

  The Swan is considerably smaller than Dolphin and because of that it has a more quiet, intimate feeling. Dolphin is larger and has more dining options. It's also busier. Swan double rooms contain two queens, Dolphin rooms have two fulls. They're very close to one another and share the same pool. The room was fine. It wasn't the most upscale Starwood property, but it was pretty much what we expected. No complaints.

  The only thing I missed was the lack of a club level for preferred members.
  

  You can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and the proximity to the boardwalk is nice.  The back entrance to Epcot makes staying there worth it to me. You can drink around the world and then it's just a short walk back to your room.
  

  Report0 Reply
• MrsA1210

  February 2012

  We stayed at the Swan two years ago and enjoyed it.  The property is pretty and the pool area is nice; several restaurant options between the two of them; rooms could use updating but were not bad.  Great location - free boat shuttle to Epcot, bus to the other parks, and walking distance right over the bridge to downtown Disney.  I'd stay there again.
  

  <a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home D

  Report0 Reply
• smilejenn member

  February 2012

  I live locally and visit the Swan and Dolphin somewhat often for dining. I enjoy their more upscale dining options (Todd English's Blue Zoo is one of my favorite restaurants in the area) and find the grounds and pool to be visually appealing. My brother's family stayed there last year and loved their experience. There are certainly more elegant resorts in the area (Ritz, etc), but this is definitely one of the better resorts on Disney property, IMO.
  

  

  Report0 Reply
• ooolalalolo member

  February 2012

  I stayed at one of them for a conference. It was nice to have so many dining options available and having the boardwalk close by was also really fun. The actual decor and style of the hotel was NMS and could have used some sprucing up in my opinion.

  Report0 Reply
• BlaireD

  February 2012

  Agree with previous posters. We stayed at the Swan in 2010. The hotel was good, not great. Probably a little more mediocre than most Westins, but we got a great deal, so it worked. We loved the proximity to the Parks, taking the water taxi or walking and enjoying the extra magic hours. 

  Report0 Reply
• usx4 member

  

  February 2012

  we stayed at teh Dolphin in 2009 when we went to disney - we loved it.  the water taxi was awesome, they were super accomodating...the kids loved the old fashioned soda/ice cream shop and we loved the sushi restaurant   You can walk to the Boardwalk which we love going there so it was great. We went during Xmas time and Santa greeted you off the boats at night.  Beds were so amazingly comfy too.  We had a balcony room and could watch the fireworks from I believe Hollywood Studios.

  Report0 Reply
• champagnedreams

  February 2012

  I stayed at the Dolphin (which i hear is a tad nicer than the Swan) in October. We liked it. It was clean and had nice facilities and the distance to the parks was perfect.
  

  
  
  Adventures of A Girl and Her Apron
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• tcu_2003 member

  February 2012

  I've stayed at both for conferences, and they're about the same.  Nothing special, but decent hotels.  While they're close, if you're like me and will have to walk around in a suit and heels at your conference, I'd try to get rooms in the hotel where the majority of the conference events are. 

  The pools were nice, and there was a variety of restaurants.  I even got my picture taken with Goofy at breakfast in one of the restaurants one morning - kind of a fun way to start my day. 

  As PPs mentioned, I liked the proximity to the boardwalk, and the free shuttles to Downtown Disney.

  

  Report0 Reply