Walt Disney World Swan

Not Disney quality. We did not have phone service or working safe for 2 days despite being told multiple times the ticket was closed out. We were told we would receive daily housekeeping with linen change every 3rd day. We had absolutely no housekeeping for 2 days in a row. Had to ask for extra towels and toilet paper. Metal pieces falling off of shower wand. Staff was always nice but never efficient. Rooms need updating. Read less

This hotel is well located to access Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Rooms are average size and comfortable. However, you can tell they haven’t been refreshed in years. Noticeable lack of working USB plugs was annoying considering flute amount of charging needs in 2024. Bed isn’t the usual comfy bed for a Westin and the pillows are “harder” than usual. The hotel is very “fragrant”. Not sure if it’s the carpet cleaning or other products they use but if you have any scent sensitivity, you will probably notice it. It seems to be stronger in the morning and wears off during the day. The other annoying negative is the high resort fee and parking fee with this hotel. It’s definitely noticeable on your final bill. Staff is lovely and the front desk is a well run machine. Read less

The Good: *The location cannot be beat. Close to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios - via complimentary boat rides or just walking. Makes it easy to visit more than one theme park in a day. *The room rate was less than nearby Disney properties - we do have some complaints about a few of the Swan's pricing policies, but you will pay less at the Swan than the nearby Disney Boardwalk or Beach & Yacht Club. *Staff were generally helpful. We asked to be switched from 2 queen beds to a king and the staff was happy to help. They even asked us if we preferred a high or low floor. We wanted a high floor, so we were a bit disappointed to see that our room was on the 4th floor. No matter, we loved our balcony (that we paid for) and enjoyed the view of the boats. *Mobile ordering from Java (a grab and go type place) was efficient and saved us time by not waiting in line. *The pool areas - we tried both the quiet adult pool and the grotto pool that has a really cool waterfall. Both areas were very nice with bar/food service available. *Room temperature - thermostat worked great and was quiet. We were happy with that. *Room cleanliness - room was clean. No complaints The Bad: *The pools were cold. Very cold. While the pools and nearby amenities were nice, we could not go in the pools as there were way too cold - and this is on a day when the high temp was in the upper 80's. *The beds were very hard. Both my husband and I had trouble getting comfortable and both woke up in pain due to the extra firmness of the beds. The Ridiculous: *Parking Charge- Self parking is a whopping $38.34 PER NIGHT (inc taxes)! This is for an unmanned, uncovered parking lot that is a good walk from the Front Desk of the hotel. I feel that this is an absurd cost for self parking of this type. *Resort Fee - we paid $50.63 (inc taxes) A NIGHT for the resort fee. I believe this too is excessive. Read less

Room; poor condition as seen from photos. I have stayed in roadside motels that are nicer than this room. NOT anywhere close to AAA four diamond standards. Minus one star. Property; NOT for kids! One (total) quick service food location that doesn't have a kids menu! LOL...this is Disney World, what hotel doesn't have a kids menu. If your kid wants grilled cheese or a hotdog, you are walking to the Dolphin! Minus one star. Food quality; gross! This "resort" served us some of the worst quality food I have ever encountered at any hotel. Pictures of chicken tenders from pool restaurant are attached. Both Cabanas and The Fountain at Dolphin were disgusting. After two bad meals we ate every meal at Boardwalk or Beach Club or in the parks. Minus one star. Thermostat didn't work...which is always the telltale sign a hotel is poorly run and lacks proper maintenance. If people are uncomfortable and can't sleep, how much are they going to enjoy their stay? Minus one star. Rude indifferent staff. When they talk about the Disney difference, they are talking about a REAL Disney hotel with properly trained staff. This is a Marriott owned property and customer service is what you've come to expect from Marriott. Which is NOT a compliment. Minus one star. There is so much more...these are the "high" (low) lights. Bottom line; DO NOT STAY HERE! Read less

Just returned home from a 4 night stay at Swan. We loved the hotel, especially the location. Transportation: - An easy 11 minute walk to EPCOT. We took the friendship boat home at the end of the day because our feet were tired. - Took the friendship boat to Hollywood Studios. Super convenient and efficient, even if we had to wait a few minutes for one to arrive. HS was insanely packed the day we were there, so much so that we decided to leave the park around 1:30 to go chill at the hotel for a couple hours. It was wonderful to be able to come back so quickly to recharge before going back to HS in the evening. - Took the 7am Swan/Dolphin bus to Animal Kingdom (7:30 early entry) then later park hopped to Magic Kingdom. We took the Boardwalk bus back from MK and walked to Swan from there, which took about 6 minutes. We never waited longer than 5-10 minutes for a boat or bus and found all transportation to run efficiently. Room: We stayed in a 2 queen standard room (380 West), which was comfortable. The matresses and pillows were great. Our "resort view" was of the ugly rooftop but we were really only there to sleep so didn't care much. The water pressure in the shower and sinks was excellent. The only thing I found odd was that the extra sink, which sits outside the bathroom, had the original 1990s light fixture in the ceiling above the sink. It was extremely dim and dated. Complete opposite of the bright white LED lighting in the bathroom. I don't know why they left that original fixture when they did the renovations in 2017 but I was still glad we had the second sink area as it made the room much more functional for four people. Food: We rope dropped each morning, so we were out the door early. Downloaded the Swan Dolphin app, which allowed us to mobile order breakfast from Java (near the Swan lobby) about 10 minutes before we walked out of our room. The food was sitting in a cubby ready for pickup by the time we were downstairs. Couldn't have been more convenient! Our kids ate their breakfast sandwiches as we stood in the rope drop line at the park or while waiting for the boat. We ate dinner at Il Mulino (also at the Swan) once, which was good but not great. The service was outstanding, however. I would try somewhere else next time in hopes of better food. We ate at the Rosa Mexicano breakfast buffet at Dolphin on our last morning, which was very good. Pool: We used the Dolphin grotto pool area twice. It was crowded but we were able to find chairs without much issue. My 12 year old basketball-obsessed son was thrilled to discover a shaded basketball half court adjacent to the pool, which is where he spent most of his time when we were out there. There always seemed to be a couple of tween/teen boys hanging around, ready to play. I was surprised that there were no lifeguards, with the exception of one person who was controlling entry to the small water slide. The only negative here was that the Cabana bar and grill was understaffed. It was a 90 minute wait for any food orders, so we went to Fuel inside Dolphin to grab something quick to eat. Drinks were a 25 minute delivery wait. You could order at the bar yourself, but there were always at least 10 people in line the day we arrived. Overall Impressions: I was very pleased with our decision to stay at the Swan and would absolutely stay here again. Having access to the early entry/extended hours perks and the 7am Individual Lightning Lane purchase time that the deluxe Disney hotels have was HUGE, but came with a much more affordable price tag. Swan/Dolphin may not have the same level of Disney magic that those resorts have, but it wasn't sterile. There was a small but very nice Disney gift shop in the lobby and at night the long promenade of palm trees that connect the two resorts had a fun LED light show set to Disney music. I loved it! Read less