We stayed 5 days (5th day free) at the Disney Swan at the end of April. This had been my first trip to Disney World in 30 yrs and my wifes first ever. We checked in in the late afternoon. Bell staff were organized and attentive. I don't recall a SPG Gold/Plat line but checkin time was relatively short.
I had booked an 11K pt upgrade and we received a nicely sized Grand Deluxe Room (see pic). It was bigger than our 11K pts Grand Deluxe at the Westin DIplomat later that week. I thought the bathroom was kind of cramped ie. if one person was trying to get out of the shower while the other was applying makeup at the mirror.....well that wasn't happening.I don't know if we were upgraded for what 11K points would normally get you or not, but the hotel had at least one conference going and seemed fairly full so I'm guessing no upgrade. If I was to go again I'd request a room w/balcony that faced the Boardwalk so you could see the EPCOT fireworks everynight. Overall we were pretty pleased with our room. I just wish Starwood would get rid of the small crappy TV's and put LCD's in all rooms.Those TV's remind me of a redneck wedding where the groom wears a tux and tennis shoes. That's a systemwide problem and not directed at the Swan though. We had zero problems with bugs as others have occasionally commented on. Hi Speed interent to the room was, I believe, $10/day. There was no sign of free wireless internet anywhere.
Our room faced the Dolphin and the water shuttle landing. One water shuttle went to EPCOT and the other to MGM. They left about every 20 minutes. Buses went by both hotels for Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney and other locations. Parking was $8 ...every time you went through the gate! We mostly relied on DIsney transportation after finding that out. I only drove to the Palms golf course ( home of the FUNAI classic) and was surprised to see we were only charged $8 for parking for 5 days! I guess I thought it was $8/day minimum. Maybe it is and we got lucky. Taking DIsney transportation took a little longer but we had no parking/traffic hassles.
For food. we ate at Todd English's Blue Zoo twice and had the sea bass both nights, it was so good. I'd really recommend that place for finer dining. It's in the Dolphin. Ate at Palios in the Swan, that was good. Ate at Wolfgang Pucks Express and House of Blues in Downtown DIsney ...no complaints. Earl of Sandwich looked like the way to do it for a family trying to keep expenses low. Our friends ate there and liked it a lot. Had lunch at the indoor restaraunt in EPCOT Mexico. We'd do that again. 
Finally found a decent cup of coffee at the Boulangerie Patisserie in EPCOT France. That was our favorite place to start the day off, with a good cappucino and croissant. Coffee wise, I wouldn't waste another penny on espresso's from vendors...$4-5 bucks for a warm milk with a hint of coffee. The bar in the Swan made a good cappucino but it ridiculously priced at around $5.
There was a fee for the gym..I'm thinking $12-15...whatever it was , it was too much. The pool was decent (I heard there were several but never found others) I never did find a whirlpool which I could have really used after walking all day at EPCOT etc. Once again, I heard they did exist.
Our favorite things were Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba (Downtown Disney) which was just jaw dropping. It's worth paying more for the good seats. Don't sit in the front row if you're the shy type. The ride Soarin' at EPCOT was outstanding and is fine for those with motion sicknees issues. I wouldn't miss it.
Review by Da5id.
Posted at July 9, 2006 7:27 PM
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3 experiences with walt disney world swan
July 9, 2006 7:40 PM. TimR said:
thanks, your review is really good. I stayed at the WDW Swan a few months ago with my fam. The location can't be beat, but the room itself is fair to poor (and funny, mildewey smells pervade). The Fantastia Gardens golf course right across the street is pretty good -- my wife and I did that one day. And the pool on the hotel grounds is not bad either. I found the staff to be adequate to above average.
August 24, 2006 3:22 PM. LeeB said:
Your review is right on. We also enjoyed our recent stay at the Swan. Yes, our room too smelled of mildew and I also found the TV to be antiquated and the bathroom to be small. There were 6 whirlpools tucked away behind the pools. Would stay here again because of the discounted rate I received and it's proximity to Epcot/MGM resorts.
October 17, 2006 9:51 PM. AndyB said:
I just came back from a weeks stay with my family at the Dolphin, we were very disappointed. This was my third visit, once as a SPG gold twice as platinum, never upgraded on any of the three stays. The main reason is that both the Dolphin & Swan host quite a few conventions, so they cater to those customers and not SPG members.
We also had an ant problem in our room which was never resolved, we just kept getting phone messages from the front desk asking if we still had ants in the room, no supervisor or manager ever offered to inspect or change our room.
Other than the location of the hotel to the Disney Theme Parks, I can see no reason to pay the $250.00 to $300.00 per night or burn 10K points per night for a hotel with rooms and bathrooms that are smaller than most Hampton Inns and little to no chance for an upgrade. I would never stay at the Dolphin or Swan again.