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

[tjmw2727]

Back from a 5 night stay at the Dolphin - I am/was a very big fan of the Dolphin and we have stayed here many times but last weekend was a huge disappointment

If you have a stay in the near future double check your reservation and keep paper copies of all your information!

I reserved a Premium Studio (as those of you who helped me see what the room looked like in advance may remember) but it wasn't available at check in. I had a paper copy printed the day before but because it was the day of the changeover I couldn't log into my SPG account while checking in - not that I think it would have helped. No apology, no explanation - nothing - granted it was the day of the "Marriott conversion" but even though I had double checked the reservation the day prior and had a printed confirmation they would not honor my reservation. The desk clerk and then the manager tried to tell me the deluxe alcove was "just the same" as the premium studio but having stayed in a deluxe alcove a few times in the past and then researched the studio I knew different. Then they tried to convince me I was getting a huge discount when all they did was charge me the going rate for the family alcove room, yes it was less than the studio but it was the rate I had seen online for the alcove room. Eventually I was promised a $ merchandise and dining credit "anywhere" at the resort, this credit turned out to be vouchers that were not accepted in most of the restaurants and at none of the stores.

In addition we only got housekeeping 3 of 5 days and even on those days I had to call for water and coffee and on one of those days I had to call housekeeping 4 times to ask for the trash to be emptied. I was promised a resort fee credit for the days housekeeping didn't come but I can't verify this as I haven't received my folio via email yet. We got back Thursday and I am still waiting for my folio to be emailed to me despite calling Thursday and Friday to request a copy.

Add to this the fact that we had a 2 night stay at a Westin earlier in August and received 14 copies of my folio via email and were charged 3x, yes they quickly reversed the extra charges but it's still concerning.

I had always had such exceptional service from everyone at the Dolphin so this past weekend just leaves me stunned, I am high level SPG as well as Marriott and have a few Marriott stays coming up this fall so I really hope this isn't the new normal.

 

[luvallprincesses]

Back from a 5 night stay at the Dolphin - I am/was a very big fan of the Dolphin and we have stayed here many times but last weekend was a huge disappointment

If you have a stay in the near future double check your reservation and keep paper copies of all your information!

I reserved a Premium Studio (as those of you who helped me see what the room looked like in advance may remember) but it wasn't available at check in. I had a paper copy printed the day before but because it was the day of the changeover I couldn't log into my SPG account while checking in - not that I think it would have helped. No apology, no explanation - nothing - granted it was the day of the "Marriott conversion" but even though I had double checked the reservation the day prior and had a printed confirmation they would not honor my reservation. The desk clerk and then the manager tried to tell me the deluxe alcove was "just the same" as the premium studio but having stayed in a deluxe alcove a few times in the past and then researched the studio I knew different. Then they tried to convince me I was getting a huge discount when all they did was charge me the going rate for the family alcove room, yes it was less than the studio but it was the rate I had seen online for the alcove room. Eventually I was promised a $ merchandise and dining credit "anywhere" at the resort, this credit turned out to be vouchers that were not accepted in most of the restaurants and at none of the stores.

In addition we only got housekeeping 3 of 5 days and even on those days I had to call for water and coffee and on one of those days I had to call housekeeping 4 times to ask for the trash to be emptied. I was promised a resort fee credit for the days housekeeping didn't come but I can't verify this as I haven't received my folio via email yet. We got back Thursday and I am still waiting for my folio to be emailed to me despite calling Thursday and Friday to request a copy.

Add to this the fact that we had a 2 night stay at a Westin earlier in August and received 14 copies of my folio via email and were charged 3x, yes they quickly reversed the extra charges but it's still concerning.

I had always had such exceptional service from everyone at the Dolphin so this past weekend just leaves me stunned, I am high level SPG as well as Marriott and have a few Marriott stays coming up this fall so I really hope this isn't the new normal.

Ugh. We were at the Westin Times Square Aug 17-19 and have yet to see any points posted. Our stay was fabulous but I feared problems with points for a stay that started before the merger and ended after.

 

[SteveH]

The whole merger has become a major black eye for Marriott if you ask me. Users are even calling out the points guy for some pretty biased blog posts. I still can't combine my accounts, and I'm within a week on a trip. Not worth my time to sit on hold, but really will impact my loyalty to staying within the Starwood/Marriott hotels.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Sorry to hear of all those concerns, tjmw. But in any case, welcome home.

Back from a 5 night stay at the Dolphin - I am/was a very big fan of the Dolphin and we have stayed here many times but last weekend was a huge disappointment

If you have a stay in the near future double check your reservation and keep paper copies of all your information!

I reserved a Premium Studio (as those of you who helped me see what the room looked like in advance may remember) but it wasn't available at check in. I had a paper copy printed the day before but because it was the day of the changeover I couldn't log into my SPG account while checking in - not that I think it would have helped. No apology, no explanation - nothing - granted it was the day of the "Marriott conversion" but even though I had double checked the reservation the day prior and had a printed confirmation they would not honor my reservation. The desk clerk and then the manager tried to tell me the deluxe alcove was "just the same" as the premium studio but having stayed in a deluxe alcove a few times in the past and then researched the studio I knew different. Then they tried to convince me I was getting a huge discount when all they did was charge me the going rate for the family alcove room, yes it was less than the studio but it was the rate I had seen online for the alcove room. Eventually I was promised a $ merchandise and dining credit "anywhere" at the resort, this credit turned out to be vouchers that were not accepted in most of the restaurants and at none of the stores.

In addition we only got housekeeping 3 of 5 days and even on those days I had to call for water and coffee and on one of those days I had to call housekeeping 4 times to ask for the trash to be emptied. I was promised a resort fee credit for the days housekeeping didn't come but I can't verify this as I haven't received my folio via email yet. We got back Thursday and I am still waiting for my folio to be emailed to me despite calling Thursday and Friday to request a copy.

Add to this the fact that we had a 2 night stay at a Westin earlier in August and received 14 copies of my folio via email and were charged 3x, yes they quickly reversed the extra charges but it's still concerning.

I had always had such exceptional service from everyone at the Dolphin so this past weekend just leaves me stunned, I am high level SPG as well as Marriott and have a few Marriott stays coming up this fall so I really hope this isn't the new normal.

 

[tjmw2727]

Ugh. We were at the Westin Times Square Aug 17-19 and have yet to see any points posted. Our stay was fabulous but I feared problems with points for a stay that started before the merger and ended after.

Small world that's where and when we were there - no points for me yet either, but at least my bill was correct!

 

[ClapYourHands]

DH is platinum and we've used the SPG as our primary card for a long time. He's pretty frustrated because he still hasn't been able to combine accounts, and I know he's spent a bit of time on hold trying to get it taken care of.

I just hope it all works out soon. DH travels rather frequently on business, and it would be nice to get everything squared away before his next overnight - which is actually this Thursday. It's a cash stay, but it would be good for his points to be properly credited.

Hopefully, none of this affects upcoming stays booked on points. Before the changeover, we used SPG to book in Chicago for the marathon weekend, and at the Swan for Jersey Week.

 

[Chisoxcollector]

The wife and I stayed at the Swan this past Friday night. It was a relatively short notice trip (using points right before the merger) to go to MNSSHP.

I’ve stayed at the Dolphin many times (Marriott/SPG Platinum), but this was my first time at the Swan. Unfortunately, just like most of our stays at the Dolphin, there were issues.

First off, the WiFi didn’t work in our room. Tried on 3 different devices, and on all 3 the signal bounced between 0 and 1 bar. It was around 1am and they wanted to go thru all of these troubleshooting steps with an off site technician. Instead I just requested (I won’t lie, more like demanded) the resort fee be waived. They didn’t put up a fight and agreed.

Then, they charged our CC multiple times for amounts in the $100-200 range. In short order they refunded the erroneous charges, but not before my wife freaked out.

We’ve always had issues during our stays at S&D, but kept coming back due to the location and reasonable price using points. With the new 50k price, our stays here may be coming to an end. Unless I can find a very good cash price, of course!

On a more positive note we upgraded the free breakfast to the buffet at Garden Grove. I thought it was quite good!

In addition we only got housekeeping 3 of 5 days and even on those days I had to call for water and coffee and on one of those days I had to call housekeeping 4 times to ask for the trash to be emptied.

In my experience housekeeping at the S&D is absolutely horrible. I’ve had the exact same issues you experienced on most of my stays.

I think every single stay at the Dolphin I either had housekeeping issues, parking issues, or both.

 

[MiracleCream]

Hello everyone! I had a mid December stay planned but have to change to end of December. We were thinking of staying at swan for New Year’s Eve and hang out there to hopefully be able to watch fireworks from our room (I have an autistic kid who prefers to watch fireworks from far so noise is not too bothersome). We thought an early dinner at il mulino or garden grove to celebrate New Year’s Eve then have fun relaxing in our room. Would anyone have tips regarding this?

 

[JJ2017]

The wife and I stayed at the Swan this past Friday night. It was a relatively short notice trip (using points right before the merger) to go to MNSSHP.

I’ve stayed at the Dolphin many times (Marriott/SPG Platinum), but this was my first time at the Swan. Unfortunately, just like most of our stays at the Dolphin, there were issues.

First off, the WiFi didn’t work in our room. Tried on 3 different devices, and on all 3 the signal bounced between 0 and 1 bar. It was around 1am and they wanted to go thru all of these troubleshooting steps with an off site technician. Instead I just requested (I won’t lie, more like demanded) the resort fee be waived. They didn’t put up a fight and agreed.

Then, they charged our CC multiple times for amounts in the $100-200 range. In short order they refunded the erroneous charges, but not before my wife freaked out.

We’ve always had issues during our stays at S&D, but kept coming back due to the location and reasonable price using points. With the new 50k price, our stays here may be coming to an end. Unless I can find a very good cash price, of course!

On a more positive note we upgraded the free breakfast to the buffet at Garden Grove. I thought it was quite good!


In my experience housekeeping at the S&D is absolutely horrible. I’ve had the exact same issues you experienced on most of my stays.

I think every single stay at the Dolphin I either had housekeeping issues, parking issues, or both.

What is the free breakfast?

 

[happymommy]

What is the free breakfast?

Platinum members get free continental breakfast; they can pay a small fee to upgrade to the full breakfast (there are two options on the buffet).

Good God I keep reading about housekeeping issues! It's been years since I've stayed at the Swan or Dolphin, but I'm going next month. I would be angry if I came back to our room after a long day & didn't have housekeeping. It's one thing I love about a hotel stay - having my bed made and fresh towels!

 

[striker1064]

Platinum members get free continental breakfast; they can pay a small fee to upgrade to the full breakfast (there are two options on the buffet).

My wife is recently Platinum, so we contacted the concierge to have them add her rewards number to my reservation (I made the reservation and have both names on it, so hopefully we'll get the benefits). What's the fee to upgrade? Is it worth it?

 

[happymommy]

My wife is recently Platinum, so we contacted the concierge to have them add her rewards number to my reservation (I made the reservation and have both names on it, so hopefully we'll get the benefits). What's the fee to upgrade? Is it worth it?

The cost would be the difference in price between the continental breakfast buffet and the full one. I found this on one site:

Buffet Breakfast.

The Fresh Mediterranean Market is set up with stations.

As you visit each one, there is a list of available items.

The food is then made FRESH for you, to order.

Breakfast buffet includes Fresh Juice and Starbucks Coffee: Adults $27.99; Children (3-9) $16.99

Continental Breakfast: Adults $19.99; Children (3-9) $9.99

An A la Carte Breakfast Menu is also available seasonally.

So it would be maybe $8.00 it seems. Not sure if it's about that to do Garden Grove.

 

[shoreward]

I had housekeeping issues at the Swan last year.

When I returned to the hotel in the late afternoon, after having been gone since early morning, I found that my room had not been touched by housekeeping. I called and requested housekeeping for my room. After a couple of hours, without any knock on the door, I walked the corridors to locate a housekeeping cart, and managed to find a supervisor, who was working with a housekeeper. The supervisor apologized, saying that due to a large group checking in, they had to service rooms that were booked for incoming guests, first. She offered to have my room cleaned immediately, but as I was about to get ready for dinner, I requested someone service the room about 30-60 minutes later; she indicated that would not be a problem. I was offered fresh towels and toiletries, in the meantime. Upon returning to the room at about 9:45, that night, I found that the room had not been touched. I went down to the Front Desk to advise. By that time, housekeeping was no longer available. My SPG account was credited with bonus points for the lack of housekeeping.

Top priority will always be for housekeeping to service those rooms that are turning, so that arriving guests can check-in to their rooms. As the Swan and Dolphin book so many groups, with large numbers checking in on the same day, servicing of current guests' rooms in a timely manner (or at all) seems to be a recurrent issue.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I think every single stay at the Dolphin I either had housekeeping issues, parking issues, or both.

My sister & her BF stay at Swolphin because they have CC points, and they always have housekeeping issues too. Twice they've been checked into a room that hadn't been cleaned yet! That's just crazy to me.

 

[JJ2017]

My wife is recently Platinum, so we contacted the concierge to have them add her rewards number to my reservation (I made the reservation and have both names on it, so hopefully we'll get the benefits). What's the fee to upgrade? Is it worth it?

OK - so my husband just became platinum but the reservation was made by me. So I need to call and have his credentials added? Or it's done when we check in (would rather do it before).

 

[snappy]

I was checked on to a room at Beach club that was under major construction, laddets and paint cans and stuff everywhere. I guess it happens

 

[happymommy]

I had housekeeping issues at the Swan last year.

When I returned to the hotel in the late afternoon, after having been gone since early morning, I found that my room had not been touched by housekeeping. I called and requested housekeeping for my room. After a couple of hours, without any knock on the door, I walked the corridors to locate a housekeeping cart, and managed to find a supervisor, who was working with a housekeeper. The supervisor apologized, saying that due to a large group checking in, they had to service rooms that were booked for incoming guests, first. She offered to have my room cleaned immediately, but as I was about to get ready for dinner, I requested someone service the room about 30-60 minutes later; she indicated that would not be a problem. I was offered fresh towels and toiletries, in the meantime. Upon returning to the room at about 9:45, that night, I found that the room had not been touched. I went down to the Front Desk to advise. By that time, housekeeping was no longer available. My SPG account was credited with bonus points for the lack of housekeeping.

Top priority will always be for housekeeping to service those rooms that are turning, so that arriving guests can check-in to their rooms. As the Swan and Dolphin book so many groups, with large numbers checking in on the same day, servicing of current guests' rooms in a timely manner (or at all) seems to be a recurrent issue.

My sister & her BF stay at Swolphin because they have CC points, and they always have housekeeping issues too. Twice they've been checked into a room that hadn't been cleaned yet! That's just crazy to me.

Seriously, if they know they need to turn the rooms over, they need to hire more staff. Not cleaning a guest's room is not acceptable (unless they request not to have housekeeping).

This is making me uncomfortable for our upcoming stay.

 

[Chisoxcollector]

My wife is recently Platinum, so we contacted the concierge to have them add her rewards number to my reservation (I made the reservation and have both names on it, so hopefully we'll get the benefits). What's the fee to upgrade? Is it worth it?

I believe the upgrade costs $7 on weekdays and $9 on weekends. It was well worth it to me. The buffet had an omelet station, waffles, Eggs Benedict, really tasty hash browns, excellent bacon and sausage, fruit smoothies, and a variety of pastries and breads. The only disappointment were the lackluster scrambled eggs.

On weekends it is a character breakfast. We saw Goofy and Pluto.

My sister & her BF stay at Swolphin because they have CC points, and they always have housekeeping issues too. Twice they've been checked into a room that hadn't been cleaned yet! That's just crazy to me.

Last year during Food and Wine we stayed at the Dolphin for 5 nights. We had lots of problems,including housekeeping issues, on the first full day of our stay. I had a long discussion with a manager, and was asked what time I would like housekeeping to clean my room each day. I said 10am. The supervisor assured me my room would be done at approximately 10am each remaining day of my stay.

On day 2 we returned to our room at around 2pm and it was already serviced. There were also like 10 bottles of water because that was one of the issues I’d had the previous day.

On day 3 we didn’t return until around 7pm. Sure enough, our room still hadn’t been serviced. So much for 10am daily service!

I don’t want my posts to sound all negative. We have enjoyed aspects of our stays as well. The rooms are quite nice. On our most recent stay at the Swan, we were upgraded to a resort view with a balcony. We love a lot of the restaurants, including Il Mulino, Bluezoo, Shula’s, and Kimonos (karaoke!). The new lobby at the Dolphin is amazing, as is Fuel. Most of the front desk employees are great. And you certainly can’t beat the location!

 

[Karen46]

Staying at the Dolphin in 2 weeks, thanks for the housekeeping heads up. Having your room serviced is what you pay for, it will be very disappointing to return to a room late and it is not completed. Will send a report when we return.

 

[striker1064]

OK - so my husband just became platinum but the reservation was made by me. So I need to call and have his credentials added? Or it's done when we check in (would rather do it before).

I actually just did it through the concierge website on the room request, and included the reservation number, my rewards number, and hers. Just asked to have her rewards number added since she's a higher status. They responded the next day via email, and I now see the reservation under her Marriott login, so that seems good.

http://swandolphinconcierge.com/room.html