Walt Disney World Swan

The location is the real highlight. There are buses to disney, Boardwalk is only a few minutes away on foot, and you can catch a quick ferry to Epcot. I stayed in a clean two bed room with a balcony overlooking Crescent lake, and had no issues. Check-in was quick even with lots of people arriving at once, and the service was great. The restaurant choices at the Swan and the other two hotels are really great too. They never miss. I enjoyed staying at The Swan and would come back.

I slept incredibly well here. The mattress was very firm but comfortable, and I felt ready to sleep as soon as I lay down. The room had plenty of space, complimentary water bottles, a coffee shop on the ground floor, lots of lounge seating with nearby outlets, and some restaurants in the building. Boardwalk is an easy walk away, and so is the Dolphin, though the statues on the building looked nothing like dolphins. Staff were great, and I'd stay again. I was glad the full bathroom had a sink in it, even though there was another sink outside it. The toilet made no sense: sometimes one push flushed, sometimes it took two or three, and sometimes I had to hold the lever. Often it would just fill up again and stop without flushing anything. It would help to have a way to contact Bell Services instead of standing around hoping someone shows up. I also don't understand why they don't tag all the bags. Marking each one seems more efficient and less likely to result in lost bags.

We paid over $700 for one night, including $40 parking, expecting a luxury stay after spontaneously extending our Disney trip. We arrived late, worn out from a full day at Magic Kingdom. What we got was average accommodation and poor service, and we won't return or recommend the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel. With no one else in line at the front desk, the only associate asked, “Do you have a quick question?” When we said we were checking in, she said she was “working on numbers” and someone would help soon, without looking up. Another staff member came over and also didn't acknowledge us. We had to ask if we'd be checked in. She said she'd be with us “in a minute” because she was “putting in numbers,” then we waited several more minutes before she asked if we were checking in, something we'd already said. Check-in itself was sparse. They asked whether we had a vehicle and if we wanted self-park or valet. We chose self-park and got our keys with hardly any information about the property. Directions to the lot were vague, and the $40 parking was quite a walk from the lobby. I asked for a luggage cart and was told they don't have carts because it's a full-service hotel with bell service. But when we brought our bags in, no one offered to help. I waited in the lobby with two large bags, a shoulder bag, and a cooler, and not one staff member approached. A bellman passed in a T-shirt and shorts without acknowledging us. The lobby had a long table with backless stools, uncomfortable for me while my husband returned from parking far away after a long Disney day. The stay was already off to a poor start before we saw the room. The room was fine, just nowhere near luxurious. The shower wasn't very clean, towels were average, there was one bathrobe, and no extra blankets or pillows. The bed was comfortable, but the sheets felt like ordinary hotel linens. For the price, we expected more. Room service was another letdown. You had to scan a QR code, download an app, and work through a cumbersome process. We gave up that night because we were exhausted. In the morning we tried again and ordered breakfast. It arrived in a reusable grocery-style bag, with food in plastic containers and plastic utensils, more like takeout than luxury in-room dining. The biscuit that came with the meal was missing. The front desk gave us a $5 credit. At checkout, we skipped bell service because of what happened before. While my husband got the truck, a parking attendant told him trucks have to go at the very back of the lot. Nobody had mentioned this at check-in, and we hadn't seen clear signage when we arrived late at night. The attendant demanded his name and room number before letting him leave. It felt unnecessary and confrontational. I waited with our luggage in the lobby again, and still nobody offered to help.

The location near Epcot and Boardwalk is hard to beat, and we'll definitely be back. We've been coming for years, and it remains a great property with great service. Natalie was wonderful at check-in. We were first assigned a connecting room beside a screaming baby, but staff gladly moved us so we could sleep. Our room was extremely clean, and the beds and pillows were just the right softness. There was no shower gel, but they brought some within 10 minutes at midnight, which I really appreciated. The $50 resort fee covers a decent number of perks and activities, including Swan boat rentals and nighttime S'mores on the “beach”. There was also a Santa visit and cookie decorating for kids during the holidays, plus a busy karaoke bar on the ground floor. Holiday decorations were everywhere. Self-parking was $38 a day, pricey but in line with the area.