Walt Disney World Swan Reserve

I stayed here with 3 friends for a 2 day trip to Disney World. The resort is very convenient when going to the parks, especially Hollywood Studios. We took the boat each morning, which was always on time. We watched the Epcot fireworks from our room. The room was clean, bed comfy and pillows very firm (which I like). There are also soft pillows you can request from housekeeping. Close by is the dolphin hotel that has a laundry room we used as well. There are not many washing machines, so plan extra time to do your laundry as you may have to wait a bit for a machine to become available. Read less

This has to be one of my worst ever hotel experiences - in my 50 plus countries. I honestly don’t know where to start with this place. I hate giving bad reviews but I’m still angry a month after leaving there. While this hotel is fine - but unremarkable - the customer service was just awful. So bad it ruined our trip. Let’s be honest, this is a fairly faceless business class hotel. It could be anywhere, there’s not much of a hint it’s near Disney. But at least it’s clean. The bar area is nice enough with good food and drink. Staff throughout are generally helpful and friendly - which one exception (more about her in a minute). Pool area is good, the live music is a nice touch making for a very relaxed vibe. Rooms are comfortable and I would’ve slept well if they hadn’t ruined our visit. This was a three night stay booked and paid for through Agoda before arrival. So when they asked for my credit card to pre-authorise $100 for incidentals against the room I didn’t think anything of it. But this is when the problems began. Incidentally, I never saw an amount for $100 pending on my credit card for the duration of our trip, which is strange with all the amounts I had on there from this hotel during our stay. But this hotel seems to think they can charge whatever they want to your credit card as soon as they have your details. The first time I noticed a problem was the following morning when I saw an unauthorised charge of £1223٫37 from “Disney Swan Reserve” from the previous day. They had charged me for the stay that I’d already paid for! I spoke to Shane who seemed very confused by this. He said he had no idea why it was coming up as “Disney Swan Reserve” or why it had been charged but sometimes it just happens… does it? Well it really shouldn’t!You know, because it’s illegal? He also stated it should’ve been “Autograph, that’s us”, he said. Anyway, he reversed it (which shockingly took 10 days to be refunded) and I thought that was the end of the matter. But I was wrong. The following evening I had an alert from my credit card company telling me I was dangerously close to my credit limit. That couldn’t be right, I had loads of credit left. So I checked my statement and Autograph (ie: them) had charged yet another £1341٫51 to my card. It was 10:30pm (November 22) but I couldn’t leave it until the next day. So I went down to reception again. The lady there was very friendly but didn’t know what to do, so went out back to speak to her manager. She said her manager would be right out and knew I was waiting to speak to her. She wasn’t straight out, she left me waiting for 45 mins, without coming to see me or asking my side of things. It was now 11:15pm. I thought I’d been forgotten, so I stood up and waited in the lobby area. At this point the manager in question (wish I had her name) appeared and stomped towards me ranting before she even reached me. To my surprise she was being aggressive and confrontational (not apologetic at all) and she actually said to me; “Mr Xxx we’ve refunded your money, WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM NOW?!”. I hadn’t even spoken at that point so I definitely hadn’t been rude and didn’t deserve to be spoken to as a guest like I’d kicked her dog. I was well within my rights to ask why another £1341 had been charged to my card without my permission. When I said I’d been charged again, she gave me a lecture about not knowing the difference between a credit card and a debit card. What on earth has that got to do with anything? But I told her I did know the difference and mine was a credit card. She just said; “you don’t know that!” Then she stomped off back to the desk and demanded the details of the transaction. And yes; she did demand it. No please or thankyou, in fact she didn’t even look up from the the screen until she said; “nothing to do with us, I suggest you take it up with your bank!” She literally looked for 30 seconds and made no effort to phone head office or accounts. That was it as far as she was concerned. She then told me Autograph wasn’t them. When I said Shane told me earlier Autograph definitely was them, she started to argue again. Absolutely shocking customer service! She was talking to me like I’d crawled out from under a rock. Although, no hotel should EVER talk to their guests like that, wherever the issue, or whoever was in the wrong. I was getting nowhere, and I was starting to get annoyed by her aggressive unhelpful behaviour. So I turned round and walked off and as I did she shouted “YOU’RE WELCOME!!” sarcastically across the lobby, highly unprofessional and other guests checking-in actually saw her do that, not a great first impression. I kept walking, all I know is this lady shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the public. I’m pretty sure the Marriott bosses know who this manager is, after a quick scan on Tripadvisor, other reviews have mentioned her special brand of customer service. The next day I spoke to Shane again, who appeared to be a lot more helpful on the face of it. Unfortunately he wasn’t. He assured me he would sort out the issues and get the latest unauthorised charge refunded (he didn’t) then gave me his business card and said to contact him if there were any further problems. He also said no further payments would be added to my card until it was all sorted and I was happy. He didn’t stop any payments. They took another one almost instantly. What actually happened was; as soon as we landed in London I had an alert from my credit card company telling me I’d exceeded my credit limit (thanks to this hotel) and requesting I speak to them. I’d been charged another £387 the moment we left for the airport. This was for food / drink / resort fees (not even mentioned on check in). Admittedly it’s in the terms and conditions on the booking but I do think they should also make you aware of these charges when you arrive. I emailed Shane to ask for his help again. He never ever replied. For the record; the first charge was eventually refunded after 10 days (way way too long when it’s the hotels fault in the first place). The second charge which I disputed with my credit card company was partially refunded… they decided to keep £73 for themselves… administration fee maybe? But luckily my credit card company noticed this straight away and refunded that amount to me. This charge for food / drink and resort fees was in addition to the pending amounts for food and drink that were added every time we signed for the bill. And while these were eventually refunded after 10 days they still added to my balance and sent me over my credit limit. I have never seen another hotel do their charges like this, even in America and I’ve been there a lot. The accounts department here is a mess which means this hotel cannot be trusted with your credit card. One last thing, if you just think I’m a moaner, have a look at my other reviews on here, you’ll realise I’m not. The problems at this hotel are very real. Stay somewhere else this hotel is too much of a risk when there’s plenty of great to stay around Orlando. This establishment shouldn’t be anywhere near your short list. Iain, London Read less

The Chairman room is very nice and has the largest table I've ever seen in a hotel room. You get breakfast as titanium elite brought to your room (although it's just continental) as an option. Buses to the parks and to Disney springs. Keep your room key to scan out of the parking lot. You can get a day pass to still use the amenities on the day you check out. Easy walking access to the Disney boardwalk and the swan next door. No late checkout unfortunately. No tub in the room. Read less

I have heard about bad service at disney hotels ..this is not the case with Swan reserve. Service is immaculate ..staff are helpful. I couldnt get a room update as property was full but that doesn't effect my review . Housekeeping is superb . The breakfast options are good..bar is nice but pricey :)- . Overall i loved this property and location is also great Read less

Beautiful hotel. We had a suite with a lock off that was perfect for our family of 6. Had vouchers for a nice breakfast buffet. Now the negative! The transportation has changed. The boats to Epcot and Hollywood Studios are the same but the bus to Magic Kingdom drops you at the Transportation Center instead of at the gate. The bus to Disney Springs drops you at the ride share location. We walked to the Boardwalk and took the Disney transportation which worked out better. Read less