Swan vs Port Orleans

[MoyCoy]

I am currently booked at the Swan Dec 18-21 for $190 . I was informed today that I may be able to secure a room at Port Orleans for $159. I am taking my 5 year old twins to WDW for the first time during the busiest season of the year. I was hoping that if we stayed at the Swan it would give us numerous transportation options to MK. We can't afford the high prices of the resorts close to MK. The prices are sky high now.

I honeymooned at Port Orleans and liked the resort. BUT I wonder if the Swan is a upgrade. Yes they have a resort fee but they have a children program and are next to epcot and close to boardwalk. And they have a beach for down times. I stayed at POR before kids. Would love advice please. Should we change to PO or stay at the Swan?

I posted this on Families thread as well.

 

[hammie59]

I love POR, stayed there last year. We almost booked Swan/Dolphin this year because of the location and the fact that it's more deluxe. Ended up staying at BWI instead once the discounts came out. Anyhow, you would definitely be upgrading if you go with S/D. Bigger rooms, more amenities, walking distance to Boardwalk, DHS, and EPCOT (or boat). Fantasia Gardens mini golf is across the road (very short walk). We loved that whole area.

 

[Babsy]

I prefer the Swan to POR or POFQ. It is a deluxe while either of the PO resorts are moderate resorts. The beds are amazing at the Swan and the location next to Epcot and DHS is awesome! The Swan is newly refurbished so the rooms are at their best right now. The grotto pool at the Swan is very nice as well. WE enjoy eating at Picabou, Fresh and the Fountain next door at the Dolphin. Walking over to the Boardwalk next door is a lot of fun in the evening, the buskers like to engage the little kids in their acts which is very cute.

There are some things that people occasionally miss when staying at the Swan/Dolphin. These are not Disney owned resorts so you cannot charge purchases in the theme parks back to your room, you do not get the Magical Express bus to/from the airport and you cannot book the dining plan. There is a resort fee of $23 per day and a parking fee if you have a car. If your rate is $190, you probably have to add the $23 to get the real nightly rate of $213. That makes a difference of $54 per night plus tax. Despite all that, YES the Swan is an upgrade - and a really nice one at that! MUCH nicer rooms, as well as location and amenities.

The transportation from the Swan or the PO resorts to the MK is the same - buses. The advantage of the Swan is the proximity to the DHS and Epcot. For the AK and the MK you use a bus. The Swan shares a bus with the BWI and the Dolphin. It is the second stop so there will be one more stop going to the theme park at the Dolphin and you will be the second to get off on the return after stopping at the BWI first.

At POR you will have 4 stops, at POFQ you will usually have only the one stop (unless sharing with POR, which is rare).

POR is a true Disney owned resort. It has lovely theming and provides all the amenities of staying in a WDW resort. It is very spread out so if you are in a standard room you could have a lengthy walk from your room to the main building where you have dining, shopping, boat dock and check in desks. Rooms are in buildings around the resort that have exterior corridors, motel style. Rooms are smaller but comfortable and located either in the Alligator Bayou or the mansions section. If you are in POFQ, the walks are shorter as the resort is smaller. It is a new Orleans Mardi Gras theme. The rooms are essentially the same in all areas with minor differences in decor.

PO resorts have a boat to Downtown Disney that many people love. If you stay at POR you can use all the amenities of POFQ and vice versa. A stay here is utterly charming.

I love all three and have stayed in all and would happily stay in any of these resorts again. However, if I were looking at the choice that you have, I would stay with the Swan. YMMV, however.

Good luck choosing!

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I have not stayed at Swan before, but I can speak for POFQ. We've been going there for years with my DD's (teens now). There are a lot of activities at POFQ / PORS such as the horse and carriage ride in the evening, pool games from 12-5, marshmallow roasting in the courtyard, movies in the courtyard, Pirate Cruise for children ages 4-12, boat to Downtown Disney. The boat to DTD was a 'ride' to my girls when they were younger. A trip to Goofy's Candy Co in the evening was a treat for them. I would also think that the pool at POFQ would be perfect for your 5 y/o twins with the slide being a good size for their ages. As PP mentioned, you can also use pool at PORS.
Hope you have a good trip. Either way it will be fun - we stay at Beach Club sometimes because the Boardwalk is fun too!

 

[IndyRnRfan]

We've only stayed at the dolphin, not swan. We'd pick po any day of the week. If the rooms are newly renovated I might try it but my family thought the holiday inn was better than the dolphin. Plus, if you are saving money, that's a big plus for us.

 

[Lee & Kerry]

It's like a hotel,with disney stuff here and there, stayed once and never again there is no disney Magic. Stay at the POR.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Swan and Dolphin...Disney's resort step children. Shula's is awesome. My brother stayed at the Waldorf and claimed he was staying on site. Whatever.

 

[MoyCoy]

Not to throw another monkey wrench into a already complicated scenario.. BUT we were offered AK for $189 yesterday. As I understand , AK is far from MK. Worried relying just on the buses at PO and AK during the busiest time of the year.

PS:Thank You everyone for your extremely helpful advice!!!!!!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

If your kids have never been, I'm going to buck the trend and go with the true Disney themed resort and say stick with POR. As you can see by my ticker, I've stayed at all of the above...and I'm booked for F&W to stay at the Dolphin, but it is just adults - the transportation (other than being able to walk to Epcot or DHS from the Dolphin, which I doubt 5 year olds will enjoy) is not going to be as bad people make POR out to be. We've stayed at both POR and CBR--both of which get bashed for bad transportation -- sure first thing in the morning and park close you might not have the fastest times getting to the parks -- however, most of the resorts (other than the deluxes that are basically attached to the park) have the same issue.

Enjoy the trip.
Tom

 

[Babsy]

Not to throw another monkey wrench into a already complicated scenario.. BUT we were offered AK for $189 yesterday. As I understand , AK is far from MK. Worried relying just on the buses at PO and AK during the busiest time of the year.

PS:Thank You everyone for your extremely helpful advice!!!!!!

The AKL is a Disney deluxe resort and it is amazing!!!! The lobby, the food, the animals.....it is all spectacular!

Don't worry about the buses from here. Yes, it is perhaps an extra few mins on the bus, but it isn't at all difficult. I wouldn't worry too much about it. WDW transportation is pretty well run. At the moment, I think I almost prefer the buses to the monorail with all its problems!

You have a tough decision, but I think that it just became a little easier> AKL is a fabulous choice at that rate!