2 rooms at Swan/Dolphin for family of 6?

[NYteacher]

Wow! I am quite overwhelmed with the multitude of resort choices for our planned Christmas trip to WDW. We are a family of 6 who last stayed at WL in '96 (then as family of 4) We are trying to keep the cost down, but desire the most 'magical' experience. I came across the teacher discount for Swan/Dolphin and we could stay in 2 connecting rooms for $258/night. Talk me into the Dolphin or Swan. When we visited in '96, the hotels looked so big. Will we feel overwhelmed there?

 

[jwfla422]

The S/D is our favorite resort. Every now and then we'll stay elsewhere just for a change (btw-that will usually be WL or the FW cabins).

To start the rooms are comfortable. You can request connecting doors since you're all together. Most times they will honor your request (unless they're really booked-but they usually can block out rooms at the time of the reservation).

Many of the rooms have great views. I too was a bit intimidated to stay at the Dolphin after staying at the Swan many times. But, once we stayed there I was pleasantly surprised. I wanted to stay there several times after!

The Swan is completely renovated with the heavenly beds and the rooms look quite nice. The Dolphin is in the process of being renovated with the same type of decor. The Swan has 2 queens or a king, with an extra sink area. The Dolphin has 2 doubles (which are oversized just slightly smaller than a queen) or a king with a vanity area instead of the extra sink.

You shouldn't be overwhelmed with the Dolphin's size, the set up is still convenient. If you stay in the west side of the building you will be closer to Tubbi's (the 25 hr buffeteria) and the pool.

The Dolphin is very lively and fun. If you prefer a more intimate atmosphere then you might want to try to Swan. But, there is not a Tubbi's type restaurant in the Swan.

Both resorts are in the middle of everything. You will not feel isolated at all (I feel a little isolated in the WL/FW area). You can walk to EPCOT and MGM or take a boat. The bus will take you everywhere else and IMHO I think the bus system at the S/D is better than the WL.

All that being said, wow, I said a lot too...we love the S/D and highly recommend it. We have always found the CMs to be extremely helpful and very friendly. Yes, there are conventions here, but so what, to us it doesn't take away from any WDW magic

 

[ozziewags]

NYTeacher....you should look into getting a jr suite at the Dolphin. They are 2 rooms and will be great for your family. Also look into getting an SPG hotel card. You can earn points for upgrade. jwfla gave great advise. Check out the S/D thread for more info.

http://www.spg.com

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Yes we are from NY too and just got back from the Poly and Swan. You will love the swan. We got the govt. rate discount. You will love the dolphin too but only if you got a renovated room. The two major drawbacks we felt were the inability to get mugs filled or a resonably priced snack and the inability to use your room key to charge in the parks. What you will love about the swan or dolphin : 1. The price you paid to be on property versus the disney prices. 2. Great restraunt choices and the location to epcot and mgm. Bus service right out the door. 3. Next to boardwalk 4. Boat service with a nice covered waiting area 5. My dss favorite was the grotto pool. right on par with sab. Also they have a beach volleyball area, childrens playground, etc. Swan boat rentals and other watercraft etc. Your choices are endless. You will love the swan or dolphin. My dss did think the pink soap, shampoo and the oatmeal soap were a bit strange. Loved having 2 sinks. One in the bathroom and 1 outside the door. I was the gatorade queen this summer lol. Heard the decorations are wonderful during the holiday season. Swan is the 1st bus stop if that might influence your decision. You have to share the bus remember with dolphin, y and b and too. Walk to mini golf if that is for you. Great views. You get the picture. Dont know if you have children but the disney character influence is not apparently around. They do offer the character meals though several times at gullivers I think you could check out the menus at wdwig. If you belong to certain frequent flyer programs you even get miles to boot. We got 500 for our stay so that helped too. Good luck.

 

[swilphil]

S/D are both great hotels. You can't go wrong. The grotto pool is fun. They have a 24-hour cafeteria--Tubbi's--that does offer a refillable mug for $10 that can be filled free during your stay. The best part about the S/D is the location. You save so much time by not being on a bus to get everywhere. And the bus service to MK is great, when you do have to ride a bus. If you want a hotel that feels a little smaller, try the Swan. The Dolphin is larger, but also has quite an impressive lobby.

Good luck!!

 

[NYteacher]

Thanks for the great input. I can see there is a lot of enthusiasm for these resorts. How about comparing the idea of 2 rooms for $258/night with the Jr. Suite for $340? I have read about Jr. suites in other places like WL, but they are running $500+.

 

[BC]

I was quoted an AP rate including tax for both. Two rooms would be $329.97 and a Jr. Suite would be $326.14. Also, remember there is a resort fee of $10 per room which would add $20 to your total for the rooms bringing it to $349.97 and the Suite to $336.14.

 

[ozziewags]

Here is a link to the jr suite floor plan at the Dolphin. It is larger than the Swan jr suite, which is really one L shaped room.

http://http://www.swandolphinmeetings.com/meetings/s_jrsuite.htm

 

[ozziewags]

Oops.......sorry

http://www.swandolphinmeetings.com/meetings/s_jrsuite.htm