AKL or Swan and Dolphin

[Flor del campo]

Im really confuse about that. If I choose Swan or Dolphin we can lost the disney magic? What will be your choice?

 

[swilphil]

We stayed at the Dolphin and found it to be very magical. They have a huge, impressive lobby, and the whole hotel is very striking. It's right across from the Boardwalk, within walking distance from Epcot, and we could see MGM's Tower of Terror from our room. You really can't look outside your window without seeing Disney, and it's so nice NOT to have to take a bus to every park. The boats to MGM/Epcot are fun, if you don't feel like walking, and the bus service to AK/MK is very good.

 

[Samsma]

While the S/D do have a great location and look very impressive (never stayed there), I have stayed at AKL and it was magical. I can still smell the fires burning with African Spices (you'll see what I mean when you get there), being amazed by all the intricate details of the lodge itself, and of course there are the animals. The pool is wonderful, especially early in the morning, and the staff is very friendly. Storytelling by the firepit in the evening is not to be missed! Zebra Domes at Boma - I could go on!!!

 

[robinb]

I am asking myself the same question. We have stayed at AKL and the Swan in the past and liked both hotels.

We have reservations at AKL for $149 Savanah View (AP rate) from 12/21 - 12/27. My DH is a SPG Platinum member and the $99 "PARKS" rate at the Dolphin looks great for us since we would get free lounge access (breakfast) and a room upgrade. We can get it for 4 of our nights at the $99 rate, but it is not available for the remaining 3 days but we can get those for the $139 AP rate. In addition, if we stay 5 nights we earn a free weekend night and we are planning on staying at the Sheraton in Kauai in April so we would use it there (value to us, $225).

So ... we save money and get a free night ... BUT ... I like AKL better than the Dolphin. *sigh* Don't get me wrong, the Dophin is a very nice hotel and does indeed have the Disney "magic". I just imagined myself sitting on my balcony watching the animals.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Flor del campo
Im really confuse about that. If I choose Swan or Dolphin we can lost the disney magic? What will be your choice?

To us it depends on what type of vacation we are looking for. As you can see in my signature we have been alternating between the AKL and the Dolphin recently.

We enjoy the AKL when we take our "winter" trip as we find that the animals are out more and more relaxed as the resort is not as crowded. We also enjoy staying on the concierge level and we find that the concierge during thte winter value season can be had for less $300 a night inc tax.

For our "summer" trip we like the Dolphin for location, location, location and the pool area and the price. We were able to get the Dolphin for $99 a night plus tax and the $10 resort fee for our last trip with past Aug into Sept 03. The best rate we could get at the YC/BC or BWI was $169 and that was for a standard view room. We had a great view at the Dolphin for a lot less money.

Do we feel we lose Disney magic at the Dolphin? We do not. We have enjoyed our two stays at the Dolphin very much and cannot wait to go back in Sept 2004. We will be at the AKL Concierge at the end of Jan 2004.

 

[Dogslider]

We just returned on Friday and we spent 2 nights at the Swan and 2 nights at AKL before settling in at OKW. JMO but, I would choose AKL in a heartbeat! It was nice to be able to walk MGM and the Boardwalk etc.. but we didn't care for the hotel at all. We found it be very impersonnal, (except for the lounge) and just don't very disneyish.
Pam

 

[faithinkarma]

Last month we moved from AKL to BWV to Swan and back to AKL. I would chose the S/D primarily because of location. Saving the time and hassle of a bus ride to EPCOT or MGM was worth a lot to us.

To me part of the magic at Disney Resorts is the excellent service. The Swan absolutely had wonderful helpful CMs. Their service was flawless.

Also, at AKL, both our Savannah view rooms were at the end of the wings, and the walk to those rooms is extremely LONG. REALLY REALLY LONG !

 

[Kapp]

stay at the AKL for the experience but don't expect Mickey, Minnie and gang to be showcased throughout the resort. The animals, decor, smells (from BOMA!), etc. make it worth it but it is not the most kid friendly location. The Dolphin has all of the Disney service and a lot of the magic one would expect. We love the Dolphin (location, services, view, etc.) but believe everyone should experience the AKL at least once!

You really can't go wrong with this!

Kapp

 

[TedO]

Like robin, we have the $149 AP rate at the AKL at the end of the month but SPG just extended the Cash and Points offer at the S/D so I booked a room at the Swan for the same time for $60 per night (plus 4000 Starwood points each night). As much as I would like to be at the AKL watching the animals, the $89 per night savings sure do make the Swan a lot more appealing! I think I may be cancelling the AKL unless we decide to split the trip up and stay at both, which is always another valid option.
Ted

 

[faithinkarma]

We split our stay 4 times last month following the deals and availability. This was my first time ever to split, and certainly 4 times was probably excessive, but it really was not all that difficult. Our stuff was moved for us even from Disney Reosrts to the Swan.

Moving TO AKL seems to be really easy as for some reason they always seem to have the rooms ready no matter what time you check in.

 

[amyhwang]

I would disagree with KAPP, just in that the AKL is VERY child friendly. I went there on AP discount of $129/night (they upgraded us to pool view) last June with my 4 and 6 year olds, by myself (DH had to stay home and work). It was nothing short of spectacular. The pool is so shallow that I didn't have to constantly watch them. The buses from the resort don't go to any other resorts, so the travel time is actually really short. The food court (Mara) staff was exceptional - my DS has food allergies (severe) and the chef came out and offered to make whatever he wanted. It was such an easy place to travel with kids, even as a "single parent" for a few days. They laundry facilities were great with a tv there to kill time. Matter of fact, we're going there (whole family) Dec 2 - Jan 2 on AP discount of $249 for savannah view CONCIERGE and I can't wait. The animals are so beautiful - I've stayed almost everywhere at WDW and it's just about the best. We've walked through the swolphin, and it's really huge and stuff, but the personal service at the AKL is awsome.

 

[Flor del campo]

Thanks, all of you for your sincere opinions about this hotels. Aparently the S/D and AKL are both magnificents hotels, I want to try one of them in my next trip.

 

[swilphil]

Originally posted by TedO
Like robin, we have the $149 AP rate at the AKL at the end of the month but SPG just extended the Cash and Points offer at the S/D so I booked a room at the Swan for the same time for $60 per night (plus 4000 Starwood points each night). As much as I would like to be at the AKL watching the animals, the $89 per night savings sure do make the Swan a lot more appealing! I think I may be cancelling the AKL unless we decide to split the trip up and stay at both, which is always another valid option.
Ted

With an $89 savings PER night, I would definitely stay at the Swan. Just think of all the great things you could do with that money at WDW. And you'll still be at a deluxe hotel in a great location.