CBR, Swan or Dolphin for early December trip?

[GoingtoWDWagain]

We have never stayed at Swan and Dolphin, we currently have a room for CBR which we have stayed at plenty of times. We love the location of Swan and Dolphin since we've stayed at BC during past trips. This will be a short winter trip, our first December/Winter trip ever, so getting to the parks with ease/quickly is at the top of our list. Does the Swan and Dolphin offer bus transportation to and from the airport, MK and AK? I've never noticed any bus signs when exiting the parks? Any information on Swan and Dolphin would be greatly appreciated

 

[monkey11375]

No, unfortunately Magical Express bus service is not available at the Swan/ Dolphin. However, there is Disney transportation available to/from MK and AK. You can either walk (10-15 min) or take a boat to the Studios and EPCOT.

It's hard to beat the Swan/Dolphin, or any of the Boardwalk resorts, for convenience, since you're within walking distance of 2 of the 4 parks. They're also beautifully decorated for the holidays. Hope this helps!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

If I had to choose, I'd go with the Swan. The Swan is really beautiful, the pools are great, the service was very good, the location is excellent! It's been a little while since I've been there, but we've stayed a number of times. It is much nicer than CBR, and much easier to get to Epcot and MGM from there. It's a great place to stay if you like to pop into Epcot for a TS dinner (or even a QS dinner in the WS).

Choose the Swan over the Dolphin because they have a better room layout and better room views and the buses go to the Swan first.(in the am you are much more likely to get a seat on the bus, if this matters to you.)

The downside is that there is no ME from there, and I also don't think the meal plan is an option - unless maybe if you book a room through Disney, and then you'd have to pay rack rates for certain. But you can book Mears transportation to there, use a towncar service, or rent a car from the airport. If you're driving to Orlando, this won't be an issue, although they do charge to park - I think it's $8 per day.

I also noticed that on leaving both MK and Epcot, that CBR's buses were lumped with the values. Maybe not a huge deal, but you're paying moderate rates to stay there, yet having to walk to the farther stop to get a bus. TheSwan/Dolphin buses are usually right up front.

One other minor downside to the Swan is getting a quick breakfast. We are all about getting to the parks quickly in the am. If you stay at the Swan, you have to go over to the eatery at the Dolphin to get a refillable mug/their full menu QS restaurant. The TS eateries at both the Swan/Dolphin are great - but walking all the way to the Dolphin's eatery to refill a coffee mug is a bit far. For breakfast, I suggest either the Boardwalk Bakery (Epcot day), the eatery in the Land (Epcot day, can fastpass Soarin' as soon as you get to the park and eat breakfast while you wait for your fastpass window if you go early), at Starring Rolls for pastry (MGM day), perhaps a TS breakfast at MK, and maybe the little eatery in the back lobby of the Swan on your AK day. It has cereal, coffee, pastries in the morning - quick but a little pricey for what you get. Otherwise, if you want eggs/bacon in the morning, you've also got the option of room service. We have done this. We simply ordered one omlette and it was quite a bit of food. Pricey, but quick, as the food was delivered while we were getting ready.