Cons to DIsney's Swan or Dolphin

[eeyore70disney]

Looking at booking a vacation next year and love the epcot area. I noticed that Swan and Dolphin resorts are much cheaper. Since I have never stayed or even visited these hotels, can you give me some pros and cons??
TIA!!

 

[nkereina]

They're not Disney owned properties (I think they may be Starwood operated?) so they do not have much Disney theming. They also have resort fees that are charged per night, so make sure that is factored into your total.

They do not have Magical Express but that's a moot point depending on when you travel. I believe the MK bus from Swan/Dolphin is also dropping people off at TTC now, though I'm not sure if that's a pandemic temporary change or something new going forward. They don't use Magic Bands to open room doors, and I believe you can't charge back to your room with MBs either.

In "normal" times, they also do not offer dining plans.

 

[Dave006]

Not many now the DME from / to the airport is going away in January. You don't get MBs and the ability to charge back to your room folio from the parks.

You can't us Disney Gift cards at the Swan & Dolphin and the new Swan Reserve (opens Sept. 1, 2021).

Some guests complain about a lack of Disney feel at the resorts but for me the location, location, location makes up for any theming shortfalls.

To us the biggest negative is when the Conventions and large groups return the resorts can be very busy during some parts of the day.

You still get Early entry when it returns as the new modified (30) minutes early at every park every day.

Dave

 

[sbristol]

We really like staying at S&D for our trips. The pools are wonderful and there are so many dining options on-site. I would say a big downside is the lack of Magic Bands. When staying on-property, we like to charge everything in the parks to our room and pay at the end of each day with a disney gift card... Not a huge issue though. We've had pretty positive experiences and the walking paths to Epcot & HS are totally worth it.

 

[chalee94]

I hate the resort fees and parking fees (although Disney Resorts have moved to join them in charging for parking).

I don't care about the DDP or magic bands.

The location for the relative price is very appealing.

Again, none of it is on the DDP but Kimonos has great sushi as onsite options go and I have had great experiences at the Garden Grove and Bluezoo. The Fountain isn't incredible but it's been solid for me for casual food and milkshakes.

 

[OKW Lover]

They're not Disney owned properties (I think they may be Starwood operated?)

That was the case. However, Starwood is now part of the Marriott family. Not that it matters for this discussion.

 

[Nabas]

Looking at booking a vacation next year and love the epcot area. I noticed that Swan and Dolphin resorts are much cheaper. Since I have never stayed or even visited these hotels, can you give me some pros and cons??
TIA!!

We are DVC members but enjoy the Swan and Dolphin from time-to-time.

Just remember to take into account their extra feeds, which are (I think):

• Resort Fee: $35 per day
• Parking: $25 per day

Swan and Dolphin are more "grown up" than most WDW hotels. The Riviera is probably the Disney hotel (DVC) that is most like the Swan & Dolphin.

 

[CinderellaDream]

One thing that has always turned us away from the Dolphin is their double beds as opposed to queens. With four people in the room that can make a big difference.

 

[Nabas]

One thing that has always turned us away from the Dolphin is their double beds as opposed to queens. With four people in the room that can make a big difference.

The Swan has queen beds, better setup than the Dolphin.

 

[MsThumper]

Following….we have the Dolphin booked for November. We always stay at Boardwalk or Yacht Club, but with the prices as they are this year on the Disney properties, we can get a larger room (king bed, alcove) at the Dolphin (even with the parking and added fees) for less than the Disney properties. Fingers crossed, we’re going to give it a try.

 

[EricLaurie]

On the plus side:
excellent price (even with resort fee)
fabulous location
really comfy beds
can use/earn Marriott points
amazing pools
some of best restaurants on site.

 

[jsbowl16]

The location is good but we usually stay at The Boardwalk and recently stayed at The Dolphin. We thought the Dolphin was good for the price but for some reason the walk back from Epcot at night seems miles longer to The Dolphin than to The Boardwalk. I know it is longer but felt like it was twice as long as the walk to The Boardwalk.

 

[Brett Wyman]

They are great business hotels, which is also their main negative. They feel like business hotels. But we’d stay there in a pinch due to the great pools, food options and walkability to two parks.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Looking at booking a vacation next year and love the epcot area. I noticed that Swan and Dolphin resorts are much cheaper. Since I have never stayed or even visited these hotels, can you give me some pros and cons??
TIA!!

We've stayed at the Swan and have always enjoyed it. I'd say the only negative for us is the buses as I prefer not having to deal with the TTC for MK but it never is a huge deal. We stayed there in late april and with our park hopping, we were able to avoid the TTC since we went to epcot first.

If using MB to charge to your room is a big deal than that could be a downer but outside of the buses and MB, I don't see any other negatives staying at S&D over a disney property especially while disney resort guests don't have many benefits over off site guests now.

Positives- The walk from S&D to epcot and DHS is wonderful. We usually take the BW or YC/BC buses back from the parks and you're not far from the friendship boats/skyliner and the disney buses at YC/BC and BW. I consider these resorts to be comparable to Disney deluxes so they're at a much better price point that BW/YC/BC and the rooms are a little bigger. Great dining, options, decent pools, good customer service and it's an actual hotel with valet, concierge and a lobby. For our trip in April the Swan was the same price as CBR. Not knocking CBR but it's a La Quinta with disney theming and pricing.

 

[rangerxenos]

If you book through Costco, the $35 a night resort fees are included in your reservation price, and you are only charged for 5 nights parking.

 

[ucf_knight]

To me there are 0 cons if you are staying there and driving your own vehicle. You’re gonna having walking access to two parks. Getting to AK is no different than getting there from any other resort. Getting to MK is always a hassle whether it’s from a bus or parking at TTC. “Disney magic” doesn’t seem to be lost on me at this resort as I can walk all around the boardwalk area with plenty of Disney stuff all around. And when you compare the prices of this resort to its neighbors it’s a no brainer.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

It’s definitely not important to some, but know that when Swan/dolphin room category says “no view” they are NOT kidding around. you will not be looking at a parking lot or mowed lawn, you will be overlooking a loading area with a bunch of dumpsters.

 

[Nabas]

It’s definitely not important to some, but know that when Swan/dolphin room category says “no view” they are NOT kidding around. you will not be looking at a parking lot or mowed lawn, you will be overlooking a loading area with a bunch of dumpsters.

Or the roof.

 

[emmabelle]

We’re staying at the Dolphin for 7 nights starting tomorrow! I hotwired it for $160 a night for a king bed. Could’ve had doubles for $140. Even with the resort fee it’s a great deal for the walkability to Epcot and HS. The theming is lacking somewhat but it’s still a very nice hotel.

 

[tinderbell&pixiedust]

We are staying at the Dolphin for the 50th. We were booked at Boardwalk then switched to Coronado then switched again to Dolphin. We are saving $400 over Coronado and $1600 over Boardwalk. We've never stayed here before but the location is what made the decision for us.