December Married Couple Trip

[Sean81995]

Hi there. New to the message boards.

My wife and I are considering doing a trip the week before Christmas this year. Just us (we don't have kids). Thinking of doing the first part of the trip at Universal (maybe portofino) and second on Disney property. From what I can see, it looks like the Swan/Dolphin is by far and away the best deal...

Is there something I'm missing as to why that is? Do guests of those hotels not get the same perks as official Disney resorts? I was looking at Gran Destino tower at Coronado too but the Swan/Dolphin is almost $100/night less than that with AAA. In my experiences if something seems too good to be true then it usually is, so I want to make sure I'm not missing something.

Thanks!

 

[ucf_knight]

The resort fee would be the only other thing you may not have seen. Since Disney is charging for parking at all resorts the parking fee here doesn’t matter really any more. This is our usual go to resort when we stay at Disney. You get two parks that you can walk to for a significant discount compared to the other properties in the same vicinity. I highly recommend staying here. I’m positive you’ll love it. Also you can book this resort with credit card points if you have an Amex. Not sure about other cards but this is also a big plus for us since we don’t have anything out of pocket so to speak when staying here.

 

[CMPJETCMP]

Our family just visited WDW last month and stayed at both Swan and CSR. We typically stay at CSR if staying moderate. This last trip I found the Swan to have more dining opportunities available than CSR, less costly per night than CSR, and the proximity of Swan to Epcot and Hollywood Studios has me rethinking our future trips. You won't be disappointed at Swan or Dolphin.

 

[Dug720]

My issue with them would be I don't like Marriott. If they were owned by Hilton or Hyatt I'd be more likely to consider them - I have just had bad Marriott experiences in the past (not at these two) and would pretty much stay at anything other than a Marriott property (anything Gaylord being my other "no way" property).

 

[Marthasor]

The Swan is lovely. Comfortable rooms and fantastic location - walking distance to two parks (or a boat or Skyliner ride to DHS), fantastic restaurants at the resort plus ability to walk to restaurants around the Boardwalk. Nice pool complex and access to other recreation activities (mini-golf right across the street). There used to be a few perks with the resort stay as well - s'mores in the evening, a free Swan boat rental (I'm not sure if this is still the case with covid). Simply due to proximity to DHS and EP, I would always pick the Swan over CSR, hands down.

 

[Sean81995]

The resort fee would be the only other thing you may not have seen. Since Disney is charging for parking at all resorts the parking fee here doesn’t matter really any more. This is our usual go to resort when we stay at Disney. You get two parks that you can walk to for a significant discount compared to the other properties in the same vicinity. I highly recommend staying here. I’m positive you’ll love it. Also you can book this resort with credit card points if you have an Amex. Not sure about other cards but this is also a big plus for us since we don’t have anything out of pocket so to speak when staying here.

Thanks for this. I was wondering if swan/dolphin guests don’t get the same park reservation windows or fast pass windows (whenever that comes back). Even with the resort fee it seems that a room with a balcony at swan or dolphin is cheaper than gran destino. It’s just crazy to me that the disney branding on hotels is worth so much more per night.

 

[Sean81995]

Our family just visited WDW last month and stayed at both Swan and CSR. We typically stay at CSR if staying moderate. This last trip I found the Swan to have more dining opportunities available than CSR, less costly per night than CSR, and the proximity of Swan to Epcot and Hollywood Studios has me rethinking our future trips. You won't be disappointed at Swan or Dolphin.

Thanks!

 

[Blondie58]

Couple traveling alone......... The spa at Swan/Dolphin is awesome. A nice splurge for a Christmas visit. Also Costco has packages for Swan and Dolphin. (Or used to.) You get a gift card kickback for Costco and there is nothing "less than" because you have gone through Costco Travel. We have booked several adventures via Costco. (We too are going to WDW for a couples only trip in December. I think you will have a great time!!) Couples only: We also enjoy the Sunday Brunch at California Grill. There are also wine tasting and bourbon tasting experiences on property if you enjoy that type of thing. We have enjoyed Marceline to Magic, Backstage Magic, and Keys to the Kingdom tours when as a couple at WDW.

 

[jabrown40]

Our go to place as two adults also is Swan Dolphin. Rooms are great, and the perks are the same. The only thing that I noticed that is different is the buses to the Swan Dolphin are no longer thru Disney. That wasn't an issue for us because we use Lyft or Uber now, instead of renting a car like we did in the past. You can still use the boats to get to Epcot or HS. Or walk. I hate the wait for buses. Another hotel we are considering is the Waldorf, but its definitely away from the parks a bit.

 

[Blondie58]

Our go to place as two adults also is Swan Dolphin. Rooms are great, and the perks are the same. The only thing that I noticed that is different is the buses to the Swan Dolphin are no longer thru Disney. That wasn't an issue for us because we use Lyft or Uber now, instead of renting a car like we did in the past. You can still use the boats to get to Epcot or HS. Or walk. I hate the wait for buses. Another hotel we are considering is the Waldorf, but its definitely away from the parks a bit.

And gondolas are in that area too. There is a map of the stops if you google "gondolas at WDW". A lot more fun than busses when on property.

 

[Sean81995]

Couple traveling alone......... The spa at Swan/Dolphin is awesome. A nice splurge for a Christmas visit. Also Costco has packages for Swan and Dolphin. (Or used to.) You get a gift card kickback for Costco and there is nothing "less than" because you have gone through Costco Travel. We have booked several adventures via Costco. (We too are going to WDW for a couples only trip in December. I think you will have a great time!!) Couples only: We also enjoy the Sunday Brunch at California Grill. There are also wine tasting and bourbon tasting experiences on property if you enjoy that type of thing. We have enjoyed Marceline to Magic, Backstage Magic, and Keys to the Kingdom tours when as a couple at WDW.

Thanks for all the tips! I just checked out Costco... I think we'd do that if we knew there wasn't a chance we needed to cancel or change the trip (because of work, covid, etc.). But it's looking more and more like the right place to stay and my wife definitely wants a spa day...

 

[Sean81995]

Our go to place as two adults also is Swan Dolphin. Rooms are great, and the perks are the same. The only thing that I noticed that is different is the buses to the Swan Dolphin are no longer thru Disney. That wasn't an issue for us because we use Lyft or Uber now, instead of renting a car like we did in the past. You can still use the boats to get to Epcot or HS. Or walk. I hate the wait for buses. Another hotel we are considering is the Waldorf, but its definitely away from the parks a bit.

yeah the only bummer is i guess there's no direct line to the magic kingdom but we would be renting a car. We went toward the end of 2017 last and since then it feels like most of the new stuff is in either epcot or studios so it feels appropriate to be closest to those parks.

 

[Blondie58]

Thanks for all the tips! I just checked out Costco... I think we'd do that if we knew there wasn't a chance we needed to cancel or change the trip (because of work, covid, etc.). But it's looking more and more like the right place to stay and my wife definitely wants a spa day...

You are welcome. Have a great time. If you do the Sunday Brunch at CA Grill don't forget to get a couple extra pieces of bacon that goes into the Bloody Mary's. It is so deluxe! Also book as soon as the booking window opens or you will never get a reservation. If you get the first reservations of the day you may request a window seat and have full view of Magic Kingdom while dining. Also if you save your receipt you can go back at night and see the fireworks from the walk for free on top of the Contemporary Resort. Music and all is piped in. (Of course, they have to add back fireworks for this to be a perk.) Also, I have found the best times at the spa book quickly.

 

[Sean81995]

You are welcome. Have a great time. If you do the Sunday Brunch at CA Grill don't forget to get a couple extra pieces of bacon that goes into the Bloody Mary's. It is so deluxe! Also book as soon as the booking window opens or you will never get a reservation. If you get the first reservations of the day you may request a window seat and have full view of Magic Kingdom while dining. Also if you save your receipt you can go back at night and see the fireworks from the walk for free on top of the Contemporary Resort. Music and all is piped in. (Of course, they have to add back fireworks for this to be a perk.) Also, I have found the best times at the spa book quickly.

Thanks. Do you know how i can find out when my booking window opens?

 

[Blondie58]

Currently dining reservations may be made 60 days prior to your visit. (Dining reservations used to be open 180 days prior to visits.) We keep an eye on "things" to monitor changes. We are still hoping for concierge floors to be open for booking and fast passes to be reinstated before our next visits. If you do go to Cali Grill for brunch and fireworks have not be reinstated you should still take the opportunity to go out on the outdoor walk at the top of the Contemporary before leaving. You will have a great view of MK and beyond from that vantage point.