Dolphin/Swan & Beach Club

[poonchkie]

New to board and haven't been to Disney in ages. I have a 5 part question, any help with any part would be appreciated. My group consists of me and my wife, my in-laws (grampa has a bad leg and probably won't enter the parks) and a 6 year daughter and a nearly 3 year old son.

A) I have narrowed the time of year to go to either early/mid November or early/mid February. What are the pros and cons for each time regarding attendance, ride and attraction closures, weather and pool lounging and swimming, and anything else that might come into play.

B) Is the Beach Club almost three times better than the Swan and Dolphin? I can get govt rate for $129 at the S/D, or the somewhat nicer Beach Club at $379. The Beach Club does not seem to discount much so would the hefty increase in nightly rate be worth it, or is the $129 just too good to pass up?

C) In addition to the above quoted $129 standard room at the S/D, I can get $199 at the Concierge/Club level room. Are the upgrades worth the extra $70?

D) Whats the difference between the Swan and Dolphin? Would like to be closer to the grotto pool, boardwalk, restaurants; the less walking the better for grampa.

E) What and where are the best rooms in either the S/D or the Yacht and Beach Club? Outside balcony with view of Epcot fireworks would be great, close to pool, close to elevator, hope to book two adjoining rooms, corner rooms if better, or any other bit of information.

I realize I am asking for a lot of information but everybody seems to really enjoy sharing any and all info they pick up. This board has been extremely helpful.

 

[MichiganMommy]

I can help with a few of your questions. We just returned (me, DH, DS4 and DS7)

A) Feb or Nov? We've never gone in Nov. We've been there in late Jan/early Feb and just back from a trip that was Feb 21-28. The late Jan/1st week in Feb was slightly less crowded most rides were walk-ons most of the time. But crowds weren't bad last week either. MK was crowded later in the day (25 min wait for Pooh Bear, 25 min for Buzz, 45 min for Thunder Mtn). FASTPASS helped a lot when we could make use of them.

B) Never stayed at BC but we were at the Swan last week. You might get a better rate on BC as it gets closer. I believe early/mid Nov is a pretty slow time. We chose the Swan over one of the disney properties because it was about $100/nt cheaper.

C) We were able to upgrade to club level at the Swan using starwood pts for 3 of our 4 nights. The club was really nice. Probably not worth $70 extra unless you really make use of it. Last wk they were charging $50 extra. They had to do a wierd thing with our bill in order for us to upgrade, so they charged us the CL rate and then refunded the extra on the last day.

Breakfast was from 7-10 am (10:30 on Sunday) and consisted of: little boxes of cereal, bagels, english muffins, bread for toast, (toaster was available), little 4 oz yogurts, OJ, coffee, tea, milk and an impressive tray of muffins, crossants, and other pastries. There was also a huge fruit tray with melon and berries and a bowl of bananas. They had foam coffee cups with lids so you could take coffee with you. They also had several newspapers (NY TIMES, orlando paper and USA Today). WS Journal was avail for free at the front desk.

Club is closed from 10-5.

From 5-7 they have free appetizers. We were only there briefly for this one day and it was after dinner so we didn't eat anything. They had a cheese tray, cookies, something hot (little phyllo triangles with something inside), and probably other things I can't recall. Beer was $3.75 for heinikin and wine was $4 a glass. They also had cans of coke/diet coke and sprite. Bottled water was always out also.

The lounge stays open until 9:30 with coffee/hot chocolate, and canned pop. A couple of nights there were still cookies out when we stopped by at 8/8:30. Yum!

D) Dolphin is definitely closer to the grotto pool, but it is still a walk to get there. If you plan on going to Tubbys (24 hr cafe and conv store) that is in the Dolphin also. In the Swan the club was at the east end of the building.

E) Can't tell you much here. In the Swan, you had to go the the middle of the building to go out to the boat launch, boardwalk or grotto pool, so being close the the middle of the building would minimize walking. They are huge hotels!

Hope this helps!

 

[Mitla96]

Hi, we are just back from the Swan also. The Beach Club has a pool that many consider the best in Disney Resorts-it has a sand bottom and I believe it is zero entry-that may be good for your little ones.

However, the grotto pool at the S/D has a sand playground also.

We specifically chose the Swan because of the $129 rate. The location is basically the same as the Beach Club as far as proximity to Epcot. We walked back to our room after the Illuminations fireworks in 15 minutes. This is a tremendous benefit.

I agree with Michigan Mommy that access to Tubbies (in the Dolphin) is a benefit of the Dolphin over the Swan. There are no machines with snacks in any of the Disney resorts, evidently. However, there is a little kiosk in the lobby of the Swan open in the morning for breakfast food to take to the food with croissants, muffins, cereal, milk cartons, juice cartons, coffee and Krispy Kremes-we didn't feel deprived without the CL breakfast and never paid more than $20/morning for our breakfast for 4-and had KK's left over to eat later. But we don't eat big breakfasts as a rule, and were planning on eating a big lunch at a World Showcase (Epcot) restaurant.

For us, money WAS an object, so we went for the nicest room possible in the hotel with the best location we could afford. We were given a complimentary upgrade to a lake/resort view, but I think we would have been okay with a lesser view because we didn't spend much time in the room. With your grandfather not going with you to the parks, do you think you might want to think about upgrading to a suite instead of opting for the food? I don't know how much this would cost.

The S/D has equal benefits with the BC as far as buying Disney tickets, early entry, and transportation to the parks.

Be sure to check Deb's Disney site-there is a lot of information here:
http://www.wdwig.com/

I think she has history of weather for the months you mentioned.

It was beautiful at WDW two weeks ago-72 degrees with a mild breeze-perfect! (It is 32 and snowing here now

Janet in Michigan

 

[goofymom23]

We have been both times of the year, the benefit to November I think is that the pool is used more. At least by us we don't like cold water or weather so the pool is still quite warm from the summer months, in Feb it has lost some warmth because of the cooler weather. It is still nice temperature wise both times, but Feb has more of a chance of getting a cold snap.

We don't think the CL level is worth the price, the Dolphin is very nice and for the money you can't beat it. The BC is expensive and we don't think you see the difference. We would rather spend the money on other things around Orlando. There is also always a chance of a free upgrade to the CL level at the Dolphin if you are a Starwood Preferred Member.

Hope this helps, you will love it at Disney it is the best place of all!

 

[Bimmy56]

I agree about the Club Level. We received it with a free upgrade last year. Although it was nice to have a quick breakfast in the morning , that was the only time during the day that we used it, and it certainly would not have been worth 50-70 dollars just for breakfast. We were never in the hotel between 5-7 for the evening snack.

However, if you're lucky enough to get it as an upgrade, it is GREAT!

 

[Piper]

I would like to post something for you to think about so "grandpa" can enjoy the parks, too. Rent an ecv from one of the outside contractors. There are so many things he will be able to see and do. I need to use one to get around at WDW and it is wonderful! I rent from Walker and they have it at my hotel when I arrive and pick it up after I leave.

Most of the rides, he will go through the queue with the family and can either board with the ecv or walk on the ride and sit in regular seating. One thing I like about it is that using an ecv lets me leave the group to go back to the hotel when I get tired.

I also use Disney transportation and have no problems.

Check out the disAbilities board for lots more information--including information on the places where you can rent the ecvs (you can also get them in the parks--but that wouldn't help when wanting to stroll the boardwalk, etc.

Also, I plan to stay at the Dolphin on my next trip. I think it is a great value at the discounted rate!

 

[stringercapecod]

I have stayed at both the Dolphin (twice) and the Beach Club once. The Beach Club is definitely not worth the difference in price you are talking about however we stayed there for 169.00 a night (AP discount) in July 1999,so discounts are a possibility.
I found the Beach Club rooms to be noisier than the Dolphin. Hallway noise, telephone conversation in the room next door, plumbing sounds, etc.
We just returned from the Dolphin 2/24 and I thought the room was due for the remodel that is to begin soon (sagging bed, old looking bedspreads, marred, dinged furniture). We did get a complimentary upgrade as Starwood Gold members. We could have had Club level but decided to take the balcony room instead. It was nice to sit out and have lunch or just open the door for some fresh air.
The water in the pool was chilly. The kids went in no problem but I had no desire to. I think Nov. would be better if your planning on a lot of pool time.
Definitely look into some wheels for Grandpa. He'll probably say it's too much bother but I think he would have a wonderful time around either of the hotels, the Boardwalk and EPCOT.
Sorry this is sooo long...
Best of luck in your planning.

 

[Alexander]

We too just returned from the Dolphin. Tubbi's and the grotto pool are located in and nearest to, the west wing. We were on the 11th floor with a fabulous view of EPCOT and MGM. We could see the fireworks from both of their evening shows. Yes, the pool was cool. November would probably be warmer.

We have a four year old and I did not want a room with a balcony because of that. Just one more thing to worry about. Something you may want to consider with a 6 and 3 year old.

Michigan Mommy,
How many Starwood points do you need to upgrade to CL? We are returning for 2 nights in April, and I had talked to DH about doing this.

 

[WDW2000]

I have stayed at the BC, Swan , & Dolphin. NO way is the Beach Club worth an extra $200/nt. Though, I do think it is a nicer resort, it's not worth the extra money. If I were to chose between the Swan or the Dolphin it would depend on who is traveling with me. The Swan tends to have more an "adult" feeling, and is definitely more quiet than the Dolphin. The Dolphin is better if you have kids. (More "Kid friendly" IMO) They are both equally close to the Grotto Pool, which I personaly like better than The BC pool. The 24hr cafeteria at Dolphin is really nice also if you want a late or early morning snack. Another thing to consider is that the Swan has been completely rennovated and the Dolphin has just begun rennovations.

As far as Club Level is concerned, it is not worth extra $70/nt unless you have a group of 4 or more in one room. I mean seriously you can have a nice sit-down meal for a family every day at that price. With the AP rate, I was able to get CL for just $20 more a night - so in that case it was definitely worth it.

Bottom line, the differences are very slight so matter where you stay I think you will be completely happy, but if $$ is an issue, skip the BC.

 

[poonchkie]

Thanks for all the information! This board is incredible with the amount of unbiased feedback available. By the way, we think we have it narrowed down to

Dolphin
regualr room $129
November
electric cart for grandpa if he will accept

 

[Mitla96]

That sounds good, Poonchkie! I am really wishing I had my trip ahead of me instead of behind me-it was @#$%$#ing -1 degrees here today!

Sad Janet in Michigan

P.S. Be sure to check out Beaches and Cream when you are there-the burgers are old fashioned ones and delicious-here is a funny link on their Kitchen Sink sundae-with all your family there, you could attempt it!

http://www.magictrips.com/dining/kitchensink.shtml