Help Please... CBR or Swan/Dolphin

[Hockeymom#24]

Hi Everyone,

My son, a family friend and I are going to WDW Nov 20th-27th and we currently have a reservation at CBR. Our previous trip in March my son and I stayed at Yacht Club. We were spoiled by the location and being able to walk to 2 parks. I know CBR has the skyliner to the same 2 parks, but the lines for the skyliner have gotten quite long. I found a premier room at the Dolphin, where our friend would have the sofa bed in the living room, but I am worried that we will be losing some of the perks of staying at a true Disney resort. This Dolphin room is also $500 cheaper (even after the resort fee) than CBR. I am looking for advice on which one to pick. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

[imktdqt810]

I personally have never stayed at Swan/Dolphin but a friend of my was recently in the same situation between that and CBR (with extra savings at Swan as well). They were two families travelling to enjoy the parks together and they chose to switch to the Swan, her sister on the other hand stated they were "staying on Disney Property" and kept their ressie at CBR. My friend said it was SO MUCH better at the Swan. She said the fact of walking to the two parks and avoiding the Skyliner was a blessing within itself. She said that even one evening (when they went to HS then back to the Swan mid-day and hopped over to EPCOT that evening) her sister and family complained about not wanting to deal with the "lines" of the skyliner and wanted to go back to the Swan with her sister to relax. I guess the Skyliner was busy the whole time they were there and the morning they all met up at EPCOT they entered the park over an hour before her sister was able to catch one. So my suggestion (after hearing my friends' story) would be to save the money ($500 can go towards food itself) and pick the location that you can avoid the skyliner, unless you plan on riding it just to say you rode it! Best of luck on whatever you end up choosing!

 

[olive]

I would absolutely stay at the Dolphin without at second thought. We have stayed at the Dolphin and the Yacht Club. For little kids Stormalong Bay may be more exciting than the pool at the Dolphin, but I like the pool at Dolphin/Swan. I loved being able to walk to DHS and Epcot. If you want to hop on the skyliner for fun, you can! But a larger room for less money at a more convenient hotel?? Absolutely no question I would take it.

 

[Dave006]

Only major difference is no free transportation from / to the airport at the Swan & Dolphin. At CBR you would still have DME for your November trip.

Also you can't charge back to your hotel room from the parks no other real impactful differences. The Swan even has a Disney planning center / guest services section in their gift store. Currently the Dolphin store is still closed but should be back in service well before you trip.

In addition to walking to Epcot / DHS, taking a Friendship boat to both you can also catch the Disney Skyliner at the International Gateway at Epcot.

We also have a very active thread about the Swan & Dolphin here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...olphin-resorts-information-questions.3264274/
Dave

 

[MMR76]

I would choose the Dolphin because the ability to walk to 2 parks and avoid transportation is worth it. We’ve stayed at Contemporary, Beach Club twice and Swan several times. The Swan/Dolphin rooms are just as nice as a Disney Deluxe IMO. We love the Boardwalk/Epcot location. With the extra savings, I would absolutely stay at the Dolphin.

 

[Nabas]

We have stayed at all 4 resorts you mention.

The Swan & Dolphin certainly are more luxurious than CBR. If you have a car, I'd go with them. (I prefer the Swan but that's usually a few dollars per night more than the Dolphin.) If you don't have a car, the DME is a reason to consider CBR.

Some images from our March 2021 stay at the Swan.

 

[Dave006]

I am looking for advice on which one to pick. Any help would be appreciated.

Opps forgot one negative for the Swan & Dolphin. Last October they dropped Disney bus service. We still are not sure if it was Disney driven change or the Swan & Dolphin trying to save money. However the Friendship boats still service the Swan & Dolphin so the bus situation may change again this October or earlier.

The only park really impacted is the MK. The Mears buses can't use the Resort bus look right outside the MK but must drop you at the TTC and from there you catch a Monorail or Ferry to the MK.

Dave

 

[ucf_knight]

Hi Everyone,

My son, a family friend and I are going to WDW Nov 20th-27th and we currently have a reservation at CBR. Our previous trip in March my son and I stayed at Yacht Club. We were spoiled by the location and being able to walk to 2 parks. I know CBR has the skyliner to the same 2 parks, but the lines for the skyliner have gotten quite long. I found a premier room at the Dolphin, where our friend would have the sofa bed in the living room, but I am worried that we will be losing some of the perks of staying at a true Disney resort. This Dolphin room is also $500 cheaper (even after the resort fee) than CBR. I am looking for advice on which one to pick. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Dolphin for sure. We never feel we are out of the Disney bubble when we stay here. Especially when we can walk to two parks and have access to the boardwalk area and the other great hotels there to resort hop/dine. I don’t really know what perks you’d miss out on over CBR other than magical express.

 

[Meglen]

if you change from cbr to swan and have all your park passes set up will it mess with it since your no longer in the "disney resort" catagory

 

[Nabas]

if you change from cbr to swan and have all your park passes set up will it mess with it since your no longer in the "disney resort" catagory

Does the Disney system delete existing Park Passes?

 

[Dave006]

if you change from cbr to swan and have all your park passes set up will it mess with it since your no longer in the "disney resort" catagory

No the Swan & Dolphin are included in the Resort buck of Disney Park Passes. And the Park passes are actually tired to your tickets and not the resort once assigned.

Dave

 

[Dave006]

Does the Disney system delete existing Park Passes?

Yes as of last week Disney is sweeping the system and removing orphaned Disney Park Pass reservations that are no longer tied to a valid ticket entitlement.

Dave

 

[Robbydj13]

Hi Everyone,

My son, a family friend and I are going to WDW Nov 20th-27th and we currently have a reservation at CBR. Our previous trip in March my son and I stayed at Yacht Club. We were spoiled by the location and being able to walk to 2 parks. I know CBR has the skyliner to the same 2 parks, but the lines for the skyliner have gotten quite long. I found a premier room at the Dolphin, where our friend would have the sofa bed in the living room, but I am worried that we will be losing some of the perks of staying at a true Disney resort. This Dolphin room is also $500 cheaper (even after the resort fee) than CBR. I am looking for advice on which one to pick. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

It’s been years since I stayed at the Swan/Dolphin….back in high school actually when our choir performed at EPCOT and they gave us rooms there….quite the times.
Anyway, yes stay there! I love CBR, but the location of the S&D is worth it all!

 

[DCLMP]

Swan and Dolphin hands down.

 

[DCLMP]

if you change from cbr to swan and have all your park passes set up will it mess with it since your no longer in the "disney resort" catagory

No. They are linked to your tickets. You are fine. I have park passes and I haven't even linked my Dolphin reservation.

 

[Rosanne]

I've stayed at both. CBR twice and Swan and Dolphin once. I would totally go with S&D for so many reasons. You can walk to Epcot and HS faster than the skyliner. They treat you awesome. Great view. Right near Epcot. CBR is just too darn spread out. It's pretty but when you get stuck in a heavy rain you are just going to get really drenched getting to your room most of the time and the internal bus system is just the worst at CBR. Really it is a pretty resort and the rooms are nice. CMs are great. just not a fan of the bus system or the layout.

 

[Heather07438]

My niece Loves staying Swan or Dolphin. We haven’t tried it yet but have visited for food heehee. I’d choose them over CBR to save $500. Think of all the stuff you can do with that extra money. If the bus to MK is a hassle you can walk over to BW or YC bus stop.

However... I might leave our CBR reservation on the books for a while longer. And also book Swolphin if you’re locking in a good price (assuming both are refundable by certain date). Beside the perk of MDE, the announced early morning entry could potentially be a game changer if S&D isn’t included and it proves to be a great advantage.

 

[Belle83]

I enjoyed the Dolphin more than CBR but you can’t go wrong with either. But if Dolphin is cheaper definitely stay there. I wouldn’t avoid CBR just because of possible long Skyliner lines, and trying the Skyliner is tempting. But we had a fantastic experience at the Dolphin and it feels more luxurious and vacation-y to me. When we went though, Dolphin had all the perks except Magical Express so that is something to consider now but Disney is getting rid of most on-site parks anyway. You can also take buses from the parks to the Yacht Club and walk over.

 

[Dave006]

When we went though, Dolphin had all the perks except Magical Express so that is something to consider now but Disney is getting rid of most on-site parks anyway.

When the 30 minute early entry for On-Site guest at each park starts as we near th6 50th Anniversary Celebration the Swan, Dolphin and the Swan Reserve will be included.

Right now to space out guests each park is opening between 50 and 45 minutes before the scheduled opening time. Once things return to normal only On-Site guests will be able to get in early.

Dave

 

[maxiesmom]

Dolphin over CBR hands down. I've stayed at both, and it isn't even a close call.