Here I go again... Swan or Dolphin???

[01Sweetpea]

After everyone's RAVES about the Swan, I convinced my husband that we should stay there over POR. Was deciding between standard room or lakeview room with AAA rate, when a friend mentioned about the Entertainment book, which I get every year. Look it up, and sure enough Swan/Dolphin are listed. Call, and the rates for Dolphin with Entertainment are LOWER than AAA rates at the Swan (by about $15 per night)!!

So, where would you stay?

Also, concierge...is it worth it? It would cost us about $475 extra for the trip, which is $17 per day per person. Not sure we would eat $17 worth of food for breakfast/evening snacks, but is the convenience worth it? My kids (11 & 8) aren't big breakfast eaters. Give them some bagels/donuts/cereal and they are happy.

Thanks again!

 

[Trekker]

I've stayed at both of these hotels several times - here is what I know (or think I know!)

Swan is smaller - Dolphin larger (ergo: more walking)
Swan has queen beds - dolphin has full size
Swan is completely renovated - Dolphin is in the process (read Heavenly Beds )
Dolphin has Tubbie's - open 24 hrs for eating
Swan has Kimono's - kareoki (sp?)club

You will not be disappointed with either one!

 

[SamanthaL]

I would go with the swan because of the queen size beds and the renovation. Once the Dolphin is renovated I would probably give up the queen bed for the proximity to Tubbies.

 

[swilphil]

You really can't go wrong with either the Swan or the Dolphin. If you can get a renovated room at the Dolphin, I would go with that since it's a little cheaper and the Dolphin has things the Swan does not (Tubbi's, Dolphin Fountain, cool lobby, arcade, closer to the pool). The beds at the Dolphin are slightly larger than a double bed, but not as large as a queen. Someone posted they are one inch smaller. We stayed at the Dolphin, and didn't notice the difference between the bed and our queen at home.

I personally wouldn't waste the money on concierage. For $17 a day PER PERSON I could find some decent restaurants to try. We did make a grocery stop on the way to the hotel from the airport and bought several snacks to keep in our room. We also bought a cooler, but you can get a key to the fridge in your room. I would highly recommend eating in the room for early mornings when you want to get to the parks.

 

[wld]

We recently stayed at the Swan and loved it. Visited the Dolphin while we were there and were glad we had picked the Swan.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Welcome to my world 01Sweetpea! I am literally driving myself and my family crazy trying to decide which resort to stay at. We've stayed at the Dolphin before and loved it, but thought we'd try something different so I booked the Swan. Now I've changed my reservations to the Dolphin because I decided I'd rather be in the same building as the laundry facilities and Tubbies. Had also rather be closer to the pool. I requested on my reservation to be in a renovated room, and then I also requested a complimentary upgrade. Doubt that I get the upgrade, but I think I have a good chance at getting a renovated room. If they were both renovated, I would definitely choose the Dolphin over the Swan because I like big and grand. If you prefer the smaller "boutique" hotel feel, then go to the Swan. Both are great and we will have a great time no matter which one! Now if I could just get the Beach Club off my list too (it's $300 more, but still tempting me), I'd be in business.

 

[hookedup]

Gee I went through this decision for my August trip this year - here is my 2 cents worth...

If you are going to be doing laundry during your trip - then I would choose the Dolphin. We usually do a load during our trip and I did not want to lug it over to the Dolphin from the Swan. It is not convenient for laundry. That being said - if laundry is not an issue to you then that is not a concern.

The Dolphin is a bit closer to the Grotto pool area but I did not find it to be inconvenient from the Swan.

True Tubbi's is at the Dolphin but that was not of interest to us so that did not matter, however if it is important to you to be close to a counter service food area then the Dolphin is more convenient.

The Swan was very convenient for a quick walk over to the Boardwalk and the boat service is easy from either S or D.

We were on Club Level at the Swan which I did enjoy - BUT- I would not pay $17 per person per day for it - it is a nice convenience but for that amount I would not think that it's worth it. I would order room service breakfast a few days as a treat and have it delivered early and head out for the day.

As far choosing one vs. the other - I think they are both great! I can't wait to go back and try the Dolphin!
Something to look forward to for next time right?