holiday inn LBV or Disney resort?

[SwanVT2]

So the holiday inn LBV has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. We are looking into swan dolphin or Disney resort for first trip with toddler. Does anyone have experience with this resort vs Disney? I think with disney the perk you are paying for is being on site. I've read some reviews for Disney resorts and swan that make me question cleanliness. Thoughts? Tia!

 

[RexyGirl]

I only have experience with staying at the Dolphin, so I can only comment on that. I too read many reviews that were complaints about the hotel. I booked b/c I got a good deal (going back 5 years ago). I had no problems. Thought our room was clean. Booked through a local travel agent, so maybe they got me a good one? I don't know. Things could have changed in the last 5 years, but I liked the place. Considering again too. There is an added resort fee though and you have to pay for parking, but we didn't have a car.

 

[wendybeth75]

My Vote....Disney resort all the way! We love staying onsite and find the vacation to be more relaxing. I say if you can afford it, go for it!

 

[BellsFam]

I've actually done all with toddlers, so I might be able to help...

Swan - I chose this over Dolphin, beds are Queen Dolphin's are fulls... clean room, clean hotel, but not really "Disney", walking distance to Boardwalk that was fun!

LONG walk to Epcot. Restaurants in Swan are $$$ to get to the "cheaper" restaurant you have to go through the resort over to the Dolphin...

W/toddler - bus ride to MK is LONG to say the least, we found we were better to take the boat to EP (w/park hopper pass) go into EP, walk out to transport center and monorail to MK (yes, the bus ride is that long that it made all that worth it, often by the time the bus got to us, it was already full)... (P.S. can't depend on that way home for extra magic hour days)...

Pools at Swan - very unhappy... didn't use them... didn't go to Dolphin pool so no comments on that one...

I stayed at a downtown Disney hotel right across street from Hilton... buses are again LONG... long waits for them to arrive, very full! We once took a bus to downtown Disney (from MK) and then walked 2miles to hotel, bus lines were so bad! - However it fit in budget... again, not "Disney" themed...

If going back to hotel during the day is not a big deal, then save the funds for something else and go with either resort... if it is...then I suggest staying closer to or on property...

DD age 3 (both times) would have had more fun in a "Disney" themed hotel, she napped a LOT in stroller while we wandered parks, (I took a change of clothes each day to refresh her, made for LONG days!), I would have liked to be closer to go back and forth between hotel and parks... but it all worked in budget...

AoA has their own dedicated bus system, as does another Value, I'd look into those...

*I stayed at Poly in 2004, convenience out-weighed price, we traveled with a 6 yr old (nephew)at the time, went back to the hotel frequently, (having that monorail paid for the resort)... mid-afternoon because of heat, pool is awesome, then back to the parks for night time fun... Same with Beach Club, bus to MK but wasn't as bad... boat to Epcot or walking distance... spent a LOT of time on the Boardwalk...

 

[SwanVT2]

Thanks bellsfam. That was helpful. I like the idea of returning to the hotel in the afternoon to recooperate. We always stayed at swan pre baby and found it clean and beautiful but it is always good to get the newest reviews. Wilderness looks tempting with the boat to MK if we can spring for it.

 

[oneprincessjo]

We actually just stayed at that Holiday Inn for one night before checking into Bay Lake Tower... you are referring to the one in downtown Disney??? We loved it, we were very surprised at how much we loved it especially the short walk to downtown disney. We are DVC owners, but my husband and I said we would definitely stay an entire week one year if we wanted to save our points. It was very clean, our room was facing downtown disney and we could actually see the magic kingdom fireworks from our room as well. It was too cold to use the pool when we were there, but it looked very nice. I highly recommend it.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express LBV for one night when we arrived a day earlier than planned (we were driving and ended up leaving early and made great time). It was very nice. In fact, we were regretting not staying there the whole trip because the room was ENORMOUS, it had a nice balcony, the pool was pretty and the breakfast buffet was amazing--much more than the average Holiday Inn Express. We were quite happy there.

But once we checked in at our onsite hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter), we were very glad to be staying there and I have to say that the overall atmosphere at a Disney resort is completely different than staying at "just a hotel" somewhere else. That's what keeps us coming back.