Meal Plan Question

[erinmomof2]

I'm trying to plan our first Disney family vacation and I'm wondering if it's possible to book a room at the Swan & Dolphin and still be able use the Disney Dining Plan. Or is the dining plan available only at the actual Disney resorts?

If it's not possible to book the Dining Plan at the Swan and Dolphin could anyone recommend a resort. We'll be on a budget and I'd like to know if it's worth the extra $$ to upgrade from a value resort to a moderate.

Thanks for any help.
Erin

 

[WDWBetsy]

It's only available at Disney-owned resorts, so unfortunately not at the Swan or Dolphin, Downtown Disney hotels or Shades of Green.

We've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Polynesian - I can definitely recommend any of them.

 

[indigoxtreme]

Yes it is worth the difference between value and moderate. Look at it as cost per day. You have a refrigerator in your room, coffee pot, a little larger room, pool slides, hot tubs etc. At POFQ you have a boat to DTD and POR is their sister resort so you can share amenities. POFQ is the smallest moderate, so everything is less than a 5 minutes walk from end to end. Yes you do share buses with POR some time. But POFQ is 1st on and 1st off. POR has 4 bus stops and POFQ has 1. Travel time is only about 10 - 12 minutes at the most. It is a beautiful resort and well worth the extra. Now if you are on a tight budget I would recommend POP, we have not stayed there but have visited it and from the recommendations on this board about it, I think it would be great. It does not share buses, but it is a large resort.

 

[wvdislover]

Is there a particular reason you want to stay at the Swan or Dolphin? I have stayed at the Dolphin a few times for business trips, and to me the Swan and Dolphin are just upscale hotels. They lack the Disney "magic" that you get at the other Disney resorts. Also, if you can afford the Swan or Dolphin, you should be able to easily afford the moderates (unless you're getting an incredible deal!). We have stayed at values and moderates and enjoyed both. We are staying at a deluxe for our next trip to try something different. We stayed at Pop last trip and would stay there again in a heartbeat. Last I heard, the dining plan was not available if you're staying at the Swan or Dolphin (they're not actually Disney-owned). Good luck!