Moderate vs Dolphin (Swan & Dolphin)

[Pluto777]

What do you think folks? If the price is about the same are you better off at AOA, CBR, or maybe Pop Century, or the Dolphin for a family stay at WDW? All opinions welcome..

 

[Disneylover99]

If the Dolphin was the same price as any of those hotels, I’d choose the Dolphin for its location.

 

[DanceDisney23]

AOA and Pop are values, not moderates. If the price is equal, including resort fees, I’d go with Swolphin. Walking distance/boat/skyliner to two parks and deluxe extra evening hours.

But that’s me. It might be different for you depending on the size and ages in your family.

 

[Pluto777]

AOA and Pop are values, not moderates. If the price is equal, including resort fees, I’d go with Swolphin. Walking distance/boat/skyliner to two parks and deluxe extra evening hours.

But that’s me. It might be different for you depending on the size and ages in your family.

Price is not EXACTLY equal, but 'swolphin' is marginally (about 60 p night) more.. and AOA & Pop are also on the skyliner, yes?

 

[byurick]

Price is not EXACTLY equal, but 'swolphin' is marginally (about 60 p night) more.. and AOA & Pop are also on the skyliner, yes?

They are but you can walk to Epcot with swolphin (which matters to some people). Are you renting a car? Swolphin charges extra for parking. Wasn't sure if that was factored into your 60/night math.

 

[DanceDisney23]

Price is not EXACTLY equal, but 'swolphin' is marginally (about 60 p night) more.. and AOA & Pop are also on the skyliner, yes?

Correct, all of these are skyliner resorts, at different levels: value, moderate, deluxe. AOA and Pop are at the very end of the skyliner line, and neither of them are in walking distance to any parks or sit down restaurants.

It looks like skyliner access is important to you, so that’s covered. What else? Price? $60 a night adds up. Amenities? Distance to parks? Room size and configuration?

 

[Neener16]

I have stayed at Swan/Dolphin a couple times and didn’t like being outside the Disney bubble. If location to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is important then I guess it would be worth it. I’d rather stay at a moderate on Disney property, but that’s just me.

 

[Miffy]

I have stayed at Swan/Dolphin a couple times and didn’t like being outside the Disney bubble. If location to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is important then I guess it would be worth it. I’d rather stay at a moderate on Disney property, but that’s just me.

^^^^This.^^^^
I stayed at the Swan once and was not amused. I felt like I was at a nice hotel in Anywhere, USA. I like feeling like I'm at WDW. However, if the price was significantly less than where I wanted to stay (usually POFQ), then I might consider it. But I'd probably end up rejecting it!

 

[patty57]

I'm a big Swan & Dolphin fan. Really nice hotels, with very good dining options. It's all about the location.

 

[elvispursley]

Hands down Swolphin for the location/walkability not to mention the food options are way better than any of the other resorts that OP mentioned (CBR is the only moderate listed, the others are values on the sklyliner). The smaller footprint of Swan and Swan Reserve are winners for me and I much prefer the pool at Dolphin--way more seating/shaded seating. And I'll take the perks of EEH that a deluxe resort gives you. Personally, if it's just an adults trip, I'd prefer a little less in-tour-face theming but if younger kids are coming, I can easily make the case for the more theming the better.

 

[Rory607]

I agree it depends on what is important to you. It won’t “feel” like Disney, but not everyone cares about that part. The location of Swan/Dolphin is great. You are close to two parks and lots of restaurants. If it was a kid-free trip, I would choose it solely based on those factors. But with the family, I’d go with a Disney resort. My kids get just as excited for the resort as they do the parks because they’re not generic hotels.

 

[gottalovepluto]

More details needed @Pluto777 How many people? Ages of kids? Are you night owls looking for deluxe hours? These are key as they tell you how many bathrooms you need, will double beds be ok (Dolphin is double) and if the lack of theming could be compensated by Deluxe benefits.

 

[Mrs.Milo]

We’ve stayed at all Swolfin-area 3 hotels, prefer the Swan, and it’s all about the location and the many restaurant choices. That includes the Disney resorts restaurants close by, and the ease of taking the boat to the Studios or Epcot. I would certainly try it once if you can, no contest. And the Dolphin lobby is absolutely fabulous.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Another few things to remember, make sure you are factoring in the mandatory resort fee and parking fee if you are bringing a car.

The buses to MK, AK, and DS are not Disney buses and have a different pick-up/drop-off area. To use Disney buses, you can walk over to BW or YC.

You cannot use your Magicband(if you have them) to charge back to your room or open your room door.

While they do have a lot of dining options, these are primarily table service. If you are a big fan of food court or general counter service for meals at the resort, Swalphin is lacking, IMO. That is true as well for all of the hotels around Crescent Lake.

 

[HeiHei2018]

We choose Swolphin over moderates and will be staying there next trip. We love walking back from Epcot after fireworks. We also find boats more relaxing than buses. The grandparents will have more resort time this trip, and the boardwalk gives them more options than our usual all stars.

 

[hardcorestitch]

What do you think folks? If the price is about the same are you better off at AOA, CBR, or maybe Pop Century, or the Dolphin for a family stay at WDW? All opinions welcome..

I’d go for anything but Dolphin. It will be well worth it to remain in bubble. Dolphin just isn’t Disney… more like Marriott. Luckily, no matter which mentioned resort you choose, all dining is accessible either through the Disney Skyliner and other Disney Transport services…

 

[Dave006]

Dolphin just isn’t Disney… more like Marriott.

Well that makes sense since the Dolphin is a Marriott Hotel.

Dave

 

[LoveDaisy]

I would pick swolphin. The location is great, my favorite resort is boardwalk, I love the area but I have lots of Marriott points and we have stayed at swolphin many times. I don’t enjoy the values, they are too busy for me. The moderates in general are too large for me. I also don’t enjoy the motel style set up of the values and moderates. We stayed at values and moderates when the kids were little. They did like the over the top theming, I found it a bit much.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think of being outside the Disney bubble when I leave Disney property, not when I’m still in the heart of it at somewhere like Swan and Dolphin. We’ve had many great stays at the Dolphin and it’s an amazing place - night and day from the values and can easily hold a candle to the mods and deluxes, as well. Has so much to offer, including many great places to eat, things to do (spa, gym, swan boats, basketball court, etc.), and a fantastic pool complex. There used to be 24hr room service but it looks like that has changed now and only goes to midnight, someone correct me if I’m wrong. Heavenly Beds truly are heavenly. On one trip I fell soundly asleep every time I stretched out, and I’m a horrible sleeper, it was hysterical.

The thing that started pricing us out was the combined Resort and Parking fees, which can raise daily costs quite a bit. (Can someone post what they are exactly today, please?) Still, if the price was right, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again. Another change is buses dropping off at the TTC, that was never the case for us before. Not sure why that change, Sheraton and Marriott did WDW a favor building there at a time when WDW wasn’t doing so well and needed a boost, they shouldn’t now treat their guests like second class citizens. I know I’ve seen in the past when Stormalong Bay was down, guests there were allowed to use the Swan/Dolphin pool, so they are cooperative even if owned by different companies.

The long and short of it is, if the price makes sense and there’s room availability, I say go for it, you might be pleasantly surprised. We’ve had some interesting rooms at the Dolphin that were really spacious and nice, with amazing views of the other resorts and fireworks, and sometimes a nice deck, etc. Their rollaway beds are huge and more comfortable than regular cots, as well, if you need an extra sleep surface (there is an up charge but worth it).

 

[Dave006]

The thing that started pricing us out was the combined Resort and Parking fees, which can raise daily costs quite a bit. (Can someone post what they are exactly today, please?)

Are you sitting down?

Self-Parking (Registered Guest): $40 + tax per night. Resort Fee is $50 + tax per night.

Dave