Need help w/ indecision on Swan vs AKL!

[Miffy]

Hello everyone and TIA for your good words. I need them!

Here's the thing: Right now my dh & I are booked for 9 nights at the Swan in the beginning of December at a terrific AP rate. We originally booked our rooms there because there weren't AP rates in December for the WDW resorts, but, of course, now there are. Even when the AP rates were released, we stuck with the Swan, sure we were happy with our decision: heavenly beds, great location, etc.

Ok, so what's the problem? Here it is: We just came back from a long weekend in New Orleans (highly recommended as a vacation destination for a WDW fan, btw--what a terrific city) and whilst there we stayed at a perfectly nice, well-appointed, comfortable, spacious, excellently-located-for-us hotel with a very accommodating and friendly staff. Sounds good, doesn't it? BUT, if we had been booked to stay in this absolutely fine place for 9 nights, I would've been crying. Why? The hotel and our room in it had zero atmosphere. I kept thinking: What if the Swan is like this? I'll be miserable! And I also noticed that even though we only had 3 days in New Orleans, we spent part of one of them at a zoo....hmmm....maybe I like seeing animals, huh?

We know we love AKL, but because we just stayed there this past January, we thought we should try something new. Now I'm not so sure. I'm thinking "something new" should be a view of a different savannah, maybe. And, just to muck the whole thing up further, we were also briefly considering WL...but we'd rejected it because we often eat dinner at the "cheap" restaurant at our resort and I hear that the Roaring Forks has a kind of small selection of food, esp. compared to the Mara, which has a small enough selection, but is certainly adequate.

Well, I haven't even called CRO (or is that WDTC in room-only mode?) yet to see if anything's available. My impression is that the AP rate for AKL is quite similar to the AP rate we're paying for the Swan, so $$ is probably not at issue. Room availability may be, though.

Any and all help, advice, information, encouragement, insight is very much appreciated.

Thanks again --miffy--

 

[Letsbgoofy]

If you split your stay between the two resorts you will get the best of both worlds. AKL has the animals and great theming, the Swan has more activities due to its location. As much as I love the AKL, there isn't much to do there (no boats, bikes, etc.)

 

[Miffy]

Letsbgoofy Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated.

I know what you mean about activities and it's one of the reasons we picked the Swan. We particularly enjoy mini-golf. However, we split our stay the last time we were at WDW and I vowed never to do it again since I found out that I prefer staying put--something I didn't realize until I tried it the other way!

--miffy--

 

[Lewski709]

My vote is AKL, mainly because it is Disney owned. Just my 2 cents. I found watching the animals to never get dull. The pool is great at AKL too. If you aren't concerned with resort activities, go back to AKL.

It's Disney..............it's GREAT.

 

[Miffy]

Lewski709 I couldn't agree with you more. We love the animals too. And probably while you were posting your reply, I was on the phone with Disney, finding out, unfortunately that there are no AP-rate rooms left at AKL (or even WL) for the dates of our stay. (BTW, there are still rack-rate rooms available, but it's far too much $$ for us.)

I waited too long to call! I'm kicking myself because it would've been the easiest thing on earth to call weeks ago and double-book and then cancel whichever resort depending on our decision. But I didn't. Now I'll probably be calling 1-407-W-DISNEY every day. Wish me luck!

miffy

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Miffy,
I wouldn't worry about it. It's WDW! You will enjoy yourself no matter where you are! You know, I never thought I would ever stay at the Swan/Dolphin. But before our cruise we wanted add one night at a WDW hotel and the only place they would let us do this was at the Dolphin. We were a little disappointed, but we ended up liking it very much. Okay, the decor in the hallways was hideous, and not too much better in the rooms (although I hear the Swan is much nicer), but the lobby was beautiful and the location was fantastic! I loved being so close to Epcot and being able to take the friendship launch. Also it is so close to a few other resorts it is fun to check those out as well. You will have a great time.

 

[swilphil]

We love staying at the Swan/Dolphin. The rooms are quite nice, and there's so much to do in the area. The grotto pool was a hit with our entire family. Maybe you would prefer a room there that had a view of the Epcot fireworks, or one of their King Deluxe rooms.

It sounds like you don't want a split stay. If that's the case, I would stay with the Swan (or maybe the Dolphin in one of their newly renovated King Deluxe rooms). You are so much closer to things than you are at AKL. I've never been to AKL, and it sounds nice for the animals, but I think Swan/Dolphin has more to offer overall.

 

[Miffy]

Hi Bonnie.

Thanks for your reply. Were you at the Dolphin recently? Was your room not renovated? The Swan's rooms are all renovated, but the possible "hideous" factor upsets me. We were at ASMu for 5 nights in January and hideous would be an understated description of this resort, particularly the rooms. I wasn't happy to be there, even though (of course!) I was happy to be at WDW.

But I discovered on that trip that the room/resort actually DID mean a lot to me. We spend enough time in the room that I want to be somewhere aesthetically pleasing. I practically kissed the walls at AKL when we checked in, I was so relieved to be somewhere beautiful.

For a long stay (9 nights), I have to admit I'm worried. I'm probably going to call CRO a few more times before giving up altogether. At least I'll make AT&T happy.

--miffy--

 

[Miffy]

Hi Sherri. You were posting the same time I was!

I tried to get a king room (is that the same as king deluxe?) when I originally booked the Swan, but the reservationist told me that all the king rooms that were available were connecting rooms...not conducive to the "quiet" I'd requested. If "king deluxe" are different, do they cost significantly more? On the AP rate we've got, we have a lakeview room booked (automatic upgrade from standard), so I'm hoping that may mean Epcot view.

Thanks for all your info.

--miffy--

 

[ww52]

I know what you mean about the hotel itself being important; it is the number one consideration for my wife at WDW - since she is not as much a theme park fan as the others in my family. We've stayed at GF three times, BC twice, and Swan once (never AKL, but I think the point I'm getting to is still valid). My wife was very happy with the Swan (remember, it's a Sheraton / Westin / Starwood first class hotel). Granted, we got a great rate (teacher discount), but all things considered, we probably would pick it again for these reasons:
Location (Epcot/MGM/Boardwalk/Y&BC)
Grounds are beautiful
Peaceful compared to Y&BC (our "kids" are 21, 18, 16, so that's a plus to us - to families with smaller kids it might be different)
The pools seem like they are never crowded; and the Grotto pool is great (it's no SAB, but it's no regular pool either; slide, waterfall, a few hot tubs around, landscpaed very well)

Overall - I think GF remains our favorite, but not at that price. I'm sure AKL is great, but being away from anything but the hotel and the early-closing AK would bother us.

Again - my wife is very particular about making sure the hotel is just right. The Swan met her approval from the moment we walked in.

Almost forgot - heavenly beds are just that, and the views are great also - though granted no animals.

She still raves about the Swan and we're considering a trip back this February with her brother (who loved it also) and her sister/husband/daughter.

I hope that helps.

 

[blanq]

Miffy, deciding where to stay at WDW is always hard, and I second guess myself at times too. Regarding your choices, I have stayed at both the Swan and AKL. I love them both. Obviously AKL has the most incredible theming and you already know that, having stayed there and liked it.

Regarding the Swan, I think your concerns would be unfounded if you stayed there. First of all I get what you say about the "hideous" factor when it comes to the outside of the Swan (and Dolphin), but I am assuming you won't be spending too much time standing in front of the resort looking up; rather, you will spend more time in your room looking out. So, have you seen pictures of the renovated rooms at the Swan? They are anything but hideous! They are beautiful, serene, and classy on the inside! And, those heavenly beds! Ahh! The location absolutely, cannot be beat! And many of the views, from the rooms, are spectacular. The amenities are first rate, and we have received great service here too. I really do not think you would be disappointed staying here unless a theme (Safari or whatever) is that important to you.

Linda

 

[>>^..^<<]

I'd pick AKL.... I have walked around the swan and it has no atmosphere and I didn't even feel like I was at Disney

SOme people may love it ~ I am not a fan of high rise hotels, it seemed very modern & cold.

>>^..^<<

 

[sherry8253]

Hi - I LOVE the AKL... but the rates at the Swan were too good to pass up. And, I got tired of playing the Disney AP game of waiting to see if they were going to announce (or not announce)AP rates. SO, we booked the Swan several months ago and we are sticking with it for our 10 night trip next month. My DH says that you cannot beat the location so..... good bye animals for this trip (at least my DH says he is going to take me to Boma's for breakfast... yummmm... I can taste the frunch already). Plus, we have stayed at several other Westins during the last few months and the heavenly beds are GREAT. The service and friendliness of Westin staff have been supurb - If we receive just 1/2 of the service at the Swan that we have experienced at other Westins recently, I will be a happy camper. Staff at the Westins called us several time during our stay just to check if everything was okay or ask we needed anything. The soap, shampoo, etc are wonderful. So.. I am going to the Swan with a POSITIVE attitude and am anticipating that I will enjoy the resort and its location just as much as I did my stay at the AKL. Have a GREAT trip and may you experience both Westin and Disney MAGIC at the Swan.

 

[Miffy]

ww52 Thanks so much for your reply. I guess I'm the picky wife here--my dh would be happy anywhere, doing anything. This is probably how he puts up with me! So I'm happy to hear that your dw likes it at the Swan.

blanq You're 100% correct that we won't be looking at the outside of the joint! The feel of the room is the most important thing to me and a good view is also a definite plus. We've stayed in "dives" (not at WDW, of course!) that were very appealing for odd reasons--good room proportions, well-thought-out colors, or just a general sense of everything falling together nicely. I'm hoping the pix I've seen of the renovated rooms at the Swan will match up to the actual in-person room.

I was 100% convinced the Swan was where we wanted to be until this weekend, so I'm trying to re-convince myself that the Swan will be great, esp. since there are no AP rooms at AKL for our dates.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. --miffy--

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I vote for the SWAN! It's a great hotel, the rooms are very nice, the restaurants are amazing, and you're super close to Epcot/MGM/BW!! We stayed there in August and loved it. The boat rides to the parks are so much nicer than the bus, and the nightlife is AWESOME! I haven't stayed at AKL, but we went there to walk around and it didn't really appeal to me. It's so far, and there really isn't much to do at night.

Good Luck with your decision!

 

[robinb]

I think you'll be very happy at the Swan. We were. It has a more subtle theme than the Disney resorts, but it is still wonderful. The location really can't be beat ... you can walk to Epcot, the Boardwalk and MGM.

 

[ww52]

A couple of quick additions:
As someone said, the staff at S/D are great; second to none - as good or better than GF / Y&BC

Also - maybe a small point, but the Swan has an extra sink outside the bathroom; this was a great feature in gettting ready in the morning. (Maybe AKL has that also).

I agree that the grounds don't feel like Disney, but they do feel like a first class hotel. Comparison is tough - "not Disney" doesn't mean "second rate"; if you need to be surrounded by "Disney" all day then S/D will be lacking. But remember, there are lots of non-Disney first rate hotels all over the world. S/D fall into that category - only right in the middle of Epcot/MGM/Boardwalk.

 

[Miffy]

Hi everyone. Thanks for all your replies, which are much appreciated.

What I've been worrying about is that even with the friendly staff, nice amenities, and great location, I won't be happy being in the room at the Swan. This is what happened over the weekend in New Orleans--all the same pluses noted above but the room itself was personalityless and unatmospheric--and that's what prompted this entire thread and my call to CRO.

Since there are no AP rate rooms avail. at AKL for our dates, I'm hoping we'll be happy at the Swan. I know the location and amenities are wonderful, and all I can do is hope that the room feels "right" to me. It's not the Disney/not-Disney thing that bothers me, it's just the general feel of the room. As I mentioned earlier, we've stayed in "dives" that were really wonderful because of the feel of the place...and also deluxe hotels that were horribly depressing. It's such an individual thing and very hard to describe (as you can tell!).

If we were only going to be there for a short stay, I wouldn't mind so much, but we're there for 9 nights and this probably will be our only WDW trip for quite a while (I'm sorry to say), so the room is a big concern to me.

Thanks again for all your replies. If anyone's got something to add, please do!

--miffy--

 

[BuzzMe]

The Swan rooms are beautiful, elegant, serene, and spacious. The Heavenly beds make it hard to leave the room- they're incredible! We enjoyed our stay at AKL but the location of the Swan and the wonderful staff, have made the Swan one of our favorite resorts. The price can't be beat. While we enjoyed our stay at AKL, I got tired of looking at the savannah after a few days;I much prefer the lush, green landscaping at the Swan.

 

[Miffy]

Buzzme "Beautiful, elegant, serene, and spacious" = music to my ears!

--miffy--