October 2019 - beach club vs swan vs Coronado springs

[qwerty2k]

So we are booking a fairly last minute 8 nights trip to wdw in October (24th to be precise) for me and my wife coming firm the U.K.

We have narrowed down the location based on price really to the above resorts. We haven’t stayed at any of the resorts above, we have only stayed in property at animal kingdom lodge and the poly.

So...swan / dolphin is around £1000 cheaper than beach club and so logically I think we should pick there as it’s a great location and the price is good. But me and my wife just can’t shake the feeling that is won't feel like Disney because it isn’t. We are from U.K. so would be using magical express which they also don’t offer and like the resort refillable mug and dining plan which again they don’t offer.

Coronado springs grand Destino tower - obviously not open yet so hard to say but looks nice, is around the same price as the swan / dolphin and gives that Disney magic but isn’t as great a location and the resort is much bigger.

Beach club - great location, great pool (from what I understand) and like the theming but is it really worth £1000 for an 8 night stay over the swan dolphin / Coronado?

I think we will spend a day or two at the resort so won’t be in the parks all day everyday and will be visiting food and wine.

Anyone convince me to save money?

 

[sponica]

Honestly for food/wine I'd pick either Beach Club or Swan/Dolphin. Let's phrase it this way, is magical express and the dining plan worth the extra money?

 

[J'aime Paris]

I'd pick Coronado. New is new after all!

 

[chris benton]

Swolphin does have the refillable mugs - just FYI.
If you want it to feel "Disney" at any cost, you might want to really research Swolphin. It might not be for you.

I actually prefer Swolphin because it's not Disney "owned."

Magic Express doesn't matter to me - the cost of rideshare offsets the Magic Express early departure for return flights. I have TSA Pre-check, so I don't have to be at the airport as early.

I have no interest in a Dining Plan - they don't work for our family.

HS and Ep are where we spend the most time, so the travel time for those two parks is only a few minutes no matter what time. We also use hoppers, so that figures into the plans. No travel time buffers are needed for two parks.

The food at Swolphin can be quite good. Usually in all the discussions of "Best Of"

The pool complex is pretty great.

No one resort is the best one for every family. I did a lot of research, and I was skeptical that Swolphin would be a lesser class resort because of the price, but I was very wrong. For us, it's a no-brainer for amenities and location for the price.

Hope you choose the right place. I'd say that over 8 nights, if you factor in travel time, if you are going to Ep and DHS a few times or more, you might find that BC might have an edge over Coronado.

With the question of WDW themeing + Magic Express and Dining Plan - price out what's important to you. I don't know what your possible Dining Plan prices are, but don't assume Swolphin is some 2nd rate resort. It's really nice, and might deliver some better amenities for the price since it is not Disney owned.

 

[BanditsMommy]

I'm a huge Swolphin fan. I had Gran Destino Tower booked for our December trip, but switched to the Dolphin for cheaper when I found a great rate. DH and I stayed there a few years back and we both loved the access to the Boardwalk and the ease of getting to DHS and Epcot.

FWIW, we don't do dining plan unless it's free dining and we happen to already be staying on property so that's never a concern for us. And we don't mind a little less Disney theme at the hotel since there's so much everywhere else.

 

[glocon]

I would stay at any of those in a heartbeat. We’ve done BC and loved it, doing CSR Tower next month, never did swan/dolphin but would not hesitate to. I don’t think BC or CSR are all that Disney themed, so that is not really a big consideration. I think the values are what is really disney themed. BC is great, but if you want the EP area, stay at the swan/dolphin and save some $$ for food and wine! I’m excited about the Gran Destino Tower since it will be brand spanking new.
You will not go wrong with any of your choices. ME is not that big of a deal I don’t think- Uber is convenient and just you in the car, no other stops. Lots to consider....

 

[glocon]

And I hear the swan/dolphin has some of the best restaurants on property.

 

[Katy G.]

I can't speak to Coronado, I've never stayed there. I have however stayed at both the Swan and Beach Club. We loved our stay at Swan, the location is amazing...our room was freshly renovated and all the food we had at the resort was delicious. That being said, Beach Club has an aura about it that truly is magical. It has such a lovely true resort feel and all the Disney charm you could dream of. If your bar is Poly and AKL, Beach Club is my vote. It's on par with their level of magic in my opinion

 

[LynnTH]

Have you considered Boardwalk? Same area as Beach Club and S/D but usually cheaper than Beachclub. We love it there.

 

[qwerty2k]

Honestly for food/wine I'd pick either Beach Club or Swan/Dolphin. Let's phrase it this way, is magical express and the dining plan worth the extra money?

Well logically no. We have crunched the numbers on the dining plan and we pretty much break even (I think we would come out very marginally ahead) but my wife does like what she perceives as the convenience of it.

Swolphin does have the refillable mugs - just FYI.
If you want it to feel "Disney" at any cost, you might want to really research Swolphin. It might not be for you.

I actually prefer Swolphin because it's not Disney "owned."

Magic Express doesn't matter to me - the cost of rideshare offsets the Magic Express early departure for return flights. I have TSA Pre-check, so I don't have to be at the airport as early.

I have no interest in a Dining Plan - they don't work for our family.

HS and Ep are where we spend the most time, so the travel time for those two parks is only a few minutes no matter what time. We also use hoppers, so that figures into the plans. No travel time buffers are needed for two parks.

The food at Swolphin can be quite good. Usually in all the discussions of "Best Of"

The pool complex is pretty great.

No one resort is the best one for every family. I did a lot of research, and I was skeptical that Swolphin would be a lesser class resort because of the price, but I was very wrong. For us, it's a no-brainer for amenities and location for the price.

Hope you choose the right place. I'd say that over 8 nights, if you factor in travel time, if you are going to Ep and DHS a few times or more, you might find that BC might have an edge over Coronado.

With the question of WDW themeing + Magic Express and Dining Plan - price out what's important to you. I don't know what your possible Dining Plan prices are, but don't assume Swolphin is some 2nd rate resort. It's really nice, and might deliver some better amenities for the price since it is not Disney owned.

Thank you for your comments, logically speaking you are totally right, swolphin is the correct logical choice. Just something about being on an actual Disney property.

I'm a huge Swolphin fan. I had Gran Destino Tower booked for our December trip, but switched to the Dolphin for cheaper when I found a great rate. DH and I stayed there a few years back and we both loved the access to the Boardwalk and the ease of getting to DHS and Epcot.

FWIW, we don't do dining plan unless it's free dining and we happen to already be staying on property so that's never a concern for us. And we don't mind a little less Disney theme at the hotel since there's so much everywhere else.

Thank you for your comments the location is great for the swolphin and the price is really good.

I would stay at any of those in a heartbeat. We’ve done BC and loved it, doing CSR Tower next month, never did swan/dolphin but would not hesitate to. I don’t think BC or CSR are all that Disney themed, so that is not really a big consideration. I think the values are what is really disney themed. BC is great, but if you want the EP area, stay at the swan/dolphin and save some $$ for food and wine! I’m excited about the Gran Destino Tower since it will be brand spanking new.
You will not go wrong with any of your choices. ME is not that big of a deal I don’t think- Uber is convenient and just you in the car, no other stops. Lots to consider....

Only thing I’m not sure about csr is the size of it and the internal bus stops.

I can't speak to Coronado, I've never stayed there. I have however stayed at both the Swan and Beach Club. We loved our stay at Swan, the location is amazing...our room was freshly renovated and all the food we had at the resort was delicious. That being said, Beach Club has an aura about it that truly is magical. It has such a lovely true resort feel and all the Disney charm you could dream of. If your bar is Poly and AKL, Beach Club is my vote. It's on par with their level of magic in my opinion

Oooooh we did love poly and akl so if beach club has that level of
Magic...

Have you considered Boardwalk? Same area as Beach Club and S/D but usually cheaper than Beachclub. We love it there.

From what I can see for the dates boardwalk is over twice as expensive as beach or yacht club.

 

[chris benton]

There's also the split stay option for you, if that works.

Suggestion - if you do choose BC, take the quick stroll over to Swolphin and peek around - maybe have a meal, or go to Fuel for frozen yogurt, or one of their hot sub sandwiches, The Fountain for a sundae, look around and definitely check out the pools. It is not a cheap, 2nd class resort by any means. If you like sushi, Kimonos might knock your socks off for the non Disney price points.

All of those Epcot area resorts (except for CBR) are right next to each other - connected by walking paths. They are all fair game for meals - easy walking distance.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We stay at Swan/Dolphin often as we tend to get very good prices there, however, yes, I agree it lacks that "Disney" feeling. We go often, so I'm ok with not being in the "bubble" on every trip. If you are coming all the way from the UK, I could understand that you may want to have that "Disney" feeling on your trip and BC is quite lovely - great pool, steps from EP, etc. I think if the extra cost won't break the bank, I would do BC.

 

[SwanVT2]

Swan and Dolphin does have a refillable mug. You can pick it up at the Dolphin quick service Picabu. Picabu has an excellent selection of food and you can get a AAA discount there. My husband's favorite place for a drink on Disney property is the Cabana bar at the Swolphin pool. We always take Meats from the airport. Last I checked it was 50.00 per person for round trip transfer. The beds are very comfortable!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

If Swan/Dolphin are around the same price as Coronado, I would choose the former. Better quality.

 

[Ksquared]

I've stayed at Beach Club and at CSR but not Swan/Dolphin. In fact, I was going to book Swan on our April stay and booked Coronado instead for the first time and we loved the resort. I really enjoyed Beach Club esp if you are planning a few resort days. We loved the ability to walk into Epcot and you will be there during Food & Wine which makes that location (or S/D) better location over CSR. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of these resorts. If you book S/D, then you can take the money you save and use it for transportation to/from resort etc. and you will still be ahead. If you don't come often and have always wanted to stay at Beach Club, then book it, you won't be disappointed.