Pop, CBR, Swan, Contemporary- Please Help

[Ahabart]

We have just decided to visit Disney the first weekend of October. Me, DH, D16, D15. It will be our first trip in 8 years and I am completely overwhelmed with all of the changes. There was a time that I was a Disney pro like many of you are now... that time has LONG passed and I could use help!

I've done a lot of research here, but it seems like all bets are off during Covid restrictions and a lot of the pros/cons have been turned upside down.

My husband has always wanted to stay at the Contemporary. The lowest rate I can find is $497. Opinions on this price/value? We would only stay here one night.

We are looking at choosing our main hotel from Pop, CBR, and Swan or a property off-site like the new JW. I'm really struggling here. We have never stayed at any of these properties. Pop rooms look super small and are only around $25 less per night than Swan. How does CBR compare to Swan? CBR is appox $100/night more. The new JW is comparable in price to CBR, but has limited shuttle transportation, so Uber would likely be required.

Sorry for the log post. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[Marthasor]

If your DH has always wanted to stay at CR, I say go for it. $497 isn't a bad rate. I would definitely try to schedule your MK day on one of the days you will be at CR and consider exploring some of the unique experiences in that area - a monorail ride, perhaps a boat ride to visit WL and Ft. W.

Of Pop, CBR, Swan and JW, I would pick the Swan. You get so much more at Swan than you will at Pop - bigger room, better amenities, better location. CBR, also, does not compare to Swan, IMHO. Again, bigger rooms and better location. I would not do JW if you have to rely on Uber. The Swan is an absolutely lovely resort with a great pool complex and you can walk/boat to two parks. It's really a great option to be smack dab in the EP resort area.

 

[Ahabart]

If your DH has always wanted to stay at CR, I say go for it. $497 isn't a bad rate. I would definitely try to schedule your MK day on one of the days you will be at CR and consider exploring some of the unique experiences in that area - a monorail ride, perhaps a boat ride to visit WL and Ft. W.

Of Pop, CBR, Swan and JW, I would pick the Swan. You get so much more at Swan than you will at Pop - bigger room, better amenities, better location. CBR, also, does not compare to Swan, IMHO. Again, bigger rooms and better location. I would not do JW if you have to rely on Uber. The Swan is an absolutely lovely resort with a great pool complex and you can walk/boat to two parks. It's really a great option to be smack dab in the EP resort area.

Thanks so much for your reply! This is extremely helpful!

 

[JFDIS]

I am in between CBR, Swan and Cabins right now. I’m actually making a list. Lol
CBR pros; cost, Skyliner, pirate kiddie pool
Cons; no balcony (limited areas to unmask for the kids) room size, walking far
Swan pros; cost, location, more dining options
Cons; don’t know if Friendship boats are running, lack of Disney theming
Cabins pros; space, access to MK, pool, full kitchen. Activities after park close
Cons; price after golf cart is added.
I’m also considering the CR because there is a great AP rate for the end of September but the theming of CR has never appealed to me.

 

[Ahabart]

I am in between CBR, Swan and Cabins right now. I’m actually making a list. Lol
CBR pros; cost, Skyliner, pirate kiddie pool
Cons; no balcony (limited areas to unmask for the kids) room size, walking far
Swan pros; cost, location, more dining options
Cons; don’t know if Friendship boats are running, lack of Disney theming
Cabins pros; space, access to MK, pool, full kitchen. Activities after park close
Cons; price after golf cart is added.
I’m also considering the CR because there is a great AP rate for the end of September but the theming of CR has never appealed to me.

Thank you! This makes me feel more strongly about Swan as our kids are 15 and 16. The cost, location and dining are big pros for us!

 

[JFDIS]

If I had older kids, mine are 1 & 3, I’d definitely choose Swan. Swan will give your family a lot more options after the parks and Disney transportation close than CBR or POP.

 

[rstevens333]

If you want to save on the Contemporary, maybe the Garden Wing is available? I've seen September rates as low as the 270s for passholders. (Probably 300s for regular folks.)

The Swan is really nice. I've been there twice with my wife, who got upgraded because she does a lot of business travel. They share food options with Dolphin, so there's a decent coffee/sandwich/wine/etc. place a short walk away. The walk to DHS is not too bad. I did it before sun up last January to get a Rise boarding group. The only downside to the Swan is their background music is more poppy than Disney.

Pop rooms are small, but really nice for the price. You could always get two for less than any deluxe. I love Pop when I'm solo.

The Cabins are amazing, but you're gonna want bikes, a golf cart, or for someone in the family to do runs to Disney buses with the rental car. The golf carts are among the most fun rides I have ever been on at WDW. Walking around the Fort is really relaxing.

(I have to agree with the earlier poster about the Contemporary - there's something magical about the place, and it is totally worth staying at least once.)

Hope that helps!

 

[Dave006]

Cons; don’t know if Friendship boats are running, lack of Disney theming

We should have an idea if the Friendships are returning any time soon when the YC opens on Aug. 24th. The Swan is still in walking distance to both Epcot and DHS with easy access to the Skyliner from either park.

I’m also considering the CR because there is a great AP rate for the end of September but the theming of CR has never appealed to me.

What parks are you going spend your time at? The CR is great for a quick walk back to the room after MK closes for the evening. And you can use the Monorail to resort hop in the evenings for a couple of hours and there is a bus between the Monorail resorts after the monorail closes for the evening.

Dave

 

[Ahabart]

If you want to save on the Contemporary, maybe the Garden Wing is available? I've seen September rates as low as the 270s for passholders. (Probably 300s for regular folks.)

The Swan is really nice. I've been there twice with my wife, who got upgraded because she does a lot of business travel. They share food options with Dolphin, so there's a decent coffee/sandwich/wine/etc. place a short walk away. The walk to DHS is not too bad. I did it before sun up last January to get a Rise boarding group. The only downside to the Swan is their background music is more poppy than Disney.

Pop rooms are small, but really nice for the price. You could always get two for less than any deluxe. I love Pop when I'm solo.

The Cabins are amazing, but you're gonna want bikes, a golf cart, or for someone in the family to do runs to Disney buses with the rental car. The golf carts are among the most fun rides I have ever been on at WDW. Walking around the Fort is really relaxing.

(I have to agree with the earlier poster about the Contemporary - there's something magical about the place, and it is totally worth staying at least once.)

Hope that helps!

I guess it's possible that the Garden Rooms will go lower, but $475 is a garden room and the lowest I was able to find during our week. We let our APs go several years ago, so we are out for that discount unfortunately.

We have a pretty high Marriott level like your wife, so I'm hopeful for a Swan upgrade as well. The fact that the Swan is a Marriott property certainly sweetens the deal!

Thanks for the info on Pop and the Cabins! If the Swan wasn't such a good rate right now ($169 before tax and resort fee) we would definitely consider 2 Pop rooms rather than 1 Swan!

DH is loving everyone's support of CR haha! You guys have sold me on that splurge

 

[JFDIS]

We should have an idea if the Friendships are returning any time soon when the YC opens on Aug. 24th. The Swan is still in walking distance to both Epcot and DHS with easy access to the Skyliner from either park.

What parks are you going spend your time at? The CR is great for a quick walk back to the room after MK closes for the evening. And you can use the Monorail to resort hop in the evenings for a couple of hours and there is a bus between the Monorail resorts after the monorail closes for the evening.

Dave

I have a Poly stay at the end of this month. We are going to do two MK days on that trip. After writing my reply I think I’ve realized that by doing a CBR or Swan stay I could, financially, do one more stay before the end of the year. It’s helpful to know Friendship boats may be running soon. I may base my choice on wether or not their running. I walked to the Boardwalk from HS last August and it was hot as Hades. But it looks like there may be a lot of walking at CBR too.
I’ll probably change my mind 5 more times tonight. This site is so helpful for undeceive people like me.

 

[Dave006]

I think I’ve realized that by doing a CBR or Swan stay I could, financially, do one more stay before the end of the year

Yea that Disney math strikes again. CBR is quite large and spread out but has the Skyliner hub.

The Swan is very compact and very close to Epcot and only 9/10s of a mile to HS. For the Swan always check their discount page: https://swandolphin.com/offers/index.html and their Value Dates page: https://www.swandolphin.com/value-days/

Yes it can be very very hot on that walkway to HS during daylight hours this time of year. I really wish Disney would have added more shade similar to how the walkway to Epcot has a great tree canopy to provide lots of shady spots along the walkway. I know that they did not have a lot of level ground to work with along the canal but seriously anything would be helpful.

Dave

 

[Ahabart]

I have a Poly stay at the end of this month. We are going to do two MK days on that trip. After writing my reply I think I’ve realized that by doing a CBR or Swan stay I could, financially, do one more stay before the end of the year. It’s helpful to know Friendship boats may be running soon. I may base my choice on wether or not their running. I walked to the Boardwalk from HS last August and it was hot as Hades. But it looks like there may be a lot of walking at CBR too.
I’ll probably change my mind 5 more times tonight. This site is so helpful for undeceive people like me.

Agree to
all of that! There's so much to consider!

 

[rstevens333]

Thanks for the info on Pop and the Cabins! If the Swan wasn't such a good rate right now ($169 before tax and resort fee) we would definitely consider 2 Pop rooms rather than 1 Swan!

That's a pretty sweet rate! Hard to say no to that.