POP Century or Swan/Dolphin for a kid-free weekend?

[Road_Dog]

I know this has been discussed before, but I’m hoping for advice specific to our situation.

My wife and I are planning a 3-night, kid-free trip to WDW in November to celebrate her birthday. We’ll likely be bringing another couple with us. We’re fresh out of DVC points, so this will be a cash booking.

We’re prioritizing the Epcot and Hollywood Studios area, since those are the two parks we’ll be visiting.

A Few Key Details:​

• I have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card (Platinum status), and I’ve been saving points for Swan/Dolphin stays between DVC trips.
• I considered using Marriott points for this trip, but it feels wasteful since I wouldn’t get the 5th night free.
• I’d rather save the points for a longer future trip and just pay cash for this one.
• I looked into Disney Springs options (Hiltons, Hyatts) but the cash price is roughly the same, and the lack of Disney transportation turns me off.

POP Century Option:​

• Fall Promo Rate: ~$890 for 3 nights (this includes tax) in a Standard room
• Pros:
  • Strong Disney theming
  • Skyliner access to Epcot and HS
  • Full "Disney bubble" experience
  • Direct bus service to MK (in case we do Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party)
• Cons:
  • Smaller rooms — could feel tight if we room with the other couple
  • Only dining option is the food court

Swan/Dolphin Option:​

• Cash rate is about the same as POP
• Pros:
  • Walk or boat to Epcot and HS
  • Proximity to BoardWalk dining and nightlife
  • Free breakfast thanks to Platinum status
  • Earn Marriott points + elite night credits for future benefits
• Cons:
  • Not technically a Disney resort (no charging to MagicBand, etc.)
  • Less “magical” theming
  • Double beds vs Queens
  • Bus service to MK requires transfer at TTC

Where I’m Leaning:​

I’ve never stayed at either, but I’m currently leaning POP Century for the full Disney experience and Skyliner convenience. That said, I might be downplaying the benefits of Swan/Dolphin — the free breakfast, earning Marriott points, and potentially easier access via boat or walking.

I’d love to hear from folks who’ve stayed at both. Is the Disney “feel” at POP worth more than the perks at Swolphin? Is the Skyliner better or worse than the boat/walk option?

Thanks in advance for any insight! I'm also open to other resorts. The cash price at Carribbean Beach was roughly $90/night more, and I strongly considered it as it's more of a "resort" feel and probably more adult-friendly, but without the kids we will not be needing mid-day breaks and therefore probably don't truly need a lot of resort ammenities--we just want a convenient place to come back to! That's why POP Century stood out with the Skyliner over a slightly cheaper stay at All Star or an almost comparable price point at Coronado Springs.

 

[Sandi]

The Swan has Queen beds, so add that to your calculation, too.

If you are sharing the room with another couple, I think I’d choose the slightly larger Swan room over Pop, but both Swan and Pop will be a tight fit for 2 couples. If Pop is a little less expensive and you can swing 2 rooms, I’d do that. If it’s just you and your wife, Swan all the way. Access to DHS and Epcot by walking is terrific. When I do adults only trips, we spend most of our time at those two parks. Skyliner is a nice way to be transported, but I think you can’t beat being able to walk.

Have a great trip!

 

[hardcorestitch]

I know this has been discussed before, but I’m hoping for advice specific to our situation.

My wife and I are planning a 3-night, kid-free trip to WDW in November to celebrate her birthday. We’ll likely be bringing another couple with us. We’re fresh out of DVC points, so this will be a cash booking.

We’re prioritizing the Epcot and Hollywood Studios area, since those are the two parks we’ll be visiting.

A Few Key Details:​

• I have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card (Platinum status), and I’ve been saving points for Swan/Dolphin stays between DVC trips.
• I considered using Marriott points for this trip, but it feels wasteful since I wouldn’t get the 5th night free.
• I’d rather save the points for a longer future trip and just pay cash for this one.
• I looked into Disney Springs options (Hiltons, Hyatts) but the cash price is roughly the same, and the lack of Disney transportation turns me off.

POP Century Option:​

• Fall Promo Rate: ~$890 for 3 nights (this includes tax) in a Standard room
• Pros:
  • Strong Disney theming
  • Skyliner access to Epcot and HS
  • Full "Disney bubble" experience
  • Direct bus service to MK (in case we do Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party)
• Cons:
  • Smaller rooms — could feel tight if we room with the other couple
  • Only dining option is the food court

Swan/Dolphin Option:​

• Cash rate is about the same as POP
• Pros:
  • Walk or boat to Epcot and HS
  • Proximity to BoardWalk dining and nightlife
  • Free breakfast thanks to Platinum status
  • Earn Marriott points + elite night credits for future benefits
• Cons:
  • Not technically a Disney resort (no charging to MagicBand, etc.)
  • Less “magical” theming
  • Double beds vs Queens
  • Bus service to MK requires transfer at TTC

Where I’m Leaning:​

I’ve never stayed at either, but I’m currently leaning POP Century for the full Disney experience and Skyliner convenience. That said, I might be downplaying the benefits of Swan/Dolphin — the free breakfast, earning Marriott points, and potentially easier access via boat or walking.

I’d love to hear from folks who’ve stayed at both. Is the Disney “feel” at POP worth more than the perks at Swolphin? Is the Skyliner better or worse than the boat/walk option?

Thanks in advance for any insight! I'm also open to other resorts. The cash price at Carribbean Beach was roughly $90/night more, and I strongly considered it as it's more of a "resort" feel and probably more adult-friendly, but without the kids we will not be needing mid-day breaks and therefore probably don't truly need a lot of resort ammenities--we just want a convenient place to come back to! That's why POP Century stood out with the Skyliner over a slightly cheaper stay at All Star or an almost comparable price point at Coronado Springs.

I’d go all Disney and pick Pop Century. That ease of getting to EPCOT and DHS via either Skyliner or Disney Transport buses is worth it, even without the Bonvoy benefits. Remember, you can always hop to other resorts or Disney Springs if you want to go to a restaurant other than what you have in the food court.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I stayed at the Swan a couple years ago and I could’ve sworn they were queen beds.

 

[Lewisc]

POP skyliner requires a transfer at CBR..Walking or boats trumps the skyliner.

Free breakfast. Accumulating Bonvoy points. Bigger room. Potential upgrade.

I don't see a question.

 

[Dave006]

I stayed at the Swan a couple years ago and I could’ve sworn they were queen beds.

Your memory is fine. They are Queens at the Swan, and doubles at the Dolphin. That is what lead to the confusion.

Dave

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Your memory is fine. They are Queens at the Swan, and doubles at the Dolphin. That is what lead to the confusion.

Dave

That’s weird that they’re different sized beds.

 

[kylenne]

Swolphin and it’s not even a contest. Walking will always be the best way to get to a park, the rooms are more comfortable (Swan rooms were just renovated), less screaming kids around, vastly superior food both on site and in the area (Bourbon Steak just soft opened at the Dolphin too), and depending on your dates you’ll get Extended Evening Hours.

I don’t see the debate here either tbh. There is nothing magical to me about those Skyliner lines at rope drop and the end of the night.

 

[gottalovepluto]

No way would I share a room at Pop with another couple (260sq ft). Way too tight. I would also not do Dolphin due to it's double beds but that is personal preference and I'm not a tiny person.

The free continental plat breakfast is only good for 2 people, they will not extend it to others in the room but you can sorta share by just using the credit towards like morning coffees for everyone.

I cannot imagine paying more for Pop when I could have Swan or Swan Reserve. The Swolphin rooms are nicer & quieter, the F&B offerings far superior, pools better and if weather takes down the boat/skyliner you can walk back to your hotel. It's like not even a competition for a EP/DHS visit.

ETA- you can walk from swan to BWI and catch their bus to MK if you don't want to xfr at TTC

 

[JayMass]

I've stayed at both the Swan and at Pop, both times with my older teenage children so there was four of us. Swan definitely felt more spacious but Pop wasn't too bad. One of the plusses of Pop was that we pulled chairs out onto the walkway outside the room and it kind of felt like a balcony and provided some extra space. You can get a balcony at the Swan but that would require an upgraded and more pricey room.

Swan will definitely feel like a more sophisticated stay. The main pool at the Swan/Dolphin is much better than the Hippy Dippy pool at Pop if that matters. Pop feels more "Disney" than the Swan if that matters.

But, honestly, you can't go wrong with either. If it were me, I would go with Swan mostly to increase my Marriott Bonvoy points, it feels a bit more roomy, and the transportation options available. Walking to Epcot is a big plus. The walk to Hollywood Studios seemed pretty long to me, the boat was the best way to get there. If you are at Pop and the SL goes down, you are stuck with busses to all four parks. Also, if you choose the Swan you can walk to Boardwalk or BC/YC and use their busses to MK and AK.

 

[gottalovepluto]

That’s weird that they’re different sized beds.

What's even weirder is Dolphin rooms have a bit more sq ft!

Here is Swolphin's webpage comparing their traditional rooms

 

[Dave006]

That’s weird that they’re different sized beds.

Different size rooms was the reason that was given when they opened for the bed choices, and it has been that way since they both opened in 1990.

Dave

 

[TinkAgainU]

Personally, I would do the Swan and save the credits, getting around by boat and walking is more dependable than the Skyliner and that area has so many food/drink options. I would plan the Skyliner once all the way around at Dusk for the fun of it but it can sometimes be irritating at open/close of the parks I'm also a balcony person so would want to sort that out too. Last trip at the Swan we saw sooo many fireworks, but that might have been a fluke or the angle of our room.

 

[Dave006]

What's even weirder is Dolphin rooms have a bit more sq ft!

Here is Swolphin's webpage comparing their traditional rooms

I agree but the reason that was given when they opened was room size. I personally think it is since the Dolphin is primarily a convention resort that they went wilt doubles to allow more space in the guest rooms for convention guests. Such a 1990s thing.

Dave

 

[Road_Dog]

The Swan has Queen beds, so add that to your calculation, too.

If you are sharing the room with another couple, I think I’d choose the slightly larger Swan room over Pop, but both Swan and Pop will be a tight fit for 2 couples. If Pop is a little less expensive and you can swing 2 rooms, I’d do that. If it’s just you and your wife, Swan all the way. Access to DHS and Epcot by walking is terrific. When I do adults only trips, we spend most of our time at those two parks. Skyliner is a nice way to be transported, but I think you can’t beat being able to walk.

Have a great trip!

So the Dolphin (with the double beds) was where I was seeing a similar price to POP (it's roughly $290/night for our dates at POP). When I look to the Swan, yes there are Queens, but the cheapest rate I'm seeing is $340/night. So now the question becomes, is getting a queen at Swan worth an extra $50/night over Dolphin, and is the Swan somehow worth $50/night more than POP. Because the Swan looks (price-wise) comparable to CBR. My wife originally just wanted me to pick the cheapest hotel, within reason. I don't really want to stay in Disney Springs with poor transportation, so I started looking at the Values. I decided to have POP be my baseline since it offered at least 2 forms of transportation, otherwise All-Star was the cheapest per-night.

I’d go all Disney and pick Pop Century. That ease of getting to EPCOT and DHS via either Skyliner or Disney Transport buses is worth it, even without the Bonvoy benefits. Remember, you can always hop to other resorts or Disney Springs if you want to go to a restaurant other than what you have in the food court.

This is why I was leaning towards POP (Disney all the way, which I know my wife would be more agreeable towards). We are going Thurs-Sun. We are strongly considering going to MK for the Christmas Party on the Friday night, and may decide last minute to park-hop to MK for Happily Ever After on Saturday night. Having the convenient bus transportation to MK in our back pocket would be great, compared to having to use Swolphins bus (or taking a Lyft).

My wife does have a weird fear of the Skyliner but she is still more open to doing that than walking--in her eyes, she has to walk all day at the park and if she can avoid a 13-20 minute walk (what Google Maps says it takes to walk from Swan to Epcot/HS respectfully) then she would jump at that. I know she'd love the Boat for that reason, but I'm unsure how frequently it runs.

POP skyliner requires a transfer at CBR..Walking or boats trumps the skyliner.

Free breakfast. Accumulating Bonvoy points. Bigger room. Potential upgrade.

I don't see a question.

The transfer does seem like a downer, and a prime reason I would be open to staying at CBR. But then I read some stories of people getting rooms far from the Skyliner, so by the time they were able to walk to the Skyliner, it took just as much time as what it would take someone at POP to deal with the transfer (since POP is a smaller resort and you can get in line quicker). And the bus system at CBR seems a lot like Saratoga (huge loops, lots of stops) so I'm not sure that would be faster. I watched a few YouTube videos about it--with no lines, it took 20 minutes from getting in line at POP to getting to Epcot, but in peak times, it took someone up to 45 minutes (in which case, a bus would be better if you timed it right). Not sure if that's a common experience.

I wouldn't plan on an upgrade but the Marriott perks would be nice! I'd probably earn roughly 21k Bonvoy points by my calculations.

No way would I share a room at Pop with another couple (260sq ft). Way too tight. I would also not do Dolphin due to it's double beds but that is personal preference and I'm not a tiny person.

The free continental plat breakfast is only good for 2 people, they will not extend it to others in the room but you can sorta share by just using the credit towards like morning coffees for everyone.

I cannot imagine paying more for Pop when I could have Swan or Swan Reserve. The Swolphin rooms are nicer & quieter, the F&B offerings far superior, pools better and if weather takes down the boat/skyliner you can walk back to your hotel. It's like not even a competition for a EP/DHS visit.

ETA- you can walk from swan to BWI and catch their bus to MK if you don't want to xfr at TTC

The pictures DO look tight, I appreciate the feedback. Not sure how much we'll care if we're at the parks all day. But something to consider. You're right that we probably would need Swan at the minimum for the queens, as we def would be too snug in the Doubles at Dolphin. Also, POP would not cost more than Swan. It's the other way around. I said this above, but the cashrate for Dolphin was about the same as POP. But Swan is about $50/night more. That's a good tip for taking the BWI bus, thanks!

I've stayed at both the Swan and at Pop, both times with my older teenage children so there was four of us. Swan definitely felt more spacious but Pop wasn't too bad. One of the plusses of Pop was that we pulled chairs out onto the walkway outside the room and it kind of felt like a balcony and provided some extra space. You can get a balcony at the Swan but that would require an upgraded and more pricey room.

Swan will definitely feel like a more sophisticated stay. The main pool at the Swan/Dolphin is much better than the Hippy Dippy pool at Pop if that matters. Pop feels more "Disney" than the Swan if that matters.

But, honestly, you can't go wrong with either. If it were me, I would go with Swan mostly to increase my Marriott Bonvoy points, it feels a bit more roomy, and the transportation options available. Walking to Epcot is a big plus. The walk to Hollywood Studios seemed pretty long to me, the boat was the best way to get there. If you are at Pop and the SL goes down, you are stuck with busses to all four parks. Also, if you choose the Swan you can walk to Boardwalk or BC/YC and use their busses to MK and AK.

Yeah if I get into the conversation of paying more for Swan and even more for a balcony room, I'd probably just start looking into whether or not the equation worked better for Coronado Springs (I'm seeing $385/night) or even renting DVC points for Beach Club (although I mostly want to book direct for cancellation purposes). I don't think we care too much about the pool comparison--we'd probably only use the pool on arrival day since Friday/Saturday will be full park days (unless we overdo the drinks on our Epcot Saturday and want to come back and relax haha).

 

[elvispursley]

For food options alone, I’d book Swan/Dolphin. I’d also rather walk back to my room at the end of the night than wait in the skyliner queue (even if it does move constantly). Beds are better at the swolphin. Walk to your room is shorter at the swan as the dolphin is nearly twice the size. Hot tub at the swan (none at pop). For an adult-only, I’d do the Swolphin hands down

 

[kylenne]

Yeah if I get into the conversation of paying more for Swan and even more for a balcony room, I'd probably just start looking into whether or not the equation worked better for Coronado Springs (I'm seeing $385/night) or even renting DVC points for Beach Club (although I mostly want to book direct for cancellation purposes). I don't think we care too much about the pool comparison--we'd probably only use the pool on arrival day since Friday/Saturday will be full park days (unless we overdo the drinks on our Epcot Saturday and want to come back and relax haha).

I don't think CSR vs. Swolphin is a comparison either and I say that as someone who loves CSR. The bus situation alone makes that a nonstarter imo unless you're staying in the tower, and at that price point you might as well just book Swolphin. I loved my solo weekend at Gran Destino but the main reason I haven't been back is the math just doesn't math when Swolphin is generally cheaper and lets me walk to 2 parks.

Ultimately it's your vacation but in general I think you're really underestimating the value inherent in being walking proximity to parks. On shorter trips it becomes even more valuable because your time is so limited; transportation waits and snafus can hurt worse than on a longer trip. Walking will always be the best way to rope drop a park specifically because you're in control of when you leave. HS I find it especially useful, when rope dropping from Crescent Lake I'm usually at HS security before the Skyliner even starts running. One of the underrated perks of staying at Swolphin is their quick service spots are open very early in the morning compared to the Disney resorts, so you could conceivably get coffee and a breakfast sandwich to go and still be there early enough to be front of pack at EE. On quick weekend trips where I'm focused on EP/HS Swolphin is my go to for this reason and others.

Re: walk back to the room, the Dolphin is much bigger than the Swan but I really find it depends on where you're at. The last time I stayed there I asked to be near the elevators and they put me in West, it wasn't very far to the lobby at all.

 

[JayMass]

Happy Wife=Happy Life. If she wants ALL Disney go Pop. I would actually pick that over the Dolphin because of the bed situation. Sounds to me like you aren't too concerned about the room itself. The room is tight, don't get me wrong, but if you are going there to crash after long days in the parks, then the size of the bed might matter more than the size of the room.

I'd figure out what your budget actually is and put a limit on how much you are willing to pay for a resort. Then pick the best based on that. It's so easy to start inching up your costs (it's 50 a night more here, oh wait, for only 15 MORE dollars I could stay there) and before you know it your staying club level at the Poly because, I mean, it's the Poly!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'd figure out what your budget actually is and put a limit on how much you are willing to pay for a resort. Then pick the best based on that. It's so easy to start inching up your costs (it's 50 a night more here, oh wait, for only 15 MORE dollars I could stay there) and before you know it your staying club level at the Poly because, I mean, it's the Poly!

Can confirm a real budget is the only way to stave off Disney Math!

 

[HeiHei2018]

Dolphin! We stayed at Dolphin and went with the boat 90% of the time. It was way nicer than a bus, and no awkward stops like on the skyliner. But we loved having the option to walk when the skyliner line was hundreds of people long after fireworks. For me, that is way more magical than a giant Mickey phone or whatever theming you like at Pop. We walked over to YC or BW to catch a bus straight to MK. That assumes you are comfortable sharing a double bed. None of us really noticed the size, but I know some couples would be very cramped. Do be sure your price comparison accounts for parking and resort fees.