Question for those who have stayed at Swan or Dolphin

[bangzoom6877]

We just got back from POP and loved it! We had the dining plan and totally fell in love with it because we had planned on all these character meals anyway and it saved us lots of money in the end. However, I did see the Swan and Dolphin resorts, how nice they look, and their close proximity to Epcot and DHS are even more intriguing. They also offer teacher discounts and we are both teachers.

What we are torn about (and don't get me wrong, the next Disney trip is not for 3 years, but still, I like to think ahead!) is that you cannot do the DDP at Swan or Dolphin. Are there resorts totally worth it to stay there? It would be our only shot (probably) at affording a deluxe. While we loved the Pop and the room was fine, we are used to a Queen bed, and the bed at Pop is a double. But, is it better for us to stay at Pop or a moderate (also with a double bed and not a queen) and have the dining plan, or get the discount at Dolphin and have the queen bed and better location but no dining plan? We would definitely be eating on property while there, and definitely do a TS restaurant for dinner each night. That is just the way we prefer to do things while on vacation.

What would you do?

 

[bangzoom6877]

Anyone?

 

[ERMama]

no idea. we are staying there one night next month.
we have a condo offsite but had to add a day to our visit due to flights and chose to stay one nite at the dolphin.

 

[LoveKermit]

We found the Dining Plan to be too much food. So, for us, it's no loss to not have it. We may never do it again. Next time we go, it's F & W so, while I know you can use snack credits, it's still easier for us to just pay as we go.

And while the DDP is impressive when you see what your bill "would have been," we rarely order an app. If we do, it's because we are sharing a dinner. Then, since you can find desserts anywhere, we'd probably do dessert in the park or something and we'd do it later. DH doesn't like doing dessert right away.

So, you have to weigh the value of the Dining Plan. Also, we always rent a car so ME doesn't do anything for us either.

I think the Dolphin has doubles also, but don't quote me.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

I've never done the dining plan..so I can't really help weigh the pros and cons there. We do stay in the boardwalk area and we absolutely love it. Walking distance to both parks and the boardwalk area at night.. I felt a little isolated when we stayed at the Pop.

We stayed at the Swan a few years back and the Heavenly bed was really comfy.

Hope that helps

 

[1-disneyfan]

We stayed at the Dolphin this past April and loved it! The grounds are wonderful, DD loved playing at the "beach", the pools were great too. The water transportation was quick and easy to the back of Epcot and to DHS, also loved walking over to Boardwalk. It was pretty much just me and DD, since husband was there for a conference. We ate on property a couple of times, highly recommend The Fountain! I've never done the dining plan, so I can't really give any advice on that one....sorry. We're going back to the World this coming April, husband is retired Navy, so we're staying at Shades of Green......still no dining option. Hope this is of some help, my first post here.

Kris

 

[mouseketeer70]

Our family has stayed at all the Values and Fort Wilderness. We have also stayed off-site and are now DVC members so we've gone that route too. DH and I used the teacher rate to stay at the Swan in June. It is a super deal!!! We loved it and plan on going back. My mom and dad have used the teacher rate to go to the Dolphin and in fact just got back from celebrating their 46th anniversary there. They obviously love it too. We chose the Swan because the beds are Queens while the Dolphin beds are doubles. You can get a King bed room at both hotels though. Both hotels are gorgeous and the location can't be beat! Not really a 24 hour Disney feeling as the other resorts, but once you walk out the door you are at the Boardwalk so the "magic" is right there. The staff was wonderful. The beds are truly heavenly just like the name says! The hotel was very relaxing. We didn't mind not getting the dining plan because we typically don't eat as much as the dining plan offers. There is a refrigerator in the room so you could put a few things in there. We brought snacks and breakfast items. Even when we eat Table Service we just don't eat as much as you get on the Dining Plan. One other note: you can't use ME to get from airport to hotels but the Mears shuttle was quick, reliable, and relatively cheap. Bus transport was good to all parks, the boat was great, and the walk to Epcot was the BEST! It is a relaxing and gorgeous place. We don't regret staying there and like I said we plan on going back. Hope that helps!

 

[NMAmy]

The Dining Plan doesn't really work well for my family. We prefer to stay at the Dolphin (using the gov't or teacher rate) and still have one TS meal per day.

The beds are wonderful and the location is fantastic. If you get a Starwood Preferred Guest card, you can get a free upgrade (if available), as well. No coy asking like at a WDW resort; they just upgrade you. The CM's are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

We've stayed there 6 times now so there must be something we like about the place!

 

[rie'smom]

The Swan and Dolphin are wonderful hotels. I'd stay there again in a minute. In fact, I wanted to book at one or the other for Thanksgiving week but they were both bokked for some of the days. There are lots of restaurants, the pool area is fun, the staff is great, AND at the end of a long day in the parks we love the Heavenly beds and the ability to order good movies or to watch channels that aren't just Disney. Not to mentiom with the discounts offered, you get a true deluxe room for the price of a Disney moderate.
The DDP is not the value it once was. The tip is no longer included and neither is the appetizer. I used to skip the dessert and get the appetizer. Also on the last trip-May- we left leaving 3 TS and 7 snacks unused. The DDP, to a great extent, starts making the trip more about food than fun. Mu daughter and niece just didn't wangt to spend that much time in a restaurant.

 

[Subrbnmommy]

We've just returned from our 1st stay at the Dolphin. We loved it! The rooms look equivalent to Disney Deluxe rooms with the added bonus of Heavenly Beds. Balconies are a bit more scrace than Disney Deluxe though.

The pool area is huge so it never felt overcrowded. The service was great, we had a few mix ups and they were quickly rectified.

As for the DDP, this is want I did, I looked up the menus on All Ears calculated how much our family would spend on food for one day. Then I calculated the same day using the DDP plus the extra out of pocket purchases that I would have to add. I compared both and found that I wasn't saving any money on the DP.