S&D vs Moderates ?

[DCLogs]

So we have stayed at moderates for the last 4 years. 2017 we are thinking about Swan & Dolphin. I can get S&D through Costco in May, 5 nights, 2 adults 2 kids 7 & 9 - for $2600 - includes 5 day tickets with park hopper. I just received a PIN and can get Coroando Springs (the only mod we have not done) for about the same price. Same dates, tickets with hopper.
Help me out. What would be your best choice? We never stayed at S&D.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

We love staying at the Swolfin!!! What is better than walking or boating your way into two parks? Plus, the renovated rooms are beautiful. Yes, you do lose the DME and few other perks -- but to get a deluxe location and service for the price of a moderate - we will take that every time.

Tom

 

[msteddom]

If they are the same price, I would definitely go with the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[HopperFan]

Love CSR but would gladly stay at S&D.

Have you factored in .... with S&D?

- Paying for transportation to/from airport
OR
- Paying $20 a day for parking

 

[DCLogs]

Love CSR but would gladly stay at S&D.

Have you factored in .... with S&D?

- Paying for transportation to/from airport
OR
- Paying $20 a day for parking

That is not factored in. but i know that the resort fee is waved by costco. not sure for transportation to/from airport. not sure if renting a car or not. we have always use disney transportation.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

That is not factored in. but i know that the resort fee is waved by costco. not sure for transportation to/from airport. not sure if renting a car or not. we have always use disney transportation.

We rented a town car to pick us up at the airport and drop us back at the airport - they even stopped along the way for us to get some groceries and liquor -- I think it was $150 plus tip for roundtrip.

Tom

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Also factor in the annoyance of not being able to charge back to your room/not being able to make purchases with your magic band.

 

[chris benton]

One other thing not mentioned so far is the inability to get the ddp if that matters to you.
Weigh out the options you miss out on. For us, it was a no brainer to choose the Costco package.
Car service from the airport, and uber back to the airport were both awesome and quick.
For us, DDP is a big waste of money oop. (if it was free, then we'd obviously have to re-calculate everything.)
We spent most time at Epcot and Hollywood, and the location is fantastic.
Pool complex is AWESOME!
The sushi bar is fantastic
The other restaurants are decent.
It was a no-brainer for us. Almost like it was too good to be true, so we really looked it over with a fine toothed comb. It was everything as advertised. You MIGHT wanna check into renting a car at the airport, and returning it at the hotel desk. Our flight in was really late so I didn't chance having to pay for one day of parking if the car rental desk was closed at the hotel, but if you book the car through costco, the price of a one day rental was pretty darn close to a car service.
We would probably have done that to stop at a grocery store and not feel rushed. But at 12am, not much was open except WallyWorld, so the car service just stopped at the local Walgreens for us for a few in room staples.

You don't have to worry about hidden fees with the Costco package, so it'll be easy to compare the costs.
Also, the Costco package has a coupon for the MEars shuttle service. I didn't like that because the return to airport time would be pre-determined, kinda like DME. Uber is just so much easier and convenient. They really do a fantastic job in WDW.

 

[chris benton]

Also factor in the annoyance of not being able to charge back to your room/not being able to make purchases with your magic band.

I'm probably missing something, but I'm not sure what the annoyance is. I knew this going in, but I didn't see it as a big deal, but again, I'm probably missing something. We DID purchase magic bands to make life easier for fastpasses, and park entry.

 

[OKW Lover]

Without question, the Swolphin deal is the better choice. Location alone makes this a good pick since you can easily walk to two parks. In addition, the rooms are nicer and there is so many restaurants in the hotel and a short walk away at BW/YC/BC.

Downside? You'll have to pay to get from the airport to the hotel and back. There is a daily resort fee (be sure you're seeing the full price). You don't get MB's. You can't charge back to the room from the parks or Disney restaurants.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Swan/Dolphin over a mod ANY day of the year! Great pool, great location, great staff, great restaurants. It's our go-to resort when we can't get a good deluxe WDW discount.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

We did the Costco package in October because we wanted to be close to F&WF. Location wise it was amazing. ODS loved the grotto pool. Staff was a mix of cranky and nice, not the typical Disney service we have experienced officially "on property". The resort fee was waived but we still got a parking fee each day for the rental van. We never ate at the hotel but the food did look good.
The Swan could not get us two rooms together, or even on the same hall, despite telling us to come back and check 3 different times, even the same girl who told us to come back later acted like we were crazy to ask, but she had said a convention was leaving and to come back that morning.
Anyway, we had a mixed experience and I would stay there again for F&WF otherwise I'm happy to try new places.

 

[DCLogs]

One other thing not mentioned so far is the inability to get the ddp if that matters to you.
Weigh out the options you miss out on. For us, it was a no brainer to choose the Costco package.
Car service from the airport, and uber back to the airport were both awesome and quick.

We do not care about the dining plan. My boys don't eat enough for us spend the money for that. We are considering renting a car.

- Edited because of stupidity on my part -

 

[dansdad]

Question has anyone tried to get free parking? Like padding someone's pockets. Or just plan asking for it?

Just an FYI, it's against DIS Board rules to discuss getting around the resorts regulations.

 

[MDH]

I don't think asking for free parking is against regulations. Resorts and hotels have all kinds of wiggle room to appease guests. Now parking in the lot on the lowdown and printing off your own pass or something like that, that's against regulations. It never hurts to ask, as long as you are willing to accept "no" if that's the answer.

 

[DisneyGuy]

Another S&D vote - less reliant on bus transportation is always a plus - also, they are deluxe resorts - sure, they aren't "owned" by Disney, but they are in the heart of the Epcot area - you'll love walking to Epcot or taking the boat (or walking if you want) to Hollywood Studios - this "amenity" is worth a lot! If it's the same or less to stay at the S&D, then I don't think you'll be too disappointed.

I think all of the Disney perks you can't get were already mentioned, but it's just a small few that to some people really don't make much of a difference.