Swan and Dolphin vs. Waldorf Astoria vs. Hilton Bonnet Creek

[vod2117]

We are considering not staying with a Disney hotel this year and trying one of the Hilton or Starwood branded hotels which are on-site at Disney. We have always stayed club level at Boardwalk and Grand Floridian and have had great experiences there. We are also used to luxury New York-style hotels so we feel that the Swan and Dolphin as well as the Waldorf Astoria or Hilton Bonnet Creek may be good fits. However we are afraid the service level will be diminished as a result of not staying on Club Level. If you have stayed here or are familiar with these hotels, please let me know how the service is coming from a 4 or 5 star luxury perspective.

Thank you in advance.

 

[baler31]

The service is not what I would expect from a 5 star resort but few are these days. If you are used to the Waldorf in NY this will pale in the extreme. However, if you compare it to Disney hotels I doubt you will find it lacking.

We usually stay RPC in GF and find the service very comparable and better in some cases at the Waldorf. We have also had very good experiences at HBC. We are Hilton Diamond though so complimentary upgrades were provided on all our trips and of course that makes you perceive a resort in a better light.

With the exception of V & A we far prefer the dining at the Bonnet Creek complex. I will say room service was better at GF but only because it was available 24hrs and we return from parks around 3am quite often in summer. Hilton is a nice step above a basic Hilton so a resort and shares with Waldorf for some amenities.

Swan/Dolphin are totally different, while they are nice I would not consider them service oriented at the best of times. Not Starwood at its finest by any means. They offfer a good value for price paid and location and I will leave it at that.

We still do both GF and properties like Waldorf depending upon the kind of trip we are taking and the rates available. I value the GF location and over the years we have come to treasure several CM's there. However, when discounts are not available, rack rate in RPC makes me consider the other things we can do with the difference and we often find ourselves elsewhere.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I think the Waldorf Astoria would be the closest to five star luxury you can find just about on Disney property.

While the Swan and Dolphin would give you Disney transportation options and a great location - they would be more four star - as would the Hilton Bonnet Creek - which is a very nice Hilton property IMO. After the Waldorf - the Ritz would be another 5 star option but further away. Sometimes you can get really good deals on Waldorf Junior Suites too, or extra deals on spa services etc. that may make up for the lack of Disney club level service.

 

[gdrj]

We are considering not staying with a Disney hotel this year and trying one of the Hilton or Starwood branded hotels which are on-site at Disney. We have always stayed club level at Boardwalk and Grand Floridian and have had great experiences there. We are also used to luxury New York-style hotels so we feel that the Swan and Dolphin as well as the Waldorf Astoria or Hilton Bonnet Creek may be good fits. However we are afraid the service level will be diminished as a result of not staying on Club Level. If you have stayed here or are familiar with these hotels, please let me know how the service is coming from a 4 or 5 star luxury perspective.

Thank you in advance.

Personally I would lean towards Swan and Dolphin (Boat to two parks as well the dining options that provides, not to mention dining options in both hotels which is pretty good). Disney transportation making it possible to not touch a car for the week. Plus be able to stroll the Boardwalk.

 

[Gillyrose779]

If it was me I would chose Swan and Dolphin for the proximity to everything and Disney transportation, but I chose convenience over high quality service.

 

[kiki02]

Personally I would lean towards Swan and Dolphin (Boat to two parks as well the dining options that provides, not to mention dining options in both hotels which is pretty good). Disney transportation making it possible to not touch a car for the week. Plus be able to stroll the Boardwalk.

Prices at Swan and Dolphin continue to rise. Even the Fl rate, with all the fees for this / that is too high now.

 

[happymommy]

My sister stayed at the Waldorf Astoria this past summer, and they did like it (had a two bedroom suite). They did not, however, find park hopping as convenient (and they had added hoppers to their tickets, then not used them once so wasted $250). It sounded like a lovely resort, and they used the free shuttle to the parks (think they took a cab back maybe in the evening).

I've stayed at the Swan and Dolphin many times, but usually either get a great late summer rate (less than $120 a night) or use Starpoints for free nights. It is often great, sometimes just "meh" for service. They do have good room service, which I've ordered from a few times. We also like Kimono's for sushi, and sometimes after a long day I would order for carry out for myself and my kids from them. Usually the room is great; a couple of times we've had issues but they've always been so helpful.

I think the draw for me is the location. You absolutely cannot beat it. Plus, you'll definitely pay half or a lot less than half of what you'd pay to stay right nextdoor at the Boardwalk. I just love to walk to Epcot, or go to another park, then end up at Epcot and walk back to the room at night. I love strolling the Boardwalk early in the morning and getting a cup of coffee at the bakery.

I prefer the Swan to the Dolphin, only because if we want a room with two beds they have queens, not doubles. It's also quieter, and the rooms we've had there seemed cleaner than the Dolphin. Still, they're both great, especially for the transportation. I have sometimes rented from Alamo or National for just one day at the airport to drop off at the Dolphin, then we do a stop or two to shop for snacks and drinks on the way. It's so convenient. We would then take a cab back to the airport to avoid dealing with another rental.

 

[Disney On The Bayou]

I would try WDW Swan and request the turndown service... Yes... Sorry, you do have to request it, which tells you already to not expect the service you have been accustomed to, however, with that said, the location, TD service and nice walks to HS, EPCOT, Beach and Yacht, as well as the BW, you should be satisfied. Now, notice I didn't say Dolphin, thats another breed all together.

 

[happymommy]

I forgot to add one other difference between the Swan and the Dolphin. They are both Starwood properties, but the Dolphin is a Sheraton brand, whereas the Swan is a Westin brand (which is considered a step up from their basic full-service hotel brand).

 

[mikehn]

Not sure what type of 'service' you are looking for. Ive stayed at swan and HBC. I preferred HBC's accommodations. The Swan is a nice hotel, but I would not call it luxury. But being able to walk to epcot and DHS from swan is the ultimate convenience if you plan to visit those parks.

 

[Alexcina]

You just can't beat Disney hotels and service....

 

[Brian Noble]

You just can't beat Disney hotels and service....

I disagree with this. Strongly.

Disney is a competent hotelier, and I've stayed in several of their better places---including Boardwalk and Beach Club---but I'd compare them to an mid-to-up-market business-class property, not a true full service resort. They're about equivalent to a typical Marriott, but maybe a small step down from e.g. a Westin. They are nowhere near one of the better NYC hotels.

In Orlando, there are several places that I perceive to have better service. As noted above the W=A is probably the best combination of service and location. The Ritz has also been mentioned. Heck, even the Lowes resorts at Universal do a better job than Disney in many respects.

Here is a small example of the difference. To be considered for top-level recognition (five diamonds by AAA, etc.) each guest should be addressed by name whenever possible. At most of these places, the bell staff will discretely check a luggage tag when they unload you, so that when you step out of the car you will be greeted by Mr./Ms LastName.

Put simply, there is a reason that Disney made some land available to the Four Seasons brand for a new hotel: they know what they don't do.

 

[happymommy]

You just can't beat Disney hotels and service....

I also have to disagree - while in the past (years ago) we had excellent service at the GF, we have found that the service is very much hit or miss at Disney. The convenience is the draw, but that now is trumped by our desire for more space in a condo off site.

We stayed once at the Portofino Bay hotel at Universal, in a concierge room, and actually found them worse than Disney. I have no plans to ever return there.

 

[cbmcmahan]

We are regular Hilton Bonnet Creek/WA guests. We have stayed at the WA once and the HBC three times (all within the past 3 years). This year, both properties were booked during the week we always go (last week in February). We decided on the Swan based on the rate and the location. I stayed at the Swan probably 7 years ago for business, and I remember it being slightly worn and moldy then, but was willing to overlook that for the convenience of walking to Epcot/HS. A few nights ago, I looked at my husband and said, "I really think I'm going to miss HBC". We cancelled our flights and booked new ones based on Hilton's availability. We leave in 2 weeks. That is how much we love this property. While we have a 4 year old, we also consider this to be a vacation for US. And that means, a relaxing resort where people call you by name, serve you drinks/food at the pool, impeccable service and lush accommodations. I prefer the WA for service and the actual room, however HBC is more convenient for the pool and free breakfast every morning. If we were not traveling with kids, it would be the WA hands down.
Are you a Hilton Honors member? I find this helps too. We are always upgraded to a 2 room suite facing disney. We travel a lot for business, and appreciate the special treatment on vacation. We always debate whether or not to stay at a disney property, but it always comes back to the fact that we are Hilton people, and the hotel always recognizes that. We are using points, but the rate was $179/night. You simply cannot receive the quality or service for that price at a Disney hotel (in my opinion).
Good luck with your decision!

 

[TeamSy]

For us, the Disney hotels pale in comparison to a five star hotel.

The GF and Boardwalk are also nothing like a five star hotel in our eyes. Have you looked into the Ritz or the Four Seasons that's opening this summer? For us, nothing compares to a Four Seasons. We haven't had a bad experience at one yet. We recently stayed at the GF and were waiting for our pool attendant to make up our chair and offer us water, which obviously never happened because they don't have them. We were shocked that this was considered a Disney deluxe hotel, as they don't offer a lot of the amenities we are used to.

Out of the choices you listed, I would pick the WA. But, if your trip isn't until summer I would highly recommend you try the Four Seasons. We can't wait for it to open!