Swan and Dolphin. Wife very hesitant

[BLLB]

We own DVC (home resort BWV) and have stayed at the Swan/Dolphin. I think they are a great alternative. Love the location and I think they have one of the nicest pools on property. It's huge! We always use a car service, but it sounds like you won't need transportation.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

im in the camp that staying at Swan/dolphin is better than off property, but I'd rather stay at a Disney hotel.
The hotels are fine, but can be super busy with convention goers (I go on vacation to get AWAY from business casual)and while the pool is pretty, it is shared by both resorts, and thus can be very crowded.
My biggest issue though, is their policy to both charge daily for parking AND charge a daily resort fee. I'd rather it just be factored into the price of the room.

 

[LovesTimone]

The Swan and Dolphin are very nice. We stayed there twice for a long weekend when some friends got married there and then later when they came for a visit. We enjoyed the stay and were very comfortable. It is a nice walk to Epcot and the restaurants around the board walk and easy getting to DHS. What we did not like it the parking fee which was about 20 or 25 a night, and that wasn't valet. I think there was an added resort fee as well, so be sure to check this out.

If your wife & kids are used to being immersed in the magic you might get some backlash, for us the theming makes it feel more special. Happy Wife Happy Life....just saying...

You can not charge to your magic bands, there is a no way to do it. My DH loves this... just use the magic band at meals, or grabbing a bottle of water or snack and when shopping easy peasy. Plus you can not get the dinning plan when you stay there.

Without using DME...If you need a car seat for your kiddos the price will go up for a ride to and from the airport. My friends just paid almost 100.00 to get back to the airport as they decided to stay a extra night, which means they over slept and missed their flight.... just putting this out there. If you go the rental car route make sure to add this in.

 

[MDH]

Thanks. Car rentals aren't an issue, i'm in the unfortunate position of having to rent cars 40 to 50 times a year. I've got their systems down. We'll just pack a booster seat as carry on and put it in no problem for the 6 year old. It's all going to come down to theming vs dollars. I'll spend some time with my wife doing virtual tour, and checking trip reports with photos on trip advisor to get a feel. Another side benefit is I'd earn mega SPG points or marriot points depending on where the merger is at that point in time.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks. Car rentals aren't an issue, i'm in the unfortunate position of having to rent cars 40 to 50 times a year. I've got their systems down. We'll just pack a booster seat as carry on and put it in no problem for the 6 year old. It's all going to come down to theming vs dollars. I'll spend some time with my wife doing virtual tour, and checking trip reports with photos on trip advisor to get a feel. Another side benefit is I'd earn mega SPG points or marriot points depending on where the merger is at that point in time.

Just know, the Dolphin lobby is also about to go through a major refurb, so the photos you find now may not reflect what you'll see when you get there. Here is an article about the refurb: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/12/concept-art-dolphin-hotel-lobby-undergoing-12-million-refurbishment/

I think it's going to be beautiful. We've stayed at both the Swan and Dolphin and really love the resorts. They are our go-to resorts when we've missed out on deluxe discounts. I will always stay at Swan/Dolphin over a mod. The location can't be beat, the restaurants our fantastic and the rooms are incredibly comfortable. I've never really felt out of the Disney bubble there.

 

[Sweettears]

I agree with those that acknowledge that S & D are very nice hotels. I have stayed there a few times and will be doing so on my next trip. However to me the difference in atmousefere is very noticeable. As you walk past the YC towards the S & D the area music stops. Also there are very few Disney touches in the hotel. The gift shop does carry a lot of Disney merchandise. My preference is to stay at the YC but with the current rates its too expensive. Having said that staying within the EPCOT area is my preference and the value at the S & D overcomes the difference in atmosphere IMO.

 

[SuperTink]

Probably also dependent on how much time you plan to spend at the hotel.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We stayed at the Swan for one night at the end of our trip in September. We were out of points to use and wanted to be able to walk to Epcot for the Rockin' Burger Bash. Our room was lovely. Beds were extra comfortable and we had a ton of space in our room. We are SPG members and we got a room that looked right out at the Dolphin (no balcony).

 

[Sweettears]

We stayed at the Swan for one night at the end of our trip in September. We were out of points to use and wanted to be able to walk to Epcot for the Rockin' Burger Bash. Our room was lovely. Beds were extra comfortable and we had a ton of space in our room. We are SPG members and we got a room that looked right out at the Dolphin (no balcony).

I actually choose the S&D over moderates because of the availability of balconies.

 

[tjmw2727]

WE Love the S&D and prefer the Dolphin due to the number of casual and full service restaurants in the building as well as the Starbucks in the Lobby. S&D have all the perks the WDW resorts have except transportation from the airport (you have that covered) and room charging/dining and RAC (but they do have an airline checkin desk). They do offer AAA discounts in the restaurants and if your kids bring good report cards there are perks for that as well. With your SPG points you should be eligible for an upgrade - just ask at checkin and xx fingers.

You also get EMH, WDW park transportation and package delivery. IMHO they offer one of the best pools on property (and my kids agree 2nd only to storm along bay). Lots more kids activities than the WDW resorts - pool table, basket ball, beach volley ball, swan boats (and the motor sprites) and crafts through out the day as well as a decent arcade. For the price of a moderate you can walk/boat to 2 parks, inside corridors and lots of great restaurants and shops in the dolphin not to mention walkable at the BC/YC and Boardwalk.

As for Conventions - yes we saw them on and off during some of our trips but it didn't bother us. Honestly we had more conventioneers at CSR and the Contemporary and the only teen groups we ever encountered were at the value so it happens on property as well.

Obviously the S&D aren't for everyone but with that savings it may be worth a try to see if it is a good fit for your family.

Unless I get a great pass holder discount at a Deluxe or Moderate it isn't even a choice for us - Dolphin wins hands down!

 

[WDWNY]

We just stayed at Dolphin for thanksgiving. Got a great rate because of a convention we were there for $134 a night. For us, it did not feel like disney at all. it felt like a regular hotel room. If you walked me into the room without telling me where I was i would probably say some Hilton hotel somewhere.
However, we did LOVE being able to walk to parks. (you can walk to HS too) I think for that savings you can do enough additional things to make it a very Disney trip.

 

[Missyrose]

I did miss charging things on my magic band to the room, sending parks purchases back to the room, and using the magic band as my room key, but they were far from deal breakers.

Swolphin guests CAN have their purchases sent back to their resorts.

 

[tjmw2727]

We just stayed at Dolphin for thanksgiving. Got a great rate because of a convention we were there for $134 a night. For us, it did not feel like disney at all. it felt like a regular hotel room. If you walked me into the room without telling me where I was i would probably say some Hilton hotel somewhere.
However, we did LOVE being able to walk to parks. (you can walk to HS too) I think for that savings you can do enough additional things to make it a very Disney trip.

This is true about the room itself (I love the heavenly beds tho!) .... and unfortunately many of the WDW resorts are going in this direction as well. A bit OT but other than the value resorts and a few of the moderates with the themed rooms I am seeing more of a traditional room décor as each resort is remodeled.

 

[loves to dive]

We just got back last night from a 4 night stay at Dolphin and enjoyed it. We are two adults, my son and I and have stayed at the Swan in the past as well. We normally stay at the Disney Epcot resorts, YC is our favorite but this was a last minute trip booked 3 weeks before we went, and the prices at the Disney Epcot resorts were just so silly. I prefer the Swan over the Dolphin, it has queen beds in the room as opposed to the full ones at the Dolphin and the bathroom area was much larger. Could have been the type of room we had but at the Dolphin the bathroom was so small if you had the door open you couldn't turn around, the Swan one was huge. I just booked standard rooms at both but got lucky with my views, at Swan we could see the HS fireworks, at Dolphin we could see both the HS and Epcot fireworks. We don't mind the lack of Disney in your face, it's an easy enough walk to any of the Disney resorts that you really don't notice. We love the pool area and there are loads of great restaurants. We do drive so the parking fee is a pain but it's the same at any Sheraton hotel anywhere so it is what it is.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We stayed at BWV in 2015 and visited Garden Grove for the Friday night character seafood buffet. The food and character interaction were both stellar. I would consider staying at either of these resorts. They actually felt less conventiony than CSR did when we stayed there this past April.

 

[WDWNY]

This is true about the room itself (I love the heavenly beds tho!) .... and unfortunately many of the WDW resorts are going in this direction as well. A bit OT but other than the value resorts and a few of the moderates with the themed rooms I am seeing more of a traditional room décor as each resort is remodeled.

I missed the little hidden Mickeys and waking up to Mickey waffles and Stacy on my TV LOL

 

[Skywalker]

When we went a few years ago and decided to walk around and see all the Disney Hotels...I guess I was a noob because I had no idea the Swan & Dolphin weren't Disney hotels lol. I really liked the area around those hotels and I never felt like I "left" Disney when we were there. Besides, if you feel like you are not getting enough Disney immersion just step outside it is right there! We stayed at the Yacht Club (small room for the price!) and I would have been just as happy next door at one of these hotels.

 

[tjmw2727]

I missed the little hidden Mickeys and waking up to Mickey waffles and Stacy on my TV LOL

I hear you on the Hidden Mickeys, the waffles I can skip and for those reading along (still deciding) you can get Stacey on TV at the S&D!

 

[SA mom]

I, too, was hesitant to try the Swan, but my husband convinced me to use the Starwood Preferred Guest AmEx and earn points so we could stay on points. By the time of our trip, we had accumulated enough points for 4 nights and got the 5th night free.

We have not stayed in a Disney operated hotel since that trip. Even with parking and resort fee, it's still an amazingly inexpensive vacation. The resort is beautiful, the food amazing, and the location is so convenient to two parks. And there is just nothing more magical than watching fireworks from your room.

So I would say give it try. If you both don't love it, stay some other place next time.

 

[SA mom]

Oh, forgot the beds! Best beds ever.