Swan/Dolphin or OKW Studio?

[ArtistLost]

Looking to book a last minute trip and came across a confirmed OKR reservation for about the same price per night as Swan/Dolphin (after resort fees).

My husband and I are going for my 15 month-old's first trip to Disney. And we will of course be visiting MK for our daughter but we also want to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival. Which would you pick?

 

[Marionnette]

Looking to book a last minute trip and came across a confirmed OKR reservation for about the same price per night as Swan/Dolphin (after resort fees).

My husband and I are going for my 15 month-old's first trip to Disney. And we will of course be visiting MK for our daughter but we also want to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival. Which would you pick?

Neither.

I would try to find something at Poly. Easy access to both Epcot and MK. However, you're unlikely to get a Poly studio for the same price as an OKW studio. OKW's points charts are a bargain while Poly's are fairly high.

ETA: S/D buses to the MK drop off at the TTC which means having to take a boat or monorail to get to the MK after getting off the bus.

 

[Chupaca bruh]

We own DVC and really liked OKW. The studio is roomy and I liked the grounds a lot. BUT I would choose the Swan or Dolphin as the location is great and you can walk or boat to two parks. The Swan is a bit smaller and less grandiose and felt a bit more mellow than The Dolphin.

 

[Dave006]

Swan due to location 2 parks (EPCOT, DHS), limited size of the building about 750 rooms, all in 1 building and the basic rooms have 2 Queen beds.

Dave

 

[RoseGold]

Swan or Dolphin hands down. Fantastic location with the boats, and you can walk to Epcot/HS. OKW is a slog on a bus for every trip.

If you have hoppers, you can go to Epcot and close every night out with the fireworks.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Swan, no brainer. I don't mind dolphin at all but the resort is larger and the beds are full size, not queens. I do prefer the lobby at Dolphin over swan but it's just a quick walk across the way.

OKW is one of my least fave disney resorts. I know it's got a huge following for the DVC rooms but there are literally no benefits to staying there for what they charge. It's essentially a KW themed apt complex with bus only transport. It's not a great location and has the same transpo benefits as a value. The main draw for most guests of OKW is the space and points value.

Swan is awesome for walking or boating to DHS and Epcot. You can easily walk to the boardwalk/YC/BC for a bite to eat/entertainment/shopping. It's so nice for family with small children since the friendship boats are so convenient if you don't want to always walk.

The only downside of Swan/Dolphin is the bus to MK. The bus will not drop at MK bus depot but rather the TTC. Many guests will walk to/from YC/BC/Boardwalk to catch the MK disney resort buses. We've done both and don't mind going the route through the TTC if we don't feel like walking to/from the other resorts.

Overall, I'm a vote for Swan/Dolphin every time over OKW.

 

[ArtistLost]

Thank you all so much for the input! Even with all of the extra fees, the Swan or Dolphin works out to be the same price or cheaper than some DVC rentals. Although we're also considering a split stay with SSR for some cheaper nights.

 

[loves to dive]

Another Swan/Dolphin vote. I stay there 80% of the time. I've stayed in a Studio at OKW and it was fine, I did a split stay of 2 nights there and the rest at BWI. I do like the size of the rooms at OKW and the building I was in was right across the street from the main building and the first bus stop. In the mornings I would sit on my balcony and watch the buses. When the one that was going to the park I was interested in stopped at my stop, I would just make my way across the street to catch it at the main stop. That is the last stop so the bus could get crowded. From the parks, mine was the first stop. Either way, I didn't have to ride the bus all the way around the resort. I don't mind the buses and probably would have stayed there the entire trip but could only get rental for two nights.

Having said that, I love the Epcot resorts. I stay at which ever one is less, which is usually Dolphin but have stayed at Swan a few times. I don't mind being dropped off at TTC, I like the Ferry Boat but you can also just hop on the monorail. You can't beat being able to walk to two parks, I always have hoppers so spend every single night of my trips at Epcot.