Swan or Disney moderates: which transp. system is more convenient.

[opus_00]

We have reservations at the Swan for a week beginning June 5. This will be our first time staying "on site" other than the DTD hotels. For those who have stayed at the Swan, how does it compare to the Disney moderate resorts as far as convenience to the parks? We have considered switching to a Disney moderate so that we will be eligible for Magical Express and the dining plan, but if getting to the parks is more convenient from the Swan, it would be worth it to us to keep our reservations there (we have 2 young children). I know that on the days we go to Epcot and MGM, we can walk or take the boat, which is a big plus. What about transportation to MK and AK? Are the buses more/less crowded and efficient compared to the moderates? This will also be our first trip that is not in the off-season, so I'm a little anxious about how quickly the buses will fill up and leave us waiting for the next one with our two kids in tow.

As far as getting to the MK, is it best to just take the bus from the Swan, or would it make sense to walk to Epcot and then take the monorail to the MK?

Paula

 

[Mainebound]

We found Swan transportation to be excellent. You can walk to Epcot, which is awesome, and you have the boat option to Epcot and MGM as well. Busses to MK and AK, etc., which picked up out front, were also excellent. We can only compare to AKL and WL, and felt Swan tranpsortation was equally as good as those.

Also, I'm pretty sure the bus came first to the Swan, so it was never full.

You can also walk easily to the Boardwalk, another plus for us.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed at both. Yes, you can walk/take the boat to Epcot and MGM from the Swan. It takes about 15 mins to make the walk, perhaps a bit more to MGM. The boat will be relaxing, but it isn't quick. Unless you just happen to get to the dock as people are boarding, it can take awhile. Then, it makes other stops. I do believe that the S/D are the last stop before heading to MGM though, so that's a bit quicker.
I have yet to find too much differences in buses at the different resorts. The S/D share a route with BW, and sometimes with YC/BC. It can take a chunk of time out if the bus has to stop at all those resorts, but it's usually just the three..S/D, BW.
I don't think I would make a resort choice based on transportation unless you were thinking of a MK resort. With little kids, it seems to make more sense to stay at one of the resorts along the monorail line since you tend to spend more time in MK than other parks.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The only transportation "problem" with the WDW Swan & Dolphin is that Disney's Magical Express does serve the Swan & Dolphin. So, in this regard, the Disney moderates are better.

When it comes to internal transportation, the WDW Swan & Dolphin are great -- just as good as Disney's deluxe Boardwalk Inn & Villas (because they normally share the same transportation). And, unlike the moderates, there's so much within walking distance Swan & Dolphin, as well as boat transporation (which is more fun than bus transportation).