Swan or Dolphin

[CheshireMelanie]

OK all you fans, I just changed my package to take advantage of the new codes.

Since our first night there will be 12/09 (codes don't start until 12/10) I've got one night to stay somewhere else. (POFQ wouldn't let me book a night only, even though my original reservation already had that night reserved. I thought that was pretty snarky!)

Anyway, I've got the AMEX reward points to transfer to Starwood points to get a free night at either Swan or Dolphin.

I have a couple of questions before I do this (I have checked and there is availability.) It is just DH and me, celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. We went to WDW at the same time last year and LOVED it. We will arrive about check in time and will have a rental car. We have lots of fun things planned with the MYW + Dining Package plus a segway tour, but that of course, starts the next day.


We won't have park tickets for that first night, so...

1. Which of the two resorts do you prefer?

2. What are some upgrades that might be possible for me as a starwood member?

and finally,

3. What would you do for the evening?

I'm counting on you Dis'ers...I've used a AAA agent who wasn't very Disney familiar and my brain hurts from all the thinking and explaining I've had to do just to get what we have.

Help!!!

Thanks in advance - sheesh, what would I do without this board?

 

[Eljay]

I like both the Swan & the Dolphin equally. The Swan is actually a few steps closer to the Boardwalk area though.

Your first night there would be a great time to walk over to the Boardwalk and have a special dinner at the Flying Fish, which is one of the finest restaurants on the WDW property.

From there you could enjoy some of the street entertainers that appear intermittantly.

You could also rent a surry bike to ride around Cresent Lake.

After dinner you could drop into Jelly Rolls, a fun dueling pianos bar.

All of these things are just a five minute stroll from either the Swan or the Dolphin.

Oh yes, at 9:00 pm, look toward Epcot and you can see the fireworks from the Illuminations show!

If I were you, I would just stay at the Swan or Dolphin and forget POFQ!
Enjoy!

 

[CheshireMelanie]

Eljay,

Thanks so much for the input. The Boardwalk is definitely on our list. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for a long stroll. We had planned on visiting Jelly Rolls later in the week, but may make it a priority for our first night.

Wish I could stay at the Dolphin, but the $279 or 10,000 pts a night would put a huge dent in our vacation budget. We stayed at a moderate last year (CSR) and throughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to exploring POFQ.

Anyone have any experience with redeeming points - is it a pretty straight forward transaction?

 

[Eljay]

I have never cashed in my Starwood points, but did you check to see if you qualify for any discounts? The reservations agents are great & will work with you. Sometimes the Entertainment book has 50% off rack rate. As an AP holder, I get a good rate.

 

[KayakDaddy]

We just returned Monday from a long weekend get-a-way at the Swan. It is a very nice place and we enjoyed it very much. It just felt more posh than any of the Disney Resorts we've stayed at, even the Deluxes. I guess I missed not having a romanticized theme a little bit, but it was still really nice. The Heavenly Beds did live up to all of the hype.

As far as wish one to stay at, her are some thoughts:

The Swan is smaller, has less rooms, and is less spread out. All of the resturants are right together and the self parking is pretty close. The Swan is closer to the Boardwalk, but not by too much.

The Dolphin is larger and is more architecturally distinctive. The places to dine are spread out a bit over the two lowest levels. The Dophin is much closer to the Grotto pool as well as to YC/BC and Epcot. The lobby is more elaborate at the Dolphin. We didn't stay there, so I can't comment on the rooms.

As for what to do on your night there - eat. There are so many nice restuarants within a few minutes walk. We ate at Palio and really enjoyed it. The strolling violinist shook my hand and talked with us for a few minutes. Then he played DW & DD's favorite disney tunes. The food was awesome too! There are lots of other places that look good right around there. We had a sideways view of Illuminations from our window, but if you move around the Boardwalk, you'll find other good views.

 

[spoon full of sugar]

I stayed at the Swan this past weekend and the first room I was given had a terrible mold and mildew problem. I am from Florida, so I know about mold, and this was really bad. Was given another room, after big hassle with front desk. Second room was O.K. I also have to say, I hate the decorating,it is attrocious, even for some northerner's idea of what a Florida hotel should look like but that is just my opinion.

 

[Eljay]

My wife was attacked last year outside of the swan hotel by an angry homeless man. I will never go back.

How sad & scary! Well, I guess if something like that can happen at the Swan, it could happen anywhere.

 

[katter24]

I have stayed at both the Swan and the Dolphin....they were both nice rooms....liked the lobby at the dolphin better and the proximity to the Grotto pool was better there then at the Swan... either one would be fine by me....