Swan or POR Riverside???

[DisneyAllison]

I currently have reservations at Port Orleans Riverside for
Dec. 4- 8.

I am a teacher and have been doing some research on the teacher discouunts at the Swan. There are some pretty great discounts right now.

Here are my options-
1) Stay at POR Riverside for reg. price (162.00/nite -King Bed)
(NO more discounts available)

OR
2) Stay at The Swan - Resort View (Same Price as POR)

OR
3) Stay at The Swan - Club Level for $150 more.


I don't know what to do. I have never stayed "officially" away from the Disney Resorts. If I did change to the Swan, does it still have the same Disney MAGIC as the "official" resorts?


HELP! I'm stuck!

Thanks so much .I really appreciate and value your advice

 

[weloveminnie]

I suggest you to stay at Swan for a room view.

 

[jgates]

The Swan is my favorite place, but if this is a really good price for POR, it might be a good opportunity to stay there. (Or is that closer to rack rate?). Then do the Swan discounts a different trip. If you have stayed at POR before, I would use this as a good opportunity to stay at the Swan.

For the Swan Club level (I love it) you would seriously have to evaluate if that $150 is worth the difference. Explore our Swan threads a little to check out asking for upgrades, etc.

 

[goofy4tink]

I say go for the Swan! I'm having the same dilemna for this summer....Swan vs. CBR. I have a lake view at Swan reserved for around $170 a night. CBR for $150 night...but, I know that the codes that are coming will lower the CBR rate, a lot!! I'm not sure if the Swan is worth the probable $300 difference. That would pay for 1 1/2 hopper passes!!!! But in your case, with no good codes available, I would go with the Swan. It's supposed to be wonderful!!!

 

[Demosthenes]

Definately go with the Swan! I was very nervous about staying at the Dolphin until I did so. This resort is every bit as magical as the moderates, if not more so (considering their location, it is hard to beat any of the resorts in the Boardwalk area).

 

[DisneyKidds]

I was going to say it was a tough choice, but then I thought about it more. I'd go Swan in a heartbeat. In the end, it really depends on what is most important to you.

PO-Riverside. What you get at PO-R that you won't get at the Swan is Disney themeing in a self contained resort. PO-R is very nice. From check-in, to walking around the quiet paths, seeing the Mansions and the Bayous (two different sections of buildings within POR-R), the central area with the restaurant/food court, the mill and water wheel, the little bridge over the water that leads to the pool area - it is all very charming. IMHO, PO-R is one of the best themed of the Disney moderate resorts. If that type of themeing is important to you then PO-R is a great choice.

Swan. There are a couple of things to consider with this resort. First we can compare themeing. The Swan and Dolphin hotels themselves are not themed as much as PO-R. Many people say that the Swan and Dolphin have more of a 'hotel' feel than a themed resort feel. That is somewhat true. However, the Swan and the Dolphin are surrounded by the YC/BC, BW, MGM, and Epcot. They are right in the middle of one of the most active areas of WDW. So, what the hotels themselves lack in themeing, they make up for by being right in the middle of so much other themed Disney stuff. The location is simply incredible. Other things to consider at the Swan - the pools are nicer, the rooms are bigger, you have easy walking access to more restaurants and entertainment, you can walk or boat to both Epcot and MGM. So if location and all these other things is more important than having a Disney themed resort, the Swan is the place.

We have stayed at both. We really like PO-R. However, all things being considered we would stay at the Swan if we had to choose between the two. If we could get the Swan for the same price as PO-R it would be a no-brainer.

 

[Blondie]

PO-Riverside (called Dixie Landings when we stayed there) will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first Disney resort we stayed at. The theming really knocked our socks off!

BUT--I'd have to go with the Swan for the reasons everyone else has already stated. The location is superb, the Grotto Pool was voted the most "Lush and Exotic" by Disney Magazine, and the atmosphere holds just as much Disney magic as anywhere else onsite, IMHO.

We've stayed at both the Swan and Dolphin and are returning to the Swan at the end of January!

 

[tampafan]

The Swan is very nice. We really enjoyed our stay there. We are in a similar situation with the discounts for November so we are using the teacher discount for the Dolphin. I would try the Swan/Dolphin if I were you. The location is primo!