Swan or Swan Reserve?

[ohdddear]

I have book both for a trip in March and have not stayed at either and family wants an EPCOT area room. I am saving $500 with the swan room and get a balcony so I am leaning on staying at just the Swan not reserve. Will be just DH and 2 adult kids so we really don't need a resort type experience just want to be close to parks and a a grab and go coffee place for breakfast every day.
Which one would you pick?

 

[sheilafri]

I stayed at the Dolphin a few months ago and loved it. Price was pretty good. I loved the coffee shop/deli for mornings and nighttime as I don’t eat often in the parks and I assume the Swan has one, too. The food and coffee was better than in the parks. Loved that the boats to Epcot and HS were so accessible to the Swan and Dolphin. So much walking at WDW, I’d go for the Swan based on that alone.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd go with the Swan. Less of a walk to Epcot/DHS.

 

[Marthasor]

Swan, no question. We just stayed there last week and the location is spectacular. We walked to Swan Reserve one night for dinner and, while the hotel is lovely, the location and lack of park buses is a deal breaker for us.

 

[trompettecon]

I stayed at the Dolphin a few months ago and loved it. Price was pretty good. I loved the coffee shop/deli for mornings and nighttime as I don’t eat often in the parks and I assume the Swan has one, too. The food and coffee was better than in the parks. Loved that the boats to Epcot and HS were so accessible to the Swan and Dolphin. So much walking at WDW, I’d go for the Swan based on that alone.

Can you tell a little bit more about the Dolphin. The latest reviews on TripA have been... just horrible! I have the Dolphin booked (Swan sold out) and a Disney Springs hotel... Trying to choose between both.

 

[sheilafri]

There wasn’t daily maid service but I believe I could have requested it. The room was clean, comfortable and in good condition. I loved the coffee shop. The resort was large so I took a few wrong turns in trying to find shortcuts. Main traffic areas were easy to navigate. Self parking was slightly farther away than at the Swan but not horrible. I actually got into my room very early. I really have no complaints and would stay there again. Just stayed last week at the Swan and was very disappointed. Torn curtain, no toiletries, dirty washcloth hanging on the shower head. Both had good mask compliance. Hope that helps.

 

[mom6]

We are going to WDW the last week of Feb. 3 Adults/2 children(first trip for them). We have a reservation at the Beach club but I have been looking at the Dolphin 2dbl/suite with kitchenette. The reviews on Trip advisor and expedia are really negative for the Dolphin but I would save $1400. I need some guidance, has anyone stayed there recently and do you get the early morning at the Dolphin?

 

[sheilafri]

We are going to WDW the last week of Feb. 3 Adults/2 children(first trip for them). We have a reservation at the Beach club but I have been looking at the Dolphin 2dbl/suite with kitchenette. The reviews on Trip advisor and expedia are really negative for the Dolphin but I would save $1400. I need some guidance, has anyone stayed there recently and do you get the early morning at the Dolphin?

Dolphin, Swan and Reserve get Early Morning Hours and the nighttime Extra Hours at MK and Epcot.

 

[lfcfan]

We are going to WDW the last week of Feb. 3 Adults/2 children(first trip for them). We have a reservation at the Beach club but I have been looking at the Dolphin 2dbl/suite with kitchenette. The reviews on Trip advisor and expedia are really negative for the Dolphin but I would save $1400. I need some guidance, has anyone stayed there recently and do you get the early morning at the Dolphin?

If you can afford it, I would honestly go with Beach Club if this trip is really about the kids. Of course, you know your family best (would you use the kitchenette/do you need that for your kids?) When our son was younger (he is 20 now!) YC/BC was his absolute favorite. Some of our best disney memories are from that resort. For a first trip for them, the Disney magic is important, and the Beach Club is all about that. We are fans of Swan/Dolphin for location, and have stayed there recently, but for younger kids, nothing can compare to YC/BC, I think. Of course, it was just 3 of us, and we never minded being in a basic hotel room together. I don't think you will have too much trouble with using the fold down bed, etc.--kids love it!

I am definitely budget-minded in general, but in these circumstances (first trip!) I absolutely think you will get your money's worth for the kids' joy with the BC stay.
Also are you factoring in the high resort fees at Dolphin?
I just saw "3 adults"--assumed it was 2. Not sure what the configuration is there, and if you can all be comfortable in one room. That does complicate things.

I don't have anything negative to say about rooms at the Dolphin. We have had very nice stays at Dolphin and Swan. But definitely not the magical memories of YC/BC! And I would assume there would be swimming time...if not, that does make BC less of the favorite. When the kids see the pool, they will definitely want swimming time!

Good luck and if you have any specific questions I will try to help!

 

[mom6]

I booked the BC and we are so excited! I agree about the pool, hope it's warm enough to swim. I am trying to decide on which parks each day and dining reservations ( not many available ) We check in late Sat and leave TH morning. Do you know if the ground level rooms at BC have seating outside the room like a patio . I noticed some of the 2nd & 5th floor rooms have full balconies?

 

[nuhusky123]

I have book both for a trip in March and have not stayed at either and family wants an EPCOT area room. I am saving $500 with the swan room and get a balcony so I am leaning on staying at just the Swan not reserve. Will be just DH and 2 adult kids so we really don't need a resort type experience just want to be close to parks and a a grab and go coffee place for breakfast every day.
Which one would you pick?

Done both. Swan reserve is awesome

swan is tired and rooms small. Bathrooms even more so

reserve is well worth the extra money. I put this in another thread but to make it easy for you

I’ve stayed at the swan around ten times and I’m a titanium

ive never been upgraded on status

ive upgraded once to corner family room using snas

pros of swan
- proximity to epcot
- it’s a marriott
-cheaper than Disney hotel by a fair bit

cons of swan
- rooms are dated
- bathroom is tight
- almost impossible to get an upgrade
- parking is really far away

rooms were as clean as any other hotel. No worse and no better

i also recently over dec did a two night reserve stay. I loved the reserve
pros
- rooms are much bigger than swan
- upgraded were really easy with sna. I got awesome suite facing Epcot
- it’s new
- bathroom is very large and toilet isn’t right next to shower
- shower is a dedicated shower vs shower tub combo
- parking is 100% better and closer than compared to swan

cons
- growing pains, recommend you look past these
- a bit further to walk to Epcot or boat

if I ever go back to swan complex I will not hesitate to pay more for the reserve, well worth the extra couple of $

 

[gottalovepluto]

We are going to WDW the last week of Feb. 3 Adults/2 children(first trip for them). We have a reservation at the Beach club but I have been looking at the Dolphin 2dbl/suite with kitchenette. The reviews on Trip advisor and expedia are really negative for the Dolphin but I would save $1400. I need some guidance, has anyone stayed there recently and do you get the early morning at the Dolphin?

With kids it’s all about SAB. If they’re the right ages SAB will be darn near magical so if you can afford the extra cost I would stick with BC.

 

[lfcfan]

I booked the BC and we are so excited! I agree about the pool, hope it's warm enough to swim. I am trying to decide on which parks each day and dining reservations ( not many available ) We check in late Sat and leave TH morning. Do you know if the ground level rooms at BC have seating outside the room like a patio . I noticed some of the 2nd & 5th floor rooms have full balconies?

I am excited for you! How old are your kids? Just be aware that the pool (SAB) has a lot going on. The adults will spend a lot of time all over the place chasing the kids from one part to the next (slide, lazy river, beach area.) It's the best time, in my opinion--but it will be active for you!! And depending on how old they are, naps might be necessary!
If I were you, I would move these questions about rooms over to the BC/YC thread where the experts are. I don't care too much about what room I get, so I am definitely not an expert on room locations/what to request etc. But there are plenty of folks who would be happy to help with that!

And, I don't know anything about your family, but IMHO, you will want to hit the parks as early as possible while the kids have energy (think snacks/breakfast on the go). I think it is a mistake to start the day with a sit-down or character breakfast. It gives you a late start, and frankly, kids are most eager to go in the mornings, so having them sit still for a while is counter-productive. You probably know all of this. But since you don't have a ton of days, and you are paying for the BC, etc., I want to see you get the most out of your trip!! Hope it is magical.

 

[mom6]

I booked BC and I agree on more energy in the morning. My kids are 7 & 9 and their first trip. The 7 year old is type 1 diabetic,( 6 month since diagnosis) so we are going to try to get DAS pass. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Saad]

Is there a swan/dolphin main thread?

 

[CarolynFH]

Is there a swan/dolphin main thread?

Yes there is - click HERE.