Swan vs Animal Kingdom Lodge?

[BaseballMoM2007]

We are trying to decide which resort we prefer. If we can get Free Dining at Animal Kingdom lodge if it comes out vs 1 extra night and 1 extra park day and paying OOP for same meals at Swan. The total cost will be very similar maybe a little cheaper at swan but not much difference. We like the Idea of being at the Animal Kingdom lodge and think the kids would love it. On the same hand Epcot is the Adults favorite park and Hollywood the kids favorite so the location of Swan is ideal for our needs. (If we don't get free dining we will 100% be at the swan.) Which would you choose?

 

[patty57]

I would choose the Swan. I love the Epcot resorts location. I like Animal Kingdom lodge, but prefer being able to walk to two parks.

 

[summerlvr]

I priced both of these resorts for my May trip, and AKL was cheaper. I really wanted Swan to be cheaper, because my primary reason for going is the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. Make sure you are considering all the fees and such at the Swan. If you are flying, you will have to pay for transportation to/from airport and if you are driving, there is a daily parking charge. Swan also has a daily resort fee.

 

[FlyingBelle]

I've stayed at both - I would choose AKL hands down. Yes, the proximity to Epcot is nice, but the previous poster made a good point about the extra cost at the Swan. The Swan and Dolphin both felt very dated when we walked around there last month.

 

[mousegear]

I am actually doing split stay for this coming trip... 3 days at Swan and 3 days at AKL. We've done both in the past and we definitely prefer Swan for the proximity to Epcot and DHS. Also MK is not that far from Epcot resorts. AKL is unique and I love the resort for its serenity and the theme. However, I find AKL really far from the parks besides AK and if you don't have a car, you really need to plan 1.5 hours of traveling time as Disney suggests. Since you know the pros/cons already, it's a matter of choosing.

 

[100acreHiker]

AKL is lovely but too far for us, as we like to go in and out of Epcot and HS, so we would choose an EP resort over AKL. Yes, Swan does not have the theming or magical express, and yes there is a daily resort fee. For me, if I had to take a longer bus ride back and forth to each park, it would wind up curtailing some of my plans. We enjoy going back to the resort mid day to get a break from the craziness of the parks, and an EP resort is perfect for that.

 

[loves to dive]

If the price is the same, I think it would depend a lot on your own preferences. Personally, I'd go with Swan because I always stay at the Epcot resorts. We have stayed at AKL during a split stay (2 night SKL, the rest at BWV) and loved AKL. If you have ever stayed at any of the moderate resorts AKL is no further from the parks than those, I'm not sure why people think it is farther. As a matter of fact, some of the value resorts are farther away than AKL. Everything is far from MK except the monorail resorts and WL.

 

[BaseballMoM2007]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have both booked right now. If free dining comes out and we can get it applied to a standard room we will do that st AKL . If not we will keep reservation at swan. I think we will be happy with either one.

 

[cutigerlady]

My family would pick the convenience of being able to easily walk/boat to two parks. We have stayed at the Swan many times (my husband gets a govt discount) and I would recommend that you keep looking at the rates. I've been able to shave a lot of the rate I first booked by checking frequently. I don't know if you are aware, but they are going to be doing significant construction to gut the lobbies of both the Swan and Dolphin and re-do them.

We have also stayed at AKL for a no parks vacation and my family really enjoyed it. My kids loved it because we stayed club level and had a savannah view room. There was so much to do at the resort, they really didn't want to leave. If you are going to be spending most of your time at the parks, I'm not sure I would stay here.

 

[BaseballMoM2007]

Well I have ran the numbers one more time and I think if we can get free dining at AK for 5 nights then stay 5 nights at swan out of pocket it will cost virtually the same as 8 nights of free dining at Animal Kingdom so that is what we are shooting for! We have never done a two Disney hotel split stay but we are very excited. If we can't get free dining we will just be at the swan for 9 nights.