Swan vs Dolphin vs mod

[DawnCt1]

We have stayed at the Swan, so I would pick the Dolphin because we haven't stayed there. I prefer either of those to any of the moderates. Its a great location. An easy walk to Epcot, an easy walk to the Boardwalk, and a quick boat ride to MGM.

 

[NJFabFour]

I would take a value resort, a moderate resort, even a tent near a swamp in WDW before risking a booking with S/D again (or ANY Sheraton/Westin hotel for that matter) . . . it may not happen often, but when you are among the few who get kicked out and relocated well OFF property to the Hyatt, well, there's no forgiving OR forgetting.

 

[tink76]

We had/have the same problem. We decided on the Dolphin. The price of the dolphin with the added $10 resort fee and mears shuttle made it VERY similar to the moderate price for us. So it just came down to which we wanted to stay at. We choose the Dolphin for a couple of reasons, but the biggest being location. Especially for someone who enjoys EPCOT. We also like how close it was to the Boardwalk and other Epcot resorts.
It really depends on what you are looking for but for us it seemed the Dolphin was a good fit. I hope we made the right choice

 

[aubriee]

I would take a value resort, a moderate resort, even a tent near a swamp in WDW before risking a booking with S/D again (or ANY Sheraton/Westin hotel for that matter) . . . it may not happen often, but when you are among the few who get kicked out and relocated well OFF property to the Hyatt, well, there's no forgiving OR forgetting.

When was this? Does it happen often? You are right, I would not be happy. I refuse to drive while down there and depend solely on Disney transportation. Besides the only reason, I am even considering the Swan or Dolphin is because of their location close to Epcot and DS. I've always been able to get a room discount in Dec and feel fairly certain that I'd be able to get an AP discount or maybe even free dining with my Disney VISA (like they offered last year). I just love the location of the S/D though, plus could probably get the Nurses discount there, plus I've never stayed at either. I have stayed at all the moderates though.

 

[tkldisney]

If your going solo, I try for a king at Dolphin, if your mom goes, I'd pick the Swan for the queen beds and it is a little quieter The Dolphin has the food court which you can walk to easily from the Swan. The location is great for walking to EPCOT.
When you calculating remember you pay 9.99 day + tax for parking (if you have car) and there is a 10.00 day + tax resort fee for both S & D.
You do not have to pay for parking at the parks. We've stayed at the Swan a couple of times and it's always been great. Heavenly beds are heavenly, much better than mods.

 

[TinkOhio]

Swan, a very definite deluxe at, generally, moderate pricing, So much to offer.


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1567343

Exactly!

 

[CarolA]

When was this? Does it happen often? You are right, I would not be happy. I refuse to drive while down there and depend solely on Disney transportation. Besides the only reason, I am even considering the Swan or Dolphin is because of their location close to Epcot and DS. I've always been able to get a room discount in Dec and feel fairly certain that I'd be able to get an AP discount or maybe even free dining with my Disney VISA (like they offered last year). I just love the location of the S/D though, plus could probably get the Nurses discount there, plus I've never stayed at either. I have stayed at all the moderates though.

I have stayed at the Swan or Dolphin probably 10 times and never had anything like this happen. Plus I read a lot on here and this is the only post like that I can recall seeing so I figure it's pretty rare.

But just because you stay at a Disney resort doesn't mean you wont' get moved either.... Happens all the time LOL!

 

[MinnieNurse]

We have never stayed at Swan/Dolphin because you cant add dining plan-and we love the dining plan. I am dying to try their heavenly beds but probably never will because we do not want to give up our dining plan.

We have stayed at CSR and POFQ and loved them both. Out of the two my vote is for POFQ because I love the small size of it, the pool, and love the boat to DTD. Cant comment yet on CBR but we are trying that one out this summer.

I must add we have loved all the Disney resorts we have stayed at so far, so I dont really think you can go wrong with them.

 

[jimmiej]

We have stayed at the Swan, so I would pick the Dolphin because we haven't stayed there. I prefer either of those to any of the moderates. Its a great location. An easy walk to Epcot, an easy walk to the Boardwalk, and a quick boat ride to MGM.

This is where I fall. Also, I think the grotto pool at the S/D is awesome!

 

[goofy4tink]

I go solo... Swan/Dolphin hands down. As a solo the DDP has never been a good value so that "con" is out. Plus as a Solo I really like Epcot and the location can't be beat!

Words right out of my mouth.
The Dolphin is larger and a bit noisier than the Swan. It has Picabu on it's bottom level...24 hr cafeteria style restaurant. Much nicer than food courts.
The ability to just walk, or boat, over to Epcot and DHS is a huge plus for me.
I love the moderates but if I can get the S/D for the same or less, then I head there. I don't need all that in your face Disney theming in my room...I get plenty everywhere else. The rooms are nicer (can be smaller sometimes) the toiletries are far superior, the bedding is far superior.
The downside, for me, is the fact that I can't use DME to get there and back. I don't particularly care about the ddp...it really isn't a great deal for me anymore. I just get the TiW card now.

As for being moved out....that happened to some but not many people when they were rehabbing the hotel. It has stopped, to the best of my knowledge. I'm booked at the Dolphin in August and am not at all concerned about having to move.

 

[Vivianne]

We're 2 adults. We don't need/want to do the dining plan.

We've stayed at the Swan 2x, Dolphin 2x, POFQ 2x, Pop 2x, CBR 1x.

Next month we're staying at the Dolphin. Our reason is the proximity to Epcot and we do enjoy the Boardwalk area. The beds are very comfy too. Lately, we've been staying at the Dolphin because the Swan wasn't available. Even though the Swan is smaller, I haven't had any problems with noise at the Dolphin. It just might be about who's in the room next to you and that can happen at any hotel. I do like the Picabu Buffeteria at the Dolphin for breakfast. You'll do fine with either hotel. I read a pretty good review of the BlueZoo restaurant with pictures on the restaurant thread.

For those that prefer a Disney hotel theme, it's good we have so many choices to customize our individual vacations around our needs/wants there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[aarmando20]

For those that say the Swan/Dolphin is not Disney enough for them. My last stay the balcony in my room at the swan overlooked the Boardwalk and have a view of Spaceship earth. At night we saw the EPCOT fireworks from our balcony I don't know how much more Disney it could have been.

 

[kapoof]

I would take a value resort, a moderate resort, even a tent near a swamp in WDW before risking a booking with S/D again (or ANY Sheraton/Westin hotel for that matter) . . . it may not happen often, but when you are among the few who get kicked out and relocated well OFF property to the Hyatt, well, there's no forgiving OR forgetting.

i got to say i would be livid if i were you too! part of the allure to s/d is being right on property, to be kicked off is horrible! so sorry you had that experince.

 

[catsrule]

swan/dolphin. Love the location. I have stayed at the moderates but I so missed not being able to walk to Epcot and HS. Also liked that the rooms were quieter. Didn't hear any screaming kids.

 

[AimKo]

I had a work conference last week at the Dolphin and DH joined me. The location of the Dolphin is fantastic....good transport to DHS and Epcot is an easy walk. The rooms were very nice and we had a view of DHS. We enjoyed EMH as well. Restaurants were also quite good.....all that being said, I kept looking at the Boardwalk and Beach Club wishing I were staying there. (We've stayed at Pop, CSR, and Poly).

I did find myself missing the Disney touches, particularly the Dining Plan and the ability to charge and have park tix on my room card. I didn't think the Dolphin had a "family" feel to it...again, this was ok, since it was only DH and I.

I don't think I would stay there again because I realized that these touches are part of what makes it a Disney experience for me....but I do feel that the Dolphin was a great value and extremely well placed on Disney property.

Aim

 

[Rora]

Mod! CSR!

 

[janiejake]

At the moment I'm going solo, but hoping I can talk my elderly mom into going with me.
The Swan, for sure. For Location, the Beds, and Ease of getting around. Especially if Mom goes with. The heavenly queen beds are fabulous. And, if she does not go with you, the king bed is of the same fabulous quality, and you get a decent couch to lounge on. Nice to have more than the chair you get at the moderates. (as mentioned by pps, you only get double beds at the Dolphin). If I remember right, there was a decent single lounge chair in the 2 queen room, too. (as well as the desk chair).
The location would be especially important with Mom. Once you are out the front door, you just walk on to the boat to DHS, or EPCOT, or the other epcot resorts if you want to stop there and eat. And, if Mom needs a scooter, easy to roll on to those boats. No stairs. To get to MK, roll on to the monorail. Only park where she'd have to mess with buses is AK.
We just came back from POR , which is my favorite resort. But, I was wishing I was at the Swan for location and ease of transport. I ended up having mobility problems, and did use a scooter in the parks. Wish I'd had one 24/7, but dh did not want to mess with having to get it loaded on the buses. ALL of the buses, from POR. And, some of the buses Disney uses are the OLD ones. The newer ones have the hydraulic feature, and lower closer to the ground, and you can just step easily into it and walk in. That is not the case with some of the older models. The first step up is a doozy, on some of them. I saw one gent having to lift his mother's leg up onto the step, and then have to give her a butt boost to get the rest of her up to that step. I knew I'd have trouble too, and ended up with one of those buses three times during our stay. If your mom has any trouble with her legs, knees or back, or she is short, something to consider.
Easiest location for the best mobility, except perhaps for some of the deluxes. If I'd been at the Swan, I'd have been knocking on Lake Buena Vista Scooter's door.

 

[bdink921]

I would take a value resort, a moderate resort, even a tent near a swamp in WDW before risking a booking with S/D again (or ANY Sheraton/Westin hotel for that matter) . . . it may not happen often, but when you are among the few who get kicked out and relocated well OFF property to the Hyatt, well, there's no forgiving OR forgetting.

I knew I had read this somewhere--how awful!! Did they give you any notice at all or just tell you that you had to leave when you got there?

 

[Goofy'sGrl]

I think everyone has pretty much covered the difference between moderates vs staying at the swan/dolphin. I have stayed at the Swan once and the Dolphin five times. The Swan has a "quieter" feel to it and is perhaps the more "upscale" of the two. We found that we were constantly walking over to the Dolphin for breakfast, snacks and to get to the Grotto Pool. There is more going on at the Dolphin. The Swan has a smaller, basic pool right next to it and the "beach" area with a bar is next to that. The finer restaurants are at the Swan, but if you prefer more "grab and go" choices or for a quick meal the Dolphin is better. The Grotto Pool, which is one of the best features of this resort is closer to the Dolphin. Felt the rooms at Swan vs Dolphin were comparable, not disney-ish, but very nice and certainly an upgrade from the moderates. If you need that Disney fix, it's a short walk to Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach Club. If you don't feel like walking over to Yacht or Beach, can take the boat (that takes you to Epcot and DHS) over as well. Boat launch is right in the middle of the Swan and Dolphin so no difference there. Overall, I prefer the Dolphin because of the proximity to grotto pool and the food choices on site. I also prefer the views from here. Have stayed in rooms where we could see illuminations and fantasmic from our balcony. I have stayed at many Disney properties (will be at Wilderness Lodge next month) and really like the Disney touches, but like the Swan or Dolphin for a change of pace and the convenience to Epcot and DHS.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I would give the Swan or Dolphin a try if you are wanting something different. The location is really ideal - close to the Boardwalk, Epcot, and DHS, but at a much cheaper price than the Disney resorts in that area.

If going with a Disney moderate, my favorite is CBR! Spacious, beautiful, friendly staff, and the best pool!