Swan vs Dolphin

[Salf777]

Need 3 nights near Epcot.
never did swan or dolphin and curious as to peoples thought?
which is preferable swan or dolphin?
is it worth it vs Boardwalk or Beach Club?
thanks

 

[CarolynFH]

Both Swan and Dolphin are very popular - deluxe accommodations for Disney moderate prices. The primary difference for us is that Dolphin has double beds and Swan has queens, which means that if DH and I couldn't book a guaranteed king bed, we'd book Swan. They share the same pool and the same Friendship Boat dock, more or less the same short walk to DHS and Epcot. One downside is that buses from S/D to MK drop off at TTC, so guests have to take the monorail or ferry from there to the MK entrance, whereas BW and BC buses drop off at the MK bus stop, a short walk to the MK entrance. You should probably check out the Swan/Dolphin thread HERE.

 

[Her Dotness]

No personal experience but have seen multiple people say the beds are super-comfy, much better than any Disney Deluxe ones.

 

[Best Aunt]

Ask the "experts."
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...eserve-resorts-information-questions.3264274/

 

[Marthasor]

Need 3 nights near Epcot.
never did swan or dolphin and curious as to peoples thought?
which is preferable swan or dolphin?
is it worth it vs Boardwalk or Beach Club?
thanks

Yes, definitely worth it vs BC and especially BWI (not a fan). We prefer the Swan. The lobby is smaller and you are closer to the DHS path. It's a bit quieter than the Dolphin which has a huge and, IMHO, very confusing lobby. You will also get queen beds as opposed to double beds at the Dolphin (unless you book a king room).

 

[lowlight]

No personal experience but have seen multiple people say the beds are super-comfy, much better than any Disney Deluxe ones.

They are so much better. Have done split stays and the difference is astounding.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I prefer the smaller size of the Swan.. The conference crowds are also much larger at the Dolphin.

 

[hedberg1661]

They are my favorite resorts on property. I stay there about 5x a year. Check out this mega thread with everything you could possibly want to know about the Swalphin https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...eserve-resorts-information-questions.3264274/

 

[OKW Lover]

We've stayed at both and in general prefer the Swan. The two resorts are very similar, with the Dolphin being larger. Its hard to be specific but overall you'll find the rooms at the swan to be slightly larger/nicer than the Dolphin. Similarly, the cost of the room will be slightly higher at the Swan than the Dolphin. Still they will be significantly less than the adjacent Disney hotels BW/BC/YC.

 

[Kae]

Love this thread. We just booked the Swan, DD can get a Medical Personnel discount. And we picked Swan because of the Queen Beds.

 

[jsbowl16]

We have stayed at both and loved both but make sure you take into consideration the entire price. There are some hidden fees that add up quickly. Also the restaurants and food at those resorts are overpriced even by Disney standards because they are conference resorts with people paying for meals with a company card. The wait for the elevators can also be long if a big conference is going on while you are there.

 

[lockets]

There are some hidden fees that add up quickly.

to jsbowl16's point - they charge a daily resort fee.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I love the Swan and Dolphin. We prefer the Dolphin because we like the larger, busier lobby. Also, we are a family that needs three beds; since the Swan has queen beds the standard rooms don't have room for a rollaway, but since the Dolphin has double beds there is room for one. And the beds, pillows, and linens are super comfy!

 

[rkm]

Need 3 nights near Epcot.
never did swan or dolphin and curious as to peoples thought?
which is preferable swan or dolphin?
is it worth it vs Boardwalk or Beach Club?
thanks

agree with the other comments. check out the family room options they have at the dolphin. king for parents and pull out bed for kids (can also add rollaway bed in this room type). price is often still lower than disney hotels and you're getting a ton of space. everything is overpriced i agree because it is disney but the food quality is way better than the typical disney restaurant in my opinion. and reservations are almost never required from our experience which leaves a lot of flexibility for planning time in the parks.

 

[Beer Me]

Personally I love the whole location so I would pick whichever is cheapest between Swan/Dolphin, Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht. If money was not a factor I’d pick Beach Club just because I like the vibe and it’s a 5 minute walk to epcot.
That being said they are all overpriced right now - at least for what I’m willing to pay.

 

[JayMass]

I've never stayed at the Dolphin but we (DW, DS15, DD15) stayed at the Swan last August and loved it. Both are fantastic in terms of location. We walked through the Dolphin and as others have said, it has a much bigger feel, which, depending on your taste, might be appealing. This was also our first time staying in the Epcot resort area and I really think you can't go wrong with any of the hotels there. If you have Marriott/Bonvoy points then the Dolphin or Swan are a better choice, but, aside from points, I'd stay at whatever was the cheapest.

 

[Aela]

What about Swan Reserve. Any thoughts on that vs Swan? I did check on the thread with little response.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

We had a terrible experience at the Dolphin. We were on floor 12+ and found ants in our room. They were all over and in our Ganachery chocolates... $120+ covered in ants.

They've got some terrible rooms on the bottom floor that we walked past. Dimly lit hallway that smelled musty. I couldn't believe that they actually put people in those rooms.

I'd never stay there again.

Blue zoo was an amazing meal... I'd return to eat.

 

[Salf777]

Do all the rooms in swan and/or dolphin have balconies or does a Balcony room have to be booked? I saw it as a separate category at the online booking

 

[Goofy4]

Just booked a balcony room at the Swan. You have to specifically book a room with a balcony. I would guess that most rooms do not have a balcony.