Swan vs. Moderate vs. Deluxe

[MelodyTime]

I've been to Disney several times. We have stayed in both the Moderates and the Deluxes and enjoyed both very much. I have a teacher discount and was looking at the Swan. Can anyone tell me how the Swan compares to either the Moderates or the Deluxes onsite? We have stayed offsite a few times and have been very disappointed. I know the Swan is actually considered to be Disney even though it's not owned by Disney so was wondering if the experience was much better than an offsite hotel. Looking to go December 08. Any opinions would be great!

Thanks!

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Like you we always stay onsite. This past June we decided to use my teacher rate and stay at the Dolphin. We were ecstatic to be staying deluxe and on WDW property. Here is what we thought of our stay and of course, this is just our opinion.
Being so close to the Boardwalk was fun and seeing DHS from our window was very nice. But for us, the walking to Epcot and DHS was too far after walking the parks all day and night for 6 days. And we found the friendship boats to be too infrequent, packed, and sometimes uncomfortably hot. Plus, depending on where you get on and off, can stop at the park, Boardwalk, Y &B, and S/D. In terms of transportation, we longed for the buses we were used to. Speaking of buses! Where are all the buses? Because we often waited 30 minutes or more for buses to and from MK and AK while other resorts had 5 buses come and go. The other bus problem is that again, Dolphin shares with Swan, Boardwalk, and Y &B. So that is 5 different resorts-no wonder we had to wait so long and stand so often.
As for the hotel, lobby was constantly filled with suits there for conventions. This just took away from the magic for us. The pool is very cool and lots of fun. The room-very damp. We had to keep the air very low in order to not feel "wetness" when we went to sleep. Service was okay-housekeeping never came when we requested(always asked for before 12 as we were out of the room by 7:30 and they never came until after 1. Frustrating.)
Overall, we felt like we were staying offsite. Even with the close proximity to Epcot and DHS, we would walk by Boardwalk and Y&B and long to be staying there instead of the Dolphin b/c for us, the S/D lack the Disney magic. I know some will post that they don't get it when people say that but it is just our opinion. We tried S/D, didn't like it, and won't stay there again even with the teacher rate because it didn't feel like we were in Disney. We stay onsite to feel that something special, those Disney touches, and the overall magic. We felt S/D didn't have that for us.
Good luck deciding and have a great trip!

 

[rie'smom]

We've stayed at the Swan with the teacher discount and LOVED it.

The only things the Swan doesn't offer is ME and the DDP, neither of which we use.

The Swan/Dolphin have great restaurants. The staff is so accommodating.
We love the walk and in Dec and when you're going, it will be fantastic!!
You can take the boats to both the Epcot and MGM. The busses have run fine when we were there but as at all of WDW, sometimes the busses don't run as well as they could.
My take is you get a fantastic room at a wonderful location for a far better price than a WDW hotel.
One hint I can give you is to join the Starwood Preferred program before you make your reservation. I did this and we were upgraded the very first time we booked!

 

[zurgswife]

I've stayed at the Swan/Dolphin. I like the close walks to the parks and the views. I never noticed the people in suits walking through the lobby. One year I did notices about 1000 young chess players there for a convention...they were playing chess everywhere.

The lobby has great decorations during December. The rooms are slightly large then the moderate I felt. The beds at the Swan are queen at the Dolphin they are large doubles. They are called Heavenly beds and are wonderfully comfortable.

I have to agree I have had issues with the dampness of some rooms. One was so bad we had to be moved. I'm not sure what caused our problem but you could smell the mold/mildew with the air on full blast.

The staff is great and they have the best oatmeal soap in the world.

 

[rie'smom]

... They are called Heavenly beds and are wonderfully comfortable.

I have to agree I have had issues with the dampness of some rooms. One was so bad we had to be moved. I'm not sure what caused our problem but you could smell the mold/mildew with the air on full blast.

The staff is great and they have the best oatmeal soap in the world.

We had this same moldy smell at both the GF and the Poly and we had to move rooms too. I guess it's the humidity and all the swampy areas around WDW.

 

[MelodyTime]

Thanks for all the terrific responses! DisneyJen, we like you stay onsite to "feel the magic". I guess that's the reason that I'm struggling with the decision even though it's significantly less than staying at even a moderate. We would have a rental car so the busses wouldn't be as much of an issue for us. Does anyone know if you still get the free parking at the parks by staying at the S/D like you do at the Disney resorts?

 

[CarolA]

Probably nicer then either the mods or Deluxes.

The Swan is run by the Starwood Group. It has OUTSTANDING beds, good service, nice atmosphere and reasonable prices. Can you say that for any of Disney's options. The mods have resonable prices, but beds are not that good. The Deluxes fail to measure up to "deluxe" in any area, but "pretty" and "price" (And Disney is a world class leader in PRICE LOL!) (Sorry but service is not "deluxe" at Disney hotels!) I don't "feel the magic" when I realize that I am paying four/five star pricing for a three star expereince. I "feel the ripoff"! LOL!

You do have to pay to park at the Swan but you can then park free at the resorts.

IMHO if I can get the Swan/Dolphin for the price of a moderate I would jump on it!

 

[rie'smom]

Probably nicer then either the mods or Deluxes.

The Swan is run by the Starwood Group. It has OUTSTANDING beds, good service, nice atmosphere and reasonable prices. Can you say that for any of Disney's options. The mods have resonable prices, but beds are not that good. The Deluxes fail to measure up to "deluxe" in any area, but "pretty" and "price" (And Disney is a world class leader in PRICE LOL!) (Sorry but service is not "deluxe" at Disney hotels!) I don't "feel the magic" when I realize that I am paying four/five star pricing for a three star expereince. I "feel the ripoff"! LOL!

You do have to pay to park at the Swan but you can then park free at the resorts.

IMHO if I can get the Swan/Dolphin for the price of a moderate I would jump on it!

I will chime in and say that Coronado Springs is in the process of convertinf all of the double beds to queen size. One of the posters said the new beds are super comfortable.

 

[MissionMouse]

Thanks for all the terrific responses! DisneyJen, we like you stay onsite to "feel the magic". I guess that's the reason that I'm struggling with the decision even though it's significantly less than staying at even a moderate. We would have a rental car so the busses wouldn't be as much of an issue for us. Does anyone know if you still get the free parking at the parks by staying at the S/D like you do at the Disney resorts?

Our lodging experiences are all deluxe and I will tell you it is rather hard to get a Disney feel at the Swan & Dolphin having stayed at them too. The lower rates are to compete with surrounding resorts that provide a Disney feel...competition is the foundation of the rates. For some the lower rates are not something you can pass up.

Overall I found the room A/C to create a damp room environment where any paper left in the room went limp after a few hours. The beds were excellent and provide great sleeping time. A very good location but it does provide the furthest walk to Epcot. Buses at all these resorts are prone to sporadic performance. The Disney feel did not exist in the resort but started to emerge as I approached the water launch or the Boardwalk area.

 

[webray]

We love the Dolphin and that is where we usually stay. The location is ideal, obviously. The best thing is, you get to stay at a true deluxe resort, not what Disney considers to be a deluxe resort.

You get the heavenly beds and the wonderful bed linens. Wonderful soaps/shampoos from bath and bodyworks (so you really don't need to pack any).

Excellent restaurant options in both Swan/Dolphin and nearby at the Disney resorts, the studios and EPCOT.

The rooms are always clean and the staff is fantastic.

We find it hard to stay at a disney resort anymore, because the quality at Dolphin is just so much better all the way around.

 

[lorasmom]

We stayed at the Dolphin in July, and would not stay there again.

Like a pp said, we also had a very humid room - something I haven't experienced at any of the Disney properties. The housekeeping staff - not crazy about them. The rest of the resort was very... blah to us.

The location is great, but honestly, for the $75 difference between the BC passholder rate and the Dolphin rate, it just wasn't worth saving the money for us

 

[CarolA]

I will chime in and say that Coronado Springs is in the process of convertinf all of the double beds to queen size. One of the posters said the new beds are super comfortable.

It's not just size. It's thread count, quailty of the coverings etc.....

Those advertisements for the DIsney Collection they have IN the room! That's what SUPPOSE to be on the beds! Only Disney could try to sell you "linens that should be what you get for these prices, but don't"

 

[Triton7979]

What a surprise...CarolA doesn't like something about a WDW resort.

 

[mouseketeer70]

DH and I stayed at Swan in June for our anniversary and loved it. None of the problems noted such as dampness. Our room was larger than the moderates and the bed was to die for! I wanted to bring it home! The staff was very friendly and helpful. No problems at all with housekeeping. We requested extra water one day for the room frig and it came quickly and at no charge. The walk to DHS was was a little long, we ended up using the boat instead after the first time walking. No problems at all with the boat. Always had a seat, never uncomfortable. The walk to EPCOT wasn't bad at all though, even coming back. We never took the boat there or back from there. We enjoyed the ease of entering through the International Gateway. Buses going to MK on EMH morning were prompt though we did stop at Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Dolphin before going to MK. Coming back that night the bus was very crowded and the wait was long. The same thing with the DD bus. That was the only issue we had with the bus. The AK bus was fine both ways. Overall, there wasn't a DISNEY feel at the hotel but there was a "deluxe", luxury feel. And the Boardwalk was right there for a dose of Disney. We enjoyed it and will definitely stay there again. Much, much better value for us than the moderates!!!! We didn't go with our children on this trip though so I don't know how they would have liked it but there were families there. The pool was just a regular, albeit large, pool, no frills. Whichever way you decide to go, have a great time

 

[cheerky]

We stayed at the Dolphin in July, teacher discounted room. The room was a standard room- no balcony, view, etc. We did upgrade to a room with a bacony and BW/ Epcot view. It was very nice. The friendship boats and buses were convenient. Wait times going to the parks weren't very long. The bus was packed on the way back from the MK at closing but that is to be expected. I don't think driving to the parks would be necessary at all. The Swan and Dolphin charge for parking at the resort. There were tons of conventioneers during our stay. I agree that the pool is lovely. Check out the Swan and Dolphin thread... its filled with great info.
Happy planning!

Thanks for all the terrific responses! DisneyJen, we like you stay onsite to "feel the magic". I guess that's the reason that I'm struggling with the decision even though it's significantly less than staying at even a moderate. We would have a rental car so the busses wouldn't be as much of an issue for us. Does anyone know if you still get the free parking at the parks by staying at the S/D like you do at the Disney resorts?

 

[lorasmom]

I just didn't get the "deluxe" feel from the Dolphin. It felt musty and... icky , and pretty generic.

 

[tinkbyday]

We stayed at the Swan and thought it was nice. We also had a musty room and then we were moved and it was fine - had a room with a balcony and could see the fireworks each night. The beds were amazing. They also just completed a renovation there and pictures look very nice.

We, too, did not feel the Disney magic, though. Transportation was fine.

 

[ElizabethB]

We've stayed at all resort levels at WDW and at the Dolphin. Haven't stayed at the Swan, but Dolphin and Swan are very similar. Here's my take:

Swan/Dolphin vs. a value. Take the Swan/Dolphin.

Swan/Dolphin vs. a moderate. Take the Swan/Dolphin.

If you want queen beds and a good price, take the Dolphin. (Swan's are big doubles).

Swan/Dolphin vs. a deluxe Epcot resort like Beach Club, take the deluxe Epcot resort unless the deal at Swan/Dolphin is too good to pass up.

The Swan/Dolphin has good dining options, a great pool area (that is often not too busy since many people staying at Swan/Dolphin are busy conventioneers). We found the service and housekeeping to be fine. We had a nice view of the Friendship boats from our window. The beds are much higher quality than the beds in WDW values, moderates and Disney Vacation Club villas. IMO, the only beds better than the ones at Swan/Dolphin are in the club level rooms at the WDW deluxe resorts.

The Friendship boat situation isn't ideal. But, if you stay at Beach Club, it's really too far to walk from there to Disney Hollywood Studios. So, the Friendship boats or your car are the only options from Beach Club, too. So, I'm not sure I see that much difference in that regard.

We weren't bothered by the fact that many people are in suits and going to meetings. We found the same thing at Coronado Springs Resort. Who cares what other people are doing? I don't. The nice thing is that the pool at Swan/Dolphin often isn't busy because so many people staying there don't use it.

Swan/Dolphin does charge a resort fee and they charge for parking. And, parking is a long way from the rooms and quite inconvenient because the parking was originally wide open -- anyone could park there. The lot was never designed for the restrictive parking in effect now. So, if you go down a row and find there are no places, you can't turn around. You have to back all the way out, hoping no one turns in behind you.

For a teacher rate, I'd take the Swan/Dolphin over any value or moderate any day of the week.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Thanks for all the terrific responses! DisneyJen, we like you stay onsite to "feel the magic". I guess that's the reason that I'm struggling with the decision even though it's significantly less than staying at even a moderate. We would have a rental car so the busses wouldn't be as much of an issue for us. Does anyone know if you still get the free parking at the parks by staying at the S/D like you do at the Disney resorts?

I can totally understand where you are coming from as we struggled with this decision for our trip last summer (2007) and decided to go with CSR b/c some of my family was coming with us for the first time and we wanted to make sure they had the disney resort experience. When we decided to go again this year for a quick trip, we went back and forth and ultimately it seemed like a no brainer to stay S/D b/c of location, room size, heavenly beds etc. We were just so disappointed in the hotel. It didn't ruin our vacation, we had a blast as always! We just wished we stayed at a Disney resort for that magical feel. For us, staying at S/D felt like we were "just outside of the magic" haha. Another poster it the nail on the head when they said "The Disney feel did not exist in the Swan and Dolphin but started to emerge as I approached the water launch or the Boardwalk area." SO TRUE!!

 

[teruterubouzu]

I agree that the inside of the resort doesn't feel overtly "Disney", but you can still watch Stacey on your room TV if you need a fix, and as soon as you start down the path to Epcot, you'll know you are at Walt Disney World.

That said, if you are already really worried about it, I wouldn't stay there. The resort and location were great for me, but everyone likes different things!