Which one ... Swan or Dolphin?

[Astrid]

Hi, am thinking of booking some nights at the Swan or Dolphin in December, but can't decide which one to go for.

It'll be me and my two kids of 8 and 11.

Any ideas which will be best for us?

Thanks

Astrid

 

[SB in KY]

I would love to hear from some of you that have stayed at both places...I have 1 night booked at the Swan in 2 weeks (added on a day after I got plane tickets and AP rates not available at AKL, but were at Swan)...and I just booked 4 nights there Easter week (not exactly my idea of a great time to go, but DD's orchestra is playing at EPCOT that week.)...it is going to be SOOO crowded I know, but I was able to get a great AP rate at the Swan or Dolphin. I picked Swan, mostly because of the beds, but any recommendations would be most welcomes.
Thanks

 

[Bimmy56]

I have stayed at both - and love them all!! However, there are definite diferences in the atmosphere between the two. When traveling with my grandchildren, we always stay at the Dolphin. it's bigger, flashier, with much more to do ( and eat!) for the kids. The Swan has a much more quiet, subdued air about it. There are no counter - service restaurants, or places for kids to "hang around" (just 1 store) but it does have HEAVENLY BEDS. Once you've tried them you won't want to sleep anywhere else!! However, the Dolphin is in the process of putting them in, so by Easter, most, if not all, of the rooms should have them.

The Swan has queen beds, whereas the Dolphin has oversized doubles (smaller than queen but larger than a double) Will that make a difference?

 

[Poohlovr]

If I go without children, I always go with the Swan. When the kids go, it's the Dolphin, for all of the reasons listed above, plus, the Dolphin rooms are a little larger than Swan rooms.

One other reason we choose the Dolphin when traveling with the kids--they ask for it. It's by far their favorite. Since I like both of them (with a slight edge given to the Swan for the two sinks and queen beds), it doesn't bother me that they want to stay at the Dolphin.
I figure happy kids make for a better trip.

 

[snoopy5386]

We stayed at the swan for four days in october and if I were to stay there again, I would stay at the Dolphin. The food court is in the dolphin and the dolphin is closer to the pool. It also looks "cooler" to me. I also didnt think the heavenly beds were all that great, still not as good as my down comforter and pillows at home

 

[Mouseteacher]

I have stayed at both resorts and love them both. My recent stay at the Swan was just DH and me and it was perfect for the 2 of us. We were upgraded to a jr. suite with balcony --- heavenly room and views. We stayed at the Dolphin when our teenagers were with us as well as my brother and his family. The Dolphin is great for kids of all ages for the reasons already posted. I would be hard pressed to pick one over the other.

 

[jwfla422]

We've stayed at the S/D MANY times. It's a real tough decision, but I have to be quite honest...we're at the Swan right now and this is our first stay here since the renovations. I just can't believe how comfy the beds are!! I am not a good sleeper, up many times during the night, but I have to say I fall back to sleep within seconds when I do get up! Wish I could do that at home

As some previous posts highlighted the differences between both the S/D. The Swan also has an extra sink and instead of an extra sink at the Dolphin, they have an extra vanity area. I have to agree the Dolphin has a few more conveniences than the Swan.

They also have a new restaurant called "Fresh" which is a "cook to order/buffet style restaurant and the Blue Zoo which will probably open in January. Otherwise there's Tubbi's and the Dolpin Cafe which the kids would like. The grotto pool is a bit closer.

HONESTLY, with either one you can't go wrong. I was told today that they are up to the 9th floor with the renovations at the Dolphin.

All's I know is that I'm looking forward into snuggling in my heavenly bed TONITE, he he he

 

[rieckhoff66]

We just got back from a 4 nite stay at the Dolphin and thought it was excellent!!! We were with our two boys (8,6). I am a teacher and got the discount. When we checked in they upgraded our room. We had a wonderful view of the Boardwalk and Epcot. The pool area is very nice. the room was nice and the beds are SUPER confortable ("Heavenly Beds" I think they are called). I get the feeling that the Dolphin is geared more toward families while the Swan is more for adults and convention guests. We loved the location with Boardwalk and Epcot within walking distant and MK and Downtown Disney close too. It is the first time we stayed there and will definitely put it on the top of our list of hotel options for our next trip.

 

[Mom2aPrincess]

I have stayed at both the Swan and Dolphin with my 2 children ages 6 and 2. Our stay at The Dolphin was before the renovation and the beds were not good. The Heavenly beds at the Swan were wonderful. We ate at restaurants at both hotels with no problem. Our room at the Swan seemed closer to Tubbi's than the room we had at the Dolphin. The Swan bus stop is the first for pickup and coming back from the parks you are the first to be dropped off. The lobby is more impressive at the Dolphin. In my opinion there is not much difference between the two. We loved them both.

 

[Astrid]

Thanks everyone for all the replies!

Well, have taken on board your comments and have just booked the Dolphin!!

The kids are so excited, ok, yes, I admit it I am too!!

Fingers crossed we may get an upgrade and the opportunity to try out one of those heavenly beds!!

Thanks again guys!

Astrid

 

[SB in KY]

Thanks also for all of the replies...the kids will be with us... but for me the heavenly beds and extra sink won out...I booked the Swan...the kids are in HS so they can explore alone over to the Dolphin for things to do. Thanks for all the input.

 

[JCMcGinn]

My wife & I stayed at the Swan in April and loved the hotel and especially the heavenly bed! The only problem we had was with the "smart room" technology. There was a motion detector that was controlling the A/C. Fine for when the room was empty, but unless you were a sleepwalker, the A/C would reset to an energy saving mode when you were asleep or just still for 15-20 minutes. I spoke to the front desk and thought I explained the situation, but something was lost by the time the message got to maintainence, they had us move our bag from near the intake. Does anyone know if the rooms are still "smart"?

 

[Dolphin_Girl008]

Hi rieckhoff66,

Did you have to ask for the upgrade or did they just give it to you?

 

[rieckhoff66]

I did not ask for an upgrade. The clerk at the desk who was checking us in asked if we had every been a guest there before. I said no that this was our first time. She then said that she would upgrade our room for us. I thought that was really very nice.

We had a smart room also and had the same thing happen with the air conditioning at night. However we were only alittle uncomfortable the first night. With the way my husband snores I think he was keeping the air kicked- in the other nights.

 

[Dolphin_Girl008]

Thanks, rieckhoff66!

We'll be staying at the Dolphin for the first time in December. I hope we'll get an upgrade too.