Will I Be Happy With The Dolphin After The Swan

[AndyMcV]

Hi Gang

Yes I know, I'm being obsessive.... anyway, I'm just wondering will I like the Dolphin after having stayed at the Swan? What about having to walk possibly a lot more, the bed sizes (queen vs double), the CM's in the club lounge after really enjoying Thabo and Mama T at the Swan, ......

I'll be travelling with DW, DS5 and DD1 in June for 11 nights.

Help.....
Andy

 

[LucyStorm]

I was spoiled by a stay in the Swan first and then stayed at the Dolphin the next time. The biggest difference to me was the hustle and bustle in the lobby. But once I was in my room, there was not much difference. I found the staff at the Dolphin to be more helpful than those at the Swan, and because my room was not ready as promised, I was given a room with a beautiful view of the fountains, the Swan, and MGM. I could see ToT from my room.

Because the laundry is in the Dolphin, and the pool is there, I found the Dolphin to be more convenient. There was also more to choose from in dining and shopping if I wanted to stay in the hotel.

All that said, I tend to like quieter resorts, so the Swan is still my first choice. But only for that reason. On all other levels, the Dolphin is equivalent, and has more options.

 

[swilphil]

I've stayed in both and you really can't go wrong with either. The lobby in the Dolphin may be busier, but I find the decor to be much more impressive than the Swan's lobby. If you are worried about having to walk a long way, request a room in the West Wing or even the Central Wing. The East Wing rooms are quite a hike to the pool and Tubbi's. You also might want to ask to be fairly close to an elevator, but not too close. The ice machine is by the elevator and there's a lot of foot traffic.

 

[#1hockeymom]

Thabo happened to be doing days at the Dolphin when the "sorority" was there last July! He goes between the resorts and his schedule does not seem to be set in stone. We lucked out, as it was one of the things we were looking forward to after meeting him the previous year at the Swan.

We liked both equally well, for different reasons, but they're both great AND close! Stop worrying... you're going to Disney!

 

[4mykids]

We have stayed at the Dolphin twice (never Swan) and loved it! Be sure to try FRESH. The food is fantastic!

 

[Slapster]

We find the Dolphin better than the Swan in almost every way. Staff was friendlier, restaurants were better, location more convenient. We even thought the beds were better.

 

[amejr999]

How long does it take to walk from one to the other? Am I correct in saying that it is all connected indoors?

 

[copper68]

The resorts are connected by a covered, open air walkway...it's about a 3 minute walk between the two resorts...in the middle between the 2 resorts is the boat launch that takes you to Epcot or MGM...you can also walk to the theme parks (10-15 min) and walk to the other Epcot resorts and the BW...

 

[sherry8253]

We stayed at the Swan two years ago. In Jan, we couldnt get a discounted room at the Swan and went with the Dolphin. I was prepared to not like the Dolphin as much as I did the Swan. Actually the opposite was true - I loved it. The staff was friendly. Fresh, the Dolphin Fountain, Tubbi's & Shulas were a few short steps away. We didn't use a refillable mug at the Swan because we had to trek to our room, go back down, walk through the lobby, go outside, go to Tubbi's and trek back to the Swan again. We used our refillable mug at the Dolphin often. If I had a choice, I would pick the Dolphin over the Swan!

 

[Blondie]

I think the only way you'll know which one you prefer is to try both.

We stayed at the Swan first, and for our stay after that chose the Dolphin. It has more of the conveniences my family is looking for, The Dolphin Fountain, Tubbi's, the arcade and laundry, etc. Since our first stay at the Dolphin in 2002, it's been the Dolphin over the Swan ever since! It just seems more festive and fun to me!

 

[Puffy2]

Do BOTH hotels have the heavenly beds now with the pillow tops??? Are the beds in ALL rooms???

Trying to determine if concierge is worth 80$ more a day with only two people. I've stayed in Swan concierge but it really wasn't that big of a deal...perhaps the money is better spent on full meals, etc...

 

[mickeymom]

I am glad you posted this question. My family LOVES the Swan but we were able to get a better price for the Dolphin. I was suffering some anxiety over my choice but I know we will be happy as long as we can have some warm weather and a palm tree to look at! Winter in New York can be brutal.

 

[dreamflight99]

Hi Andy! Although I love the Swan, I PREFER the Dolphin. I enjoy the entire resort a bit more, theming, layout, etc. I do not think you will even notice too much of a difference, other than the beds.

All the rooms in the Dolphin have the Heavenly Beds and Pillowtop features! These are incredible, with one terrible down-side. Sleeping in these beds, makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy sleeping in ANY OTHER resort hotel bed!!

As Blondie wrote...I find the Dolphin to be more festive too. In fact, "whimsical" is always the word which comes to mind whenever I daydream about the WDW Dolphin!

It's also true, the concierge sometimes rotate "between" the two facilities. Therefore, you will most likely see THABO or MAMA T while on CL at the Dolphin. Also, Denise is lovely too! By the way, you are always "welcome" to visit them at the Swan, if you are staying CL at the Dolphin (I Do!).

You can not truly go wrong with either of these "sister" resorts, as they share the same standards and amenities. The Dolphin is also the only Sheraton resort in all of north America with the Westin "heavenly bed" (as opposed to the "sweet sleeper") as it was easier during the renovation to implement one type of bed/bedding set! I've slept in the Sheraton sweet sleeper, and other than the monogrammed pillow ("S") atop the bed, I never noticed much of a difference. Both mattress foundation sets are manufactured by Serta.

Be sure to try the home made "chicken noodle" soup sometime in Tubbi's! It's the BEST!!!

Enjoy planning! DF99

 

[NancyIL]

My first 4 stays were at the Dolphin before ever staying at the Swan - which I loved even more. The Swan was full for my last-minute stay last December, so I was back at the Dolphin. I had a great room, and loved it too! You can't go wrong either way.

 

[dreamflight99]

My first 4 stays were at the Dolphin before ever staying at the Swan - which I loved even more. The Swan was full for my last-minute stay last December, so I was back at the Dolphin. I had a great room, and loved it too! You can't go wrong either way.

Hi Nancy! Always good to see you here. Was the last stay at the Dolphin with your mom? How did she like it? Did you enjoy all the wonderful Christmas/holiday decorations? I've always wanted to see the tree and train, and bet they are amazing! It's such a wonderful property...truly can't go wrong at either location.

 

[NancyIL]

Hi Nancy! Always good to see you here. Was the last stay at the Dolphin with your mom? How did she like it? Did you enjoy all the wonderful Christmas/holiday decorations? I've always wanted to see the tree and train, and bet they are amazing! It's such a wonderful property...truly can't go wrong at either location.

Yikes, didn't see this until today! My last stay at the Dolphin was a quickie 3-day trip, kind of last minute, and it was solo as usual. (I had lunch with my mom in Cocoa before heading back to the airport.) I had a corner king that overlooked the fountain in front of the Dolphin...great view! The Christmas decorations at the Dolphin are awesome, as are all the special decorations/events at WDW during the holiday season. Thanks for asking, dreamflight!

 

[flynnmnstr]

and actually prefer Dolphin!!! We like the convience of having Tubbies and laundry easily accessible. Plus we love the theming and energy in the lobbly area. Noisy?? Yes sometimes, but we've stayed in rooms all over the resort and never had noise issues in our rooms.

My parents are tall and they really don't feel the difference in the double vs. queen beds. The heavenly beds are so comfortable they slept like babies.

You'll have a great time.

 

[Rhonda922]

I just changed my reservation yesterday to the Swan from the Hilton. Can you get out of paying that resort fee of $10/day?

 

[Keokagal]

Nope, ya gotta pay the fee! I have 3 rms booked and I will again try to get out of it but they always say no. BTW there is now a parking fee, $7 per day. grrrrrr. this I think is just wrong.

 

[Rhonda922]

Oh jeez, now you have to pay to park? I didn't know about that as we have never stayed there before. Between the actual cost to stay there, the parking fee, and the resort fee, my little vacation funds are going to be gone quick!