After 8 consecutive stays at the Yacht Club, my family- me, DH and DS/13, just returned from a 16 night stay at the Swan. We made the decision to stay at the Swan based on the fact that we have had several less than "magical" moments at the Yacht Club and were also concerned about the addition of the B/C Villas. We love staying in the Epcot area chose the Swan. In many respects this vacation was very, very different. People often ask how we can do the same vacation year after year but honestly, we always find something new to enjoy.
We arrived at MCO at 9:30 a.m.. We decided not to rent a car because on our last trip we only used the car a couple of times and paid for it for 11 days. We decided upon Tiffany based on information we had read on these boards and MouseSavers. I was a bit apprehensive that the driver may not show, but as soon as we descended the escalator to the baggage area, our smiling driver greeted us. Not having to wait on line for a car or board a shuttle to a car made our arrival very smooth. Before we knew it we were at the Swan.
Check in was painless. Unlike the Yacht Club, the front desk at the Swan does not act like they are doing you a favor by checking you in. We had reserved a room on the club level and were told that our room was not ready but we could have a room on another level. We opted to wait for a room on the same level as the lounge. The bellmen took our luggage and before we knew we were walking to MGM.
Throughout our stay we found lines in the park to be very manageable. We were big fans of the EE and really missed that perk. We did do E-night one Tuesday and enjoyed that but still felt that we waited less during EE. No matter how many times we visit the parks, we always stumble upon something wonderful that we haven't appreciated before. The highlight of our park adventures has to be when both my husband and son made it into the hotseat at Who Wants to Be A Millionaire!
As far as the the restaurants we dined at, many were the usual ones we must do. We dined at LeCellier twice, Spoodles twice, The Flying Fish, Narcoosees, and Alfredo D'Roma. We also tried a few different restaurants like 'Ohana, Gullivers, and Palio. On the nights we allowed our son to select where we would dine, he chose the Dolphin Fountain and ESPN. (You just have to give in once in a while)
I must admit that I feared we would miss staying at the Yacht Club and most of all SAB. Last year, we often had difficulty locating chairs at SAB and our son is over the slide. The Grotto pool was lovely at the Swan. It was never crowded during our stay. Chairs were always available as was the shade that my DH must have. The lap pool at the Swan was usually empty. There were times that the 3 of us sat alone at the lap pool for hours. As far as the convention atmosphere, we did not mind it. A major drug company had over 2000 people there while we were vacationing and it was never a problem. (I just wish that I had the concession on Dockers) The convention people aren't crowding the restaurants or the pools. They were busy in meetings and not using the hotel amenities. At the risk of sounding like W.C. Fields, they don't bring children either. We are well beyond the fussy toddler stage and enjoyed the atmosphere at the Swan.
Oddly enough, the cast members at the Disney gift shops in the Swan lobby and Dolphin lobby wer among the nicest Disney cast members we have ever encountered.
Thel club level at the Swan was lovely, with the exception of some of the evening service. The a.m. offerings were great as were the wonderful people who work in the lounge.
As far as not having a car, only once did we take a taxi. They were always available in front of the Swan but only one evening did we need one. It was raining quite hard and we were off to dinner at the Grand Floridian. Using Tiffany and cab service one evening was hundreds of dollars less than renting a car for the lenghth of our stay.
Is the Yacht Club prettier? Yes. Is it an impressive resort? Yes. But, when I asked my son if he missed the Yacht Club he responded with a very strong NO. When I questioned him about his response, he replied by saying that the people at the Swan are just nicer. We had a wonderful trip and look forward to returning to the Swan as soon as possible. So, yes, there is life after the Yacht Club.
We arrived at MCO at 9:30 a.m.. We decided not to rent a car because on our last trip we only used the car a couple of times and paid for it for 11 days. We decided upon Tiffany based on information we had read on these boards and MouseSavers. I was a bit apprehensive that the driver may not show, but as soon as we descended the escalator to the baggage area, our smiling driver greeted us. Not having to wait on line for a car or board a shuttle to a car made our arrival very smooth. Before we knew it we were at the Swan.
Check in was painless. Unlike the Yacht Club, the front desk at the Swan does not act like they are doing you a favor by checking you in. We had reserved a room on the club level and were told that our room was not ready but we could have a room on another level. We opted to wait for a room on the same level as the lounge. The bellmen took our luggage and before we knew we were walking to MGM.
Throughout our stay we found lines in the park to be very manageable. We were big fans of the EE and really missed that perk. We did do E-night one Tuesday and enjoyed that but still felt that we waited less during EE. No matter how many times we visit the parks, we always stumble upon something wonderful that we haven't appreciated before. The highlight of our park adventures has to be when both my husband and son made it into the hotseat at Who Wants to Be A Millionaire!
As far as the the restaurants we dined at, many were the usual ones we must do. We dined at LeCellier twice, Spoodles twice, The Flying Fish, Narcoosees, and Alfredo D'Roma. We also tried a few different restaurants like 'Ohana, Gullivers, and Palio. On the nights we allowed our son to select where we would dine, he chose the Dolphin Fountain and ESPN. (You just have to give in once in a while)
I must admit that I feared we would miss staying at the Yacht Club and most of all SAB. Last year, we often had difficulty locating chairs at SAB and our son is over the slide. The Grotto pool was lovely at the Swan. It was never crowded during our stay. Chairs were always available as was the shade that my DH must have. The lap pool at the Swan was usually empty. There were times that the 3 of us sat alone at the lap pool for hours. As far as the convention atmosphere, we did not mind it. A major drug company had over 2000 people there while we were vacationing and it was never a problem. (I just wish that I had the concession on Dockers) The convention people aren't crowding the restaurants or the pools. They were busy in meetings and not using the hotel amenities. At the risk of sounding like W.C. Fields, they don't bring children either. We are well beyond the fussy toddler stage and enjoyed the atmosphere at the Swan.
Oddly enough, the cast members at the Disney gift shops in the Swan lobby and Dolphin lobby wer among the nicest Disney cast members we have ever encountered.
Thel club level at the Swan was lovely, with the exception of some of the evening service. The a.m. offerings were great as were the wonderful people who work in the lounge.
As far as not having a car, only once did we take a taxi. They were always available in front of the Swan but only one evening did we need one. It was raining quite hard and we were off to dinner at the Grand Floridian. Using Tiffany and cab service one evening was hundreds of dollars less than renting a car for the lenghth of our stay.
Is the Yacht Club prettier? Yes. Is it an impressive resort? Yes. But, when I asked my son if he missed the Yacht Club he responded with a very strong NO. When I questioned him about his response, he replied by saying that the people at the Swan are just nicer. We had a wonderful trip and look forward to returning to the Swan as soon as possible. So, yes, there is life after the Yacht Club.
