Need info about Swan & Dolphin

[Alpha Jeanie]

I am thinking about the the possibility of staying at the Swan or Dolphin on our upcoming trip. I have never considered this before, but am wondering if it is a viable option. Please give me pros and cons and let me know which one is best.....the Swan or Dolphin. I like the fact that they are walking/boating distance from Epcot & Hollywood Studios.

[Jeff]

Never stayed at the Dolphine but my family has stayed at the Swan many times.
Great location.
Excellent beds.
Good staff!
We will stay there again!

[Mogie]

The proximity to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and the rate for an "On Property" location are the draws to the Dolphin Swan. Extra Magic Hours, Boat to Epcot and Hollywood, and walk to the boardwalk...Awesome. The negatives are:

Its a Conference Hotel for the most part, so there will be some events around the lobby, the restaurants will be bustling especially around happy hour. This is great if youre going only adults but not so much if youre bringing kids and plan on eating there.

It is Disneyfied...but not Disney themed. There are character breakfasts, and the decor is over the top, but not a Disney theme if you will.

Hotel needs an update. Lobbies are beautiful. Rooms are dated. No bathroom fan, dated AC that works, but very humid rooms. DO NOT GET A BALCONY ROOM (unless you are going in cold weather). The other rooms will be fine, clean and comfortable, but the balcony rooms will be mildewy and musty.

A couple more positives:
Restaurants are great alternatives to the Epcot/Boardwalk restaurants. Adult dining with less kids.
AAA Rate cant be beat. They also have a veterans/teachers rate thats great.

If I had to recommend, I would say stay at the Swan, it is just a little bit quieter than the Dolphin since the convention halls are in the dolphin.

I know i sound like im hating on the hotels, but ive stayed there a lot, but i recently had a negative experience. I hope these reviews get back to them.

But overall you are paying about half of what you would pay, maybe even a third of what you would pay at a delux Disney hotel on property.

If you are still not sold, check out the Hilton Lake Buena Vista. Across the street from Down town Disney, included extra magic hours, buses to the parks, and is about $100 per night. Rooms seem to be nicer than the dolphin. But you will miss the proximity to the parks.

In fact! Split your trip if you dont mind bothering and plan on spending some time in Down Town Disney....Half Hiltion, Half Dolphin Swan...Itll be cheap, and next trip youll know what to do.
Enjoy!

[Awesome_guy]

Location, location, location!

We did Dolphin and I would definitely recommend either. Dolphin is slightly bigger it seemed and Swan slightly calmer. Great value for location! We had a great room, and great experience with amenities and staff, and great AAA rate. EMH privileges as well as having purchases sent-back to the resort shop (rather than carrying around) all still apply. Great stay!

There are a few potential "extra" costs: transportation to/from any airport, a resort "fee" and parking considerations (if any of those apply)... we didn't have a vehicle. For us, it was still good value but always nice to factor everything in.

Boardwalk and Boardwalk Bakery, close by and awesome. Beaches and Cream at Yacht/Beach, also awesome. Lots to discover!

We didn't even get to the pool we were so busy (and did Typhoon Lagoon), but it looked pretty warm and inviting, too.

We always ended up boating to DS and walked/boated 50/50 to Epcot.

I'll be back. =)

The theming was grand enough for us, but not as Disney as you're going to get elsewhere. We dined and explored at some of the other deluxes. ...and got it all in that way.

[Keneva]

We stayed at the Swan in 2012 for two days and then switched to the GF for the rest of the time. We will definitly do this again. It helped lower the cost and allowed us to stay at WDW for a bit longer. The Swan location was excellent for HS and Epcot which was what we focused on during those two days. We got our Disney fix at the GF.

[texas211]

I am thinking about the the possibility of staying at the Swan or Dolphin on our upcoming trip. I have never considered this before, but am wondering if it is a viable option. Please give me pros and cons and let me know which one is best.....the Swan or Dolphin. I like the fact that they are walking/boating distance from Epcot & Hollywood Studios.

Let me know if there is anything in specific. I leave Thursday for a weekend getaway at the dolphin. Our first time too.

[jnfr2424]

The Swan and Dolphin we use for last minute trips to WDW.

As others have posted you can't beat the location and you do have the Disney bonuses with 2 exceptions: No Magical Express and No Dining Plan. Also if you are renting a car - parking is not free its about $15 (or more by now) to park but you can park at the parks for free (just show your room key) also they charge a nightly resort fee which includes free local calling, use of the gym and 2 bottles of water (which do come in handy) per day. If you are a AAA member or if anyone in your party is a Nurse, Teacher or in the Military - there are discounts available (check their website).
The one thing that I love about the S & D is in the Dolphin they have a 24 hour eatery (Picabu) which none of the Disney resorts do not have.