Swan/Dolphin v Yacht/Beach/Boardwalk?

akadada

Doin' It All for My Baby.
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Any opinion on Swan Dolphin over the other onsite Boardwalk area hotels? They all have 60 day ride planning. From what I can tell, Swan/Dolphin looks about $100 a night cheaper, although it's of course not "Disney."

Besides the price difference, any opinions why one over the other would be great.

Many thanks.
 
Any opinion on Swan Dolphin over the other onsite Boardwalk area hotels? They all have 60 day ride planning. From what I can tell, Swan/Dolphin looks about $100 a night cheaper, although it's of course not "Disney."

Besides the price difference, any opinions why one over the other would be great.

Many thanks.
Also....
No free transportation to/from airport.
No free parking at resort
No over-the-top Disney theme
No Disney dining plan
 
I'd go on trip advisor and read reviews and view photos of the most current stays. Location is of course relative to any Epcot resort. But "fees" could be an issue. And end up grossing you up to nearly one of the Disney hotels mentioned.
In theory it's a great rate for the location, but I'm thinking the caveats may not be worth it as compared to actual Disney resorts.
 


Not sure what prices you are seeing for Swan/Dolphin, but most likely you can find a DVC renter that can get you in to Boardwalk for less than S/D.
 
Of course, some people view "no over-the-top Disney theme" as a positive and not a negative.

One big benefit of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is that they are part of the Starwood Preferred Guest program. You'll earn frequent guest points (aka Starpoints) for eligible purchases that can be redeemed later for free rooms at those hotels and thousands of others worldwide.
 
I enjoy all of them, you do need to make sure you add the silly resort fee and parking fee if you are driving to Swan/Dolphin when comparing costs. You can't charge back to your room if you stay there and will have to carry around the key to your room (card) since you MB won't work. I've stayed at all the Epcot resorts, including Swan and Dolphin and normally I just go with whichever one is less. I do think the restaurants at Swan/Dolphin are a little better and the rooms might be a tad bigger.
 


I've always wanted to try these hotels, but when we do the math it didn't make sense- having to add in airport transportation. The pools and heavenly beds sound amazing!
 
I would also compare the price of Swan/Dolphin from Costco (if you have a membership). For my family of 5, it was significantly less than staying at the Boardwalk resorts. Although I suspect if we were 4, the savings wouldn't be as great.
 
There is also a $25+tax resort fee in addition to any parking charge.

That being said, they are beautiful resorts.
 
I would make sure you know your final price v. Disney final price. Swalphin charge a resort fee plus parking so make sure you calculate that in your numbers.

Otherwise, my family really likes the Swalphin. Their pool is pretty nice and having access to two parks from the boats is a real bonus. As PP stated, if you are arriving at the airport you will have to get yourself there and back so also factor in that cost.
 
I have not stayed at the S/D, but I have stayed at BWI, BWV, YC, and BCV. Considering the fees that come with staying at the S/D (as have been mentioned above), I would rerun the numbers to see how much you are coming out ahead. If there isn't a significant savings (after the fees), which you only know what is significant to your budget, I would probably just stay at Disney for the more seemless vacation.

I do quite enjoy Picabu at the Dolphin. I've also visited the resorts many times over the years. I considered staying at the S/D before, but opted for Whydham Bonnet Creek instead for that trip.
 
I stayed at the Swan for a conference and my family joined for a few Disney days. I was surprised at just how "disney" it was with characters in the lobby some mornings and an underrated character dining restaurant, not to mention the fantastic location and nice pools. I wouldn't hesitate to go back for a vacation.
 
I've never found Swan/Dolphin cheaper once I include the fees (including parking - YMMV) and compare to AP or sometimes even just seasonal Disney discounts at Boardwalk/YC (BC has less of a discount usually).
Also no lifeguards at S/D pools (Disney's resorts have fantastic lifeguarding). At least not when I asked last year. YMMV if this isn't an issue for you.
 
We've stayed in the Boardwalk 7 times because we love being able to walk to the parks. As far as location, they are so close that it's possible for two people staying at, say, Saratoga Springs to have rooms that are farther to walk to than two people staying at the Boardwalk/Dolphin/Swan. You'll likely get plenty of the boardwalk/beach theme no matter which of these you stay at. I think it mostly comes down to which one is going to be a better price and whether the Disney perks are important to you. They are all excellent hotels in an extremely good location.
 
I LOVE the Dolphin. Phenomenal on-property restaurants and bars....the pool is absolutely incredible. Rooms are huge and comfortable with some amazing views.
 
We stayed at the BC a few months ago. I loved the hotel but I did not see it as Disney Themed at all. Not sure the theme would be a factor.

To my family the Magical Express, even though its just a bus ride, is all part of the onsite experience and worth a few extra bucks to us.
 
We are staying at the Swan this time. Jetblue includes the resort fee in the price and parking isn't an issue for us since we will take the Mears shuttle. we saved hundreds by going to the Swan which seems worth giving it a try. I could care less about a dining plan since I prefer to have less pressure on eating while in Disney. I agree with poster above, the Disney themes are not always Disney feel.
 
I stayed at the Dolphin a little over a year ago. 5 nights free on Starwood points after receiving an intro offer on the Amex Starwood card a few years ago. We have a family of 5 and squoze into a room with 2 doubles (might have been queens). I enjoyed our stay. We were on the 8th floor with views of the lake. We were always out at night, but it may have had views of fireworks. The pools are lovely, but we unfortunately didn't reserve much time for them. We could either walk to Epcot or take the boat. We took the boat to Hollywood Studios. We accounted for the parking fee and resort fee beforehand. You do not have to pay to park at the parks if you show your room key. It allowed for extra magic hours and also early booking for dining and fast passes just as the Disney resorts. Our only issue was dealing with very drunk conference attendees some nights. I can deal with that myself, but I didn't love my kids seeing that and going in the elevator with them. Drunk people tend to lose their manners. Not really the Dolphin's fault, but it can be a side effect of conferences. Also, one night someone pulled the fire alarm around midnight. I had to pull my 3 exhausted kids out of bed and all the way outside just in case there was a real fire. Again, not the Dolphin's fault, but the communication was not very clear about where to go and when we could come back in. Overall, it was a very nice room, super comfy beds, good location.
 
I stay at these hotels consistently. The "fee argument" always cracks me up as I am generally paying $100 or more less a night.

For example here's a night this coming holiday week that I checked earlier this week (Actually wound up getting the room on my DVC points so...

Expedia pricing.

Dolphin $165
Swan $182
Beach Club $445 (standard view room... are they kidding LOL!)
Boardwalk $337

So I need about $172 in fees to equal Disney pricing LOL!


Pros - Great beds, a REAL reward program that you can use for FREE stays, better food!
Cons - No DME

(And Drunk people are often seen at Disney as are fire alarms, there's an active thread on the resorts board where a poster was unhappy that "communication was not good" about a fire alarm at a Disney hotel!)
 

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