jennypenny
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 11, 2000
I prefer to stay at the Swan but I like doing laundry on vacation and the laundry facilities are at the Dolphin. Not a huge deal, but less convenient than DVC resorts.
Had the pleasure of being at Conventions at CSR & CR - keep hoping (a) conventions happen again one day and (b) they will move one of our conventions back to Disney!One thing regarding the convention aspect....remember that the Contemporary, Y&BC, BW, GF and Coronado Springs/Gran Destino are all classified as convention hotels by Disney.
Agreed! I’m looking forward to staying there again (hopefully) soon!@glamdring269 you'll love it, I think most of us just want people to have a realisitc expectation. We wouldn't all be on there if we didn't really enjoy S/D. The price and location make it great.
One other tip is to check out Priceline and Hotwire. Sometimes you can get S/D at a steal there. (That’s where I got my $85/night deal!)I really appreciate all of the feedback. Fully understand the negatives and from what I can gather I think the positives will far outweigh those negatives for us. The convention part is not really an issue to me and none of the missing WDW resort perks stand out as a true negative to the way we tend to vacation. The price seems right (unless we hit one of those $1k bubbles!) and the location is outstanding. The worst thing that could happen here is that we try it and decide it's not quite what we were hoping for... I just have a feeling based on the responses that is not what is going to happen.
I do wonder if they will stick to that opening date or hold off if things haven't gotten much better by then. Since it was built for more of the business/convention guests I wonder if they will slow down construction some.ETA: Also let's not forget that the new Cove building is set to open in March.
Agreed! I’m looking forward to staying there again (hopefully) soon!
And even though I am a Disney Bubble person, S/D is my absolute favorite Christmas time resort. Even if I could get a deluxe Disney hotel cheaper, I would stay here for the holidays.
So coincidentally my favorite Christmas resort prior to the Dolphin was POFQ! We’ve stayed there a few times at Christmas bc I loved it. This year I had a conference at the Dolphin at Christmas time so we took advantage of the conference rate to stay there then. I was fully prepared to be disappointed bc two of my favorite things are Christmas and Disney. I kept preparing my family that it would be different this year and not to get too excited. Well, I was right - I was different, and it was AMAZING!We were originally supposed to be at POFQ for the first few days of December, but booked at the Dolphin just in case POFQ doesn't reopen this year. We loved the Dolphin lobby at Christmas when we visited 4 years ago. Can't wait to see the new lobby decorated!
So coincidentally my favorite Christmas resort prior to the Dolphin was POFQ! We’ve stayed there a few times at Christmas bc I loved it. This year I had a conference at the Dolphin at Christmas time so we took advantage of the conference rate to stay there then. I was fully prepared to be disappointed bc two of my favorite things are Christmas and Disney. I kept preparing my family that it would be different this year and not to get too excited. Well, I was right - I was different, and it was AMAZING!
The lobby was decorated nicely, but the best parts were the Christmas music they piped in throughout the pool area- a mix of new and old classics- and every night the walkway was lit up in red and green lights that “danced” along with the Christmas music being played. We actually skipped Epcot one night just to do the Boardwalk and watch the light show.
Totally staying here again at the holidays!
We just sold our Boulder Ridge contract and have been considering our next move. One thing I do know is that I love the Boardwalk area (which is where we typically used our BRV points) but I'm not planning to buy into DVC at the moment based on current economic conditions and I don't plan to buy another 2042 contract.
So that brings us to Swan/Dolphin.
If you were a couple, who visits WDW apprx every other year, and stays roughly 4-5 nights each trip, do you feel Swan/Dolphin is a good alternative? To be honest the prices look reasonable, I like the idea of earning Marriott points, and the location is awesome (especially the Swan) since we love walking to Epcot and DHS. It doesn't seem like you really give up any perks vs. staying at a WDW property other than charging off to a magic band which I couldn't care less about. Am I overlooking anything here? Thanks!
You already have lots of good feedback but as a Swolphin groupie and a DVC owner I will share one other difference, which may not mean much to you if you’re coming every other year. We have gotten spoiled on the DVC kitchenettes (FULL SIZE COFFEE POT!) and balconies/patios on every room. You can solve the coffee problem with an Owner’s Locker, an Amazon delivery, a large suitcase, or trips down to the coffee bar. However, balconies at the Swan and Dolphin do come at a premium and seem a little smaller than most Disney balconies/patios to me.
Post-pandemic I have taken a virtual look at a lot of off-property up market hotels and it is remarkable how few offer balconies in Orlando. Even the brand new shiny JW Marriott over at Bonnet Creek looks like it only offers balconies on its top of the line two bedroom suites.
Like I said, you may not care... if I could only get to WDW once every other year I’d eat every meal out and probably only be in the room for sleeping, and for those reasons it’s really hard to recommend against the Swan or Dolphin.
And the Swalphin kicks Disney’s butt at bed comfort IMO
Don’t write off the option though - my husband is a teacher so we travel on school breaks too. We got thanksgiving week 2018 for $87/night on Hotwire!We'd be traveling during the traditional teacher travel times so I imagine our room price will be a little more on the upper $ side. Alas, no $85/night room pricing likely in our future!