Choosing Swan vs WL?

[Hali55DIS]

Pros/cons of WL vs Swan?

We currently have WL booked Jun 21-25 (me, DH, kids 11,13). Stayed at WL in 2018 and loved it. BUT I just realized with my corporate rate we could save almost $800 CAD on 4 nights at Swan (even with resort fees etc).

We stayed at Beach Club in 2023 but have never stayed at S/D/SR. I do have Marriott Gold status if that matters.

It’s a short trip and we’re planning 2 full park days at EP & HS with afternoon breaks (worried about the heat) and only one evening on our arrival day at MK.

Kids love a good pool and have 1 full pool/rest day planned after our late evening at MK, which is part of the appeal of WL. I can’t seem to find much info on the Swan pool (perhaps that’s telling…).

Vacation goal is for the least chaotic/frenzied trip possible after an overly ambitious/packed trip that ended in way too many meltdowns last April.

Thoughts? WWYD?

 

[Powerline13]

Swan would put you in walking/boating distance to Epcot and HS, which would help a lot with midday breaks. You can also use any of the pools at the Swan, Dolphin, or Reserve. Plan Disney says they have slides, fountains, waterfalls etc...

 

[Minnie1222]

I'd switch to Swan, especially if you're planning full days at EP and HS. The main pool is closer to the Dolphin side. Perhaps you should google "Swan Dolphin Grotto Pool" for more results. I haven't stayed at Swan so no comments on the hotel.

This is my picture of the pool,

 

[SwanVT2]

Since you are planning a day at Epcot and HS, I would definitely choose Swan. That pool is amazing; we have stayed at both Swan and Dolphin. Granted, it has been a few years and in recent reviews, the rooms are definitely due for a refurb. But, their beds are comfortable and you are close to two parks and saving money. We love Picabu cafeteria at the Dolphin to bring food to the pool. You do have to deal with bus transport just to the TTC but you could always uber on your MK day. Also, for day of rest, you can walk over the Boardwalk for evening meal/ice cream/entertainment/shopping. EnjoY!!!

 

[Powerline13]

Since you are planning a day at Epcot and HS, I would definitely choose Swan. That pool is amazing; we have stayed at both Swan and Dolphin. Granted, it has been a few years and in recent reviews, the rooms are definitely due for a refurb. But, their beds are comfortable and you are close to two parks and saving money. We love Picabu cafeteria at the Dolphin to bring food to the pool. You do have to deal with bus transport just to the TTC but you could always uber on your MK day. Also, for day of rest, you can walk over the Boardwalk for evening meal/ice cream/entertainment/shopping. EnjoY!!!

They could also walk to Boardwalk and take their bus which would drop them off at Magic Kingdom gates.

 

[patty57]

Really love both resorts, but in your situation, I would pick the Swan. The Grotto Pool is great. Hop over to the Swan/Dolphin thread for more info.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I like both resorts but if you'll have more park days at Epcot and DHS than MK, I'd stick to Swan especially if you plan midday breaks. Walking over to Epcot and DHS is a breeze and if you need a break, the boats are really nice. I've stayed at both Swan and Dolphin and the pool is nice and fine for your kids ages. The only downside is the bus to MK will drop you at the TTC, not the MK bus depot. We don't mind that but if you want to, you can always walk/boat over to YC/BC and take one of those disney buses over to MK. But either way you're still walking so it's kind of splitting hairs. Swan has queen sized beds and dolphin is full sized, so if you are looking to dolphin, just be heads up on that. We love the location and prices of S/D resorts. My only real complaint that I get from my kids is that it doesn't feel like a disney resort. You may find it's not as disney'ish feeling if that makes sense. But the location and prices are a great benefit and saving $800 is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Switch! The Swolphin bus picks up/drops off at TTC for MK so be aware of that for your evening. If you don’t want to deal with TTC you can use Minnie Vans. Despite that bit of inconvenience I think the convenience you’ll gain on the rest of the trip from being at Swan will make it worth it. And saving $800 CAD on top of that is some serious icing on your vacay cake!

 

[hedberg1661]

Given you are looking for a great pool and you are visiting both EC and DHS I would totally switch to the Swan for the value. It's my favorite resort on property and I stay at one of the 3 in the Swalphin family 99% of my trips.

 

[Marthasor]

Pros/cons of WL vs Swan?

We currently have WL booked Jun 21-25 (me, DH, kids 11,13). Stayed at WL in 2018 and loved it. BUT I just realized with my corporate rate we could save almost $800 CAD on 4 nights at Swan (even with resort fees etc).

We stayed at Beach Club in 2023 but have never stayed at S/D/SR. I do have Marriott Gold status if that matters.

It’s a short trip and we’re planning 2 full park days at EP & HS with afternoon breaks (worried about the heat) and only one evening on our arrival day at MK.

Kids love a good pool and have 1 full pool/rest day planned after our late evening at MK, which is part of the appeal of WL. I can’t seem to find much info on the Swan pool (perhaps that’s telling…).

Vacation goal is for the least chaotic/frenzied trip possible after an overly ambitious/packed trip that ended in way too many meltdowns last April.

Thoughts? WWYD?

I would make the switch! The Swan is perfectly located for a EP/DHS heavy trip. They also have a better pool for the age of your kids, IMHO. Rooms and resort are beautiful and they will (based on availability) upgrade your room (I'm also Bonvoy Gold and always get an upgrade). You will also get lots of points with that stay! WL is not convenient to EP/DHS. As others have noted, you can walk to YC or BWI to get to MK on your first night or even use your savings to get a Minnie Van.

 

[CarolynFH]

You may not have seen this thread - https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...eserve-resorts-information-questions.3264274/ - which can answer a lot of your questions.

Let me add that for $800, I'd switch too, even though I love WL. Great location, amazing pool!

 

[Hali55DIS]

Thanks all, this has made me feel a lot better about the Swan, especially the pool. I searched for “grotto pool” and was able to find better pictures etc , it seems that technically that’s the Dolphin pool but shared by both, so may be why nothing but the lap pool showed up in searches for Swan pool! There are also some hideous reviews for Swan on various sites but I’m sure I could find the same for WL if I looked .

I’m still struggling to give up the idea of WL (so peaceful! great restaurants!), but the convenience of Swan to EP/HS seems like a no brainer… I’m so indecisive (have already changed our dates twice!).

 

[Hali55DIS]

Probably a stupid question - but if you book Swan directly through Bonvoy app does it still link in MDE or any other special instructions I should be aware of?
We’re planning to purchase the 4 day magic ticket separately through Disney regardless which resort we stay at (it’s cheaper than a 3 day package ticket!)

 

[Dave006]

f you book Swan directly through Bonvoy app does it still link in MDE or any other special instructions I should be aware of?

It is not automatically linked to MDE. You will have to add your confirmation number to your MDE account manually in the MDE app or via the Web interface.

Dave

 

[AussieFan8]

WL is my absolute favorite resort and I thought I would book there exclusively until we planned a Christmas trip in 2022 and I checked the cost difference between Dolphin and WL. Dolphin was less than half the cost. I booked Dolphin with trepidation thinking we would never like it as much as WL. While I don’t love the Dolphin resort itself as much as WL, we liked it a lot and absolutely loved the boardwalk area and proximity to DHS and Epcot. In fact, we loved the location so much that we are now torn between WL and Dolphin for future trips, and actually ended up booking Dolphin for this year. We talked about a split stay but ultimately decided against it. I still can’t believe how much Dolphin won us over. Given your park plans, I would absolutely choose Swan. Any chance you could squeeze in a quick trip over to WL on your MK day? That's how we got our fix and it worked out great!

 

[Best Aunt]

You do have to deal with bus transport just to the TTC but you could always uber on your MK day.

If you Uber from Swan to Magic Kingdom, you end up at the Transportation & Ticket Center. Uber and Lyft are not allowed to go directly to Magic Kingdom; they drop off at TTC. You have to use Minnie Van if you want to go directly from Swan to Magic Kingdom without taking a bus.

People who want to take a bus directly from Swan to Magic Kingdom walk over to Yacht Club or Boardwalk and use their bus.

Personally, I love the Epcot Resort area. When I stayed at Wilderness Lodge, every single day I wished I were at Yacht Club/Beach Club/Swan/Dolphin. If you're at Wilderness Lodge without a car, you can't get to another hotel quickly and easily. If you are at an Epcot Resort area hotel, you can walk to the other hotels. That made a big difference to me. I was at a park, went back to the hotel, wanted a snack but didn't like the selection at the Quick Service restaurant at Wilderness Lodge. I felt stuck. If I had been at one of the Epcot Resort area hotels, I could have walked to another hotel to get a snack.

 

[Hali55DIS]

Personally, I love the Epcot Resort area. When I stayed at Wilderness Lodge, every single day I wished I were at Yacht Club/Beach Club/Swan/Dolphin.

and funny enough we had the exact opposite reaction when we stayed at BC last year… we wished we were at WL . We found BC… chaotic?
Not sure how to describe it, but it felt like we never really left the chaos and frenzy of the parks and while the location of the resort itself was super convenient, once at the resort it felt like we had to walk miles anytime we needed anything (our room faced Epcot - was faster to Epcot than to get breakfast or buses at BC!)

For those who have stayed at both WL and Swan, how did the Swan compare in terms of the atmosphere/general busy-ness and convenience to buses/boats/food/pool?

 

[tony67]

I would price out Swan Reserve as well - its a much nicer hotel IMO.

Swan can be a bit busy - especially with convention folks.
Not a problem really, but just a very different crowd than at a Disney hotel.
Not as busy as the Dolphin - but still a convention hotel.

Also keep checking back as the prices fluctuate often - you may find a package deal that is a better value - also note that some reservations cant be cancelled at all.

As far as Status - I am lifetime titanium and for the most part they don't care - so gold is unlikely to get anything as far as an upgrade.

Swan Reserve was much better about the status upgrade.

Since I really like Epcot Swan\Dolphin is a great option.

 

[Hali55DIS]

I would price out Swan Reserve as well - its a much nicer hotel IMO.

Sadly for our dates Swan Reserve is almost double the price of Swan! But will keep checking…
With the 4 day magic ticket, Swan hotel only + Magic ticket works out to way less than a package.

 

[patty57]

and funny enough we had the exact opposite reaction when we stayed at BC last year… we wished we were at WL . We found BC… chaotic?
Not sure how to describe it, but it felt like we never really left the chaos and frenzy of the parks and while the location of the resort itself was super convenient, once at the resort it felt like we had to walk miles anytime we needed anything (our room faced Epcot - was faster to Epcot than to get breakfast or buses at BC!)

For those who have stayed at both WL and Swan, how did the Swan compare in terms of the atmosphere/general busy-ness and convenience to buses/boats/food/pool?

They have very different atmospheres. Swan is a busier area. It doesn't have the same "escape" feel of WL. Other than at Christmas time, I would always choose Swan over WL, but I always want to be around Epcot. It sounds like you feel differently, and I think that's important. You may be happier at WL.