Swan or French Quarter

[mikepal]

Looking for opinions. Staying at Christmas with two older kids that will be able to do their own thing.
What would be the better choice, the Swan or French Quarter. The idea of them being able to walk to Epcot and MGM from the Swan is appealing. I know the Swan will be a bit more but is the location that much better? How about the resort itself? THANKS!

 

[CLEtoWDW]

Swan. The kids will appreciate having the Boardwalk within walking distance.

 

[Epcotfan21]

Definitely Swan.

 

[awoogala]

Swan- better pool, better fun area for teens- Boardwalk has entertainment, ice cream, pizza window... You can walk into EPCOT and HS..(or gondola from one to the other).

 

[LUVofDIS]

And I would add that the Swan/Dolphin have the most comfy beds in WDW. At least that is my experience.

 

[BASS]

Swan/Dolphin. The boardwalk + proximity to Epcot make it a no-brainer, IMO.

 

[correcaminos]

Swan - no question about it to me.

 

[MinnieM123]

Either Swan or Dolphin. Great hotels -- stayed at both a number of times, and the location can't be beat.

 

[mikepal]

Thanks everyone! Am I right that we get all the other resort benefits other than using the dining plan? (Which I’m still deciding on)
And lastly, does any have experience or issues with booking through Expedia? Even without the direct booking bundle for tixs it’s cheaper. THANKS!

 

[bee]

Thanks everyone! Am I right that we get all the other resort benefits other than using the dining plan? (Which I’m still deciding on)
And lastly, does any have experience or issues with booking through Expedia? Even without the direct booking bundle for tixs it’s cheaper. THANKS!

I will pick the Swan every time! It's my favorite hotel on property.

With the Swan/Dolphin you don't get MagicBands (you will get a room key like a normal hotel but if you have your own MBs you can use them to enter the park), and you don't get Magical Express. A Lyft ride from MCO to the Swan is typically under $40 each way.

Have you considered booking directly through Marriott? You can often get a good member rate (sometimes better than Expedia, Priceline, etc.). I've never booked the Swan through Disney but I did book through Priceline once and the cancellation/change policy was confusing and I ended up losing about $300. I know it's my fault for not reading it properly the first time, but I prefer the straightforward cancellation policy of booking a hotel directly.

 

[JusticeDisney]

This is an easy one, IMO. Swan all day long.

 

[LUVofDIS]

We usually get upgraded to a balcony when ever we stay at the Swan or Dolphin, but when we booked through Expedia we were told by the front desk that they were unable to upgrade us because of the Expedia booking. So unless it is an amazing deal that Starwood can't match, we will not be doing that again.

 

[daisyduckie]

Swan. Location, location, location.

 

[danlb_2000]

We usually get upgraded to a balcony when ever we stay at the Swan or Dolphin, but when we booked through Expedia we were told by the front desk that they were unable to upgrade us because of the Expedia booking. So unless it is an amazing deal that Starwood can't match, we will not be doing that again.

Last time we were there we got upgraded to a balcony room that gave us a view of both Illuminations fireworks and the Frozen fireworks that were being done at DHS at the time.

 

[bee]

We usually get upgraded to a balcony when ever we stay at the Swan or Dolphin, but when we booked through Expedia we were told by the front desk that they were unable to upgrade us because of the Expedia booking. So unless it is an amazing deal that Starwood can't match, we will not be doing that again.

Last time we were there we got upgraded to a balcony room that gave us a view of both Illuminations fireworks and the Frozen fireworks that were being done at DHS at the time.

I seem to always get upgraded at the Swan, too!

 

[LUVofDIS]

Last time we were there we got upgraded to a balcony room that gave us a view of both Illuminations fireworks and the Frozen fireworks that were being done at DHS at the time.

Our last stay in December we were upgrade to a balcony with a clear view of the geosphere, I was able to click some nice photos of the fireworks. It was very nice.

What is the Frozen fireworks?

I seem to always get upgraded at the Swan, too!

It does seem to happen a lot at the Swan and Dolphin.

 

[danlb_2000]

Our last stay in December we were upgrade to a balcony with a clear view of the geosphere, I was able to click some nice photos of the fireworks. It was very nice.

What is the Frozen fireworks?



It does seem to happen a lot at the Swan and Dolphin.

Here is the Frozen show, but it's not running anymore...

 

[HoldenC]

The Swan, hands down. French Corner is bland and boring, particularly if you've been to the real one in NOLA.

 

[mikepal]

OK, so sorry to ask again but with airfare being crazy this time of year we can stay at Caribbean Beach and save about $640.00 Thoughts? Much appreciated!

 

[LUVofDIS]

It all depends on what is more important to you, the Swan over all is better, with location, room and a possible balcony view with the geosphere in view. The Caribbean beach is nice and more affordable and some would probably feel, well, better themed. $640 can buy a lot, yes, even at Disney. Or maybe allow you to save for other things in life.

You need to make the decision as to what is most important to you. I wish I could help more and say to just do... But that would be based on what I feel is most important.

My own opinion would be, if you are fighting with yourself about the money, than I would go for the reasoning, its just a room and go cheaper.

We have stayed in many different resorts in WDW, and all of them have been great, because when all is said and done, the majority of our memories are in the parks.