1st Disney Trip July 2021, need some advice

[CursedCalamari]

My wife and I are taking our 3 girls this year to WDW. Pretty odd year to be doing this but it’s the last year all of us are together as a family. We are doing the drive from PA to FL and our trip is starts July 5th. The question/problem we are having is trying to figure out if it is worth staying on a resort property or offsite this year due to pandemic. We do have a place booked but we also have some options that were presented. In your opinion, would it be worth it to stay on the resort despite no character dining, no early hours, no merch shipped to store. My girls are 18, 12, and 6 and the resort in question is the Swan and Dolphin. Thanks for the advice in advance!

 

[Nottamus]

Not sure is this will help-

my wife and I are DVC members at AKL and we go 2 times a year, but cancelled all 2020 trips due to covid

in two weeks we finally go back. We drive in from South Jersey, but this will be the first trip that we don’t use buses to parks. We are planning on driving.

so, I guess what I’m saying is, staying offsite would be a lot cheaper (maybe)
And not using the park buses, having to drive, makes offsite look better.

 

[Worldlover71]

With many of the usual perks of staying on-site currently suspended, two of the main reasons people give for staying on-site are that they enjoy being inside the Disney Bubble and the proximity to the parks.

The joy that some people feel being completely surrounded by Disney ("the Bubble") is intangible and subjective. Since this is your first trip, there is no way to know if this is something you would feel to be of value. Also, the Swan and Dolphin are on-site, but they are not Disney operated hotels and do not have the same feeling as Disney owned hotels.

As to proximity to the parks, there is definitely something to be said for being able to walk to Epcot and the Studios from your hotel, which you would be able to do from the S&D. This will save you time and aggravation.

You will need to decide if these two things might be worth the difference in price between on and off-site. Since you asked for opinions, right now, I would book something offsite unless I got a really great deal on-site.

 

[DisneyJoe]

If you are currently booked at the Swan/Dolphin, I would stay there, it is a great location, not far from both Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

While moving to an offsite property will possibly save you a few dollars, it will add time to your daily trips (as well as the theme park parking cost $25/day). During a busy/crowded time just after July 4th, I'd want to be as close to the parks as possible.

BTW, there are currently 4 character meals available, with a 5th one opening soon. Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill, Topolino's Terrace, and Hollywood and Vine all currently have character meals - and Tusker House will be opening their character meal sometime this summer.

While official early hours haven't started yet, in most cases parks open before the published opening time.

 

[ilovelabs2021]

Keep your Swan and Dolphin res. We also arrive July 5 and are staying at Beach Club, which is in the same resort area of S&D. We love staying in this area . . . the location to two parks cannot be beat!

 

[ShookieJones]

I would stick with the Swan and Dolphin. Just for proximity to the DHS and EPCOT, not to mention the Boardwalk area etc.
Enjoy your trip and that special time with all of you together for one last hurrah! Needless to say, but I will say it anyway - I couldn't think of a better way to spend it.

 

[erstwo]

Hello there!
I too would advise you to stick with your Swan and Dolphin reservation.

My teens (now 17 and 15) love that resort area - they can walk or ride a boat to two of the parks (Epcot and Hollywood Studios), they can walk to several restaurants (some are closed due to COVID, but I have hope more will reopen before July - we have a trip 1-5 July! my son really loves the ESPN Zone restaurant) and there used to be entertainment - jugglers, etc - on the Boardwalk pre-COVID (again, hoping this will return - but sadly, know it might not).

If you're a Marriott rewards member, I think you can earn points at the Swan and Dolphin as well? (I might be wrong about the hotel brand.) I know everyone has their opinion on whether the Disney resorts/ on property hotels are worth it or not, but I think being so close to two parks and being in the Disney 'bubble' will really be worth any extra dollars you spend. I love sitting by the pool in the afternoon with my spouse, while my kids can walk back to a park or go get a snack and then we can all meet up in an hour or two for dinner or park time or whatever. Sometimes my husband goes back to a park with just one kid and the other one hangs out with me or vice versa. The possibilities are open when you stay onsite and have multiple transportation options and things located close by. When we stay offsite, one of us would have to drive one kid to get a meal or take the kids back to the park (which usually meant we'd just have to go back with them), etc. Now, the 17 year old would want to drive himself, but that would leave us without a car - you get the idea - I find offsite a lot less relaxing due to the logistics.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

You would definitely save $ staying offsite, but there is still something to be said for the convenience of an onsite stay. The Swan and Dolphin are in a great location and for those resorts, you normally don't spend nearly as much as the neighboring Disney resorts. So, I'd stick with those if it were me. You'll also have your vehicle, which can take some of the headaches out of getting around.

 

[Magical Hunt]

I completely agree with ilovelabs2021 good advice. You will have a great time and close to everything.

 

[yensid67]

CHECK YOUR PRIVATE MESSAGES(CONVERSATIONS)

 

[LaughingGravy]

Stay where you are (nice hotel!), but be sure to get up early each day, asking about the earliest buses the night before when utilizing. You didn't indicate how many days, but there is a lot to do if you've never been there. Have fun!
Don't hang up about the last year together thing. Just enjoy.
Very often it's one or two people who take pictures and not much happens with them these days, except get squirreled away or some sent. Most don't get printed.
Take pictures of the rest of the family of course, and encourage them to take pictures of you, too! Film is cheap these days.
You end up with a lot more cool pictures at the end of the trip than you could imagine and then put them on a combined USB and make copies for the whole family.