Pop vs, Swan or Dolphin..

bjlc57

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
i am starting to plan a trip for my wife and my self.. no kids.. I am debating between Pop, (our previous disney home) to the swain/ dolphin.. can any one help in like room sizes pricing.. I know that location is a premium with the pair of hotels.. close to epcot and MGM.. please give me good thoughts either way.. do the busses go to the twin hotels? thanks please no ripping.. and I am looking for handicap accessable rooms. Which at one time , were OUT STANDING AT POP..
 

bennyw01

Active Member
I had a handicap access room at the Dolphin, was incredible! right by the elevators, bigger than expected room and an incredible bathroom with substantial room, well thought out shower with roll in access if required. I would say give Dolphin a shot, was a great option and I found it easy to just get out into the Boardwalk area for access to both EPCOT, DHS and the connected resorts, I personally like being out and manually making the distance though, so the walk to DHS is preferred, as is EPCOT.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
While I don't have experience with accessible rooms, you are looking at a bigger room if you opt for Swan or Dolphin. It's my understanding that rooms in these resorts range from 340-360 sq ft, compared to Pop which has 260 sq ft rooms. Pricing can be all over the place, but my FL family stays at Swan and Dolphin a lot and we saved quite a bit staying there for a Christmas trip in 2017. I want to say our room for that trip was on par with base pricing for the cheapest rooms at a moderate and pretty close to the pricier rooms at a value. Again...this can fluctuate. I'm sure there are times when it's closer to deluxe pricing, but most times it's a great deal for the room size, location and bed quality.
 
Just stayed at Dolphin and found out that they have a bus contractor dispute going on so they cannot use the Disney bus stops. The only park that was a hassle was MK. They take you to the TTA and you have to monorail or ferry boat. AK drops in the parking lot but it's a very short walk. We always walk to HK and Epcot. No bus to DS. As far as the hotel we have been a little disappointed the last two trips but got rates much lower than Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach and the amount of time we spend in the room helps justify it.
 
To/from AK the bus we took drops you off in the car parking area right by the bus drop off so you are actively closer to the gate. To/from MK the bus dropped us off at the ticket and transportation center and announced you can take the monorail or the ferry. We went first thing in the morning so the back up wasn’t bad. The odd thing was no one at checkin informed us of the change and nothing was posted at the bus stop.
 
You can also walk to a lobby of a nearby Disney hotel and take Disney transport anywhere you need to go. Or the Friendship boats to Epcot and HS.
Yes, you can walk to Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club and take Disney bus. i don’t think they check to confirm what hotel you are staying at.
 

JusticeDisney

Well-Known Member
Wow, this is crazy. I thought that the Swan and Dolphin offered the Disney buses just like every Disney-owned resort? I mean, they certainly did every time that we stayed there. Has something changed? The Swan and Dolphin no longer offer the regular Disney bus services?
 
A cast member told us it was a contract dispute. The buses they use now are Mears and some of the buses are plain white and some have Swan & Dolphin wrap arounds on the bus.
 
Back to your original question - if it’s just you and your wife Swan & Dolphin are really good options. I’ve never stayed at Swan because I think they only have king size beds are are usually a little more expensive than the Dolphin. The rooms at the Dolphin are average size. They did a lobby update recently but the halls and the rooms are showing their age. If your’re extremely curious I could attach a picture of a standard room we stayed in. We tried a deluxe with the alcove once but for the price difference it wasn’t worth it. We really like the convenience of being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywoood Studios and the dedicated bus route for AK at park closing.
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Swan/Dolphin, NO QUESTION.

Pop used to be my "home resort" and I have many fond memories there, but I distinctly remember the trip when I thought, "this is my last stay at a value resort." The chaos of the food court in the morning and kids running around made the decision for me.

I have stayed at either the Swan or the Dolphin at least 10-15 times (I have lost count) and they remain my favorite hotels on property. I stayed in an accessible room at the Swan a few years ago when I was injured and had limited mobility and the room was very comfortable. The bathroom was quite spacious, which obviously cut into the room space, but the rooms are so large in the first place that we didn't miss the space. I had a scooter and had plenty of room to park and charge it in the room, so if you will have a mobility device it shouldn't be a concern.

If you are a Marriott Bonvoy member you can earn and redeem points at the Swolphin. There is also usually a small member discount.

When comparing prices, don't forget to factor in the resort fee at the Swolphin.
 

Courtney6682

Well-Known Member
We’ve stayed at both pop and the sawn and LOVED the swan! You can’t beat the location, and it’s beautiful at night. We loved walking to the Boardwalk and being able to take the boats to Epcot and HS. The room was big and we had a theme park view! This is what we could see from our bed!
A34619DD-E585-4751-8EEA-FB5B293CBB37.jpeg
 

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