Swolphin or Moderate Resort?

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
There are 3 of us going to WDW for the hellish dates of Dec.23-28 and I have been crunching the numbers trying to figure out whether it's better to stay at a moderate or pay a bit extra for a room at the Swan/Dolphin (about $200 extra per person for the 5 nights)? I would ideally like to stay at a deluxe resort, but that's probably pushing the budget up another $100-$200 which becomes too much.

The pros for Swolphin seem to me that it has a far better location than any of the moderates (have stayed at Boardwalk before and loved the location) and, other than room charge and delivery for in-park purchases, still has most of the perks of staying at a Disney hotel. I also imagine it has rooms of a similar standard to a Disney deluxe hotel for a lower price.

The moderates are, I guess, more 'Disney' and do come with some extra perks, with the airport pickup and delivery of in-park purchases to the room. It is also cheaper. I have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside before, though, and wasn't particularly bowled over by the theming or room. It is cheaper, though!

So, if anyone has any comments or advice I would be very grateful to hear your thoughts!
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
If the extra money is not an issue I would stay at the Swan and Dolphin. It is referred to by many as a deluxe with a moderate price. The location is great which will be extremely important during that time of year. The only bad thing about the resort is that you have to pay to park there and there is pretty much zero Disney theming to the place so it does not have the typical on property feel.
 
Upvote 0

Mouser365

New Member
I would vote for the moderate. If it were me, I love the theming. Also, at that time of year you might want to spend less on the room and more on Disney Xmas presents!
 
Upvote 0

DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
Besides not participating in Magical Express, room-charging, and package delivery, Swolphin also does not participate in the Magic Your Way with Dining plan, if that matters to you.
 
Upvote 0

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
If you're going to be worried about the extra $$ - go for a moderate. After all - you're going to be spending most of your time at the parks not your resort
 
Upvote 0

Eyekimore

New Member
I vote Swan/Dolphin. We've stayed there at Christmas time before.....
AWESOME BEDS!
Between that and walking out from EPCOT after fireworks- you can't beat it!
BTW- Swan/Dolphin have certain discounts (teacher/service/etc.) We've gotten these discounts at holiday time before.
You'll have a great time regardless of where you stay. It's WDW! It's all good!
 
Upvote 0

alanbrai

Member
In my personnal opinion, if you really want to stay in a Deluxe resort and have it Disney owned I would forgo the for mentioned and stay at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort. Excellent theming, rooms are bigger than moderate, a boat ride to the MK, and all the Disney perks you can think of.
 
Upvote 0

I-4Warrior

New Member
The only moderate I have stayed at was the CBR, which I really enjoyed, but we just got back from the Dolphin and had an amazing stay. We booked a standard room, but were upgraded for free at the desk with a room on the 18th floor with an incredibly clear view of DHS, World Showcase and the Boardwalk, (also a clear-as-the-night-sky view of Illuminations from our room). The ability to walk or take a boat to the Boardwalk, DHS or Epcot (complete with Extra Magic Hours at the resort) is something you can't currently get at any of the moderates. Granted, if you're looking for the "Disney Magic", you're not going to get it, but you'll certainly get more opulence from the Dolphin than a mod. Plus, the Swan and Dolphin provide better dining options and self-contained night-life if important to you.
 
Upvote 0

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
have you considered renting dvc points?

I mean, it's always a little chancy in terms of connecting with a reliable DVC owner, AND getting what you want, but most DVC owners will rent poits between 9 and 12 dollars a point. For the days you specified, 5 nights in, say, Old Key West (traditionally the least expensive DVC resort) would probably run you about 1200 dollars. ABout 100 more would get you a Standard Studio room at the Boardwalk. 5 nights in the mods around that time would seem to be about $1050. So renting points (if you can) would seem to be the middle ground between a moderate and the Swan or Dolphin. If you can arrange to rent points with someone who owns at the Boardwalk (or at least can get a room there in May when the unbooked rooms open up to all DVC owners), then for 250 more than a moderate (and 350 less than Swan/Dolphin), you'd stay at a deluxe Disney hotel, which gives you Magical Express, package delivery, extra magic hours, the dining plan, free parking, all the perks any other disney guest has, and you're walking distance from TWO of the parks, plus other resorts with their restaurants & nightlife potential.

Not saying it's just that easy, and the prices may vary (the prices I quoted weren't exactly pulled out of my butt, but were based on people charging 10 to 11 dollars a point for the rental), but it might be worth looking into.
 
Upvote 0

KeithVH

Well-Known Member
-1 for the Swolphin option. It's not a bad hotel but I've stayed in Best Western's and Holiday Inn's with rooms as nice.

We ended up going a day earlier than planned at Xmas. Poly couldn't add an extra day so we got a Mousesaver deal for 1 night at the Dolphin. Felt I overpaid even then. Nice clean place, nice people too. But VERY unimpressed with the room for the price. Especially the size. It was more apparent the next day when we checked into Hawaii. The room felt and looked twice as big. Save your money for food and goodies.
 
Upvote 0

RiversideBunny

New Member
Unless EPCOT is your favorite park and you absolutely want to be able to walk to it, stay at a moderate resort and enjoy the extra amenities that come with that.

Good luck.
 
Upvote 0

daliseurat

Member
You can walk to Epcot as well as Disney Hollywood Studios from SWAN/DOLPHIN. You could walk through Epcot to get to the monorail to go to the Magic Kingdom. You can walk to Fanstasia Gardens Mini Golf. You can enjoy the Boardwalk easily.

But, you don't get that DISNEY feeling at you hotel. But some people like to get away from the magic for a little while.

Just figure out what is most important to you. Me, personally, I like to be surrounded by Disney, and I like the extra Disney perks.
 
Upvote 0

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks everyone for the great advice. I really appreciate all your suggestions :)

There's a lot to consider which I'll have to process and run by my two traveling companions, but the location does keep jumping out as a big plus to me. As I mentioned, I stayed at the Boardwalk Villas once and, if it were just me, would be tempted to again just for the location. I'm a big walker, so being able to stroll over to Epcot, Disney-MGM and the monorail was great and I imagine that around Christmas the bus transportation is far more strained by the crowds that it has been during the last few times I've gone in January. We're also flying off to Colombia and travelling down through South America for a few months following our WDW trip, so a decent room sounds appealing before things get a little unpredictable!

One thing that does keep coming up is that it just doesn't feel "Disney" which is interesting as I've always figured due to where it is and its fairly whimsical design that staying there wouldn't be too different from staying at a Disney hotel. For example, it looks more 'Disney' to me than the Contemporary even if it isn't owned by them. I have also stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside (back when it was Dixie Landings) and thought that, while it was nice enough, the theming for the buildings wasn't anything particularly amazing (more like some nice exterior decorations on a standard block of motel rooms). The resort overall did have that whole Disney feel to it, though.

There is also the point that it's just a room and a moderate would do the trick and save each of us a few hundred dollars over the 5 nights, so I'll have to think about that. On that front, it looks to me that the Caribbean gets the worst reviews, Coronado gets some mixed reviews due to it being quite sprawling and isolated, and Port Orleans gets the most consistently positive response. Does that sound about right?

Also, thanks Slappy for the advice about DVC points as I didn't know you could do that so it's definitely something else to look into!
 
Upvote 0

Eeyore

Mrs. WDWMAGIC [Assistant Administrator]
Premium Member
Besides not participating in Magical Express, room-charging, and package delivery, Swolphin also does not participate in the Magic Your Way with Dining plan, if that matters to you.

The Swan and Dolphin participate in package delivery. The gift shops are operated by Disney.

I love the Swan and Dolphin and think they are just as magical as the Disney operated resorts. They are just finishing up their refurbs and are looking great. The beds and location make them much better than the Disney moderate resorts in my opinion. We often have really great deals available to WDWMagic members, keep your eyes peeled! :)

http://swandolphin.com/offers/march/magic/
 
Upvote 0

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks again to everyone for their advice...

I've found that, factoring in airport transfers, staying in standard view rooms at both Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge don't work out that much more expensive again than Swan/Dolphin resorts. Is it worth paying the little extra for these Disney resorts and if anyone could offer an opinion on which would be a better option that would be appreciated. I think I like the theme of AKL better, but it does seem quite isolated...
 
Upvote 0

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom