Orlando - Orlando Disney Trip June16-22 2012

We have booked flights for Orlando June 16-22 2012 fir me, wife and two kids (2yo son and 6yo daughter). I have ca49k SPG points so want to book hotel/resort with Starwood close to Disney etc. First time to Orlando so any tips appreciated. A quick search on SPG.com indicates below as best option for an SPG hotel for our purpose. Can experts here comment on quality of this hotel, coonectivity to resorts and airport, convenience wrt to visiting resorts etc etc? Thanks

Walt Disney World Swan
1200 Epcot Resort Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 United States
Phone: (407) 934-3000 Fax: (407) 934-4499
SPG Category 4
26.39 km / 16.4 miles from center of orlando.
Revitalize and refresh just steps from Disney World at our magical retreat, featuring golf, five pools, spa, and a white-sand beach.
Resort Information
|Offers

Hi,

The swan is a very good hotel with good facilities and a great swimming pool.

It is just by the Boardwalk area of Epcot and you can walk to the World showcase entrance of Epcot in 5-10mins. You can also walk to Hollywood studios along the path by the canal in about 15mins ( or you can take the boat).

The Dolphin ( Westin ) is just across the way ( they share a swimming pool area)and that has additional dining options.

The Boardwalk is a great place to walk about in the evening with a dance hall, ESPN bar, restaurants and shops.
Other disney resorts around the boardwalk are Beach and yacht club resort and villas and Boardwalk inn and villas ( well worth walking into the lobbies)

Regards

TBS

Transportation to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom is by Disney bus.

There are a lot more details here;

http://allears.net/acc/faq_swan.htm

For the past few years, everytime I've headed down to Orlando to visit Disney, I've stayed at either the Dolphin or the Swan. Both are good hotels, get you onsite Disney priviledges, and being able to use points is great.

Over on the SPG forum, there are a couple of threads with some fairly extensive discussions of both hotels. You may find them elightening:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/367411-walt-disney-world-swan-orlando-master-thread.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/173038-walt-disney-world-dolphin-orlando-master-thread.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/829707-disney-orlando-dolphin-swan-2007-present-master-thread.html

BTW, I'm typing this from Orlando. This trip though is to visit Universal instead of Disney as my daughter likes it better. So no Swan/Dolphin for me this time, but maybe in October we'll be back. :)

Just stayed at the Swan in January on points. Great location. The only downside is you cannot take the Magical Express (free Disney transportation) from/to the airport. Other than that, perfect location and fantastic staff. If you do need to get to other places they have a fleet of limos that will take you around for what it would cost you to get a taxi.

I echo the above posts, and encourage you to check out the FT links about the Swan. I have stayed there 3 times in the last two years (3+ year-old-twins), heading back again for a fourth next month. We LOVE the facilities, the location and the ease of being able to walk to two of the four parks, plus all the nearby restaurants & shops.

We've stayed at many other Disney resorts over the years, and the Swan is by far our property of choice at this point.

Cheers,

Thanks everyone for all this great info. We will book the Swan in a day or two after some more research. Any tips on what kind of room to book? Is it worth it to get the room with a balcony? Any way to ensure an upgrade e.g. By paying extra?

Last, ma thinking of getting a 5 day park hopper pass to Disney parks. Are there anynongoing discounts / promos to get this cheaper? Should I buy direct from Disney? Or buy from SAMs club etc? Any tips appreciated. Thanks

You're not going to get very much in the way of discounts on park tickets. If you sign up for the mousesavers newsletter on www.mousesavers.com they have a link to a ticket broker that sometimes offers some good deals on multi-day tickets. But I wouldn't expect to see more than $20 off per ticket.

The newsletter is mailed out on the 15th of the month, so you should sign up now. They use www.undercovertourist.com, and you'll get a bit more of a discount if you use the link in the newsletter.

Just stayed at the Swan in January on points. Great location. The only downside is you cannot take the Magical Express (free Disney transportation) from/to the airport. Other than that, perfect location and fantastic staff. If you do need to get to other places they have a fleet of limos that will take you around for what it would cost you to get a taxi.
Don't worry about the airport bus. Round-trip car service is $125 + tip. Well worth it, particularly in June, to arrive with your luggage in your own car and not with 46 other people.

Don't worry about the airport bus. Round-trip car service is $125 + tip. Well worth it, particularly in June, to arrive with your luggage in your own car and not with 46 other people.

Can you recommend a car service for round trip reservation? Cab okay?

Can you recommend a car service for round trip reservation? Cab okay?You should try calling Mears. They have the most service to Disney and everything from cabs to buses to get you there.

Last, ma thinking of getting a 5 day park hopper pass to Disney parks. Are there anynongoing discounts / promos to get this cheaper? Should I buy direct from Disney? Or buy from SAMs club etc? Any tips appreciated. Thanks

Call the closest Sam's Club and Costco to the parks and ask if they have passes/tickets. Sometimes they do; other times they are restricted to FL residents. And sometimes nada.

If you think you will go back in less than a year, consider an annual pass. I think 5-day park hopper is $306 plus tax and AP is something like $549. With an AP you'll get discounts on Disney hotels and shopping and restaurants and other perks. Might be worth a look.

Thanks everyone for the tips. We have finally booked the Dolphin for our stay. Flights also booked.

Now we need to look for theme park tickets.

We have 6yo daughter so will go to Magic Kingdom for sure. Our 2yo son may enjoy the Animal Kingdom. Any other must visit resorts because we will only have 2.5 more days in Orlando. Can you suggest what makes more sense for the two kids? Appreciate any pointers...

Thanks everyone for the tips. We have finally booked the Dolphin for our stay. Flights also booked.

Now we need to look for theme park tickets.

We have 6yo daughter so will go to Magic Kingdom for sure. Our 2yo son may enjoy the Animal Kingdom. Any other must visit resorts because we will only have 2.5 more days in Orlando. Can you suggest what makes more sense for the two kids? Appreciate any pointers...

Well, since Epcot and Disney Studios are only a 15 & 20 minute walk (respectively) from the Dolphin, surely you will want to visit those two parks - and both are great for kids. We've done both in one day - morning & night (we usually stay at the Swan/Dolphin).

My 4 year tolds really enjoy Epcot, especially the fireworks at night, and many of the rides at both Epcot & DS are quite kid friendly.

Cheers,

Well, since Epcot and Disney Studios are only a 15 & 20 minute walk (respectively) from the Dolphin, surely you will want to visit those two parks - and both are great for kids. We've done both in one day - morning & night (we usually stay at the Swan/Dolphin).

My 4 year tolds really enjoy Epcot, especially the fireworks at night, and many of the rides at both Epcot & DS are quite kid friendly.

Cheers,

Thank you. Just got the five day park hopper. All set now. Made restaurant reservations too. Anything else?

Humm... looks like you'll be leaving just as I'm arriving. Would have been nice to say hi.

If you can, try to get breakfast (or dinner) with the characters. You're kids are the perfect age. I think the nicest one is at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary resort. You get a decent amount of 1 on 1 time with each character, and I've seen them do some pretty cute things with the little ones. Heck, I have 2 pictures on my wall where they do cute things with adults.

It's a tough ticket to get. You will have to try daily, as close to 7am EDT as possible, and still be lucky. I would also try later in the day.

Sometimes I get lucky, somethimes I don't. I scored a table my first try for the date I wanted - and pretty close to my preferred time too. I haven't seen a table open up since.

Humm... looks like you'll be leaving just as I'm arriving. Would have been nice to say hi.

If you can, try to get breakfast (or dinner) with the characters. You're kids are the perfect age. I think the nicest one is at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary resort. You get a decent amount of 1 on 1 time with each character, and I've seen them do some pretty cute things with the little ones. Heck, I have 2 pictures on my wall where they do cute things with adults.

It's a tough ticket to get. You will have to try daily, as close to 7am EDT as possible, and still be lucky. I would also try later in the day.

Sometimes I get lucky, somethimes I don't. I scored a table my first try for the date I wanted - and pretty close to my preferred time too. I haven't seen a table open up since.

I don't think my park hopper pass will let me enter the contemporary resort. Or will it? I thought it only covered epcot, MK, AK, and HS. Do I need a park ticket to get to Chef Mickeys in Contemporary Resort? Thanks for this great suggestion!

Can't I book it today for a June date?

The Contemporary is a hotel right next to the Magic Kingdom. You don't need a ticket to get in. There are several very nice restaurants in there.

Yes, you can make a reservation today or as early as 180 days prior. Your best/fastest option would be to check on www.disneyworld.com under the dining reserations option.

The Crystal Palace Character Buffet in the Magic Kingdom is another one to look at. The characters do a conga line with all the kids and everyone seems to enjoy it a lot.

You can find many videos of all of the Character meals on Youtube.

You're not going to get very much in the way of discounts on park tickets. If you sign up for the mousesavers newsletter on www.mousesavers.com they have a link to a ticket broker that sometimes offers some good deals on multi-day tickets. But I wouldn't expect to see more than $20 off per ticket.

The newsletter is mailed out on the 15th of the month, so you should sign up now. They use www.undercovertourist.com, and you'll get a bit more of a discount if you use the link in the newsletter.

I agree with Mary about mousavers.com. They have a wealth of information and tips for the WDW and DLand. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter and use the link in the newsletter. Just going to the undercover website DOES NOT give up the special pricing. I have used the undercovertourist discount for Disneyland tickets on the west coast. They are quick and the tickets arrived quickly and worked as promised.

I don't think my park hopper pass will let me enter the contemporary resort. Or will it? I thought it only covered epcot, MK, AK, and HS. Do I need a park ticket to get to Chef Mickeys in Contemporary Resort? Thanks for this great suggestion!

I highly suggest you do some more research on Disney World either by buying a guide book, recommend the Unofficial Guide, or doing some more research on the Internet. A great message board for Disney is www.disboards.com

Disney has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) all of which can be accessed with your Park Hopper Pass. This pass will allow you to visit more than one of these parks each day. There are also 2 water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), you will need to either purchase an individual ticket to visit these or add the Water Park Fun & More Option to your tickets.

The resorts are entirely separate from the theme parks. You don't need any kind of ticket media to visit the individual resorts. Contemporary Resort is a resort, meaning hotel. You can visit any resort and enjoy their dining and some of the amenities. You are not however allowed to use the pools.