pinniped

I don't want to cross-post, so I'll just ask it here: which of the Swan or Dolphin would be better for a Gold member? Or does it matter?

I've *never* been personally interested in the whole Disney/Universal thing, but I have a feeling this is the year that we will have to break down and do it. Once. So I figure the way to do it is to use points for the hotels, and from what I can tell Starwood is a better choice (for convenience of getting to/from the various amusement parks) than Marriott or HHonors.

From various reviews online, it seems that the Swan gets a slightly higher rating than the Dolphin, but if there are any other pros or cons to each that FT'ers would consider, I'm interested in that. Probably a 5-night stay, the only two places I am sure we'd *have* to visit would be Hogwarts and the main princess castle in the original Disney park. Presumably we'd buy a 3-day Disney and a 2-day Universal ticket or something like that....I know I still have to research this to figure out how to do it without getting ripped off...if that's possible...

Flews

My advice comes from the perspective of loving Disney, and experiencing it many times. So I'm not sure if I can add value for someone who sounds like they are reluctantly being dragged into it.

Having said that, the Swan is smaller and therefore quieter than the Dolphin, although both host conventions. I prefer the Swan, and have never been disappointed over the years.

it's hard for me to comprehend a 3 day visit to Disney - I usually go for 10 days or so. In terms of your two 'must-dos', their is no difference between the Swan and Dolphin.

You do know the 'castle' at MK has nothing in it except a restaurant, eh?

Cheers,

pinniped

It's hard to explain my reluctance, because I *do* enjoy the occasional amusement park. I think it's the stories I've read about queues, or being extorted to avoid queues. Maybe that mixed in with the fact that some people we know make a *huge* deal about Disney and would rather go there than anywhere else in the world. To the point where going almost feels cultish or something.

Nobody's really dragging me: it'll be me planning it, because I think the kids are now a good age to go (8 and 11). I'm 100% on the defensive about (a) getting ripped off or (b) booking the right dates and days of the week to avoid the biggest crowds...but once there, I'm pretty sure I will enjoy the trip.

Anyway, I want to go, I want the kids to enjoy some good parks, but I want to keep it all in context I guess... Perhaps some of these fears are irrational.

Oh, we'll do longer than three: I tossed out the idea of 5 since that's the typical Starwood award, but I wouldn't rule out a longer trip. Do you go longer and mix up days at the parks with days doing other things? (I doubt we'd ever attempt to do ten different parks, even though it sounds like Tampa/Orlando do have that many.)

Actually, I wasn't even sure *anything* was really in there. I just know that the kids love Harry Potter, and one of my daughters is into princesses and will have to see that Disney castle. Beyond that, the schedule is pretty open.

SpeedyDelivery

You might be better served staying off property. A bit harder to get to the parks that way but staying at the Swan and Dolphin will force you into a whole lot of overpriced food, resort fees and parking charges. I enjoyed my recent stay at the Swan but it's a real nickel and dime sort of place and I can see how that can put you in a sour mood.

Consider the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort. It's not that impressive of a property but it's a good location for Disney / Universal and a downright bargain at category 2. I stay there often and never feel ripped off.

pinniped

That thought has crossed my mind...if I did that, it would also open up a variety of MR/HH choices where I'd still have a lounge and/or breakfast included status. Also opens up a lot of timeshare-style properties, which could be nice. That said, a Cat 2 SPG, assuming it's not completely shabby, would be awfully tempting even if that meant eating breakfast elsewhere. (Marriott grossly overrates nearly all of their Orlando properties.)

I've heard horror stories about traffic in and around the parks, but I assume that can be managed to some extent by getting up early and getting there before the gates open, right? Traffic is one reason I hear people recommend staying onsite...

Sam P. Goodman

I'll echo what Flews said about preferring the Swan to the Dolphin. I don't know that one would necessarily give better treatment--the Swan just feels less crowded and hectic to me.

I personally would never consider staying off property (unless budget requires it). I love the convenience of being able to walk to EPCOT or the Studios or just shuttle to the other parks (though shuttle waits can sometimes be frustrating). It's also really nice to be able to spend evenings strolling the Boardwalk and grabbing dinner there.

Part of the magic for us is being immersed in the resort and having to drive off property every night past scores of convenience stores, mini-golf, etc. would break some of that illusion for us. It's also nice to know I can have a beer or two and not be concerned about driving. Of course, if you're planning some time at Universal, that may be a game changer.

Flews

This is something the OP should consider. The Sheraton LBV is actually great value if you are doing more than Disney. Especially if you are moving around by car.

On the other hand, I'm in the Sam P. Goodman camp. The beauty of the Swan is you can walk to two of the four parks in just a few minutes, and it's an easy bus ride to the other two. No car, no parking, on waiting for parking lot shuttles or the Monorail ride to the transportation centre.

Thanks to the Swan, we've had many a wonderful night enjoying dinner and/or attractions at Epcot, followed by Illuminations, followed by a nice, leisurely walk back with the kids to our comfy beds. Maybe grab a funnel cake on along the way...

Cheers,

pinniped

I assume we would do both Disney and Universal parks. I always assumed they were roughly in the same area...and I thought I had seen photos of a light rail that connecting some of them. But from your posts, it sounds like we'd have to take a cab over to Universal. They're at least in that same part of town, right? (e.g., Short-ish cab ride...)

If we did 5 days...Disney, Epcot, MGM, Universal, and Hogwarts...we'd have a walk to 2 parks, a short bus ride to Disney, and cabs to Universal and Hogwarts.

Of course, if I get farther into this...I'm going to want to add a waterpark. And if I do it in March, I'm going to want to add some baseball. And maybe the Disney animal park. And maybe a day over at Kennedy... OK, yeah, I can see how you spend 10 days there, and that could move us to a rental car and an offsite hotel or villa...

SpeedyDelivery

Figure $40-$50 each way for a cab ride from the Swan to Universal. The Dolphin also has a National desk so even if you aren't renting a car for your Disney part it would be easy to get one for your Universal days.

As for your question about off property traffic: I-4 and International Drive are the roads most likely to be congested but any of the hotels in the Lake Buena Vista area have a very reasonable drive to WDW. 10-20 minutes of an easy drive to every Disney Park, 20-30 to Universal.

TimesTwo

We really loved our 8-day stay at Dolphin last year but I'd still suggest the Swan as well. Dolphin is huge and I felt like I was at a convention for work (probably because so many people there actually were) rather than vacation. Dolphin has the better breakfast, though, by far, in my opinion (made to order mickey pancakes and waffles instead of sitting on the buffet, fresh squeezed fancy fruit and vegetable juices, etc).

And, even though I'm not a big Disney fanatic, I wouldn't really consider staying off property. It's amazing the difference between having to get into a car, or navigate the insanely big parking lots, like the days guests, and being able to hop on the boat or bus or walk back to the resort.

As others mentioned, it's not terribly easy to get to Universal from there. You could rent a car at Dolphin but if it were me, I'd probably do (at least) 5 nights at Swan and then check into a Universal resort for a few days. Yes, you'd move hotels once, but you'd never deal with traffic.

Finally, I'll say that I had assumed that 8 days would feel like a very long time and that we'd have more than enough time to do what we wanted, but I was surprised at how quickly it went and how much we didn't get to do. We had thought we'd spend a couple of afternoons at the pool (just spent a couple of hours there once), thought we'd walk over to the mini golf across the street (never got there). With so much to do (and so much that needs to be planned in advance), time goes very quickly. There's a Disney superfan message board (google 'disboards') that gives any level of detail you want on how to best navigate the beast that is Disney. Enjoy!

hhoope01

I personally prefer the Swan when traveling with the family as it has 2 Queen beds in a room rather than 2 doubles which provides a little more sleeping space. But for most things they are pretty much the same.

Over the years, I've stayed both onsite and offsite. I tend to like onsite better as you don't have to deal with parking, though you do have to deal with catching a bus (but it tends to be a bit easier to deal with.) Nor do you have even get a car which I don't normally get anymore. Plus staying onsite gets you access to the Disney extra hours which can be a nice bonus.

There is also a Hilton Doubletree that is close to the Downtown Disney area that allows access to the Disney extra hours. I haven't stayed there yet, but from posts in the Hilton forum, it seems to be an average hotel. I have a reservation for October of this year to try it out. The Swan/Dolphin are fairly nice hotels. So they may be a bit of step up in "quality". But with that said, you will have to pay a daily resort fee at the Swan/Dolphin and pay for your breakfasts. As a Hilton Gold/Diamond, you will get free breakfast at the Doubletree plus if you use points no resort fee there. And I was a bit surprised that the Doubletree was as low a category level as it is. So staying there may not break your points bank.

For Universal, there aren't any "onsite" hotels where you can use points. You can use points to stay close by or pay to stay at one of the onsite Loews hotels. I will tell you that even on slow days the Harry Potter area (and soon to be areas) are almost always very crowded. Staying onsite provides you with the ability visit the HP section an hour before the general public. That is usually more than enough time to run through the HP rides and see the area before it becomes a total madhouse after the park opens to the general public. Plus if you stay on-site, each person registered to your room (up to 5 per room) will get a universal Express Pass. That means you don't have to worry nearly as much about lines for most of the rides. In fact, even on crowded days you wouldn't have trouble riding most every ride in one of the parks and can probably ride some of yours (or the kids) favorite rides a few times. That benefit alone is worth the price of staying onsite. (And one of the reasons I keep my Loews elite status as I virtaully always stay onsite at Universal.)

My kids, have always liked Universal over Disney, but they tend to like roller coasters and the fact that we don't wait in lines nearly as much there as we do in the Disney parks. (Universal's parks tend to appeal more to teens where Disney parks appeal more to younger kids. But everyone is different so it really depends on you and your family's tastes and desires.)

luckyjim

We went to Orlando in February and stayed in a private villa. If I was going to stay in a hotel though, I would definitely stay onsite. The main reason for this is something called fastpass plus. This is a new system which allows visitors to select three fastpasses each day - basically three rides they don't need to queue for.

Day visitors need to book at the start of the day (queuing for a kiosk as soon as they enter the park). If you are not there early you may find that all the fastpasses for the popular rides have been taken for the day.

Onsite guest can book their fastpassess up to 60 days in advance. They can also make changes on their smartphones wheras offsite guests need to queue for the kiosks each time. This is a huge advantage. I'd even consider booking a room at the Swan using my SPG points just for fastpass and onsite privileges and not actually using the room.

pinniped

At some point, I'll probably take this up on the detailed Disney/Universal bulletin boards, but I want to make sure I understand these previous two posts.

If I stay onsite (whether Hilton or Starwood at Disney, and Loews at Universal), I get to skip some ride queues? No extra fees, beyond the resort fees I'd pay whether I enter the park or not? That right there might seal the deal for me to go onsite in both places and switch hotels in the middle.

I would *think* that access to three major rides per park would be enough for us... I also very much like the idea of the extra hours...

That would be huge, and it also might enable us to book a trip at not such a completely off-peak time.

hhoope01

For the onsite Loews hotels at Universal, yes. It is a great benefit for staying on-site at Universal as most (but not all) rides have an Express Pass entrance. (Note that the new on-site budget/family hotel, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, does NOT come with the unlimited Express pass ride entrance benefit.)

For the Disney onsite hotels, kind-of. Staying onsite at Disney doesn't get you "more" fastpasses than if you stay off site (3 per day). What it gets you is the ability to pick the 3 rides you want to have fastpasses for earlier than people not staying onsite can. But the question is does Disney consider staying at the Hilton Doubletree or the Starwood Swan/Dolphin "on-site" for that purpose? I stayed earlier in the year at the Swan and Disney did NOT let us pre-choose our fastpasses. Disney did provide a "special" fastpass queue in each park just for the Swan/Dolphin to pick our 3 rides, but we could only choose our rides the day we were at that park.

So my guess is that if you want to get not only the Disney Extra Hours, but also the ability to choose your fastpass rides earlier, then you would need to stay at a full Disney on-site hotel. (Though I think that paying for an annual pass may also get you that ability too, but I'm not going to pay something like $634/person or more for an annual pass.)

dukenilnil

FWIW, I just booked points stay and was told that points for suites was not an option. I could upgrade to an Alcove room, but not an Alcove with a balcony on points (the Aclove w/ balcony rooms are also the only ones with a "parlor").

So, I booked 2 adjoining rooms. I am happy with 2 adjoining rooms over a suite except for one grip - if I book a suite, I only pay 1 resort fee per day, if I book adjoining rooms, I pay 2 resort fees per day, which adds up on a "free" points stay.