Originally Posted by
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...
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,