Analysis Paralysis - Pop vs. Swan vs. Grand Floridian

[Dave006]

l try to keep checking the Swan to see if any lower rates open up as it's hard to justify the $400/night rate approaching some deluxe Disney hotels.

Have you checked this link to see if you qualify for any lower Group rates: https://swandolphin.com/offers/

For example you can join AAA for less than $100 for a year, divide the $100 over the number of days of your stay. Also the Swan / Swan Reserve / Dolphin is moving to a $50 per day Resort fee so make sure that it is included your rate.

Dave

 

[gottalovepluto]

…I'm going to chat with my daughter to gauge how important staying at Disney the whole time vs not having to change hotels is to her. I know it sounds silly but she was pretty excited last time to get to use her magic band to get into the room and buy items around the park and hotel…

Not silly! We all love different aspects of our Disney vacays, even quirky ones. Good luck!

 

[Dave006]

Great questions! I meant to mention that I doubt we'll use the pools at all while we're there so that's not a big factor for us.

You need to know about the pools especially if you want to go with a Beach Club option you listed above. The major Feature pool at the YC / BC is now closed for a refurbishment thru June, 20205 and there will be noise and construction work during the day that you will see and hear.

I know it sounds silly but she was pretty excited last time to get to use her magic band to get into the room and buy items around the park and hotel. Appreciate all the help!

Does she have a smartphone? How about using her smartphone for mobile purchases around WDW.

Dave

 

[Maxie86]

You need to know about the pools especially if you want to go with a Beach Club option you listed above. The major Feature pool at the YC / BC is now closed for a refurbishment thru June, 20205 and there will be noise and construction work during the day that you will see and hear.


Does she have a smartphone? How about using her smartphone for mobile purchases around WDW.

Dave

You can use a smart watch as well.

Edited to add...OP I would pick Swan over any of your other choices. Did you check the Dolphin? Unless there is a big convention the Dolphin is usually less. The restaurants in the Swan/Dolphin are so much better than the Disney restaurants. You just can't beat being able to walk to two parks.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Downside to Grand Floridian - if you are not going to spend a lot of time at MK, then it really isn't worth the high cost. I personally don't like the monorail, and it is a pain to use for travel to Epcot.

Downside to Swan and Dolphin - park buses for MK drop off at the ticket and transportation center instead of the park entrance

 

[CallCaedmon]

We stayed at Sean this past fall and had a great time. The rooms are nice, updated, and large (we were able to park 2 scooters in the room). The food options were great and who can complain about free bottled water?! We did as mentioned above and used the BW bus for MK. AK we used the Swan’s bus once and Disney’s once. Live being able to walk, boat, or skyliner to HS and walking into Epcot can’t be beat.

We’ve never stayed at Pop and no offense, don’t really care to (I’d consider it if it were just me). Don’t really like split stays as we, too, are nappers in the afternoon and not having access to the room is a deal breaker. I think if MK isn’t a top priority, I’d skip the Pop/GF stay. What would your DD prefer?

Thanks! I think my daughter is getting tired of all my scenario questions at this point

She said as long as she got to ride the Skyliner at least once she’d be happy so I think we’ll use it to park hop from Epcot to HS at some point during our trip and call it good.

At this point I think I’m down to either a split stay between Pop and Beach Club or staying at Swan the entire time as there have been so many comments here saying how nice it is to be able to walk to the parks I expect we’ll be in the most.

 

[CallCaedmon]

Have you checked this link to see if you qualify for any lower Group rates: https://swandolphin.com/offers/

For example you can join AAA for less than $100 for a year, divide the $100 over the number of days of your stay. Also the Swan / Swan Reserve / Dolphin is moving to a $50 per day Resort fee so make sure that it is included your rate.

Dave

Thanks! I’m not a AAA member but will call to see if they’ll let me add the promo if I join. That 25% discount would be fantastic!

Edit: Just called the Swan and they said they can’t apply any new promos since they’re currently sold out

 

[CallCaedmon]

You can use a smart watch as well.

Edited to add...OP I would pick Swan over any of your other choices. Did you check the Dolphin? Unless there is a big convention the Dolphin is usually less. The restaurants in the Swan/Dolphin are so much better than the Disney restaurants. You just can't beat being able to walk to two parks.

My daughter has a smart watch but we haven’t linked any credit cards to it yet. Trying to keep that genie in the bottle as long as we can

We’re going during Spring Break so availability is tough. I don’t know how to confirm if there’s a convention but I’m betting Spring Break travel is a factor in the hotels being sold out. Right now there is availability at the Swan Reserve but not at the Dolphin or Swan. I had been checking every few days and got lucky to even get a room at the Swan when I did.

 

[Rory607]

I would just stay at Swan if she is okay not using her magic band. The pool isn’t a factor, so there really isn’t another reason to switch. You can go over and eat at Beaches and Cream or Cape May if she is still into character meals. My 14 and 10 year old like to do one each trip and we did Cape May breakfast last trip.

 

[kiford]

The thrill rides you mention are all at HS, Epcot or AK. GF is not convenient to any of them. The monorail is not, IMO, a very convenient option from GF to Epcot because you have to change at TTC. When we stay at GF, we usually have taken the boat over to MK because we don't find the monorail very convenient even for MK and it's usually quite crowded. So unless you are getting a great deal for GF over the Swan, it wouldn't be my first suggestion.

 

[R&RsMom]

I would also keep Swan. Did a split stay Swan and Dolphin in December and had great stays. I actually enjoyed Dolphin more, even though it is larger and busier. Check their availability - they are typically cheaper than Swan. But it’s pretty close to your dates…Dolphin does have double beds, but with 2 of you only, that won’t matter. As others have said, bus to AK lets you off and picks you up closer to the entrance than Disney busses do. I walked to Yacht Club from Dolphin to go to MK - easy walk and there were several parties in my bus doing the same. Walked to Epcot and boated to HS. The location is wonderful.

 

[CallCaedmon]

Thanks again to you all for taking the time to respond! Really appreciate everyone's help.

I saw lots of folks recommending to go with the Swan and also warning against split stays so I'm going to trust your expert advice! My daughter was a little bummed about her magic band not working at the hotel but she said it wasn't a huge deal to her so I think we're all good.

I also saw an Amex offer for a $250 credit if I spend $1000 so that helps bring the Swan down even more! Between paying $2650 for our entire stay in a balcony room at the Swan or paying $3300 for a split stay at Pop and Beach Club (without a working pool) we're going to go with the Swan.

Thanks again to you all for taking the time to reply!

 

[emilyann704]

I may be the lone vote of dissent here and say to just stick with Pop and use your savings elsewhere.

You have the Skyliner to Epcot and Hollywood Studios (the walk is nice from Swan but it IS an extra ~1 mile on your feet if you're counting your steps) and don't have to deal with the TTC to Magic Kingdom. I also underestimate how little time I do spend in my room (I usually nap mid-afternoon too) and to be honest, while head to head Pop and GF aren't even a contest all of Disney's value resorts are NICE.

That's just me. When I know I can get a hotel that has pros (Skyliner, on property, etc) at very little (relative) cost I'd rather take the savings and use the saved money somewhere else on the trip. I will note that Pop only has a food court and no actual restaurant and bar so if that's important to you I'd factor that in -- but it's very easy to hop on the Skyliner to Caribbean Beach, Riviera, or any of the hotels on the Boardwalk and the actual Boardwalk.

Edited to add I just saw you had made your decision and I chimed in after - I hope I didn't confuse things, you'll have a great time whatever you decide!

 

[musika]

I may be the lone vote of dissent here and say to just stick with Pop and use your savings elsewhere.

You have the Skyliner to Epcot and Hollywood Studios (the walk is nice from Swan but it IS an extra ~1 mile on your feet if you're counting your steps) and don't have to deal with the TTC to Magic Kingdom. I also underestimate how little time I do spend in my room (I usually nap mid-afternoon too) and to be honest, while head to head Pop and GF aren't even a contest all of Disney's value resorts are NICE.

That's just me. When I know I can get a hotel that has perks (Skyliner, on property, etc) at very little (relative) cost I'd rather take the savings and use the saved money somewhere else on the trip. I will note that Pop only has a food court and no actual restaurant and bar so if that's important to you I'd factor that in -- but it's very easy to hop on the Skyliner to Caribbean Beach, Riviera, or any of the hotels on the Boardwalk and the actual Boardwalk.

I am late to the party but I am gonna DITTO this. Pop with the murphy bed up is surprisingly roomy for a value room. I would 100% cheap out on a room and use that money for better experiences. We have stayed at Pop twice now, once with a still-napping toddler, and never had a noise issue in either the 80s or the 60s. I'd recommend the 60s for proximity to skyliner and main hall. The skyliner really is a game-changer for that resort. You may slightly lose out to the walking crowd at HS, but you will be winning at Epcot going through the back gate.

I will second that the food court is not much to write home about, but honestly how much do you eat in your hotel's restaurant anyway? I dunno. Sounds like you have your mind made up but for me it would be Pop 100%. My 12 year old still talks about it and our last trip was almost 5 years ago now!

 

[CallCaedmon]

I am late to the party but I am gonna DITTO this. Pop with the murphy bed up is surprisingly roomy for a value room. I would 100% cheap out on a room and use that money for better experiences. We have stayed at Pop twice now, once with a still-napping toddler, and never had a noise issue in either the 80s or the 60s. I'd recommend the 60s for proximity to skyliner and main hall. The skyliner really is a game-changer for that resort. You may slightly lose out to the walking crowd at HS, but you will be winning at Epcot going through the back gate.

I will second that the food court is not much to write home about, but honestly how much do you eat in your hotel's restaurant anyway? I dunno. Sounds like you have your mind made up but for me it would be Pop 100%. My 12 year old still talks about it and our last trip was almost 5 years ago now!

Thanks! I think what sold me on not going with Pop the whole time is some of the comments about how valuable being able to walk to the parks we'll be spending the most time in.

We stayed in AoA a few years ago and had a bad experience with the Skyliner trying to get home one night. Kids were exhausted after a long day at the parks and we stood in a long line at the Epcot station that didn't move for 20+ minutes while the Skyliner sat still. No announcement, cast members didn't know what was going on or when it would move again, we were told we could wait and hope for the best or walk across the park to the buses. We made the call to hoof it over to the bus pickup at the front of Epcot and as you can imagine, that was not a fun ride home. (We saw the next day there had been a skyliner crash that shut the skyliner down to clean up the broken glass.).

Sorry for the story time there but the ability to just walk back if needed was a pretty strong selling point

 

[japanese maple]

Thanks! I think what sold me on not going with Pop the whole time is some of the comments about how valuable being able to walk to the parks we'll be spending the most time in.

We stayed in AoA a few years ago and had a bad experience with the Skyliner trying to get home one night. Kids were exhausted after a long day at the parks and we stood in a long line at the Epcot station that didn't move for 20+ minutes while the Skyliner sat still. No announcement, cast members didn't know what was going on or when it would move again, we were told we could wait and hope for the best or walk across the park to the buses. We made the call to hoof it over to the bus pickup at the front of Epcot and as you can imagine, that was not a fun ride home. (We saw the next day there had been a skyliner crash that shut the skyliner down to clean up the broken glass.).

Sorry for the story time there but the ability to just walk back if needed was a pretty strong selling point

There really is nothing better than being able to walk to two parks (or even better, home after closing it down!) We just stayed at AKL and looooooved it. My dream resort. But even there, man did we miss staying in the Epcot area for the ease of walking! Or boating!

Missed it so much we booked next trip at Boardwalk.

 

[Dave006]

Thanks! I think what sold me on not going with Pop the whole time is some of the comments about how valuable being able to walk to the parks we'll be spending the most time in.

Yes knowing you can walk is always a benefit but just to remind you that you also can use the Friendship boats or even the Skyline if you want a little variety getting between Epcot and HS. We normally walk to HS and Epcot in the morning but sometimes chose the Friendship boats back if anyone is tired or needs a break from walking.

Dave

 

[CallCaedmon]

Yes knowing you can walk is always a benefit but just to remind you that you also can use the Friendship boats or even the Skyline if you want a little variety getting between Epcot and HS. We normally walk to HS and Epcot in the morning but sometimes chose the Friendship boats back if anyone is tired or needs a break from walking.

Dave

Thanks! My daughter said she wanted to ride the skyliner at least once on our trip so we'll use it to transfer from Epcot to HS at some point on our trip just to change it up. We haven't tried the boats at disney before either so we'll likely give those a shot as well!

 

[Dave006]

We haven't tried the boats at disney before either so we'll likely give those a shot as well!

If you catch a boat from the Swan / Dolphin dock it is non-stop to / from HS. For Epcot it makes 2 stops on the way to the International Gateway and 2 on the way back.

Dave