We LOVE staying on WDW property at Disney resorts but *most* of the time you’ll find us at Disney’s Swan & Dolphin! I get lots of questions about this resort so I wanted to drop all of the details in one handy dandy blog post.
We’re at Disney all the time so unfortunately we can’t book the Grand Floridian for every trip. To save a bit (and because we really do love it!) we stay at The Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin quite a bit. I stayed here as a child so I definitely still get that disney nostalgic feeling upon checking in and my girls love it too! Although the Fussell fam loves it, the resort does get some hate so I’ll definitely share the pros and cons to help you decide if it’s right for your trip!
If you want a more personal trip recap from our stays at The Swan & Dolphin or you want to see more “behind the scenes” of our trips, I do try to keep updated IG story higlights and share blog recaps of each trip….although I’m a wee bit behind but working to catch up! You can browse the blog posts here and check out the highlights here!
If you’re heading to disney with littles, grab my ebook here!
Here’s what you need to know!
Location
Part of what makes the Swan & Dolphin so appealing is that although it’s not owned by disney (it’s a Marriott property) the location is disney perfection. You’ll find the Swan & Dolphin on Crescent Lake (the Epcot bubble) right in between The Boardwalk and the Yacht Club. You can walk or boat to two parks (HS & Epcot) and some of disney’s best dining! We always enjoy popping over to the boardwalk for good food and nighttime entertainment or getting our steps in walking over to Epcot! Five stars for convenience.
Transportation
While you can take a boat or walk to HS & Epcot, you’re going to have to take a bus to get to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom & Disney Springs. S&D doesn’t use the main WDW bus system which is a very good thing if you’re heading to AK or DS! Not so great if you’re heading to Magic Kingdom because you’ll be dropped off at Ticket & Transportation instead of at the park entrance, adding another step to the process! I believe the S&D used WDW busses prior to 2020 and the switch was pretty recent but I honestly can’t remember. While it’s a bummer if you need to hop over to MK quickly, it’s not a deal-breaker for us. We will either walk over to the boardwalk and hop on their MK bus, drive ourselves over (we typically prefer driving ourselves over the bus anyways because disney transportation in general can sometimes be unreliable!) or plan our day accordingly so that we can take the monorail from Epcot to MK!
Dining
If you’re a foodie, the Swan & Dolphin needs to be on your radar. I could talk about this all day. We LOVE the quick service options at S&D (there’s no shortage of them!) grab-and-go breakfast/lunch in the fuel, poolside dining and of course… Blue Zoo!!!!! If you want a fun date night you can sign the kid’s up for Camp Dolphin and grab a date night at Shula’s Steak House. If you’re feeling like venturing out, you’re just a short walk from amazing restaurants at The Boardwalk (Flying Fish is my favorite restaurant on property!) Beach Club (Beaches & Cream Soda Shop is a disney must!) and Yacht Club (add character dining at Cape May Cafe to your itinerary!) We’ve also been know to walk over to Epcot for dinner. Major perk of being an Annual Passholder!
Price
A major perk of booking the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin is the price. While it’s considered a deluxe resort, it prices out more like a moderate resort if you catch it at the right time of year! This is a major bonus if you travel to disney as much as we do! *Be sure to keep in mind the resort fee when estimating your room rate! Our favorite
A few more Pros&Cons
PRO:
- Early Morning entry. (deluxe perk)
- Extended evening hours. (deluxe perk)
- Can book individual lightning lanes at 7am. (deluxe perk)
- More laid-back than other Disney resorts
- Comfortable rooms that are currently being updated!
- Balcony room options. Not overly themed. A perk if you’re worried about feeling overstimulated.
- Big pools with waterslides, cabanas, and delicious poolside dining! I love that unlike disney owned resorts, you can have a drink in the pool without being yelled at by a lifeguard. I get so frustrated they won’t let me drink water while in a pool at other disney resorts haha!
- Lots of family-friendly amenities like swan boats, a “beach”side playground, hammocks, Camp Dolphin, and Fantasia mini golf!
- Room service! Most disney resorts have done away with in-room dining but the Swan & Dolphin still offers this delightful service.
- Sunsets. There’s nothing quite like sitting on your swan & dolphin balcony watching the sunset over the gorgeous palm trees and Hollywood Studios. Play your cards right and you could even score a fireworks view room!
CON:
- Bell services does not offer luggage transfer to other resorts so a split stay becomes a bit more complicated.
- While you can easily drop your resort confirmation into the My Disney Experience App and connect your reservation, there’s a bit more work involved on the backend if using a travel agent and using TA services might be a bit less seamless. Some may even charge an additional fee for the inconvenience.
- Glitches with onsite benefits (like early park entry!) might occur more frequently than they do at other resorts. It’s recommended that you check in with guest services upon arrival to or before your first park day to make sure everything is properly connected! Remember, guest services is always happy to help! Even
- Not overly themed. This resort doesn’t feel as immersive as other resorts so if it’s your one and only trip, this is NOT my pick!
