Swan & Dolphin vs. Disney’s Beach Club Resort
There are several hotel options near EPCOT, including third party options: the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resorts. This trio presents an intriguing alternative to the trio of official resorts around Crescent Lake. Accordingly, we’re going to compare the Swolphin to Disney’s Beach Club Resort. (Updated April 16, 2025.)
The reason we’re comparing the Swan & Dolphin to just Beach Club is for the sake of simplicity. In our Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best, we rank all of the Disney-owned Crescent Lake Resorts separately, and Beach Club is the only one that cracks the top 10.
That’s in part due to redundancy, if we’re being honest. Meaning that if Beach Club didn’t exist, Yacht Club would move up to fill its spot. If both didn’t exist, BoardWalk would move up. Similarly and perhaps confusingly, BoardWalk ranks higher than Yacht Club. It’s all about Beach Club being the most well-rounded and crowd-pleasing of the trio. But all three are exceptional resorts, and some guests will prefer Yacht Club or BoardWalk (or both!) over Beach Club.
Then there’s the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin, which now also includes the much newer Swan Reserve tower across the street. It’s easy to lump the Swan & Dolphin together, as their sister resorts just like the Yacht & Beach Club, but without any thematic daylight between them. While hardcore Swolphinophiles (it’s a thing) might be able to discern a difference, they’re indistinguishable to average guests.
However, Swan Reserve is much different the the OG Swolphin. This new tower is about as non-descript as possible, looking like an office in Scranton. Quite different from the post-modern pyramid next door! Inside, the guest rooms at the Swan Reserve are fantastic; they’re far better than even the updated rooms at the regular Swan & Dolphin. Amenities are a bit on the lighter side, but the hotel is an easy walk to the main Swolphin ‘campus’ (the pool is actually a shorter walk from the Swan Reserve than the main buildings, even though you have to cross the street.
Anyway, all of this is worth keeping in mind as we dig into the Swolphin vs. Disney’s #1 Resort at Crescent Lake comparison…
For many Walt Disney World fans, we know choosing a third party hotel is a non-starter. That’s fair, in which case maybe this comparison isn’t for you. But before you bounce, maybe it is. The Swan & Dolphin are within walking distance of EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, serviced by Friendship boats to both. The location is closer to parks than the majority of Disney-owned hotels.
Part of the Walt Disney World experience is staying in the “Disney Bubble,” these are firmly in that. Still, it’s not quite the same at the Swan & Dolphin. Even as partners with Walt Disney World that offer some on-site perks (Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours), they’re Marriott hotels that have plenty of differences from Disney-owned hotels.
The rooms aren’t themed. There aren’t nods to characters, Disney details or design, and that sort of thing. The vibe is different at the Swolphin, for better or worse. However, as on-site hotels that are within walking distance of two parks, it’s impossible to ignore the Swan & Dolphin. Especially given that they have their own distinct styles and aren’t just generic hotels that you could find anywhere in the United States.
With that aside out of the way, let’s get to the comparison of the Swan & Dolphin and Beach Club. As with our previous Walt Disney World ‘versus’ posts, we use 6 elements of two different resorts to determine which is “the best.”
Theme: Beach Club – For a lot of Disney fans, this is the threshold issue that’s difficult to get past. Beach Club has “Disney” theming, whereas the Swan & Dolphin do not. Or so the argument goes. Beach Club has a theme resulting from former Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s obsession with his childhood vacations in the seaside communities of the Northeast, with Beach Club’s theme meant to recreate the seaside resort cottages scattered around New England in the early 20th Century.
However, I’d argue that the Swan & Dolphin have themes resulting from former Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s obsession with architect Michael Graves and his striking and unique style. Let’s call it “Gravesitecture.” It’s a very distinct post-modern style that is quite polarizing. Love or hate it, these hotels are probably the pinnacle of Gravesitecture, and there’s nothing else quite like them in the world.
They blend postmodern and whimsical designs with contemporary design in a way that’s not thematically-rich, but arguably is not a whole lot different than Disney’s Contemporary Resort. I’d further argue that it’s very difficult to assert the Contemporary “feels” like Disney theming whereas the Swan & Dolphin do not. (Totally different than thinking the Contemporary looks nice whereas the Swan & Dolphin are ugly.)
With all of that said, when making a value judgment about theme, as we’re doing here, Beach Club wins handily. Aside from time travelers visiting from the year 1992, Gravesitecture appeals to about 3.37% of the population, and those folks probably still wear L.A. Lights and carry Walkmans. For whatever it’s worth, I am among that 3.37% of the population, but I nevertheless recognize that Michael Graves’ distinct style does not resonate with most people. It took a while for it to grow on me!
Rooms: It Depends – Once we get past that threshold issue of theme, this becomes a much tighter race. Following a major refurbishment of its 2,267 guest rooms, the Swan & Dolphin are feature sleek, modern design and excellent features. The “Heavenly” beds, in particular, are the best at Walt Disney World, and the bathrooms and furniture are similarly nice. There’s no pretense of theme beyond “modern,” but if you’re looking for quality, it’s tough to beat these guest rooms.
Beach Club likewise just finished a large refurbishment to its rooms, which restored some of their thematic flourishes in the process. Thanks to new Donald Duck details and a greater variety of textures and soft goods, the new rooms at the Beach Club now feel like Walt Disney World rooms. Not by a ton, but enough.
Honestly, it’s hard to crown a winner here because both new rooms (done as of 2025) are fresh and improvements over their predecessors. It really depends upon what you’re looking for. Disney doesn’t put the same emphasis on luxurious bedding, bathrooms, or other touches, meaning theme necessarily must be top-notch for it to hold its own against real world competitors. On the other hand, most rooms at the Swan & Dolphin lack balconies. (If this were a comparison to the Swan Reserve, it would win–those rooms are the best of the bunch.)
Dining: Swan & Dolphin – Both resorts have their upsides and downsides in terms of dining. The upside of the Swan & Dolphin are an impressive lineup of higher end restaurants and bars. As it does a lot of convention business and caters far less to families, the Swan & Dolphin do sophisticated and adult restaurant options really well and at more competitive price points than Disney-owned competitors. Not being on the Disney Dining Plan helps in this regard, too. On the other hand, family options and counter service dining are woefully poor at the Swan & Dolphin (The Fountain is overpriced and not that good).
Beach Club is similarly weak in terms of counter service options, with Hurricane Hanna’s being its strongest option…which isn’t really saying much. The upside to Beach Club is that it offers better mid-range and family options. In this case, we think it’s fair to include the Yacht Club restaurants, too, as we are including all restaurants at both Swan & Dolphin. Even with that in mind, Swan & Dolphin get a slight edge thanks to quantity and quality, particularly thanks to some of the top-rated restaurants in all of Orlando.
All Crescent Lake resorts should be rebuked for the district’s pathetic counter service choices. Additionally, and as we’ve mentioned before, the restaurants throughout Crescent Lake are so incredibly easy to access from one another that we don’t think dining is an outcome-determinative factor.
Transportation/Location: Push – With all Crescent Lake resorts, location is one of the biggest selling points. They are all easy to stumble back to after a day of Drinking Around the World at EPCOT, grazing around the world during the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, or drowning your sorrows after having spent a full day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Both within walking distance to EPCOT via the International Gateway and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a big deal, and a huge advantage–but it’s one shared by all of these resorts. Beach Club is closer to EPCOT, whereas Swolphin is closer to DHS. Friendship boat service is also available from all of these resorts, so that’s another push. Unfortunately, bus service is poor at the Crescent Lake resorts, but once again, that’s a shared disadvantage.
Beach Club does offer easier access to the International Gateway Skyliner station, which offers access to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as well as 4 other resorts. We don’t recommend using this to get to DHS, though, as it’s inefficient.
Pools: Beach Club – Swan & Dolphin have some of the most underrated pools at Walt Disney World. However, even their very good pools that would rank highly as compared to most Walt Disney World resorts are surpassed by Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts.
We probably sound like a broken record at this point, but Stormalong Bay is the gold standard of Walt Disney World pools. This sprawling pool complex 3 acres in size with sand at the bottom, a lazy river, pleasant lounging space, and 230-foot water slide is in a league of its own. This is one of the best amenities in all of Walt Disney World.
Swan & Dolphin’s beautiful grotto pool with rock-work and a waterfall that overlooks a white sand beach is the second-best pool at the Crescent Lake resorts, and there are 4 other pools in addition to it. There are also poolside restaurants, kiddie pools, whirlpools, and more. Still, unless you are an adult who would prefer fewer kids around, this slate of pools cannot add up to Stormalong Bay.
Cost: Swan & Dolphin – If Disney details and themed design are the threshold issue for some diehard Walt Disney World fans making the Swan & Dolphin a non-starter, price is the threshold issue for others making Beach Club a non-starter.
On any given night of the year, rack rates at Beach Club are at least double the price of Swan & Dolphin. On many nights, that’s closer to 2.5 to 3x the cost. It would take Free Dining with 4 adults in a room at the Beach Club to begin bridging that gap, but even then, Swan & Dolphin offers better value. (With discounts, we’ve managed to book Swan & Dolphin for under $200/night.)
However, it is worth noting that this is not always the case. The Swolphin uses dynamic pricing, whereas Disney does not. This means that you might be able to book a room months in advance at Beach Club for 30% off during high occupancy dates. As that date draws nearer, hotels at Walt Disney World might sell out due to said discounting.
By contrast, once room inventory decreases at the Swolphin, prices start increasing dynamically. So instead of being $200/night and cheaper than the Beach Club, that room might skyrocket to over $500/night, making it more expensive than Beach Club. This works the same way in reverse for low-demand dates, hence those sub $200 prices in the first place. Point being, the Swan & Dolphin are generally much cheaper, but that’s highly variable based on whether demand is low or high.
Things that must be factored in if you’re considering the Swan & Dolphin are the resort fee. As regular readers of this blog know, I abhor resort fees and strongly recommend consumers fight back against them. With that said, even after factoring in all of these nickel-and-diming fees, the Swan & Dolphin are still usually much cheaper than Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
There’s also potentially parking if you have a rental car, which Walt Disney World no longer charges. Mears Connect (the paid replacement for Disney’s Magical Express) is offered to Swan & Dolphin and Beach Club, and it’s usually the most cost-effective option for parties of 3 or fewer. Bigger families should rent a car or use rideshare.
Verdict: It Depends – Total cop out, I know. If you’re a first-timer to Walt Disney World or taking a rite-of-passage family trip with small children, you should stay at Beach Club. That’s true even if it’s significantly more expensive–unless you’re on a tight budget and even the Swolphin is a splurge.
There’s something special about Beach Club, and it has certain Disney intangibles that are difficult to quantify. One of those “if you know, you know” type of things. And if you have kids, you probably know. As parents ourselves now, our family trips staying in the Crescent Lake area will be at Beach Club as opposed to the Swolphin.
It’s a similar story when we’ve used our DVC points in the past when it was just the two of us–our cost basis for staying at Beach Club was lower than paying out of pocket for Swan & Dolphin. (It’s a similar story if you’re renting DVC points to save money.) Conversely, if we had a big budget and money were no issue, we’d also choose Beach Club.
On the other hand, we’ve stayed at the Swolphin many times as a couple and loved it. These hotels are great options for honeymooners, solo travelers, adults-only trips, or even families who don’t need to be immersed in the “magic” of Walt Disney World 24/7. In fact, some parties might actually appreciate a reprieve from the Disney energy when retiring to their hotel for the evening.
Hardcore Disney fans might not be able to comprehend this or view it as a betrayal to the bubble. But not everyone is a diehard WDW fan! Beyond that, you could argue that the Swan & Dolphin’s exterior is garish (counterpoint: when you’re staying inside the hotel, you see it less than those at the Beach Club with views of the Swan & Dolphin) and it doesn’t have the same caliber of theme.
However, the difference between a ~$250/night resort (after fees) and a ~$450/night resort (after modest discounts) might be too significant to ignore. This could be particularly true for frequent travelers to non-Disney destinations, who earn and redeem Marriott rewards.
For most readers who do not view this as heresy, this probably will come down to pricing, theme/atmosphere & pool. If money is no object or if you’re one of those families of 4 traveling during Free Dining, Beach Club is a compelling option. For others, Swan & Dolphin do a “good enough” job with some semblance of theme–or at least Walt Disney World “bubble immersion.”
Staying at the Swolphin feels to me like staying at a Walt Disney World resort, and the significant amount of money saved helps me sleep easier at night. (Oh, and those Heavenly beds help, too.) This is a divisive topic among Walt Disney World fans, so your mileage may vary.
While we hope this post is helpful in offering a head-to-head comparison of the most crucial elements of each Walt Disney World resort experience, we know it’s not definitive or the final word for every guest. In addition to reading the comments before making your own decision, we suggest supplementing this with our full review of the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resorts and our Disney’s Beach Club Resort Review.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Is money the deciding factor for you, or is theme? Does Stormalong Bay provide enough value for you to help bridge the price gap? Is there another “exception” you can think of to make Beach Club the better pick? Are we missing a key variable that could, potentially tilt the scales in Beach Club’s favor? Do you agree or disagree with our picks? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Please never retire the term “Swolphin”. I don’t know if he originated it, but it makes me think of Josh every time.
Tom-some questions…1) do guests of swolphin get free parking at Disney parks? 2) can you make dining reservations for 60+10 or just one day at a time? 3) can you make LLMP 7+whole trip or just 3 days in advance? And 4) if you book through Marriott bc you don’t want a package how easy is it to link the reservation to MDE (or maybe if it’s not a package all the first 3 answers are no?) Have thought about giving Swolphin a try but it really does depend on the answers for us!
I can’t answer your first questions, but for #4, it is very easy to connect to MDE. When you get your Marriott confirmation, just enter the number in MDE to link. One tip if you plan to stay for extended evening hours on your checkout day: ask the front desk for these little white cards they have that notes your eligibility. On the night we were there, Extended Evening Hours were 11:00pm-1:00am at MK. Our magic bands scanned into attractions perfectly until midnight, then stopped working since it was no longer technically our check out day after midnight. The front desk had given us the cards and we just showed them for the rest of the night instead.
I am sure Tom will confirm but staying at the Swolphin is basically the same as staying at a deluxe Disney resort for half the price. The only things I know of that are not available to you are charging to your room for things in the park and using a magic band as your room key. There might be something else but not much. You do get free standard parking in the parks, you do get 60+10 for ADRs and you do get 7 day LL. You also get extra time in the parks like any of the other deluxe resorts which might not seem like a lot but you can get a ton done in those couple hours with low crowds. Like the other person said it is very easy to link your stay to MDE, our last stay at the dolphin was with points and it took less than 5 minutes to link several weeks before our trip. You can walk to Epoct or DHS from the hotels 10-15 min give or take or take the boats. The hotel does run separate buses to the parks but we did not use them, we simply walked 5 minutes over to the Boardwalk resort and accessed the disney bus system from there. I can’t recommend them enough. You basically get a deluxe resort with the perks that is still pretty much in the bubble that will cost you less than a moderate with fewer perks including a longer trip to the parks in most cases.
Michael Graves has grown on me too, and I love the Swan and Dolphin. Of course, the Beach Club (and Yacht Club, and Boardwalk) was also designed by a star architect: Robert A. M. Stern, whose firm (RAMSA) has recently been doing a bang-up job creating beautiful, detailed pre-war style residential buildings in Manhattan. Graves and Stern were actually diametrically opposed in 1970s New York architecture circles, with Graves being one of the “New York Five” (also known as the “Whites”) and Stern belonging to a group known as the “Greys,” so a comparison of these two resorts or (group of resorts) is particularly apt.
I wish Disney had hired RAMSA for the Riviera (the Ambassador Hotel in Tokyo shows what they could have accomplished there).
As a family travelling from Australia (inc kids & grandparents) I had my heart set on Beach Club. Since converting from USD to AUD, the eye-watering price has me reconsidering.
Being an international traveller, our stay will be quite long – the costs really start to add up!
The benefits of S&D compared to the Beach Club, in my opinion, are just too good to ignore for the price.
My highest priority is convenience, and access to the deluxe benefits, particularly dining 60+10 and extended evening hours, all of which are offered at the Swan and Dolphin. I wish it was as close to Epcot as Beach Club, but I’m just not convinced it’s worth thousands of dollars more for the slight advantage.
When you add on superior bedding, daily housekeeping / turndown, a great pool and a ton of quality dining options, it has me doing a total 180.
The lack of Disney theming is not a deal breaker for me. At the end of the day, we will be experiencing it daily at the parks. I might be able to reinvest the money saved into some special experiences at the parks too.
Sarah,
My wife and I have stayed at both of the Swan and Dolphin hotels as well as the Yacht and Beach Club. All are great hotels. As Tom mentioned in this post dining is by far superior at Swan/Dolphin. The beds are Heavenly. The extra travel time to and from EPCOT means you can burn off more calories. The money saved by staying there is an added plus. Win, win, win for you.
Our family does a big Disney vacation about 2 times a year. Obviously 2020 is a little different. We do have only one child and typically 5 -6 adults so that may be why The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is hands down our favorite resort. I am not sure when this article was written but even though Swan and Dolphin is a Marriot hotel, they are a Walt Disney World Resort and have the same benefits including character dining. Which is another thing I did not understand about this article. Though there are TONS of of upscale dining options, there are still plenty of family friendly and grab and go options. Picabu is a good grab and go option and where my niece and I would run to on our way to Hollywood Studios. The Fountain, is a place we actually look forward to. Their burgers are great plus unique and not to mention the shake and float options from the creamery they have. The Garden Grove has the character dining and the cabana bar and beach club…. lets just say anytime someone is willing to bring me a drink and nachos while I am in the pool, I am happy. I get that the pool at the Beach Club may be better if you have a lot children but if a ton of screaming children isn’t your thing (Not my thing while I am on vacation), the several pool options at Swan/Dolphin are great. They have 4 large pools, 4 whirlpools, kiddie pool, and a beach area for volley ball, building sand castles, and just laying by the water. Again, I do not know when you wrote this article or when you booked your room, but any time we start planning a trip, the rooms here are $400 + a night. We normally watch until we get closer to the day when the price starts to drop a little, get our special rates and end up at about $250/night before resort fees. I have seen the beach club easily hit the price, again depending on when you book. But I do not know why I argue that since price is a plus. LOL. Just seems that maybe all the research was not done for this comparison or maybe a lot has changed since you went. Though you mention the renovations so I assume it could not have been that long ago.
We most recently stayed at Swan & Dolphin last October and will likely stay again this September. Right now, there are nights this month when the Dolphin is $93-$130/night via Priceline Express Deals. (More info: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tips-priceline-express-deals-disney-world-hotels/)
As you point out, there’s nothing “normal” about current circumstances and demand, and those prices are abnormally low. However, deals are pretty common in the $200 range–sometimes cheaper (especially in the off-season). All depends upon when you’re traveling! 🙂
I can indeed confirm prices are mostly comparable now to Crescent Lake Disney hotels. Obviously inflation is to blame, as well as offers policy vs cheaper rack rates ?
Anyhow, we stayed 2 nights as a “test” ; not doing any parks only to enjoy the facilities. Well we were very unlucky as the weather was terrible ; that’s when you see nothing is meant to be indoors.
“L.A. Lights and carry Walkmans.” Heck yes.
I have a balcony room booked at $225 a night for this September after Labor Day – which I thought was cheap. How do I get a room there for only $150 a night? Even the base rooms are at $185 a night. Thanks
Hi, can anyone tell me what the breakfasts are like at The Dolphin? Should I be packing my instant oatmeal? Thanks.
I must be in that very small percentage of people that find the decor very appealling and I love love love the outside more than the inside. But I love many things from the 70’s to early 90s. The hotel on the top of my bucket love is the Contemporary! Probably will never stay at any of them because even the values are out of my price range.
I have not stayed at the Beach Club, but was *very* disappointed in my one and only stay at the Dolphin in December 2016. Here’s my (very anecdotal) experience:
We were doing a split stay (2 nights POR, 3 nights WL, 2 nights Dolphin). I was actually very excited to stay at the Dolphin, 100% because I vividly remember driving past the Swalphin as a kid in the 90s and thinking that those two hotels were the epitome of beauty (ha!). Well, when we arrived at the Dolphin to check in, we were given a HARD sell by the front desk to upgrade to a “preferred” room. As we had full park days planned, we weren’t planning to spend a ton of time in the hotel, and so were not interested in paying an extra $30 per night. It took us about 20 minutes to convince the employee that we really weren’t interested in an upgrade, which was pretty annoying in itself. Then, when we were assigned a room, it was literally the furthest room possible from the lobby, in what felt like a dank underground hallway (in reality, it was ground floor, but it was very poorly lit and smelled moldy). The room smelled musty, the sheets felt slightly damp, and everything was dated and worn. After going through the aforementioned process at the front desk, it most definitely felt like we had been “punished” for not agreeing to the upgrade. In retrospect, we should have gone back to the front desk and asked to be moved, but we were exhausted and just crashed. It was a distinctly non-magical experience, and felt particularly stark after spending the previous 5 nights fully inside the “Disney bubble.”
We were clearly not in a refurbished room, which I’m sure are lovely, but the whole experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and we are unlikely to stay Swalphin again.
*Architecture student here.* I would argue that the pinnacle of Graves’ buildings is actually the Walt Disney Studios Building with the seven dwarfs as columns – Post Modernism at its greatest. It pains me that Post Modernism is so Gravely misunderstood by the general population.
I know there was a controversial end to the Eisner era, but he really did pick Disney back up. And I really appreciate that he saw the value in architecture.
A great battle! Price is big in S & D’s column, but… There is just “something” about being “Official Disney” during a stay! 😉
In the way of more useful tips, worth mentioning that last minute rates at S&D can be exceptional. This is espeially on dates that were formerly blocked for booking by conferences (or highly expensive as a result – $300+), but which at a late date they realised they couldn’t fill. When that happens, I’ve seen S&D for $100 or under.
My strategy therefore is to always book a refundable reservation off site, and switch to S&D if the net cost (including money saved through ditching the rental car) is “only” about $20/night more than the offsite alternative (threshold increases or decreases depending on how long it was since I last stayed onsite 🙂 ). The math works out in favour of S&D more often than you might think (about 50% of the time on my visits).
Great tip! While I haven’t seen Swalphin under $100 in the last several years, I can confirm having seen $120/night last minute rates already this year.
You’re right, it is more like $120. I was thinking in GBP (my most recent stay was £93 a night, which works out at around $120). Sorry for any misplaced optimism..! 🙂
I must be one of the few who is a real fan of Michael Graves’ architecture. I honestly think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and feel similarly of the Hotel New York in DLP.
I guess there is the discussion of whether design can substitute for theme… given that the wider resort areas (SSL, CL) themselves are not themed, I think it can. The best parallel is the much loved (by me too!) Contemporary resort. That’s visible from the magic kingdom, and it’s a welcome sight.
(On a tangentially related point, if you love the architecture of the contemporary, walk through the (very extensive) lower level conferencing facilities. They are brilliantly designed, and there are doors leading outside to internal forecourts giving you really unique views of the building.
“I must be one of the few who is a real fan of Michael Graves’ architecture. I honestly think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and feel similarly of the Hotel New York in DLP.”
Yes, you most definitely are.
I appreciate Graves architecture for its place in history, and being an interesting pursuit in the 1990s. However, I think that’s firmly the era in which it exists, and should have stayed. Interesting fodder for architecture books, but not something I’d want to experience in a hotel…in 2017.
With that said, art is subjective, and just because I (or even the vast majority) don’t like it doesn’t invalidate it. Plenty of things I don’t like that others do.
I have stayed at several disney resorts and personally love the swan and dolphin. The staff treat you like family, the rooms are great, there is transportation to the parks. We only stay there now, We love it â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
10 years ago, when first researching where to stay at Disney, Swan/Dolphin was my obvious choice… you get a Deluxe resort at Moderate prices, AND you’re right on one of the LAKES (imho, nothing beats Crescent Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon Hotels for location and convenience). S/D are very unique in this regard. BUT, I eventually chose Beach Club (and I’m so glad I did). I rented points and stayed during labor Day week, and that made the cost difference MUCH easier to bear. Stormalong Bay was a Huge hit with the kids. BUT, I must say, if S/D started offering Magical Express, I think my opinion might swing the other way.
It’s hard to argue that the Beach Club is “worth” a much higher price than the Swan/Dolphin — It’s difficult to argue that any of the on-site Disney hotels are “worth” the money compared to off-site.
But I’ll mildly disagree with a couple of your points — I don’t think location is quite a push. There is nothing closer than Epcot-Beach Club. Staying the evening at World Showcase, watching the fireworks, you can be back to Beach Club in 5-10 minutes. At the end of the day, especially with kids, there is a big difference between a 5-10 minute walk, versus a 20-30 minute walk (or slow cramped boat transportation).
Swan/Dolphin is closer to DHS — but not as close as Beach Club is to Epcot.
So if you’re spending a lot of evenings at Epcot, Beach Club has a nice advantage.
There is also something tangible/intangible about being totally within the Disney bubble, instead of partially outside. You mentioned some of the tangibles — no Magic Express, no dining plan. Putting aside the $$$ significance of those factors, there is also an intangible significance. Getting off the plane in Orlando… and already essentially being at Disney… Magic Express taking care of you, etc.. instead of arranging for your own transfers, paying additionally for them.. not yet being on your vacation.
I’m not a huge fan of the dining plan — But there are those who feel it adds to the vacation. Not just in a $$$ sense, but in the sense that it feels more all-inclusive. (and free dining for a family of 4 can bridge the gap in costs between Beach Club and Swan/Dolphin)
And the obvious pro-con — That Beach Club still “feels” more Disney…
From a value $$$ perspective, it’s hard to disagree with your conclusion.
But putting aside the money, I prefer Beach Club.
Don’t know why I thought Swan and Dolphin would be expensive, but those resort fees and parking fees would be a deal breaker for me (we usually drive down from NJ).
I would have to agree. The big difference in price would drive me to choose Swan and Dolphin. I like to go to Disney multiple times a year and if I was paying Beach Club prices every time, that wouldn’t be possible. I will say, if you rent DVC points and get a fantastic price ($12/night) you can get yourself in a Beach Club studio for $180/night. Just a thought.
We are going to WDW in November. They whole family (in-laws, extended, you name it) is going, and we have one group staying at Caribbean Beach and the other two groups are staying at Coronado Springs. I would still love a comparison post of those two resorts, even with the construction going on. We all booked back in January and the group at Caribbean Beach didn’t get the gift card offer I’ve seen you post about.
Your party at the CB should be receiving gift cards. The only peopke who arenr getting them as those who booked after the 20th wont get it