Need to choose a new resort! WL or Swan/Dolphin?

[100acreHiker]

Waaaaaah! I am pretty heartbroken here. We are hardcore BWI folks. We love walking into EP and DHS; my kids love walking over to Fantasia Gardens and playing mini golf; my piano-playing 13 year old sweet talks his way into standing inside by the door of Jellyrolls to listen to the players; boys play at the Community Room. It's been a sweet arrangement for us. Before then, we've done GF and Contemporary and Yacht and Beach Clubs. But, it looks like we won't be able to stay at our beloved BWI this year; it's not included in our agent's package and we can't/won't do rack rate. We tend to go in early December, so I'm tempted to change things up and try WL. I've always wanted to stay there during the holiday season and it's a good deal! BUT (there's always a but, right?) we aren't really MK people. I mean, we go every year, but not as often as we do EP and HS (we also do AK for a day, too). I do LOVE the new Happily Ever After show, so we will definitely go in to MK for at least one full morning and a full night (we're doing a 5 day stay).

So my choices right now are to give Swan/Dolphin a try in order to stay in the Epcot and Boardwalk area and have access to the walking paths to the two parks, or go full on WL and holiday myself out by that amazing fireplace and tree in that lobby. That bar/restaurant by the water looks pretty nice. Downside is there is no pull out bed for my boys at WL so they may have to share which always results in multiple arguments about where the EXACT middle of the bed is.

One thing: my kids love the BWI pool (weird, I know!) mostly for the fun slide. Are the slides at Swan/Dolphin and WL any good?

Help, advice and reassurance, please!

 

[xlsm]

WL is my favorite resort on property, so I'm super biased, lol. We didn't personally care for the Boardwalk though (noisy Boardwalk view and very far from lobby - down by ESPN club). The location was nice, but we were sort of "eh" about it.

My boys are 12 and 14 and they also prefer WL. We are about to outgrow it though, my 14 year old is closing in on 6' and won't be able to fit on the bunk bed! I don't know if your kids will find the slide all that exciting after the Keister Coaster at BW, but the pool is beautiful.

Trying a new resort is so hard, especially when you really love a certain one.
If your family really loves the Epcot area, Swan/Dolphin might be great for you.

Good luck making your decision. I would weigh the location factor the most, since the Epcot/DHS area seems to be such a favorite for your family.

But WL is truly special, so I will always push it on everyone, LOL! And a bunk bed room will solve the bed fight issue, if it's available for your stay.

No matter what you choose, have an amazing trip!

 

[SwanVT2]

I think you would like the swan and dolphin. We have stayed at boardwalk too. The dolphin grotto pool and slide is fun. There is a piano player who performs in the dolphin lobby. Lots of food options and you can use the swan paddle board for free.

 

[mickeynut1]

Waaaaaah! I am pretty heartbroken here. We are hardcore BWI folks. We love walking into EP and DHS; my kids love walking over to Fantasia Gardens and playing mini golf; my piano-playing 13 year old sweet talks his way into standing inside by the door of Jellyrolls to listen to the players; boys play at the Community Room. It's been a sweet arrangement for us. Before then, we've done GF and Contemporary and Yacht and Beach Clubs. But, it looks like we won't be able to stay at our beloved BWI this year; it's not included in our agent's package and we can't/won't do rack rate. We tend to go in early December, so I'm tempted to change things up and try WL. I've always wanted to stay there during the holiday season and it's a good deal! BUT (there's always a but, right?) we aren't really MK people. I mean, we go every year, but not as often as we do EP and HS (we also do AK for a day, too). I do LOVE the new Happily Ever After show, so we will definitely go in to MK for at least one full morning and a full night (we're doing a 5 day stay).

So my choices right now are to give Swan/Dolphin a try in order to stay in the Epcot and Boardwalk area and have access to the walking paths to the two parks, or go full on WL and holiday myself out by that amazing fireplace and tree in that lobby. That bar/restaurant by the water looks pretty nice. Downside is there is no pull out bed for my boys at WL so they may have to share which always results in multiple arguments about where the EXACT middle of the bed is.

One thing: my kids love the BWI pool (weird, I know!) mostly for the fun slide. Are the slides at Swan/Dolphin and WL any good?

Help, advice and reassurance, please!

We've never stayed at Swan/Dolphin, but we love the WL. If my favorite resort wasn't available, I'd try a different Disney resort. I understand the advantage of an Epcot resort is being within walking distance to 2 parks, but the WL is great as well, as it really is a beautiful resort (especially during the holidays). Good luck!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Waaaaaah! I am pretty heartbroken here. We are hardcore BWI folks. We love walking into EP and DHS; my kids love walking over to Fantasia Gardens and playing mini golf; my piano-playing 13 year old sweet talks his way into standing inside by the door of Jellyrolls to listen to the players; boys play at the Community Room. It's been a sweet arrangement for us. Before then, we've done GF and Contemporary and Yacht and Beach Clubs. But, it looks like we won't be able to stay at our beloved BWI this year; it's not included in our agent's package and we can't/won't do rack rate. We tend to go in early December, so I'm tempted to change things up and try WL. I've always wanted to stay there during the holiday season and it's a good deal! BUT (there's always a but, right?) we aren't really MK people. I mean, we go every year, but not as often as we do EP and HS (we also do AK for a day, too). I do LOVE the new Happily Ever After show, so we will definitely go in to MK for at least one full morning and a full night (we're doing a 5 day stay).

So my choices right now are to give Swan/Dolphin a try in order to stay in the Epcot and Boardwalk area and have access to the walking paths to the two parks, or go full on WL and holiday myself out by that amazing fireplace and tree in that lobby. That bar/restaurant by the water looks pretty nice. Downside is there is no pull out bed for my boys at WL so they may have to share which always results in multiple arguments about where the EXACT middle of the bed is.

One thing: my kids love the BWI pool (weird, I know!) mostly for the fun slide. Are the slides at Swan/Dolphin and WL any good?

Help, advice and reassurance, please!

Wow, you sound just like us! Except I only have 1 DS, LOL! So, we are total BWV folks (I like BWV over BWI, but that's beside the point). My DS10 ONLY wants to stay there. Loves the clown slide, loves the entertainment and games at night, loves Ample Hills and loves walking to two parks. We aren't MK people either. I could spend every day of my vacation in WS (and if we stay in that area, we typically do!)

That being said, we've spent our last two trips at WL (once at WL and once in CCV). I got a really good deal on WL CL last August, so I thought we would give it a try. I really enjoyed it. It was a completely different vacation, though. We took the opportunity to explore what that area had to offer - went to HDDR at Ft. W, did a monorail crawl, did the HEA dessert party, etc. The resort is gorgeous (loved Geyser Point and they have a small basketball court that my son enjoyed), but the pool is quite small and the slide pales in comparison to the BWI one (it's pretty boring for older kids, IMHO). I also made sure we visited the Boardwalk one night during our trip so my DS wouldn't miss out completely on the things he loves there. I loved staying at WL though, so we stayed there again in December (it's GORGEOUS at Christmas time), but that was enough for us. We will be back in the EP area for our next two trips (my DS10 is THRILLED!). Oh, we also used uber/lyft/Minnie Vans for all parks except MK because WL typically shares buses with Ft. W and it took forever to get to the other parks! If you are willing to try a very different trip than the one you are used to, I would give WL a try. It really is unbelievable beautiful during the holidays.

We've also stayed at both the Swan and the Dolphin (we prefer the Swan) and they are both really nice resorts! Very comfortable, fantastic restaurants and a big pool complex. The slide is definitely better than the one at WL! If you would rather stay in the EP area for your upcoming trip, I wouldn't hesitate to book Swan or Dolphin.

 

[CanadianAli]

Both are great choices, with pros and cons. A few things to keep in mind you are using keys and not MB at Swan and Dolphin (easy to get over). No Magic Express at Swan and Dolphin (not sure if you drive or use that). Can't beat that location though and the pools/grounds are fantastic.

At WL, you could look at a bunk bed room for your boys to avoid the sharing bed fights.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think if you keep an open mind, you'll really like the S/D. We prefer Dolphin. It's DH's favorite resort of ALL.

 

[JARNJ3]

If you love the Boardwalk - stay at Swan\Dolphin. This way you can walk over & get your Boardwalk fix at any time.....

 

[Derek Demsher]

I think in your case S/D might be better for you.

I LOVE WL, and want everyone to experience it, especially at Christmas time. So many excellent things to
offer, and so close to all the other MK resorts. And you can get a room with bunk beds for the kids.

However, if being in the Epcot resort area is one of your favorite parts of disney world,
then sticking with that might be better for you. For me it would all come down to price
and whats a better deal.

 

[KenHutch]

For Christmas I would think that Western Lodge would be beautiful. Given the choice of a WDW property or offsite or one of the friends hotels (Swan/Dolphin) WDW would win for me everytime.

 

[hedberg1661]

I agree with many of the pp...you can't go wrong with either. If Magical Express is something you really need and the price point is similar you may want to consider WL.

I would also say break off from your EC resort area love and try WL...I did and you will be surprised. Being a BC or Swalphin person we finally tried the MK resorts. CR is now my favorite if not second favorite on property.

Either way...you will have a great time!

 

[OneinThree]

This one is so tough! I've always wanted to try WL, and my first visit there is in a matter of weeks -dat lobby! Being on Bay Lake/Seven Seas is the epitome of a Disney stay for me. That said, I am so looking forward to trying D&S as well, particularly given that the dining there is constantly being heralded as some of the best on property. I think you can't go wrong either way.

 

[chris benton]

Pros and cons are pretty easy to figure out if any apply to you for Swan/Dolphin:
No DDP available
No DME
No charging to room via magicband (no free magicband, either)
If you'll have a car, they charge for parking nightly (but there is no charge for parking at parks)
The slide at Swolphin is pretty small, it's nothing fantastic, there's only one. That said, I'm a big guy, and I went down it quite a few times, so it's not like a "kiddie" slide.

The food choices are pretty great.
The location (as you know) is unbeatable.
The pool complex is freakin awesome.
The laid back vibe is awesome.
The beds are awesome.
The price is awesome.

If you are a Costco member, you should take a peek at the travel site for the Swan / Dolphin pkgs.

 

[MainMom]

We also are BW people. Love, love the location. However, my DH always wanted to try AKL so I booked it for our trip 2 years ago and now we love it! No, it’s not the Boardwalk area, but it has its own perks and things we love about it. We also got a really great deal for our trip in March and are headed back to AKL (BW was not in the discounts.) I recommend trying something new in WL and keeping an open mind. It will be beautiful at Christmas.

 

[gharter]

Never stayed at Swan/Dolphin, but have waked through many times for restaurants, and they both are very nice. WL is beautiful anytime of the year, but especially at Christmas. Until we stayed at BW, it was our favorite. The only downside is having to take a bus everywhere. Not a huge hassle, but not as easy as walking to EPCOT or HS.
You probably can't go wrong with either choice.

 

[CynBeth]

WL!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We love both the WL and the Epcot resort area. We have stayed at both in December. Even though the decorations at WL are amazing we found that we prefer the Epcot resorts at Christmas time because there are many more special Christmas activities there than there are at MK. And the MK closes at 7pm on four of the seven nights for the Christmas party. It completely negates the benefit of being in the MK area.

 

[loves to dive]

We love the Epcot resorts as well and have been staying in them since they opened. I just stay in whichever one is less, which lately has been Dolphin. I was a little worried at first since it's not a Disney resort but after the first time, no problems. We are not MK people so would probably be pretty unhappy at WL. It is beautiful at Chrismas, we visit it every year. If you are going to enough nights, how about a split stay?

 

[cruiser21]

Both are great. It's 30.00 dollars to Uber to swan and dolphin. The magical express would not be a deciding factor for me since 30.00 dollars is nothing when you consider the overall cost of a WDW vacation. It would come down to which location you prefer. I like both so for me it would come down to price.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Waaaaaah! I am pretty heartbroken here. We are hardcore BWI folks. We love walking into EP and DHS; my kids love walking over to Fantasia Gardens and playing mini golf; my piano-playing 13 year old sweet talks his way into standing inside by the door of Jellyrolls to listen to the players; boys play at the Community Room. It's been a sweet arrangement for us. Before then, we've done GF and Contemporary and Yacht and Beach Clubs. But, it looks like we won't be able to stay at our beloved BWI this year; it's not included in our agent's package and we can't/won't do rack rate. We tend to go in early December, so I'm tempted to change things up and try WL. I've always wanted to stay there during the holiday season and it's a good deal! BUT (there's always a but, right?) we aren't really MK people. I mean, we go every year, but not as often as we do EP and HS (we also do AK for a day, too). I do LOVE the new Happily Ever After show, so we will definitely go in to MK for at least one full morning and a full night (we're doing a 5 day stay).

So my choices right now are to give Swan/Dolphin a try in order to stay in the Epcot and Boardwalk area and have access to the walking paths to the two parks, or go full on WL and holiday myself out by that amazing fireplace and tree in that lobby. That bar/restaurant by the water looks pretty nice. Downside is there is no pull out bed for my boys at WL so they may have to share which always results in multiple arguments about where the EXACT middle of the bed is.

One thing: my kids love the BWI pool (weird, I know!) mostly for the fun slide. Are the slides at Swan/Dolphin and WL any good?

Help, advice and reassurance, please!

I would make sure if you stay at Dolphin to become Starwood members, the points you get are incredible. We wrack up all kinds of points with our Starwood Amex for free nights and stays at hotels and I know Dolphin is one of theirs, have stayed there ourselves and it is beautiful!