Swan v Port Orleans Riverside

[Scilly]

Does anyone have any views on which is best? Family of 4 with older teens. Stayed off site previously.

 

[jmpurdy]

Does anyone have any views on which is best? Family of 4 with older teens. Stayed off site previously.

If the teens are allowed to venture out on their own, the Swan is walking distance to both Epcot and Studios and Boardwalk area. Lots to do. Not sure about actual sq. footage space of rooms, but that could be a factor too. Pools are very nice for Swan/Dolphin.

 

[Scilly]

Thank you. There is quite a large cost difference between the two (in the UK at least) - does this alter your view?
Is it possible to walk to any of the parks from POR or is it just a boat to DS?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Chaitali]

You can't walk to any of the parks from POR. But there are frequent buses to the park so the teens could still venture out on their own with the buses. I would still prefer the Swan but if it was a lot more money, POR is fine too. I've stayed at POR and POFQ my last two times to Disney because of the costs.

 

[SteveH]

We've stayed at Swan/Dolphin several times and really enjoy it. The location is hard to beat, the prices can often be found to rival a Disney Moderate while giving you more of a Deluxe resort. Do keep in mind in addition to the room fee they do charge for parking and they have a daily resort fee, so be sure you know the out door price.

As you noted the only way to get to any parks at POR is via Bus, you can take the boat to Disney Springs.

For our Feb 2020 trip we're booked at POFQ, but I keep watching the Swan rates, right now they are running high.

 

[jmpurdy]

Become a member of Marriott/SPG (they have merged) as they often have rates special to members. We have often gotten deals being members. Like someone said, they do have a resort fee and parking fee, but Disney has parking fees now too (no resort fee). The ability to visit 2 parks by foot and the Boardwalk area (with Park Hopper option it is super nice to walk to one of the parks at night for a snack or rides) leans me to this choice even if more expensive. Hope this helps!

 

[Wild4Walt]

I've stayed at both and here are the highlights:

• Swan - very unique setting and theme, most luxurious beds onsite at Disney, nice pool area and walking distance to EP and HS. Todd English Bluezoo is in the Dolphin ( which is across the courtyard ) and if excellent if you like seafood. You can walk to BW, YC and BC as well which really opens up your dining adventure. Plus the Boardwalk if always good for an evening of just strolling around. I also like that you can hop on a water taxi to EP or HS.
• POR - it's Disney so the theme and customer service are top notch. The resort is massive so it has some great walking/jogging trails onsite. The pool is great and I love the pool bar and how it's set up. This location is centrally located so the parks are all easy to get to even though you can't walk to them.

 

[a1tinkfans]

For a Full Disney Immersion vacation you can’t beat an Actual on site Disney resort, POR is and SWAN isn’t. Personally, apples to oranges.
Both beautiful resorts but POR preferred is my choice.

 

[snappy]

Swan or Dolphin for me but it’s because I love the Epcot Resort area. We love walking back to Epcot in the evening 6 or 7 pm after an afternoon swim. Very relaxing but it’s what we need at our age lol. Also we have lived in south Louisiana practically all our lives. We don’t go to WDW for a Louisiana or New Orleans vibe.

 

[firefly_ris]

I'd go for Swan. Walkability, higher end hotel, more restaurant options between Swan and Dolphin.

 

[Ohanaof3]

I actually booked our trip in September as a split stay between Port Orleans FQ (cheaper than the dolphin on the weekend), followed by the dolphin on the weekdays. From what I have read, we should be able to take our luggage to bell services, and they will send it off to the dolphin. We have done this on other split stays this way too. I picked FQ because of the hotel size, (and only one bus stop!) but have stayed at riverside before too.
Riverside is beautiful, and the pool was amazing, but it was a half hour walk to our room from the main lobby. The bus has multiple stops too, which can make the trip to the parks a bit long. You may want to consider a preferred room.
The swan and dolphin I have not stayed at, but I was looking forward to the proximity to the parks. Their bus is shared with other hotels from what I read, and the magical express is not included.
I have stayed at many different resorts with my boys 19, 14. They often were ready to go back to the hotel before me, and the Disney transportation always made it easy. I let them go only if they were together, and never had an issue.
I think you will have an amazing vacation with either hotel.

 

[Firebird060]

SO as for the Swan and Dolphin, they do offer nice perks, yes you can walk to Hollywood studios and epcot and in September is not a crazy hot walk but if it is the swan and dolphin does give you full sized water bottles in your room each day. It does share a bus with Beach Yacht and Broadwalk but the only time I have ever felt the bus was really crowded was coming back from WDW at close when all busses are crowded. With Star Wars land being open at that time, I suspect even Magic Kingdom wont be a issue due to everyone trying to get into SWGE at Hollywood. In any case enjoy the trip and the perks that the swan offers.

 

[chris benton]

I don't believe the busses are shared all of the time. Perhaps during very slow times of year, or certain slow times of the day. Only time I've been on a shared bus for SWolphin and another EP Resort is after Hoop De Doo. All other times have been Swolphin only. However - one other perk about the EP resorts is that they are all pretty close to each other SO, at the end of the night, let's say there's a BW bus loading at MK, and no Swan bus in sight, just hop on. Only a few minutes walk from BW to Swan.

OP - I'd base my choice on what you'd like to be close to. If you like Hollyweird and EPcot, and you are rope droppers or late nighters, Epcot Area is a great choice. You might seriously consider hoppers, too. Epcot Area negates the travel time for two parks. If you wanna be closer to DS, and Ep and DHS are not that important, then POR is a great choice. Pretty sure POR has the boat to the springs, right?

Also, if you are a Costco member - check their travel page! Last I saw, both had pkgs.

 

[Buckeye Jones]

My teens were not impressed and bored at POR. We did a split stay that trip, and the first half was at Dolphin. They loved it. There is so much to do, and the pools at Swan/Dolphin are so much nicer. After arriving at POR, they wanted to go back to Dolphin. We had better transportation options at Dolphin too.

 

[Scilly]

Many thanks for all of this great info.

 

[PhoenicianThanker]

I haven't stayed at POR, but I have stayed at the Swan/Dolphin multiple times. I am 32 now, and my last stay there was a couple years ago, but i stayed there also when i was 14 and 20 years old. When I was younger I preferred staying at the Swan/Dolphin because there wasn't an over load of Disney, but you still felt the magic. For example, I remember walking down to the pool/beach area and watching Illuminations go off. Between that and walking around the Boardwalk, I felt like I was more "grown up", which as a young adult I appreciated. Just my two cents, but that's one of the reasons I love staying in that Epcot resort area.