YC or Swan?

[Dream'nDisney]

We have fell in love with the YC for the location, the ambiance and of course the pool. Now that our two kids are older, the four of us are considering staying at the Swan in a two-room suite with two bathrooms for about the same price as a regular room at YC with two queen beds and a roll-away. The extra space and bathroom sound wonderful, but I'm afraid we will miss being at an official WDW resort. I don't know if I can handle walking passed the YC every time we head to EPCOT without regretting not staying there. We can't afford a suite at YC, so that is not an option. Any advice?

[BrerGnat]

We did that once and we were not impressed with the Swan, honestly, and we DID very much wish we were at the BC instead. It is a very different "feel." What about renting pointa for a 1br villa at BC? Would you consider doing that?

[Dream'nDisney]

I recently started looking into renting points at BC Villas. It is true that even if you go through a reputable third party, that you could arrive at the BC Villas and not have a room because of the owner wasn't faithful?

[Pirate Granny]

We rented first before buying DVC, it was a $7,000 leap of faith cause we had a 3 bedroom GV at OKW during spring break. Worked wonderful. It was a private rental between two people, no cancellations allow. BUT, now they have a few companies that act as a go between for renters and rentees that may ease your worries. I would rent points and stay at BCV in a one bedroom, granted only one bathroom, but you gain a living room (kids would have to share the pull out, or bring along a twin blow up with your own bedding....but you gain a full kitchen and washer/dryer.

[Dream'nDisney]

Isn't there still a risk even when going through the middle man?

[BrerGnat]

Isn't there still a risk even when going through the middle man?

Not really. The middle man is your insurance. The only thing is you cannot cancel, change, or get refunds of any kind.

[Dream'nDisney]

That's probably not going to work for us. With four schedules to deal with, we may need to make changes or even postpone altogether. Oh well, we will just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what is most important to us. Thank you for your advice.

[BrerGnat]

That's probably not going to work for us. With four schedules to deal with, we may need to make changes or even postpone altogether. Oh well, we will just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what is most important to us. Thank you for your advice.

Yeah, I hear ya. We can't do the points rental thing either due to schedules. It's also why we won't buy into DVC. Just can't know our plans so far out. Maybe you can do a split stay and do both resorts. That way you can try Swan knowing you will also get to stay at YC. Will help you see if Swan is a good fit for your family without committing your full trip there.

[debbymc4]

We just returned from our first stay at the Dolphin. There are some pluses, but, overall, I am not a fan. I definitely missed not being at a 'real' Disney resort. I felt like everything was a really long walk. We used self-parking at $18 per day and it was REALLY far away from our room. The big pool with the slide is between the Dolphin and Swan. Also a bit of a hike if your room isn't at the correct end of the hotel. The pool is not heated and it was freezing.

I can see where the hotels would be really fun conference hotels because there are a lot of restaurant options as well as a nice spa.

The boats to EPCOT and DHS are nice (although we didn't go to either) and it's really pleasant to be able to walk over to the Boardwalk with a great view of the EPCOT fireworks.

I had some housekeeping and maintenance issues. I was really turned off by a rollaway bed that was parked in the hallway outside my room door for my whole stay. It made me feel like I was at a fancy $200+ Days Inn.

[BrerGnat]

We also had some major housekeeping/general room and hallway cleanliness issues. That is whay turned me off the most, to be honest. Our room was dusty, musty smelling, and just worn out. They had no rooms we could move to. Luckily our stay was on points so we just sucked it up. It was just one night and I was glad about that!

[luvkatiebug]

So we stayed at the Swan several years ago,and while the resort is very nice and the beds are amazing, if you are looking for that Disney feel, then no, it doesn't have it. I am a teacher, and the Swan and dolphin do teacher discounts (at least they used to), so we couldn't beat the price for that location, but my dream resort would be beach or yacht club. If you can afford those two that would be my choice. Enjoy!

[JanetMegan]

What about one of the Ft. Wilderness cabins? As we kids got older we loved having the additional space, I know it only has 1 bathroom but it did offer significantly more space for the $.

[Dream'nDisney]

Thank you for all the responses. I pretty much live for Disney, and I just don't think I can stay at a non-Disney resort, at least for a family vacation. For years, I have helped friends and family plan Disney trips, and I always recommend staying at a Disney resort to get the whole magical feel. However, the idea of a split stay might be an option!