Upgrade from CBR to Swan??

[poohluva]

My question is do we take the free upgrade from Carribean Beach to the Swan?? It sounds worth it to me, but any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Disney wants to give us, myself, DH and 2 DD's (14 & 10) a free upgrade from CBR to the Swan. With the main pool at CBR being refurbished, it is tempting. We'll be there for 4 nights before leaving for our cruise portion of the trip. We still get all the Disney transportation and EMH perks, plus queen sized beds , I was just wondering if anyone has stayed at the Swan and what they thought of it.

Thanks in advance for any info!!

[BigRedDad]

Personally, I would do it because of the pool and it being a hotel. As for anything about the Swan, I have never been there and could not answer.

[DDuck66]

If the upgrade is free, I would take it. The Swan is closer to a Delux resort and I have always heard good things about it. I have not stayed there, but there should be plenty of info available in the Resort Section of Intercot.

[ThanxForNoticin]

It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The location of the Swan over CBR is a plus - you can easily walk or take a short boat ride to both EPCOT and the Studios from there. You also have a lot of eating options at and near the Swan. Plus you can walk to Fantasia mini-golf, enjoy evening entertainment along the Boardwalk, and you're close to Beach 'n Cream at the BC! Good luck with your decision and have a great time.

[Dream'nDisney]

Plus, you probably will be getting queen beds instead of full-sized beds if you stay at the Swan. Plus, if I am not mistaken, you can use the Dolphins pools as well as the Swans.

[ToDisney]

I think I'd do it in a heart beat!
Just like mentioned before, its close to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Depending on where your room is located you may even see fireworks from one of them at night.
I've always wanted to stay in that location, whether it was the swan, YC, or BC.
Good luck and have a good time.

Also, go to the Swan and dolphins home page.
its pretty cool!

[Bella x3]

I haven't stayed at the Swan, but the two times I have been to Disney, I've stayed at the CBR. I've heard good things about the Swan, and if it's free, I'd do it.

[moe513]

The Swan has a much better location. We stay at the yc because of the location. Do you need the magical express?? I dont think the Swan has that .

[Jeff]

My family loves the Swan. We have stayed there many times. As said above, the location is great. The beds are fantastic. Staff is very helpful. Pools are very cool. Walk to Boardwalk, Epcot, Fantasia Mini Golf. You can also walk to the Studios although we usually take the boat.

I would take this upgrade and be very thankful. Someone is sure to post in a bit about how the "Swan lacks Disney themeing". 99 times out of 100 it's someone who has never stayed there. Give up the Mickey Soap and coasters for the deluxe and the location!

[poohluva]

Thanks for all the input!!

We decided to go with the free upgrade, the kids are older, so we don't feel the need for Disney theming as much, and since we fly Southwest, we're used to handling our own luggage.

I can't wait, only 59 more days!!!

[sainter]

So just for curiosity sake -- it is an upgrade offered by Disney -- were you planning on using Magical Express to get to CBR originally? And if so, since the Swan does not offer that service, how will you get there?

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I'm surprised that Disney is offering an upgrade to the Swan since it's not an official Disney hotel. However, I've stayed at the Swan and Dolphin and love the location. They don't offer Magical Express but you can use all the other Disney transportation, EMHs etc. And the beds are the most comfortable I've ever slept in. And you can use the facilities at both the Swan and Dolphin.

[BluewaterBrad]

Sure! Upgrade!!

[CandleontheWater]

DH and I stayed at the Swan last Oct. and had a wonderful time. You really can't beat the location (OK, maybe if you are in a monorail resort), and it is a beautiful hotel. It wasn't as Disney as CBR is, but it did have a disney gift shop in the lobby, if you need a fix at the hotel. I thought the bus service was pretty decent, and the boat to MGM and Epcot were really convenient. It was also nice to walk over to the boardwalk and take in the atmosphere. The pool at the Dolphin was really nice, it was large and had ample chair space. It is almost like the main pool at the GF but even bigger and I can't remember if there was a slide. The hotel has a very posh and sophsiticated feel, and the rooms were beautifully laid out and decorated. The Swan also has great on-site dining, much better than the CBR.

I love CBR, but I think that the pool is the main draw for me, I would definately take the Swan considering that the main pool is going to be down.

That being said, the only drawbacks we found were the $8 a day parking fee (which obviously would only be applicable if you had a car), the fact that you couldn't charge things at the parks back to your hotel room and the large groups of occasionally oblivious conventioneers.

[snerd475]

Thanks for all the input!!

We decided to go with the free upgrade, the kids are older, so we don't feel the need for Disney theming as much, and since we fly Southwest, we're used to handling our own luggage.

I can't wait, only 59 more days!!!

My next trip is in 61 more days! How long are you staying?

[poohluva]

My next trip is in 61 more days! How long are you staying?

We'll be at the resort until May 1, then we head over to DCL for a 3 night cruise. The kids have never cruised, so we figured a short one would be good to see if they like it.

We have to use Mears to get from the airport to the resort, but after that we get to take advantage of Disney transportation for the rest of the trip.

[saksn4]

How do you get Disney upgrades??? Does Disney just offer, or do you have to ask?? If you have to ask, who and when do you ask??

[poohluva]

How do you get Disney upgrades??? Does Disney just offer, or do you have to ask?? If you have to ask, who and when do you ask??

We didn't ask for one, we had a message from our travel agent stating that the Disney Cruise line wanted to upgrade us to the Swan, so we took it.

Since DME doesn't go to the Swan we were planning on using the Mears shuttle, but I just got off the phone with DH and he said the travel agent had talked to Disney and they are making arrangements for our transportation since they were the ones wanting us to move. So not only do we get a deluxe hotel stay, we are also getting free trasnportation we just recently planned on paying for.

I can't wait only 55 more days!!!