Less than a month to go!!!! I love that less-than-a-month feeling.
Disney recently released Annual Passholder rates for the time frame of our trip. I thought it would never happen. When I called to check rates for my favorite Disney resorts (Yacht club, Beach club and the Polynesian), there were no availabilities with the discounts for our dates . I think they are opening up fewer and fewer rooms for the AP discounts each year. The Yacht Club didn't have an available room with the discount until 7/2. Having already booked our flight, it's too late to switch. I absolutely hate having to wait a month or two before my trip to find out if I can get a discount with my AP.
All the more reason to love the non-Disney owned Swan and Dolphin. You don't have to play the "code game" because the Swan and Dolphin release their AP discounts all at once. You can call right now and book a room with your annual pass discounted rate for a trip in November, or anytime this year. Throughout the year, they offer different discounts not related to annual pass. We've paid as little as $139.00 for a a room at this 4-star hotel! Can't get a moderate resort for that price! I think rack rates for the moderates reach $179 in peak season. Maybe more.
The Swan and Dolphin offer many advantages! Don't get me wrong, I love the true Disney resorts, but these two beautiful and whimsical hotels are quickly winning my heart.
Here's why:
Location! The Swan and Dolphin are located in the Epcot Resort area along with the Yacht and Beach Club and the Boardwalk. The resorts surround beautiful Crescent Lake. You can walk to Epcot and MGM or take the Friendship to either park. Can't beat that! The area boasts restaurants, entertainment options, bike and water rentals, not to mention the ability to see Illuminations from the beaches of Crescent Lake...if you just happen to be too lazy to go into Epcot on a given evening. You can even catch a movie along the shores near the Beach Club. But, back to food - I'm talking about a wide variety of eateries ranging from the fancy-schmancy Yachtsman Steakhouse to my favorite little soda shop Beaches & Cream Here's a semi-complete list of restaurant choices - followed by my rating of each - on a scale from 1-5, 5 being the best.
Let's start at the actual Swan and Dolphin. GREAT dining options:
Fresh - This mediterranean buffet is located at the Dolphin. They have a great breakfast buffet and you can order off the menu as well. They also serve lunch and dinner. Oh, and more importantly, they have Starbucks coffee. Since there are NO Starbucks on Disney property, and they tend to serve this nasty nescafe-instant swill in the parks, this is quite an advantage in my opinion.
Rating: 4Kimono's - This is a sushi combination karaoke bar located at the Swan. Fantastic sushi - in fact, it's the first place that I ever tried sushi, and now I absolutely LOVE it. I'll have to admit the first time I tried it I was under the influence of 2 or 3 champagne cocktails. So I was feeling brave, I believe the drink was called "Japanese Typhoon" and the name certainly fits. Glad it happened because the world has a new sushi fan.
Rating: 5 (for food & karaoke fun)
Garden Grove - This restaurant has a strange little twist - it changes names after breakfast to Gullivers. Then back to Garden Grove for breakfast the next day...quite strange. Split personality I guess. Since I've only eaten at this place when it was Garden Grove, that's all I can speak to. It's the second best breakfast buffet I've ever had (Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge being #1). Very very fresh food - eggs cooked to order. Fresh squeezed oj and you guessed it - Starbucks coffee.
Rating: 4Picabu - This is the counter service restaurant at the Dolphin, serving both hotels. I can't truly rate it - never gotten anything other than a Starbucks coffee and a brownie. Yep, even the counter service place at the Swan and Dolphin serves Starbucks.
Rating: in my limited experience of only coffee and a brownie, I'll give it a 5.Splash Grill - located at the pool - delicious stuff !!- beef burgers, tuna burgers, salads, and yes Starbucks coffee. Just a few steps from the pool.
Rating: 4+Shulas - located at the Dolphin. Never been there. Supposedly one of the best steak restaurants in Florida with a great wine list. We're actually dining there this trip. We've always been reluctant to try it because it seems kind of stodgy - with a dress code no less. We're in Disney, "we don't need no stinkin' dress code!!!"
That's it for the Swan and Dolphin. But, there's more all around Crescent Lake, just a short stroll away.
Flying Fish - Now this is a real treat! Only eaten there twice, but we're scheduled to dine there again this trip. Why we haven't returned I have NO idea. They call it "New American Cuisine" but I just call it yummy. The focus is obviously seafood, but they also have steak and vegetarian options and desserts to die for. They have an open "show" kitchen so you can watch them cook your food. Great atmosphere and service.
Rating: a solid 5Spoodles - Okay - I didn't like it. My husband didn't like it. Most people love it. We had a bad experience. I want to preface my review by saying the service was absolutely perfect. The food, well....not so perfect. I had to send my steak back 3 times and never got it medium rare like I ordered it. My husband's chicken dish appeared to be more like a rubber dish and to top it off, he got sick. Literally.
Rating: 1ESPN - haven't dined there. Don't intend to. Not interested in a bunch of people spaced out watching sports while at Disney. Can't, just can't do it! I'll bet they have good french fries though...hmmmmmm.
Beaches & Cream - located at the Beach Club near Stormalong Bay, the best pool on WDW prooperty. This place can be summed up in two words: FUN & DELICIOUS. Best burgers on WDW property. They also have hot dogs, salads, chicken noodle soup, and the best ice cream treat in the world (not just Walt Disney world, the WORLD), No Way Jose. No Way Jose is an ice-cream lovers wet dream. Vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, peanut butter - just an ooey-goeey rich and chewy dream! This place is a cute little soda shop with a jukebox and a wonderful cast of servers...they always aim to please!
Rating: a solid 5+ I vow NEVER to visit Disney and not go to Beaches & Cream.
Yachtsman Steakhouse - located at the Yacht Club. This pains me. Years ago this was our favorite deluxe sit-down meal at Disney. I would have given it a 10 on a scale of 1-5, but I'm sorry to say the last 2 times have been a disappointment. We went about 5 years without going but when we decided to go back about 2 years ago, I couldn't believe it!! My medium-rare filet mignon was indeed cooked correctly on the inside, but the outside was so charred and burned up it tasted like someone had wrapped my delicious bloody steak in a dried-up well done steak...you know the kind your mom orders and asks them to "butterfly it." It was horrible. I sent it back, came back the same way. I noticed the fire was so high - I think they need to turn that sucker down a notch.
Rating: prior to the last two times we went I'd say a 5+, the last two times we went, a 2. Very sad! I hope they turn this place back around!Cape May Cafe - located at the Beach club. Great character breakfast buffet. The characters are adorable in their beach garb although it's hard to see Minnie. She doesn't come to the table, you have to line up. I guess all the kids attacked her. In the evening it becomes a Clam Bake, aka a delicious seafood buffet. Husband ate so much once he broke out in hives.
Rating: 4+Yacht Club Galley - located at the Yacht Club. They did serve breakfast, which was very good, but I think it's just lunch and dinner now. Had lunch there once, quite good....just plain ol' American cuisine. Had Thanksgiving dinner buffet there twice. The first time it was great, but the second time left a lot to be desired.
Rating: 3+Big River Grill - located near the Boardwalk resort. Went once. That was enough. Dried up mess.
Rating: 1 (nuff' said)If that's not enough - Epcot's World Showcase is teeming with great places to dine within the countries. ENOUGH about food, back to more reasons to love the Swan and Dolphin.
Great rooms! The rooms are open and modern, a great size, and have something no Disney owned resort has - HEAVENLY BEDS. Talk about a good night's sleep - you'll get it!! You can't help it. It's a fluffy, comfy, pillow-top bed that you sink into without even trying. Leave the sleeping pills at home!
And, you can see a large Swan outside your window. Or a Dolphin (if you're staying at the Swan). We've stayed here twice, and both times the staff, although not technically "cast members," were as gracious as the Disney owned resorts. They are cast members as far as I'm concerned. I was very impressed with our first stay, which was at the Swan. We checked into the room and there was something not quite right. There was a nagging damp and musty smell. We figured it was because the room may have been empty for awhile, so we thought once the air ran it would clear out. We left out for a few hours and came back and the smell was still there. We went down to the front desk to talk to them and they could not have been more accommodating. The issue was taken seriously and, more importantly, taken care of immediately. They let us check out 2 or 3 different rooms and we were able to pick the one we wanted. I was impressed.
The pool isn't Stormalong Bay. But, I've heard some say it's the second best pool on property. The "grotto" pool is the main pool shared by the Swan and Dolphin, but each hotel has it's own lap pool. We've never actually gotten in it as we've only stayed at the Swan/Dolphin in November. But we certainly enjoyed the peaceful, tropical feel of the pool area even though we didn't get our feet wet. I love the poolside restaurant, Splash Grill! It's just steps from the pool and the food is better than the typical "at the pool" eateries at the other resorts on property. They even have a DJ spinning tunes. Family friendly of course.
There is also a health club, a full-service spa, in-room dining, tennis and basketball courts, boat and bike rentals, and one of my favorite diversions right across the way - Fantasia Minature Golf! I'll have to admit that one of my favorite things is getting up in the morning just before the sun rises and most guests are still asleep for a quiet stroll around Crescent Lake. The music is softly playing, cast members are hosing down the planks on the boardwalk, and the smells from the Boardwalk Bakery (be they real or "piped in") wake my senses and prepare me for a fun-filled day at Disney. All I have to do is decide what fun thing I'm going to do next.
Okay, so you can't charge to your room from other locales throughout the property, you can't get Magical Express service, you don't get Mickey soaps....or Mickey & Stitch wake-up calls. I for one, am still VERY excited about our upcoming trip to the Dolphin. That's not to say I won't return to the Disney-owned properties - that will NEVER happen...the Polynesian and Yacht Club/Beach Club remain my favorites. But, the Swan and Dolphin are in 3rd place!!! I feel a rating coming on:
1 - Polynesian
2 - Yacht Club/Beach Club (sometimes these two flip and YC/BC is #1...depends on my mood)
3 - Swan/Dolphin (pretty amazing - beats Grand Floridian!)
4 - Grand Floridian
5 - Port Orleans Riverside
6 - Contemporary
7 - Wilderness Lodge
8 - Carribbean Beach
9 - Coronado Springs
10 - Old Key West
11 - All Star Music
Haven't stayed at Pop Century, Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs (although we will for one night on this trip), or Animal Kingdom Lodge, Port Orleans French Quarter, Beach Club Villas, or Wilderness Lodge Villas. Oh - or the Fort Wilderness Cabins, I'd love to try those. But without River Country, where would one swim? Swimming is quite important while in Florida. But, stay out of the fresh water lakes...you might get an algae infection in your ear! Believe me - it happens.
So many resorts - so little time.
