Swan and Dolphin v Hilton Disney springs
 

Hey,

Planning for September 21. Doing a split stay and the 'Disney' option is Swan and dolphin or Hilton @ Disney springs. Both locations are great for us. Swan and Dolphin looks amazing but is £750 more expensive than the Hilton. Kinda like a honeymoon ;) is the extra worth it for the Swan and Dolphin?

I'd go for the S&D - for location, the Crescent Lake area is just the best! We usually stay at Y&BC but not without DDP and perks!
These are our 2 of our options too for next autumn - S&D or Hilton Buena Vista palace, which site have you priced the Swalphin up on as I've found quite a difference.

You are paying the extra £750 for a better location. You can take the boat/walk to HS/Epcot/Boardwalk from S+D.

I would go for the S+D as it would be easier to get to HS as early as possible to get on Rise of the Resistance.

I also just compared resorts on Trip advisor to refresh my memory and I would definitely choose Swan if £s are not an issue.

BUT if you are not spending much time at HS+Epcot and want to save £750 then the Hilton looks good as well. 4 Star.

Cant comment on the Hilton option but S&D is deffo worth it in my opinion.
Its a deluxe level hotel at a "Disney Moderate" price. The location is fantastic, walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Also to the boardwalk which is cool.
I also like coming back to the hotel to have a little time away from the madness because I found it to be a little more chilled than the official Disney Hotels.
Pool is great, restaurants are great.
If you don't mind paying the extra I don't think you'll regret it.

I’ve been seriously considering the Hilton Buena vista palace if needed. I love the location as we are big fans of DS and there are loads of eating places there that won’t break the bank. They offer the 60 day fast passes and shuttles too which also makes the hotel appealing. I love the idea of a balcony too.

Kat

I stay at The Palace. Love the location, just over rd from Springs. Hefty resort charge though!

Also, one of the reasons I stay there is the walkable distance to crossroads ( I do not drive), however, worth noting I have read majority of restaurants and the Supermarket at crossroads have not reopened ( think they had notice to quit late 2020 so a lot just did not reopen).

How much is the resort fee? I’ve looked and had conflicting numbers from $25+ per room per night?

Do you recommend any websites that include it or is it worth booking it cheaper and paying the resort fee at the hotel?

Kat

I can't speak highly enough about The Swan, it was the first hotel onsite that we stayed in back in 2012.
As previous posters have said, the location is fantastic & you are definitely in the Disney bubble when you stay there, The Boardwalk is literally at the back door & Epcot & Hollywood Studios are within easy walking distance with boats as an alternative, they also have busses to the other parks & Disney Springs.
Obviously there is no DME, MB's & charging privileges, free dinning plan & the daily resort fee is a bit of a kicker but since the Disney resorts have now started charging for parking I don't consider it a deal breaker anymore.
The erosion of onsite benefits that was taking place pre Covid has been shrinking the difference between The Swan & Dolphin for some time but with what is going on now it's a no brainer if you want to be in the bubble but not pay the premium to be in an actual Disney resort.
We've been staying in the Yacht Club for our last couple of trips because we love the resort & that area but if the lack of benefits & price gouging continues we would have no problem going back to The Swan.

For those that have stayed, and I’m sure I’ve read something on here before, is there much difference between Swan and Dolphin?

We prefer to book directly, so I've been pricing it up (on their own site) and the total includes the resort tax - $35 per night. The cancellation policy is good - free cancellation until the day before. Bonus is I've just turned 65 and can get 'senior' rate much to DH amusement!
Booking.com is around the same price ( minus senior rate!) and also includes resort tax, free cancellation a week beforehand.