syddiez

We are meeting family at Disney in December. They are staying outside the park, but we wanted to stay inside being that we are the only 30 year olds who have never been to Disney world! Which hotels are the best (without kids) - Of the luxury hotels why are the swan and dolphin so much less expensive than the others? Thank you!

nytraveler

The swan and dolphin are so much less expensive because they are not really luxury hotels - more mid range. Also, both have IMHO very odd decor - even creepy at times - somehow reminiscent of subway tunnels (I know they don;t look like subway tunnels - but a lot of areas definitely feel like them.)

GoTravel

Swan & Dolphin aren't Disney run hotels (Westin I believe).

For discounts go to Mousesavers.com.

Don't expect any discounts from Christmas to New Years.

In all honesty, I've had just as much fun staying in the All Stars as I have at the Grand Floridian or the Yacht & Beach Club.

syddiez

Thank you - which hotels are closest to the park?

GoTravel

To which park?

Epcot?
Magic Kingdom?
Animal Kingdom?
MGM?

Disney property is over 50,000 acres and they have 25,000 hotel rooms on property.

No one hotel is close to all the parks. Plan on anywhere from two minutes to 40 minutes to get to the parks using Disney transportation.

Dreamer2

Cut through the muck...

If you want luxury and on-site and can afford it: Stay at the Grand Floridian.

This is the place everybody wants to be, but usually can't afford. It is actually on the monorail, and is spectacular.

Now, if you want to have a view of a simulated African range with roaming animals, stay at the AK Lodge. If you want to be a boat ride away from Magic Kingdom, check out Wilderness Lodge. If you want to walk over to Epcot at night, look into Y&B Club.

Two incredible luxury places off-site are the Grand Cypress Hyatt and the Ritz/Marriott comples.

But THE place to stay at Disney, is still the Grand Floridian, IMHO.

GoTravel

Dreamer pretty much hit the nail on the head.

missypie

If you go to the Resorts forum on disboards.com, you can spend all day reading about the various hotels. Also, allearsnet.com has pictures of each resort.

bennnie

Cannot agree with Dreamer. The Grand Floridian is not were everyone wants to be. I would never consider staying there. Yacht and Beach are superior and I would take the Boardwalk Inn over the Grand Floridian any day. The pool at the YC/BC is what makes it superior to the GF as well as its access to Epcot and MGM and more restaurant choices - especially for a younger couple.

gmoney

Also the swan and Dolphin are not actually disney hotels. They are part of a large chain (Sheraton I think), that are on disney property.

mikesmom

I think you would really enjoy the Epcot resorts very much - Yacht Club/Beach Club or Boardwalk Inn. This is a very popular area. You can walk to Epcot and take a boat to MGM Studios. There are restaurants and clubs on the Boardwalk. The Swan and Dolphin are also in this area. As stated earlier, the S/D are not owned by Disney - they are Westin hotels.

The pool (Storm-Along-Bay) at the Yacht Club/Beach Club (they share the pool) is VERY nice. My husband and I are staying at the Boardwalk Inn over Labor Day weekend, and we are looking forward to it.

Good luck with your plans. Be sure to go to disboards.com - lots of info there!

audra

Ditto to bennie's post, I totally agree. While the GF is lovely, it is almost *too* lovely, its just TOO much of what it is, imho. When we're in WDW we want to relax, feel free and have FUN and imho the GF is way too stuffy.