Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
serves barbecued meats and salads by the main pool. Finally, Plancha serves Cuban-
inspired cuisine at the golf course's clubhouse.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin
STRENGTHS
• Best-priced location on Crescent Lake
• Extremely nice guest rooms
• Good on-site and nearby dining
• Excellent beach and swimming complex
• Child-care facilities on-site
• Children's programs, character meals
• Only hotels within walking distance to mini-golf (Fantasia Gardens)
• 10-minute walk to BoardWalk nightlife
• Walking distance to both Epcot International Gateway and DHS
• Participates in Extra Magic Hours program
WEAKNESSES
• Primarily adult convention and business clientele
• Somewhat dated architecture
• Distant guest self-parking; daily resort and parking fees
• No Disney's Magical Express or Disney Dining Plan
• Bus service to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, water parks, and Downtown Disney
is shared with other Epcot resorts
THE SWAN AND DOLPHIN RESORTS
were not designed by Disney Imagineers,
though you might certainly think they were. They were the playgrounds of postmod-
ern architect Michael Graves; in fact, they are not Disney-owned properties at all,
though guests have most of the perks. The Swan and Dolphin are patronized by busi-
ness types and adult travelers rather than families, and their theme runs more to the
surrealistic rather than to the whimsical. That being said, a quick glance at the Swan
and Dolphin's strengths will verify that they have as much or more to offer families
than the Disney resorts.
