Struggling to decide between AKL and Swan! I’m going with my fiance in mid September for 6 nights (4 park days, no PH, plus MNSSHP). The hotels are roughly the same price (~$300 all in after taxes, fees, parking). We will be renting a car since we don’t like to wait for buses and we like the flexibility. We are also planning on getting genie plus every day to free up some time. I have never stayed in either but absolutely love animals, I just worry I won’t have enough time to enjoy the resort and that Swan’s location would be better… we usually stay at GDT.
The advantage to Swan is the location and ability to walk to two parks, but a car offsets that advantage.
Since you are an animal lover, and are going to MNSSHP (bus directly to/from your resort) my vote goes to AKL, although you really can’t go wrong here.
I’d be a vote for Swan if you’re doing 2 or more days at Epcot or DHS. Walking to the parks is so great - and it sounds like you dislike waiting for transit and want flexibility - and I bet you’d be more likely to relax back at the resort, go to pool, etc in those days vs if you were at AKL.
But I may be biased as my family gets enough of our animal fill from just a full day at AK.
Does that include parking fees at Swan? If having your own car I’d choose AKL to avoid that fee. Also the bus pick up and drop off locations are better from AKL if you don’t want to drive to the parks.
I tend to agree with you rationally. I think the logistics of the Swan would be more convenient for epcot and dhs (we are doing one park each day), but my heart keeps wanting more animals lol i think that’s why I’m torn
This makes me lean AKL for you. It’s the better resort and yes, Swan is the better location but if you’re driving who cares if you can walk to two parks?!
I’d still choose animals and Epcot resort area is my favorite area (hence my constant staying at BW) but AKL is magical and one of those things that make Disney what it is. If it’s an equal priced option to the Swan and I had a car, shucks even if I didn’t have a car but I budgeted for ubers, I’d choose it. Especially, if I had never been there and loved animals, so still my vote. And I love being able to walk to two parks! It’s important for sure. But AKL is gorgeous, the animals are magic and the food is divine.
So, you are saying…you can’t lose whichever you choose!
I would tend to agree. Although, frankly, I’ve never stayed at either. We have stayed at BWV, though, and love it. My only point was that I don’t think having a car makes much difference in terms of advantage either way. Well, to a point…it does make it so that IF you choose AKL, it is nicer to not have to rely on bus transportation. But I wouldn’t choose AKL versus Swan based on whether I had a car.
Yes, both are fantastic choices…first world problem for sure! LOL
I’ve had a room in both. And I didn’t have a rental car either time. I hate the Disney bus system and will only use it to get to MK since it avoids the TTC. I was not happy with it at AKL and ended up using Uber/Lyft the whole time we were there to get to every other park other than MK. At BW it wasn’t as bad, but Swan has their own now. Honestly if I were staying at Swan, I’d walk over to Yacht or BW and use their bus for MK to avoid TTC. But I don’t honestly think parking at DHS or Epcot based on other stays is that bad. Truly the only one I hate parking at is MK.
Yes, I would walk too but driving to EP, you can park as close/closer than the walk from swan so it comes down to the resort and there is nothing quite like AKL (plus the bus to MK is an AKL advantage).
OMG every morning, afternoon and evening we were on that balcony with a glass of coffee/wine, etc. It was pure magic. We would take breaks just so we could check on Trixie (that’s what the boys named the girl Zebra). We also saw pumbas (some kind of hog), and other types of deer like animals and we had a standard view.
