Shulas is good, and so is blue zoo. The swan is great!

We had a great experience at the Swan. The boat to Epcot and Hollywood studios was very reliable and the kids enjoyed the ride. we also walked home from epcot after dinner, which was nice, too. (the location makes it easy to eat at Epcot's world showcase). Rooms were just fine (we didn't need all the Disney paraphernalia), the kids enjoyed the pools. We ate at the sushi restaurant, which was pretty good, and the breakfast buffet, which was good but pricey. Most mornings we just ate banana bread I had brought from home in one of the sunny courtyards before heading to one of the parks. I'd definitely recommend it...it made the stay very comfortable and easy, and w/out paying the exorbitant rates at some of the other "luxury" level Disney resorts.

Since you are staying at the Swam, I'd focus on dining in Epcot. You can walk to the backdoor entrance near world showcase where all of the restaurants are. My favorites are the beer garden in Germany, either of the restaurants in France and the steakhouse in Canada. You need to make reservations 90 days in advance of your trip, though, or they will all be booked.

I loved it there. The amenities are on par or nicer than the Disney deluxes, but the price is lower. It's less Disney-themed and more like your usual Westin (Swan) or Sheraton (Dolphin), but you are in the middle of Disney's Boardwalk area, with an easy walk or boat ride to two of the parks. The pools are great (including what I think are the only lap pools on Disney property) and you get nearly all of the on-property perks, except for the free airport shuttle. Swan/Dolphin count as Disney hotels when it comes to extra magic hours and also capacity closures (ie, you will be allowed in even if non-Disney guests are being kept out due to crowds, which at Christmas often happens by mid-day).

Dolphin is either King or 2x Full, Swan has King or 2x Queen (not including suites). Swan is slightly smaller and has fewer casual food options. You can use the pools/fitness room at both when you are a guest of either.

Cat Cora's restaurant is very good and yes has kids options. We were there last summer... Nice atmosphere and good service.

We stayed at the Swan. We got the Park hopper and a few days we did MK in the morning, came back to the hotel, then went out later to Epcot. We both walked and took the boat.

If you plan on using the pools (IDK if it's warm enough in December), you might want to stay at the Dolphin. All the pools are closer to the Dolphin.

Just have a firm plan for the couple weeks around Christmas--the parks are so crowded, they are literally wall to wall people. They often close to guests not staying on Disney property.

I love Bluezoo at the Dolphin

Thanks!!! I am curious to hear about the magic bands-that is new from when we were there last year (and at that trip we stayed off-site and it took so long each day to get to the park and we spent so much on cabs!) We have a good amount of ADR at this point so I think we don't need sit down nightly and too pricey. We did three out of the six nights sit down (including chris eve and xmas)

We stayed at the Swan several years ago and loved it. It was amazing. The only downside was that we'd take the boat past the Beach Club, where we'd stayed the year before, and I'd find myself feeling bad for all the money I wasted since the Swan was nicer at half the price.

The location is great. It's a little farther from Epcot, a little closer to the studios. Definitely walkable both ways, but the boat is fun for the kids and nice when you're tired from a whole day in the parks. The buses to AK and MK are as reliable as the buses from the Disney hotels, quck and easy.

We mostly ate at Disney, we did a lot of World Showcase dining, or went to Downtown Disney, but when we did eat at the Swan it was nice. I can't remember the actual restaurant, but we did breakfast there a couple of times, and a nice buffet once. If you want to be able to reenter a park for dinner, you should probably get park hopper added to your ticket.

If you're going to eat sit down meals Disney you need reservations ASAP. There's a nice array of fast food type places so if you don't have a reservation you'll be able to find something.

As far as the EMH we only did the morning. When I went it was before "magic bands" and you just used your ticket to go through the turnstile, it was also your roomkey so it was coded so they knew you were allowed in. Once you were in you didn't have to show anything. I'm not sure how it works now. I don't know how it works in the evening, but I think they have some system where you don't have to keep showing something? Colored bracelets or something? I don't know. I don't stay up that late, even on vacation.

OR other hotels at the Boardwalk nearby would have a similar idea of where to eat-how fast it is to get to the parks etc. Thanks! Also-has anyone eaten at Cat Cora's restaurant and do they have a separate kids menu like chicken nuggets?

We are staying at the Dolphin and this is MUCH closer than I have stayed at Disney in over 15 years so I'm thrilled. Where did you eat? Did you mostly take the boat to epcot and studios or did you walk? How do the magic hours work-you have to show a room key to ride either early or late depending on the schedule?