This post is about our Memorial Day 2021 Disney Staycation. For part 1, click here.
Originally when we booked this little getaway, we had only booked Friday and Saturday night since we thought my husband had to report to his medical school rotations on Monday. Then Tuesday the week before, we found out he actually had the day off! We tried to add on another day at Coronado Springs, but it was full and the only open Disney Resorts were pretty pricey. After doing some searching, we found that there was availability at the Swan & Dolphin for less than we had been quoted for Art of Animation, and decided to book it!
For reference, The Swan & Dolphin is not a Disney Resort. It is a Westin resort on Disney property, but in a great location as it is part of the Epcot Boardwalk Resorts, which include Yacht & Beach Club and the Boardwalk. Staying at the Swan & Dolphin allows guests to take advantage of all the dining at these resorts for only a fraction of the price. While the resort itself didn’t really have the feel of a Disney Resort, being that close to those resorts, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios makes it worth it.
We arrived at around 11:00 am Sunday morning, a few hours before check-in. We used these few hours to wander around the Boardwalk, eat some delicious pizza and try the new Boardwalk Ice Cream, which replaced what used to be Ample Hills Creamery. Around 3 pm we checked in and relaxed in our hotel room.
About an hour later we met up with my family as some family members from out of town were visiting. We rode on the Disney Skyliner over to Riveria Resort to check out the beautiful mosaics. We got lucky with the weather this day as the sky was stormy but we never got rained on.
After this we went to dinner at Il Mulino New York Trattoria, an Italian restaurant at the Swan. It ended up being one of the best meals we have ever eaten, everything we tried was amazing and the service was impeccable. One of the biggest benefits of Il Mulino is that you can order half portions of their risottos and pastas, so were were able to try more things! I had forgotten that when I booked the reservation I mentioned we were celebrating my birthday, so we were both surprised when they brought out dessert after dinner. The craziest part? This is one of the least expensive restaurants high end we’ve eaten at on Walt Disney World property. We ordered a lot of food and our total was less than $60 (before tip). Needless to say, we will definitely be eating here again.
On Monday morning we mobile ordered breakfast from Trattoria al Forno To Go and ate it on the Boardwalk which made for some lovely breakfast views. Typically this is a princess character breakfast, but that has been on hold during the pandemic.
We then checked out and headed over to Blizzard Beach, one of the two WDW waterparks. Disney currently has a deal for Annual Passholders where they get $20 off a day ticket, so our tickets were $50 each which we felt is a pretty good deal! We were worried the park would be busy as the waterparks do not require a park reservation, but it wasn’t too busy at all! We were able to ride everything we wanted to within the first two hours of arriving.
All in all, it was a wonderful staycation! We would really like to check out Walt Disney World’s Port Orleans Resort next, but it is currently still closed. I’ve been eyeing those Royal Rooms for awhile so hopefully we get to go soon!