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Kilimanjaro Safaris; Animal Kingdom; AA
  • On Jun 2, 2008
    Carolyn from SC Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    First of all, thanks so much for this feature! It's been incredibly useful. I am trying to decide what resort to stay at. Our favorite park is Epcot, and it would be really neat to get a room with a great view of the geodesic sphere. Any suggestions?

    There are several hotels that are very near Epcot, within a 5-15 minute walk. These include the Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Clubs and Swan and Dolphin hotels. The Boardwalk and Yacht & Beach Club hotels have great Disney themeing, and the Yacht & Beach Clubs share the best pool complex at Disney World, the 3-acre mini-waterpark called Stormalong Bay. But both of these hotels are relatively short, only 5 stories tall. I have stayed on the 5th floor of the Beach Club Villas facing Epcot several times and only seen a teeny sliver of the England pavilion off in the distance. The landscaping here, and at the Boardwalk, prevent good views of anything further into Epcot.

    The Swan and Dolphin are, however, much taller than the other nearby hotels. Though they are on Disney property, they are not owned and managed by Disney, so they lack some of the magical themeing elements of the other resorts. But what they do have is height, and a view further into Epcot  and Spaceship Earth, the sphere you mention.

    I took the incredible "Backstage Magic" tour at WDW in January which lets you see behind-the-scenes areas at Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the Magic Kingdom. My tour guide, Nancy, told us that when the Swan and Dolphin were built, Disney spent over a million dollars to add additional themeing elements to the rooftops of the attraction buildings in Epcot because guests there could see everything. They didn't want the guests' view spoiled by things like machinery on the roofs.

    So, this was a long way to say that if you want the best view of Epcot, you should stay at the Swan or Dolphin and request one of the top floors facing the park.

    Hope this helps.
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Meet the Panelist: Erin, New York

I have three teenage daughters. We're DVC members obsessed with Disney travel. We've been to Walt Disney World countless times and have visited Disneyland & Disneyland Paris. We've taken several Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise trips. Learn More About Erin

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