Review: Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel

The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel is the closest “chain” hotel to Disney World. It is only a 15-minute walk from Epcot and the Disney Skyliner. It’s also one of three hotels to offer VIP Disney Perks like Extended Magic Hours and Early Theme Park Entry. 

Early access was one of the main reasons we stayed at this resort: we spent only one day galavanting through “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” If you’re able to book at this resort when one of the parks is offering Extra Magic Hours, that’s a real sweet spot. To access extra magic hours, you usually need to book at one of Disney World Deluxe resorts, which can cost $700+ USD per night! 

We enjoyed our stay at the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel so much that we’ve already made plans to head back with extended family. Let’s take a look at my review to see what this hotel has to offer on your next vacation to Walt Disney World!

Booking

We booked this stay at standard cash rates as the price to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points was astronomical, and a $45 USD resort fee was still included on a points redemption booking. Pricing for this hotel is all over the map however we were lucky to find a “cheap” rate of $357 USD, including taxes and fees. 

You could also consider using an 85,000 Point Free Night Certificate from a card such as the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card (US) to stay here, but with cash prices swinging all over the place, you’ll need to check to ensure you’re getting good value.

As we were only staying one night, I figured we had a pretty good chance at an upgrade using Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUAs). I’ve had good luck with these and have never seen one expire out of my account. Part of my decision-making process on whether to use them is whether the hotel offers amazing rooms as upgrade requests. 

The Swan Reserve didn’t offer the Presidential Suite as an option to request, but they did offer the Chairman Suite, which normally goes for over $1,700 USD per night! Lucky me, about three days before our stay, I received the upgrade notifications and was delighted to see the Chairman Suite reserved in the Marriott Bonvoy App.

Check-in

We arrived at the hotel around noon, hoping to take advantage of extra time in our massive suite. The check-in desks are up a set of giant escalators; you can’t miss the desks when you get to the top.

However, hope was all we had, as, of course, the room was not ready. The staff invited us to use any of the pool facilities and said they would call us when we could pick up the room keys. We stored our bags at the Bell Services desk on the ground floor.

Also, during check-in, I was informed of our Elite Benefits and welcome gift as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite member, which included the option of “breakfast,” a welcome amenity, or 1,000 points. I put breakfast in quotations because the offering here is just coffee, pastries, and oatmeal/yogurt/fruit salad delivered to the room, which is definitely a weaker offering when it comes to the Marriott Bonvoy breakfast benefit. 

We opted for the welcome amenity as there are far better breakfast offerings inside the parks. A bottle of wine and light charcuterie made an excellent accompaniment to the view of fireworks from our suite.

Your selection is written on this sheet, and then you can pick up your amenity from the coffee shop “Grounds”. I think the presentation, upon picking it up, could use some work!

Paying the $45 USD resort fee at the Swan Reserve will give you the following benefits:

Location

The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel is a short boat ride away from Epcot or a nice stroll along some Disney World landmarks to enter the parks.

It’s also next to the Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf course, which was a fun attraction and wonderfully Disney-themed.

We opted to get to the park on foot in the morning. It took all of 18 minutes, walking at a normal pace while sipping our coffees. You’ll start by stepping out of the front door and following the signs for Disney Water Taxi and Disney’s Boardwalk.

At this point, you can choose to take the water taxi, but walking is faster.

Soon after, you’ll see the signs for Boardwalk, make a right turn under the large sign, then another right at Dueling Pianos. By this time, you should simply need to follow the crowd, but eventually, you’ll see the Disney Skyliner station for Epcot, which is your entrance.

If you’re interested in riding or “Rope-Dropping” Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, this is the best entrance, as Remy’s is right next to these gates.

Parking

Parking costs $35 USD per day. Between the costs of a rental car and needing to pay for parking everywhere, we opted to simply take Lyft everywhere during our three-day trip to Orlando. 

If you didn’t know, you can get 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on Lyft Rides with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and stack that with another 2 BILT Points per dollar by linking your account to Lyft.

Room – Chairman, 1 Bedroom Suite, 1 King, Sofa Bed, Epcot View, Balcony

Simply put, the Chairman Suite is one of the most incredible hotel rooms we’ve stayed in, and it must be right up there with the best rooms to stay in when visiting Disney World.

We were in the 9th-floor Chairman Suite, and the cool factor went sub-zero when we realized there was only one Chairman Suite per floor.

Stepping into the room, jaws hit the floor, with a stunning view of Epcot and the Swan and Dolphin hotels.

We didn’t use the front closet at all, but you’ll find the ironing accessories here.

The main living area is enormous, with a dining table for six and a complete living room. Throughout the main room, you’ll find Disney memorabilia and art. The view is enough art for me, though!

An unstocked mini fridge, coffee machine, microwave, ice bucket, and some glassware are tucked away in the corner. 

Strangely missing from this “kitchen” area was a wine opener. Considering the wine has a cork and not a screw top, this seems like an oversight, but we used the old ‘push the cork into the bottle’ trick. The complimentary Fiji water was an elevated touch!

Across from the refreshment nook is the balcony, which is an AH-mazing amenity and truly something unique to experience thanks to miles and points. 

The views of Epcot fireworks and the Disney Springs drone show are truly magic to watch from the comfort of your own hotel room. The bottom right picture in this sequence shows the morning view, which was extra special, with the Spaceship Earth Sphere lit up.

Looking back into the suite from the floor-to-ceiling windows gives another good perspective of the layout. 

The two huge TVs within eyeshot of one another are absolutely unnecessary but ostentatious in the best way. In an ironic fashion, none of the TVs had a direct connection to Disney’s own streaming service, Disney+.

Moving into the bedroom, it’s also impeccably designed with equally impressive views.

There’s a small office space here if you need to get some work done while letting other family members enjoy the main room of the suite. For longer stays, there’s ample storage underneath the TV and a safe.

The full-length mirror in the bedroom is oversized and perfectly fits the space next to the impressive artwork above the bed.

The side tables are one of the few quirks in the room. The outlets on the window side table are almost buried within the mattress. But I was happy to see USB-A and USB-C connectivity.

There are two closets in the bedroom, and the entrance to the bathroom is in between them. It’s a polished and sleek look. We found one robe in the closet and the other in the bathroom. The robes were perfectly average. I find that Autograph collection properties vary significantly in terms of their robe quality.

Stepping into the bathroom for the first time is an event as the French door swings inwards. Considering the grand entrance, it’s a bit disappointing, really, but the Elemis bath products were excellent.

The shower setup is what I’ve been referring to as the ‘Marriott Standard,’ which is a rainfall and handheld shower head. There were even more Elemis products in the shower. Call me silly, but I despise those large communal bottles of shower products that almost all Marriott hotels use now.

The toilet chamber is accessible from the bathroom and the main hallway.

My favorite feature here was the motion sensor night light, which I first saw at the Westin Harbor Castle and think more hotels need to implement.

Restaurants & Bars

AMARE

Amare is the hotel’s flagship restaurant located on the lobby level. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Considering one of the perks of staying at this hotel is 30 minutes early entry, I don’t see much of a reason to attend the restaurant for breakfast, as you’re missing out on valuable park time if you choose to do so.

Grounds

Grounds is a quick-service restaurant and coffee shop where you can pick up your “perfect pairing” wine package as a welcome amenity.

There are some fun Mickey-themed treats available and cozy seating to enjoy snacks. It’s conveniently located next to the Swan Reserve pool, but the best pools are closer to the Swan and Dolphin sister resorts.

Stir

Right next to the check-in area and just in front of Grounds is Stir. Hidden well behind some unique pillars is a beautiful bar, which would’ve made an excellent place to enjoy a nightcap if not for the wine we had in our room.

Swan & Dolphin Restaurants

Another benefit of staying at the Swan Reserve is visiting any of the many restaurants inside Swan and Dolphin hotels and charging the bill to your room. 

If you’re not in the habit of writing any meals on the property to your room, you’re missing out on points. Incidentals like food and beverage charges earn points just like your room rate does!

Cabana Bar & Beach Club – Poolside Dining

At the pool next to the Dolphin, you’ll find Cabana, which serves food until about 5:00 PM.

Ordering is easy through a QR code located on each chair, and we enjoyed a dip in the pool while waiting for our pizza and chicken tenders to arrive. The food was really excellent!

Facilities

Fitness Center

While we walked to the parks in the morning, I quickly stepped into the gym to snap a few photos. The gym is not far from the Swan Reserve, but it’s much closer to the Swan Hotel. One of the nicer details was cold towels that were readily available.

Pool

There are many pools on the property here, but we spent most of our time at the pool in front of Cabana and the ‘Grotto’ pool just next to it. The Grotto has a super cool water feature and water slide! Both are not far from the Swan Reserve; in fact, you can even see the Swan Reserve from the Grotto pool.

Spa

The spa is located in the Swan Hotel and is highly regarded, but we didn’t have time for it on this trip; we only had time for the parks!

Shuttle Service

Even more reason to avoid renting a car, the hotel provides a shuttle service to all the Disney Parks and Disney Springs. When we arrived before our room was ready, we hopped on a shuttle to Disney Springs and arrived within 20 minutes. 

One downside to using the shuttle system to access the parks is that it’s not official Disney transportation, so you’re dropped quite far from park entrances.

Swan Boats

You are granted a Swan Boat rental as part of your non-negotiable $45 USD resort fee. We didn’t find the time for this, but they are covered with a canvas roof for a break from the Florida sun.

Beach Area

On the beach, you’ll find a volleyball net, a large playground, and some hammocks for lounging. Swimming is not allowed in the Swan Boat Pond, so it’s not the most populated area of the resort.

Disney Planners

Tucked in the corner of the lobby level is the Disney Planning station, but we never saw Disney staff here. We did have some questions about dining reservations and Multi-Pass Lightning Lane, but we found that the Swan Hotel had much more consistent staffing at its Disney Planning booth.

Conclusion

Staying at any of the three Marriott-Disney World hotels will give you excellent perks, but the Swan Reserve is the freshest. Elite benefits could be better, but the generosity with NUAs was terrific and made our stay extra special.

It would be an even more attractive hotel if Marriott Bonvoy points went further, but considering Disney hotels with the same VIP perks are often even more expensive, the chance to use points here is a win. We will definitely check accommodation options at the Swan Reserve before any other hotel the next time we plan to visit!