Take a look inside a Swan Reserve room:
The Swan and Dolphin resorts are not officially Disney resorts, though they are directly on Disney property (and in a great location, too!). They are owned and operated by Marriott, but get many of the same perks as Disney resort guests.
While the two original resorts have been around have been around Disney World for awhile (since 1990), more recently we had the addition of the Swan Reserve. This new resort opened in 2021, and I had the chance to stay there on a recent trip (check out my full review of the Swan Reserve here!).
One nice option at Disney’s Swan Reserve, especially for families, is that there are a lot of suite options. You can get a 1 or 2 bedroom suite here. The 1-bedrooms typically sleep up to 6 people, while the 2-bedroom suites can accommodate 8 people.
There are some standard rooms available too, which is what we stayed in. The standard rooms have either 2 queen beds or a king bed plus sofa bed.
I was in room 6315, which was a standard room with a king bed and pull-out sofa bed.
The room basics
We had a good amount of space, with the standard rooms at the Swan Reserve coming in at 330 square feet. Perhaps not quite as large as a Disney deluxe standard room, but definitely more space than a moderate!
The door opened to a small hallway, with the bathroom and a closet on the left (full length mirror on the right).
The main room area had the king bed and sofa bed, plus a TV, chest of drawers, coffee table, and desk area with chair. A mini fridge was in a cabinet below the TV.
The Swan Reserve is pretty small, all things considered – so I would say all of the rooms probably have a decent location. We were maybe 6 rooms down from the elevators on the 6th floor, and it was convenient to everything.
One downside to this room vs. a Disney deluxe resort room is that it didn’t have a balcony. I do enjoy having that little outside space to sit and drink coffee in the morning or just relax outside. But the room does have floor to ceiling windows, and we had a view of the pool. Plus you could see Hollywood Studios and the Tower of Terror from our room!
Beds
This room had a king size bed and a pull-out sofa bed (some rooms have 2 queens). The king bed was comfy. My dad said the sofa bed wasn’t too bad (he slept on it all 3 nights even though I offered to switch if he needed it, so I guess it wasn’t terrible!).
It was a more traditional pull-out style sofa. Many of the official Disney resorts have shifted to a pull-down murphy bed. Honestly those are usually more comfortable! If you don’t need to use it as a bed, it’s nice to have a sofa in the room too.
There were two nightstands on either side of the bed. It’s always nice to have two, and not just one in between the two beds! Each one had a drawer and some storage space underneath. There were a number of different outlet types to plug in here. There were also more outlets over by the TV.
Bathroom
The bathroom was a decent size, with a nice sink area and mirror. It’s not a ton of “getting ready” space, but for a room that has a king bed you probably wouldn’t expect too many people anyway.
One downside that we noticed here – the lighting in the bathroom, particularly by the sink, was rather dim. Especially when putting on make-up or sunscreen, it was hard to see.
The shower is a stand-alone shower (no bathtub). They have built-in shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. It’s not H2O brand like the Disney resorts, but it smelled pleasant and it worked!
One interesting note about the door to the bathroom – it’s a barn-style door that you slide back and forth. I think there is an advantage to this in a hotel room, where you have close quarters and don’t want to open the door into anyone. But this door in particular was VERY heavy. I can’t imagine a younger child or even an elderly person being able to open or close it without assistance.
Themeing
The Swan Reserve does not have a particularly strong themeing element to it like many of the Disney resorts. I do feel like there is a slight “water” vibe going on. Blues are the predominent color, and the bit of art in the room focused on a pool and swimmers.
Other than that, there is a lot of white and gray. It has a very modern feel overall.
Video tour of the Swan Reserve room
Not sure where to start when planning your Disney World trip? Feeling overwhelmed with all of the information and how to keep track of everything?
Consider vacation planning printables – over 60 pages of trip planning, including a budget worksheet, guide to characters, trip comparison worksheet, a look at the dining plans, info about Disney Lightning Lane passes, daily itineraries, packing checklist, and much more.
Overall thoughts on the Swan Reserve rooms
The Swan Reserve is a very nice place to stay. The rooms are a good size and comfortable, and the location of the hotel is excellent. The price can be a positive as well – especially if you have Marriott points, because you can use those here.
For me personally, I missed the magical themeing of a Disney resort. I would stay at the Swan or Dolphin again, but it won’t be my top choice. And I’d probably choose to be at either the Swan or Dolphin (and not the Swan Reserve) to be closer to all of the main amenities.
Related Posts
Have you stayed in a Swan Reserve room? How did you like it?
Leave a Reply