My Stay at the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve

The Swan Reserve is nineteen miles from Orlando Airport (MCO) and is about a half-hour drive without traffic. The building looks new and modern, which is refreshing to see in contrast to its sister resorts the Swan and Dolphin. My family of five — 2 adults and 3 teenagers — were extremely comfortable in our one-bedroom signature suite, which included 2 queen beds, a sofa with a pull out and a dining table with a kitchenette. The resort is modern with lots of natural lighting in the lobby. It has subtle tributes to Disney, so if you have younger kids looking for a classic "Disney" look, this will not be ideal for them. The new building does have a standard pool located on the 3rd floor, with a gym on the 2nd floor. You do have the option of walking across the street and utilizing 5 additional pools — including a 3-acre grotto and 2 lap pools — at the neighboring Walt Disney World Swan Hotel and Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.

The resort is conveniently located near Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios. You have a couple of options to get to either park. The first option is, taking a 15-minute walk across the street to the Disney Swan and Dolphin resorts and walk straight to the hotel's dock and ride the complimentary boat. One boat will take you to Epcot and the other will take you to Hollywood Studios, which takes about fifteen minutes each way. The second option is taking the complimentary bus to Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. It picks you up every thirty minutes from the front of the hotel. For our ride to Epcot, we took the 15-minute boat ride and for our ride to Disney Springs, we took a Lyft, which took about ten minutes each way and cost us approximately thirty dollars round trip including tip.

I recommend the Swan Reserve for any Marriott Bonvoy members or visitors who do not need the comprehensive "Disney Experience." Despite having less amenities, I enjoyed this facility more than the Dolphin since it's brighter and cleaner. This is a great place to stay for one night prior to embarking on your cruise in Port Canaveral. The drive is about an hour and fifteen minutes.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Florida. In need of further inspiration? Check out Rosalind Ng’s guide, Adventures at Wrangell - St. Elias National Park & Preserve & Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.