Sitting right in the middle of Walt Disney World Resort, the Swan and Dolphin properties give you genuine proximity to the parks without staying in a Disney-branded hotel. A complimentary water taxi runs to Epcot and Hollywood Studios every 15–20 minutes, and shuttle buses cover the rest of the resort every 20–30 minutes. You also get the full suite of Disney resort guest perks: early park entry, extended evening hours, and the ability to book Lightning Lane passes up to seven days ahead. The resorts themselves lean toward a polished, upscale feel — think spa, multiple restaurants, and comfortable rooms after long days on your feet. That combination of location, transport links and Disney benefits makes this a strong pick for families who want convenience and a bit more style than the standard on-site options.
Excellent location and amenities. Loved the pool and beach area. Proximity to Boardwalk and Epcot can’t be beat. Our AC unit was broken and maintenance was there within 10 minutes to fix it. Facilities were clean and well kept. Great coffee shop downstairs. We had an excellent stay and would definitely stay here again.
I’m extremely disappointed with our experience during this stay. We arrived close to midnight after traveling four hours with a one-year-old. I had spoken very highly about this property to my son and daughter-in-law, so it was especially upsetting for all of us to be met with such poor service right from the start. Upon arrival, our card was approved and processed — which is typically one of the first steps during check-in — so it was very confusing and frustrating to later be told there was an issue with the card. We were also initially told there was no self-parking or valet available, yet we were still being charged $40 per night for parking and instructed to park at another property and walk. At that hour, exhausted and with a toddler, this was extremely inconvenient. Management was unable to resolve the situation, yet after nearly an hour a valet staff member overheard us and was able to accommodate us. This raises the question of why the issue could not have been properly handled from the beginning. Unfortunately, the problems continued. After speaking with the front desk about the card situation, we were told to go up to our room. When we did, we discovered our key had been deactivated and we were locked out — despite already trying to resolve the issue with them. This resulted in multiple unnecessary trips up and down with a toddler, adding significant stress to our stay. At the front desk, Cata appeared dismissive and even rolled her eyes during the interaction. We were told security would meet us upstairs to assist, but no one ever showed up. When we spoke with the manager, there was no empathy or genuine concern shown — only a generic, policy-based apology. I have stayed at this property before and always had positive experiences, which is why I confidently recommended it to my family. Unfortunately, this stay was poorly handled and far below the level of service I expected.
I recently stayed at the Walt Disney World Swan during a bittersweet trip—my last rest stop before deploying soon. When I shared this with the front desk staff, they went above and beyond, upgrading my room to an amazing, spacious suite that felt like a true sanctuary. The large, comfortable setup with its Heavenly Bed let me fully decompress, isolate in peace, and make precious memories with my family, turning what could have been a stressful time into a wonderful, unexpected surprise for them. The Swan has always been my favorite Disney hotel—it just feels like home every time. The food selection across all the on-site restaurants was fantastic, with fresh options for every meal. Service was impeccable from check-in to checkout, with friendly staff who truly care. If you’re looking for luxury, convenience to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and genuine hospitality, the Swan delivers. Highly recommend—especially for military families!
We’ve been coming to the Swan and Dolphin since our children were little. This time around we brought our grandchildren so it was a full circle moment. The Swan is definitely a quieter and more intimate experience than the Dolphin’s hustle and bustle. We arrived as a group at around 3:00 pm and check in went smoothly. There was a bit of a line and Jessica, the lovely concierge, was helping out by checking guests in at her desk. She took care of us and we were off to our rooms and explore the hotel. Our rooms were very nicely appointed with views of both the friendship boat docks, the Dolphin hotel across the way and also the Boardwalk and Spaceship Earth in the distance. We were able to catch fireworks behind the Dolphin building every night which was great for the little ones. The beds were extremely comfortable but the pillows not so much. They were all hard foam pillows. I always travel with my own and I recall reading a review where someone bought theirs at a local Target. I didn’t call guest services to ask if they had softer pillows so I did not know if that was an option. As an FYI, you can actually Instacart a pillow if need be and anything else to the bell desk and pick it up there. We ordered a few things we needed on Instacart and it it was great. The AC worked really well and housekeeping kept our rooms impeccable. We sadly didn’t get to enjoy the hotel’s pools or grounds because after a days of chasing the kids around the parks all we wanted was to go upstairs. So we were grateful for our quiet, clean, comfortable rooms. But the grounds and pools did look beautifully kept and well maintained. The hotel staff were top notch and so very kind. Everyone went out of their way to make our stay more enjoyable. The Swan is the perfect blend of Westin hospitality and Disney magic. It’s a luxurious oasis in the middle of the action and it’s a Marriott Bonvoy hotel (hello points!). We can’t wait to return with the family.
We chose to stay here mainly because of the location, but also because they offer an annual passholder discount/booking rate. We have stayed here at the Swan previously, and we have also stayed at the Dolphin across the way. We booked a room with a balcony. It does cost quite a lot to park here, so maybe leave your car behind, or don’t get a rental car. We Ubered/Lyfted from the airport. Upon arrival there was quite a line to check in (Friday afternoon). We were patient and were served by a lovely employee at the front desk who was very friendly and helpful. She even offered to look for availability for a King bed, but there wasn’t any so she was able to give us a balcony with a theme park view! We were on the east side on the 5th floor facing towards Epcot/boardwalk. We even got a corner room! That was awesome! The view was amazing, out the side we could see the dolphin and the friendship boats, out the front we could see the Epcot ball all lit up, and the backside of the boardwalk. This meant that we could see Luminous from our balcony! It was awesome! The room was nice, it had 2 queen beds. I wish it had more storage options, since we were staying for 8 nights, but since this is just a standard hotel room, it had standard options. It was nice that there were two sinks, one outside the bathroom, and one inside the bathroom. The toilet, sink, and shower were behind the door, and the other sink and closet were outside the bathroom. The shower had two shower heads basically so it had great water volume and pressure. The closet had a long and short closet rod for hanging and quite a few hangers which was great. This is also where the safe was, the iron and ironing board, and the luggage/duffle rack. The main room had 4 large drawers, and the mini fridge. It also had the single serving coffee maker. There were plugs on the lamp on this dresser/countertop. The TV was large, had a decent amount of channels, but also had the sign ins for various streaming services which was great. There was a small desk and rolling chair. There was a plug on the wall by the desk. There was also one sitting chair. The balcony had two chairs and a small table and that took up most of the balcony. The sliding door and the window were both almost floor to ceiling so it was quite large and had a lot of natural light. The AC went down to 65 which was great. In the envelope with your room key, there is a card with hotel information on it, and it explains that the room auto defaults to 71 or 72 when it detects you aren’t in the room, but then when you enter it will turn on and go back to what you set it at. However our room stayed cool the entire time, so our thermostat was great. The only thing was the vent fan/exhaust fan was quite loud at night and just made some more white noise during the night. Also note that since were close to the friendship boats, we could hear the horns honking all day and night. We eventually got used to it, but it is quite noticeable. Bring your earplugs or your white noise machine if you are sensitive to noises early morning or at night. Also, our door had a gap on the side and bottom (I think it was just the way our door was put on the hinges), so we could hear lots of hallway noise as well. I had to put a towel under the door to block some more noise (we didn’t want to complain because we didn’t want to have to move rooms because we loved the view!). There is an app that is useful for things like the amenities, restaurant, hours, and maps. There are two community microwaves near the ice machines on certain floors. There is only one nightstand in the middle between the two beds and that’s where the lamp is with the plugs, and also USB plugs. There is not nightstands or plugs on the other sides of the beds which was kind of a bummer there. There is no drawer here, just a shelf. The room also came with two Dasani water bottles each time housekeeping came in which was awesome for taking with to the parks each morning. Upon check in we were asked if we would like housekeeping every day or every 3 days. We chose every day. It seemed that they got to our specific room between 1-5pm. We had to come back to the room sometimes for work calls and sometimes we would leave the room around 4-5pm, and then our room would not get done that day. Also one day we came back at 4:45pm and our room was currently being done. Just note that depending on when you are in the room for whatever reason for the timing, your room might not get done. However if we were out of the room before 4pm ish, then when we returned after 5pm ish, our room would be done. We felt this was a little late in the day, but understand they have many rooms and probably get to ours at the end of their rotation. When they did come however they replenished everything and everything was clean and stocked. Overall the room was clean and comfortable and served our purpose for the week. The hotel is in a great location, as it is within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood studios, as well as the other resorts there (dolphin, swan reserve, boardwalk, yacht club, beach club), which is great for shopping, dining, and checking out other resorts. We also got the resort refillable mug, and liked filling it up at the yacht club every day since they had a coke freestyle machine. You could also purchase and fill up your cup at the boardwalk deli, but they have a standard soda machine. The friendship boat dock is great, as the boats come every 15 minutes, and it is the last stop right before Hollywood studios. The other direction however it has to stop at 2 resorts before Epcot, so its better to walk to the boardwalk and catch the boat from there directly to Epcot. The resort offers bus transportation to the parks and Disney Springs. However in our experience, since this is run by a third party (Mears), they run less often (about every 30 minutes), aren’t as reliable, and drop off and pick up at third party bus stops at the parks (the TTC for magic kingdom and the far bus loop at the end of Disney springs). Therefore, it was easier for us to walk to the yacht club or boardwalk and take the busses to magic kingdom, animal kingdom, and Disney Springs from one of those resorts as they run more often, are reliable, and pick up and drop off closer to the park entrances. Note that after the nightly rate, there is a $50 daily resort fee that gets added onto each night. Read the card they provide to you at check in to see what all is included. They have a small swan pool and hot tub, and an absolutely huge shared pool with the dolphin that has three hot tubs and a small water slide. There is also another smaller pool off to the side there. You get access to the swan peddling boats, wifi, fitness classes, and s’mores on the beach. You also get the Disney resort benefits such as the early entry perk, and the extended evening hours perk. (Don’t forget to add your confirmation number to the Disney app so it is linked in your hotel reservations). You also get to park for free at the Disney park parking lots. There is a gift shop in the lobby, a coffee shop, a sushi restaurant, and a breakfast restaurant, there is also an Italian restaurant. If you are a Marriott member, you can also earn and spend your Marriott points here. Really, the price you pay here is pretty good considering the location, and the deluxe hotel perks you get. Since you could pay more for any of the other nearby resorts on Disney property. I would recommend pricing it out with the nearby hotels, especially if you have annual passholder discount, also price out with websites like David’s DVC or DVC rental store. Overall we enjoyed our stay here, it’s a high quality hotel, and would stay again if the price is right due to the location and the perks.
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