Swan vs Dolphin vs Swan Reserve: Which Should You Choose?

If you are trying to decide between the Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve, the confusing part is that they have a lot in common.

They are all Marriott hotels in the EPCOT Resort Area, they share many of the same amenities and Disney benefits, and all three put you within walking distance of EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.

But after actually staying at all three, I think the experience can feel pretty different depending on which one you choose.

I have now stayed at the Dolphin once, the Swan twice, and the Swan Reserve three times. With repeat stays at both the Swan and Swan Reserve, I’ve had a chance to compare all three across several different Disney trips with my kids.

For me, the biggest differences come down to the rooms, hotel size and atmosphere, location within the complex, dining convenience, pool access, and price.

Here is how I would compare the three and what I would think about before booking.

Swan vs Dolphin vs Swan Reserve: Quick Comparison

All three hotels share many of the same Disney benefits and amenities, but they feel surprisingly different once you are actually staying there.

Swan

• Overall feel: Quieter and more relaxed
• Beds: 2 queen beds or 1 king
• Room size: 340 sq. ft.
• Occupancy: 2 adults + 2 children
• Room feel: Updated and comfortable
• Hotel size: Mid-size
• Location: Closest to the Hollywood Studios walking path
• Dining: Several options, plus easy access to the Dolphin
• Pools: Easy access to the main pool complex
• Balconies: Available in some room categories
• Price: Varies
• Best fit: A balance of quiet and location

Dolphin

• Overall feel: Busy and energetic
• Beds: 2 double beds or 1 king
• Room size: 360 sq. ft.
• Occupancy: 2 adults + 3 children
• Room feel: More traditional and less modern
• Hotel size: Largest of the three
• Location: Central to the main resort complex
• Dining: Most dining options in the building
• Pools: Easy access to the main pool complex
• Balconies: Available in some room categories
• Price: Often lower
• Best fit: Dining, activity, and value

Swan Reserve

• Overall feel: Modern, quiet, boutique-style
• Beds: 2 queen beds or 1 king
• Room size: 330 sq. ft.
• Occupancy: 2 adults + 2 children
• Room feel: Bright and modern
• Hotel size: Smallest
• Location: Across the street from the Swan and Dolphin
• Dining: Fewer options in the building, with more across the street
• Pools: Smaller private pool plus access to the main complex
• Balconies: Not available in traditional rooms; some suites may have them
• Price: Often higher
• Best fit: Modern rooms and a quieter atmosphere

The Dolphin has the largest traditional room on paper at 360 square feet, but the Swan Reserve still felt especially spacious during our stay. I think the bright layout and floor-to-ceiling windows had a lot to do with that.

If you want the shortest possible version, I would look at it this way:

Choose the Swan if you want the best balance of a quieter atmosphere and convenient access to the main Swan and Dolphin complex.

Choose the Dolphin if dining, activity, and having more right inside your hotel matter most.

Choose the Swan Reserve if you care most about a smaller, more modern hotel and don’t mind being a little farther from the main amenities.

Want a deeper look at one hotel? I also have full reviews from my stays at the Walt Disney World Swan with kids, Walt Disney World Dolphin with kids, and Walt Disney World Swan Reserve with kids.

What Is the Same at the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve?

Before getting into the differences, it helps to know what you are not giving up by choosing one over another.

Disney World Resort Benefits

All three hotels receive several benefits normally associated with staying at a Disney World resort, despite being operated by Marriott rather than Disney.

Those currently include things like Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours on eligible nights. Guests of all three hotels also currently receive the same advance Lightning Lane booking window as eligible Disney resort guests.

That is a big part of why I keep coming back to these hotels. You are getting a location and many of the perks associated with a Disney Deluxe Resort without necessarily paying Disney Deluxe Resort prices.

Shared Amenities

You are also not limited to the amenities inside the hotel you booked.

Guests can move between the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve for dining and recreation. Swan Reserve guests can also use the larger Swan and Dolphin pool complex across the street.

That makes the differences between the hotels a little less dramatic than they might seem at first. Staying at the Swan does not mean you cannot eat at the Dolphin, and staying at the Swan Reserve does not mean you are stuck with its smaller pool.

Marriott Bonvoy

All three are Marriott properties, so they can be booked through Marriott and participate in Marriott Bonvoy.

The three hotels are under different Marriott brands, which contributes a little to how each one feels, but I would not choose between them based on the brand name alone.

For me, the actual room, location, price, and day-to-day convenience matter much more.

🦢 Check current rates for the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve on Marriott. 🦢

The Biggest Differences Between the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve

The three hotels share a lot, but the differences become more noticeable once you look at the rooms, layout, location, dining, pools, transportation, and price. Those are the things that have had the biggest impact on my stays and are what I would compare most closely before booking.

Rooms, Bed Sizes, and Bathrooms

This is one of the biggest differences between the three, especially if you are traveling with more than two people.

The Swan has two queen beds or one king in its traditional rooms, and the standard room is listed at 340 square feet. The rooms have also been renovated, and on my recent stays they felt clean and updated even though the hotel itself is older.

Both of my Swan rooms happened to have balconies, and I really appreciated having that extra space for meals, drying wet swimsuits, and just stepping outside for a few minutes. Balconies are not included with every Swan room, though. Like the Dolphin, the Swan has room categories both with and without balconies, so I would look specifically at the room type you are booking if that matters to you.

Bathroom layouts can vary. I have stayed in Swan rooms with both a walk-in shower and a traditional bathtub, so I would not choose between these hotels based on the assumption that one will always have a tub. The resort lists shower/tub combinations as available upon request, so if a bathtub matters to your family, I would ask about that when booking.

Here’s a quick look inside our room at the Swan so you can get a feel for the layout and space.

The Dolphin is the outlier when it comes to the standard two-bed setup because its traditional rooms have two double beds rather than queens. It also has the largest standard room of the three at 360 square feet and is listed for up to two adults and three children, which may make it the most practical option for some larger families.

The Dolphin room I stayed in had a traditional bathtub, which was especially helpful when my kids were 9 months and 2. My room did not have a balcony, but the Dolphin also has room categories with balconies, so that was specific to the room I booked rather than a difference between the Dolphin and Swan.

That stay was several years ago, though, so I would not use my experience with the room condition itself as a description of every Dolphin room today. At the time, ours felt more dated than the rooms I have since stayed in at both the Swan and the Swan Reserve.

All three hotels also offer EPCOT View room categories. I have stayed in EPCOT View rooms at the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve, and we have been able to see nighttime fireworks from the room at all three. So while I think the view can be a really fun room upgrade, it is not an advantage that is unique to any one of the hotels.

The Swan Reserve has two queen beds or one king in its traditional rooms, and at 330 square feet it is actually the smallest standard room of the three on paper. That surprised me a little because the Traditional EPCOT View room I stayed in still felt especially spacious. The floor-to-ceiling windows brought in a lot of light, and the bathroom was large enough for us to put the crib inside for nap time without having to completely rearrange the room.

Those floor-to-ceiling windows also made the view feel like a bigger part of the room than it did during my stays at the other two hotels. My kids loved standing in front of them watching everything below, and at night we could see fireworks from both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom.

Take a quick look inside the room here:

Traditional rooms at the Swan Reserve do not have balconies, although some suites do. I have also stayed in the Chairman’s Suite there, which did have a balcony. That is obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison with the traditional rooms I have stayed in at the other hotels, but if you are considering one of the larger suites, this full room tour shows what that setup looks like.

Hotel Size, Layout, and Overall Atmosphere

This is probably the difference I notice most once I am actually staying at these hotels.

The Dolphin is by far the largest and busiest of the three. The lobby is beautiful, but it also felt loud and active when I stayed there, with a lot happening in the main common areas.

That size also affected how easy it felt to navigate with a stroller. In some areas, we came in on a lower level and had to work our way through long hallways to reach the main lobby with our stroller. Escalators were easy to find, but the elevators were sometimes farther away and less obvious. It was all manageable, but it took more effort than the other two hotels.

The Swan feels much calmer and more straightforward. It does not have quite the sleek, boutique feel of the Swan Reserve, but I found it very easy to move through. The lobby is smaller, the layout felt more intuitive, and I never felt like I was navigating a huge hotel just to get back to the room.

The Swan Reserve is the smallest of the three and feels the most like a modern boutique hotel. One thing I especially appreciated there was how easy it was to get in and out with the stroller. There is a large bank of elevators near the ground-floor entrance, and I rarely had to wait long for one. It sounds like a small detail until you are standing there with tired kids, bags, and a stroller at the end of the night.

Overall, I would describe the Dolphin as the busiest and most energetic, the Swan as calmer and more straightforward, and the Swan Reserve as the quietest and most modern.

Location and Walking to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios

All three hotels have an excellent location if you plan to spend a lot of time at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, since you can walk to both parks from any of them. The main difference is where each hotel sits within the overall complex.

The Swan is especially convenient for the walking path toward Hollywood Studios. On our stays there, being able to leave the hotel and head straight onto the path without folding the stroller or waiting for transportation was one of the biggest advantages.

The Swan is also the closest of the three to Disney’s BoardWalk area. On our most recent stay, we had already come back to the room after a long park day and ended up walking over there one night anyway because it was such a quick trip. That gives you easy access not just to more dining, but also to the nighttime entertainment along the BoardWalk without needing to get back on transportation.

The Dolphin is also very convenient and sits right in the middle of many of the shared restaurants and amenities. It does not have quite the same advantage toward the Hollywood Studios path as the Swan, but it still gives you easy access to both parks and the rest of the resort complex.

The Swan Reserve sits across the street from the Swan and Dolphin, so you do add a little extra walking every time you head toward the parks, pools, restaurants, boat launch, or BoardWalk.

I worried about that more before our first stay than I did once we were actually there. I walked back from EPCOT multiple times with my kids in the stroller, including at the end of the night, and I still found the walk very manageable. The extra distance was noticeable, but not enough that it stopped walkability from being one of my favorite things about staying there.

If every extra step matters to you, I would lean toward the Swan or Dolphin. If you care more about having a quieter and more modern hotel, I think the Swan Reserve’s slightly longer walk is a reasonable tradeoff.

Dining and Getting Food Easily

If dining convenience is one of your biggest priorities, the Dolphin has the advantage. It has the most restaurants, quick-service options, and places to grab something without leaving the building. When I stayed there with very young kids, I liked being able to change plans easily without needing to walk somewhere else for food.

The Swan has dining in the building too, but my experience there was a little less straightforward. During one stay, I tried to order room service and had trouble getting the Swan and Dolphin app to work. I also placed a mobile breakfast order that required me to pick it up at the Dolphin. Neither was a huge issue, but it was more friction than I expected first thing in the morning with kids.

The Swan Reserve has fewer dining options inside the hotel itself, but I still found food pretty easy there. We used room service several times, especially for breakfast, and Grounds Coffee Bar was useful for lighter options. For anything else, the Swan and Dolphin are just a short walk away, along with Disney’s Yacht Club, Beach Club, and BoardWalk resorts. We have even grabbed food from the BoardWalk and brought it back to eat in the room.

For me, the real difference is not which hotel has the “best” restaurants, but how important it is to have the most options without leaving your building. If that is a major priority for your trip, I would lean toward the Dolphin.

Pools and Resort Amenities

All three hotels share access to the larger resort recreation offerings, but where you stay makes a difference in how close you are to them.

The main Swan and Dolphin pool complex is much more than just a traditional hotel pool. It includes the grotto pool with a water slide and waterfalls, a kiddie pool, white-sand beach, playground, outdoor games, and seasonal pool activities. My kids especially liked the shaded kiddie pool when they were younger because it felt much more manageable than some of the larger pools we have used at Disney.

A lot of the other family recreation is centered on this side of the resort too. Camp Dolphin, the supervised kids club for ages 4–12, is located on the lower level of the Dolphin, and the resort also has an arcade/game room and Swan paddle boat rentals. The paddle boats and many of the scheduled family activities are based around the Dolphin pool and beach area.

If you are staying at the Swan or Dolphin, those amenities are right in the main complex. That can be especially convenient if you are planning a resort day or expect to spend a lot of time at the pool.

The Swan Reserve has its own pool, and I think it is a very nice pool. It just feels more like a traditional hotel pool than the larger family recreation area across the street. If we wanted the water slide, kiddie pool, playground, Swan boats, or the broader pool activities, we walked over to the Swan and Dolphin side.

That never bothered me enough to change how I feel about the Swan Reserve, but I do think it is an important difference. If your family plans to spend a lot of time enjoying the resort amenities outside the parks, staying at the Swan or Dolphin puts you closer to most of the action.

Transportation

Transportation is mostly the same across all three hotels, so I would not make this the deciding factor unless the small location differences matter to you.

For most of my stays with my kids, we have spent a lot of our park time at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, and I have usually walked to both. With a stroller, that has almost always felt easier to me than waiting for transportation, folding everything up, and loading everyone on and off.

You can also take a FriendShip Boat to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, and buses are available for the other parks.

I have used the bus service to Magic Kingdom from the Swan once. On that ride, it was a traditional motorcoach rather than a Disney-style bus, so strollers and other bulky items had to be stored underneath instead of brought onto the bus with us.

On our trip, the bus picked us up at the Swan first, then stopped at the Dolphin, and then the Swan Reserve. By the time it reached the last stop, it was pretty full. I would not assume that exact pickup order happens every time, but it is something I would keep in mind, especially if you are traveling with a stroller or a lot of gear.

For me, the biggest transportation advantage of these hotels is still being able to skip transportation altogether for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. With kids and a stroller, that convenience is hard to beat.

Price and Overall Value

Pricing can vary quite a bit between the three hotels depending on your dates and availability. The Dolphin is generally considered the least expensive, while the Swan Reserve is often the most expensive, but I have seen enough variation that I would always compare all three if price is an important part of your decision.

For me, value is not necessarily the same thing as choosing the lowest rate. Even when the Swan Reserve is the most expensive of the three, I often still prefer it because I really like the newer rooms, modern atmosphere, and smaller feel of the hotel. Someone else may care much more about getting the lowest rate or being closer to the main amenities, which could make the Swan or Dolphin the better value for their trip.

All three hotels also charge a resort fee, and overnight parking comes with an additional fee. Those charges are the same across the three resorts, so they generally do not change the comparison between them, but they are worth including when you are looking at the total cost of your stay.

Because rates and availability change so much, I would compare the total price of all three for your actual travel dates rather than assuming one will always be the cheapest or most expensive.

🦢 Compare Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve rates and availability on Marriott. 🦢

Swan vs Dolphin: Which Should You Choose?

If you are deciding only between the Swan and Dolphin, I think the biggest differences are the bed setup, hotel size, atmosphere, dining convenience, and how the rooms work for your group.

The Swan is quieter and easier to navigate, and its traditional rooms have two queen beds rather than doubles. At 340 square feet, the rooms are slightly smaller than the Dolphin’s, but I would still lean Swan if queen beds matter to your group, if you expect to walk to Hollywood Studios often.

The Dolphin is larger, busier, and has the biggest concentration of restaurants and activity right inside the building. Its traditional rooms are slightly larger at 360 square feet and are listed for up to two adults and three children, but the two-bed setup uses double beds rather than queens.

After staying at both, I think the Swan strikes a better balance if you want a quieter stay while still being right in the middle of the main complex. I would lean Dolphin if it were meaningfully cheaper for my dates, if I needed the higher room occupancy, or if dining convenience mattered more than having a calmer hotel.

Swan vs Swan Reserve: What’s the Difference?

This is probably the comparison I find most interesting because these two are actually much closer for me.

The Swan has the more convenient position within the main resort complex. You are closer to the larger pool areas and boat launch, and I found the hotel calm and straightforward to navigate.

The Swan Reserve gives you the more modern experience. The rooms feel newer and brighter, the hotel is smaller, and I personally find the atmosphere even quieter.

The tradeoff is that you have to cross the street to reach the Swan and Dolphin side of the complex, which adds a little walking every time you want the main pools, restaurants, or boat dock.

For me, whether the Swan Reserve is worth it comes down to the rate difference for my dates and how much I value its quieter, more modern feel. If the prices are close, I tend to prefer the Reserve. If the Swan is offering the better rate, though, I would be very happy staying there instead.

Dolphin vs Swan Reserve: Which Is Better for Your Trip?

The Dolphin is large, lively, and packed with dining and activity. You are right in the middle of the main resort complex, and its traditional rooms are the largest of the three at 360 square feet. It also has room options that can accommodate up to five guests, which may make it the more practical choice for some larger families. The tradeoff is that the standard two-bed setup uses double beds rather than queens.

The Swan Reserve is smaller, quieter, and much more modern. Its traditional rooms are a little smaller on paper at 330 square feet, but they have two queen beds rather than doubles and felt bright and spacious during our stay. You do give up some immediate access to the main Swan and Dolphin amenities because the Reserve sits across the street.

If you want more dining and activity right inside your hotel, need a room that can sleep five, or simply prefer the livelier atmosphere, I would lean Dolphin. If you care more about a quieter atmosphere, a more modern room, and queen beds, I would lean Swan Reserve.

Which One Is Best With Kids?

I do not think there is one answer for every family. What matters with babies and toddlers can be completely different from what matters once your kids are older, and even small hotel details can make the stay feel easier or harder.

With very young kids, I pay a lot of attention to things that barely register when I travel without them. A bathtub can matter. Elevator access can matter. Room layout can matter. So can how far I have to go when someone suddenly needs food.

I have experienced both bathtubs and walk-in showers across these hotels, so I would not choose one based on the assumption that it will always have a tub. If that matters to your family, the resort lists shower/tub combinations as available upon request, so I would ask about that when booking.

The Dolphin may be especially practical for some larger families because its traditional room is the largest of the three at 360 square feet and is listed for up to two adults and three children. It also has the most dining options inside the building and easy access to many of the resort’s family amenities.

The Swan has worked really well for us because it feels calmer and straightforward to navigate while still keeping you right in the middle of the main Swan and Dolphin complex. The queen beds are another practical advantage over the Dolphin if you are sharing beds with kids.

The Swan Reserve has been the easiest overall hotel layout for me with a stroller, and I like how quiet it feels after a park day. The large bathroom in one of our rooms also gave us enough space to put the crib inside for naps. Even though its traditional room is the smallest of the three on paper, the bright layout and floor-to-ceiling windows still made it feel spacious during our stay.

For families planning to spend a lot of time at the pool or using the playground, Swan boats, arcade, or Camp Dolphin, the Swan or Dolphin also keeps you closer to most of those amenities. From the Swan Reserve, you will need to walk across to the main complex.

Those are the kinds of differences I would pay attention to rather than simply asking which hotel is “best for kids.”

Which Hotel Would I Choose After Staying at All Three?

After six stays across these three hotels, with one stay at the Dolphin, two at the Swan, and three at the Swan Reserve, the Swan Reserve is still my personal favorite.

For me, I really like coming back to a smaller, quieter hotel after a long park day. I also prefer the newer, more modern feel of the rooms, and that has consistently worked well for us.

That said, after staying at the Swan again more recently, I think it is a much closer choice than I used to. The Swan is easy to navigate, the location is excellent, and I like being right in the main complex without feeling like I am in the busiest part of it.

The Dolphin would still make sense for me in the right situation too, especially if the rate were significantly better or if I cared most about having the largest number of dining options right inside the hotel.

If I were booking again, I would compare the rates for all three and then look at what actually matters most for that particular trip. Sometimes that might be price. Sometimes it might be room setup, location, dining, or how much time we plan to spend at the resort.

For my family, the Swan Reserve usually wins because I value the quieter, more modern atmosphere. But I would happily stay at the Swan again too, and I think the Dolphin can be the better fit for families who care more about dining, room occupancy, or having more activity right around them.

🦢 See which of the three has the best rate for your travel dates on Marriott. 🦢

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