Renovated Coronado Springs ... Not a Fan

[SharonZ]

I like the refurbished rooms at CSR, and it's still my favorite moderate. It never took me more than a 10 minute walk to get to El Centro, from anywhere at the resort.

 

[FlyingBelle]

I've stayed at CSR twice, the first time many years ago for a conference, and more recently last month for a week at the Disney Institute (amazing, by the way). I've never been a fan of the resort because of the size, but when it's paid for by your employer I'm not going to complain!

First, we LOVED the new rooms - the floors, the shower, the over sized TV, the Keurig, the USB ports everywhere... pretty much loved everything!

I'm a klutz and spill things everywhere. I loved being able to wipe up the floor quick and not wonder what other coffee, hair goop, etc. was smudged into the carpets. I also got a little chocolate on the bed the first day, which left a nice brown smear (can't image what mousekeeping thought!) and the next day I had crisp white bedding again!

DH loved the shower so much he wants to recreate it at home. Weren't sure about the mounted shampoo/conditioner/bath wash - but it looked very clean and we noticed they refilled throughout the week. The other amenities were nice - lotion and aloe gel in individual bottles. I even noticed the last day in the shower cap box was a small white pony tail holder (wish I found that earlier in the week!)

Oh the beds... the most comfortable night sleep in a hotel ever! Yes, I banged my shin a few times on the platform (my only complaint).

Location - we were in Casitas 4 - which felt far at the end of some long days, but was very close to Bus stop 2, a pool, the workout room and laundry. It was about a 5 minute walk to El Centro. If I had my choice, I'd probably chose Casitas 3 to be a little closer to El Centro.

Construction - was there the 1st week of Oct, and I heard the construction of the restaurant on the lake and the high rise as early as 7am (as I was walking to my sessions). But couldn't hear anything in the room. Was disappointed with the selections in the gift shop (as others mentioned - is under refurbishment), but that didn't stop me from spending a fortune.

Pepper Market - very disappointing. As others mentioned, it looks more like a shopping mall food court than a southwestern experience, but it was clean. I actually found the food choices more disappointing than anything. I had to special request some basic vegetables - they only had corn/pepper mix and some kind of squash. I'm more of a fresh, green veggies eater. Upon request I was able to get steamed broccoli, but it would take 15 minutes or longer each time.

Overall our experience with the refurbished room was enough for us to want to consider staying at CBR for a non-business trip in the future.

 

[snappy]

I've stayed at CSR twice, the first time many years ago for a conference, and more recently last month for a week at the Disney Institute (amazing, by the way). I've never been a fan of the resort because of the size, but when it's paid for by your employer I'm not going to complain!

First, we LOVED the new rooms - the floors, the shower, the over sized TV, the Keurig, the USB ports everywhere... pretty much loved everything!

I'm a klutz and spill things everywhere. I loved being able to wipe up the floor quick and not wonder what other coffee, hair goop, etc. was smudged into the carpets. I also got a little chocolate on the bed the first day, which left a nice brown smear (can't image what mousekeeping thought!) and the next day I had crisp white bedding again!

DH loved the shower so much he wants to recreate it at home. Weren't sure about the mounted shampoo/conditioner/bath wash - but it looked very clean and we noticed they refilled throughout the week. The other amenities were nice - lotion and aloe gel in individual bottles. I even noticed the last day in the shower cap box was a small white pony tail holder (wish I found that earlier in the week!)

Oh the beds... the most comfortable night sleep in a hotel ever! Yes, I banged my shin a few times on the platform (my only complaint).

Location - we were in Casitas 4 - which felt far at the end of some long days, but was very close to Bus stop 2, a pool, the workout room and laundry. It was about a 5 minute walk to El Centro. If I had my choice, I'd probably chose Casitas 3 to be a little closer to El Centro.

Construction - was there the 1st week of Oct, and I heard the construction of the restaurant on the lake and the high rise as early as 7am (as I was walking to my sessions). But couldn't hear anything in the room. Was disappointed with the selections in the gift shop (as others mentioned - is under refurbishment), but that didn't stop me from spending a fortune.

Pepper Market - very disappointing. As others mentioned, it looks more like a shopping mall food court than a southwestern experience, but it was clean. I actually found the food choices more disappointing than anything. I had to special request some basic vegetables - they only had corn/pepper mix and some kind of squash. I'm more of a fresh, green veggies eater. Upon request I was able to get steamed broccoli, but it would take 15 minutes or longer each time.

Overall our experience with the refurbished room was enough for us to want to consider staying at CBR for a non-business trip in the future.

This is a very thorough review! Thanks for posting!

 

[dizneefan13]

Oh yeah. I personally like it. I know a lot do not.

I like the new rooms, too. I really didn't think I would. I thought the flooring would make the room louder and feel cooler.
I didn't notice either of these things. Compared to carpet that gets so much traffic and is hard to keep clean, I'm okay with the "wood" floors.
I especially love the new desk/drawer area. And the kuerig coffee machines. The three shelves came in so handy to set stuff on. The long counter/desk area also gives a lot of space to put things. The desk chair is nice. The grey chair is nice too, although kind of "hard".
I love that they kept the sliding doors to the bathroom area. And the bathroom with two sinks is awesome, although a little tight. It has lots of shelves and cubbies for your toiletries and things. The shower is great. Roomy with two shower heads.

We are going back in April and at first I reserved POFQ because we haven't stayed there yet. But I changed it to CSR because
1.POFQ has nothing like the counter space CSR has, and no desk at all.
2. I like the bathroom area lots better in CSR.
3. CSR has the kuerig.
4. I like the new beds in CSR.
5. I think POFQ still has the ac/heater unit under the window. CSR has it "flat" on the wall, taking no space. (my mom used an ECV and we need a parking place for it.

These are just a few of the reasons we are going back to CSR. I'm not one to care that much about the room; most of our time is spent in the parks or sometimes Disney springs and other resorts for meals and stuff. I would stay in a value, but for me, that décor is over the top and too "gaudy". I get enough of the Disney theme when I'm in the parks.

 

[MassJester]

Just got back from a few days CSR.

The room worked well for me. The bed was comfortable, the desk area useable (which, alas, does not go without saying), and the bathroom area was nice. I would have designed more counter space around the sink, but that’s a small complaint. The WiFi worked without any problems at all—if they had gotten nothing else right, this would have been a huge positive.

Sound travels between the rooms more easily than I would like.

El Mercado is my only lingering sore spot. Disney still struggles with the idea of good food delivered quickly—although the pricing is premium.

 

[FlyingBelle]

El Mercado is my only lingering sore spot. Disney still struggles with the idea of good food delivered quickly—although the pricing is premium.

They did tell us that El Mercado is run by a 3rd party. Not an excuse, as they said they expect their vendors to deliver the same quality and principles as Disney, but we found it interesting that on this particular property it's not Disney run.

 

[Brett Wyman]

They did tell us that El Mercado is run by a 3rd party. Not an excuse, as they said they expect their vendors to deliver the same quality and principles as Disney, but we found it interesting that on this particular property it's not Disney run.

Interesting. Is that the only restaurant on property managed by a 3rd party. And what is the reason?

 

[Moliphino]

Interesting. Is that the only restaurant on property managed by a 3rd party. And what is the reason?

All the restaurants at Coronado are run by a third party (Palmas). They also manage all of the restaurants in Mexico at Epcot.

 

[Princessclab]

All the restaurants at Coronado are run by a third party (Palmas). They also manage all of the restaurants in Mexico at Epcot.

Yes, I was told this in September when we were there, not at a conference. No issues for us, we loved it at CSR as I have said here before.
The whole resort service was very polished and on a higher scale than we have experienced at other moderate resorts.

 

[nkereina]

There's several third party operated restaurants across WDW - Yak & Yeti, most of the ones at Disney Springs, a few throughout Epcot. El Mercado is third party operated too, but the only differences we found are that we didn't care as much for the sweets there, and the pizzas were more flatbread style than the thick doughy pizza you find at WDW operated QS.

 

[Pizzaman12]

Does anyone know how far along they are with renovating the existing standard/preferred rooms? Trying to figure out what our chances are of having a new room in January.

 

[Moliphino]

Does anyone know how far along they are with renovating the existing standard/preferred rooms? Trying to figure out what our chances are of having a new room in January.

All rooms are done.

 

[Pizzaman12]

All rooms are done.

Thx!

 

[Babsy]

The one thing that is most consistent about Disney is change. We were going to CSR back when the rooms looked like this. Some actual color in the rooms, now the bed spreads might be a bit much in today's world but they had some color.

I just really feel across the board they have made all the spaces look generic, some of that Disney magic is gone.

Same goes for the Pepper Market vs El Mercado. IMHO they could have made a few changes and added Coco and it would have been fun, now it looks like a mall food court.

My opinion, FWIW:

I LOVED those original bedrooms with the bedspreads! I even liked the second version, but the latest leaves me cold. No character.

The old Pepper Market was just beautiful. The new food court is lifeless.

I really enjoyed the 70's though! LOL!

 

[Once.Upon.A.Time]

Would you recommend this resort or Old Key West? The only resort I've been to is Caribbean Beach. Two adults in our 20's and 30's traveling.

 

[snappy]

I have not stayed at CSR either before or after refurbishment. But I love OKW. If you can grab a 1 if 2 bedroom you will be amazed at the space. It is still being refurbished though, for what it’s worth.

 

[Once.Upon.A.Time]

I have not stayed at CSR either before or after refurbishment. But I love OKW. If you can grab a 1 if 2 bedroom you will be amazed at the space. It is still being refurbished though, for what it’s worth.

Thank you so much.

 

[samsonjs]

As an interior designer, I think it’s important to point out that this is the look for hospitality right now. Neutral tones, wood, easy to clean, hard surfaces are all in and expected from today’s travelers and Disney is trying to keep their rooms relevant to today. Eventually, the rooms will be renovated again and maybe it will go back to more of a heavy theme. Life span of hotel furnishings is usually 7-15 years.

I personally like the CSR refurbed rooms and we stayed in one. I also have a 3yo and she used the shower but I know not all kids like it. I personally would never use a tub. I liked hard floors for cleanliness.

Also loved the bathroom storage, separate toilet/shower room, the nightstand set up with fan switch/usb, large tv, large room counter.

 

[Searc]

As an interior designer, I think it’s important to point out that this is the look for hospitality right now. Neutral tones, wood, easy to clean, hard surfaces are all in and expected from today’s travelers and Disney is trying to keep their rooms relevant to today. Eventually, the rooms will be renovated again and maybe it will go back to more of a heavy theme. Life span of hotel furnishings is usually 7-15 years.

I personally like the CSR refurbed rooms and we stayed in one. I also have a 3yo and she used the shower but I know not all kids like it. I personally would never use a tub. I liked hard floors for cleanliness.

Also loved the bathroom storage, separate toilet/shower room, the nightstand set up with fan switch/usb, large tv, large room counter.

If you thought the hard floors were clean, I'm guessing you never looked at the bottom of your socks or wiped anything off the floor.

 

[snappy]

I am fine with the white bedding. Just wish there were some touch of color elsewhere in the room. Non descript colored drapes and shower curtain, all white towels.

One of our favorite newish hotels in NYC has excellent quality white bedding on the beds and real wood plank flooring. Uber clean and comfortable. But there is a large colorful rug on the floor under the bed, interesting coordinated scarves and pillows on the bed as well, and the lighting fixtures and bedside tables are well designed and bold and colorful yet utilitarian. It doesn’t feel institutional at all.