Disney's CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT Information & Questions

[Stinky_Pete]

Sigh. So I guess we won't know until arrival which one we'll have. On the positive side, we won't have to pack pods or K-cups!

It sounds like so few buildings have been renovated at this point that I think it unlikely I'll get a newly renovated room. I'm going to ask when I check in, but I am not expecting it.

 

[Olaf63]

Only 7a has been renovated at this time. 8a is in progress

 

[PolDisneyfam]

I'm wondering did you check in early?

Sorry for the late reply. I sprained my foot the day we got back from Disney! Ouch! To answer your question, no, we got there around 8:45pm. We were texted the room number at 11:45am before we had even left home.

 

[lsg1]

We have reservations for December for a King bed room. I see that at this point only 7a is renovated. Are there king beds spread throughout the resort and specifically are then in 7a? We will have a scooter and a car with us. Is it best to request a 1st floor room? I'll wait a while until I call to add any requests to see if more buildings are renovated by December, but I've read a lot of this thread and am excited to visit this resort for the first time. (We've been about 10 times to WL, and twice to Poly and CBR and POR)

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

Sorry for the late reply. I sprained my foot the day we got back from Disney! Ouch! To answer your question, no, we got there around 8:45pm. We were texted the room number at 11:45am before we had even left home.

Sorry to hear about your foot. Thanks for the info.

 

[PolDisneyfam]

We got back a week ago yesterday. Loved it!

Here are my thoughts on the remodeled room and overall Coronado Springs construction. Our dates were Thursday, May 25th - Monday, May 29th. We had booked a standard room.

This was our first time staying at this resort, and we basically picked it because we had good rates with the Passholders discount, and we wanted to try something new. We hadn't been to the resort before and had limited information about construction when booking. We usually stay at AKL, and once at Pop Century.

We were in Ranchos 7A, room 7297 on the corner with no third floor above us, which was nice. It was a lovely remodeled room. Lots of different storage areas around the sinks and in the wardrobe. If you like to unpack like me, you will be pleased. The long counter top in the bedroom area is also a big plus. I also liked the new shower configuration with the glass door, and rain shower head with removable shower sprayer. It actually felt like there was a pretty good amount of water pressure, which is not the case in some hotels. The beds were comfortable, with plenty of pillows, but they have the new standard thin white sheets, blanket and comforter. It can get chilly if you are used to lots of blankets. We did not need them, but we are always hot. There is also an adjustable ceiling fan, which can be adjusted to low, medium, and high. We used it every night as it was hot this week and we like air circulating. I always find hotel rooms dry and hot. The room does have a mini refrigerator which we found to be plenty for our needs. At one point we had a huge carrot cake cookie, two bags of mini carrots, several small and large waters, and a can of coke and sprite and we could have fit more. It seemed to be plenty cold, and I would have no issues storing a small milk or other food in there for a short time. There were numerous outlets throughout the room, so there was no need for that surge protector I brought to use for our multiple plugs, even with the one not functioning. There were also a lot of different light configurations, so the room was well lit. I know the AKL rooms are quite dark compared to these new rooms.

Minor issues with the new room: I couldn't get one set of the outlets to work on the bathroom counter. Also, the barn doors to close off the bathroom and bed area didn't close all the way. There was always a small inch and a half gap, but that was no problem when traveling with husband. The door gap might be a problem for some travelers. The fan to bathroom comes on immediately when walking to the sink area. You can shut if off quickly, but there was no way to stop it from coming on if you got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. It did wake my husband up a few times, but it was very minor. Keep that in mind though if you have little ones who are very light sleepers. It's on some kind of timer, so if you turn it off and walk back and forth for 10 minutes or so getting ready it wont keep kicking back on and off.

A few doors down from us, there was an unfinished room with the curtains pulled open and the lights on all day and night for at least two days. It was a little odd. It does tell you that they are not completely finished with 7A. This room was missing flooring, fixtures, it had some furniture, etc. They also had wet paint signs up on all the exterior walls and railings the day we checked in, May 25th. The room directly next to us had several hard hat construction workers going in and out on the morning of the 26th. The room was occupied, so I imagine they had a problem with something that needed the contractors, and not just maintenance.

We really ended up liking the Ranchos section. The style of the buildings was by far our favorite, along with the cactus landscaping and large red rocks. It was a far walk to El Centro, but a short walk to the quiet pool and bus, and not too bad of a walk to the main pool and bar. By my fitbit, the walk from our room to El Centro was .45 miles. That makes getting things at the store and Pepper Market a bit more taxing.

Let me know if anyone has any other specific questions about the new room, and I'll try to help out. Thanks for reading!

 

[quandrea]

We got back a week ago yesterday. Loved it!

Here are my thoughts on the remodeled room and overall Coronado Springs construction. Our dates were Thursday, May 25th - Monday, May 29th. We had booked a standard room.

This was our first time staying at this resort, and we basically picked it because we had good rates with the Passholders discount, and we wanted to try something new. We hadn't been to the resort before and had limited information about construction when booking. We usually stay at AKL, and once at Pop Century.

We were in Ranchos 7A, room 7297 on the corner with no third floor above us, which was nice. It was a lovely remodeled room. Lots of different storage areas around the sinks and in the wardrobe. If you like to unpack like me, you will be pleased. The long counter top in the bedroom area is also a big plus. I also liked the new shower configuration with the glass door, and rain shower head with removable shower sprayer. It actually felt like there was a pretty good amount of water pressure, which is not the case in some hotels. The beds were comfortable, with plenty of pillows, but they have the new standard thin white sheets, blanket and comforter. It can get chilly if you are used to lots of blankets. We did not need them, but we are always hot. There is also an adjustable ceiling fan, which can be adjusted to low, medium, and high. We used it every night as it was hot this week and we like air circulating. I always find hotel rooms dry and hot. The room does have a mini refrigerator which we found to be plenty for our needs. At one point we had a huge carrot cake cookie, two bags of mini carrots, several small and large waters, and a can of coke and sprite and we could have fit more. It seemed to be plenty cold, and I would have no issues storing a small milk or other food in there for a short time. There were numerous outlets throughout the room, so there was no need for that surge protector I brought to use for our multiple plugs, even with the one not functioning. There were also a lot of different light configurations, so the room was well lit. I know the AKL rooms are quite dark compared to these new rooms.

Minor issues with the new room: I couldn't get one set of the outlets to work on the bathroom counter. Also, the barn doors to close off the bathroom and bed area didn't close all the way. There was always a small inch and a half gap, but that was no problem when traveling with husband. The door gap might be a problem for some travelers. The fan to bathroom comes on immediately when walking to the sink area. You can shut if off quickly, but there was no way to stop it from coming on if you got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. It did wake my husband up a few times, but it was very minor. Keep that in mind though if you have little ones who are very light sleepers. It's on some kind of timer, so if you turn it off and walk back and forth for 10 minutes or so getting ready it wont keep kicking back on and off.

A few doors down from us, there was an unfinished room with the curtains pulled open and the lights on all day and night for at least two days. It was a little odd. It does tell you that they are not completely finished with 7A. This room was missing flooring, fixtures, it had some furniture, etc. They also had wet paint signs up on all the exterior walls and railings the day we checked in, May 25th. The room directly next to us had several hard hat construction workers going in and out on the morning of the 26th. The room was occupied, so I imagine they had a problem with something that needed the contractors, and not just maintenance.

We really ended up liking the Ranchos section. The style of the buildings was by far our favorite, along with the cactus landscaping and large red rocks. It was a far walk to El Centro, but a short walk to the quiet pool and bus, and not too bad of a walk to the main pool and bar. By my fitbit, the walk from our room to El Centro was .45 miles. That makes getting things at the store and Pepper Market a bit more taxing.

Let me know if anyone has any other specific questions about the new room, and I'll try to help out. Thanks for reading!

Since you've stayed at AK before, how did this compare and did construction bother you? I'm doing a cheapo trip and I can get CSR for a bit less than AKL. Will I be disappointed? How was bus transportation and the walk to buses, Libby?

 

[PolDisneyfam]

I would love to hear about people's recent experiences at the table service restaurants, particularly Las Ventanas.

It's certainly not one of the DIS darling restaurants. I don't think I've ever seen it listed when people are asking for recommendations. But since I'll be staying at this resort, it would certainly be convenient for breakfast before I go to a theme park, or a relaxing lunch during my mid-day break.

And I'd really like to know if you didn't have ADRs and was that a problem?

Thanks!

We ate at Las Ventanas on Friday, May 26th. We got an 8:15am reservation just a day or two before. They seemed to have plenty of times available, and a large party of eight came in right in front of us and they had no problem getting seated. The restaurant was maybe half full.

The food was very good for breakfast. My husband had the vegetarian meal, and he really enjoyed it. I had the ham and cheese omelet and it had this really good blend of cheeses and tasty potatoes with it. The waitress and hostess were both very friendly, and the waitress even offered to take a photo of my husband and I when she saw we were taking pictures of our meals. LOL.

I would recommend it for an easy breakfast or lunch like you said. It shouldn't be a huge issue to get a table. Just check mde the day before you think you may have time, and you can probably snag one.

 

[quandrea]

Don't know if this has already been posted, but found this YouTube video of Ranchos 7A, new refurbishment.

I think I'll be booking based on this. Thanks!

 

[PolDisneyfam]

Since you've stayed at AK before, how did this compare and did construction bother you? I'm doing a cheapo trip and I can get CSR for a bit less than AKL. Will I be disappointed? How was bus transportation and the walk to buses, Libby?

I had a preconceived notion that I would not like Coronado Springs compared to Animal Kingdom Lodge, but I was way off. We both really enjoyed it. We preferred the main pool and the (remodeled) rooms at Coronado, over the ones at AKL. The one thing I really like about AKL is the balcony, and the interior rooms, so you do lose those.

The construction where we were at 7A, did not bother us at all. We had to walk by 8A where they are working now, and it had very little inconvenience as well. Now, the closer you get to El Centro, the more the construction is noticeable. It's walled off where they tore down I believe 9B. We were always just walking by, so it never bothered us, and we actually wanted to spy a bit to see what was going on.

IMHO, the construction does not take away from the main pool area, the check in and restaurants, and most rooms are probably ok. There is some minor construction on the water. We were told by one of the cast members that they are building another bridge over the water, and this one will have a bar in the middle of it. We don't know if that is accurate or not, but that's what we heard. Sounds fun.

The bus stop areas at El Centro are moved a bit, but it seems like the move is for the better. You are closer to the main entrance. The previous bus stop area is due to be finished soon, so we heard.

 

[PolDisneyfam]

We had no issue at the bus stop at the Ranchos area. It was a quick 3 minute walk and they had the screens that tell you when the bus will come.

We only got on the bus at El Centro once, but it was fine. They had benches to sit at while you wait. We never waited more than 20 minutes.

In contrast, that was one of the worst things about AKL. The buses were always bad for us. Maybe we have just had bad luck.

 

[quandrea]

Thank you to the two pp. CSR is four hundred dollars less than AKL. I think I will move.

 

[PolDisneyfam]

Thank you to the two pp. CSR is four hundred dollars less than AKL. I think I will move.

I don't think you will regret it. $400 is a lot of food, drinks and souvenirs.

 

[quandrea]

I don't think you will regret it. $400 is a lot of food, drinks and souvenirs.

Yes I agree. I'll miss the kitchenette, but for $400, I can eat out. Also want to keep costs down this go around. Travelling with a friend and not the family.

 

[kjs1976]

Pepper Market has changed too, operates more like a normal food court now. No escorted seating, no tipping, no stamped card, choose your food from the various stations, pay as you leave the station area, find a seat with your tray. Some stations can be a little slower as they cook the food to order, others have sandwiches, etc. ready to choose. We still find the selections at PM better than the average food court. There is also a station inside the restaurant to fill your mug if you have one.

We were at CSR two weeks ago, they FINALLY have an adult Mickey Waffles platter at breakfast!

SO happy to hear this!!!!!! Been wanting this so bad!!! Next week, baby!!!

 

[dansdad]

We have reservations for December for a King bed room. I see that at this point only 7a is renovated. Are there king beds spread throughout the resort and specifically are then in 7a?

Yes and yes.

We will have a scooter and a car with us. Is it best to request a 1st floor room?

There are elevators, but if you would rather not have to deal with that then I would request ground floor.

 

[jcdeberry]

We recently returned from CSR (May26-31) and we throughly enjoyed it. We had only ever stayed in WL or AKL, but my husband wanted to try something different. I thought we would like the Latin theme and I was right! The resort is beautiful and so is the landscaping. We stayed in Casitas 4 so the walk to El Centro was fine. The walk to the Dig Site was longer, but we loved the Dig Site. The kids loved the slide and the afternoon party games. I would also take my son to the playground in the early morning so the rest of our party could sleep! I will say, I do prefer an inside room and a balcony, but my husband preferred CSR. He enjoyed the time outside, especially coming from the pool (we had time to dry off). Actually, the last time we stayed at AKL, our room was so far from the lobby and pool, we probably walked the same distance. This time the distance was just outside rather then inside. The buses didn't seem any better then other places but the bus stop was very close to our building which was a plus (unlike AKL). Our favorite meal during our entire vacation was at the Maya Grill. We didn't know what to expect and were afraid the kids wouldn't like it because it was not the "Mexican" food they were used to. However, we took the waitress's advice and ordered the Queso Fundido and the Steak Fajitas (enough for 2 people to split). They were both outstanding and the kids loved it. However they did charge us $18 for chicken fingers/french fries for my 11 year old. They said they had to charge her adult prices. The platter was huge and of course she didn't eat much of it. I hate to waste so much and would have preferred the child's plate. Anyway, it was still great food and and a great atmosphere.

 

[lsg1]

lsg1 said: ↑
We have reservations for December for a King bed room. I see that at this point only 7a is renovated. Are there king beds spread throughout the resort and specifically are then in 7a?
Yes and yes.

Thanks!

If I wanted a better chance of getting a refurbished room, would I be better off trying to change my room type to standard rather than king?

 

[sbrost13]

Do all of the bus stops at the resort have those screens that display the estimated arrival times for the busses?

If so, how accurate did you find them to be?

 

[jcdeberry]

Do all of the bus stops at the resort have those screens that display the estimated arrival times for the busses?

If so, how accurate did you find them to be?

Yes, they are pretty accurate.