Coronado Springs Resort - New Unofficial FAQ Thread - November 2011

[jackie101]

10 days

thanks

 

[party-of-five]

Just booked an 8:25am reservation for Ohana's breakfast. The kids are going to be so excited. We are using the buses. Neither MK or Epcot have EMH that morning. I know the buses start running about an hour before the park opens, so they should start running for us by 8am. On the reservation it says to allow for 1.5 hours if using Disney transportation. What am I missing? Will we have enough time if we are at the bus stop at 8am? Is there an earlier bus for meal reservations?

Thank in advance!

 

[HANDYMOM]

Just booked an 8:25am reservation for Ohana's breakfast. The kids are going to be so excited. We are using the buses. Neither MK or Epcot have EMH that morning. I know the buses start running about an hour before the park opens, so they should start running for us by 8am. On the reservation it says to allow for 1.5 hours if using Disney transportation. What am I missing? Will we have enough time if we are at the bus stop at 8am? Is there an earlier bus for meal reservations?

Thank in advance!

That would cut it VERY close IF a bus showed up on time, then you'd have to get from MK to the Poly?!?!?

 

[party-of-five]

That would cut it VERY close IF a bus showed up on time, then you'd have to get from MK to the Poly?!?!?

Do we need to take a cab? Or is there an earlier bus for early am reservations? Breakfast at Ohana starts at 7:30am.

I've been doing searches all night and getting mixed/confusing answers.

Thanks

 

[nancyjo1998]

Do we need to take a cab? Or is there an earlier bus for early am reservations? Breakfast at Ohana starts at 7:30am.

I've been doing searches all night and getting mixed/confusing answers.

Thanks

There are busses that run earlier for the early breakfast ADRs. However they do not run as frequently so if you just miss a bus you could be waiting a while for the next one to come along.

 

[nancyjo1998]

So super duper excited!!!! We are leaving in the morning for a fantastic 19 days in the world. 14 at Coronado and 5 at AOA. Don't think I will be getting much sleep tonight!!!!!!!!

 

[party-of-five]

There are busses that run earlier for the early breakfast ADRs. However they do not run as frequently so if you just miss a bus you could be waiting a while for the next one to come along.

Thank you for the info. Do you know if they stop at the resorts that have character meals, or just at the 4 parks? Either way, we will be sure to allow ourselves plenty of time.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Just booked an 8:25am reservation for Ohana's breakfast. The kids are going to be so excited. We are using the buses. Neither MK or Epcot have EMH that morning. I know the buses start running about an hour before the park opens, so they should start running for us by 8am. On the reservation it says to allow for 1.5 hours if using Disney transportation. What am I missing? Will we have enough time if we are at the bus stop at 8am? Is there an earlier bus for meal reservations?

Thank in advance!

We always book a character breakfast at 8:05 at Crystal Palace on a non-EMH day. We have caught the bus from CSR around 7:15-7:30. The buses run early enough to get everyone to morning ADRs.

You will not have enough time if you get to the bus stop at 8:00. Even if a bus is pulling up to the stop when you arrive, you will still have to transfer to the monorail to get to Poly, and you are supposed to check in 15 minutes before your ADR. 'Ohana generally runs a little behind, so if you are going to a park after breakfast, you might want to be at the Poly by 8:05-8:10 to check in. I'd plan to be at the bus stop no later than 7:30 (I'd personally be there at 7:15). If you want to sleep later, I'd plan for a cab at 7:45.

 

[MSSANDRA]

You just never know with the buses. We found CSR the BEST for buses of anywhere we have stayed. WE only had one issue this year on our week-long stay at CSR. We waited almost 35 minutes for the MK bus. (The one you will need to take), Once you take it to the MK, you will need to take the monorail to the polly. That should be quick as most people will be getting off at the MK. Also allow a little time to walk to the restaurant as well, so and hour and a half is worst case story but also possible. A cab there is about 10.00 if that would be an option for you. Allow 30-45 minutes for that.

 

[party-of-five]

We always book a character breakfast at 8:05 at Crystal Palace on a non-EMH day. We have caught the bus from CSR around 7:15-7:30. The buses run early enough to get everyone to morning ADRs.

You will not have enough time if you get to the bus stop at 8:00. Even if a bus is pulling up to the stop when you arrive, you will still have to transfer to the monorail to get to Poly, and you are supposed to check in 15 minutes before your ADR. 'Ohana generally runs a little behind, so if you are going to a park after breakfast, you might want to be at the Poly by 8:05-8:10 to check in. I'd plan to be at the bus stop no later than 7:30 (I'd personally be there at 7:15). If you want to sleep later, I'd plan for a cab at 7:45.

This is very helpful, thank you! I should have put a confused face after the 8:00. A half hour definitely isn't enough time, which is why I assumed there had to be earlier buses. But I wanted to be sure about that. No chance of us sleeping in with not one but 4 early birds!

You just never know with the buses. We found CSR the BEST for buses of anywhere we have stayed. WE only had one issue this year on our week-long stay at CSR. We waited almost 35 minutes for the MK bus. (The one you will need to take), Once you take it to the MK, you will need to take the monorail to the polly. That should be quick as most people will be getting off at the MK. Also allow a little time to walk to the restaurant as well, so and hour and a half is worst case story but also possible. A cab there is about 10.00 if that would be an option for you. Allow 30-45 minutes for that.

Thank you for the info. We will plan to be at the bus stop around 7am, now that I know they run that early. I'd rather be waiting at the Poly because we're early than be stressed at a CSR bus stop with 4 anxious kids wondering where that darn bus is!

 

[maxiesmom]

We had the same location last time as well. Its is an awesome location. I always book the waterview. I feel it increases your odds and gives you more negotiating power when you get there. We requested Casitas 4 top floor, but when we got there they had us in Casitas 5. After a brief conversation politely explaining we were going to be there for 14 nights and being that long of a stay it sure would be great to have the location we wanted, she gave me 6 different rooms to pick from in Casistas 4. Great service and great location. A lot of people are too cheap to pay for the waterview so I think the ones that do pay get dibs!

Thanks! (and thanks to cjsm&d too)! It looks like waterview is the way to go.

 

[Karl66]

Last night I changed our reservation for POFQ to CSR for 8-15 September. We stayed at CSR last June so we are somewhat familiar with the resort. During that visit we were in Ranchos 7B. We liked that location very much. It was close to a bus stop, quiet pool etc. It was a good hike in the morning for coffee though. This time we are booked in a water view room. (that's all they had available). My question is: What building would you recommend for the best water view taking into consideration proximity to buses, pools and food? (This is assuming I am given a choice at check in.) Also, is a view of the pool considered a water view? I hope not.

TIA

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

My family, including 14 people, stayed at CSR 7/20 for 6 nights in 4 preferred rooms. This was my first time at the resort and here is my review:

Check in - There was a bit of a line but the CM that helped me was very nice. Due to our large party, it took some time to make sure she knew what was going on. In the end, we had 3 rooms in a row (2 connecting) and 1 'around the corner'. These were already set. Only one room was ready at 2 pm but we were only needing 2 of the rooms at that time. It turns out, even after the half hour check in process, they did not put us in the right rooms. It took another half hour to get it all resolved. Everyone was nice about it so that made it easier. No one was annoyed with all our requests! It was a bit frustrating though to have spent so much time checking in to find out two of the rooms were mixed up.

Room location - You might recall my request for Casitas 1 or 3 because we needed an elevator due to the stroller and my mom. They put us in Casitas 3 in 5491 (is that the number???), 92, 93 and then around the corner in 68 (that was a water view). We were put on the 4th floor. My mom said she was so happy about being near each other, she knew not to ask to move us but we did not think our location was worth 'preferred'. There are few elevators and the quickest way to the bus stop (#2) was by the stairs. The walk was still a bit of a distance to the El Centro and the walk to the dig site was RIDICULOUS! Sorry folks, this was really long and the walkway at night gets very dark. I don't understand why they don't put in a bridge like CBR. I also don't understand why CABANAS aren't preferred instead. I know the convention folks might like Casitas but why don't they have a 'convention' room type and then the preferred as Cabanas? Oh well.

Rooms - Love the door separating the bathroom from the bedroom! And even with 4 girls in ONE room, we actually had lots of space to put all our stuff - but we utilized every available space. Some extra hooks would have been good but we survived! I did miss the table and chairs. We didn't need a desk and chair but we made do. I also liked the two square chairs. We used them to set our luggage on. The thermostat worked great - no issues with too hot or cold. I loved the tinkerbelle toiletries as well! Great smell to them too and it was good to get all the toiletries at CSR since other mods give you limited kinds. My biggest complaint - and this is true of ALL Disney resorts - is that they need to update their wiring and outlets. The outlets are really loose and they do need more of them.

Dig Site - The slide was enjoyable and fun. The pool on one night was cloudy The other night we went, it was not. The water temp was enough to cool us off. We stayed at BW as well and their main pool felt like a bath tub. There were plenty of seats to be had (just cleared off the dirty towels on one of the nights). They allowed us to roast marshmallows FOR FREE - YUM!!! Children had to have an adult to supervise (thank goodness). I did not end up getting any drinks at the pool bar. I was excited to try them but I GOT SICK (still have it - a really horrible cold) so I didn't drink much. We did try the pool food - it was quick and typical, nothing special. It did take an exceptionally long time to get our food though. The second night we took in a movie at the pool. That is a lot of fun but they do have a light shining behind the screen (why???) so the picture was not as crisp and easy to see. My brother had trouble watching it without his glasses but he still liked it. In general, the Dig Site area was really messy. It did not appear that there was anyone clearing dirty towels away or wiping up messes.

Buses - We were close to bus stop #2 which was nice because you were pretty much guaranteed a seat being on the first stop and then when you came back, you were dropped off first I did not like how the Epcot bus stopped at Blizzard Beach (opposite direction!). Our wait times were a mixed bag with one day waiting 45 minutes (and yes, we did say something to a bus driver who was so awesome - he called it in and didn't leave the bus stop until he gave us an answer!). Buses are a hit or miss though in general. The drivers themselves were incredibly careful and safe and I REALLY appreciate that! I felt VERY safe. A small truck blew by their stop sign and luckily our bus driver was going slow enough and looking both ways that they were able to brake in time without throwing us around the bus. There were other crazy drivers out there too that really concerned me but those drivers are AWESOME!!!!

Pepper market breakfast - It's a buffet. The waffles looked like they were microwaved and I would have liked an omelet station or belgian waffle maker, but it was fine. Nothing fabulous though. And the bacon is the paper stuff

Rix - Pizza and chicken and stuff was all typical disney. They had a nice selection of desserts which was nice. The lemonade was out on 2 separate days of our vacation for the whole day which seemed ridiculous (not 2 days in a row but separate days). You had to get iced tea from behind the counter which creates an additional wait and my mom said it was horrible (she drinks iced tea like water). The breakfast sandwiches were all on crossaints which my son won't eat and they didn't have hard boiled eggs so we had to eat at the parks everyday to get him his protein. Most times, it wasn't a bad wait at Rix except when the tour groups would go in to eat!!!

Ah, tour groups - I will never, ever go to a moderate resort in the summer again. The tour groups are ridiculous. They are rude and create long lines. The worst was when 8 about 12 year olds were out at night and I was walking to the pool. They started harassing me so I ignored them until they walked right behind me making gestures. I turned on my heel so fast they didn't see it coming. I told them they couldn't be outside without an adult. Another man was approaching and they decided I wasn't worth the effort so they sulked back to their rooms.

Panchitos - What a large and nice gift shop! I like big shops in the Disney resorts

Bell services - fabulous service every time we used them.

Concierge - Friendly and helpful!

Where CSR ranks for me - In order of least favorite to favorite resorts that I have stayed at:
Least favorite - All Star Movies
CSR
CBR
Disney Institute (gone now)
POR
Dolphin
WL
AKL (this is my 2nd favorite resort but the location is horrible)
BC
BW
Favorite by a landslide - Poly

As you can see, I do prefer deluxe resorts. Mostly for the additional amenities they provide along with the locations near the parks.

After staying at CSR, it is my least favorite moderate. I am a runner (5+ miles a day) but CSR was WAY too big. I had no desire to walk to get to the main pool. And if you forgot something (we did!), you don't want to walk there and back again - it would be a half hour wasted! While they do have the wood doors, the kids couldn't budge them on the bathroom so CBR is better in that respect because they have an easily pulled curtain. The food situation did not work with our way of eating. I prefer a larger quick service like CBR or POR. And while they JUST started a paddle boarding thing on the CSR lake, my son didn't want to get in there with the alligator. CBR has the pirate cruise and POR has boat transportation and a kids cruise. And my least favorite thing about CSR is that it was a distance from the parks. The buses stopping at 4 stops and then extra stops (like BB on the way to Epcot) and being on the edge near AK made the rides extra long.

So I said that BUT we had a GREAT vacation and a good stay. It was pleasant enough, just not as good as some of the other resorts - in my opinion!

 

[maxiesmom]

Tinkerbellie16--Thanks for posting your review. I am disappointed you didn't enjoy your stay at CSR more, as we had such a great time when we were there in March. We were in Casitas 4, which is the first non-preferred building, so close to where you were. It is a bit of a walk to the main pool, I will give you that!

I think the reason Casitas are the preferred section instead of Cabanas is 2-fold. First off, the Cabanas bus stop is the 3rd stop going around the resort, and that wouldn't seem very "preferred". Second, the first Cabana building, Cabana 9B is mostly used for convention guests.

At least now you can say you tried CSR! I'd love to sometime stay at CBR, but no one else in my family is interested. Way too many bus stops!

 

[Halloween Baby]

I think the latest info is that the current mugs are the one with the characters by the pool. They have black, pink, or blue (and maybe another color??) tops.

NOT to encourage such egregious behavior as reusing mugs...

Anyone have pictures of the mugs? Just trying to decide if we want to budget money for this (we're not huge soda drinkers but use the mugs at home a lot!).

EEEEPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!! I just did online check in!

I requested first floor & Cabanas. As much as we liked Ranchos last time, we (I) wanted to experience another part of the resort. Online checkin didn’t actually "accept" my requests so I called and had them add Cabanas and first floor.

When I booked I requested bed rails (for the 2yo) and that request was still in the system.


FYI if you have young-uns you can request bed rails~!!!!! Who knew?!?!

I CAN.NOT.WAIT bring on vacation!!!!!!!!!

Are the bed rails free? I requested a pack and play crib for my almost two year old but he has actually just moved into a toddler bed. Anyone know if I can get both?

I can do online check in 4 days from now! I'm torn between Cabanas and Ranchos. My main thing is to be close to the bus stop... beyond that our only request is first floor or near an elevator. I just don't know which one I should do or if I should just leave it to the fairies to decide for us!

BTW, I just started listening to Be Our Guest podcast and the host, Mike, went to CSR in June. He does a really good review of his stay on episode 450.

Two weeks from now, we'll be watching Fantasmic and then heading back to CSR for our first Disney sleep!!

 

[HLAuburn]

Anyone have pictures of the mugs? Just trying to decide if we want to budget money for this (we're not huge soda drinkers but use the mugs at home a lot!).

Here's the ones I was talking about - apparently these are the most recent mugs out now:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45604539&postcount=1352

Also have a teal blue top option.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Tinkerbellie16--Thanks for posting your review. I am disappointed you didn't enjoy your stay at CSR more, as we had such a great time when we were there in March. We were in Casitas 4, which is the first non-preferred building, so close to where you were. It is a bit of a walk to the main pool, I will give you that!

I think the reason Casitas are the preferred section instead of Cabanas is 2-fold. First off, the Cabanas bus stop is the 3rd stop going around the resort, and that wouldn't seem very "preferred". Second, the first Cabana building, Cabana 9B is mostly used for convention guests.

At least now you can say you tried CSR! I'd love to sometime stay at CBR, but no one else in my family is interested. Way too many bus stops!

It's so hard to give a review because when things go fine or as expected, it's a simple explanation but when things aren't as expected or not to one's liking, it is a long explanation so it ends up looking worse than it was. All my family enjoyed CSR and we had a good time. And I am happy to have tried CSR. We had to stay at a moderate resort so certain family members could afford the trip and I wouldn't have wanted to stay somewhere else. And a big part of the annoyance was the heat and humidity along with the tour groups. I've been avoiding the summer months but we had to go this time to accomodate everyone in the group and that is not a fault of the resort.

So many of the things that were not to my liking - dirty pool one evening, long lines at Rix, harassment by the tour group boys, and the long walk (it was HOT) - would be lessened or non-existent outside the summer months.

The rooms were the best rooms I've had at a moderate resort. They were nicer looking and felt a bit bigger. The housekeeping was some of the best I've had at a Disney resort. We had a lot of people and a lot of stuff and they accomodated all of our extra requests like towels and hangers. They replaced our sheets a few times too at my request and came when I asked them to clean the room. And they left a couple towel animals (I haven't gotten one in years!) and put the stuffed animals on the windowsill so they peeked out of our room.

The resort itself is beautiful and stunning. El Centro included. And I could see how this resort would appeal to conference goers who would like the Rix lounge in the evenings.

 

[HLAuburn]

I know there's been some discussion about this before, but just to clarify:

Is there a direct bus from CSR to both waterparks (no transfer at DTD or anything like that)?

About how long is the ride to both TL and BB, and if it's a shared bus with a park, where does it stop first?

Thanks!

 

[Ilivetogo]

I know there's been some discussion about this before, but just to clarify:

Is there a direct bus from CSR to both waterparks (no transfer at DTD or anything like that)?

About how long is the ride to both TL and BB, and if it's a shared bus with a park, where does it stop first?

Thanks!

BB is very close. I believe a CM even told me we could walk there in 10 minutes if we wanted to. There is a bus that goes right there - and I believe it's the DTD bus, also --- just read the front of the bus and it should say. (I saw several that actually said BB on them.) Or ask a DTD bus driver if he stops there.

I can't say much for TL -- I know it's further away. Maybe someone else can chime in on that one.

.

 

[cjsm&d]

I know there's been some discussion about this before, but just to clarify:

Is there a direct bus from CSR to both waterparks (no transfer at DTD or anything like that)?

About how long is the ride to both TL and BB, and if it's a shared bus with a park, where does it stop first?

Thanks!

Just like at the other resorts, the AK bus stops at BB (At least when we've been there). I think TL is attached to the DTD buses.