So Sad - CSR Fan Disappointed :(

[nharding20]

First of all, let me start by saying we are (were?) die-hard Coronado Springs fans. My husband and I stayed there 15 years ago for our honeymoon the week they opened. We returned 10 years later with our kids and loved it just as much as we did in 1997. Now, 5 years later we were expecting to love it again. (sigh)....

We stayed Oct 3-9. We were in 9282 - Cabanas 9A. I knew the decor had changed; saw the pictures online. In person, though, it wasn't so drab. I loved the cheery bright original colors of the rooms - greens, pinks, oranges...

Besides being dark and gloomy, the lightfixtures were filthy. The over-bed flourescents had a TON of dead moths/flies in the bottom. I called to have the room re-serviced twice with no luck - finally had to show a picture I took on my iphone to the front desk to get them to clean this. Since we were staying adjacent to my parents, they said there were no other rooms to swith us to that were joining. (believe me, I would have switched!!!) Secondly, the bathtub would drain very very slowly. Every time we took a shower we were standing in tub water. Yuck!

Mattress had broken/indented springs and the pillows were really oddly small.

I was really shocked how dinged-up the elevators and hallways looked. There were plastic guards on corners that were torn off, chipping paint, etc. It looked no better than a local motel. Ashtrays on garbage cans were not cleaned and filthy.

The walk to get the refillable mugs filled was too far to be worth it. This isn't the type of resort where you just quick bounce back to your room, though. Things are a hike away (I knew this before we left - guess I conveniently blocked it from memory, though)

The resort just seemed to be a let-down when my expectations of prior experiences had been so high.

I do have to say the landscaping was gorgeous. I also liked having the privacy doors we could close to the sink area. And we did enjoy the Pepper Market for breakfast - a lot of value for a counter service meal.

I think for the future, we'll finally try another resort. Just my 2 cents....

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Secondly, the bathtub would drain very very slowly. Every time we took a shower we were standing in tub water. Yuck!

Did you call maintenance and ask for this to be taken care of? We had the same problem with a slow draining tub when we stayed there in May. I called the evening of the second day we were there and they asked if I wanted someone sent out immediately to fix it. It was already almost 10pm so I told them to just send someone the next day. It was taken care of while we were at the parks and we had no more problems the rest of our stay.

I didn't bother with the refillable mugs because I knew I wouldn't want to be trekking all the way to El Centro or the pool to fill it. It is an awfully large and spread out resort.

We were in Casitas and while I did notice some chipped paint along the exterior hallways and elevators, but I didn't have any issues with cleanliness with our room. It sounds like you may not have had the most attentive housekeeper. That could happen at any resort and it's disappointing that it happened to you at your favorite resort.

The mattress and pillows in our room were in good shape and very comfortable.

Definitely try a different resort if you want, but I wouldn't totally rule CSR out for future stays.

 

[pigletto]

Interesting. We LOVED our Casitas stay. Not a single complaint. Out Cabanas stay was a different story. Though the rooms had just been refurbished, ours was just.. kind of depressing. It had a run down motel feel, cobwebs, and mildew.
We were only there 2 nights before moving and I was very happy with our proximity to the bus stop so I didn't complain. It just was underwhelming I guess. The rest of the resort was beautiful, and we still had a very nice time, but I think I prefer the Casitas overall and would request that area if we ever stayed again.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

We just stayed in Ranchos and as much as I love CSR I was also shocked at how worn down the exteriors were and the elevators...big gouges and chunks out of the wood. Room was very clean, but other areas outside needed a good coat of paint!

 

[goofyintoronto]

we stayed in cabana 8a and loved the location. im confused about the refillable mug situation, did you not get them refilled at the bar pool? that's literally a two second walk. of course when that's closed you have to trek it to the main building. quite far.

As far as cleanliness, that's disappointing. id be upset too. sorry you had a bad stay.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using DISBoards App

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Secondly, the bathtub would drain very very slowly. Every time we took a shower we were standing in tub water. Yuck!

The walk to get the refillable mugs filled was too far to be worth it. This isn't the type of resort where you just quick bounce back to your room, though. Things are a hike away (I knew this before we left - guess I conveniently blocked it from memory, though)

Sorry you were disappointed in your stay. As a PP asked, did you contact maintenance about the tub draining slowly? That is the kind of problem that can usually be solved quickly if you let them know.

We have stayed in 9A and didn't think it was far from anything. It is no more than 5 minutes to the main building or to the main pool to get mugs refilled. If five minutes is too far for you, you might have considered a preferred room (casitas 1, 2, or 3). You might prefer POFQ next time - it is the smallest moderate. We have been more than 5 minutes away from the counter service location almost everywhere we have stayed - AKL, BC, Poly, OKW, BWV.

We have found CSR to have the most comfortable beds of any resort, but everyone's preferences afre different.

 

[Celidh]

We stayed at CSR for the first time the beginning of October. It is a nice resort and I agree the grounds are beautiful. I was so excited to see bananas growing there! LOL Not something I see here in Nova Scotia that's for sure. (I wonder, is that where they get the bananas they sell there?)

Anyway I have to say we were underwhelmed by this resort. There were a few hiccups with our stay. Nothing big but it all adds up in the big picture.

We decided that for the difference in price for our family (there are 5 of us and we would need 2 rooms and don't want a value suite) we are better off getting two rooms at POP. We liked it more there.

 

[ashleyrm]

Ack...just decided to stay at CSR in December, but after ready all of this I think I might want to go back to POR...

 

[MMlvsMM]

Ack...just decided to stay at CSR in December, but after ready all of this I think I might want to go back to POR...

Having a bad stay can happen at any level resort. I've had great stays at CSR in the past including the ranchos.

 

[bee86]

Ack...just decided to stay at CSR in December, but after ready all of this I think I might want to go back to POR...

I'm the same! Ugh its a really important trip for me, taking my mum for her birthday next June.....considering changing now...any positive points about the rooms themselves at all??

 

[aubriee]

Ack...just decided to stay at CSR in December, but after ready all of this I think I might want to go back to POR...

Having a bad stay can happen at any level resort. I've had great stays at CSR in the past including the ranchos.

True! I've stayed at CSR ten times and love the resort. However, our very first stay, we had several bad experiences and it turned me off the resort, enough that I said I would never go back. Some DIS friends here talked me into giving it another try and I am so glad I did. I've had nine great stays since then. I've been in Casitas 1 and Casitas 2 (before they made those buildings preferred). I've also been in Cabanas 9B, Cabanas 9A, Cabanas 8B, and Cabanas 8A, plus spent one night in Ranchos 6A. The only room I did not like was the one in Ranchos 6A, but then again I absolutely hate the theming of the Ranchos and knew I would not be happy there. The nice CM told us to stay there one night and we could be moved to the Cabanas the next morning. Actually I was rather excited to try it for just one night, but knew as soon as I got in the room that I wouldn't like it for the entire trip. I've always loved the Cabanas though and have never found any of the four buildings that far from the main building.

 

[pigletto]

I'm the same! Ugh its a really important trip for me, taking my mum for her birthday next June.....considering changing now...any positive points about the rooms themselves at all??

I should clarify that my experience that I wrote about was a year and a half ago! AND my inlaws stayed at CSR this past May and had a great room and zero issues! Also, the resort itself is beautiful and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. I just had a not so great room. I don't think it's the norm at all from what I've read

 

[frymaker]

My wife and I also stayed at re resort the beginning of October. We won't be doing that again. CSR left us underwhelmed and dissatisfied. Oh we'll good thing we had a great time at the parks. Didn't ruin the trip. But we do now know we don't care for CSR. That's life.

 

[taymaesmom]

We have stayed at CSR for the past three years. The first two trips we loved it, nice clean rooms, just wonderful. This past trip was terrible. When we walked in we noticed a big red smear on the wall, looked like ketchup. It was there the entire trip, never cleaned and it was very very noticeable. There was a big rip in the wallpaper by the door, not as noticeable since it was behind the door. Then the sliding doors wouldn't slide all the way. the track was messed up, dh was able to rig the right door to stay closed and the left door to slide so it worked but it was a pain. Our housekeeper never took out the trash and rarely did more that give us clean towels. We started taking our trash to the big trash can by the pool. Then at 6am one morning the smoke detector went off, not just a beep like the battery was dying but a very loud on going sound for about 5 mins. they sent maintence for that one and it didn't happen again. thankfully we were already up or I'd been upset.

This Christmas we are staying at POR, hoping for a great experience there.

 

[bee86]

We have stayed at CSR for the past three years. The first two trips we loved it, nice clean rooms, just wonderful. This past trip was terrible. When we walked in we noticed a big red smear on the wall, looked like ketchup. It was there the entire trip, never cleaned and it was very very noticeable. There was a big rip in the wallpaper by the door, not as noticeable since it was behind the door. Then the sliding doors wouldn't slide all the way. the track was messed up, dh was able to rig the right door to stay closed and the left door to slide so it worked but it was a pain. Our housekeeper never took out the trash and rarely did more that give us clean towels. We started taking our trash to the big trash can by the pool. Then at 6am one morning the smoke detector went off, not just a beep like the battery was dying but a very loud on going sound for about 5 mins. they sent maintence for that one and it didn't happen again. thankfully we were already up or I'd been upset.

This Christmas we are staying at POR, hoping for a great experience there.

Gosh........thats a whole lot of littleish issues that build up to an over all very very unplesent experience! Really not good enough considering how expensive it is to stay on site. Will be waiting to see what your opinions on POR are this christmas, hopefully a lot better!!!

 

[goofyintoronto]

Ack...just decided to stay at CSR in December, but after ready all of this I think I might want to go back to POR...

I've stayed at both resorts and truly, both are gorgeous. The grounds are pretty, the rooms are nice at both. The buses are better at CSR thou. Overall, having done both, I honestly like POR better. I like the pool better, I think the grounds are a bit pretty than CSR. I think the interior rooms are prettier. The food court is much better. I like the fact that there are bike rentals on site and a boat to DTD! Thats the biggest bonus of all. POR is still my fave.

 

[AndreaDM]

We just got back from CSR yesterday ourselves and were less than thrilled, the best thing I can say about the place is that the theme is beautiful, loved the landscaping. Our room was also cleaned well, had to ask for extra coffee as they were leaving only one regular and one decaf. Since we were so far out in the Ranchos we didn't bother using our refillable mugs in the morning, but opted to make coffee in the room. We had a car but still had to park about 4-5 buildings away, not a big deal, but we were so tired coming back around midnight. I also posted about loud neighbors the first 2 nights but luckily they were gone after that. All in all, I do wish we'd have saved the money and stayed at Pop or spent a little more and went back to AKL which we love.

OP, we had the same issue with the tub at CR back in 2010, we called and they said someone would be up to fix it. We went off to the parks for the day, returning after midnight to find the tub completely torn up! Someone came to start the job and never finished it. This was midnight in July, we were hot, tired and cranky and wanted a shower! They moved us to another room which was fine (no upgrade) but had to carry sleeping DD and all our stuff to another section of the hotel. Not fun!

 

[nharding20]

It's good to hear all the responses. I appreciate knowing that some people have had great stays and other people can relate to our experience. Like I said, our first two stays were great!

I should clarify that we had forgotten to call on the slow draining tub until later on day 2. No one came to clear the clog until we called a second time later on day 3 - on the 4th day something had been used like drain-o; the bathroom smelled like bad chemicals.

Another day when we came back to the room it smelled like something was burning. We concluded that the vacuum used by housekeeping must have had a bad or burning belt - that burned rubber smell. Was not pleasant.

One day we came back to the room from the parks at 4:30 and our room had not yet been cleaned. I was so frustrated I called the desk - they said they would send someone by right away. But by that point, we needed to be in the room and get some rest before our 7:00 dinner reservation. I ask the desk to please have mousekeeping come by at that time. When we got back from dinner the room had still not been cleaned.

Regarding the walk to the Pool or El Centro, our room in Cabana 9A was completely behind the building on the second floor overlooking the parking lot. So a walk was involved in just getting to the room. And the pool isn't just outside the door as a PP stated - it's on the other side of the smaller lake from where we were. I don't believe the walk is a huge deal - it was just *one more thing* that I was underwhelmed with. All the little things seem to add up.

 

[AndreaDM]

We also came back to CSR late after MNSSHP and found this little guy INSIDE our room! We had seen a lot in the hallway, especially by the lights, but this was a first. DD wanted to keep him, but we convinced her that airport security wouldn't appreciate it.

 

[dansdad]

We also came back to CSR late after MNSSHP and found this little guy INSIDE our room! We had seen a lot in the hallway, especially by the lights, but this was a first. DD wanted to keep him, but we convinced her that airport security wouldn't appreciate it.

That's great! We had a little friend like that our last stay at CBR. DS10 named him Larry.