Why are Coronado Springs reviews so iffy?

[GigiDisneyfreak]

I have stayed at CSR before and will be staying again in Sept. I think it is funny when people complain how spread out the moderates are and especially CSR because they have to walk so far to get to the food or pool. Last time I stayed here I was in the casitas it was the last building before the Rancho section. It was about 3- 5 minute walk to the pool and about 7-8 minute walk to the food court. I had the same type of walk when I have stayed at POR. Last year I stayed at the yacht club and early in the morning the only place I could a quick breakfast and my coffee was all the way over on the beach club side which was a 5 minute walk. I have had the same thing at AKL and the poly. Depending where you are in any Disney resort you can be looking at a 5-10 minute walk for certain things. Also a comment on the rooms every hotel no matter the price point eventually needs refurbishment. Our room at CSR was clean and nothing was worn or dirty. Lay year at yacht club the wall paper was falling off the hallway walls and the room was well worn in. It happens after years of wear and tear.

 

[DJFan88]

I think it really depends on what you like. Opinions vary based on that. I liked it, my husband did not. for him, it was the conventioners. for me, I could've cared less.
I thought the bussing was lousy, but now I realize it was probably just since we had the main stop. I can see this now, because every moderate resort has that lousy bus stop. Also, we had that same problem where we were kindof shoved where they were doing mainly refurbishment and that also irritated my husband, but not me, since it was meeting my room requests and the room was fine.
As far as mold or whatever, I had no issue, but did at CBR.
Another said CSR is their favorite resort of all the mod's but never went to POR. Well, going to POR did it for me.....I'd pick and am definetly picking that one over this one.
I thought it was a nice resort, the main pool was busy, but they all are. However, there was not a soul in the quiet pool and the boys loved it.
We also really enjoyed the variety in the pepper market and I've heard others don't care for it. Coming from CBR before this, I loved the Pepper Market. they were very nice and generous with food portions, and my son Loved the dessert lady as she custom made him his churro ice cream concoctions.
Also, I'm a walk arounder, that person who likes to walk to get their coffee and then walk around the entire resort drinking it before they walk back to get a refill for them and their husbands where they are still in bed. but pretty much all of the moderates are spaced out like that.
The arcade was set up in a good way, that if you had younger kids like 10 and 8, you could load up a game card for them, and then just sit outside at a table while they played and enjoy a drink.
So, I would definetly stay here again but I would probably not be able to talk my husband into it.

 

[kmb584]

Of all the moderates I liked CSR the best, having stayed at all except POR. As far as theming it is the southwest, CBR is the islands and POFQ is New Orleans. What is Disney about those? We liked the pool, the grounds and the food court variety. The bus service was excellent; the only place I've seen with a CM ensuring that a bus was called if one arrived full. Our room was well maintained and kept clean for us.

I never thought about that until you mentioned it, but you're spot on. We've stayed at all of the resorts except the values (one night at ASMu) and at CSR we've always experienced fantastic CM (usually college kids on their CP) calling to check bus status or requesting another bus. I haven't seen that dedication at the other resorts.

 

[hedberg1661]

I just stayed there 3 nights a few weeks ago and it was alright. Not my favorite resort but if you get a good price point it can be worth it.

 

[jnscott4]

I think it really depends on what you like. Opinions vary based on that. I liked it, my husband did not. for him, it was the conventioners. for me, I could've cared less.
I thought the bussing was lousy, but now I realize it was probably just since we had the main stop. I can see this now, because every moderate resort has that lousy bus stop. Also, we had that same problem where we were kindof shoved where they were doing mainly refurbishment and that also irritated my husband, but not me, since it was meeting my room requests and the room was fine.
As far as mold or whatever, I had no issue, but did at CBR.
Another said CSR is their favorite resort of all the mod's but never went to POR. Well, going to POR did it for me.....I'd pick and am definetly picking that one over this one.
I thought it was a nice resort, the main pool was busy, but they all are. However, there was not a soul in the quiet pool and the boys loved it.
We also really enjoyed the variety in the pepper market and I've heard others don't care for it. Coming from CBR before this, I loved the Pepper Market. they were very nice and generous with food portions, and my son Loved the dessert lady as she custom made him his churro ice cream concoctions.
Also, I'm a walk arounder, that person who likes to walk to get their coffee and then walk around the entire resort drinking it before they walk back to get a refill for them and their husbands where they are still in bed. but pretty much all of the moderates are spaced out like that.
The arcade was set up in a good way, that if you had younger kids like 10 and 8, you could load up a game card for them, and then just sit outside at a table while they played and enjoy a drink.
So, I would definetly stay here again but I would probably not be able to talk my husband into it.

If I may ask, what was it specifically that your husband did not like about the resort? Was it just too many convention people there? Were they being loud/rude or something? Or was it just the presence of business type people that detracted from his vacation experience? I can certainly understand being annoyed by ongoing refurbishments near your room or building. This would certainly bother me. I also understand the bus stop issue, but usually the main stop at any of the resorts can be terrible. Is there anything else that make him say that he would never stay there again?

 

[lylone]

We stayed at CSR last December and are coming back this November. We have stayed at POFQ, BC and CSR and keep going back to CSR.

Compared to POFQ we like the fact that the pool at CSR is off by itself. Once at POFQ we had a "pool view" even though it wasn't requested and it was horrible hearing the loud music from the pool all day long. There was no way to get away from the noise during the day after a busy day at the parks.

BC was nice, but the interior hallways were awful. We were woken up to cranky screaming children in the morning and night. The pool area was great but when you are lacking sleep it is not that great.

We just value having a nice quiet resort to come back to when we need a break from the craziness of the parks. No, "in your face Disney" decorations just beautifully landscaped grounds for an enjoyable stroll.

Yes, CSR is a convention center resort, but staying in Cabanas and Ranchos makes it seem like you are the only ones around. As far as the walk to places, you can always take the bus as it makes a stop at El Centro before it leaves for the parks. We had no issues with buses at all last year when leaving CSR.
The only issues is when leaving parks at closing time, but that has always been an issue for every resort we have stayed at.

 

[GreyStr0ke]

I personally love CSR but for some reason my friends who I regularly travel with despise it. Their reason being is the Pepper Market.

 

[jnscott4]

We just value having a nice quiet resort to come back to when we need a break from the craziness of the parks. No, "in your face Disney" decorations just beautifully landscaped grounds for an enjoyable stroll.

This is exactly the type of resort I look for. I have stayed three times at SSR on rented DVC points. I love how spread out and non-disneyfied it is there. The resort is not crowded or loud. I have also stayed at POR when they offered the free dining plan. I really enjoyed it there, as we were in the alligatopr bayou section and away from the main building. I was hoping to stay at POR again but the free dining plan was not offered there this year. Therefor we choose CSR and from everything that I am reading it sounds to me like I may enjoy CSR more than POR. We travel as a couple with no kids. I like resorts which the families tend to stay away from and I don't mind convention guests in the least.

 

[nkereina]

Any review should be taken with a grain of salt. So subjective. I won't rule out a resort until I try it myself.

For us with CSR, we hated Pepper Market - it's operated by a third party so we found quality, options, and service to be lacking. We thought the main pool was awesome. We had read it was big which is true - some of those ranchos buildings are very far removed. My fiance didn't care for the Southwest theme, I thought it was beautiful. I always read about how it has a 'deluxe' vibe since it has some more amenities being a convention resort, but I didn't get that impression.

 

[DPickering]

I'm going for a Disney vacation, so I looked at a site with reviews from fellow vacationers. If I were going for work I would be more interested in TA, but I think those reviews are more from a business persons perspective and not your average Orlando visitor. Most of them offer nothing up about the bus service to the parks or even the pool. IMO, it's clear that most of the reviews are written by people who are used to traveling for work and were expecting something more than a Disney moderate hotel.

Makes sense. Ty for the elaboration and perspective. But speaking from a business travellers perspective I don't think they are "expecting something more than a Disney moderate hotel." Unless you consider something like a good Hampton Inn to be "more than a Disney moderate." That's the kind of hotel business travellers bump up to the top of an areas rankings and IMHO CSR compares unfavourably to that standard. Especially the CSR basic rooms. Interesting to note the post above from the person writing off visible wear and tear or damage as to be expected. Yeah, a non-Disney fan business traveler is going to be a lot less forgiving of that kind of thing. All that aside even tho it's not my preferred resort if you got a decent room there I don't think it would be too difficult to enjoy your stay.

 

[Clamesa]

As others have said it usually comes down to person preference. CSR is my favorite mod largely because it's not overtly Disney. There are subtle touches here and there but it isn't done in an over-the-top fashion. I can't comment on the room issues people have reported as we've never experienced that with ours; they've always been clean and free of mold. The grounds are large but that doesn't bother me and Ranchos, the furthest section from the main building, is my favorite as it's so quiet back there.

We love CSR and agree with you Ranchos is the best section, clean and quiet. We enjoy the nice landscaping while walking, plus is only around 10 minutes each way if you walk with a child.

 

[lustergirl]

I love CSR and will be returning there next spring. The resort is beautiful and easily to walk around. Each one of the sections offers something unique. I enjoyed the fitness center the last time I was there. I agree that the resort is spread out but not as big as CBR.

 

[Clamesa]

Glad to hear someone say something positive about the bus service. I have an 8 night stay coming up in Septmeber. I am really looking forward to it. I have stayed several times at SSR and once at POR, I found the large resorts to be very efficient at bus service.

The bus service at CSR is great. We stayed once a POR and believe is a lovely resort but dislike the bus service. This year we will back a POR and to be honest I'm second guessing my choice because of the buses.

 

[jnscott4]

The bus service at CSR is great. We stayed once a POR and believe is a lovely resort but dislike the bus service. This year we will back a POR and to be honest I'm second guessing my choice because of the buses.

Really? My experience at POR was great bus service at any part of the day. I was there for a week in early December two years ago.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

Reading this thread has made me pretty excited for our first stay CSR in Dec.

 

[jnscott4]

Reading this thread has made me pretty excited for our first stay CSR in Dec.

Me too. We are staying in Mid-September and I can't wait.

 

[mevelandry]

We are booked there for 3 nights in August. Are people expecting more or is it really a hit or miss type of resort?

No idea. And I'm picky.

The resort is simply awesome.

 

[mevelandry]

Are you referring to the meaningless reviews on Tripadvisor?

Because the reviews on DIS are overwhelmingly positive on CSR. It's the Deluxe resort at the Mod price.

My trick on Trip Advisor: when somebody writes a bad review, I look at the number of reviews they made. If it's less than 5, I discard it completely.

Also, when a room is THAT bad, why don't you just go to the lobby and ask to switch rooms? We've done it.

I can't believe the people who complain but are doing nothing about it.

 

[Jarvis23]

The bus service at CSR is great. We stayed once a POR and believe is a lovely resort but dislike the bus service. This year we will back a POR and to be honest I'm second guessing my choice because of the buses.

Agree, the bus service is very good at CSR. We stayed at POR in Nov 2012 and though it was good service, it was shared with POFQ and seemed to have more people which lead to standing room only trips. Never had to stand at CSR except for closing or fireworks

 

[mevelandry]

We stayed there once... no way were we impressed ...we scratched this resort never to return to...

Cons:

To huge and spread out laterally...

As stated above, could be long walk to pool and food court

Not impressed with food set up in Pepper Market

Multiple bus stops

Walking across parking lots to get to bus stops

There are other resorts with closer and better amenities at the same price..

Strange...

We were in the farthest building and it took us about 6 minutes to go to the Lobby, 3 minutes to go to the principal pool and 1 minute to the bus stop. If you think this is a "long" walk, you must use your car a lot!

From what I remember, there was sidewalks and pedestrian signs (bar) on the road to ensure safety of the people going to the bus stops.

We did not enjoy our breakfast at Pepper Market but we enjoyed our lunch there (I guess it's like most QS/resort food court) ...