Just back! CSR Review

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Hello DISers! We spent 6 wonderful nights at the Coronado Springs Resort. We were there from 11/11 to 11/17 and stayed in Cabanas 9A. We were roughly equidistant between Bus Stop 4 and Bus Stop 1. We were happy with our location - it was close to El Centro and close enough to the pool. I enjoyed the walk from the Dig Site to our building. CSR is beautifully landscaped.

The rooms are very nice. I like the new decor. Each room has sliding doors separating the bedroom area from the sink/bathroom/dressing area. This was a great feature. The beds were very comfortable. We requested allergy free bedding (DD is allergic to down) and unlike most hotels, CSR changed it out before we got to the room. The bathroom is the only thing that doesn't have a deluxe feel. The sink area is lovely but the tiled shower is not that pretty. It was fine and clean and all, but definitely did not have a deluxe feel.

The only thing we didn't like was our second floor location. It was a bit of a hassle to deal with the stroller and either stairs or the long treck to the elevator. If you have a stroller I'd defintely request a first floor room, as the buildings are long and there is only one elevator.

I can't comment on the gym , but DH used the gym several times. He said it was very good for a hotel gym. The equipment was good and modern. If you or your spouse like to work it, it was a definite plus!

We found CSR staff to be friendly. At check in, we had one problem - we paid for a 7 day pass but only got a 6 day pass to the parks. Apparently there was an error and the money had been refunded to my card but CSR comped us an extra park day. We also had GREAT service at the Pepper Market. I have seen many complaints, but I really enjoyed having waitstaff there. One day, DD threw up at PM . She wasn't really sick, she just ate an entire bag of cracker jacks, swallowed some pool water, and then got a bit hyper before dinner. The PM staff was really great about it. They gave us a brothy soup in lieu of a kids entree and our waitress brought us extra broth without "stuff" in it. She brought crackers and brought an extra soft drink to settle DD's stomach. DD still had an appetite after getting sick. Then, my younger DD was jealous that older DD had soup while she had pizza and the CM's brought her soup too and did not charge for it. They were so wonderful. We left extra tip money on the table.

The food at Pepper Market was not as good as the CMs unfortunately. There was definitely a lot of variety, but it wasn't great. I am working on dining reviews, so I won't go into much detail here. Also, I didn't care for the system where you have to run around to the different stations and order things and then wait for them to be cooked. Now, the food was very fresh, but it wasn't that convenient with little kids.

As others have said, the Dig Site pool is great. My four year old LOVED the jaguar slide. Pool vests are available, which is really great for parents of little ones. I also went down the jaguar slide twice and the lifeguard let me hold my three year old so she could experience it too. The pool was heated which I loved.

Bus service was FANTASTIC. DH and I are used to public transport, so please bear that in mind. But we were very impressed with how well run Disney transportation is. I see a lot of complaints on the DIS about buses and I just don't get it. We only had to wait a while for a bus (~ 15-20 minutes) one time. We were heading to Epcot and we saw numerous buses come by - like 3 DHS, 3 Downtown Disney, 2 AK, 2 MK - before Epcot's bus came. However, on average, we waited 5 minutes or less for the buses. The buses were not crowded except after Wishes. I'd recommend though that you NOT try and catch the bus from Bus Stop 1, which is the one near El Centro. A lot of people did this after breakfast and that's when buses would get more full.

I also wanted to share that we took buses from AKV to CSR and it was totally easy and not as awful as people here make it sound. We took a bus from AKV to DHS and then switched at DHS to a CSR bus and it was easy! We waited about 5 minutes at AKV for the DHS bus and then about 3 minutes for the CSR bus at DHS once we got to the CSR bus stop.

One thing I wanted to note was the fact that CSR had great bus stop locations at the parks. If not the closest to the entrance, CSR's stop was always one of the closest.

CSR has a good location relative to the parks. CSR is very close to DHS and AK and also close to Epcot. MK is a bit further, but not *far* at all.

Lastly, I notice that several people are concerned because CSR is a "convention resort." There were two conventions while we were there - one was ending and the other began during our trip. We did notice conventioneers. But they were not rowdy or disruptive in any way.

If you have any questions about CSR, please feel free to ask!

[Amy&Dan]

I am so glad you had a great stay. We love CSR and I always enjoy hearing good reviews of it by others who enjoyed their time there!

That is so great that the PM cm's were so nice when your daughter got sick. My dd is 13 and she'll still barf if she eats something too fast or swallows pool water!

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed review, I am sure it will be very helpful to folks who are researching where to stay.

[weswife]

Thanks for the review!!!!!! We will be staying there for the 1 st time in Apr.!!!!!

[MagicKisses2]

Glad you had a great stay! We were at CSR for our last trip and loved it! We were in the Ranchos section (pretty far walk but beautiful area) pre renovation and still loved it.

I really like PM, there were a lot of choices, but it was only DH and me, so we didn't have to run around for other meals other than our own.

Welcome back home and you did a great review.

[KatMark]

Thank you for the awesome and detailed review of the CSR. We really appreciate it. I'm so glad that those "grumpy" CM's at the Pepper Market were friendly and helpful and went out of their way for your sick DD.

We were in Cabanas 9A in September in a corner room--it was very nice.

[Mom loves Disney]

Thanks for the review. We will be there for the first time at Christmas.

[SaskDisNut]

Thanks for your review! I'm glad your family had a great time.