8 Nights in June: Coronado Springs or Split Budget/Deluxe?

[PDXKev]

Hello all. Family of 4 (w/ girls of 15 and 11) will be 8 nights in-World in mid June. We can get a great rate (under $160/night) for the whole time at CSR. Or we could split the stay, with 4 nights at a budget choice (likely Pop Century or All Star Music) and 4 nights at Animal Kingdom for just a bit more total cost. I'm leaning toward sticking with CSR, but would be interested in any other thoughts.... Thanks!

 

[mwachter]

I would personally stick to your original plan.

1. You won't have to worry about changing resorts. Personally I don't get why people do this. It seems like it would be more of a hassle trying to pack yourself up and move around to a different hotel. I would rather spend my time enjoying myself rather than extra logistics.

2. Coronado is considered a Moderate+ as it is the more deluxe of the moderate resorts.

I don't think you will regret the decision.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

CSR has a very good pool and volleyball area for those ages. The pools at the values, and even at AKL, really skew to shallow water for small people.

 

[marchingstar]

this is a tough one to me. CSR is beautiful--I love the theming, and the amenities at the hotel are great. most important for my party, we never waited long for buses and they were never overcrowded. I also loved AKL--the first time I visited was when we visited Sanaa for lunch. I remember stopping over at Jambo house to check it out and I actually gasped when I first saw inside. I knew I had to stay there (and we ended up booking a trip right away to head back a few months later!)

I think in your shoes I would try to think about what option will work best with your touring style. I would pick CSR if you plan on regular afternoon breaks, mixing up park and down time. I would pick the split stay if your group does the theme parks commando style for the first half, then a much more relaxed pace the second half. AKL really is fantastic, but not worth it if you're using it primarily as a place to sleep. I think I would plan to be at the resort most afternoons and/or one full day to feel it's worth moving resorts.

 

[Shellyb84]

Hello all. Family of 4 (w/ girls of 15 and 11) will be 8 nights in-World in mid June. We can get a great rate (under $160/night) for the whole time at CSR. Or we could split the stay, with 4 nights at a budget choice (likely Pop Century or All Star Music) and 4 nights at Animal Kingdom for just a bit more total cost. I'm leaning toward sticking with CSR, but would be interested in any other thoughts.... Thanks!

If you've never stayed in a deluxe, I would do the split stay (value first, then moving to AKL). It's a great way to experience a deluxe resort without the huge price tag.

I agree with the PP and would make sure to spend some resort time if you switch to AKL.

 

[loves to dive]

I'd do the split stay but I'm a huge fan of the split stay. I like experiencing all the resorts and you get a different vibe from each one. Just use packing cubes or big ole zip lock bags and just pull out what you need for the first stay. Dirty clothes go back in their cube. Disney does the move for you, just call and get them to come get your stuff and they deliver it to your new resort. Go ahead and go to your new resort and check in then off to whatever park you had planned for that day. When you are done and back in your room, call GS and they'll deliver your bags, no time missed and it's fun to see the different places.

 

[SGMCO]

I would not do a split stay! CSR is a beautiful resort--we've stayed at both and would go back to CSR--found AKL to be to far away from everything (we had bus issues--not enough and already filled--from DVC, no que and people rushing bus)
and they cater to those who are staying DVC--first pick up and first to be dropped off from parks.

 

[mousestruck]

I have never stayed at CSR, just POR in the moderate category, so I can't give the best advice. However, I can tell you that AKL is a fabulous resort, especially if you like animals. The theming is extraordinary - the main lobby takes our breath away every time we enter! If you plan to enjoy some resort time, I'd probably go for the split stay between POP and AKL. Yes, moving is a bit of a pain. But Disney will move all your stuff for you, so it should be pretty painless if you plan accordingly. For our family, AKL offers a beautiful and peaceful oasis away from the park frenzy. Restaurants are great, too. If you decide to go with a split stay, just make sure you do AKL on the back end... something to look forward to!

 

[kappyfamily]

I've stayed at both resorts and have to say I would do a split stay with those two in a heartbeat. CSR was nice but it is a HUGE resort. It takes some serious time to get around there. The rooms to me were just so so. AKL if you can do a savannah view, is totally worth it. The food, the pool, the rooms and being able to watch a giraffe while you are in your PJ's and drinking your coffee is amazing, and really no where else can you ever do that. We do split stays (sometimes even do a split with 3 different hotels in one stay) all the time and it's a great way to see what all the resorts are about. Packing up and then have the hotel move your luggage for you is no big deal at all. We love doing this! Have fun!

 

[PlainJane]

I prefer CSR to AKL. Last time we stayed at AKL housekeeping seemed to have really slipped, and that was a big issue for us.

Since staying at CSR we've found it hard to justify the price difference of the two hotels.

Restaurants: I do prefer the Mara, but the CS at Rix's has met our needs while staying at CSR. I haven't eaten at the Pepper Market in a long time. It was fine, but we don't like the setup, so we go to Rix's instead. We've never eaten at the TS at CSR. At AKL, Boma was a little disappointing to us, but Jiko is great. I've never eaten at Sanaa, but I've heard great things.

Pools: The pools are pretty similar. You have zero entry at AKL, but a better slide at CSR. The pool at Kidani is more impressive with its water play area, but I think that's only for the smaller kids.

The Room: AKL does have a balcony which is nice for the extra space, but otherwise the rooms are about the same size. You have interior hallways at AKL and exterior at CSR. The hallways at AKL are LONG. You do get to see viewing areas as you walk though.

Resort Size: CSR is a big resort. We've stayed in all three sections. We like the Cabanas the best being between the main pool and El Centro. AKL is more compact, but again, you still have a hike to some rooms.

Transportation: CSR is a lot more centrally located, so shorter trips to the parks and better bus transportation.The bus trips from AKL feel long, I don't recall ever having that issue from CSR.

The lobby: AKL wins hands down, the lobby is gorgeous, and there's a lot of seating to lounge in. There's also the outdoor viewing area right off of it. CSR doesn't have the type of lobby you would hang out in. It's pretty enough, but nothing to write home about.

If you decide to go with the split stay, I would book pool view instead of standard at AKL. Normally, the price difference is pretty negligible, and the pool views in general are very nice. The only downside is that you give up the possibility of being placed in a room that's on the Savannah, but wasn't deemed worthy of the Savannah designation, so instead it's in the standard category. Of course you would be guaranteeing that you won't be looking at a parking lot. The pool views are also pretty close to the lobby, so no hiking necessary.

I also would highly recommend ASmu over Pop. We really enjoyed our stay there. It's a pretty compact resort. It's not on the same level as the Mods and Deluxes, but we thought the pools were cute, we had good experiences at the food court, and the bus transportation met our needs. The rooms were also fine, well kept, and clean. We were going to stay at Pop. We got to our room and it had an incredibly fowl odor. I have no idea what that smell was, but it was horrible. I did not trust the housekeeping staff at that resort knowing that they deemed that room ready to be inhabited by guests. We asked to be switched to another value. Thankfully, they found us another hotel to stay at. From our brief stint there, I also can note that I prefer the theme of ASMu, it's much more Disney. Pop was more sterile to me with the decades theme.

 

[constantstar]

I have almost this exact dilemma but with a full POR stay vs an ASMovies/WL split. So, I can't give you any real advice. But, I have heard that you want to make sure your touring plans line up with the parks nearest to the resort (especially in the deluxe side). We're big MK people so I'd do a bulk of those days while in WL. It's such a hard decision!