Coronado Springs Resort - New Unofficial FAQ Thread - November 2011

[sorahl1]

This is our first CSR visit upcoming in 61 days.. The last two trips we've stayed at WL and PORS before that. I was convinced to switch to CSR for the pool (for my boys) and so that we could stay a couple nights nights longer. I am concerned though the more negative reviews I read. I know that there a lot of people out there who are, shall we say perhaps a LITTLE, pickier than I but I do expect a room to be dusted, and straightened and I do expect to have a server who brings food and drinks when needed. Now I'm getting concerned about not getting the room type we reserved. Maybe i just need to stop reading the forum

john

 

[Butterflygirl35]

This is our first CSR visit upcoming in 61 days.. The last two trips we've stayed at WL and PORS before that. I was convinced to switch to CSR for the pool (for my boys) and so that we could stay a couple nights nights longer. I am concerned though the more negative reviews I read. I know that there a lot of people out there who are, shall we say perhaps a LITTLE, pickier than I but I do expect a room to be dusted, and straightened and I do expect to have a server who brings food and drinks when needed. Now I'm getting concerned about not getting the room type we reserved. Maybe i just need to stop reading the forum

john

I too was worried when I read everything here.. Then we went... While there we booked a bounce back for October. I think that says it all... Our room was clean, service was great and even though pool bar closes early, they do have a reasonable room service where you can order different food items.

 

[somesong2sing]

question. with pepper market and our refillable mugs we will get, do we have to wait fo rthem to refill our mugs or can we get up on our own while eating and get our own refills?

confused!!

 

[michsig]

Shameless ticker check I'll be at CSR next month

Me too! One month from today!!!

 

[michsig]

I think tjmw2727 meant to say casita 3, not ranchos 3. There is no ranchos 3, and casita 3 is a preferred room. It is not as close to El Centro as casita 1, but I think casita 3 is a nice location not too far from the casitas bus stop and the quiet pool. We prefer cabanas, so we do not pay for a preferred room at CSR.

This is where we stayed last time. Like you said, it's not the closest to the main area, but is still nice.

 

[somesong2sing]

are there quick service counters here that aren't a buffet and a place to get snacks like cookies, cupcakes, like most other hotels??
places to refull our mugs while at the pools?
just a questions

 

[paintnolish]

Ranchos is my least favortie area, but once I got over the disappointment of not getting my requested location (Cabanas), it grew on me. It is close to the Dig Site (which the kids loved), and our room was close to bus stop 3 abd a quiet pool. It was pretty far from the front, but oh well.
I still don't get the fuss over the Pepper Market. The food is good, and it isn't too "confusing". Where else can you get a QSP BUFFET?!? I do think the 10% charge (when not on DP) is strange, but we are always on the DP, so it doesn't matter. The service we had was GREAT! They were so nice, and we talked with the manager, Ken, many times. What a nice guy!

 

[Msmit002]

Now I'm getting concerned about not getting the room type we reserved.

As much of a gripe as I have been about this, I'm thinking this is probably not incredibly likely at CSR. Just be acquainted with the layout of the resort, know what you paid for and be vigilant at check-in. Have a great trip! I'm sure I will, I'm sure you will too.

I do expect to have a server who brings food and drinks when needed.

I'll give you this one. It's no secret that the "hybrid" table service at Pepper Market is...interesting. But nothing that will ruin your vacation.

I was convinced to switch to CSR for the pool (for my boys)

One of the reasons why we picked CSR for this go round. My adventurous DS7 wouldn't be happy with a 'boring' pool.

I'll be there just before you will and I'm sure you will see my trip report before you get there. Have a great time!

 

[HANDYMOM]

Not panicking. As I said, if I had not read the contrary, here on DIS, just in the last month alone I wouldn't be so peeved about it.

So far, I haven't heard of it happening at CSR lately, but people at other values and mods have had their category 'overbooked' and then downgraded at check-in with the CM nonchalantly explaining it happens all of the time.

But, we're getting off topic. A quick search of the forums will illustrate the point.

could you point me to a string where you read that this happened? I know someone who booked preferred and couldn't get it at checkin. She was asked if she wanted it credited to her card or in a Disney gift card.

 

[Msmit002]

Just a fast search of posts and these two popped up. But a search with keywords: preferred overbook refund will give you plenty. Anyway, with theses two, both times the CM didn't even MENTION at checkin that their categories were oversold much less a refund.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45017830&postcount=22

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=40634306&postcount=29

BUT! Let's hope this is the exception and not the norm. As I said previously, do your research, know what you paid for and be vigilant at check in. This isn't chump change. The up charge from Standard to Peferred for a 7 night stay at CSR is $197 plus tax!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

are there quick service counters here that aren't a buffet and a place to get snacks like cookies, cupcakes, like most other hotels??
places to refull our mugs while at the pools?
just a questions

Cafe Rix is quick service and has a place to refill mugs. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it is small and lines can get long for breakfast. Cafe Rix has particularly delicious gelato as well as other sweets, snacks, sandwiches and pizza. Siesta's at the pool also has food (lunch and dinner) and a place for CMs to refill your mugs for you. Laguna Bar (outside, has tables away from the bar area for families to sit) is also open for lunch and dinner and has a limited menu of mainly sandwiches and pizzas.

 

[andieb0602]

This is our first CSR visit upcoming in 61 days.. The last two trips we've stayed at WL and PORS before that. I was convinced to switch to CSR for the pool (for my boys) and so that we could stay a couple nights nights longer. I am concerned though the more negative reviews I read. I know that there a lot of people out there who are, shall we say perhaps a LITTLE, pickier than I but I do expect a room to be dusted, and straightened and I do expect to have a server who brings food and drinks when needed. Now I'm getting concerned about not getting the room type we reserved. Maybe i just need to stop reading the forum

john

I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much. From what I'm hearing the problems aren't only at CSR but throughout all the resorts. So much of what is going on is, IMHO, a luck of the draw kind of thing - it just depends on who your sever/housekeeper is. It shouldn't be that way but it is unfortunately. If you're not happy just let them know. We did have a couple of glitches during our stay. I won't say they were "bad" things because, really, they weren't. But for each of the glitches we had two fantastic things happen. Did the glitches ruin my trip? No way!!!

My family really enjoyed the resort and so did my friend that met up with us for a one night's stay. DH and I have already decided that we'll stay at CSR again for our trip next year - unless we can somehow magically afford club level at AKL!

 

[pooki1]

We loved the mango and banana daquiris so much we are trying to recreate the recipe at home! So good! Oh yes Cabanas 9b someday you will be mine!

 

[HANDYMOM]

Just a fast search of posts and these two popped up. But a search with keywords: preferred overbook refund will give you plenty. Anyway, with theses two, both times the CM didn't even MENTION at checkin that their categories were oversold much less a refund.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45017830&postcount=22

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=40634306&postcount=29

BUT! Let's hope this is the exception and not the norm. As I said previously, do your research, know what you paid for and be vigilant at check in. This isn't chump change. The up charge from Standard to Peferred for a 7 night stay at CSR is $197 plus tax!

I agree, it's not chump change, it's an extra night stay! Thanks for the threads. I am surprised and disappointed. I think I'm going to tell my clients that book preferred rooms, which buildings those are.

Thanks for illustrating it for me.

 

[lmminghe]

Just got back from a fantastic 8 night stay at CSR. This is our second stay at CSR and it was just as fantastic as the first. In 2010, we stayed in Casitas 5 and loved it so we requested Casitas again. We arrived at CSR around 10:00am. We did not use online check-in because if we did not get our request I thought it would be easier to change our room. Sure enough - we were assigned Ranchos! The CM was very nice and tried to find us a room in Casitas, however, for some reason she was not able to see any available rooms. So, she went (without being asked) and got another CM named Elvira who apparently had different access. It took 20 minutes, but Elvira found us a room in Casitas 2. Elvira was so nice about it and really wanted to give us what we wanted. It was a great way to start our vacation!

We loved our room in Casitas 2. We were in room 2347 which was steps away from the quiet pool. The lack of an elevator in Casitas 2 was not a problem for us. I have seen other folks have negative comments here about it, so thought I would give another take on it. We did not find the stairs to be an issue but DH and I are both 43 (still fairly young and in good health!) with with an 11 and 8 year old who are old enough to not mind the stairs. Also, you can access the Casitas 3 elevator from Casitas 2. For us it, was just a walk down a couple of halls which we did the day we were checking out with all of our luggage. So either way, we did not find it to be an issue.

Our room was spotless! We had a great mousekeeper, Vicenta who gave us 5 towel animals over the course of our 8 night stay (which made DD's day!). Our room was always vacuumed, toiletries replaced, etc.

One of the best things about staying in the Casitas is that it has the best bus stop IMHO. Except for DTD, it is the first picked up and the first dropped off, so in our whole 8 day stay we always had seats (except for DH who gave up his seat a few times!). We only had one day where we had to wait longer than 10 minutes for a bus. It was a day we were headed to MK and the bus was late so it was about a 30 minute wait. Also, buses were never really that crowded. In 8 days, there was never a time where everyone waiting could not get on the bus at all the different stops. Overall, the bus service was just as excellent as our stay in 2010.

The Dig Site was awesome. It never felt really crowded like some other mods we stayed at, specifically POR. Also, I thought the theming of the pool and the slide was way better than others we have stayed at (POR, Boardwalk Villas). Also, the walk from Casitas was about 7 - 8 minutes which we were okay with. We had a great CM, Brett, who took care of us at the pool. He is there for 2 months working over the summer, so if you see him, defintiely use him. He can't order your food for you at Siesta's if you are on DDP, but he can pick it up for you when it is ready and bring it to your table so you can sit back and relax. We had both the lime and mango margaritas which were fantastic. Also, fish tacos, nachos and caesar salad were very good.

We ate at Pepper Market twice for breakfast. I liked the buffet better than the way it was set up in 2010. We had good service both times we were there. We asked for coffee and tea refills both times and the CM's were very friendly and came back quickly with it. Both times we were approached by a manager who asked how everything was. The quality of the food was decent. We enjoyed the made to order omelets the most. Overall, I think it is very good value for a QS on the DDP.

We have stayed at POR, POFQ, and CSR in the mod category and we like CSR the best! We like Casitas for the closeness to El Centro, Bus Stop #2, and the general feel of that part of the resort. We do not mind the 7-8 minute walk to the Dig Site. As an alternative, the quiet pool is plenty big and was never crowded when we were there. So, it was a great way to relax after a long day in the parks.

Next time we go, I will definitely spend the extra money for a preferred room so we are guaranteed Casitas. So sad that our trip is over and can't wait for our next visit!!

Hope this review helps some of you who are staying at CSR for the first time

 

[tjmw2727]

Lol....there isn't alot of rooms on WDW property closer than 4 mins to the food court.

Actually there are - and thanks for LOL ~ laughing at me.
Again you paid $20 less per night for that same 4 +/- walk then I did so I don't see your point.

One should annouce - Coranado Springs - only good things need be said in this clique thread !!

 

[Butterflygirl35]

We loved the mango and banana daquiris so much we are trying to recreate the recipe at home! So good! Oh yes Cabanas 9b someday you will be mine!

Me too!!! I want daiquiris !!! And Cabanas. October seems too far away

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Just got back from a fantastic 8 night stay at CSR. This is our second stay at CSR and it was just as fantastic as the first. In 2010, we stayed in Casitas 5 and loved it so we requested Casitas again. We arrived at CSR around 10:00am. We did not use online check-in because if we did not get our request I thought it would be easier to change our room. Sure enough - we were assigned Ranchos! The CM was very nice and tried to find us a room in Casitas, however, for some reason she was not able to see any available rooms. So, she went (without being asked) and got another CM named Elvira who apparently had different access. It took 20 minutes, but Elvira found us a room in Casitas 2. Elvira was so nice about it and really wanted to give us what we wanted. It was a great way to start our vacation!

We loved our room in Casitas 2. We were in room 2347 which was steps away from the quiet pool. The lack of an elevator in Casitas 2 was not a problem for us. I have seen other folks have negative comments here about it, so thought I would give another take on it. We did not find the stairs to be an issue but DH and I are both 43 (still fairly young and in good health!) with with an 11 and 8 year old who are old enough to not mind the stairs. Also, you can access the Casitas 3 elevator from Casitas 2. For us it, was just a walk down a couple of halls which we did the day we were checking out with all of our luggage. So either way, we did not find it to be an issue.

Our room was spotless! We had a great mousekeeper, Vicenta who gave us 5 towel animals over the course of our 8 night stay (which made DD's day!). Our room was always vacuumed, toiletries replaced, etc.

One of the best things about staying in the Casitas is that it has the best bus stop IMHO. Except for DTD, it is the first picked up and the first dropped off, so in our whole 8 day stay we always had seats (except for DH who gave up his seat a few times!). We only had one day where we had to wait longer than 10 minutes for a bus. It was a day we were headed to MK and the bus was late so it was about a 30 minute wait. Also, buses were never really that crowded. In 8 days, there was never a time where everyone waiting could not get on the bus at all the different stops. Overall, the bus service was just as excellent as our stay in 2010.

The Dig Site was awesome. It never felt really crowded like some other mods we stayed at, specifically POR. Also, I thought the theming of the pool and the slide was way better than others we have stayed at (POR, Boardwalk Villas). Also, the walk from Casitas was about 7 - 8 minutes which we were okay with. We had a great CM, Brett, who took care of us at the pool. He is there for 2 months working over the summer, so if you see him, defintiely use him. He can't order your food for you at Siesta's if you are on DDP, but he can pick it up for you when it is ready and bring it to your table so you can sit back and relax. We had both the lime and mango margaritas which were fantastic. Also, fish tacos, nachos and caesar salad were very good.

We ate at Pepper Market twice for breakfast. I liked the buffet better than the way it was set up in 2010. We had good service both times we were there. We asked for coffee and tea refills both times and the CM's were very friendly and came back quickly with it. Both times we were approached by a manager who asked how everything was. The quality of the food was decent. We enjoyed the made to order omelets the most. Overall, I think it is very good value for a QS on the DDP.

We have stayed at POR, POFQ, and CSR in the mod category and we like CSR the best! We like Casitas for the closeness to El Centro, Bus Stop #2, and the general feel of that part of the resort. We do not mind the 7-8 minute walk to the Dig Site. As an alternative, the quiet pool is plenty big and was never crowded when we were there. So, it was a great way to relax after a long day in the parks.

Next time we go, I will definitely spend the extra money for a preferred room so we are guaranteed Casitas. So sad that our trip is over and can't wait for our next visit!!

Hope this review helps some of you who are staying at CSR for the first time

I am glad you had a great trip!!

 

[saskdw]

Actually there are - and thanks for LOL ~ laughing at me.
Again you paid $20 less per night for that same 4 +/- walk then I did so I don't see your point.

Actually we paid for a waterview, so the rate was the same as preferred. IMO the location we had is the best on CSR property, that's why we didn't pay for preferred, we wanted Casitas 4.

What you paid for was a guarantee that you would be within 4 mins of the food court and not stuck out in Ranchos 6. $20 is really not much to pay for that guarantee. My response really was really to put in to perspective what you were complaining about to any in experienced CSR people that happen to read this thread. It really wasn't meant to start a debate with you. Preferred rooms at any of the Mod resorts get you the same thing. A guarantee basically to be within 5 mins of the food court. I won't stay at CBR without a preferred room. We don't go preferred at CSR because there are other location we like better than Casistas 1,2, & 3. I think what you are expecting out of a preferred room if it existed would be alot more than $20 a night.

And actually the location you had is fantastic. Right beside the quiet pool, Fitness Center, Spa, and the #2 bus stop which is the best stop at CSR.

 

[tjmw2727]

Actually we paid for a waterview, so the rate was the same as preferred. IMO the location we had is the best on CSR property, that's why we didn't pay for preferred, we wanted Casitas 4.

What you paid for was a guarantee that you would be within 4 mins of the food court and not stuck out in Ranchos 6. $20 is really not much to pay for that guarantee. My response really was really to put in to perspective what you were complaining about to any in experienced CSR people that happen to read this thread. It really wasn't meant to start a debate with you. Preferred rooms at any of the Mod resorts get you the same thing. A guarantee basically to be within 5 mins of the food court. I won't stay at CBR without a preferred room. We don't go preferred at CSR because there are other location we like better than Casistas 1,2, & 3. I think what you are expecting out of a preferred room if it existed would be alot more than $20 a night.

And actually the location you had is fantastic. Right beside the quiet pool, Fitness Center, Spa, and the #2 bus stop which is the best stop at CSR.

Wow - really?

What I was expecting out of a preferred room was what was advertised per the WDW website. I do realize I got a preferred room and I said that in the first post. I didn't think I was "complaining" btw but I was definately "dissapointed" that my preferred room was as far away fom ElCentro as a preferred room could be. There are hundreds of rooms that were closer to the ElCentral than mine and I am sure they didn't pay "aot" more than the $20 a night than I did!!

It is very nice that you love that location - we did not. My kids wanted the dig site pool (thanks in part to the CM's talking it up) not the quiet pool and the Dig Site was about as far from that location as it could possibly be. We didn't use the health club or spa as it was just me and my dd's. If I wanted a room close to those amenities I would have requested that instead of paying for a preferred location.

Most of the time we needed/wanted something at ElCentro so we used bus stop #1, I knew this would be the case so that's one of the reasons I reserved a "preferred" room.

So - we got a preferred room that was just steps away from non preferred rooms and we didn't get the "waterview" that you got for your $20.00.

Thanks again for the warm welcome to this resort thread, glad to know that my "unexperienced" viewpoint is so valued.