Coronado vs. Wilderness - HELP PLEASE!

[ejrj]

I'm looking at planning a Disney wedding for next fall or early 2007. Last fall I was at Disney for the first time in 15 years and stayed at WL - which we loved! I;d really like to have my guests stay there but it gets rather expensive. Instead we're looking at booking everyone to one of the moderate resorts, Coronado SPrings. Can you all please share your thoughts on this resort? Do you think this is the best of the moderate hotels at WDW?

Much appreciated!

 

[Buzz2001]

If you choose a moderate resort, then CSR is the place.

Another CSR vs WL Thread

Another CSR vs WL Thread

CSR is a large resort that does not share services with other resorts and offers some deluxe amenities because it is a convention resort.

CSR has a salon, spa, and a gym that other moderates do not offer. CSR has full menu room service and offers an internal shuttle system provided by golf carts to assist in getting to and from the main building to the villages.

It is also the only mod to offer suites.

CSR is situated around a 15 acre lake and CBR is situated around a 45 acre lake.

CSR has terrific transportation. It does not share with any other resort (like POR / POFQ) and it only has 4 bus stops within the resort (vs 8 at CBR). And since CSR is centrally located, you'll have a quick ride to all the parks.

And being a convention resort, the buses seem less crowded because guests are busy with their conventions.

Photo by Ducky4Disney

CSR has the best pool of the mods and probably the second best on WDW property. Best mod pool. It offers a great slide (123 ft long), an arcade, a sand volleyball court, and a playground at the main pool area.

Review from mousesavers.com!!

Coronado Springs is my Best Value choice in the Moderate category. It has several advantages compared with the other Moderate resorts. It is newer, so there has been less wear-and-tear on everything. Also, Coronado Springs is a convention hotel, so it has a few extra amenities not offered at the other Moderates, including a salon, a health club and a more upscale food court.

The theming is radically different in the three areas of Coronado Springs. You can request a specific area when booking but there is no guarantee you'll get your request.

• The Spanish-style Casitas at Coronado Springs are very peaceful, with courtyards featuring tiled fountains. Casitas Buildings 1, 3 and 2 (in that order) are the closest to the restaurants and services. Casitas Building 4 contains the salon and health club, if those are important to you.
• The Cabanas at Coronado Springs have a beachy Caribbean feeling. Cabanas Building 8A is very close to the feature pool, which may be a blessing (convenience) or a curse (noise, light). Cabanas Building 9B is closest to the marina and relatively convenient to the restaurants and services.
• The Ranchos at Coronado Springs feel quiet and secluded -- some would say isolated -- and feature desert landscaping and pueblo-style architecture. They look closest to the main pool on a map, but in actuality they are separated from the rest of the property by a swamp, so it can be a fairly long walk from these buildings to the pool, and a very long walk to the restaurants.

 

[Golliwobbler]

Wow...Buzz2001 really hit it hard...all the way to the wall.

Having stayed in both, Wilderness is of course a lot of fun, but CSR has a whole lot to offer. The transportation notes from Buzz2001 are especially spot on...hardly any waits and the parks are always the next stop.

 

[ciera321]

We've stayed at all the moderates and CSR is our favorite by far!!! It is (IMO) the best of the moderates for several reasons. The bus service is not shared by any other resort and is very efficient. The Pepper Market has a great variety and really good food. There are perks because it is a convention hotel (beauty salon/fitness center). Then there's the pool and slide, which we love. The CSR is landscaped beautifully and the theming is so thorough. Can you tell I love CSR???

 

[hockeybabe]

We stayed at WL our first visit, and CSR our second. We LOVED WL! And we LOVED CSR!!

CSR's themeing is great, the grounds are just beautiful, the pool and slide are awsome, if you are on the dining plan, Pepper Market is great as a CS, and the bus service was great, no sharing with other resorts. We didn't notice the room being smaller than WL, and it had central air and ceiling fans. We really liked the privacy curtain separating the bathroom from the bedroom...it made getting an early start for me easier without having to wake the kids. Has the coffee maker and coffee, hairdryer, iron and board in room without asking. So many great memories there

WL is a deluxe hotel, though. Indoor corridors are important to some people (not us). They do have queen beds, and double sinks; CSR does not. The boat to the MK was great. Didn't care much for the stop at FW every trip, but not too inconvenient. Loved Whispering Canyon, but the ruckus after 11 p.m. our first night was surprising, but hey, we were at WDW

We weren't disappointed, but some people are going from a deluxe to a mod. If you are going to do it, though, I think that CSR will be more "deluxe" than the other mods, as they cater to conventioners.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[jaw407]

My wife loves PO-Riverside. We always stay in the Alligator Bayou section. We love the quiet off the beaten path walk-ways. For moderate resort I don't think you can find a better restaurant than Boatwright's Dining Hall. They have a nice sitdown breakfast, lunch, and dinner. PLUS, they are finishing up referbishing all the rooms in the Alligator Bayou side. Building 14 and 15 are close to the main building however the walk isn't that bad from the back side. As for Coronado Springs, that is our least favorite moderate resort. The resort has a HUGE convention center which can host many different conventions at the same time. If you happen to hit it right, when their full (like we alway seem to do), then every place you go will be crowded. They do have a nice tram ride around the lake but that's only if you can get a seat which is hardly likely. One more thing, the Maya Grill has the worst breakfast buffet we ever ate at.
Good Luck,

 

[sara74]

This is the exact dilemma we had when booking. I love the look of CSR and the pool! But the slide is a little long for our little ones I think. We opted for WL this trip since it is closer to MK. The next trip I think will be CSR as we are soon to be a family of 5 and need to stay there before the youngest reaches 3 if we are going to do it at all!

 

[ejrj]

Thanks so much for your replies everyone! Hockeybabe so glad to hear you weren't disapponinted w/ csr after staying at WL. We loved WL and I would just hate to have that 'this is nice but I wish you all could have seen WL' feeling all week.

Thanks again all!

 

[Selket]

Erica,

You totally need to go on a "scouting" trip to WDW to check out the hotels!

CSR is beautiful and I didn't find it overly conventiony. I think POFQ might be a nice place for a wedding party group however. It is the smallest of the moderates so everything is convenient to walk to (bus, food court, pool, etc.) and if your other guests are spread out around the resort you'll not be overly far away from each other. There is just one pool so it is easy to meet up! There is a romantic feel to the place too - all the ironwork and gaslights, etc. I think it is that last reason most of all that would make it my choice for a wedding group though!

Congrats on the wedding!

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR has 220,000 sq feet of convention space. They could acommodate a wedding or rehersal brunch, lunch or dinner in one of their nice private patios.

Coronado Catering Services
Their talented culinary team can make every meal a memorable occasion with outstanding food, imaginative presentation, and legendary hospitality.

Contact a Disney Specialist to inquire about your request for CSR.

Sample Menus
Contact your Disney Specialist to see how easy it is to plan delicious and wholesome, custom-designed meals, menus, and banquets that your attendees will fondly remember. Here's a small sample of the types of menus Disney chefs have created.

Fiesta Brunch

• Sliced Fresh Fruit with Fruit Flavored Yogurt, Granola and Brown Sugar
• Smoked Salmon with Bagels & Cream Cheese
• Prepared to order Omelets and Eggs
• Made to order Waffles with Warmed Maple Syrup
• Sliced Strawberries Marinated in Grand Marnier and Whipped Cream
• Quiche Lorraine
• Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Chives
• Crisp Bacon, Ham Steaks, and Breakfast Sausage
• Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast
• Grilled Red Snapper Vera Cruz
• Potato of the Day
• Fresh Seasonal Vegetables
• Chef's Selection of Our Finest Mini French Pastries

Tortilla Junction Lunch

• Southwestern Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Rolled Flour Tortilla Sandwich with Smoked Turkey Breast, Diced Tomato,
• Shredded Lettuce and Vidalia Onion Relish
• Marinated Vegetable
• Jicama Corn Potato Salad
• Assorted Rolls & Jalepeno Corn Muffins with Butter
• Kahlua Chocolate Mousse Torte

South of the Border Dinner Options

• Citrus Marinated Jumbo Shrimp Grilled and Served Chilled with Lime and
• Jalapeno Cocktail Sauce
• Chicken Spanikopita & Grilled Beef Filet on a bed of Flavor Infused Mashed Potatoes
• Pan Seared Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast on a Bed of Penne Pasta tossed in a Ragout of Tomatoes, Ripe Olives and Seasonal Fresh Vegetables
• Duo of Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin and Fire Grilled Salmon Filet served with Lemon Pepper Linguini tossed in Cilantro Infused Olive Oil and Grilled Vegetables
• Double Thick Center Cut Pork Chop Seasoned with a Cinnamon Cumin Rub and char-grilled, crowned with a topping of Toasted Spiced Pecan and Apple Relish Laced with Apple Jack, Served with Mango Chutney and Rice Pilaf

 

[CPer'sMom]

My wife loves PO-Riverside. We always stay in the Alligator Bayou section. We love the quiet off the beaten path walk-ways. For moderate resort I don't think you can find a better restaurant than Boatwright's Dining Hall. They have a nice sitdown breakfast, lunch, and dinner. PLUS, they are finishing up referbishing all the rooms in the Alligator Bayou side. Building 14 and 15 are close to the main building however the walk isn't that bad from the back side. As for Coronado Springs, that is our least favorite moderate resort.
Good Luck,

I would agree ~~ Having stayed at all the Deluxes and all the Mods, I would have to say that CSR definitely is at the bottom of the list. I know I'm certainly in the minority in that opinion, but there are others who feel the same .... I just don't normally post because everyone else raves about the resort! Originally we stayed at CSR because of all the great things we'd read here on the boards. Our stay there just happened to be the worst stay of any of our Disney resort vacations for various reasons. There were 5 of us (2 rooms) and we all felt that same way.

What it comes down to in choosing a resort is strictly personal choice ~ mainly due to theming. If you loved everything about WL you may want to consider either POFQ or POR as a moderate choice for your guests ~ I think they are closer in themes to WL than either CSR or CBR are. I like POFQ best ~ it's smaller and very easy to get around.

Good luck in choosing ~ It's hard to do that for other people since everyone's tastes vary. Whatever you decide ..... they'll be at Disney Can't beat that!

 

[Disney Spaz]

I say go for CSR. We are staying there for the first time in Nov and can't wait. If you want other options POFQ would be my next ressommendation for a mod.

 

[becky1960]

Having stayed at WL many, many times and still our favorite I would like to add that Coronado Springs is an excellant choice and it does have a better pool. The food court is better than WL and it seems to be more upscale than the other mod's. We did'nt think we would be impressed being from the SW but we really enjoyed this resort.

 

[ElleBelle]

No question in my mind whatsoever. The deluxes just have a total different feeling than the mods. Although I have never stayed at CSR- I have visited twice. I have, however stayed at POR and POFQ. There would be no comparison between those two mods and the WL.... the ambiance and proximity to things are some of the best in wdw. This past time at POFQ I felt as if I were staying at a glorified motel- wasn't impressed. I have vowed to never again stay outside a deluxe... it's just not "disney" enough for us. Just my two cents.