A canadian, christmas, grand gathering stay at CSR.

[mollyseven]

Well I was going to post this on trip reports but thought I would just post a small trip report on this board for any other canadians thinking of doing a similar trip maybe next christmas.
We went Dec. 22-30th and flew from Buffalo to Orlando with Air Tran. Love that airport and the carrier...hate getting to buffalo in the winter. We had to travel through a white-out to get there...nightmare.
Anyhow....
We stayed at Coronado. We wanted to try this moderate as we have done the others and also done POP and loved all the rest....truth be told my husband really wanted a resort with a gym and I didn't want to pay deluxe!
I requested Casita 4-5 top floor. When we checked in we got Casita 1 top floor a newly refurbished room and I took that thinking it was a good score. The room was Lovely!! but the location turned out to be not so great. It was close to the main building but we didn't need that. It was a haul to the bus stop #2 which is the first pick up, it was a haul to the main pool and even the quiet pool was not close. I'm sure it's not bigger than CBR but it was not even close to as nice as POP let alone CBR or POR.....
I will include what our 18% gratuity was on each meal for our family of 4. I think our total gratuities for the 8 nights were 203.00. Just so you can see what your costs there may be on top of your meal plan.....just an estimate anyhow.
Anyhow that's all I have to say about CSR...we wouldn't stay there again.
We ate at Pepper Market night one.....it was good. gratuity included
We ate at Mama Melrose...Love sangria there..!!! gratuity and sangria $43.00
We ate at Sci Fi....very cool. Meal was just o.k Milkshakes were great!
gratuity $18.00 (lunch)
.....Crystal Palace...food was not good. Disney does not do good buffets!!!
gratuity was $25.19
.....Le Cellier ..we did the candlelight processional and ate christmas dinner here...well it was lunch at 230 actually and the 5pm CP....food was o.k.
gratuity here was $31.85
Wolfgang Pucks cafe....LOVED the food here. It was very noisy in here but the food was the best of the entire trip. Gratuity $21.19
We had breakfast at Kona Cafe....LOVE this also. Gratuity 9.53
Dinner at 1900 Parc Fare...also another buffet. It was terrible actually and we had to wait 50 minutes past our reservation time. I was really disappointed in this meal. Gratuity $25.91
Dinner at Kona Cafe. We love it here also. Our waitress was a real nut bar but the food was good. Gratuity $17.05
We also ate at the boardwalk bakery one night, just had sandwiches milk and dessert....the desserts here are the best!! yummy.

The candlelight processional was truly magical and it was worth the whole booking in advance thing but I wouldn't go again.

I will never do another buffet meal at a disney restaurant except maybe Chef Mickeys....and that is probably just for the fun more than the food.
I would not go at christmas again. It was lovely and the decorations were fantastic, the castle was amazing to see how it lit up and then proceeded to change colours....wow. The parades seemed never ending at MK....it was always hard to get around at night with the crowds.
Key to this time of year is definitely going for opening and doing the rides you want early, getting fast passes for later and getting out of the park by 1pm. Hanging at the resort for the afternoon of pooltime and going back at night for using your fastpasses (yes you can use the passes you got early in the day ....we would collect the passes in the am. and use them at night) and leaving before the park closes or waiting until long after they are shut for a bus back. By 1pm the crowds were crazy....but not until after christmas...they just got more and more busy from christmas day on.....
The weather was perfect, in fact they broke records at least 2 or 3 days while we were there and NO rain at all....we all came back with suntans! yeah

All in all it was lovely to be away for christmas and I can see wanting to be away again next year.
After having been at disney in May, January twice, March and now Christmas I have to say March Break was my favourite time....just the right temperatures and not too crowded. You don't have to get up and go go go cause the parks aren't that crowded and it's a nicer pace.

Disney is still my favourite place in the world to travel to and I miss the smells already. Ahhhh.....

anyhow....don't know if this is of any help to anyone but hey....that was our trip. No drama, no fights, no snow......ahhhhhhhh

 

[LSmith]

Thank you for your honest review. I myself don't sugar coat anything and I appriciate the same (can't shake those Nova Scotia genes). While I have always wanted to go at Christmas, the crowds would freak me out for sure.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes Wolfgang Puck Cafe. It gets a lot of bad reviews but we've been there at least 5 times and always liked it. Considering I am very fussy about my food that is saying something. The pumkin raviloi and flat iron steak are excellent.

Again, thanks very much for your review!

 

[mollyseven]

Ummm... I had the Mahi Mahi and it was so good. I shared with my husband and he ordered the 4 cheese pizza...it was good too. I think all 10 of us ordered something different. It was all good.
My mom thought it was too noisy but the food was worth the noise.
It's cool over there in that part of downtown disney also...it was different.

 

[Debbie]

Thanks for the review-especially the gratuity listing. Still debating on the Dining Plan with DH for our summer trip.

 

[jmann]

I agree with your CS review. We were there in September and to be honest the room was dingy. The staff were fantastic and met our location request. We ate at Pepper Market twice for breakfast and it was ok, not great, not bad. I will say I'm sorry you did not like 1900 Park Fare, we had breakfast there and loved it. I agree about buffet's though, they are really hit and miss.
The Maya Grill was a big disappointment, we called it the tale of two dinners, great appetizers served quickly then an hour wait for our mains that were awful.
As far as I'm concerned the best part of the CS is the location, it was great for buses and getting around. It was also a very pretty resort. It's not that we did not like it but I think we would try something new next time.
Great Review!!

 

[mollyseven]

With regards to do or not do the meal plan I have to say a couple years ago I loved it with the gratuities included it was definitely worth it.
Now, it may or may not be "worth it" but I do it because it takes away the whole "should I or shouldn't I" of the dining. I would have a tendency to look at prices of individual items otherwise and we wouldn't take the time each day maybe for the sit down meal and I find that is the nice relaxing time each day. It does take time though so you have to plan a good 2 hours for this meal.
I just know to take/plan to spend about 25/day for the gratuities.
It's nice to know it's paid for before we go.

 

[SplashMom]

Thanks for the great review. I also like the dining plan because it is prepaid (mostly!) and I don't have to worry about prices. We are going again in April and are staying at Caribbean Beach for the first time so we are excited. I noticed that you stayed at CB in the past - any advice about room location? We like to be close to a pool and the food court.

 

[mollyseven]

Hey yeah we LOVE caribbean beach i'm sure it's our all time favourite.
We stayed in Trinidad north building #31 which was a bit of a walk to the laundry/quiet pool but right beside the main building/pool/food court.
We also stayed at Aruba building 52 I think which was great because it was right beside the quiet pool and laundry and just across the bridge to the main building/pol/food court. Another good choice would be Jamaica building 48 cause it's also right across the bridge to the main area.
They are only 2 floor buildings and we like top floor but to note there are no elevators here so if stairs are an issue then ask for main floor. At building #31 Trinidad North there are nice patio tables/chairs inside the courtyard so if you are on the bottom floor it's like having them right outside your room. That's nice.
You will love CBR....make sure at check in you ask for the area you want they are almost always accomodating.
Enjoy.

 

[Bea]

We have never done the dining plan, so excuse me for my ignorance . Is the 18% gratuity automatically added to your dining bill with the dining plan or is it added to every bill, regardless ? We haven't done a sit down restaurant in WDW for years - always eating on the go or outside.

 

[mollyseven]

No it's not automatically added and it's only for sit down restaurants not counter service.
When the bill comes it says on the bottom
18% gratuity recommemded $xx.xx
tip $

you can choose to go with the amt. or put your own amount

But, for groups of 6 or more the 18% is automatically added to your bill.

another note.....I would not make reservations for 10 ever again or any amount over 5. When we were at crystal palace and at 1900 Park Fare they dont have tables for 10 so at crystal palace we sat at 2 tables for 5 and yet had to pay the 18% automatically and service was AWFUL.
At 1900 Park Fare we were at 2 tables for 4 and a table for 2 and again had to pay the 18% (which for the 3 families totalled 70.00) and the service here was worse than awful. I think that when you have to pay the automatic gratuity it gives the wait staff the option of doing very little.
You can make reservations for 3 individual tables and just sit beside each other anyhow.

o.k sorry got off your question a bit.....ranting and such
sorry.

 

[SplashMom]

Thanks for the CBR info! I'll be sure to request one of the buildings you suggested. We have always been quite lucky with our requests so hopefully that will continue.

 

[Diamondintheruff]

So glad you weren't happy with CS because I have POP booked and I keep thinking I should transfer over there. Now I know I can just stay at POP.

I hear you on your review of buffets (two thumbs down) but as we a family of super picky eaters the buffets work best for us. At least right now. I can always hope that one day in the future the kids will grow out of it. Of course, I haven't so that does decrease the likelihood.

anyhow....don't know if this is of any help to anyone but hey....that was our trip. No drama, no fights, no snow......ahhhhhhhh

That wouldn't perhaps be in reference to my trip report now would it?

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

Thanks for your review. I would love to go during xmas to see the decorations but then I think of the crowds and I slap myself.....no way am I going into that crowd
Glad you had a good time!

 

[mollyseven]

So glad you weren't happy with CS because I have POP booked and I keep thinking I should transfer over there. Now I know I can just stay at POP.

I have to say I do like the mod's for the waterslides and closeness to the parks and better busing but would go back to CBR next time and not CSR

I hear you on your review of buffets (two thumbs down) but as we a family of super picky eaters the buffets work best for us. At least right now. I can always hope that one day in the future the kids will grow out of it. Of course, I haven't so that does decrease the likelihood.

Yeah, also a buffet is really better for Matthew cause he doesn't eat well and now that he is on adult plan it seems a waste when he ends up ordering a kids meal!! but I really feel like disney drops the ball on the buffets.


That wouldn't perhaps be in reference to my trip report now would it?

Ha ha....No actually it is because whenever my family (mom and brother and I) get together there is always drama/arguments/disagreements and this is trip # 2 where all went well....plus the added no snow to shovel was a bonus for me!!