A Vacation Turned Upside Down - Changed Resorts - Changed Dining Plan

[aml3679]

My husband (55) and myself (52) planned our first on site stay almost a year-and-a-half ago. I work with someone who is a Disney Vacation Club Owner who said that Port Orleans French Quarter was the best Moderate Resort because of it's smaller size. We were convinced and booked there.

Time went on and while the boat to Downtown Disney looked nice and the resort looked beautiful, I really did not care for the look of the main pool and the restaurant. To surprise my husband, I switched to the Wilderness Lodge but he found out and did not want to spend the extra money. After looking at reviews and You Tube videos, we switched to Port Orleans Riverside -Alligator Bayou.

I have been stressing over storage because of the trundle bed and saw a thread the other day regarding Coronado Springs vs. Port Orleans Riverside and and people were saying thar Coronado Springs had more of an adult feel. We looked at You Tube videos and decided to switch to Coronado Springs.

Also, we originally had the Deluxe Dining Plan for all of our 13 days and had reservations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After thinking about how much time we would be spending eating and getting to and from, we switched back to the regular dining plan.

The negative reviews I have read is that the resort is large. We are staying in a Preferred Room King bed. We plan on having a rental car just in case we have early or late dinner reservations. I have read that it lacks the Disney feel because it is a convention resort. I have also read that customer service and housekeeping is shoddy.

I would appreciate opinions and reviews of those who have stayed at Coronado Springs. We are staying from December 4 th until the 16 th. I have been ordering gift cards for over a year to pay our out of pocket expenses.

We plan on eating at Kouzzina, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, The Wave and Kona for breakfast. We also plan on eating at Le Cellier, California Grill, Be Our Guest, and The Hoop de do Review.

 

[disd55]

We are most likely staying at POFQ this summer and are very excited. Of all the moderates, we believe POFQ looks the best. And when we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge it was nearly $100 less than it is now and it was an amazing resort. Convince your husband to spend the extra money, it's only the two of you.

We stayed at the Coronado Springs in 2011. We have stayed at 4 disney resorts, and we can definitely say Coronado Springs was the worst experience. We requested a preferred room and we were put in the closest section to El Centro but in the farthest part of the section. I'm pretty sure they were the Cabanas and we were put in the middle of no where, with a parking lot/Courtyardish view. It was a 10-15 minute walk to El Centro and over a 20 minute walk to the Pool in the 90 degree heat. One of the days we decided to take a bus to the pool side of the resort, which was a good idea. Still, it doesn't have the feel of being able to walk to the pool and not having to go out of your way to enjoy your vacation. The customer service is good and the housekeeping is OK. If you want to get around the resort quick, ask someone in a golf cart for a ride. The food court is good and it's a nice resort, but it is big and there are 3 bus stops so the bus can be crowded. It is also out of the way from almost every Disney Park. It is considered an Animal Kingdom/Blizzard Beach resort and if those parks are the prime focus of your stay that's great, but Epcot, Downtown Disney and MK are out of the way.

 

[puertorican00676]

We have stayed in several resorts in disney, and coronado was one of the best! Even when we were not in a prefered section of the resort, we felt the walk to and from el centro was very nice and it was beautifull! This time of the year they have huge gardenia bushes flowering and perfumes the air as you walk, just incredible! In disney, its all about walking and even at deluxe resorts, you will walk plenty, so dont go nuts and enjoy yor stay, its a beautifull resort! We felt the magic was never lost. We used disney transport and it was not a problem either we were close enough to get a bus from el centro location or from the last bus stop! The resort decor is geared more to conventions, so it has a more adult subdued feel with beautifull touches that still says "you are in disney". We felt the room decor is nice modern in a southwestern style. and the resort is just beautifull, you have to look up into the ceiling when walking in the interior fountain area! We simply had a great time and would recomend it to anyone.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Certainly of all of the ones mentioned WL is the best...but understand if he won't spend the money on it. We stayed in CSR last year, just the two of us and loved it...however it is a HUGE resort, very spread out, and not so sure I would have loved it as much if we would have been in a room at the far end of the resort...we were in Casitas 4. The grounds are lovely, beds ultra comfy and it feels very deluxe. This trip we are at POFQ as we are with two other families and they both have small children and we wanted a smaller resort. The boat to DTD is a big plus for us!

Good luck!

 

[aml3679]

Thanks for your opinions. I feel better now but would appreciate more advice.

 

[1971DBday]

We are a family of 5 so we once DD7 turned 3 we outgrew the basic 4 person room. If I ever had to go back moderate we would choose CSR.

1. We love the theme and yes we still felt like we were in Disney. I however, don't need Mickey staring at me 24/7 to feel like I'm in WDW.
2. It is a huge resort but a preferred room will get you closer to the main building and that is good. Now do your homework and add some other request to your reservation ( you are allowed up to 3, in order of priority, you need to call the reservation line to add these to your requests). Also, if you are not happy with your room talk to the CM checking you in and see if you can move around. You are not going during a busy time, so you should be good.
3. We have stayed at CBR and its just as big, but very kid focused (pirate rooms, pool area, etc.). We weren't thrilled with this resort and POR and POFQ do not appeal to us. We visited to check it out once and it just looked worn.
4. Benefit of CSR being a convention hotel - LOWER BUS CROWDS and MORE ROOM AT THE POOL!!!!

If and when (with college around the corner) we had to go back to a moderate it would be CSR!!! I would have no problem with this. By the way we really enjoyed the Cabanas section.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Have you checked out the information thread for this resort:

Coronado Springs Resort - New Unofficial FAQ Thread

It might help answer some questions.

 

[pigletto]

We enjoy CSR and POR and find no significant differences in services or amenities or size of the resort at all. I would just go with the theme that appeals to you more because that's where the biggest difference is IMO.

 

[nkereina]

Why Alligator Bayou at POR, specifically? Did you book preferred? If I were you, I would stay in any category at POR except preferred, and request the mansions. You could also book a royal room and be guaranteed the mansions - Oak Manor or Parterre Place are all royal rooms. However, we are also two adults and don't find the royal rooms worth the upgrade. But if you did any other category and requested the mansions, they would put you in Acadian House or Magnolia Terrace if they can fill your request. We have stayed in both and find their location to be great, and there is no issue of the murphy bed like in AB.

This trip, we are staying at CSR because we have stayed at POR the last two trips and wanted something different. If you are booked preferred, you don't have to worry about being in a remote location so the largeness of the resort will be irrelevant. For a few dollars more, you could upgrade to Business Class King and you would be guaranteed Cabanas 9B which is arguably the best location at CSR, and you would be able to take advantage of the business class lounge which has snacks and alcohol.

As for customer service/housekeeping - that can be bad anywhere. I've had issues with POR housekeeping. Frankly, I think it's luck of the draw and would not let that discourage me. And the convention thing at CSR is a benefit because it makes the pool and buses less crowded when something is going on.

 

[Princess-ish]

The negative reviews I have read is that the resort is large. We are staying in a Preferred Room King bed.



This is the best way to tackle any "large resort" fears! I believe the preferred room locations at CSR is Castias 1, 2, and 3. Here's a resort map to give you an idea of where your room may be located:

I have read that it lacks the Disney feel because it is a convention resort..

This has its advantages, and disadvantages, and why CSR is actually considered more "adult friendly". For your date's there is currently only one convention at the resort (Dec 13 - 15, National Scholastic K-12 Chess Championship) Because CSR is the only moderate to cater to the convention crowd, it offers a more "adult friendly" room and resort feel. The rooms feature white duvets instead of comforters and desks instead of table and chairs. Convention attendees can be located anywhere in the resort depending on the size of crowd, though most will end up in Castias since it is close to the convention center. Like any groups at Disney (school, band, sports, tourist, etc) it will be luck of the draw in terms of "quality" of guests. Though I don't recall the National Scholastic Chess players... to be a rowdy bunch

I have also read that customer service and housekeeping is shoddy.
These statements can be found in the reviews of nearly every disney resort. While researching the Yacht and Beach Club for our Sept trip, I felt like every other review I read was "worn and dated with poor housekeeping." I've come to the conclusion, that people are far more likely to return and complain with what "went wrong" as opposed to returning and praising a resort. We've had nearly 10 ideal stays at all levels of resort, yet the only resort review I've ever wrote was a negative one for Pop Century.

IF you're unhappy... at any time during your trip... CALL and handle the matter with the front desk/customer service/managers. Be polite, firm, and reasonable. It's a pain, for sure, but if it yields results... well worth it!

We plan on having a rental car just in case we have early or late dinner reservations... We plan on eating at Kouzzina, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, The Wave and Kona for breakfast. We also plan on eating at Le Cellier, California Grill, Be Our Guest, and The Hoop de do Review.

Great choices! CSR's food court is a tad bit different from others, but offers a great deal for breakfast since it's still considered a QS location.

My only suggestion, would be to maybe consider CSR Business Class King rooms. The difference between these rooms and the Preferred King rooms is $45/night. For us, it would be well worth the upgrade price and the Business Class reviews have all been fantastic. I love the ease of access to the lounge and the building location itself, the fact that CSR took it a step further and "updated" the rooms as well, seals the deal for us. Just a thought though!

 

[aml3679]

Alligator Bayou because the look of the room appealed to us. Thanks for everyone's time -- we are going to stick with Coronado Springs and might think about upgrading to business class.

 

[aml3679]

Upgraded to business class. Thanks.

 

[bumbershoot]

We enjoy CSR and POR and find no significant differences in services or amenities or size of the resort at all. I would just go with the theme that appeals to you more because that's where the biggest difference is IMO.

These statements can be found in the reviews of nearly every disney resort.




IF you're unhappy... at any time during your trip... CALL and handle the matter with the front desk/customer service/managers. Be polite, firm, and reasonable. It's a pain, for sure, but if it yields results... well worth it!

I would suggest walking to the actual front desk. Pushing the Front Desk button gets you an offsite (and maybe out of state) call center, which requires someone there contacting the actual front desk and having them call you back. Lots easier to just go to the front desk itself and have a chat there.



OP, for the future, don't let pool concerns get to you at POFQ. Since POR and POFQ are sister resorts you can use ALL the pools between those two resorts when staying at one of them.

 

[nkereina]

Alligator Bayou because the look of the room appealed to us. Thanks for everyone's time -- we are going to stick with Coronado Springs and might think about upgrading to business class.

I think that is a great option. From preferred, its not much more to upgrade. You will also be guaranteed one of the best buildings location-wise at the resort, and the lounge is great for breakfast, afternoon snacks, and some drinks.

 

[slimplaw]

It is unfortunate that your husband won't go with Wilderness Lodge. It is spectacular, especially in December when you'll be there. Everything is under one roof and your room does not open to the outside. Just make sure Pop Warner is not staying at your choice of hotels. You are going about the time of their playoffs held at Disney World. I do not know which moderates they have teams stay at while there. I believe their main hotels are value resorts, but they do spill over into the moderate category. You can probably see the dates of their playoffs on their website and someone else on the Dis can tell you which hotels they've used in the past.

 

[catherines_mama]

I'm excited that you get to take this trip. You are really thinking through this and I know you want to make the right decision.

CSR is a great resort, I've stayed twice (once personal, once business) and enjoyed it. If you want to not walk, request Bldg 1-3 or 9B. They are all perfect location to El Centro. The food court there is very good with lots of options. Bus service from CSR to the parks is not bad at all.

POR isn't a bad option if you still are interested. I stayed there with my parents and my DD a few years ago and we enjoyed the mansions. There are some Bldgs that are just on the other side of the bridge from the main area so very close walk and the Mansions are beautiful. POR buses do share with PORFQ so that is a CON

Of course I agree with PP WL is the best option. It's on my dream stay list. If you can, compare the total stay to what you'd pay if you went preferred at a mod vs WL it might not be a huge stretch with FD etc.

Good luck with your final decisions, I hope you do a trip report or a final review, I'd love to hear about it!

 

[LauraJean]

How did you book an AB room at POR? I booked POR told her an AB room because it is myself, Hubby, 12,9 and 2 year old daughters. I need the sleeping places for 5. Cm told me since my 2 year old is not being counted that I'm not really 5 and may not get an AB room. I'm not really impressed not knowing if I get it or not. She told me no one can just book an AB room.

 

[vicki_c]

How did you book an AB room at POR? I booked POR told her an AB room because it is myself, Hubby, 12,9 and 2 year old daughters. I need the sleeping places for 5. Cm told me since my 2 year old is not being counted that I'm not really 5 and may not get an AB room. I'm not really impressed not knowing if I get it or not. She told me no one can just book an AB room.

That is correct what you were told. They are not a booking category and will be given to families of 5 first.

 

[LauraJean]

That is correct what you were told. They are not a booking category and will be given to families of 5 first.

Another cm told me 5 heartbeats is AB room doesn't matter about age.

 

[vicki_c]

Another cm told me 5 heartbeats is AB room doesn't matter about age.

Could be, I suppose. I never heard that, but don't have any personal experience.