Can someone get me excited about Coronado Springs?

[WDWOswald]

Places we've stayed on-site: Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Kidani, Grand Floridian, Polynesian Villas, and All Star Movies.

Placed we've stayed off-site- Wyndham Bonnet Creek (regular units and presidential), Star Island Resort, Marriott Lakeshore Reserve.

This time around, my family and I (myself, my wife, and our 3 year old who is turning 4 on this trip) are looking to stay on-site but can't seem to afford a deluxe resort this time around.

I have it narrowed down to 7 nights at Coronado Springs for $864, Art of Animation Family Suite for $1,585, Boardwalk Villas 1 bedroom $2,917, or Copper Creek Cabins for $9,419 (just kidding!).

The other option is to stay at bonnet creek for $1,099 in a 2 bedroom unit.

So we've never stayed at a moderate- but obviously the price is significantly cheaper than anywhere else while still being on-site. I don't really love the idea of no interior hallways, less square footage for the three of us, and the potential for some very sightly construction to disrupt. However, I don't want to discount the potential for a moderate to be special and enjoyable.

What do you guys think?

 

[WDWOswald]

Oh yeah and we could do a 1 bedroom at Saratoga Springs for $2,100

 

[izzylovesmickey]

We've stayed at a couple of the same resorts-BC (our fav), WL, ASMov, and AKL Jambo. We stayed at CSR a couple of years ago during Christmas time. We weren't sure how we would like it and were very pleasantly surprised. It is a beautiful resort to wander around. Buildings are spread out but we didn't mind the walk but it was me, DD & DS who were young adults. The pools are nice, the food court had a lot of choices. We didn't eat at any of the TS restaurants so can't comment there. We had no problems with the buses and it was during Christmas/New Year's week so a really busy time. Cast members were good. We are staying this May for 3 nights before moving to YC and can't wait to be there again. Construction may be an issue but from the reports I've seen shouldn't be too disruptive.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I guess it depends on your priorities and how much time you plan to spend at thge resort. If you want more space and don't mind staying off site, Bonnet Creek seems like the best option. I probably wouldn't pay almost double for AoA over CS, because we care more about having a nice pool /hot tub and other amenities than we do about having space in the room.

Just to throw out another option....have you looked into the Disney Springs hotels? With some of the new perks it might be a better option than fully offsite, and some of the rooms appear to be much bigger than CS would be.

 

[WDWOswald]

We've stayed at a couple of the same resorts-BC (our fav), WL, ASMov, and AKL Jambo. We stayed at CSR a couple of years ago during Christmas time. We weren't sure how we would like it and were very pleasantly surprised. It is a beautiful resort to wander around. Buildings are spread out but we didn't mind the walk but it was me, DD & DS who were young adults. The pools are nice, the food court had a lot of choices. We didn't eat at any of the TS restaurants so can't comment there. We had no problems with the buses and it was during Christmas/New Year's week so a really busy time. Cast members were good. We are staying this May for 3 nights before moving to YC and can't wait to be there again. Construction may be an issue but from the reports I've seen shouldn't be too disruptive.

Hey thanks for your perspective! That really helps. I am mainly concerned about the size of the room. I am pretty sure spending an extra $1,000-$1,500 to stay at a deluxe may not be worth the splurge considering how far that money could go for other vacation experiences. Although I will say, with a toddler the simplicity of walking to Epcot or being on the monorail line is hard to over-state. Either way we will definitely have a car!

 

[Mom2Stitch]

We have stayed at CSR for our past 7 trips. It is a wonderful resort and we enjoy it. We have stayed at POR and PoFQ and prefer it. We are a party of 3, DH, myself, and DS who is now 23. We have always had plenty of room for us and all of our stuff. Due to prices we "downgraded" ourselves from the Poly, so I know the apprehension that you feel.

On the positive side, we feel like it's the most "deluxe" moderate. We like the Casitas section mostly because of being close to bus stop 1. We have rarely had to stand on busses and find that the bus service is overall the best we have experience. The main pool is unique, it has I think the longest slide on property, and a huge hot tub that is great for relaxing. Quiet pools are also very nice. The newly refurbished rooms are awesome! More storage, no carpet, double sinks, keurigs in the room. The bathroom area has the divider doors that are helpful when trying to get ready. The grounds are just beautiful. The dining is so-so. We like the Maya Grill, they have a strolling guitar player on some evenings and he's delightful. The Pepper Market is not a favorite of ours and the grab and go is not that great either-but the gelato is nice .

CSR is large and spread out and that is a common complaint. The busses can help with getting to/from El Centro if you have issues walking. It is also a convention resort and to me that can be good and bad. You will see people in business dress and they are there working, not vacationing and that can take away from the "magic". It also means though that those people are working during the day and not on busses or in the pools. We've only had 1 trip where the convention that was there was overwhelming to the resort-it was a Paul Mitchell hairdresser convention-I think there were about 2500 there for it and they were everywhere all the time. I also think that the CM vibe is a little different than at a regular Disney resort. Again I think that comes from dealing a lot with the business class that is there. I will say that on the few times we've had an issue it was dealt with quickly and in a manner that was over and above what we expected.

We were there last May and the construction had just started, it didn't seem to be very bad at that time, but that could have changed.

 

[Osugal9]

We love Coronado. The resort is beautiful, especially at night. It is not heavy into the Disney theme but does feel like your in a tropical redort. When we stayed it was my husband and I and our 4 and 7 year olds.

The kids loved the pool. It has a fun water slide and a giant pyramid. I loved it because as a convention resort, it was never busy at the pool. It was also rarely busy at the bus stops or pepper market. We all enjoyed the food at pepper market.

I would check out the main resort thread before you go if you book here. They have a list of what sections are undergoing refurb. Right now there is construction at the cabanas with the new tower, and the one building that is being refurbed is in casitas. If you stayed at rancheros you would be very removed from it all.

Good luck deciding! We’re really hoping to snag free dining here in September.

 

[ChristineOH]

I have it narrowed down to 7 nights at Coronado Springs for $864, Art of Animation Family Suite for $1,585, Boardwalk Villas 1 bedroom $2,917, or Copper Creek Cabins for $9,419 (just kidding!).

The other option is to stay at bonnet creek for $1,099 in a 2 bedroom unit.

How in the world are you getting Coronado Springs for under $125 a night and AoA suites for under $230? Those are amazing rates!

We have never stayed at Coronado, because we have five, but we have it booked for next month-- at $864 for four nights. (We are traveling minus one kid this trip, which allows us to stay at a resort with rooms for four instead of our usual five.) Even with the construction, I can't wait! The resort looks absolutely beautiful, and I'm looking forward to trying something new.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Hey thanks for your perspective! That really helps. I am mainly concerned about the size of the room. I am pretty sure spending an extra $1,000-$1,500 to stay at a deluxe may not be worth the splurge considering how far that money could go for other vacation experiences. Although I will say, with a toddler the simplicity of walking to Epcot or being on the monorail line is hard to over-state. Either way we will definitely have a car!

We did find the room smaller but not so much that we felt cramped. I haven't stayed in the new rooms so layout may feel a little different. DD is a slob. Her suitcase looks like a tissue box that has exploded about as soon as we get into a room. That said, it didn't take over the room. I only mention it because with a 3 yr old you probably will have some extra stuff. You shouldn't feel like it takes over the entire room. I totally understand the ease of the walk to Epcot. Whenever we stay somewhere else, we have to take a bus to BC and walk to Epcot. That is our happy place so I get that part. That said, we didn't feel like we were on the bus forever from CSR. It was one of the few trips we've had that we didn't have a car for an alternative means of getting around. I didn't notice a big difference other than walking into EP and HS.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Oh, and I second Mom2stitch about Casitas. That was the section we stayed in and loved it! We had a standard view room and faced the parking lot. It was one of the quietest rooms we've had other than if there was a bus that had to let on wheel chairs. We heard no other noise for the entire week. It was a quick walk to El Centro, bus was right there (casitas 4) and not too far the main pool. DS liked to walk the resort at night and said it was so quiet and peaceful.

 

[Darkside]

We recently stayed at CSR and really enjoyed the room, but the building itself was like staying at an apartment building not at WDW(I have seen better theming from some off site resorts). I did not like the distance from the main building, probably the worst thing about this resort. We liked the food options and main building area, which is the ONLY thing that makes is slightly better than a value resort. We had ZERO issues with construction, Disney does a really good job of covering up their construction. If I had your budget, I would definitely rent a deluxe from a DVC member.

 

[BebopBaloo]

CSR has some really beautiful areas. The cacti were blooming on our first stay there and though our room in Ranchos was a hike to the front, we still enjoyed it. There are many dining options. Pepper Market food court, a grab and go area that has espresso drinks / gelato / and a bakery, a bar in the main building and one by the pool, and a table service restaurant in the main building.

You can see the fireworks from Hollywood Studios and the pool has one of the best themes on property with it's Mayan pyramid and jaguar slide. I would recommend staying in the Casitas or Ranchos sections. They are furthest from the construction.

 

[WDWOswald]

After learning that we aren't guaranteed a refurbished room I think I'm going to pass. Knowing the rooms will be refurbished soon means Disney probably isn't too concerned with the quality of how they are current, and that would be disappointing. Plus, I just don't want to see construction cranes when I'm walking around my resort. It just isn't magical. I'm leaning toward a split stay at yacht club and a 1 bedroom at boardwalk villas. Way more money, but our April trip is something we look forward to every year. I don't want to cheap out.

 

[VAfamily1998]

$864 for 7 nights is really an outstanding rate!
I've stayed at CSR, but before construction. I enjoyed CSR more than the Polynesian--I would put it in my top 3 Disney resorts (along with BWI and WL). Other resorts I've stayed at include YC, AKL, CBR, POR, POFQ, Poly, and the cabins at FW.

 

[Micca]

Prior to joining DVC, CSR was our go-to resort when we couldn't find a good deal on a deluxe. We really enjoyed CSR, the landscaping is beautiful. In those days we didn't spend a great deal of time at the resort so I can't really comment on the pool, food or other amenities. We always had a rental car so it was easy in/easy out to park near the room. I'd say it's miles ahead of an All Stars (which was a one and done for us) no experience with AOA.

 

[pooh2001]

Can you request a Casita #4 room close to bus stop #2 ?
We do not care about being close to the pool or a view of anything
DH likes to keep our curtains closed

 

[rkstocke5609]

I made it a point to tour Coronado the last time we were at WDW. We thought it was beautiful. We ate at the QS restaurant and thought it was even better than AoA. We thought the pool looked outstanding, and I noted there was food right at poolside. In general my observations were very positive. I came away thinking that Disney was going out of their way to make sure everything was as near to perfect as possible for the convention goers so that they would be impressed enough to book a Disney Resort stay for a future family trip. 9/10 score, only negative is size and long walks depending on where your building is.

 

[reluctantredhead]

After learning that we aren't guaranteed a refurbished room I think I'm going to pass. Knowing the rooms will be refurbished soon means Disney probably isn't too concerned with the quality of how they are current, and that would be disappointing. Plus, I just don't want to see construction cranes when I'm walking around my resort. It just isn't magical. I'm leaning toward a split stay at yacht club and a 1 bedroom at boardwalk villas. Way more money, but our April trip is something we look forward to every year. I don't want to cheap out.

WDWOswald, I think this is a good decision, due to your not being able to be guaranteed a refurbished room.

My H, D, and I have been to WDW pretty much once a year for the past 20 years (sometimes twice) and have stayed at all of the Mods except CB and all of the Deluxes (not counting the DVC Villas like SS). I hate to say it, but the only hotel we'd never stay at again is CS. We stayed there in the mid to late 2000s (can't remember the exact year) and the resort was undergoing renovations, and just as you've described your situation, we couldn't be guaranteed a renovated room but got a great rate and had read great reviews, so we went for it. Clearly, we got one of the non-renovated rooms, as it was very shabby, practically nonexistent theming, stains in the carpet and couch, and I remember that there was mold growing in several places in the tub and tile grout and caulk. I was really angry about it because I always say that I never want to stay anywhere on vacation that isn't as nice as my own home, because then it doesn't "feel" like a vacation to me. We have a nice middle class home but it's not a palace...but I can guarantee you that I would never just let mold grow in my own bathroom like that, or have my furniture and carpet be stained like that and have guests come over. I also recall that even my in-laws, who are notoriously budget-conscious and will typically choose to stay at Motel 6s, Holiday Inns, etc, traveled with us on that trip -- and even they complained about the hotel and asked, "Why did you guys pick this place?" And I remember feeling really guilty because I was the one who had chosen it.

We did complain and ask to be moved to another room -- but there were none available. They said they'd have housekeeping come by and work on the room, but it didn't really look any better to us. We are pretty shy and reluctant to complain though, so we just let it go.

Now, if you're someone who doesn't care about the hotel quality (like my in-laws ordinarily) because you spend 99% of your time out of the room, then the price you were quoted is a smokin' deal and maybe you should go for it. But if you're like me and a bad hotel experience can put a cloud over your whole trip, I wouldn't risk it.

 

[SwanVT2]

What about the Swan and Dolphin? We have been there many times and are bringing DD age 5 for the first time this month. Deluxe resort, comfy beds, close to two parks and outstanding pools. They have fair AAA rates and I have seen them priced lower than moderates. You can get a room with a balcony which will make you feel deluxe.

 

[rkstocke5609]

What about the Swan and Dolphin? We have been there many times and are bringing DD age 5 for the first time this month. Deluxe resort, comfy beds, close to two parks and outstanding pools. They have fair AAA rates and I have seen them priced lower than moderates. You can get a room with a balcony which will make you feel deluxe.

Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed they were affordable. I remember getting two drinks at a bar in the Swan a couple years back and it was $32 with tip. I actually kept the receipt for a scrap book because it was so outrageous..