Coronado Springs Resort -- New Unofficial FAQ Thread -- November 2009

[Maine-iac]

I had sent a fax 4 days before check-in requesting to be in Cabanas and we were assigned to Ranchos 7A. I had done online check in. I had gotten the 2 sections switched, so I thought Ranchos was the second choice I wanted when in reality it was Casitas. It felt like we were in the back 40, it was pretty far from the main building which we decided was where we liked to be. With refillable mugs it was a hike every morning there and back and the same at night when we had to get our mugs from the room first. We didn't want to haul the mugs to the park everyday. It was nice and close to the Dig Site, but since we didn't spend that much time in the pool decided close to the main building is for us. I did like that we could refill our mugs at the pool when Siesta's was open.

I too requested Cabanas (did not send in fax) and got Ranchos 7B and I ended up loving it. I had drinks delivered from Garden Grocer so the only time we used our mugs was when we picked them up the first day. So needing to get drinks was not an issue for us. I will definitely be using Garden Grocer again and staying in Ranchos again.

 

[harpinjean]

Just back from a stay at CSR 3/10 - 3/13. We were in Ranchos 6A and is was a long haul over to the main building. We walked it the first two days and then took the bus the other days.

We ate in the Pepper Market every morning. The food was good, traditional Disney breakfast fare. The first day our waitress was terrible. She brought us drinks once and then did not return the entire time we were there. I hated giving her a tip for a sorry job. The last day we had a wonderful waitress who kept our drinks full and was just a pleasant person so we left her an extra tip. I think they should leave tipping to the patron, I'm sure the waiters would be more attentive.

Overall, we enjoyed the resort. The last day the weather was fabulous and we hung out by the lake.

 

[tlenzendorf]

I did forget one thing... the bus service...

It did seem like there were times we waited a long time for a bus. There were times when we saw 3 AK busses and 3 DTD busses go by before our bus came.

That being said, the signs and the bus recordings say that the busses run approximately every 20 minutes. We never waited longer than 15 minutes for a bus. It sure did feel like longer, but it never was. I think the times that we waited for 15 minutes we had probably just missed the bus previous. If you are going to pick a place based on its bus service and that alone I would pick Pop. They CONSTANTLY had busses. That being said, I would never stay there since I am not a big fan of values and love CSR.

 

[Maine-iac]

Kathy I think these are the pictures you asked for.

 

[KatMark]

Kathy I think these are the pictures you asked for.

Lisa, these are PERFECT. I'm going to copy and paste them to my photobucket account so that the next time I update the CSR thread I can add these Rancho and Coke machine photos.

Thank you so much.

 

[DisneyPolve]

I too requested Cabanas (did not send in fax) and got Ranchos 7B and I ended up loving it. I had drinks delivered from Garden Grocer so the only time we used our mugs was when we picked them up the first day. So needing to get drinks was not an issue for us. I will definitely be using Garden Grocer again and staying in Ranchos again.

I hope we get our request of Cabanas this year, but won't hold my breathe since we have NEVER gotten our request at CSR. This year I'll pray to the reservation gods sooner or later we will get our request!

 

[aubriee]

I hope we get our request of Cabanas this year, but won't hold my breathe since we have NEVER gotten our request at CSR. This year I'll pray to the reservation gods sooner or later we will get our request!

Uh oh! You guys are scaring me! I too requested the Cabanas and would probably be OK in the Casitas. However, if I get stuck out in the Ranchos I will definitely not be happy. The only reservation I have about booking CSR is that I REALLY dislike the Ranchos and have a fear of being stuck out there. To make it worse, I have two reservations at CSR this year (May and Dec). I am also thinking about switching my Oct CBR ressie over to CSR.

 

[Maine-iac]

Uh oh! You guys are scaring me! I too requested the Cabanas and would probably be OK in the Casitas. However, if I get stuck out in the Ranchos I will definitely not be happy. The only reservation I have about booking CSR is that I REALLY dislike the Ranchos and have a fear of being stuck out there. To make it worse, I have two reservations at CSR this year (May and Dec). I am also thinking about switching my Oct CBR ressie over to CSR.

OK after got my room assignment I found DH and DS talking to a CM about ESPN weekend. When I said that I got Ranchos and that was the one place I had been hoping not to get, the CM insisted that we go back and find another room. I told her no that I was just going to go with it as this was our first time staying here and I would try it. So you can tell them you are unhappy with the room assignment and they should change it for you. I think they are just trying to spread the guests out evenly about the resort. Like I said before I ended up liking Ranchos but being close to El Centro was not important to us.

 

[abwilliams22]

We will be staying at the CSR in April, and I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row

Can anyone tell me the hours the pool at the dig site is opened? I'm interested in the opening ceremony, and also how late the lifeguards are at the pool. I'm assuming that the slide stops when the lifeguards leave, correct?

Thanks for the info

 

[Disney_momto2]

OK after got my room assignment I found DH and DS talking to a CM about ESPN weekend. When I said that I got Ranchos and that was the one place I had been hoping not to get, the CM insisted that we go back and find another room. I told her no that I was just going to go with it as this was our first time staying here and I would try it. So you can tell them you are unhappy with the room assignment and they should change it for you. I think they are just trying to spread the guests out evenly about the resort. Like I said before I ended up liking Ranchos but being close to El Centro was not important to us.

While I certainly support this and my DH and I have done so when we have not been happy with our room (very last room possible at AKL and furtherest decade at POP) it is not a guarantee for a room change especially if the hotel is sold out.

At AKL they were willing to switch our room, but not until the next day so it meant a room change. At POP the first CM said that there was nothing available, DH knew how much it meant to me so he asked another CM who made it happen and we got a great room location.

I absolutely think that if you get a room you don't like to ask to be reassigned, but we are not talking about 1 or 2 bad rooms, but 1/3 of the resort which means someone has to be booked there so my thoughts are to hope for the best, but you can't decide on a resort assuming room location unless it is a category that you are paying for.

 

[KatMark]

We will be staying at the CSR in April, and I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row

Can anyone tell me the hours the pool at the dig site is opened? I'm interested in the opening ceremony, and also how late the lifeguards are at the pool. I'm assuming that the slide stops when the lifeguards leave, correct?

Thanks for the info

The Dig Site is open from 8 a.m. until midnight; yes, the slide is shut down when the lifeguards go off duty (which varies during the seasons). The ceremony at the Temple is at 10:00 a.m.

 

[abwilliams22]

Thank you very much for the quick response - I'm sure my girls are going to LOVE it, and me too

 

[Bambi222]

We just got back in last night from a 7 night stay at CSR. I had cabana's room request on my reservation and we did get cabanas 9A. We were on the first floor and facing parking lot, but there was a nice big plant outside our door blocking a direct view to parking area. Although, previously that was my last choice for the cabana section, it really ended up working out for us. We were about equal distant from Dig Site and El Centro ( 5 min walk), and we were equal distant from Bus stop 1 and 4. We had a quiet pool and the laundry facility close as well. We would get on on Bust stop 1 since it was the last picked up and get off at Bus stop 4 since it got off before 1.

We ate at the Maya Grill, it was ok. It is rather pricey. We didn't do the dining plan but wanted to do a sit down meal. The scenery was pleasant and the magarita was awesome but we probably wouldn't eat there again. The food really wasn't worth the cost. We didn't try the Pepper Market, so I don't have any opinions on it. But it did appear a little confusing when we peaked in.

The DD's absolutely loved the Dig Site pool. They slide was a huge hit. They also enjoyed the playground area. The hot tub was also very nice for my DH and I to relax our sore bodies. DH was also able to get college basketball up dates at the pool bar.

As far as our room, it was nice and the beds were comfy. The sliding doors were also nice to have. We just had a few hiccups, the TV didn't work at first, then my DH gave it a jiggle and it worked fine the rest of our trip. Also, the toilet needed to be fixed a couple of times, the chain came loose a couple of times, but my DH fixed it easily. We didn't have any towel animals but didn't expect them. But, they did do cute things with the DD's toys on the beds. DD's like that. We had to request more coffee filters, we just left housekeeping a note and they left more. We were also granted an extended check out time to 1 pm. I just called in the morning and they were able to grant us the extension.

We saw some conventioners here and there, but they were usually running off to conferences or meetings. We hardly noticed them. We didn't have any issues with noise and didn't notice any beer bottles or smoking around the park during our stay as others have reported. So that was good.


Since this was our first stay I really don't have anything to compare to and would probably try out somewhere else on our next stay just to try something different. However, overall, we enjoyed our stay at CSR.

 

[KatMark]

We just got back in last night from a 7 night stay at CSR. I had cabana's room request on my reservation and we did get cabanas 9A. We were on the first floor and facing parking lot, but there was a nice big plant outside our door blocking a direct view to parking area. Although, previously that was my last choice for the cabana section, it really ended up working out for us. We were about equal distant from Dig Site and El Centro ( 5 min walk), and we were equal distant from Bus stop 1 and 4. We had a quiet pool and the laundry facility close as well. We would get on on Bust stop 1 since it was the last picked up and get off at Bus stop 4 since it got off before 1.

We ate at the Maya Grill, it was ok. It is rather pricey. We didn't do the dining plan but wanted to do a sit down meal. The scenery was pleasant and the magarita was awesome but we probably wouldn't eat there again. The food really wasn't worth the cost. We didn't try the Pepper Market, so I don't have any opinions on it. But it did appear a little confusing when we peaked in.

The DD's absolutely loved the Dig Site pool. They slide was a huge hit. They also enjoyed the playground area. The hot tub was also very nice for my DH and I to relax our sore bodies. DH was also able to get college basketball up dates at the pool bar.

As far as our room, it was nice and the beds were comfy. The sliding doors were also nice to have. We just had a few hiccups, the TV didn't work at first, then my DH gave it a jiggle and it worked fine the rest of our trip. Also, the toilet needed to be fixed a couple of times, the chain came loose a couple of times, but my DH fixed it easily. We didn't have any towel animals but didn't expect them. But, they did do cute things with the DD's toys on the beds. DD's like that. We had to request more coffee filters, we just left housekeeping a note and they left more. We were also granted an extended check out time to 1 pm. I just called in the morning and they were able to grant us the extension.

We saw some conventioners here and there, but they were usually running off to conferences or meetings. We hardly noticed them. We didn't have any issues with noise and didn't notice any beer bottles or smoking around the park during our stay as others have reported. So that was good.


Since this was our first stay I really don't have anything to compare to and would probably try out somewhere else on our next stay just to try something different. However, overall, we enjoyed our stay at CSR.

Thank you for reporting. We are glad you enjoyed your first ever stay on Disney property and that you enjoyed the CSR. The Dig Site is one of the best things about the CSR.

 

[aubriee]

I absolutely think that if you get a room you don't like to ask to be reassigned, but we are not talking about 1 or 2 bad rooms, but 1/3 of the resort which means someone has to be booked there so my thoughts are to hope for the best, but you can't decide on a resort assuming room location unless it is a category that you are paying for.

When I was at CSR this past Sept/Oct I had also requested Cabanas. Because of the way the AP discounts fell, I had to do a split stay with a King room the first night and a standard room the other seven nights. When I checked in, I was placed on the top floor of Casitas 2 on the side facing the parking lot. Yeah, the only building that doesn't have it's own elevator and the stairs closest to the bus stop/parking lot don't go all the way up to the top floor. You have to walk all the way around the building and use the stairs overlooking the quiet pool to get to that room or else use the elevator in building 3, walk across a walkway, then walk all the way around to the back side of building 2. I could not believe they would put a King room in that really bad location. I was not happy with that room at all and very nicely asked to be moved anywhere in the Cabanas. I was told it was not possible. However, since it was technically a split stay and I had to check back in the next day, that I could possibly get in the Cabanas then. Sure enough the next morning I was assigned a fabulous room in Cabanas 8A. I loved it. The resort was not at all busy during that time, so I don't know why they couldn't have found me a better room for that first night.

If I knew I could avoid the Ranchos, I'd be willing to pay for it. I wouldn't mind the Cabanas being just a little more expensive, if they could guarantee that's where you'd be. I'd also be willing to pay for a waterview if they could guarantee it'd be a view of the big lake. I am not willing to pay for a water view to see a fountain or quiet pool however. I did pay extra for that king room and would have been very unhappy if I'd been stuck in that room for the entire week, walking up four flights of stairs and then having a parking lot view. You'd think the King rooms would at least be facing a courtyard and wouldn't be so hard to get to.

 

[RachelTori]

I get a kick out of how the mention of "Ranchos" seems to strike fear in many of us!!

I've now stayed in all 3 sections and I've got to say, Ranchos was a pleasant surprise! I remember the "oh no!" feeling I had when we first learned our rooms were in Ranchos (right before Christmas, 2 adjoining rooms), but we actually found the area to be very pretty, quiet, and convenient to the bus stop!

DD16 and I will be there for Easter. No requests - we're going to be happy no matter where we are at CSR!

 

[vtgirl]

Hi, We are leaving for CSR in 6 days! It is our first time to Disney for all of us! And, the first time to CSR. I am getting ready to fax my room request in and I was thinking Ranchos 7B or 7A. My DH is a smoker and it looks like there are designated smoking sections nearby plus they are both close to the bus stops 3 & 4 and the Digg Site? One question that I have that I cannot seem to find an answer to is...do the doors open to the outside? Our DD tends to go to bed early and we may want to sit outside the room while she is sleeping if this is possible? What floor would be best to request? Thanks so much!

 

[disadventurer]

Doors open to the inside.

 

[KatMark]

Hi, We are leaving for CSR in 6 days! It is our first time to Disney for all of us! And, the first time to CSR. I am getting ready to fax my room request in and I was thinking Ranchos 7B or 7A. My DH is a smoker and it looks like there are designated smoking sections nearby plus they are both close to the bus stops 3 & 4 and the Digg Site? One question that I have that I cannot seem to find an answer to is...do the doors open to the outside? Our DD tends to go to bed early and we may want to sit outside the room while she is sleeping if this is possible? What floor would be best to request? Thanks so much!

When leaving the room, you pull the door open; when opening the door from the outside, the doors open by pushing them in. As you know, there are no balconies. Personally, I would ask for a first floor as, depending on where you are, there are benches right outside down a couple of steps if on the first floor, and you can sit there while your daughter is sleeping. DH and I used to do this when the boys napped...we'd go sit outside while they snoozed.

 

[vtgirl]

It is so hard to tell from the pictures...do the Cabanas open to the outside or are they inside as well? Thanks!