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

[Teacher510]

I apologize if this was answered in a previous post. What would be the best request for a standard view room? We don't do breakfast at the food court so that wouldn't be an issue. Proximity to a bus stop and a pool would be more important. Thanks for the help!

 

[that's nice]

(I'm putting this here so my DW won't see it, but I have to tell somebody)


We booked CSR for a 2 night room only ressie in December!!!!

Now I hope that we will be able to use it!!!!

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

(I'm putting this here so my DW won't see it, but I have to tell somebody)


We booked CSR for a 2 night room only ressie in December!!!!

Now I hope that we will be able to use it!!!!

Awesome!!!!

 

[KatMark]

We are heading down to Disney later this month for 7 days, and are looking at the different sections in CSR and what makes the most sense for us. Originally I was thinking Cabana section because its closest to the pool, but knowing that we are going to be spending a lot of our time in the parks, most likely coming back to the hotel early afternoon each day for rest, and heading to other resorts for dinner each night, or to see fireworks shows...I'm now thinking being near the first bus stop and in the Casita section is more important than any of that to make sure we always get seats (and lugging our stroller on and off the bus is sure to be fun).

Can folks that have stayed here before let me know their thoughts here? Am I right Casita's stop is first? Will there be plenty of seats anyway in late September? We booked a waterview room so Casita 5 is looking like it makes a lot of sense right now...

I would ask for Casitas 3, 4 or 5 -- close to Bus Stop 2 (the first one picked up) and close to the quiet pool (and fitness center/spa and laundry).

This was my family's first time at Disney. We took the Magical Express, which was wonderful. Didn't have to lug our luggage anywhere.
I did the online check in and got on that line when I arrived but the regular check in line moved quicker that the online check in. When I got up to the counter, I felt like I was checking into a Marriott...nothing "magical" or overenthusiastic CM's. She told me I was in Ranchos 7A...I sent a fax to be in 8a or 9b but didn't get it and I didn't fight it. We then walked to our room. THAT IS A WALK! Let's just say I got my exercise in these past 5 days.
When we got there the room was awesome...clean...and neat. The beds were comfy! Then I had to do a milk run for my toddler and I forgot to tell the staff I needed a microwave in my room (which I got in 25 minutes) so I walked all the way back to el centro and then back again to the room. By the time I got back, I was sweating!

Thankfully, we found that our bus stop (stop #3) was right around the corner from our hotel. We never waited for a bus for more than 5 minutes. But let me tell you about the buses...they are FREEZING!! In fact I am sick from the buses being so cold! So remember to bring a sweatshirt at night..even in the daytime...while you're riding those buses! This is coming from a NY girl!

We ate in the Pepper Market most of the time...at first I was confused how to work the system but it was easy after a while. If anyone was there the same time as I was....we were the family with the two boys and the DVD player. Yep...sue me...I like to eat a meal without my toddler screaming so I bring a DVD player. Geez...the looks and the head shakes you get from some people
for playing a cartoon for your kid, while you grab a bite to eat.
Anyway...the first night we ate at 7:30pm. Bad idea. It took my husband 35 minutes to get two hamburgers and my son a plate of chicken nuggets and fries. The hamburger was good...but didn't agree with my stomach so I didn't feel good the rest of the night.
We got there for dinner another night right before 5 o'clock. Much better! No lines...no waiting...nice and quiet. They refill your drinks like crazy and they're QUICK! Have the BIG pizza...it's yummy. We ordered two one night and brought it back to the room for a late night snack.

We grabbed some food in the morning as well. We ate the egg, cheese and bacon on a croissant...that was good but the sandwiches that had the Italian cold cuts on it was kinda gross. The bread was so HARD and the cold cuts weren't that good. Stick to the breakfast sandwiches. The chocolate chip muffins were delish!

We ate mostly outside in the morning while the birds flocked around. If you look over the side by the lake...the turtles come by and try to grab a bite to eat as well.

Checking out was pretty good...they left a note on the door with all our charges...flight info...Magical Express pick up time. We didn't have to check out at the front desk. Mousekeeping came in around 11:30. They knocked twice and then began to open the door. She mumbled something and shuffled out the door when I told her we weren't ready. They received no tips from us....I cleaned up the room with my husband before we left...they didn't have to do much but pick up our towels, vacuum and change the sheets. They didn't make any towel animals or do anything fun for the kids. Sorry...
We called to have them pick us up and bring our luggage to the front. They picked us up and brought us to the front on a golf cart. Those gold carts are pretty dangerous. They look out for the other golf carts more than they do for kids and parents. So if you have kids...tell them to watch out!

The pools were awesome. Someone did throw up in the pool one of the days but we were in the quiet pool so...phew!! We spent most of our days in the quiet pool. That slide in the main pool was great! We went down it a few times.

No real "magic" at the hotel. I wasn't expecting a parade because my family was there but I thought they would so something special for our kids' first visit. When I booked the trip he said there would be a little surprise...I guess that was the my first visit trip pins? My son wore his the whole trip and no one said boo to him.

Did I love the hotel? Yes
Would I come back here? Maybe...if I wasn't in no man's land...
Did I love walking all that way? No (and I'm a young 33 year old in good shape)

I would just love some more enthusiasm from the staff that worked there. I mean, it IS a Disney hotel...right? I'm not trying to sound like a snob but I needed a little bit more pixie dust...

So all in all...I would give CSR a .

We really enjoyed our stay.

Thanks for your review. I'm glad that you overall enjoyed your stay at the CSR. As for the pixie dust, it is really hit or miss at any of the Disney resort. Sometimes you get towel animals, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you get an autographed photo, sometimes you don't.

Thank you I just called and made our final payment and requested Casitas 4 or 5.

I appreciate your advice!

My pleasure.

Kathy,
Thank you for this thread! I'm still on page 10, so I have a long way to go, but I'm soooo excited. My fingers are crossed for a Thanksgiving 2011 trip....leaning strongly towards CSR!

I'm so glad you are here and strongly considering CSR. You already know how much we love it, Heather.

I apologize if this was answered in a previous post. What would be the best request for a standard view room? We don't do breakfast at the food court so that wouldn't be an issue. Proximity to a bus stop and a pool would be more important. Thanks for the help!

As indicated above, Casitas 3, 4 and 5 are close to Bus Stop 2 (the first one picked up) and near the quiet pool. It takes me about eight minutes or so to walk to the main pool from Casitas 4 and 5 (longer from 3).

(I'm putting this here so my DW won't see it, but I have to tell somebody)


We booked CSR for a 2 night room only ressie in December!!!!

Now I hope that we will be able to use it!!!!

I sent you a PM as you already know by now. This makes me SO happy. I know Ana will love it even more this time around.


I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

So if someone posts a question, hopefully someone else will be around to answser. If not, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

 

[CrabbyPatty]

..... and we really enjoyed it! I did online check-in and I don't know if it was any quicker than the other line (felt the same way last year at CBR).

We got a room in Ranchos 7A - all the way by the back parking lot - an equal distance between Stop 3 and 4 for the bus. A very quiet room, and the quiet pool was in the front of the bldg, with the Dig Site about a 2 minute walk. El Centro was a 5-minute walk from there, and I thought it was very relaxing to walk to El Centro in the a.m. for coffee. An easy walk .... especially when you consider that you walk all day long in the parks!

Last year at CBR we liked the quiet pool better than the main pool. This year at CSR we really liked the Dig Site better. It was so close to our room, and we liked the waterslide and thought it was a relaxing pool area. I liked being able to fill up our mugs there also.

The bus service was very good - quite a bit better than CBR in my opinion. I don't think we waited more than 5-10 minutes at any spot - including any of the parks - but yes, the buses were ICE COLD. We took one to DTD and I swear it started out cold and got colder every mile we went!

We ate once at the Pepper Market. I like the CONCEPT of PM, but in practice I think it needs some work. Even simple signs at each station that said "ORDER HERE" or "PICK UP" here would help. It was quiet when we were there - about 2:00 p.m. - but most of the stations had workers that didn't seem very interested in helping us - a lot of standing around talking and not making eye contact with guests. After standing by one station (can't recall which one), my sister was told she was in the wrong area to place an order and so she went to the sandwich station and got a tuna sandwich - took about 10 minutes. I got a steak/rice/bean/salsa dish and it was VERY good. It took about 8-10 minutes but everything was cooked fresh. Now, we only ate at PM once so I don't another time to day to compare the general attitude of the staff.

Our room was very clean - the beds were VERY comfortable. We didn't get any towel animals.

I thought all the CMs we encountered were good - the concierge desk was very helpful. I agree that there was no excitement ... .as another poster noted ...... but I tend to prefer the low-key so I was fine.

 

[JenniJ]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

My thoughts are with you and husband. I may not know you but after reading this thread for so long, I feel like I do a little.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

Best of luck to your husband, Kat!


FYI to those of you that use up your snack credits on goodies to take home...the gift shop at the resort does not have a very large selection, so keep that in mind if you have a lot of credits to use up. I love the pre-packaged cookies from Minnie's Bake Shop and was so disappointed when I tried to use my 8 remaining credits to take some home -- the castmember at the register said a large family had come in the night before and bought between 40-50 of them and there were only 1 or 2 left (with no deliveries scheduled until later in the week).

 

[alicia080979]

What all products are provided? I am trying to decide what I need to take as far as shampoo/conditioner/body wash or if we can just use what they provide. I know it is H2O brand but is it any good? Do they replenish each day or is it easy to get more if you need it since we have 4 adults I know a small bottle won't be enough each day? Do they have a body gel/wash or is it just bar soap? I thought I read somewhere there is a Solar Relief and Face Bar as well so I'm just trying to figure out what all is available.

We will be there 13 days so the less I can pack the better!

Thanks!

ETA...So I called the resort directly this morning to ask what toiletries were provided and the woman told me there was a shampoo & conditioner in one (not seperate like I had read previously), a face bar, a body soap bar, and lotion. Can anyone who had been there recently confirm this? I thought the Shampoo & Conditioner were not in one bottle and thought they provided more than the values.

 

[DaniB]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

Sending best wishes your way. Hope all goes well with Mark!

 

[999ghostslover]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

lot's of prayers for you and you husband! Wishing him a speedy recovery.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Kat, I hope everything goes well today!

 

[glennsgirl762]

Good Luck to your husband KatMark, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

 

[alicia080979]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

Praying for you guys this morning!

 

[Pumba's Truth]

Hope all goes well Kat. Here's thinking of y'all.

 

[snykymom]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

So if someone posts a question, hopefully someone else will be around to answser. If not, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Here's to an easy surgery and a quick recovery for Mark! And an easy time for you, too!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I do not know if I will get on the DIS tomorrow (if I do it won't be until the evening more than likely). My husband is having angioplasty done at 8 a.m. so I'll be at the hospital.

Thinking of you and Mark today, Kathy! Hope the angioplasty went well and he is recovering nicely now.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

What all products are provided? I am trying to decide what I need to take as far as shampoo/conditioner/body wash or if we can just use what they provide. I know it is H2O brand but is it any good? Do they replenish each day or is it easy to get more if you need it since we have 4 adults I know a small bottle won't be enough each day? Do they have a body gel/wash or is it just bar soap? I thought I read somewhere there is a Solar Relief and Face Bar as well so I'm just trying to figure out what all is available.

We will be there 13 days so the less I can pack the better!

Thanks!

ETA...So I called the resort directly this morning to ask what toiletries were provided and the woman told me there was a shampoo & conditioner in one (not seperate like I had read previously), a face bar, a body soap bar, and lotion. Can anyone who had been there recently confirm this? I thought the Shampoo & Conditioner were not in one bottle and thought they provided more than the values.

The shampoo and conditioner are separate at CSR. Even when you think you are calling the resort directly, you are actually calling a call center that sees the number being dialed and answers "Disney's Coronado Springs Resort".

CSR gives shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and bar soap (face and body, I think). I don't remember having body wash, but it may be there and I just don't remember it. The toiletries are the H2O+ Aquatics line, which is the same as the other deluxes except GF. GF has the Spa line, I think, similar to or the same as Disney Cruise Line. The DCL toiletries are awesome (especially the body butter), but the Aquatics line is very nice as well. I don't pack shampoo and conditioner when I go to CSR, but I pack it almost every other place. I would pack it if we stayed in another moderate or in a value because I really don't like a shampoo/conditioner combo.

Our mousekeeper during our last stay (this July) was great and gave us lots of shampoo and conditioner. I brought a few extra bottles home. Our mousekeeper at AKL in January wasn't quite as generous. They should replenish it if they see you are running low, but you can also leave a note or maybe grab some off a cart (I don't know if that is frowned upon or not - we haven't done that, but I have asked for more before from someone with a cart).

I thought we would use more than a bottle each day (my girls both have long hair and mine is shoulder length, DH's is short), but we didn't. The bottles are 1.25 ounces, which holds more than it sounds like. The hardest part was getting the last of the conditioner out of the bottle since it is so thick - we usually stored the conditioner bottle upside down.

Have a great trip!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

..... and we really enjoyed it! I did online check-in and I don't know if it was any quicker than the other line (felt the same way last year at CBR).

We got a room in Ranchos 7A - all the way by the back parking lot - an equal distance between Stop 3 and 4 for the bus. A very quiet room, and the quiet pool was in the front of the bldg, with the Dig Site about a 2 minute walk. El Centro was a 5-minute walk from there, and I thought it was very relaxing to walk to El Centro in the a.m. for coffee. An easy walk .... especially when you consider that you walk all day long in the parks!

Last year at CBR we liked the quiet pool better than the main pool. This year at CSR we really liked the Dig Site better. It was so close to our room, and we liked the waterslide and thought it was a relaxing pool area. I liked being able to fill up our mugs there also.

The bus service was very good - quite a bit better than CBR in my opinion. I don't think we waited more than 5-10 minutes at any spot - including any of the parks - but yes, the buses were ICE COLD. We took one to DTD and I swear it started out cold and got colder every mile we went!

We ate once at the Pepper Market. I like the CONCEPT of PM, but in practice I think it needs some work. Even simple signs at each station that said "ORDER HERE" or "PICK UP" here would help. It was quiet when we were there - about 2:00 p.m. - but most of the stations had workers that didn't seem very interested in helping us - a lot of standing around talking and not making eye contact with guests. After standing by one station (can't recall which one), my sister was told she was in the wrong area to place an order and so she went to the sandwich station and got a tuna sandwich - took about 10 minutes. I got a steak/rice/bean/salsa dish and it was VERY good. It took about 8-10 minutes but everything was cooked fresh. Now, we only ate at PM once so I don't another time to day to compare the general attitude of the staff.

Our room was very clean - the beds were VERY comfortable. We didn't get any towel animals.

I thought all the CMs we encountered were good - the concierge desk was very helpful. I agree that there was no excitement ... .as another poster noted ...... but I tend to prefer the low-key so I was fine.

Welcome back, and thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed your stay.

The Pepper Market is definitely a place that elicits strong feelings. We always have good food there, but it can be confusing the first time or two and the CMs can range from wonderfully friendly and helpful to not-so-happy-to-be-here.

 

[KatMark]

I'll write more later. However, surgery went well--no blockage and Mark is going home later today (after lunch sometime). Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes.

 

[1tufgt]

I'll write more later. However, surgery went well--no blockage and Mark is going home later today (after lunch sometime). Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes.

Good news to hear.