Coronado Springs Resort - New Unofficial FAQ Thread - November 2011

[MaddieC]

thanks guys!

One last question (sorry)

I know that you dining plan expires at midnight on the day you checkout. Therefore, say the last day of your trip your flight isn't untill the afternoon, so you checkout and swim or whatever. If you don't use that sit-down meal can you put it towards a dinner that costs 2 sit downs?(cinderella's royal table, hoop-dee-doo revue, ect.)?

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Hi all! I am leaving in a week for my 3rd stay at Coronado resort! Woooohoo! We tried to stay at another moderate, but you just can't beat the queen size beds! LOL!

My question, though, is if we are "checking-in" at the hotel around 9 am to get our tickets and head to the parks, will they take our luggage or should we keep it in our vehicle?

Thanks bunches!

Just wanted to say that we'll be there a few days after you arrive. We're coming from La. too.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

thanks guys!

One last question (sorry)

I know that you dining plan expires at midnight on the day you checkout. Therefore, say the last day of your trip your flight isn't untill the afternoon, so you checkout and swim or whatever. If you don't use that sit-down meal can you put it towards a dinner that costs 2 sit downs?(cinderella's royal table, hoop-dee-doo revue, ect.)?

Yes, you an use dining plan credits at any time during your stay. You don't have to use one TS, one CS and one snack per day. You can use them anyway you want - you will receive all the credits when you check-in, and they expire at midnight on the date you check out.

 

[dtstampz]

I just now read that the MUSE convention is to be held at the Coronado at the end of May. My husband used to attend this convention every year (one year it was at the Contemporary, and I went along!) but now with all of the travel budget cuts, it's not likely he will be approved to go. DRAT!!! Good thing I have a trip booked for the beginning of May with my friend!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I just now read that the MUSE convention is to be held at the Coronado at the end of May. My husband used to attend this convention every year (one year it was at the Contemporary, and I went along!) but now with all of the travel budget cuts, it's not likely he will be approved to go. DRAT!!! Good thing I have a trip booked for the beginning of May with my friend!

I feel your pain! DH (who is not a Disney lover) was approved to go to a conference at the Yacht Club earlier this year, and he chose not to go!

 

[Belle5]

I am excited to return to CSR! I just booked three rooms for a week in mid-May! DS25 and his new wife will have one room, my three college age boys in another room, and DH, myself and our two youngest sons in another room. Woo-hoo! I LOVE CSR!

 

[LJSquishy]

Maya Grill stated in November that they would be getting a new menu toward the end of the year (2011). Well, it's now the beginning of the new year -- anyone have any new info on their planned dinner menu change?

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Maya Grill stated in November that they would be getting a new menu toward the end of the year (2011). Well, it's now the beginning of the new year -- anyone have any new info on their planned dinner menu change?

I haven't seen a new menu posted yet. All Ears has the most recent menu here.

 

[cajunprincess]

Just wanted to say that we'll be there a few days after you arrive. We're coming from La. too.

Awesome! Sad part is that we will be in Disney during the National Championship... Miss time at Disney or watch the Tigers win another title? Decisions, decisions...

 

[Kakikomori]

One week from about right now I'll be walking into my room at CSR. I'm really excited But, after I catch my breath I'm off to MK to ride BTMR before it closes the next day

 

[spender]

That should be a no brainer "cajunprincess" Geaux Tigers!!!

 

[FirstTimeCaller]

I know a lot of people love CSR, but I just wanted to weigh in with our opinion. (I hope this is an appropriate thread to do so).

We recently stayed at CSR after a four day Disney cruise on the Dream. The room in the Ranchos section was a huge disappointment compared to our stateroom on the Dream (a family verandah room). We found the food choices almost non-existent. The room, while somewhat spacious, made poor use of storage. Housekeeping was sub-par at best (the tub was pretty disgusting). We had to request in room coffee (and extra hangers) several times before some was delivered to our room. The shower was border-line horrible.

The heater/air-conditioner had a very large vent which either swamped the room with heat or cold air. It was difficult to adjust it to a comfortable setting.

In general, the staff was very un-Disney like and didn't seem to want to be there (with a couple of exceptions). Disney theming was almost totally absent.

On the plus side, the grounds are beautiful and the main pool is very nice. The bus transportation seems adequate (although other guests reported some issues).

I should point out that we were traveling with another family and were able to experience three rooms in total. The condition of each was comparable.

Finally, I will mention that we are pretty easy travelers and tend to ignore minor issues. In the past we stayed at the value resorts and thought we would try a moderate one on this trip. In retrospect, I think we would have been better served at the value resort.

 

[LJSquishy]

I know a lot of people love CSR, but I just wanted to weigh in with our opinion. (I hope this is an appropriate thread to do so).

We recently stayed at CSR after a four day Disney cruise on the Dream. The room in the Ranchos section was a huge disappointment compared to our stateroom on the Dream (a family verandah room). We found the food choices almost non-existent. The room, while somewhat spacious, made poor use of storage. Housekeeping was sub-par at best (the tub was pretty disgusting). We had to request in room coffee (and extra hangers) several times before some was delivered to our room. The shower was border-line horrible.

The heater/air-conditioner had a very large vent which either swamped the room with heat or cold air. It was difficult to adjust it to a comfortable setting.

In general, the staff was very un-Disney like and didn't seem to want to be there (with a couple of exceptions). Disney theming was almost totally absent.

On the plus side, the grounds are beautiful and the main pool is very nice. The bus transportation seems adequate (although other guests reported some issues).

I should point out that we were traveling with another family and were able to experience three rooms in total. The condition of each was comparable.

Finally, I will mention that we are pretty easy travelers and tend to ignore minor issues. In the past we stayed at the value resorts and thought we would try a moderate one on this trip. In retrospect, I think we would have been better served at the value resort.

How disappointing. I have heard so many negative reviews recently, mostly to do with Mousekeeping...which to me is the most important thing -- a CLEAN room! It also seems as though many of these untidy rooms are in the Ranchos, I wonder what the deal is. CSR -- get with it! I am super worried about my trip in 6 weeks...hoping for a seamless stay, but you just never know. I wouldnt hesitate to ask for a new room or housekeeping if my room was not properly cleaned.

CSR does have a more subtle theming when it comes to Disney. It's not at all like the Values where Disney is in-your-face. I actually chose CSR based on the lack of color & pizazz. The other Mods have tacky bedding, which makes it difficult for me to sleep because I'm not comfortable. The simple white duvets at CSR is much more home-like.

 

[Celidh]

Is a reservation needed or suggested here. My partner and I are taking an adults only trip the end of Sept. and will have the regular dining plan with 1 ts, one qs and one snack. We will be there for 7 days and will make probably 4 ADRs but really don't want to be tied down trying to figure out 6 months in advance where and when we want to eat.

We may even end up using a couple of our table service meals for qs just for convenience. Anyway, I wasn't sure if it might be easier to walk up and get a table at the resort as compared to in the parks.

Any other suggestions for "grown up" things to do would be appreciated. We definitely want to go to Raglan Road one evening at DTD. We would probably be happy wandering around, looking in stores, seeing things at a leisurely pace, seeing some shows and most likely will not go on many rides. When we were there with the kids last September we seemed to miss a lot of things because we were busy trying go to different parts of each park to make sure each child got to do what they wanted. I don't feel we really got to experience much of Epcot at all and will be there during Food and Wine and would like to know more about that and see the World Showcase.

 

[westgrove]

Hello everyone, I've just spent ages reading as much as I can to catch up. I've purposely stayed away from the forums more or less successfully for the past few months, I'm more of a lurker anyway but I've tried to use Christmas etc as a distraction to stop me getting so excited about my first visit to Disney World, and CSR as it's not til May and I've already been torturing myself with anticipation! However, even though it's 4 months away I'm throwing myself head first into the planning and finding out as much as I can.

p.s. I'll add a little introduction to myself here too. I'm Laura (24) and will be visting CSR 11-25th May with my DH Nathan (30). We'll be leaving our home in the UK on the 4th May and visting NYC and Washington first though. As soon as we looked at hotels we loved the look of CSR! I am a little concerned by the opposing reviews that seem to be posted about CSR but from what I've read good and bad WDW usually seem to address problems that are brought to their attention

p.p.s. I also need to start my DisneyDiet (tomorrow ofcourse...) to lose 35 pounds - married life has done horrors to my waist line... arm line... neck line ... thigh line and well just about any other line I can think of!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Is a reservation needed or suggested here. My partner and I are taking an adults only trip the end of Sept. and will have the regular dining plan with 1 ts, one qs and one snack. We will be there for 7 days and will make probably 4 ADRs but really don't want to be tied down trying to figure out 6 months in advance where and when we want to eat.

We may even end up using a couple of our table service meals for qs just for convenience. Anyway, I wasn't sure if it might be easier to walk up and get a table at the resort as compared to in the parks.

Any other suggestions for "grown up" things to do would be appreciated. We definitely want to go to Raglan Road one evening at DTD. We would probably be happy wandering around, looking in stores, seeing things at a leisurely pace, seeing some shows and most likely will not go on many rides. When we were there with the kids last September we seemed to miss a lot of things because we were busy trying go to different parts of each park to make sure each child got to do what they wanted. I don't feel we really got to experience much of Epcot at all and will be there during Food and Wine and would like to know more about that and see the World Showcase.

It is much easier to get a table at Maya Grill than at the parks. Most people who are not staying at CSR are not going to try to get there just for a meal. (We are the exceptions - we usually eat at Pepper Market each trip, even if we aren't staying at CSR, but we have a car.) People have reported success with walk-ups in the off season. You are going during Free Dining, so all TS restaurants will be a bit more crowded than the season might otherwise suggest.

Maya Grill doesn't require a credit card guarantee like some of the restaurants, so you could make an ADR there and cancel it at the last minute without penalty. The same applies to several other restaurants. Many of the more popular restaurants now require a CC guarantee and a 1-day cancellation (there is a list on the restaurants board), but most of the World Showcase restaurants don't require a cc guarantee. If you think you might be wandering through the World Showcase, you could make an ADR for that evening and cancel it that day if you decide to do something else. Since you are going during Food and Wine, though, it would be fun to get a snack in each country. Many of the countries also have specialty drinks - I'm hoping to try a Grey Goose Slushie next trip!

As far as adult things, walking around the WS is great without kids. You could also rent a boat, book a tour or an Illuminations or Wishes cruise, and/or book a special dinner at Victoria and Albert's or one of the signature restaurants.

Hello everyone, I've just spent ages reading as much as I can to catch up. I've purposely stayed away from the forums more or less successfully for the past few months, I'm more of a lurker anyway but I've tried to use Christmas etc as a distraction to stop me getting so excited about my first visit to Disney World, and CSR as it's not til May and I've already been torturing myself with anticipation! However, even though it's 4 months away I'm throwing myself head first into the planning and finding out as much as I can.

p.s. I'll add a little introduction to myself here too. I'm Laura (24) and will be visting CSR 11-25th May with my DH Nathan (30). We'll be leaving our home in the UK on the 4th May and visting NYC and Washington first though. As soon as we looked at hotels we loved the look of CSR! I am a little concerned by the opposing reviews that seem to be posted about CSR but from what I've read good and bad WDW usually seem to address problems that are brought to their attention

p.p.s. I also need to start my DisneyDiet (tomorrow ofcourse...) to lose 35 pounds - married life has done horrors to my waist line... arm line... neck line ... thigh line and well just about any other line I can think of!

to the CSR thread, Laura! Housekeeping continues to be hit or miss at most resorts - I think Disney has cut back the staff and they continue to be responsible for more rooms per person. Don't be shy about calling housekeeping or walking to the front desk to find a manager. (If you call the front desk, you are actually routed to a call center that might not even be in Orlando.) If you have a problem, it is best to walk to the front and ask for a manager if you find that housekeeping is not responsive to your requests. You should expect a clean room.

I actually think the storage in the CSR rooms is very good - we can typically unpack for a week, and there are four of us. CSR was way better than AKL, where DH and I had to keep our clothes in suitcases the whole time since the few drawers were filled up with our two DDs' clothes. Cruises are particularly efficient when it comes to storage, but the CSR rooms are much more spacious than the DCL rooms. And coming off a cruise, where you are tripping over food choices at every turn, a central food court was probably a shock to the system.

 

[MaddieC]

Okay so my mom, sister, and dad arr set on going to CS, but I still haven't heart on POR. I just don't see the Disney magic at Coronado besides the pool. Anyone have any stories to make me more excited about going here? It seems like its geared it bit much toward buisness (we are not conventioneers) and less towards families like when I was looking at pictures of the room there was only a desk, not a table?
Do they fold youw towels all pretty like in shapes?::
maybe I'm too judgemental. We have a 6 and 14 year old, and this will be our first time staying somewhere other than CB.

 

[PlutosFriend]

Okay so my mom, sister, and dad arr set on going to CS, but I still haven't heart on POR. I just don't see the Disney magic at Coronado besides the pool. Anyone have any stories to make me more excited about going here? It seems like its geared it bit much toward buisness (we are not conventioneers) and less towards families like when I was looking at pictures of the room there was only a desk, not a table?
Do they fold youw towels all pretty like in shapes?::
maybe I'm too judgemental. We have a 6 and 14 year old, and this will be our first time staying somewhere other than CB.

Is POR not available when you want to go? I have stayed at all the moderates besides POFQ. My favorite would have to be POR. With that being said, my kids did love the pool at CSR when we went a few years ago. We don't spend a ton of time in our room, so it wasn't a big deal to us.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Okay so my mom, sister, and dad arr set on going to CS, but I still haven't heart on POR. I just don't see the Disney magic at Coronado besides the pool. Anyone have any stories to make me more excited about going here? It seems like its geared it bit much toward buisness (we are not conventioneers) and less towards families like when I was looking at pictures of the room there was only a desk, not a table?
Do they fold youw towels all pretty like in shapes?::
maybe I'm too judgemental. We have a 6 and 14 year old, and this will be our first time staying somewhere other than CB.

It just depends what you want in a resort. The rooms are very understated with hidden Mickeys on the beds instead of Nemo. We find it very relaxing after a day at the parks.

My kids are 8 (almost 9) and 12. Unless we are staying deluxe, CSR is their resort of choice. They both love the pool and slide, and DD8 loves the playground. They both enjoy the food choices at Pepper Market. DD8 loves looking at the flowers, bunnies, turtles and occasional alligators in the lake. They love giggling as they both try to get on the hammocks without tipping them over. DD8 loves skipping down the paths to the room, pool or main building. They like the topiaries during the day and the fountains at night.

Given the ages of your kids, I think CSR is a way better choice than CBR. The beds are bigger at CSR, and the pool slide is far more interesting for a teenager than the CBR pool.

We have seen people with nametags and lanyards who are there for a convention, but that has been the extent of the impact. There are tons of families at CSR, and you will find that the buses and pool are much less crowded than at CBR since some of the guests are attending conventions instead of going to the parks. You will not mistake CSR for a big-city hotel filled with people wearing suits, but you might see people in khakis and polos walking to the convention center instead of the bus stop.

Nothing wrong with POR, either, though, especially since POR now has queen beds. Different themes appeal to different people.

 

[MaddieC]

Is POR not available when you want to go? I have stayed at all the moderates besides POFQ. My favorite would have to be POR. With that being said, my kids did love the pool at CSR when we went a few years ago. We don't spend a ton of time in our room, so it wasn't a big deal to us.

Oh it is its just after looking through my "unnoffical guide to Disney 2012" my mom read buses at POR can take up to 20 minutes to get to the parks but CS only takes around 5 she was immediatly sold to CS, and my sister likes the playground better at CS. _

And stitvhandpoohsmom (I didn't know how to quote you both) thanks for the stories they made me like CS more already!