Coronado Springs Resort -- New Unofficial FAQ Thread -- October 2010

[Jen414]

Less than 2 weeks and we'll be here!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Here are some more vacation questions We are planning several ADRs at Epcot. Is there a faster way to get to World Showcase than walking through the park when we are just going for dinner?

What are the best resorts to visit to see Christmas decorations?

Are there special parades etc. that are must sees?

Has anyone seen the light display at Hollywood Studios and what did you think?

Thank you all so much for your help. It sure makes planning easier and more exciting when there are so many people willing to answer questions.

Wilderness Lodge is beautifully decorated for Christmas. They have a huge tree in the center of the lobby. Worth the special trip, IMO!

The Osborne Lights at DHS are fabulous! Definitely a must-see! As a matter of fact, I'm trying to figure out how to see them in November - we'll only be there for 3 nights, counting our arrival night and I will be sad to miss them.

 

[mindy5648]

I am probably going to get yelled at by many for this comment but I cant stand the Disney Christmas Decorations. We go every year in January and we have now changed our yearly vacation from the beginning of January to the end becuase of the Christmas decorations. Yes the castle is beautiful but everything else can and should go before January 1st. I was there until the 20th two years ago on our honeymoon and asked a CM when they would be taken down. I had had enough. I want to hear zippidy do da not jingle bells when I walk down Main St. Certinaly more than 10 days after christmas. The CM said they should be down after the 12 days after Christmas. No problem...waited and waited they were SILL UP WHEN I LEFT. The last morning I walked into the Magic Kingdom and I cried I was sooooo disappointed that they were still up. I celebrate Christmas but I am not a fan as you can tell. We now go the last week of January and love that Disney is back to normal by then. Sorry but I just had to voice my opinion that not everyone loves the Christmas decorations. Sorry to be a bubble buster

 

[snykymom]

I am probably going to get yelled at by many for this comment but I cant stand the Disney Christmas Decorations. We go every year in January and we have now changed our yearly vacation from the beginning of January to the end becuase of the Christmas decorations. Yes the castle is beautiful but everything else can and should go before January 1st. I was there until the 20th two years ago on our honeymoon and asked a CM when they would be taken down. I had had enough. I want to hear zippidy do da not jingle bells when I walk down Main St. Certinaly more than 10 days after christmas. The CM said they should be down after the 12 days after Christmas. No problem...waited and waited they were SILL UP WHEN I LEFT. The last morning I walked into the Magic Kingdom and I cried I was sooooo disappointed that they were still up. I celebrate Christmas but I am not a fan as you can tell. We now go the last week of January and love that Disney is back to normal by then. Sorry but I just had to voice my opinion that not everyone loves the Christmas decorations. Sorry to be a bubble buster

When we were there in Jan. 2009, decorations were up and music playing. By the 3rd, all the resort decorates were gone. By the 6th, everything was gone. I was also glad (we don't celebrate Christmas).

Unfortunately, I think there are many more that do - note all the "Will the decorations be up when we get there on Nov. 2" and "Will we still see the trees for MLK Day" threads.

 

[marivaid]

We've been at Christmas/NYE 3 times and every time, the decorations would be gone by January 5th. The 3rd is my mom's birthday and they would already be toned down by then.

We love Disney at Christmas but I must say after 2-3 days I was ready to beat Santa to a pulp if I heard "it's the most wonderful time of the year" again...

 

[rznhal]

Hello! I'm sure this has been asked, but i can't find it....
does CSR have pack n plays or cribs for babies? If so, is there a fee, and how do I reserve one?

TIA!!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I am probably going to get yelled at by many for this comment but I cant stand the Disney Christmas Decorations. We go every year in January and we have now changed our yearly vacation from the beginning of January to the end becuase of the Christmas decorations. Yes the castle is beautiful but everything else can and should go before January 1st. I was there until the 20th two years ago on our honeymoon and asked a CM when they would be taken down. I had had enough. I want to hear zippidy do da not jingle bells when I walk down Main St. Certinaly more than 10 days after christmas. The CM said they should be down after the 12 days after Christmas. No problem...waited and waited they were SILL UP WHEN I LEFT. The last morning I walked into the Magic Kingdom and I cried I was sooooo disappointed that they were still up. I celebrate Christmas but I am not a fan as you can tell. We now go the last week of January and love that Disney is back to normal by then. Sorry but I just had to voice my opinion that not everyone loves the Christmas decorations. Sorry to be a bubble buster

I can understand that. Even though I love Christmas, I am ready for the tree to come down at home by New Year's. When the stores start decorating in September, I'm kind of over Christmas by January.

I also think that, for many people, it is preferable to see the parks (particularly the MK) the way they are everyday. While I like the Halloween and Christmas decorations, my favorite way to see MK is the way it usually is - no castle lights, pink castle cakes (25th anniversary), or giant pumpkins. It's all beautiful (well, maybe not the pink castle), but for me, the magic is there more when it just looks like the MK, not the MK playing dress-up.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Hello! I'm sure this has been asked, but i can't find it....
does CSR have pack n plays or cribs for babies? If so, is there a fee, and how do I reserve one?

TIA!!

Yes, there are pack n plays, and there is no charge. I don't think they are already in the rooms, so I would have it noted on your reservation that you would like one. You can call Disney (or your travel agent, if you have one) and make that request. You might still find that you don't have one when you arrive, but you can call and they will bring you one.

There are very few cribs, and I don't know if all resorts have them (we had one at Poly once - it was bigger than a pack n play but smaller than a full-sized crib, and it was wooden). There are some outside agencies that rent cribs if you need a crib instead of a pack n play. There is probably more info on the Families Board if you want a full sized crib.

 

[rznhal]

Yes, there are pack n plays, and there is no charge. I don't think they are already in the rooms, so I would have it noted on your reservation that you would like one. You can call Disney (or your travel agent, if you have one) and make that request. You might still find that you don't have one when you arrive, but you can call and they will bring you one.

There are very few cribs, and I don't know if all resorts have them (we had one at Poly once - it was bigger than a pack n play but smaller than a full-sized crib, and it was wooden). There are some outside agencies that rent cribs if you need a crib instead of a pack n play. There is probably more info on the Families Board if you want a full sized crib.

Thanks for the info! I will have them note it on my reservation.

 

[Haileys Nana]

We will be at Coronado Nov.27-Dec.4. For those of you who've been that time of year, shorts and t-shirts or jeans and long sleeves? Don't know what to plan. Is it warm enough to swim?

 

[Tybug]

Just put in my room request near the fitness center. We statyed in the Cabanas last time, hoping to end up in Casitas 4 or 5; 2 weeks from tomorrow!

 

[islandboy40]

Can anyone tell me how the AKL compares with the CSR. Have stayed at CSR 3 times and BWI once and to be honest really didn't feel BWI was worth the extra $. For this trip AKL is my family's pic and I am wondering if any other Maritimers have stay there?

 

[Robin K]

I just ordered my mom some flowers to be delivered to the resort on the day we arrive. Two questions: the reservation is under my name ( I put her name on the flowers) is this going to create a problem? Were will the flowers be? Will we pick them up upon check in? Will they be in the room with our luggage? OK so that was more than 2 questions...but I really want her to be surprised! She has gone through SO much this last year and I want her to know how special she is!
Thanks for any info and advice!

 

[G8r4evr]

Just booked CS for Aug 25th - 29th!! Really hoping we get the Casitas again? How good is CSR with granting ressie requests?? Would love to have the same room as last time as well...it was AMAZING!

 

[szubieta]

Can anyone tell me how the AKL compares with the CSR. Have stayed at CSR 3 times and BWI once and to be honest really didn't feel BWI was worth the extra $. For this trip AKL is my family's pic and I am wondering if any other Maritimers have stay there?

Yes, we have, it was 4 yrs ago this Christmas. If I could afford the extra this coming trip I would defiently do AKL, Savannah View room again...hands down. Waking up, waking out onto the balcony and seeing giraffe, zebras, ankole catte, bongos, ect was sooo TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Very hard to get ready and leave for the parks. Coming back from the parks at night, there are CM's with night vision goggles too. There is nothing like it and you will miss it when you leave. If you don't stay there in a savannah view room. Make a trip there and walk out the Arusha Savannah, it give you a taste of something you'll never forget.

 

[szubieta]

Does anyone know if they have soy milk at the Peppermarket Cafe? It'd be nice to have cereal while I'm there, but I'm lactose intolerant.

Did you get an answer about soy milk?

 

[aubriee]

We will be at Coronado Nov.27-Dec.4. For those of you who've been that time of year, shorts and t-shirts or jeans and long sleeves? Don't know what to plan. Is it warm enough to swim?

I'll be there the same time, Nov 26th-Dec 4th. (Actually I haven't booked the 26th at CSR yet as I'm currently using a bounceback deal I booked when I was at WDW this past May and the 26th wasn't included in the Bounceback's dates, so I'm hoping for an AP rate to cover that one night.)

Anyway, I go every year either the first or second week in Dec. The weather is all over the map. Some trips we've worn shorts and tshirts and swam all week, then other trips we've worn coats, hats, scarves, and gloves and almost froze. Wait until just a few days out to pack and check on accuweather.com for the 14 day forcast, but even then carry clothes for all types of weather. We've started out a trip in coats and gloves, but round up swimming by the end of the week. Florida weather changes at the drop of a hat.

 

[snykymom]

I just ordered my mom some flowers to be delivered to the resort on the day we arrive. Two questions: the reservation is under my name ( I put her name on the flowers) is this going to create a problem? Were will the flowers be? Will we pick them up upon check in? Will they be in the room with our luggage? OK so that was more than 2 questions...but I really want her to be surprised! She has gone through SO much this last year and I want her to know how special she is!
Thanks for any info and advice!

Her name should be on the reservation as well, so it shouldn't be an issue. Odds are that the flowers will be either with Bell Services or the Concierge desk; they will not be in your room. Only Magical Express goes into the room when you're not there; the others will deliver when you call them or you can pick things up on your way.

What a lovely thing to do for your mom!

Can anyone tell me how the AKL compares with the CSR. Have stayed at CSR 3 times and BWI once and to be honest really didn't feel BWI was worth the extra $. For this trip AKL is my family's pic and I am wondering if any other Maritimers have stay there?

I've stayed at CSR a couple of times and AKL once. This next trip will be a bit of a splurge with AKV savannah view. AKL has indoor hallways and balconies like other deluxe resorts. The theming is amazing and beautiful, as is CSR's, but very different. DH will be spending a lot of time at the resort (he doesn't like the parks ) so the balcony was important to us. Also, AKL has fabulous restaurants. Jiko is our favorite on property, and this time we're trying Boma (the only buffet DH wanted) and Sanaa. If you're spending time at the resort, AKL is, IMO, worth it. If you're park commandos, not so much.

I'll be there the same time, Nov 26th-Dec 4th. (Actually I haven't booked the 26th at CSR yet as I'm currently using a bounceback deal I booked when I was at WDW this past May and the 26th wasn't included in the Bounceback's dates, so I'm hoping for an AP rate to cover that one night.)

Anyway, I go every year either the first or second week in Dec. The weather is all over the map. Some trips we've worn shorts and tshirts and swam all week, then other trips we've worn coats, hats, scarves, and gloves and almost froze. Wait until just a few days out to pack and check on accuweather.com for the 14 day forcast, but even then carry clothes for all types of weather. We've started out a trip in coats and gloves, but round up swimming by the end of the week. Florida weather changes at the drop of a hat.

I was there last year 2nd week of December - it was freezing! On our Fantasmic! night it was 19 degrees - we skipped the show. In 2009, we were there first week of January. Swam every day; spent the last day totally at the pool - 85 degrees.

You pay your money, you take your chances!

 

[jcondrad]

Just booked 12/15-12/22 at CSR! We were just at the World in June and stayed Beach Club, but didn't have that kind of money for a splurge for our second trip! I'm still trying to figure out the bus routes on the first post...Do the theme park buses circle the whole resort...so if I am near bus stop 4 can I catch a bus to epcot, or do I need to catch a bus to bus stop 1 and get to a different stop to catch the resort bus? Thanks in advance!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Just booked CS for Aug 25th - 29th!! Really hoping we get the Casitas again? How good is CSR with granting ressie requests?? Would love to have the same room as last time as well...it was AMAZING!

Casitas 1, 2 and 3 are preferred rooms, so if you booked preferred, you should be in the casitas (assuming no overbooking issues). Casitas 4 and 5 are not preferred, so if you didn't book preferred, request casitas if you haven't already. If you are in a different section at check-in, you can ask to be moved. I've found the front desk CMs to be very accommodating if they have an empty room in the section I wanted.

Just booked 12/15-12/22 at CSR! We were just at the World in June and stayed Beach Club, but didn't have that kind of money for a splurge for our second trip! I'm still trying to figure out the bus routes on the first post...Do the theme park buses circle the whole resort...so if I am near bus stop 4 can I catch a bus to epcot, or do I need to catch a bus to bus stop 1 and get to a different stop to catch the resort bus? Thanks in advance!

All buses circle the resort. Theme park buses stop first at casitas (stop #2), then ranchos, then cabanas, then El Centro. The bus will say which park it is going to. Downtown Disney buses stop first at El Centro (stop #1), then casitas, ranchos, then cabanas. There is no internal bus system, so no transfers needed.