Let me start this review by writing that my husband did not want to try this resort. He did not want to stay at a convention hotel. He did/does not like the idea of a bunch of people without families, staying at the most family oriented place on earth. Finds the idea just a little creepy. I on the other hand wanted to try it because it was suppose to be a little more upscale. Kind of a deluxe resort without the deluxe price. Plus it was the only moderate we had not tried. After showing him the convention schedule (that showed no conventions) for our vacation dates, the gym pictures as well as the Queen beds, my spouse agreed, reluctantly. FYI, my husband is in law enforcement.He has seen how much trouble conventioneers gets into when they are away from their families. There where some small conventions during our stay, but no problems except for one drunk guy trying to find his room one night.
We stayed at CSR for 12 nights: Aug 25th through Sept.6th. and we most likely will not ever return. It was just okay. The resort while beautiful, felt like just another hotel you might stay at anywhere else. Does not have that Disney Magic.
Check in went fine, the young lady who check us in was friendly and very sweet, especially to our nine year old daughter. She gave our girl a balloon and wished her a happy birthday. We finished checking in at 8 p.m. and where taken to our room in Casitas 3 right away. We paid for a preferred site at the Casitas because we read somewhere that bus stop 2 was the first pick up site. Since we did not rent a car paying a little extra for the site made sense to us.
The only room request I made was that we did not want a room near the elevators. Well our room was by the elevators. Called the front desk and they told us the hotel was full. Explained to them we would not be staying in that room and we would go to another hotel on property if necessary. They suddenly found another room in Casitas 2. Someone came to help with our luggage and bring us new keys. Luggage service drove us to our new room and brought our luggage up to the 3rd floor. This was all done in the space on 1/2 an hour.
The new room looked just like the old one; it had 2 Queen beds, a desk where Disney usually places a table, and ottoman for seating instead of chairs. The dresser is smaller and has less draw space then other moderate resorts, but the television is one of the new flat screens. Oh yeah they have 2 beautiful doors with shiny pointy handles that separate the vanity/bath area from the sleeping area. Our daughter was carrying toiletries to the vanity when she tripped and her face connected to those shiny pointy handles.
We called the front desk and asked them how to get to the hospital,they said they would send up someone to help. They sent the manager, a security guard and 2 paramedics within 5 minutes. After answering questions about what happened and cleaning up my daughter's wound the paramedics told us that if we wanted her treated at the clinic we would have to let them know right away. The clinic it seems closes at 9:30 and someone else would have to pick us up and drive us there. This news had our girl freaking out. The idea of stitches, even butterfly stitches sent her over the edge and a new round of hysterics began. We declined and opted not to go, deciding that calming our child was our #1 priority. After calming her down and putting her to bed my husband went to go to the rest room and walked right into one of the doors. He hated the room and those doors especially.
I Have to say, the paramedics could not have been nicer. They left band-aids and bacitracin. They also told us if we changed our minds the clinic opened up at 9 the next morning. Hopefully the angry red scar on my daughter's eyebrow will one day fade.
Did i mention that Casitas 2 actually comes AFTER Casitas 3, and it does not have it's own elevator? Or that it sits further back then Casitas 1 and 3. The whole Casitas setup is very complicated. Took days to figure it out, AND IT REALLY WAS NOT WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY. We still had to hike over to the bus stop. The buses came frequently except the bus to DTD. We always had to wait a while for that particular bus.
The quiet pool was never really quiet. People swam in it at all hours and they screamed into the night. Spoke to a Canadian family at the quiet pool, they swam in it nightly, because the Dig Site Pool was just to far from the Casitas. I agreed. We did visit the main pool on several occasions and loved it. The best pool on Disney property so far for us, BUT very far way,especially after a long day at the parks. Went 4 times and my daughter loved the movies at night and the sandy play area. The game room was lovely as well.
The Pepper Market's waiters where fine and dandy, but, yes another but, the grill staff; DOUR and SOUR. They did not speak to anyone, they ignored you unless you spoke up,, and they served your food like you were a 10 year old on the free lunch program. I witnessed 2 women on the grill only speaking to each other in Spanish, ignoring a woman with small children trying to ask them a question. The beefier of the 2 women rather than answering the customer's question pointed to the sign they had hanging up. We only ate there only twice because even the cashiers had attitude. The Maya Grill's food was mediocre. The food at Shutters and Boatwrights is much better. We did have a nice waiter.
There is no recreation at the resort. No boats, no bikes, no nothing. For such a big place there is very little to do.
Housekeeping always did a good job and we got towel creations twice. Never tried the gym, or spa. The laundry room was clean and well kept and the gift shop staff could not have been nicer. I really wanted to love the place, alas my feelings about it are just lukewarm, like the food at the Maya Grill.
Thanks.
