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

[Lidian]

It could be the convention aspect of the resort but it could also just be mousekeeping. We had a towel Mickey on the bed and a towel animal in our window when we arrived. Most of the time nothing special was done to the room during our stay but we did come back a few times to find things rearranged and decorative towel arrangements. I think it is just luck of the draw.

Yes, I think you're right. We just got unlucky with Mousekeeping - because I do recall seeing lots of towel animals in the windows. I checked mine one night, and nothing.

We had to have late service one day (we had a lazy day, and Mousekeeping even called to ask if we ever planned to leave our room). They arrived after 5 while we were at DTD. It was the best service we got all week, but we still didn't have anything special. All the lovies were tidy on the bed every day. The only "fun" thing was, DS's pillow pet was wearing a hat one night.

We'd totally stay there again, and we loved our stay. The kids adored the pool - especially the slide. I even loved the slide.

 

[aubriee]

Nope, when I arrive at the resort and check-in I simply ask if the room originally assigned meets the requests. If it didn't I just ask nicely if there is a room available that does, the CM's I have encountered are always more than happy to change our room assignment so it does meet my requests.

That's what I do too. I always book by phone and have the CM add my room requests at that time. Normally those requests show up on the confirmation email they send out. If they don't, I will call to make sure the CM added them. I've never had a CM say they can't add a room request. If I got one that did, I'd simply call back and speak to anther CM. At check in, if my request hasn't been met, then I just ask very nicely if there is anything close to it. Sometimes they just can't though. About 90% of the time, I'm accommodated. Considering I go to WDW several times a year, I think that's excellent odds. Then again my requests are usually pretty general. I just looked at my emails for my upcoming Sept and Nov/Dec trips. On both, under requests it says: 'first floor, anywhere in Cabanas, preferably Cabanas 8A'.

I've been following this thread for awhile, but I think this is my first time posting to it. I am staying at CSR for the first time starting July 7th. My Magical Express packet came today - I'm so excited it's getting close!!

I always love getting that envelope! Have a great trip!

 

[lovethattink]

In previous years, the first thing we always saw when we walked in was a towel Mickey. So it was a bit sad to not see it this year. And we always had a towel animal somewhere in the room ... window or on the night stand holding the pen. It wasn't a big deal, but it was something that set the Disney resorts apart from a regular hotel.

That was the first thing my little guy remarked about when we entered the room. He was actually heart broken there wasn't mickey shaped towels on the bed. When we checked into Pop Century last week, we didn't have that either, but there was a little doggie towel animal in the window. However the next day at Pop, mousekeeping playfully arranged his stuffed animals.

We didn't have anything towel animals from mousekeeping at CSR. The one day we got extra towels which was nice! The second day, the mousekeeper didn't even take the tipping envelope. I wondered if seeing that was something new for that mousekeeper? It was the toy story one from the mouse for less.

 

[snykymom]

Towel animals & "playfulness" depends solely on the Mousekeeper. I've gotten them at CSR, and not gotten them at CSR. I didn't get anything at AKL, and they didn't even rearrange our villain bean bag dolls.

Unfortunately, the Mousekeeping staff, like other areas at Disney, has been hit with budget & personnel cuts. I'd venture to say that Mousekeepers have more rooms to clean and don't have as much time for play.

 

[mustardsalad]

That makes me wonder how much budget cuts at Disney have affected the WDW experience in general. Hopefully, the management sees it as "they still paid for a ticket and a hotel, so keep giving it to them."

 

[Meg_z10]

I was wondering if someone could give me a little more info about CSR's Marina. Is it open yet? Is there a list some where of what type of boats/other water crafts that can be rented/how much?

In the past my family has always stayed at the value resorts since we've basically only used the resorts for sleeping. But this time we choose CSR for the first time because we're looking for a more less theme park more relaxing vacation. So if anyone has any more suggestions for fun things to do around CSR or any other DW resort for that matter, that would be awesome.

(10 days to go...Can't Wait!!)

 

[lovethattink]

I was wondering if someone could give me a little more info about CSR's Marina. Is it open yet? Is there a list some where of what type of boats/other water crafts that can be rented/how much?

In the past my family has always stayed at the value resorts since we've basically only used the resorts for sleeping. But this time we choose CSR for the first time because we're looking for a more less theme park more relaxing vacation. So if anyone has any more suggestions for fun things to do around CSR or any other DW resort for that matter, that would be awesome.

(10 days to go...Can't Wait!!)

It was not opened last week.

 

[Muscateer]

After seeing all these photos and reading the good reviews over last few days I am so looking forward to my first stay at CSR. Just a few more sleeps now.

 

[KatMark]

KatMark have they changed the preferred rooms? This is the second time today I've read that Cabanas 9A and 9B are now preferred? It also says over on the Mouse For Less site that they are:

'Coronado Springs has a few new categories. You’ll find the Standard View, Water View and King Bed Rooms, as well as some Suites which are mostly geared to the business traveler. They now have Preferred Rooms in Casitas 1 and 2 as well as Cabanas 9A and 9B. You can also book a Preferred Water View or a Preferred King Room.'

To my knowledge, ONLY Casitas 1, 2 and 3 are the ONLY preferred buildings. Per my contact, that has NOT changed.

I called CSR today to see if they could book us (me and my gf) in Casitas 4, 'cause we want to work out/lift weights while we're there and be close to the workout room. Seems like no one requests it, 'cause there was no problem trying to get Casitas 4. I guess the other Casitas are "preferred"?

You did NOT talk to a CM at the CSR. When you call the CSR phone number, you get the Central Reservation Office who sees the call is coming into the CSR and answer "CSR." However, it is NOT anyone at the CSR (you will never see the people at the front desk on the phone. Unfortunately, we know more at the DIS than some of the CM's at Central Reservations.

Subscribing . . .

Thanks so much for all of the great info!

Welcome to our little family here.

And I apologize to all that I've been missing in action. My computer crashed on Friday night and I can only get on when my son's is available and at the office I've been trying to update my own PTR and catch up on everyone's reports that I follow.

 

[KatMark]

We just got back from CSR. We checked out Friday (to move off-site). Here's my thoughts:

5/22 - 5/27
We loved CSR, it was stunning - and quiet! We never waited more than roughly 20 minutes for a bus (at Bus Stop 2). We were confused one day, as we saw many AK buses before we ever saw a bus to another park. It was nearing the 20 minute mark when we finally saw an MK bus (and before it, 2 for EP and 2 for DTD, but still none for DHS). One day, we practically had the bus to ourselves (we shared with one other family).

We ate at PM twice. Both times, the food was good, but service was lacking a tad - for drink refills. Our server on day 1 told us the kids drinks were only available at the Kid Station - we found this to not be true if they wanted a soda. After asking another server for a soda for DD (she had finished her meal), we finally got one. However, it was not an issue the 2nd day.

They gave us a menu to look over before we headed off to the stations with our tickets. We found it easiest for me to take the kids and DH to get his and my food.

We were in Casitas 5, third floor, and we never heard anyone else while we were settling down for bed (above, below, next door, or outside).

We enjoyed the theme pool. It was packed Sunday, but Tuesday it was pretty vacant. All of us loved the slide. DD9 and DS5 would go down, jump out, and go down again. Of course, I was right behind them, loving every minute of it.

We drove from C5 to PM our first night, but walked the 2nd time we enjoyed a meal there. We found the walk to be pretty short - much shorter than I expected. I can't vouch for the other buildings, but the walk to the bus stop, to the theme pool, and to the main building from C5 was short and quick. It helped to have such beautiful scenery to look at along the way.

Would we stay here again? Sure! The place was quiet, walks weren't bad at all, the staff was friendly, the beds were comfy (and Queens!). We'd be happy to visit again one day!

The only downside we experienced was the Mousekeepers weren't very playful. In the past, we'd come back to a towel animal or the kids lovies placed around the room (like they were partying or something). Neither ever happened during our stay, but really, it was just an "awww" when we'd walk in. It was definitely not a "con" or a "negative" and would NOT affect our trip. We had just grown used to it over the past two years, and the kids never noticed.

Enjoy some pictures:

Thanks for your review. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO happy you loved CSR. And your pictures are wonderful. I am enjoying following your TR.

Hi. I'm brand new to CSR. I have stayed at 8 other WDW resorts and never felt the need to request a building/location. But CSR looks huge and intimidating!

So, how do you request a building? I have a reservation for a standard room (non-preferred) and it will be me and my two sons ages 15 and 18. Do I make a request at check-in or ahead of time?

Thank you for your help!

Gina

Gina, welcome. You can call Central Reservations and have it noted on your reservation. The CSR is NOT as large as some people make it out to be (I've had a further walk from our room at the Contemporary than I have had from any room at the CSR to the main building or pool.

Your two sons will LOVE the CSR. The pool is awesome, there is a huge hot tub and a sand volleyball court.

Hello everybody! First I wanted to thank you all for the information and advise leading up to my trip, it was all very helpful!

I stayed at CSR from May 11th - May 25th with my mother and two brothers. We were not traveling with children so this is an adult only perspective of the resort.

We arrived at CSR around 11am as our flight was early and there was no wait to pick up the rental car. Check-in was a breeze and there was no wait. We were helped by a very lovely CM from England. She was very friendly and helpful and granted our room requests which were Casitas, top floor. In fact she gave us numerous options of available rooms and circled their locations on the map. We ended up choosing a room in Casitas 5, Rm 5422, which I believe was an upgrade. We had booked a standard but I am pretty sure our room would be considered a water view. The room was not ready as was expected due to our early check-in so she took my cell number so we could get a text once the room was ready.

We drove around the resort so we would know where to head once we got the text and then we were off to Downtown Disney to await the text. It arrived about an hour later.

The room was in a great location. It was near the elevator, had a nice view of the courtyard and lake and was a short walk to The Dig Site, Quiet Pool, laundry, gym, parking lot and bus stop! The walk to the main building was also fairly short, only took a few minutes.

The mini-fridge was turned off when we arrived so we turned it on right away to it's coldest setting as we were going to be picking up groceries. At that point we realized that we forgot to ask about a microwave for the room so we stopped at the building to ask about it on our way out to the grocery store. One was available, no charge, and they would deliver it to our room. It was waiting for us when we got back from the grocery store.

We used the pool almost every day while we were there. We went to the Dig Site the most but the quiet pool was also used frequently. Both pools were well maintained and never too crowded. We enjoyed the music and games provided in the afternoon at the main pool. We also had lots of fun with the big beach ball they left out at night in the main pool.

The gift shop was large but it did not have much merchandise unique to the resort. Most of it was generic and could be found in any gift shop.

We never ate at Cafe Rix but we did get a refillable mug which was used often. The drink station was never crowded and it was kept very clean.

I ate at Pepper Market twice, both times I took the food "to go". It was a very easy process although there was a wait for the pizza since they made it to order. The food was good, nothing spectacular but it hit the spot.

Overall we really enjoyed this resort. The room was comfortable and I liked the sliding doors and the Queen beds. My only problem with the room is that there was not a lot of storage space but that is true of most hotel rooms and they probably do not design rooms for overpackers on two week vacations.

The resort was very quiet and peaceful yet if you wanted energy all you needed to do was pop over to the Dig Site in the afternoon.

Mousekeeping was very good and we only came back to the room once to find that it had not been cleaned yet but we returned mid-afternoon that day.

Since it is a convention resort I knew that there would be conventions going on while we were there, I did not expect that they would leave the gates open the whole time for the convention guests so that they could park in guest parking. While not a big issue as we always found a place to park I did find it a bit annoying at times, not only because most of the parking was taken up but because anybody could have driven into the resort since the gates were open.

We would stay here again? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Yes. Wilderness Lodge is still our favourite resort (that we have stayed at) but I would definitely stay here again if I did not want to pay the money for Deluxe but still wanted a Deluxe feel.

If you want to read about the trip I will be writing a trip report. The link is in my signature.

Lessa, thanks for coming back with your review. I'm glad you enjoyed your stay at the CSR with your mom and brothers. Your pictures are absolutely stunning. I may come back to you when it is time to update the CSR thread at 250 pages and ask if I can use some of your pictures (with credit, of course).

Loving your TR (and your mom's comments too!).

 

[SnowWhite33]

Sorry KatMark about your computer

My desktop died so I have claimed DHs laptop as my own.

 

[KatMark]

Hi, great pictures. We are considering staying at the CSR in Feb. I haven't read the entire thread but was wondering where the best place to stay is. We would like to be near the resturants and the gift shop and the bus stop. We stayed at the CBR last year and it is so spread out. Is the CSR as spread out as the CBR. It took forever to get to the food court. But it was beautiful and we enjoyed our stay.

CBR is actually a little bigger than CSR and has more "villages". The CSR sections are all around the lake and easy to walk around. My BMF stayed at the AKL in a one bedroom suite and had a longer walk to the food court/pool than he did from the convention center at the CSR to a room in the Ranchos where his law partner was staying. I would request Casitas 4 or Cabanas 8A.

I made my reservation online three months ago; there was no space on the Disney's main website I saw to request a certain building. I then called about two weeks after that to request Casitas 4, and the Disney rep on the phone said I had to wait until a week prior to call CSR to put in a room request. They did tell me wrong on the phone?

Did you book through a TA or with Disney? If with a TA, have them note your preference on your ressie. If you made it with Disney, call CRO and have them note it on your ressie.

I've been following this thread for awhile, but I think this is my first time posting to it. I am staying at CSR for the first time starting July 7th. My Magical Express packet came today - I'm so excited it's getting close!!

Welcome! There are a lot of wonderful people here willing to help at any time. You are just a little over a month away from your trip -- lucky you.

I was wondering if someone could give me a little more info about CSR's Marina. Is it open yet? Is there a list some where of what type of boats/other water crafts that can be rented/how much?

In the past my family has always stayed at the value resorts since we've basically only used the resorts for sleeping. But this time we choose CSR for the first time because we're looking for a more less theme park more relaxing vacation. So if anyone has any more suggestions for fun things to do around CSR or any other DW resort for that matter, that would be awesome.

(10 days to go...Can't Wait!!)

Be sure to try out the sand volleyball court; the arcade is small, but fun. If you have young kids, be sure they participate in the "pool opening ceremony".

As for the marina, it is supposed to be opened "seasonably." However, we've not figured out what "seasonably" is. Personally, I do not think it is worth renting a watercraft at the CSR because the lake is not that large and you do not/cannot leave the CSR property. You would be better off going to the Contemporary or the Polynesian and renting watercraft there (this is where we took our kids when they were younger). If you google Sammy Duvall water sports you can find a pricelist, I believe.

After seeing all these photos and reading the good reviews over last few days I am so looking forward to my first stay at CSR. Just a few more sleeps now.

It will be here before you know it.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry KatMark about your computer

My desktop died so I have claimed DHs laptop as my own.

Thanks. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated with Dell right now. I lost all of my programs because of a hard drive problem. We had to "rebuild" the computer. After almost two hours on the phone with them on Saturday and getting it fixed, they told me to go to McAfee and get my virus protection back on. So I did that and after you put the virus protecton on, you have to restart the computer. So I did that. When I tried to log back in, it said my password was incorrect. I called Dell back and they told me we had to start all over from scratch. I DON'T THINK SO! I have left a message for a supervisor to call me to discuss the situation (the computer is LESS than a year old).

 

[lovethattink]

Thanks. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated with Dell right now. I lost all of my programs because of a hard drive problem. We had to "rebuild" the computer. After almost two hours on the phone with them on Saturday and getting it fixed, they told me to go to McAfee and get my virus protection back on. So I did that and after you put the virus protecton on, you have to restart the computer. So I did that. When I tried to log back in, it said my password was incorrect. I called Dell back and they told me we had to start all over from scratch. I DON'T THINK SO! I have left a message for a supervisor to call me to discuss the situation (the computer is LESS than a year old).

I'm sorry about your computer. I share in your frustration. We lost a desktop a few weeks ago with almost all of my pictures on it, and a lap top last March. The laptop had to get a new hard drive because a virus from Facebook fried it, grrrr!! That's the computer I am using now. Not sure what's up with the desktop because we can't get it to power up. And Grumpy's laptop is an HP and keeps overheating and shutting off.

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

i have to admit.... I'm really HOPING for the towel animals/Mickey's etc..... Hopefully our room will be obvious that there are children there!!!

On another note --- can someone please remind me when we can expect our Magical Express package/tags/etc??

We will be arriving on July 12.....(through July 27).

Thank you!

 

[KatMark]

i have to admit.... I'm really HOPING for the towel animals/Mickey's etc..... Hopefully our room will be obvious that there are children there!!!

On another note --- can someone please remind me when we can expect our Magical Express package/tags/etc??

We will be arriving on July 12.....(through July 27).

Thank you!

Like others have said, the towel animals are hit or miss; it all depends on your mousekeeper. You could always leave a note and ask for one for the kiddes if you don't get one.

I can't answer on ME because we don't use it.

 

[mustardsalad]

Did you book through a TA or with Disney? If with a TA, have them note your preference on your ressie. If you made it with Disney, call CRO and have them note it on your ressie.

I did it with Disney through their website; I did all the booking on there. Yeah, I've since called them and requested Casitas 4. We'll see, I guess

 

[E&As Mom]

My parents just called from CSR... they just got there and are waiting on the arrival of my sisters and their families from the airport. It's their first stay @ CSR (and will be ours, too, in 92 days). They were assigned in Ranchos 7B (they requested 7A, but it looks like 7B is evern better, accoding to my Dad)He said the resort looks incredible!!! We've had previous stays @ CBR and POR, so I am crazy excited to get down there in September. He said the theming is just what they expected and they can't wait to explore the resort.

Come on September!

 

[KatMark]

My parents just called from CSR... they just got there and are waiting on the arrival of my sisters and their families from the airport. It's their first stay @ CSR (and will be ours, too, in 92 days). They were assigned in Ranchos 7B (they requested 7A, but it looks like 7B is evern better, accoding to my Dad)He said the resort looks incredible!!! We've had previous stays @ CBR and POR, so I am crazy excited to get down there in September. He said the theming is just what they expected and they can't wait to explore the resort.

Come on September!

Thanks for letting us know about your parents. We are hoping for Ranchos 7B this trip as well. So glad your Dad seems happy with the choice!

 

[Crazy Kanga]

135 days until we are there. I really don't think I can wait that long!