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

[KatMark]

HI everyone,

Well we are staying at CSR Nov15-22nd and am trying to decide if I should do a room request. My Dad is coming with us (me, DH and DD(7)) and is planning on going back to the resorts after lunch to rest and use the pool. He wants to be near a quiet pool and I would like to be near the main pool and dig site - what would be the best section for us?

Cabanas 8A would be ideal.

 

[mom2princesses2]

MY CORONADO SPRINGS REVIEW

the resort: we just returned last night. we were in rooms 5121 and 5122. the resort was absolutely beautiful. pictures of it do not do it justice. we were in casitas 5, close to the small pool/laundry and not too far from the dig site. we adored the resort theme and the rooms were our favorite of the moderates i.ve been to so far.

Thanks for the review!!! How long did it take you to walk to El Centro from Casitas 5? We requested there for our upcoming trip.

 

[KatMark]

Thanks for the review!!! How long did it take you to walk to El Centro from Casitas 5? We requested there for our upcoming trip.

It takes me (age 53) about six minutes at a leisurely pace (my hubby has short legs ).

 

[E&As Mom]

MY CORONADO SPRINGS REVIEW

the resort: we just returned last night. we were in rooms 5121 and 5122. the resort was absolutely beautiful. pictures of it do not do it justice. we were in casitas 5, close to the small pool/laundry and not too far from the dig site. we adored the resort theme and the rooms were our favorite of the moderates i.ve been to so far.

peppermarket: my family ate there 5 out of our 7 counter service meals. the food was excellent and the portions were huge.. we never found the layout or set up confusing either. it is now our favorite counter service location!

maya grill: we ate there twice-once for breakfast and once for dinner. for dinner we all had steak dinners. the service was very good and so was the food. breakfast was good too. i can not say it was our favorite restaurant of the trip but it was very good.

the dig site and casitas pools: we loved the pools. the dig site was so gorgeous. i also liked the activities by the pool both day and night. we loved the casitas pool too as it was so close to our room. we love to swim so these pools did not disappoint.

bus transportation: on 9/6 we waited 45 minutes at the casitas bus stop to go to the magic kingdom. coming home there was no wait as the bus was sitting there. on 9/7 we waited 65 minutes for a magic kingdom bus. on 9/8 we waited 50 minutes for an epcot bus in the am. on 9/9 it was a 45 minute wait to go to animal kingdom. on 9/10 a 40 minute wait to get to typhoon lagoon. honestly that week we had the worst bus service compared to any moderate we have been to.
we were at the first bus stop. i cant understand why the long waits

the staff: we found all of the staff to be very friendly and helpful.

coronado srpings is now our favorite moderate. with the exception of the bus transportation is was the best experience we have ever had. my famly would love to stay there again

That's a bummer about the bus situation! We were there the same week (Ranchos 7B) and caught the buses at bus stop #4 most of the time. We actually had really good luck with the buses. We never waited more than about 10 minutes for a bus, and usually less than that. We only had to stand twice, and never had a full bus pass us by. Must have just been an issue with the parks you headed to on those day.

Glad you liked the resort! We fell in love with CSR... the rooms were beautiful and clean, the beds were super comfy and roomy, the Dig Site was great for our girls (loved the campfire and movies every night), and we spent a lot of time at the quiet pool as well.

Can't wait to go back in 2 years! Gosh that seems too long!!!!
~Kelly

 

[lovethattink]

Thanks for the review!!! How long did it take you to walk to El Centro from Casitas 5? We requested there for our upcoming trip.

It takes me (age 53) about six minutes at a leisurely pace (my hubby has short legs ).

I never timed it. I was usually taking pictures en route to El Centro. We usually walked the scenic route through the Casitas to look at the quiet pool and all the fountains. It's such a beautiful area.

 

[adi1138]

I got back from Coronado Springs on Saturday and wanted to give a quick review. My husband and I both loved it! We had booked a standard room and requested Casitas or Cabanas and we were delighted to find they had upgraded us to a king room and put us in Casitas 4! Our room overlooked the quiet pool, was at most 5 minutes from El Centro, and was as close as can be to the Casitas bus stop. It was really the ideal location!

The whole hotel was really just lovely. Everyone was so friendly, the pools were great (both the quiet pool and the main pool), the theming was well-done, the landscaping was gorgeous. Mousekeeping was very prompt and our room was clean before we returned each day.

We only ate at Pepper Market twice, but it was fine - expensive, but the food was good and there were large portions. We tended to use Cafe Rix more to get soda refills, quick breakfasts, and snacks. I loved getting food from Cafe Rix and eating outside overlooking the lake... I miss it now!!!

bus transportation: on 9/6 we waited 45 minutes at the casitas bus stop to go to the magic kingdom. coming home there was no wait as the bus was sitting there. on 9/7 we waited 65 minutes for a magic kingdom bus. on 9/8 we waited 50 minutes for an epcot bus in the am. on 9/9 it was a 45 minute wait to go to animal kingdom. on 9/10 a 40 minute wait to get to typhoon lagoon. honestly that week we had the worst bus service compared to any moderate we have been to.
we were at the first bus stop. i cant understand why the long waits

I'm sorry the buses were so poor for you, but I'm glad you still managed to enjoy your trip and the resort!

I was there around the same time (9/2 - 9/10) and had the exact opposite experience with the buses. The longest we waited was 15 minutes, which happened twice (once after Illuminations and once after EMH in MK). But every other time, the wait was less than 10 minutes, and often only about 3-5 minutes. I was really impressed and happy with the bus service. I had warned my husband that the buses for Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney might take a long time, but even those were only a couple minutes. A few times, we had the buses all to ourselves and the drivers were really funny and friendly. One even drove us directly to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner instead of making us transfer at Animal Kingdom.

Overall, we had a blast, both at the resort and in the parks! The only negatives to Coronado Springs that I can think of are the high prices at Pepper Market ($11.50 for a sandwich is ridiculous, especially when all the other resort food courts are cheaper). And love bugs started taking over the bus stops at the end of the trip, but I imagine that happens everywhere in FL! They are gross little things though!

I am now trying to deal with my post-Disney depression and want to start planning my next trip ASAP!

 

[lovethattink]

I got back from Coronado Springs on Saturday and wanted to give a quick review. My husband and I both loved it! We had booked a standard room and requested Casitas or Cabanas and we were delighted to find they had upgraded us to a king room and put us in Casitas 4! Our room overlooked the quiet pool, was at most 5 minutes from El Centro, and was as close as can be to the Casitas bus stop. It was really the ideal location!

The whole hotel was really just lovely. Everyone was so friendly, the pools were great (both the quiet pool and the main pool), the theming was well-done, the landscaping was gorgeous. Mousekeeping was very prompt and our room was clean before we returned each day.

We only ate at Pepper Market twice, but it was fine - expensive, but the food was good and there were large portions. We tended to use Cafe Rix more to get soda refills, quick breakfasts, and snacks. I loved getting food from Cafe Rix and eating outside overlooking the lake... I miss it now!!!



I'm sorry the buses were so poor for you, but I'm glad you still managed to enjoy your trip and the resort!

I was there around the same time (9/2 - 9/10) and had the exact opposite experience with the buses. The longest we waited was 15 minutes, which happened twice (once after Illuminations and once after EMH in MK). But every other time, the wait was less than 10 minutes, and often only about 3-5 minutes. I was really impressed and happy with the bus service. I had warned my husband that the buses for Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney might take a long time, but even those were only a couple minutes. A few times, we had the buses all to ourselves and the drivers were really funny and friendly. One even drove us directly to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner instead of making us transfer at Animal Kingdom.

Overall, we had a blast, both at the resort and in the parks! The only negatives to Coronado Springs that I can think of are the high prices at Pepper Market ($11.50 for a sandwich is ridiculous, especially when all the other resort food courts are cheaper). And love bugs started taking over the bus stops at the end of the trip, but I imagine that happens everywhere in FL! They are gross little things though!

I am now trying to deal with my post-Disney depression and want to start planning my next trip ASAP!

Congrats on the room upgrade! Those love bugs are everywhere. They do a real number on my car, yuck!

When did you use the bus? My son had no problem meeting us around 11am at the parks in August, and he took the bus. But in March we had a difficult time getting a MK bus at 9am.

 

[adi1138]

When did you use the bus? My son had no problem meeting us around 11am at the parks in August, and he took the bus. But in March we had a difficult time getting a MK bus at 9am.

We're rope-drop types, so we'd normally use the bus around 8:30am and then again around 5pm after a nap!

 

[KatMark]

I got back from Coronado Springs on Saturday and wanted to give a quick review. My husband and I both loved it! We had booked a standard room and requested Casitas or Cabanas and we were delighted to find they had upgraded us to a king room and put us in Casitas 4! Our room overlooked the quiet pool, was at most 5 minutes from El Centro, and was as close as can be to the Casitas bus stop. It was really the ideal location!

The whole hotel was really just lovely. Everyone was so friendly, the pools were great (both the quiet pool and the main pool), the theming was well-done, the landscaping was gorgeous. Mousekeeping was very prompt and our room was clean before we returned each day.

We only ate at Pepper Market twice, but it was fine - expensive, but the food was good and there were large portions. We tended to use Cafe Rix more to get soda refills, quick breakfasts, and snacks. I loved getting food from Cafe Rix and eating outside overlooking the lake... I miss it now!!!



I'm sorry the buses were so poor for you, but I'm glad you still managed to enjoy your trip and the resort!

I was there around the same time (9/2 - 9/10) and had the exact opposite experience with the buses. The longest we waited was 15 minutes, which happened twice (once after Illuminations and once after EMH in MK). But every other time, the wait was less than 10 minutes, and often only about 3-5 minutes. I was really impressed and happy with the bus service. I had warned my husband that the buses for Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney might take a long time, but even those were only a couple minutes. A few times, we had the buses all to ourselves and the drivers were really funny and friendly. One even drove us directly to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner instead of making us transfer at Animal Kingdom.

Overall, we had a blast, both at the resort and in the parks! The only negatives to Coronado Springs that I can think of are the high prices at Pepper Market ($11.50 for a sandwich is ridiculous, especially when all the other resort food courts are cheaper). And love bugs started taking over the bus stops at the end of the trip, but I imagine that happens everywhere in FL! They are gross little things though!

I am now trying to deal with my post-Disney depression and want to start planning my next trip ASAP!

Thanks for coming back and giving us your review. I'm glad you had a great stay at the CSR and that you enjoyed all it had to offer. I think the Pepper Market is so high because it is 1) not owned by Disney and 2) geared toward the convention crowd who can write it off on their expenses (it's not bad when you are on the dining plan and can get a steak dinner for the price of a counter service).

Thanks again for your review.

 

[adi1138]

I think the Pepper Market is so high because it is 1) not owned by Disney and 2) geared toward the convention crowd who can write it off on their expenses (it's not bad when you are on the dining plan and can get a steak dinner for the price of a counter service).

I forgot Pepper Market isn't owned by Disney, so that explains the prices a bit! I can see it would be a great deal on a dining plan (or your company's budget!) since the portions are big and the food is very good and made fresh. We were paying out of pocket though so it was a bit steep!

 

[Gypsybear]

Cabanas 8A would be ideal.

8A is our favorite location....we request it everytime we go now.... It's so nice and quiet...and as mentioned, close to the pools, and the hammocks...

Did I mention we'll be there next Saturday!! Can't wait...

 

[KatMark]

8A is our favorite location....we request it everytime we go now.... It's so nice and quiet...and as mentioned, close to the pools, and the hammocks...

Did I mention we'll be there next Saturday!! Can't wait...

Have a great time; we were supposed to be there next Saturday until we moved resorts. Lay in a hammock for me.

 

[mimiecp]

Hi all,

I have a question about purchasing park tickets at the CSR. My parents need to buy their tickets next Friday when they arrive. Should they do this before they check-in and then add the tickets to their room key? I won't be there with them when they arrive and want to tell them the best way to approach this. Thank as always for your help!

 

[Susan595]

ok what the heck are love bugs ?????? I'm at 30 days today ! should have mickey mail anytime now I would think !!!!

 

[Drscholls]

ok what the heck are love bugs ?????? I'm at 30 days today ! should have mickey mail anytime now I would think !!!!

Check out this link for an explanation.

http://www.myspacecoast.com/Articles/lovebugs.htm

 

[SkcMom]

Planning on mailing a box to meet us at CSR. Figured I'd ship it out Monday. We arrive on Saturday the 24th. Does anyone recommend one carrier over another?

 

[crostorfer]

The love bugs aren't anything to be afraid of, they are just really annoying because they stick together in groups like gnats and land on everything. They don't bite or sting, they are just pesky.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Planning on mailing a box to meet us at CSR. Figured I'd ship it out Monday. We arrive on Saturday the 24th. Does anyone recommend one carrier over another?

Check the "sticky" thread at the top of this forum about mailing packages to resorts. Some, like CSR, charge for receiving packages, so you want to read that and see if you can avoid that charge.

 

[lisam427]

i also forget to comment that i liked how coronado seemed way more compact compared to riverside and cbr. it really wasnt a long walk to anywhere. riverside and cbr are way more spread out than coronado.

as far as the buses we noticed that there were three or more buses going to the other parks to our one. in all fairness, coming home each night the bus service was awesome. when we left magic kingdom the. epcot, animal kingdom, and typoon lgoon had 5-10 minute waits. its just the am busses were bad. also we liked that for magic kingdom and epcot the bus stops were very close to the entrance. please dont let my wait times in the am scare you away from this beautiful resort.

my family and i do not want to stay anywhere else when we go again to disney.

 

[Laketravis]

So given everyone's experiences with the buses, what would be the earliest ADR's you would make at any of the parks or monorail resorts for breakfast if you are staying at CSR?