Coronado Springs - should I change?

[mum2four]

Opinions needed/appreciated!

We are currently booked over Christmas for nine nights with free dining at CSR (upgraded from QSDP to DDP). At first I was ok with the construction, but now it seems every video I watch it is getting to be more and more. Throw in the fact that the Dig Site is closed until 12/12 (we arrive the following week). I'm worried about that refurbishment being pushed back to interfere with our dates.

Our only reasonably priced option to change resorts and keep free dining would be Caribbean Beach, which I'm not considering because of the construction there.

We are a family of six (five Disney adults) staying in two rooms, so the free dining is a great discount for us. However, I have also been looking at the room discounts available for our trip.

I've calculated how much we would spend out of pocket if we lose the free dining (We would keep the same ADR's. Dining is important to us and I don't want to go cheap on that).

So....for about the same price, here are my two scenarios:

Coronado Springs - 9 nights
Free dining plan
8-day park hoppers (we don't really need hoppers)

Pop Century (room discount) - 10 nights
Dining paid out of pocket
8-day base tickets

Am I crazy to pay the same amount for a value resort even though it means no construction and one extra night? (I realize there is gondola construction, but that doesn't bother me).

FYI - We have been to WDW over Christmas before, so I realize what I'm getting into there. Just trying to decide on the best option for our resort.

Thoughts, please??? Thank you!!!

 

[B-Ride]

Just a thought. Go ahead and stay at CSR and see how the construction is when you arrive. If it is out of hand ask to be upgraded to a different resort.

10 years ago we had a stay at AK but when construction got delayed we got upgraded to a resort of our choice. We moved to the Grand Floridian for no extra cost.

No guarantee you'll have the same luck but you never know.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You may want to post this on the CSR resort thread to see if you get answers from people who've stayed there most recently.

This is a tough call for me. Have you stayed at both resorts in the past? If so, did you enjoy them? Since you aren't going to use the hoppers, I'm inclined to suggest Pop. You will get 10 nights instead of 9 and be pretty much guaranteed no construction that impacts your stay (I'm also taking Skyliner construction out of the equation). The project at CSR is major and to risk 9 nights of a stay during the busiest time of the year - yes, that would make me nervous as well!

 

[Princessclab]

Just a thought. Go ahead and stay at CSR and see how the construction is when you arrive. If it is out of hand ask to be upgraded to a different resort.

10 years ago we had a stay at AK but when construction got delayed we got upgraded to a resort of our choice. We moved to the Grand Floridian for no extra cost.

No guarantee you'll have the same luck but you never know.

Hi OP,
This is a tough call. Is going to a value hotel for just one more night worth it? What they offer is very basic overall but if you are OK with that.....
How much are you affected by the construction; usually most aren't but you could be?
Counting on an upgrade to another hotel probably will not be available during the time of your stay (Christmas).
JMHO.
Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[SarahC97]

I was just at CSR a couple of weeks ago and the construction is really not an issue. I would keep FD at CSR if I were you. Don't let the construction chase you off if that's your main concern. CSR is a far superior resort to Pop.

 

[mum2four]

Just a thought. Go ahead and stay at CSR and see how the construction is when you arrive. If it is out of hand ask to be upgraded to a different resort.

10 years ago we had a stay at AK but when construction got delayed we got upgraded to a resort of our choice. We moved to the Grand Floridian for no extra cost.

No guarantee you'll have the same luck but you never know.

That’s awesome that they let you move to GF! I tend to be a type “A” personality and I like to have everything lined up before I go, so wondering about the possibility of switching resorts after arrival might drive me crazy!

You may want to post this on the CSR resort thread to see if you get answers from people who've stayed there most recently.

This is a tough call for me. Have you stayed at both resorts in the past? If so, did you enjoy them? Since you aren't going to use the hoppers, I'm inclined to suggest Pop. You will get 10 nights instead of 9 and be pretty much guaranteed no construction that impacts your stay (I'm also taking Skyliner construction out of the equation). The project at CSR is major and to risk 9 nights of a stay during the busiest time of the year - yes, that would make me nervous as well!

Thanks for the reply. We have not stayed at either resort yet, so both would be a new experience.

Hi OP,
This is a tough call. Is going to a value hotel for just one more night worth it? What they offer is very basic overall but if you are OK with that.....
How much are you affected by the construction; usually most aren't but you could be?
Counting on an upgrade to another hotel probably will not be available during the time of your stay (Christmas).
JMHO.
Good luck and have a great trip!

Thanks! We have stayed at all levels of resorts, so I understand what the values offer. My dilemma is whether a moderate with major construction (and potentially closed feature pool) is worth the same price as a value without construction?

Decisions, decisions. Thanks everyone for the input!

 

[mum2four]

I was just at CSR a couple of weeks ago and the construction is really not an issue. I would keep FD at CSR if I were you. Don't let the construction chase you off if that's your main concern. CSR is a far superior resort to Pop.

That’s good to hear! I wish I had a crystal ball to see what the construction/pool rehab will look like in December!

 

[quandrea]

I cancelled my csr stay. I couldn’t get past the pool closure. My kids love to swim and I worried the leisure pools would be crowded. I lucked out on a standard view studio at the Grand Floridian for the stay. Same price as Coronado.

 

[sasmom]

We stayed at CSR for the first time a couple weeks ago and loved it. We also got a terrific AP discount for it. It was less than half the cost of our other options (BWI or WL) and we were very happy with our choice. However, the Dig Site was one of the best things about the resort, so if there was a chance it would be closed during our stay, that would be a dealalbreaker for us.

 

[Moliphino]

Request the Ranchos, you won't see or hear any construction from your room back there. We were in 6B last December and it was lovely. Only saw construction while on the bus (though the construction on the lake hadn't started yet). And in December it might be too cold to swim, anyway.

 

[supitscarrie]

Having stayed at both somewhat recently (both within last year and a half), I'd keep CSR. I stayed at Coronado pre-room-refurb and I thought it was great then, but apparently the new rooms are also super nice. There was a ton of construction going on at CSR while we were there - on our honeymoon! - but we weren't at all bothered by the noise. While the Dig Site might be closed, the other smaller "quiet" pools are all great, and the various other perks, like the on-site restaurants and whatnot, are also awesome.

I love Pop, but I feel like with your amount of people - even split across two rooms - it might make the most sense just to keep the existing reservation for the sake of having more room to spread out.

 

[loves to dive]

I would stick with CSR, I actually have an upcoming 2 night stay in Sept. and was there last December as well. While the construction was just beginning in December it really had zero impact on us and we were in the Casitas which is fairly close. I might think twice if I was going for longer than 2 nights and the dig site was closed but that is just because we like the hot tub. If you aren't interested in that, there are 3 quiet pools located around the resort so if it's warm enough, which is a roll of the dice, you would still have options. One December while we were at Disney it was cold, we had to wear coats at night and sweaters during the day, the next year it was warm enough to go to the pool so you never know.

 

[mum2four]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies! You’ve helped me decide to stick with CSR.

My biggest worry is that the Dig Site will still be closed when we get there. That would be a bummer. But, the quiet pools look lovely, and even if we switched to Pop, we wouldn’t have a pool slide there anyway.

Hoping for the best, but this isn’t our first or last trip. If it’s a mess, I guess we’ll just remember this one as the construction trip!

 

[SarahC97]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies! You’ve helped me decide to stick with CSR.

My biggest worry is that the Dig Site will still be closed when we get there. That would be a bummer. But, the quiet pools look lovely, and even if we switched to Pop, we wouldn’t have a pool slide there anyway.

Hoping for the best, but this isn’t our first or last trip. If it’s a mess, I guess we’ll just remember this one as the construction trip!

If it's any consolation, our stay at CSR in July was awesome. No regrets - I'm sure you will be just fine!

 

[Zbugz]

I cancelled my csr stay. I couldn’t get past the pool closure. My kids love to swim and I worried the leisure pools would be crowded. I lucked out on a standard view studio at the Grand Floridian for the stay. Same price as Coronado.

GF studio for the same price as CSR? What am I doing wrong? lol

 

[quandrea]

GF studio for the same price as CSR? What am I doing wrong? lol

It’s the beauty of dvc. I was out of points for the year, but was able to buy one time use points from dvc. Came to the same as one night booked with the Holiday special currently being offered by central reservations. Standard view of the GF

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

Request the Ranchos, you won't see or hear any construction from your room back there. We were in 6B last December and it was lovely. Only saw construction while on the bus (though the construction on the lake hadn't started yet). And in December it might be too cold to swim, anyway.

I 100% agree with this. I was there in February.

I feel like the CSR construction is often over dramatized. I stayed in Ranchos 7A and didn't see it at all except on my walk to el centro. It was a quick walk out of the back of Ranchos 7a to the bus, the quiet pool was right there and very nice, everything was great. You can even catch the bus to el centro if you don't feel like the ten minute stroll. Yes, the dig site will most likely be closed - it was open when I was there so I can't really comment on that - but like I said, the quiet pools are a nice option. Besides, you might not even want much pool time in December, it really depends on what is the most important to you. I find CSR a nicer resort though, just in my opinion. And I'd second putting in a request for Ranchos. I've attached some pictures I took of the Ranchos area from my last trip

 

[SarahC97]

I 100% agree with this. I was there in February.

I feel like the CSR construction is often over dramatized. I stayed in Ranchos 7A and didn't see it at all except on my walk to el centro. It was a quick walk out of the back of Ranchos 7a to the bus, the quiet pool was right there and very nice, everything was great. You can even catch the bus to el centro if you don't feel like the ten minute stroll. Yes, the dig site will most likely be closed - it was open when I was there so I can't really comment on that - but like I said, the quiet pools are a nice option. Besides, you might not even want much pool time in December, it really depends on what is the most important to you. I find CSR a nicer resort though, just in my opinion. And I'd second putting in a request for Ranchos. I've attached some pictures I took of the Ranchos area from my last trip

View attachment 342199 View attachment 342200 View attachment 342201 View attachment 342202

Great pictures! That resort is just so beautiful!

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies! You’ve helped me decide to stick with CSR.

My biggest worry is that the Dig Site will still be closed when we get there. That would be a bummer. But, the quiet pools look lovely, and even if we switched to Pop, we wouldn’t have a pool slide there anyway.

Hoping for the best, but this isn’t our first or last trip. If it’s a mess, I guess we’ll just remember this one as the construction trip!

I would hang on for a while, just as you are. If as you get closer you find the pool is going to be closed during the stay then make a decision to keep it of change resorts, and then place a call. I would not wait until you arrive and then hope for the best in regards to a resort charge, no matter the level of stay. December seems to be busy already.

I get the concern though, the pool closure would be a deal breaker for my family.

 

[mum2four]

I 100% agree with this. I was there in February.

I feel like the CSR construction is often over dramatized. I stayed in Ranchos 7A and didn't see it at all except on my walk to el centro. It was a quick walk out of the back of Ranchos 7a to the bus, the quiet pool was right there and very nice, everything was great. You can even catch the bus to el centro if you don't feel like the ten minute stroll. Yes, the dig site will most likely be closed - it was open when I was there so I can't really comment on that - but like I said, the quiet pools are a nice option. Besides, you might not even want much pool time in December, it really depends on what is the most important to you. I find CSR a nicer resort though, just in my opinion. And I'd second putting in a request for Ranchos. I've attached some pictures I took of the Ranchos area from my last trip

Thanks for the pics! I plan to request Ranchos, as I like the look of that section the best.