Coronado Springs vs Old Key West on rented points - what am I missing?

[maxiv]

Hey guys,

my girlfriend and I (childless millenials ;-)) are flying over from Germany right after Thanksgiving - Nov 28th - Dec 10th.
We're most likely going to have a rental car.

We've decided to make it a split stay, where we wanted to somehow find a way to stay at very nice hotels for a comparatively low price.
So we opted for DVC rental and were able to secure Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View Studio for the second week.

For the first week we're still waiting for a Studio at Old Key West.
Now I discovered, that on the Irish Disney site we could also book Coronado Springs for around the same price ($200/night).

So, first of all - what do you think just in terms of the hotels, CSR vs OKW? The new rooms at CSR look really nice - but are all of them renovated, or just a few sections?

But second, what advantages am I not thinking of that there might be if we book the first week at CSR via a Disney Travel Agent?
The price I'm seeing i rack rate, so I'd just assume they would be able to apply some discount that might come out during the year - so CSR might get even cheaper. Or are there any advantages in combination with park tickets, that I'm missing?

We're going to get 10 day park hoppers.
We won't get the dining plan - we have a very big emphasis on food, but that doesn't necessarily mean overeating - it's more about wanting to eat at the nice places. But the dining plan probably doesn't make sense for us, financially.


Looking forward to your guys' ideas!

 

[wdwhippo]

Hello,
Sounds like a great trip so far.

All rooms have now been renovated at CSR, and the new tower, Gran Destino is open. Its hard to compare CSR without knowing where you are planning to stay. The tower offers club level which is something OKW doesn't have, it costs more but its a luxurious treat. You will also pay a daily parking fee at a resort whereas is staying on points at DVC you don't have to.

CSR has lots of dining options and nice bars. OKW has nice, but very limited options, no food court for example, only a walk up window, whereas CSR has a large quick service foodcourt aswell as places to get coffee and pastries in the morning.

We've stayed at CSR and OKW resorts and really loved them both.

 

[maxiv]

Thanks for your thoughts, wdwhippo!

Club level, as well as food courts, aren't really relevant to us - we'd probably be eating almost everything outside of the resort (other hotels, parks, Disney Springs) and we're actually looking forward to a meal at Olivia's.

I'm more concerned about missing something that I'm not thinking of - are there any advantages to booking a "regular" Disney Resort - CSR that is - in combination with theme park tickets or other discounts/perks, that we wouldn't get otherwise when we booked OKW and separate park tickets?

 

[auntfrannie]

I've stayed at both. OKW was fine for a relaxing, laid back vacation. We were in a two bedroom so we had a lot of space. But honestly the only benefit I think OKW has over CSR is having laundry; but since you're looking at a studio you wouldn't have in-room laundry anyway. OKW also has the boat you can take to Disney Springs.

I would go with CSR as the rooms are very nice (whether in the original section or the Gran Destino Tower) and I've never really had any issues with the bus transportation. Plenty of good places to eat on-site just in case you don't feel like going out. The only thing to watch out for are the school groups that sometimes stay here. I was here in 2019 the week before Thanksgiving and the resort of chock full of some kind of cheer group which made the buses really crowded!

Have a great vacation!

 

[SwanVT2]

Hey guys,

my girlfriend and I (childless millenials ;-)) are flying over from Germany right after Thanksgiving - Nov 28th - Dec 10th.
We're most likely going to have a rental car.

We've decided to make it a split stay, where we wanted to somehow find a way to stay at very nice hotels for a comparatively low price.
So we opted for DVC rental and were able to secure Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View Studio for the second week.

For the first week we're still waiting for a Studio at Old Key West.
Now I discovered, that on the Irish Disney site we could also book Coronado Springs for around the same price ($200/night).

So, first of all - what do you think just in terms of the hotels, CSR vs OKW? The new rooms at CSR look really nice - but are all of them renovated, or just a few sections?

But second, what advantages am I not thinking of that there might be if we book the first week at CSR via a Disney Travel Agent?
The price I'm seeing i rack rate, so I'd just assume they would be able to apply some discount that might come out during the year - so CSR might get even cheaper. Or are there any advantages in combination with park tickets, that I'm missing?

We're going to get 10 day park hoppers.
We won't get the dining plan - we have a very big emphasis on food, but that doesn't necessarily mean overeating - it's more about wanting to eat at the nice places. But the dining plan probably doesn't make sense for us, financially.


Looking forward to your guys' ideas!

Have you looked at renting points at SSR? They have a nice quick service restaurant and pool bars with healthier options. Plus you can walk to disney springs for more dining options? SSR has activities like sunrise yoga that I enjoy and great pools!! Beautiful area too. We walked the nature trail along the golf course from SSR to Olivia's for.dinner one night.

 

[maxiv]

@SwanVT2 - I have, but the theming doesn't appeal to us at all, which is why we went for OKW.

Is there anything else I'm missing about booking a regular Disney resort in terms of perks vs. renting DVC points?

 

[nkereina]

OKW is a larger resort. The entirety of it is not really walkable because its so large. It has a boat to Disney Springs, but is otherwise relatively far from the parks making for longer bus rides. We find CSR to be more centrally located, making it quick and easy to get around. A studio at OKW is roughly 376 sq feet whereas a standard room at CSR is about 317 sq feet, so the studio at OKW will be slightly larger. OKW also has fewer quick service dining options than CSR.

CSR caters to business travelers and convention attendees, which is a big difference from OKW. The positive of this is that CSR has more amenities than the other moderate resort, with the dining options in the tower, the new restaurant on the lake, Cafe Rix grab and go, El Mercado quick service, the bar on the lagoon, and then the two TS restaurants at the El Centro building. Lots of options that are easily walkable from any point at the resort. OKW doesn't offer the same. But the downside is that business travelers are abound at CSR. While they've never been problematic, it does detract from our vacation bubble a bit. I travel for work also so seeing solo people working on laptops and taking conference calls while sitting by the lake just reminds me of work back home. Which is what I want to escape while I'm there. We've also found that they crowd the lounges in the evening, making it difficult to sit for a relaxing nightcap. They also crowd the buses to and from Disney Springs in the evening. Some will say the pools and buses are slightly less crowded because of the business traveler guests, but I haven't found a noticeable difference. At OKW, you're more inclined to be surrounded by like-minded vacationers with their families, which just appeals to me a little more.

Obviously, the themes are a big difference - we like both. OKW is a bit subdued in theming. CSR is very beautiful.

Aside from these things, I'm sure you're familiar with the differences in reservations? Booking OKW on rented points means you will pay in full at time of booking, no canceling/changing dates, and you won't receive daily housekeeping. Booking CSR through Disney means you have more flexibility, a refund policy, and daily housekeeping.

 

[Kate_45]

I found OKW far more comfortable compared with CSR.
No benefits in terms of tickets with CSR, though there may be room deals throughout the year that you may benefit from. There may not though.

It's a gamble I personally wouldn't take. I'd stick with the Dulux resort even if it is a dvc property with fewer dining options on site. You're only a boat ride from Disney springs at OKW.

 

[Pooh2]

We recently did a split stay between Coronado (Tower) and Animal Kingdom Lodge.
It was a great combination for us and a nice contrast between resorts.
We loved the Tower as much as AKL.