Disney's CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT Information & Questions

[mackel1994]

Hi guys - 164 days until our arrival! The way my partner and I holiday is spending a good chunk of the morning and early afternoon in the parks and then head back to the resort for a nap, returning to the parks late afternoon. We've booked a standard room at Coronado - which area should we request to minimise travel times to/from the parks? I'm thinking in terms of walking to the bus stop, waiting for bus, stopping at other stops etc.
I've made a note in my planner to 'request Cabanas 8A' but did that months ago and now can't remember why.

 

[DWillowBay]

The Cabanas section puts you at the 3rd out of 4 pick up points at Coronado. This is a great position in terms of 'minimize travel times TO the park'. There will only be the bus stop at the Gran Destino Tower before you're off and away to whichever park. When you return, you'll also be the 3rd of 4 drop offs. Not a bad position and it's not like it's even minutes (more like seconds) between bus stops. Cabanas is beautiful. I prefer Casitas because it is close to the fitness center for me. It's the first pick up and first drop off but then I'm on the bus the longest before we actually are on the way to the park. The Ranchos section is the 2nd pick up and 2nd drop off. There's not much difference in terms of time though. You won't be disappointed no matter which section you stay in. Coronado is a terrific resort. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[La Belle]

Good to know! Thanks for posting. I was curious if the pools and hot tubs hours at other Disney resorts. We are staying at a Universal property now and they are open until 10:00 pm. This is definitely information a customer should have when choosing a resort.

 

[mydisneyanytime]

We are staying here in less than 2 weeks (eek!). We have never stayed here. We usually stay at the values due to their only being one bus stop in the complex. My son is in a wheelchair and getting on and off with the chair when there are people on the bus can be tricky. Can anyone share if they have done this before and tips or tricks? This is the main thing that I am concerned about over our entire trip!! We may try to use the minnie van for early morning reservations...

 

[mdsouth]

I just switched my June trip from All Stars to CSR. I was at CSR back in 2008 but have not been since. So, it will be nice to stay there again. I did not see where to add my requests when I made my reservation change. I booked directly through Disney right now with a room only reservation. I am watching and hoping for discounts but decided to switch now since the room was available. I have not clicked on Check in now yet since my trip is still far out and I may end up switching resorts again if a deal does appear. So, did I miss where you make requests already or will that be in the check in section? Or should I call and add my requests now by phone?

 

[luvdmouse]

We are arriving on Christmas Eve and reserved a standard room in GDT. Never stayed here before but thought my older kids would like the amenities. We asked for a high floor in hopes of seeing some fireworks. Does anyone know if there are any rooms numbers to request to try and get this view?

 

[AngiTN]

If you see a pink haired old lady wandering around it will be me.
We arrive on Christmas Eve too, staying in the tower too.

I suggest poking around at Touring Plans with their room finder to pick a few rooms.
Too late to use their room request, as far as I know but you can find the room numbers yourself. Just plug in your room type and go from there

 

[Disneyhanna]

We are staying here in less than 2 weeks (eek!). We have never stayed here. We usually stay at the values due to their only being one bus stop in the complex. My son is in a wheelchair and getting on and off with the chair when there are people on the bus can be tricky. Can anyone share if they have done this before and tips or tricks? This is the main thing that I am concerned about over our entire trip!! We may try to use the minnie van for early morning reservations...

I cannot speak from experience but just from observations. Most buses can only fit 1-2 ECVs or wheelchairs. The first stop on the way to the parks is Casitas, then Ranchos, then Cabanas, then the main stop outside El Centro / Tower. When we waited outside the tower, I saw many ECVs turned away because there was already someone in the spots they needed. The drivers were always very apologetic but I’m not sure if they can work any magic or if you just would have to cross your fingers and wait for the next bus. If you get on at the tower you can guarantee a standing room only bus that would be hard to fit a wheelchair in unless it’s a less popular time like 11am or something. So I would try to go to the Casitas stop if you are able. The Disney Springs bus is reverse order so El Centro / Tower is first.

When we were at AKL, the bus stopped at Kidani and then Jambo house and over the three nights I was at Jambo I NEVER saw a wheelchair make it onto the first bus that arrived because there was always someone from Kidani already on it. CSR was definitely not as bad as what I saw at AKL. So basically it’s luck to get a spot at resorts with multiple stops, unless you go to the first stop (not an option for everyone of couse). Definitely plan extra time to get to the parks in case there are multiple full buses. (Sometimes I saw CMs that were helping manage the buses and loading for wheelchairs at the resorts but I didn’t always see them.)

 

[aleh021]

I might be in the minority of this opinion (or maybe not...?)

But I feel like Gran Destino Tower turned out much nicer then Riviera.

 

[AngiTN]

I might be in the minority of this opinion (or maybe not...?)

But I feel like Gran Destino Tower turned out much nicer then Riviera.

I don't think you can compare DVC with regular hotels rooms.
I may be in the minority but I've yet to see a single DVC room that was as nice as a regular hotel room. DVC reminds me more of a condo type set up, not a hotel. GDT is a hotel, through and through.

 

[catfan98]

I don't think you can compare DVC with regular hotels rooms.
I may be in the minority but I've yet to see a single DVC room that was as nice as a regular hotel room. DVC reminds me more of a condo type set up, not a hotel. GDT is a hotel, through and through.

Are you staying in the tower on your next visit? I am debating whether to change our regular CSR room to a tower room or not. I know you've stayed at several different resorts, so I can't wait to see your opinion on it!

 

[AngiTN]

Are you staying in the tower on your next visit? I am debating whether to change our regular CSR room to a tower room or not. I know you've stayed at several different resorts, so I can't wait to see your opinion on it!

Yes, we arrive Tuesday. (split stay with my beloved BWI) I have stayed in a regular CSR room. It's near the bottom of my resort list, for many reasons. But, was too long ago, in rooms that no longer exist so not fair to compare the situation at this time. The tower is totally different and I go in to it fully expecting to enjoy it.

 

[CarolynFH]

I don't think you can compare DVC with regular hotels rooms.
I may be in the minority but I've yet to see a single DVC room that was as nice as a regular hotel room. DVC reminds me more of a condo type set up, not a hotel. GDT is a hotel, through and through.

Exactly! DVC villas are timeshare condos, not hotel rooms, although they come with a few services (like clean towels in the middle of the week) that traditional timeshares don’t offer.

 

[Farro]

I might be in the minority of this opinion (or maybe not...?)

But I feel like Gran Destino Tower turned out much nicer then Riviera.

I haven't stayed at either - GDT in May, but based on videos and pictures I completely agree!

GDT was so impressive from pics/video that it made me book our first moderate stay instead of a deluxe. (price helped too!) Wouldn't have booked at CSR before GDT was built.

 

[aleh021]

I don't think you can compare DVC with regular hotels rooms.
I may be in the minority but I've yet to see a single DVC room that was as nice as a regular hotel room. DVC reminds me more of a condo type set up, not a hotel. GDT is a hotel, through and through.

Oh no you're absolutely right! I do think the rooms at Riviera are very nice! Just the overall hotel itself isnt as great as I imagined it would have been.

Just from photos and such the lobby isn't as impressive as GDT.

 

[snappy]

There are excellent views on both sides of GTD too. Fireworks, view of Star Wars land at night is very cool.

 

[Farro]

Oh no you're absolutely right! I do think the rooms at Riviera are very nice! Just the overall hotel itself isnt as great as I imagined it would have been.

Just from photos and such the lobby isn't as impressive as GDT.

Yes, the lobby, the bars, restaurant, etc. just look more impressive than the public spaces at Riviera. It's a nice looking resort, just think GDT looks better.

 

[aleh021]

There are excellent views on both sides of GTD too. Fireworks, view of Star Wars land at night is very cool.

OH YES THIS! We had a side view of Epcot and a direct view of Hollywood Studios. Hopefully they make a channel available where you can hear the music while the fireworks go off.

Not really a fan of Riviera's view over Caribbean Beach - it just seems odd? Not sure to be honest yet how I feel about that.

 

[snappy]

OH YES THIS! We had a side view of Epcot and a direct view of Hollywood Studios. Hopefully they make a channel available where you can hear the music while the fireworks go off.

Not really a fan of Riviera's view over Caribbean Beach - it just seems odd? Not sure to be honest yet how I feel about that.

We had that view too on the 11th floor. Amazing.

 

[jimmykitefan]

Disney just upgraded us to CSR next month. Have never stayed there before. This is our nonpark vacation. So, we will be spending more time at the resort. May not be able to get my husband out of the hot tub. Where should we request, if we want to be close to the pool area? Also, where can I find the schedule of activities? Can we opt out of mousekeeping?