Disney's CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT Information & Questions

[Disneyhanna]

I'm feeling crazy right now! I just booked a stay for 7/2-7/7. We get 7/2-7/3 off for work so I would only need to take off two days of work. I have always said I would never do summer and here I am booking another solo trip! Flights are around $300 right now but I'll probably wait a bit after I've given myself some time to think.

I found a good rate on UT (24% off) for a standard view GDT room. I've hardly seem this room type available (so much cheaper than the tower king or water rooms that are usually available) so I jumped on it. Might cancel and rebook if a better AP discount comes out but I'd be okay paying this rate. To spend as little time outside by staying in the tower would be fantastic! I'm nervous about crowds but I've seen some people say the 4th isn't as bad as possible. Maybe I can look into a dessert party, and supposedly you can see the Epcot fireworks from higher floors in some standard rooms? The Dig Site seems great for that hot hot hot summer weather.

I may end up canceling but man, this is such a tempting trip for me despite the weather .

 

[midnight star]

We are staying at Coronado springs January 21-25. Since this is a relatively short trip, we want to try and make time to enjoy the resort. How has the transportation situation been at CS lately with buses? About how long does it take to get to each park? We want to come back midday to relax and do the pool and return for dinner.

 

[AngiTN]

We tend to use ride share to parks and buses back. We always tend to be cutting things close when leaving so use the faster option. We left on 12/28 and found it good all in all
The resort is centrally located so pretty quick to everything. We were at tower stop. Foster drop back from DS but last from MK
we never took it back from HS, we moved to BWI that day
I forgot now what stop from AK, last again?

 

[Mainemama]

I'm feeling crazy right now! I just booked a stay for 7/2-7/7. We get 7/2-7/3 off for work so I would only need to take off two days of work. I have always said I would never do summer and here I am booking another solo trip! Flights are around $300 right now but I'll probably wait a bit after I've given myself some time to think.

I found a good rate on UT (24% off) for a standard view GDT room. I've hardly seem this room type available (so much cheaper than the tower king or water rooms that are usually available) so I jumped on it. Might cancel and rebook if a better AP discount comes out but I'd be okay paying this rate. To spend as little time outside by staying in the tower would be fantastic! I'm nervous about crowds but I've seen some people say the 4th isn't as bad as possible. Maybe I can look into a dessert party, and supposedly you can see the Epcot fireworks from higher floors in some standard rooms? The Dig Site seems great for that hot hot hot summer weather.

I may end up canceling but man, this is such a tempting trip for me despite the weather .

To reassure you about temperatures, we used to goin December or February. I now love July! Yes, it is hot, but it is also a great time to swim, and I love the early mornings and evenings with extended light. Staying in the tower would be a great choice if you are worried about heat. Just make sure to rope drop, take a midday break, and eat indoors in AC. I will have to check UT. I have only booked with them when Disney has resort only discounts. Not seeing any of those yet for this summer!

 

[SABeasley98]

We stayed at Coronado for the first time last week & really enjoyed it! I wanted to post the activities they had for NYE In case it might help people plan in future. My kids loved the New Years party they had on the lawn-they even got to meet Pluto and Chip & Dale!

 

[JPM4]

So we booked the tower water view for our trip in May. Question for those who have stayed. A preferred room in the regular buildings is the same price and water view is about 150 less for our stay. Any recommendations? I know we have to leave the tower to get to the main area for refills and the like. Are we better off staying preferred or stick with the tower? Tia

 

[dagored]

Depends on what you want to do. The towers is more geared for the business and older clients and not families IMHO. In my last three visits, I have not seen characters or any type of Disney functions. Except for the carpeting and wallpaper in the hallways it doesn't come off as a Disney property. Again my opinion. 1-21 will be my 4th time staying in the towers and DW loves it.

I really think this was added for the convention type crowd and Disney is trying to compete with Gaylord.

 

[Disneyhanna]

So we booked the tower water view for our trip in May. Question for those who have stayed. A preferred room in the regular buildings is the same price and water view is about 150 less for our stay. Any recommendations? I know we have to leave the tower to get to the main area for refills and the like. Are we better off staying preferred or stick with the tower? Tia

If it's $150 or less total to stay in the tower I'd stay with the tower absolutely. You don't have to leave the building, you can walk inside through a nice hallway to the drinks station in Cafe Rix or to the food court. Maybe a few minutes tops. We walked around the resort and the preferred buildings honestly don't seem worth it, you could easily be placed in the furthest one on the back side and the bridges make it so easy to get around the resort! We were all the way in Ranchos and it was still only a six minute walk to the food court. The thought of coming back at night and being inside right away seemed so appealing so I plan on booking the tower for future stays if it's not too much more.

 

[VicarJT]

So we booked the tower water view for our trip in May. Question for those who have stayed. A preferred room in the regular buildings is the same price and water view is about 150 less for our stay. Any recommendations? I know we have to leave the tower to get to the main area for refills and the like. Are we better off staying preferred or stick with the tower? Tia

We absolutely love the tower, and would absolutely stay there over the preferred rooms. It is not a bad walk for refills, and you can be inside for the whole time unless the weather is nice and you want to be outside.

 

[chris4disney]

If Hollywood Studios is posting an 8:00am opening, how early can I anticipate a bus arriving at our CSR bus stop to take us to HS? Trying to decide if the bus will get us there early enough for all this Boarding Groups madness or if we need to order a Lyft instead.

 

[AngiTN]

Depends on what you want to do. The towers is more geared for the business and older clients and not families IMHO. In my last three visits, I have not seen characters or any type of Disney functions. Except for the carpeting and wallpaper in the hallways it doesn't come off as a Disney property. Again my opinion. 1-21 will be my 4th time staying in the towers and DW loves it.

I really think this was added for the convention type crowd and Disney is trying to compete with Gaylord.

They had characters in the Tower lobby Christmas Eve and Day. Along with Santa.
They also had cookie decorating, letter to santa writing, apple cider and bedtime stories around Christmas.
I don't think any resorts have characters around much other than on special occasions.
Only regular appearance I saw lately anywhere were Beach clad characters on the Boardwalk during the summer

 

[dansdad]

If Hollywood Studios is posting an 8:00am opening, how early can I anticipate a bus arriving at our CSR bus stop to take us to HS? Trying to decide if the bus will get us there early enough for all this Boarding Groups madness or if we need to order a Lyft instead.

6:30AM

 

[midnight star]

Any recent reviews of the restaurants and bars inside Coronado Springs? Are they worth checking out?

 

[Pooh2]

We just booked a king preferred room at CS for our March trip despite saying we want to branch out and try new resorts.
Wilderness Lodge prices were crazy and CS always seems to have the best deal. So for a savings of $100s of dollars, we'll go visit Wilderness Lodge for dinner one night..
We stayed at the Tower in December and had a wonderful stay. Looking forward to having an afternoon or two this time around to just enjoy the resort.

 

[Pooh2]

Any recent reviews of the restaurants and bars inside Coronado Springs? Are they worth checking out?

We enjoyed our food at Rix Sports Bar one night in December.
Rix Cafe had amazing treats each morning, very fresh along with a tasty cold brew.
Looking forward to trying 3 Bridges and Toledo in March.

 

[KM82]

I was resolved that we weren't going to go again until August this year...then discounts came out and now we are headed to Coronado at the end of April! We have never really stayed here (grabbed a one night room last trip when we got down earlier than planned), and I'm so overwhelmed by the size of the resort. I've gone through this thread, but I think I'm more overwhelmed than I was before I started reading.

We have a water view room. I've looked at the touring plans room finder, but there are so many different buildings that highlight when I put in that category. I know our son will love to explore the main building at some point. I have no idea where to even ask or hope to be. What's a good place to start? We will have our car, if that makes a difference.

 

[MichelinMan]

Has anybody on here done the Running of the Coronado on Sunday mornings? It supposedly starts at 7am - I just wondered if it starts bang on time every week, and whether there are any delays after finishing the run to pick up your goodies. We have an ADR for BOG at MK for 8:30 booked, and I'm just trying to work out if we have time to do the run, get a quick shower, and get to MK for our ADR.

I also seem to recall they were giving out water bottles with Coronado Springs branding after the run - are they still doing that?

 

[MichelinMan]

6:30AM

Do you really need to allow 90 minutes to get from CS to get into DHS? It is only about 10mins on the bus, and even if you wait 20mins for a bus, it should only take 30mins to get from CS to DHS. Then give yourself another half hour to get through security and into the park. I would have thought 7AM would be plenty early enough.

 

[AngiTN]

Do you really need to allow 90 minutes to get from CS to get into DHS? It is only about 10mins on the bus, and even if you wait 20mins for a bus, it should only take 30mins to get from CS to DHS. Then give yourself another half hour to get through security and into the park. I would have thought 7AM would be plenty early enough.

You always really need to give yourself 90 min to reach anywhere using Disney transportation. Always.
Does it always take that long? No
Can it take that long? Yes.
Buses try for every 20 min but it's not clockwork. There are times they are late. Heck, it may be full and you have to wait on another. There are LOADS of reasons why buses take longer.
It's way better to be early than rushing somewhere late.
It's also why we opt for Ride Share 99% of the time we go anywhere early morning. You can cut the travel time in half, if not more. And that's more sleep.

 

[VicarJT]

Any recent reviews of the restaurants and bars inside Coronado Springs? Are they worth checking out?

Oh absolutely. I had lunch at Rix Sports Bar - queso nachos were delish. Drinks and cheese/charcuterie at Dahlia Lounge were amazing. Dinner at Toledo: I had tilefish (don't see it on the menu at this point), tomato bread, steak, and the best dessert on property for chocolate lovers - the Toledo Tapas Bar. Had a drink at the Barcelona lounge which was the only disappointment of my stay, but when I didn't like what I'd ordered, they replaced it immediately. So no complaints at all!