*In Your Opinion* Construction and staying at Resorts (Coronado & Caribbean)

[Paul Rodgers]

Hi Everyone! Lots of variables in this question, sorry if it's confusing!
Our next trip is booked for the second half of August 2018. We are currently booked at Coronado Springs Resort. I know they have some construction going on, specifically regarding the tower and the restaurant in the middle of the lake. I'm a bit cautious and nervous about this because I am paying a lot for this specific trip (we're doing a lot of extras and add-ons) and I would really hate to get there and hate the hotel. For example, I would hate to look out at the lake everyday to see a crane in the middle of if. There hasn't really been a specific timeline listed for Coronado regarding the restaurant and the rooms. On the other hand, at Caribbean Beach, they said that the major in house construction will be finished this Summer but they will still be working on the new DVC club and the new transportation option. Personally, I'd much prefer to spend a tad bit more money to stay somewhere that I don't have to worry about this but we're all hooked on one of these two resorts. It will also boil down to when Disney releases their deals and discounts that will apply for the summer (which supposedly will be in early April according to the lady I spoke with on the phone yesterday).
In your opinion, would you stay at one of these resorts? Should I move? I'm looking for personal input. Thanks! You guys rock!

 

[dansdad]

Hi Everyone! Lots of variables in this question, sorry if it's confusing!
Our next trip is booked for the second half of August 2018. We are currently booked at Coronado Springs Resort. I know they have some construction going on, specifically regarding the tower and the restaurant in the middle of the lake. I'm a bit cautious and nervous about this because I am paying a lot for this specific trip (we're doing a lot of extras and add-ons) and I would really hate to get there and hate the hotel. For example, I would hate to look out at the lake everyday to see a crane in the middle of if. There hasn't really been a specific timeline listed for Coronado regarding the restaurant and the rooms. On the other hand, at Caribbean Beach, they said that the major in house construction will be finished this Summer but they will still be working on the new DVC club and the new transportation option. Personally, I'd much prefer to spend a tad bit more money to stay somewhere that I don't have to worry about this but we're all hooked on one of these two resorts. It will also boil down to when Disney releases their deals and discounts that will apply for the summer (which supposedly will be in early April according to the lady I spoke with on the phone yesterday).
In your opinion, would you stay at one of these resorts? Should I move? I'm looking for personal input. Thanks! You guys rock!

Old Port Royal and Centertown completion at CBR has been pushed back to at least December 2018.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I can't speak to CSR or CBR, but I have stayed at other WDW resorts during major construction (both Poly and GF). We stayed at GF when they were building VGF and renovating the beach pool. Holy cow. The construction on that side of GF was unbelievable. We were staying in the main building, so it really didn't affect our stay, however, when we went to the beach pool, we literally had to walk through a construction tunnel to get to the slide. I remember feeling very badly for all of the bridal parties we saw there that week who were dealing with the eyesore near the wedding pavilion. It didn't really affect our stay per se (other than those pool days). We couldn't hear any construction. It was just really ugly. If that had been my one and only stay at WDW (particularly for the money we spent on that particular trip), I would have been disappointed. But we go often and I actually enjoy watching the evolution of the resorts and parks, so, for me, it was kind of cool to see the work in progress. If you think looking at construction is going to affect the enjoyment of your stay, yes, I would consider switching resorts.

 

[rdaky]

I can't speak for Coronado, but we just switched our June trip away from CBR. We LOVE CBR. Love the theming of the pool, the splash pirate ship, the rooms, the Murphy beds, the tropical theming, etc. And we kept our reservation at CBR for a while because we kept telling ourselves that it would be okay because we love it. And in the end we watched enough youtube videos and read enough that we decided that it's not worth it. Unless they lower the price to $100 a night, we aren't staying there. The theming and everything we enjoy about the resort will be splashed with construction walls and cranes. Yes, it's still cheaper than POR, but it's still a premium price for what we'd actually get.

 

[NikkiDP]

Are you planning to spend lazy days at whatever resort you stay at? If you are using your room as just a place to sleep and change, you might not be terribly bothered by any construction. If you are planning to do a pool day, explore the resort and its amenities or dining then you might run into some issues. I personally haven't stayed at CSR or CBR but my DH and I ultimately decided not to stay at either for our November trip because of the construction. Disney has a tendency to miss completion dates and no matter what both will still have work being done on the gondolas and the DVC resort. If you are worried, I would suggest POR. It might be a bit more expensive but there isn't currently any construction going on. We have stayed there multiple times and love it. It is such a beautiful and laid back resort that completely gives you that on vacation feeling.

 

[loves to dive]

I have stayed at both but the CBR stay was just when they were renovating rooms and starting the construction so they still had full amenities. We were at CSR the week before Christmas and the construction had 0 impact on our stay. We were in Casitas building 5, looked right out over the lake. As far a views go, both resorts have outside hallways, which means you probably aren't going to be sitting in your room with the curtains open looking out over the walkway and railing looking at the view. We did notice how nice it was when walking to the room but otherwise it meant nothing. Both resorts have places you can sit and look at the view and relax. Construction at CSR had no effect on that for us. We did have a machine outside our building because they are renovating rooms as well as building the tower but again that had 0 impact to us. We would see it when leaving for the morning sometimes.

 

[stace1214]

The construction was obvious at CBR, but we couldn't hear anything and it honestly didn't affect our stay at all. That being said, if you feel like the sight of cranes etc...will not make your trip as great, definitely plan to stay away from there. Not having a food court was an inconvenience, we didn't like the food at the buffet or food trucks at all.

 

[TwinkleKS]

We have stayed at CBR twice during the current construction. Do I prefer other hotels, yes, but mainly for their location and convenience. For the construction price CBR was fine. We don't spend all of our time in the room or at the resort anyway. That being said over Christmas we had an extra long stay and did end up at the resort more, but didn't have any issues. The pools were open, the kids had fun ... the cranes don't bother me. Then again, when I look out my office window there is always construction going on and I think it is fun to watch.

 

[DisneyDude71]

Well I am at Carribean Beach the week after Thanksgiving this year. I have been told it should be done, and others have said it wont be. There due to price and the occupancy of the room, 4 adults, 3 year old, and a 1 and a half year old. Grandkids first trip. Other wise if it was just the wife and I would have been value all the way. Staying in a preffered room, so should be close to centertown. Will the Construction ruin my trip if still happening. NO, Pretty much just plan on sleeping there and maybe hitting the pool if weather permits.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would stay at a resort that's under construction if I went to Disney often. Meaning more than once a year. Since we only go every few years I won't do it. We vacation to other places and I won't do construction resorts then either.

I've stayed at CBR twice and thoroughly enjoyed it. CSR has always been on my list. I love the look of the pool.

 

[Moliphino]

We stayed at CSR in December and barely noticed construction (aside from driving by it on the bus). We didn't want to be in a building right next to it, but aside from that it had no effect on our stay. No noise, no impact on amenities. I'm not sure when they plan to build the restaurant on the lake, that had not been started when we were there.

 

[MIssingTX]

Our family was going to stay at the CBR for this upcoming trip in May. At first I didn't seem to mind, but this will be the first WDW trip for both my husband and our two year old. I want us all to have the best experience and the best memories. I am aware that I cannot control everything, but I can control where we stay. I would be very upset if any of the construction had a negative impact on our vacation, especially since I have the option of staying elsewhere. So long story short, I switched hotels and we will now be staying at AofA. I would switch bc you don't want to regret and feel that you would have had a better vacation if you only stayed some where else.

 

[heidijanesmith]

I am going to Coronado for a conference in April. I am not worried about the construction.

I have stayed at a couple resorts during construction and was ok. Our big issues are the main pool and the main lobby, if those are ok, I am ok.

 

[Sue M]

Unless Disney is giving a serious discount for staying during construction I wouldn’t stay.

 

[ariane37]

I've stayed at CSR twice since they've started construction, back in Nov. and again earlier this month. Construction vehicles were a little more noticeable this month and the tower is getting taller so that's more visible lol, but it didn't affect my trips at all. The construction doesn't impact the pool, restaurants, store, etc. nor does it make the resort grounds less beautiful in my opinion, but then again it's my favorite moderate. We also go to Disney a few times a year and usually stay deluxe so staying at a resort with construction occasionally isn't a big deal.........as of early this month there was no crane or anything like that in the lake but, who can say come August? I still think you'll be safer there than CBR since completion dates have been pushed back but if you're feeling really uncomfortable about the stay, I would try talking everyone into a different resort. The $$ you pay isn't worth not being happy with where you stay!

 

[dminnie]

It seems like every time I see a thread like this, the large majority of replies are people giving their opinions, but they haven't recently stayed at the resort that's under construction. There are a few responses here that are people that have stayed at CSR and CBR recently, but I'd love to hear more from people that have stayed recently. We're staying at CBR in a few weeks and I do plan to post my thoughts about it when we get back. I'm hoping that we aren't effected too much. We mostly go to the parks with an afternoon break at the resort. There's only one day when we might spend more time at the resort and we'll probably only look to eat at the resort for one or two meals. I hope we don't regret the decision to stay there, but it was hard to swallow paying several hundred more(I think it was around $500 more for the week) to stay at POR instead.

 

[Belleofthehouse]

We just returned two weeks ago from CSR. While I love that resort I will NOT go back until construction is complete. We were very unfortunate to stay in Cabanas 9A.... right next to construction. We never heard construction noise but the walk to the main building was a solid twenty minutes. Every. Single. Time. That got old fast. Also the room looked very dated and tired.

 

[cadawson]

I love CSR, but I wouldn't stay there again until the construction is finished. Part of what I love is the beautiful lake.
I've heard that CBR's construction is even more invasive than CSR's, so I don't think I would do that either.
Have you looked at the Swan and Dolphin? We booked through Costco Travel and got a rate equivalent to a moderate. We haven't stayed there before, so we are excited to give it a try.
I hope it all works out for you!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

We just returned two weeks ago from CSR. While I love that resort I will NOT go back until construction is complete. We were very unfortunate to stay in Cabanas 9A.... right next to construction. We never heard construction noise but the walk to the main building was a solid twenty minutes. Every. Single. Time. That got old fast. Also the room looked very dated and tired.

Any idea when the construction is supposed to be finished?

 

[Capitalangel]

We just stayed at CBR two weeks ago. We went because I thought my kids would enjoy the Pirate Rooms as a special treat since we were staying only 2 days pre-cruise and not doing the parks ( we did resort hoping instead). I will also preface my review with the layout/ size of this resort was not my favorite on property but that is a totally personal choice. If we were staying for a full vacation the multiple bus stops around the resort would get annoying quickly as would being cut off from the lobby ( which I know they are moving to Centertown)

The positives: the main pool and splash pad were fun and had great theming. My kids loved the pool party and activities at the pool. The matinance staff were very prompt and friendly when we had a minor issue in our room.

The negatives, while the resort still had beauty I would not stay there again while under construction. The food tent was fine but I was happy we only ate there one meal because the same buffet or food truck offerings would get old quickly if staying a week. The lack of gift shop was not something that personally was a big deal one way or another to me but could be to others. There was construction by the main pool and the Trinidad South pool and we heard it some but it did not bother us. My sons also enjoyed watching the cement truck backing in near the pool.
We could not use “our” beach area due to the construction, and it was mildly irritating to have to walk by fences and walls all the time. For the price I would have stayed somewhere else if I was looking for more “magic” or was planning on spending time around the resort.