Is CSR really that bad?

[Disneychick75]

We love CSR more than most of the deluxe resorts! Usually we a book a villa because we're DVC members but once every couple of trips, we stay at least a couple of nights at CSR. The rooms are nicely done. We LOVE to walk around the lake. My favorite building so far has been Cabanas 8A. We were right next to the Dig Site pool and a short walk to the bridge to El Centro.

 

[redc]

My family did a split stay several years ago...3 days at WL then moved to CSR for 3 more days.
My family was ready to disown me, nearly a mutiny, and nearly ruined the vacation.
They all agreed that CSR is a HUGE motel with ZERO charm.
I guess comparing it to WL was unfair. But it was our least favorite of all of the Disney Resorts that we have stayed.

 

[midge3426]

Our family stayed at CSR several years ago. I thought the resort was okay, but, really, nothing special. The two things that I did not like was the Food Court and that there were conventioneers at the resort. I do not know if the Food Court has changed since the Disney Food Plan, but originally, you were automatically charged a service fee to be seated and to have your drinks brought to you and the food was really, really bland. My problem with convention hotels is that a lot of the attendees drink too much and are loud and cuss a lot, even in front of children. My children were small at the time and we were constantly leaving locations because of the bad language.

 

[em36]

I had a relatively short 4 night stay at CSR. A friend of mine had a convention and I tagged along. This was my first moderate stay.

The buses were the best that I have experienced. I liked the Pepper Market. The tacos were delicious, and I also enjoyed the breakfast options.

The rooms were a little lacking to me. They were very clean, but it was strange to have no closets and only one sink. Housekeeping was great, though.

The biggest drawback to me was the outside corridors. That is just a personal preference. There are just as many people who prefer exterior corridors and find interior ones less desirable. The resort is beautiful, especially at night. Convention guests don't typically crowd the bus stops! This is a definite plus.

 

[danceintherain]

Our family stayed at CSR several years ago. I thought the resort was okay, but, really, nothing special. The two things that I did not like was the Food Court and that there were conventioneers at the resort. I do not know if the Food Court has changed since the Disney Food Plan, but originally, you were automatically charged a service fee to be seated and to have your drinks brought to you and the food was really, really bland. My problem with convention hotels is that a lot of the attendees drink too much and are loud and cuss a lot, even in front of children. My children were small at the time and we were constantly leaving locations because of the bad language.

From my understanding, Pepper Market is a regular food court now where you seat yourself and no table service.

I had a relatively short 4 night stay at CSR. A friend of mine had a convention and I tagged along. This was my first moderate stay.

The buses were the best that I have experienced. I liked the Pepper Market. The tacos were delicious, and I also enjoyed the breakfast options.

The rooms were a little lacking to me. They were very clean, but it was strange to have no closets and only one sink. Housekeeping was great, though.

The biggest drawback to me was the outside corridors. That is just a personal preference. There are just as many people who prefer exterior corridors and find interior ones less desirable. The resort is beautiful, especially at night. Convention guests don't typically crowd the bus stops! This is a definite plus.

All of the moderates have outside corridors.

 

[DONALD38]

We spent our trip at CSR last year and let me tell you it didn't disappoint. Before we made our choice to stay here we read other reviews of bad and good things. We did not have one single bad experience staying here, The Pepper Market, the Mouse Keepers, Gift Shop workers and bus service was great. Of all the moderate resorts we stayed we definately would return to CSR over the others.

 

[smidgy]

we love it.. it is pretty spread out,t hough,, and the main pool is no where near the food court. but it is a beautiful resort! and the main pool is huge, beautiful! great slide. and they do have some quick food options there.. limited. and mug refill. the cabanas is the most convenient area, but the casitas are the prettiest.. esp at night.. whereever you stay, walk through the casitaas at night (not just along the promenade. there is a rotunda, relfecting pools..
I wish they had a taable with 2 chairs instead of the desk, though.....

 

[my2lovedisney]

My family and I LOVE CSR. The resort is huge and there is walking involved in getting to your room. However, the resort is gorgeous. The rooms are wonderful, always clean, beds are comfy. We always choose this resort if we stay Mod.

 

[GuyFromGulfport]

I haven't read all of the posts in this thread. So i may be repeating something...

We had stayed in Values, and Deluxes, but never a moderate before this stay. We stayed there this last Easter, and LOVED it! My 13 y/o girl loved the pool, and my 14 y/o son couldn't stay out of the arcade. My wife really enjoyed some early evening down time, reading on the hammocks. We considered canceling our June stay in Swan, to rebook at CSR. The bus stops were great, inasmuch as it was central to all of the parks. 5 minutes to everywhere, once on the bus. We stayed in the Ranchos, right behind the wooded area near the pool. It was very clean and quiet. Our building was equidistant to two bust stops. So we learned how to cut down on our wait.

We liked the Pepper Market food court, but it was a bit of a walk (maybe 5-7 minutes) from where we were. That might be a concern in rainy/hot weather. You can always take the bus to El Centro to cut down on that exposure.

Of course, the Cast Members we encountered were very welcoming and pleasant.

I'm looking forward to staying at another moderate, likely POFQ, for comparison's sake...

 

[Disnsyncey]

we like smaller resorts, so POFQ is our bag.....it probably doesn't help that when we go to other resorts, we are SO FAR away from everything.....but the pool is very nice!

 

[akg1128]

We will be staying at CSR in Nov for the third year in a row. If you're worried about the resort being too large, and you're willing to spend a little extra, I highly suggest business class. You will be close to a bus stop, El Centro, and the main pool, plus you will have access to the Business Class lounge. We have two young children and that has been so convenient for us. We haven't run into any issues during our stays, and we love Maya Grill which is one of the table service restaurants on site.

 

[Dusinberre]

I stayed there for ten days on my honeymoon in 2013 and I'm staying there again for two full weeks this coming November. It really comes down to price. My family could stay at Boardwalk for one week or we could stay at CSR for two weeks for the same price. With deals like that I will pick CSR every time. And we enjoy it. The grounds are beautiful- especially at night.

 

[Guittech]

Thank you for all the feedback.

I do trust here more, however my first instinct is to check reviews and I was just shocked by how low it was.
I figured people didn't like it due to be a convention place, which doesn't bother me.
We watched a few videos on the resort on Youtube, and really like how cute it look and grown up it seemed.

We have only stated at the Pop before, and its okay, but loud, childish and kitchy. Which has merits, however, we wanted to try something else.



We have been having a hard time deciding where to stay. We know on this adult only trip we don't want to the POP, and we can't afford to do deluxe, even with the assumed discounts for next August. And the Canadian Dollar is so bad, that buy USD is an additional 30% right now...
So we boiled it down to PoFQ and CSR.

I appreciate all of your comments.

I just went ahead and booked a king room for our August adventure 25-Sept 4th 2016! 3950 USD, right now is 5349 CND.

Fingers crossed for that "free dining". Woo hoo!

Thank you all Dis Friends!

A FELLOW CANUCK!
I'lll be waiting for your trip report, I think I am going to be there a week after you get back! doing a family all adult trip there, planning on the weekend after labour day for arrival. hoping for free dining and considering an upgrade to Business class, since it's cheaper than upgrading to deluxe dining.

 

[DizDaD7]

I for one, don't particularly like the fact that they changed PM to a traditional food court....The old way IMHO was worth it's wait in gold.... They'd seat you *( RIGHT AWAY ) & then take your drink order. Immediately you go up and grab your food * No major lines* Then proceed to your seat *( Which you already have ) and drink already at your table....No need to fish around for your money, while juggling your tray to pay for your food either..Everything got taken care of after your meal...Including a minor tip $5 or so ( WELL worth it )

The mere price of that was priceless...The traditional Food courts from start to finish generally take20 mins. to 1/2 hr at best. W/ the old PM way you could be done eating and paid by that time....Sorry for ranting but this is just my $.02.....

I do love CSR as stated earlier....W/out DVC this would be our Home away from home.

 

[raddisneyfan]

When I stayed at CSR, I stayed in the Racheros (?) section, in what was listed as the furthest building from the Check In and I seriously had no issue with getting to and from my room. I think the grounds are beautiful and particularly nice to walk around at night. The rooms aren't as nice as the deluxe resorts I've stayed at, but they weren't as expensive either. I would, without hesitation, recommend that someone stay at CSR.

 

[Jing]

We usually stay deluxe, but I stayed at CSR once before and am staying again for a convention coming up. Given the other hotels (including DL Hotel) this conference usually books, I am certain there will be mass negativity from many of my peers who are used to larger rooms with cushy amenities in metropolitan locations where there are a dozen points of interest in the same distance it takes to walk from El Centro to the Dig Site.

My mother hated it because her favorite hotel is Swan, and having to take busses instead of walking/boating to Epcot was a no-go. Plus, she is a very plain-Jane eater, and even though PM had plenty of standard American faire, I could not convince her that they were not sneaking salsa or chorizo into her eggs, lol.

Different strokes though. I lived in NM for several years, so I love the theming of CSR, plus the additional BC option, food, lounge, gym, and spa ammenities are things my family uses and are not available at th other moderates. If I want a beach theme, well, I AM in Florida and could get to one in an hou, so CBR holds no interest. Hubs and I can't get past the freaky jesters at POFQ and since I am barely a fan of the real NOLA, This one really holds no appeal. POR is a maybe-try for me, especially once Disney Springs is done - it is just as spread out as CSR and CBR and seems like a really enjoyable place to stroll around.

Only the Value resorts really scream "Disney" to me, but seriously, I don't need screaming. I'm on vacation.

 

[Guittech]

Lol, I love the variety of opinions! I guess this resort truly is "love it or hate it" People seem pretty much split, whether the Pepper Market is awesome or terrible, whether the themeing is beautifully tranquil, or looks like a crappy motel, and even whether the walking is excessive or not!

Like the OP, i am probably going to be booking my resort stay for CSR next year. I will be doing Business Class rooms if we can all swing it, as that would make things very convenient, and of course be a little cheaper than upgrading to the deluxe dining plan. Our trip won't involve small children, so we won't be upset about foul mouthed conventioneers.

 

[TNS_Tinkerbell]

I am definitely going to look in to this business class thing. I just googled it! Cool.

 

[TNS_Tinkerbell]

A FELLOW CANUCK!

Woohoo!

 

[Alexsandra]

WE stayed at CSR on our first trip and was pleasantly surprised. The grounds are beautiful and the rooms were very comfortable and clean. The main pool was amazing with great thumbing and they have a great play area for the kids. It is the only moderate resort with a gym and a spa/hair salon. The food court was very good. The only cave heat is the the sheer size of the resort. I had paid for a preferred room and we still had to walk 5 minutes to get to the bus stop and 15 min to get to the main pool. We were placed in the Casita section. If I went back, I would ask to be close to the main pool and to a bus stop. You can check out my review of the resort on my blog: http://disneyplaning101.blogspot.ca/2011/02/coronado-springs.html