Just back from Coronado Springs

[LTSantoro]

Hey everyone, my family and I just returned from 7 great nights at Coronado springs. I thought I would post a smallish report here of what we thought and would be more then happy to answer any questions.
This was our first time to disney ever!!!!
We are a couple in our thirties with a five yr old dd and we also traveled with my mom.
When we got to check in I was hoping for a room in the Cabanas section. I had done online check in but was unable to put in requests. I was extremely disappointed when we were put in the Ranchos section 7b which is the farthest building away from El Centro.
So I put on my I am in Disney face and nothing is going to get me down, let's try it out and make the best of it.
Turns out I loved the building. We were a short hop to the pool and bus stop 3 was right out our door. I actually really loved the theming around the Ranchos as well I thought it was actually the nicest of the three.

I am going to make a little pros and cons list about the resort to make this a little shorter.

Cons: big resort. Not horrible but a bit of a trek to get around.
Food court. We weren't entirely happy with the food options. We found it overpriced for what you got and I wasn't thrilled with how the pepper market worked as far as tipping and such.
Again with the food, I didn't feel entirely good about how they handled my food allergies. I am allergic to nuts. On day one the chef told me I could have the pizza and on day two another girl told me it wasn't safe. However on the day we ate breakfast in the pepper market the chef they had working that day made me feel safe.

Pros: pool is great we all had a great time and all the lifeguards were great.
Rooms are very nice. After looking at the other mods I found these to be the most appealing to me.
Bus service was great. Never waited more then 5-10 mins and the buses were never full. I saw many other resort buses packed that week, but never ours.
The grounds are pristine. They really take care of them. I found this resort to be beautifully themed.
All of the parks were really easy to get to.


All in all we loved our stay. We would stay here again.
If anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them.

 

[PR-DISNEY]

Thanks for the report LTSantoro. We will be there in 32 days We are feeling the same about where we are placed. We have never been to this resort and are extremely excited about staying there. My DH and I aren't interested in the pepper market but are looking forward to the pool!!!

 

[tink70]

Glad you had a nice trip. We have stayed here twice, I had booked it again for my upcoming trip in June but just changed it to the Dolphin. I got concerned about all the walking. DD doesn't have a lot of stamina and I figured a closer pool would be helpful.
It is a lovely resort, I suggest requesting casitas next time. It's closer to el centre, and the fountains are so beautiful and relaxing at night.

 

[Marsheliz]

Thank you for starting this thread! I am wanting to book CSR but I'm just not sure.... the rooms look so beautiful but I'm nervous about size and about the restaurant.... What kinds of things does pepper market have? The room and pool look awesome but I'm just not so certain about the size....

 

[tink70]

It's large but manageable. They also offer a "tram" that runs around the resort, which you could take.
I switched resorts because its just me and my DD, and she really struggled with the heat last time. We missed a lot of the parks....so this time I tried a resort closer to where we would be spending a lot of our time.
But honestly this resort is one of my favorites.

I am sure ltsantoro will be able to fill you in on the resort...

 

[Marsheliz]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking... Normally I don't kind staying value but we are wanting to do mnsshp one night so we would basically be at resort all day before it starts so wanting to stay somewhere that is nicer and that has a better pool.... Thought I wanted POR but I just love the looks of CSR.

 

[tink70]

I loved the casitas, especially at night. The water sounds were so relaxing, and the hot tub is one of the largest on disney property.
It is a little bit of a hike, but we have done it, it's not impossible.
There are plenty of bus stops, just get off the stop closer to your room rather than always going to the main building.
The buses weren't always full either since its a conference resort, they aren't always going to the parks.
Pepper market offers a lot of different foods, I found it to be ok. It was convenient to grab something quick in the morning.
Look on the boards for the official CSR thread, he's got lots of beautiful pics.
It's a great resort and the price is usually pretty good!

 

[BlizzardBeachGirl]

Our family loves CSR. We've stayed in all three sections: Cabanas, Casitas, and Ranchos. We really like the Cabanas & Ranchos sections best...just love having that bus stop right outside our door in the Ranchos. It's a beautiful resort w/lovely landscaping. Sometimes we like to eat in our room which means one of us usually runs to the food court to pick To Go. I found myself really enjoying the walk to El Centro while hubby did a quick trip to pool w/our son.

 

[Marsheliz]

Thanks for the posts... What kind of food does the food court have?

 

[LTSantoro]

Thank you for starting this thread! I am wanting to book CSR but I'm just not sure.... the rooms look so beautiful but I'm nervous about size and about the restaurant.... What kinds of things does pepper market have? The room and pool look awesome but I'm just not so certain about the size....

The pepper market had stations.
So you could get a burger and fries at one station, a make your own salad at another. Pizza pasta ect... They had lots to chose from. They also had right beside it Cafe Rix which was great for more on the go items. personal pizzas sandwiches pre made salads yogurts and fruit salads.
My only gripe with the pepper market is you had to pay a tip to the server for counter service. All they did was bring you a drink. I am more then capable of taking away my own tray at a counter service.
Cafe Rix was great though, however due to my allergies it was a little tougher to get info from them. But my family liked the convenience of it.
The pool bar also had a few good things. Nachos, wraps, burgers. Even a kids menu. So if you didn't want to head over to El Centro for lunch you could just eat by the pool.
To be honest it wasn't as huge as I thought it would be. Like the previous poster said it's big but managable.

I had origonally booked POR but I kept looking at the rooms at CSR and eventually changed. They were just more apealling to me.

I don't think you would be disapointed.

 

[VACamm]

Omgosh I can hardly wait!! 45 days!!! I am nervous to see which section we get.... We have never stayed here but we hope to get Cabanas

 

[Marsheliz]

Oh okay.. I didnt even know they had other food options....

I just love the room look and like the separate area where bathroom is.. We will have a pack and play and that place might be perfect...

Which section to request if we end up doing this one?

 

[wiigirl]

Thanks for the report

 

[CAJUNWDWFAN]

I've stayed at CSR 4 times, it's our favorite moderate. At any resort if you are worried about having a room far away from the main building you can always pay extra for a preferred room.

 

[maxiesmom]

Unfortunately they no longer have the tram around the resort.

But CSR really isn't that big. If you want to ensure being close to the food options, pay for a preferred building. It may look a long way on the map, but you shouldn't be more than a 10 minute walk away from the themed pool. Plus there will be a leisure pool only steps away.

 

[Shaden]

Unfortunately they no longer have the tram around the resort.

But CSR really isn't that big. If you want to ensure being close to the food options, pay for a preferred building. It may look a long way on the map, but you shouldn't be more than a 10 minute walk away from the themed pool. Plus there will be a leisure pool only steps away.

People who complain about the distance, in my experience, vastly over estimate the distance as well.

The reality is that even at CSR, certainly one of the bigger resorts, everything is a couple hundred yards away.

 

[buzznina]

Glad you enjoyed CSR. The mods is our favorite level, and if we are not staying at the PO resorts it will be CSR. We try to get our food to go from the pepper market, then you are not charged the extra fee, and then eat outside or by the lounge. We like the Casitas for theme but the cabanas for proximity to everything My family actually likes the bigger resorts, walking does not bother us, even after a full day at the parks, and we find the walks very relaxing, Disney has done such a great job with their themeing at the resorts to make it enjoyable.

 

[Kaylars]

Does anybody know how much they charge to send a box there before we arrive? I looked in the shipping sticky but no luck

 

[princess19712005]

We are going there next week, I called to confirm info about sending packages.. They charge by the weight but I don't think it's any more than $15, some are less and it gets charged automatically gets charged to the room.

 

[princess19712005]

That's $15 per box or less I believe.