nkereina
Last chance to lose your keys.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
- Messages
- 21,037
Just back from 9 nights at Coronado Springs! DH and I stayed in a preferred king room – 3274, second floor, Casitas 3. Some random thoughts on the resort and our stay:
I think that covers our whole experience! We think CSR may have edged out POR as our favorite resort this trip. It was really hard to leave – it’s such a beautiful place and strolling through the grounds was so peaceful. I wouldn’t let the construction deter you. Happy to answer any questions!
- The refurbished room is gorgeous and contrary to some of the reviews I have seen, we had more than enough storage space. We actually preferred the long desk as opposed to a table, because it provided even more storage space and a place where I could sit and do my hair & makeup while DH got ready at the sinks. Loved the shower. My only minor gripe is the bathroom fan – it triggered with motion so using the restroom during the night made it turn on, and it was noisy!
- Our room location on the second floor of Casitas 3 was good. Not too bad of a walk to bus stop 2, close to the Casitas pool, and easy walk to El Centro. Our room was on the corner of the inner courtyard (faced the pool), and we could not hear or see any construction. Being on the second floor made it easy to use the stairs near our room rather than walk all the way around to the elevator.
- In the room, we could hear the person above us walking in what I assume were high heels. We could also hear the toilet above us (maybe next to us?) flushing and a shower running. I don’t think this noise is avoidable, just is what it is.
- The construction is unsightly when pulling into the resort and honestly made me nervous when we first arrived on DME. But once at the resort, it’s all very localized and was not disruptive in the least to us. I do think if you have a lagoon facing room, you’d hear the construction on the restaurant. The construction was in full swing each morning while we walked to El Centro, between 7-7:30am. Didn’t see or hear much after 4pm. We did see them on Saturday as well.
- Buses were decent. Had a couple 25-30 minute waits after just missing a bus, but otherwise fine. Bus stop 2 was perfect for always getting a seat, being at the beginning of the pick-up route. We prefer Casitas for this reason.
- Didn’t use the pool because the Dig Site was closed, making the “quiet” pools crowded and not so quiet. They did have a liquor cart going around since there was no pool bar, and the Laguna Bar seemed busier than normal during the day with people walking over to get drinks.
- Housekeeping was just OK. I’ve experienced this at POR as well, but it seems they just do the bare minimum – make the bed, empty the trash, replenish the coffee, change the towels, and then onto the next. During our 9 nights there, they never wiped down the mirror that had fingerprints and marks on it, never changed the sheets that had a soda stain on it (from me), and the worst of all – they never swept or vacuumed. As a female with thick long dark hair, I shed a lot of hair each time I dry/brush/style my hair. Throughout the course of the week, my socks picked up more and more hair from the floor so I knew it was never swept. Hair was in the bed, in my shoes – everywhere. There was also towel lint and debris in the corners, and a good line of dust on top of the headboard. I just have never found housekeeping standards at WDW resorts to be on par with some of the chain resorts like Marriott or Hyatt.
- El Mercado was great. It was never busy – we always saw it half full, at most. This was very different than our experience at POR last year which seemed like the food court was always a madhouse. We ate breakfast here 4 times and got nachos one afternoon. It was all delicious – loved the breakfast sandwich! The only negative is that it doesn’t open until 7am which isn’t conducive to making AM EMH, but the grab and go at Café Rix is a viable option that’s nice to have in those cases.
- Never used bell services or the front desk. I received my room number via email (no text, not sure why) and the email was received within minutes of me scanning my band at DME in the airport when we arrived at 9:30pm.
- The store was still under construction in the back – looks like new fridges are being added? They still had a good selection of inventory and items one might need, and we had no issue with package pick-up either.
- No issues with DME or RAC. We were on the arriving bus with AKL/Kidani and were the first drop-off. Took about 90 minutes from the airport. On the way home, we were the first pick up and stopped at All Star Sports and Music afterward. Picked us up about 3 hrs 15 mins prior to our flight.
- No issue with convention attendees, but they were definitely around. They hung out at the Laguna Bar and Rix Sports Bar and made those areas crowded after dinner. They also made the Disney Springs bus crowded at night. We came back around 1am one night and noticed lots of empty cups and trash on the tables surrounding the lagoon with several people still hanging out.
I think that covers our whole experience! We think CSR may have edged out POR as our favorite resort this trip. It was really hard to leave – it’s such a beautiful place and strolling through the grounds was so peaceful. I wouldn’t let the construction deter you. Happy to answer any questions!
