The *NEW* Coronado Springs FAQ Thread

[LoriZH]

Maciec THANKS! lol No I did not figure that out! lol I did now though....

 

[Cthia]

LoriZH I am glad to see that you were able to find a map of the resort. Once there you won't even need the map. It is really easy to get around the resort.

We loved going in November/December. There were hardly any crowds and I loved seeing everything decorated for Christmas. We had some warm days for swimming but also some days that were cool. The only bad day we had was the day before we left. This year we are going to try it the day after Thanksgiving. I heard the weekend is crowded but I can handle that for a few days. And if I can convince my DH to go again next year we will probably go around the same time again.


P.S. Unfortunately I have never been able to see Bon Jovi in concert. The tag fairies had read one of my posts and I ended up the with that tag, not that I mind. I hope that I will be able to see them especially with them coming so close. I guess I could always take a drive to his new house in E. Brookfield, but I don't want to become a stalker. Maybe I will be lucky enough to see him this summer.

 

[LoriZH]

tell me I'll stalk him! (j/k)

I have been late October early November and the crowds have been basically great. I would LOVE to try and and get there sometime in December or late November for the Christmas Festivities, but I am a CM and I don't believe we can take vacations in December, but maybe in November, I'll have to check it out. As for now, we are going in May of 2004 (long time away, but never to far away to start planning! lol) We went in May last year and it was absolutely beautiful! Weather was great, crowds were great, it was a nice time of year to go. If I can't go in November (best time in my opinion) then I would go in May.

I did find a couple of GREAT maps and I am all excited about this resort I tell you, lol

Oh can anyone tell me if there it takes forever to get to the parks, water parks, dd from the resort???

Thanks!

 

[freediverdude]

Ok, this may be long, so if you don't want to read a long one, then go ahead and skip this one LOL. But I wanted to get opinions about my stay there, as I didn't have a very good stay there, and see if I should try it again, or if this resort just isn't for me.
I had heard that the resort was huge, so I requested a room near the health club, since I wanted to use that during my stay. I can't complain about the room location, as they put me in a 3rd floor room overlooking the quiet pool of the Casitas and could see the entrance to the health club right from my room. So far just fine. The front desk cast member wasn't particularly friendly- not rude, but not real friendly either, but this seems to be the case at other resorts too. I tried the quiet pool that afternoon, and I couldn't believe it, this was summer- 90 degree heat- and the pool water in the Casitas quiet pool must have been 65-70 degrees. Absolutely freezing. The only way they must have accomplished this was by pumping chilled water into that pool, because in 90 degree heat in florida, pools become like bathwater with no heating at all. Any explanations for this? Part of the theming or something? Also didn't like that the pools here seem to have a strict 10 pm closing, with cast members in golf carts driving by at night seeing people who are in the pool after that time. Big switch from the quiet pools at the other moderates, where it's basically considered 24 hours, and you're not bothered. Ok, on to the next thing. Got back late at night to go to bed, open up the bed, and the sheets are all wrinkled and covered with big long hair. Obviously the sheets weren't changed from the last guest. I chalked this up to the fact of that new "change the sheets every 3 nights" policy to help the environment, but still they should have been changed, and it was too late for me to bother with calling and trying to get someone to do it that late, so I just slept on top of the comforter. The next day, on the plus side, I found the health club to be nice and usable. I did like the theming, and probably wouldn't mind trying the theming of the ranchos next time, if I decide to stay again. However, on the day of checkout, I was getting everything together and getting ready to take my luggage out to the car to leave at about 10:30, when I get this phone call. I wonder who it could be calling me here, so I pick up the phone, and it's the maid, asking me if I was leaving, and if I knew that I needed to be out of the room by 11. I couldn't believe that I was hearing this. Never have I had a maid do that at any of the other Disney resorts, and I've stayed at many of them. Unbelievable. Anyway, I really left this resort with a less than Disney-like taste in my mouth, and was wondering if this was a one-time bunch of coincidences, and should I try it again, or is this the norm for this resort, in which case it may suit some people, but just wouldn't be for me.

 

[LoriZH]

I don't mind the pool situation, however, I do mind the fact that the sheets weren't changed AND the maid calling! I can see these are probably isolated incidents and wondered if you ever reported them because I have to admit, that is nasty not having the sheets changed, yuck....

I am still excited to stay here and would like any kind of feedback on this resort, bad or good, so thanks!!!

 

[pouncingpluto]

Can anyone else attest to the strict 10 PM pool closing? I thought the lifeguards left at 10, but that it was fine to stay in.

 

[MajorWoody]

Hello,

It's my impression the quiet pools are 24 hrs, and they might have just been warning that the lifeguards were leaving. I know I've done the occasional late night dip at DxL in a quiet pool with no problems, but never tried it at CS (yet!!!). The maid call might have just been to see if the room wa svacant, did you have a do not disturb sign posted? I've never experinced that at any Disney resort.

As to the grungy bed sheets, I think you should have made a call to housekeeping, and let them know. That is just unacceptable at any hotel, let alone a Disney hotel.

But, in defense of CS, I have stayed there 2x already, and find it to be almost on a par with a deluxe resort. My next trip is going to be at CS ( 5/19 thru 5/29), and am really looking forward to it. The themeing is beautiful, the amenities are a little bit better than the other moderates, and it's the only moderate with a helath club, which my oldest daughter loves. They charge $25 for length of stay, which for our 10 nights, is an incredible deal.

The Pepper Market also has some tasty victuals, and is a definite step above the typical food court, while much cheaper than a full service restaurant.

Hope that helps,

Take care,

Bill

 

[freediverdude]

Just to clarify, the quiet pools did have signs posted saying they closed after 10 I think it was. I'm not sure about the main pool. And yes, I even had a "do not disturb" sign hanging on my door, and still the maid called. I was completely dumbfounded. And a few minutes later when I carried my stuff out the door, she was standing right there in the hallway watching me leave, not busy cleaning another room, but just standing there. I thought the whole thing was kind of odd, but whatever.

 

[Buzz2001]

I've stayed at CSR six times and will be there in 3 days. Wooo Hooo!!! Never had a maid call to wake us up....yet (knock on wood). I'll check on the quiet pool sign and report back when I return.

 

[pouncingpluto]

I just called CSR directly to ask about the pool closing time, and she said that it's true that the pools close at 10, but she said that's only for spring break, and that they'll close at 8 after that!!!

And I asked to clarify... so everyone has to get out when the lifeguards leave? And she said "Well, even the quiet pools that don't have lifeguards close at 8 or 10."

Buzz... *please* find this if this is true when you're there. It's a total bummer to me. Enough of a bummer that I would consider staying at a different resort that doesn't have this rule, except for the fact that everything's booked with the POFQ closing.

 

[LoriZH]

8:00 PM is too early! I don't mind 10:00 but 8:00 gee that is nuts!

Yes if someone could find out that would be wonderful, also do all the other resorts pools close that early? I don't recall them closing that early but it's my dh that takes the kids swimming late, not me.

Thanks (again!)

 

[freediverdude]

Yes, I found the pool situation to be quite different at CSR than during my stays at CBR or POR. All the pools at CBR and POR were very warm and heated (or at least sun-heated to the same bathwater temp), and the quiet pools were advertised in the resort brochures at check-in as 24 hours. The CSR pools I thought all closed at 10, and the quiet pools were freezing, to the point of they had to have pumped in chilled water, because the air temp was 90 degrees plus, and the late afternoon/evening water temp had to be about 65-70, which isn't possible in Florida summers without chilling it LOL. Even the water table water from down in the ground is usually luke warm in the summer. Anyway, that whole stay just seemed very odd, so maybe I will have to try it again and see what happens. Maybe some of it has to do with the fact that's it's considered a convention resort, and so they feel like they need some stricter rules with conventioneers or something- just grasping at straws here. I did like the theming and the health club, which were both really nice for a moderate, but it did have a different feel than the other resorts, that I can't quite put my finger on.

 

[Buzz2001]

Never had the water cold or chilled on any of our trips. The temp seemed normal like all other resort pools.

When we were there in May 2002, the pool was open till midnight because I remember the music still playing. You could hear it from cabana 8a.

I'll check it out this week

 

[Krispe]

I just called CSR, I had a few questions and also asked about the pool hours. The woman on the phone said that the lifeguards are there till 10pm and after that it was up to your discression to swim w/o the lifeguards, in which case these pools would close at midnight. It almost sounded as if she was reading a pre made speech. Hope this helps!

Krispe

 

[Krispe]

Hi, I was just wondering if they were still rennovating the rooms? Will they eventually be rennovating all the rooms?

Have they rennovated other rooms besides the ones in building 4 & 5?

How do the new rooms look compared to the existing rooms?

thanks a bunch!

Krispe

 

[pouncingpluto]

Originally posted by Krispe
I just called CSR, I had a few questions and also asked about the pool hours. The woman on the phone said that the lifeguards are there till 10pm and after that it was up to your discression to swim w/o the lifeguards, in which case these pools would close at midnight. It almost sounded as if she was reading a pre made speech. Hope this helps!

Krispe

Thanks for the info... that makes me feel better. We're a childless couple, and late night swims are a very much looked-forward-to part of resort stays for us. That's especially true because our stay at CSR will be at the end of our trip, and we're only planning to go to parks one day. We want to take advantage of plenty of time relaxing at the hotel.

 

[LoriZH]

I can't imagine them closing the pools at one resort at 10:00 PM and not all the other resorts. Why would they chose just one resort out of all their properties? To me that's strange. I would tend to believe that the pools are open and that the lifeguards leave at 10:00PM. I am pretty sure that all the other resorts they leave at 10:00 too. They are in Florida and the summer nights are swealtering and people are on vacation they must be open, right? okay when someone gets back please set us straight, lol

 

[Krispe]

No problem, In a way we were in the same boat as you. We are a group of 5 adults (ages 29 and up) so we also were looking forward to the late night hot tub/swimming pool dips!

Have fun on your trip!!!

Krispe

 

[epcotfan]

I was just looking at my Coronado Springs Info sheet and the quiet pools are listed as being open from 8:00 am until 10:00 pm. I thought the shorter hours of the quiet pools were so they technically remained "quiet" at night since the pools are very close to guest rooms unlike the Dig Site pool. When I was at CSR the Dig Site was open until Midnight.

 

[pigletpooh123]

Great thread, I too have been thinking about this resort. I'm getting a little confused though, what exactly is El Centro and why would i want to be close to it??? Thanks