Emma's Dad
DIS Dad #115 Virginia Beach, VA
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
- Messages
- 4,554
April 28, 2009
We thank Jason for the personal, magical service he provided for us as he was retrieving our luggage from the bus. We made sure to tip him well since we were his only patrons on this particular trip. We then say goodbye and head for CSR's lobby.
At this time, I am going to refer you back to the SPREADSHEET and the conversations DW and I took part in while trying to figure out which resort we were going to stay at. I originally was trying to push for a stay at the Poly. I figured if Disney was offering 7 days for the price of 4, we might as well get our money's worth! And this would be one of the few times we could actually afford a stay at one of the deluxe resorts... AND... there were actually rooms available at the Poly for the promo. Well... to make the story short, DW did not want to unnecessarily spend the extra $ on a deluxe for this trip. Instead, she wanted to try a moderate resort. After showing DW the many pictures and reviews for the resorts, we (I mean, she) ultimately decided on CSR. DW just HAD to lay in one of the hammocks on the beach
OK... so... the resort was chosen and reservations were made in March. We requested to have a room in either Cabanas 8A or 8B, as these two buildings are closest to the Dig Site and to the luxurious hammocks DW is now drooling over. I had also faxed the same request to the resort 3 days prior to arrival. I opted not to use the online check-in process because I knew I was going to ultimately talk to a CM anyway to make sure we got a room in the Cabanas section. Not sure what kind of sweet-talk I would have used if we didn't get the Cabanas, but I was willing to try anything
Hey! There's no one in line... again!
Is this a sign of things to come when we visit the parks? Hmmmmm... wouldn't that be great?
"Welcome to Coronado Springs Resort!" we hear, as we are greeted by our first official CM (Sorry, Ryan... you didn't count... you work for Mears). By now I must have looked like a big, goofy kid on Christmas morning with a smile going from ear-to-ear cause I just can't contain myself anymore! The lobby is immaculate and spacious and just plain WOW! (Sorry... again no pictures... too excited to find out where we are going to be sleeping the next 7 nights) So we get our Keys To The World and find out we are staying in building......... Cabanas 8A!
Room 8123... which is a room on the first floor very close to the target hammock my DW fell in love with. I was ready to lean over the counter and give the CM a kiss. OK... not really... but I was ecstatic that we got what we requested.
After check-in we head straight for our room. It's about a 5-7 minute walk from El Centro and there are two ways to get to 8A... either across the bridge, or along the sandy shore. Both ways are about the same distance, although DW says it's shorter to go by the hammocks. I think she just liked to see the sand and hammocks! Since we weren't sure exactly where in building 8A we would find room 8123, we (me
) decided to take the bridge route. The landscaping is truly magnificent... as most Disney property usually are. But it was really nice to see everything blooming and swaying in the cool spring air. By now we are going on 10:00 AM (or thereabouts) and it was still in the mid 70's. Just right for a stroll with luggage in tow!
Hello, renovated, queen-size beds havin', room 8123!
This will do just fine!
Room with bathroom area doors closed:
Room with doors open:
Beds:
Desk/dresser area:
We are all very happy with the room and the location. I'm surprised the room was not considered a water view room since we were just a few steps from the "beach"... although technically you could not see the water from inside the room. Here is the view from the door of the room:
DW unpacked just a few items and decided to leave the rest of the unpacking for later in the day. DD and I got out one of her many pre-trip presents and prepared to use it. This particular present consisted of window cling stickers... a very smart idea I learned from this awesome DIS Board! Makes it very easy to figure out which room is yours! Dollar Tree has several different Disney themed sheets of stickers, including the ones we bought - Tinkerbell (must have), Mickey & Friends, and the princesses. While DW was unpacking and organizing, DD and I were busy putting up the stickers. Again... 643 pictures taken and not a single picture of the stickers in action. Sorry guys! As you can see, I was not really planning on a true TR for the boards. I'll do better next time
We have plans to head to DHS first thing, but we wanted to get to know our immediate surroundings at the resort before we left for DHS. First stop: THE HAMMOCK! Here is the "official" video of the "beach" area and the hammock DW claimed as her own. The title of this installment is based on this video:
View of Lago Dorado from the same area:
OK... DW's favorite location out of the way. Now it's time for DD to go see her favorite spot... the pool! If you are interested in staying at CSR and be close to the Dig Site, I highly suggest Cabanas 8A. Don't be worried about noise from the Dig Site. It's a great setup and no noise gets over to 8A. Anyway... on our way over to the Dig Site, DW just HAD to take this picture:
That pictures shows the backpack I mentioned in Day 1, part 1. DW found it amusing that DD had stuffed Bunny into the side of the backpack for quick access while manly Dad carried him around. That's fine... I'm secure in my manhood
It was decided before we left for the trip that Bunny would be used in case of a "scare" emergency (security blanket). He pretty much stayed in the backpack for most of the vacation and he was very thankful he did not have to do all the walking (LOL). This backpack was purchased for our Disney trip last year and I found it to be the perfect bag for what we needed everywhere we went. Typically it carries: Itinerary, vouchers, sunscreen, extra camera batteries/memory card, snacks, water bottle, light jacket/sweater (for DW and DD for the cold bus rides), hat, and anything else we picked up along the way. Basically, I was the packmule and it would not be a good thing to lose the bag.
Entrance to the Dig Site (look for the hands rails):
And here is the video of the first view of the pool area (notice the lack of people
):
Empty pool (This is at 10:45 AM):
Now that we know where the hammock and pool are... Let's go find our bus stop! We realize after checking the map we are very close to Bus Stop 4... we head down the walkway and wait patiently for the next ride.
Bus Stop 4 sign:
DD at Bus Stop 4:
View from Bus Stop 4:
Next up:
Day 1, Part 4: "I'm never doing ToT ever again!"
We thank Jason for the personal, magical service he provided for us as he was retrieving our luggage from the bus. We made sure to tip him well since we were his only patrons on this particular trip. We then say goodbye and head for CSR's lobby.
At this time, I am going to refer you back to the SPREADSHEET and the conversations DW and I took part in while trying to figure out which resort we were going to stay at. I originally was trying to push for a stay at the Poly. I figured if Disney was offering 7 days for the price of 4, we might as well get our money's worth! And this would be one of the few times we could actually afford a stay at one of the deluxe resorts... AND... there were actually rooms available at the Poly for the promo. Well... to make the story short, DW did not want to unnecessarily spend the extra $ on a deluxe for this trip. Instead, she wanted to try a moderate resort. After showing DW the many pictures and reviews for the resorts, we (I mean, she) ultimately decided on CSR. DW just HAD to lay in one of the hammocks on the beach
OK... so... the resort was chosen and reservations were made in March. We requested to have a room in either Cabanas 8A or 8B, as these two buildings are closest to the Dig Site and to the luxurious hammocks DW is now drooling over. I had also faxed the same request to the resort 3 days prior to arrival. I opted not to use the online check-in process because I knew I was going to ultimately talk to a CM anyway to make sure we got a room in the Cabanas section. Not sure what kind of sweet-talk I would have used if we didn't get the Cabanas, but I was willing to try anything
Hey! There's no one in line... again!
Is this a sign of things to come when we visit the parks? Hmmmmm... wouldn't that be great?"Welcome to Coronado Springs Resort!" we hear, as we are greeted by our first official CM (Sorry, Ryan... you didn't count... you work for Mears). By now I must have looked like a big, goofy kid on Christmas morning with a smile going from ear-to-ear cause I just can't contain myself anymore! The lobby is immaculate and spacious and just plain WOW! (Sorry... again no pictures... too excited to find out where we are going to be sleeping the next 7 nights) So we get our Keys To The World and find out we are staying in building......... Cabanas 8A!
Room 8123... which is a room on the first floor very close to the target hammock my DW fell in love with. I was ready to lean over the counter and give the CM a kiss. OK... not really... but I was ecstatic that we got what we requested.After check-in we head straight for our room. It's about a 5-7 minute walk from El Centro and there are two ways to get to 8A... either across the bridge, or along the sandy shore. Both ways are about the same distance, although DW says it's shorter to go by the hammocks. I think she just liked to see the sand and hammocks! Since we weren't sure exactly where in building 8A we would find room 8123, we (me
) decided to take the bridge route. The landscaping is truly magnificent... as most Disney property usually are. But it was really nice to see everything blooming and swaying in the cool spring air. By now we are going on 10:00 AM (or thereabouts) and it was still in the mid 70's. Just right for a stroll with luggage in tow!Hello, renovated, queen-size beds havin', room 8123!
This will do just fine!Room with bathroom area doors closed:
Room with doors open:
Beds:
Desk/dresser area:
We are all very happy with the room and the location. I'm surprised the room was not considered a water view room since we were just a few steps from the "beach"... although technically you could not see the water from inside the room. Here is the view from the door of the room:
DW unpacked just a few items and decided to leave the rest of the unpacking for later in the day. DD and I got out one of her many pre-trip presents and prepared to use it. This particular present consisted of window cling stickers... a very smart idea I learned from this awesome DIS Board! Makes it very easy to figure out which room is yours! Dollar Tree has several different Disney themed sheets of stickers, including the ones we bought - Tinkerbell (must have), Mickey & Friends, and the princesses. While DW was unpacking and organizing, DD and I were busy putting up the stickers. Again... 643 pictures taken and not a single picture of the stickers in action. Sorry guys! As you can see, I was not really planning on a true TR for the boards. I'll do better next time
We have plans to head to DHS first thing, but we wanted to get to know our immediate surroundings at the resort before we left for DHS. First stop: THE HAMMOCK! Here is the "official" video of the "beach" area and the hammock DW claimed as her own. The title of this installment is based on this video:
View of Lago Dorado from the same area:
OK... DW's favorite location out of the way. Now it's time for DD to go see her favorite spot... the pool! If you are interested in staying at CSR and be close to the Dig Site, I highly suggest Cabanas 8A. Don't be worried about noise from the Dig Site. It's a great setup and no noise gets over to 8A. Anyway... on our way over to the Dig Site, DW just HAD to take this picture:
That pictures shows the backpack I mentioned in Day 1, part 1. DW found it amusing that DD had stuffed Bunny into the side of the backpack for quick access while manly Dad carried him around. That's fine... I'm secure in my manhood
It was decided before we left for the trip that Bunny would be used in case of a "scare" emergency (security blanket). He pretty much stayed in the backpack for most of the vacation and he was very thankful he did not have to do all the walking (LOL). This backpack was purchased for our Disney trip last year and I found it to be the perfect bag for what we needed everywhere we went. Typically it carries: Itinerary, vouchers, sunscreen, extra camera batteries/memory card, snacks, water bottle, light jacket/sweater (for DW and DD for the cold bus rides), hat, and anything else we picked up along the way. Basically, I was the packmule and it would not be a good thing to lose the bag.Entrance to the Dig Site (look for the hands rails):
And here is the video of the first view of the pool area (notice the lack of people
):Empty pool (This is at 10:45 AM):
Now that we know where the hammock and pool are... Let's go find our bus stop! We realize after checking the map we are very close to Bus Stop 4... we head down the walkway and wait patiently for the next ride.
Bus Stop 4 sign:
DD at Bus Stop 4:
View from Bus Stop 4:
Next up:
Day 1, Part 4: "I'm never doing ToT ever again!"
Last edited:
This only happened once... 
I definitely will have to show my son these pics - we are planning a trip in March 2010 and will be renting points for a 2-bedroom at the BWV w/boardwalk view but we need another room and he wants to stay at CSR. I tried to tell him for the price of CSR we can get a studio at BWV but he definitely is hooked on CSR. Can't wait to show him these room pics!
momtoBrandon&Jacob! Thank you 
Sometimes you just need to have the guy's perspective 
....
. I didn't even think to give him a hand-shake, reward, or anything. Looking back, I really didn't handle the situation well, but I was happy I had the backpack in hand. And it occurred to me that he was looking for some form of identification so he could return the bag to it's owner. I have since included that information in the bag! Well... I quickly taking inventory as I began hoofing it back to Bus Stop 1... all seems in order... WHEW! Another great job, Don 
It will be ok... deep breath... in through nose... out through mouth).
After swimming, we eat at the Pepper Market, then headed back to the pool until bed time (DD and I). DW spent the evening unpacking and enjoying the hammock and cool night breeze. It was a beautiful ending to our first day at Disney World!
but it was a really gorgeous resort. 
