Coronado Springs

[Cinderelley]

Hi everyone. I'm in the beginning stages of planning another family reunion trip. There will be a 3 year old, a 5 year old and a 7 year old. The rest are adults - most are from Arizona. Some are from Kentucky. Some people from California may or may not go. 4 of us have been multiple times before. 11 have never been. We will be going end of Sept/beginning of Oct, 2018. I think we have decided on Coronado Springs. The reasons are

1) I wanted a moderate or up in case we get free dining. I plan a sit down meal once a day so the whole family can be together. The rest of the day, we split off into groups which change often.

2) My granddaughter's other grandparents will be going. It is their first time there. Money is a little tighter for them, so that ruled out the deluxes.

3) My daughter doesn't want to be at a resort with a lot of water with a small child. Even though I'm putting Lillian in swimming lessons starting this summer, she's afraid of her drowning. I can't really blame her. Drowning is bad. Anyway, that rules out Port Orleans and Caribbean Beach Resort.

4) I don't want to go to Port Orleans French Quarter, because the masks in the dining area freak me out. (Yes, that's a real thing, and the only reason that is ruled out. Don't laugh too hard.)

So are there any Coronado Springs lovers out there that can give me any tips? Is there an area I should request? I know it is a large resort. Does one bus serve the whole resort like Port Orleans? Does anyone see any flaws in my logic?

[Zippy 1]

We stayed at Coronado Springs in October. I love this resort. It is large. Centered around a lake with a very nice walking path around it. We were in Casistas building 4. We were near a pool for relaxing swims. Within 5 minutes of the main building. The food court was very nice and loved the decor. On Halloween we had a character visit in the main building. Bus stop was close by (one bus does do the loop around the resort. But we never felt jam packed on it) as was laundry. I will definately be staying there again

[Genie1953]

Don't know if this changes your mind or not but I read a recent review of the Port Orleans French Quarter food court refurbishment and it said that the masks are gone now. They always freaked me out too so that is why we never stayed there but in the future we will be staying there instead of Riverside which is where we always stayed before.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

It's been awhile since we stayed there but Coronado Springs remains one of our favorite resorts. If I recall there are several bus stops around the resort so it's not a long walk to get on the bus. We loved their food court. Enjoy

[MNNHFLTX]

So are there any Coronado Springs lovers out there that can give me any tips? Is there an area I should request? I know it is a large resort. Does one bus serve the whole resort like Port Orleans? Does anyone see any flaws in my logic?

Not a flaw really, just curious. Although the lake at the CBR is bigger than the one at Coronado Springs, they have a very similar setup, with some buildings close to the water and some further away. In fact, all the moderates probably have similar access to water and pools.

That said, I do love Coronado Springs and the Cabanas is my favorite section. We've stayed in Cabanas 8B and thought it was a good mix of being close to the main pool area and El Centro. If your daughter is concerned about being too close to water with your granddaughter, you might want to consider a building in Ranchos that is set back from the lake a ways.

[Cinderelley]

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize there was a lake in Coronado Springs. It sounds like everyone has had a pretty good time there, so I will talk to my daughter about a building in Ranchos. I am really starting to get excited about staying there. If she won't go for it, I guess it will be French Quarter for us and I'll cross my fingers that the creepy masks are gone by the time we get there.

Since most of us are from Arizona, will the theme be boring to us? I don't want to drag a bunch of people across the country just to see the same thing they see outside their door.

Thanks very much for the info and suggestions everyone. I knew Intercot would know.

[Cinderelley]

I went and looked at the map. It looks like Casitas 2 and Rancho 7A are both set back from the water and fairly close to a bus stop. Rancho 7A appears to be farther from the water and close to the playground. Casitas 2 looks like it is closer to the main building/food for old tired bones. Does anyone have any info about either of those?

[j2k]

We stayed in Rancho 7A in 2012. It was really close to Bus Stop 3 and perfect for hopping on the bus. It was near a laundry facility and quiet pool and not far from the main pool. The main pool is surrounded by trees, bushes, and shrubbery so it help muffle the sounds of the pool fun. The walk to the Main building was not bad at all and actually enjoyable. The bus circles the property so there were times we would get off the bus at the Main bldg. to eat then enjoy the walk back to the room. Or vice Versa. It was a quiet spot. We were on the first floor looking into the courtyard area where there were rocks, cactus, etc. It's a beautiful spot and I would stay there again. It may resemble home if your family members are looking for something different though. We're from Louisiana so staying at either of the Port Orleans resorts is low on our list just because of the fact that is resembles home. Happy Planning!

[Cinderelley]

It sounds like 7A may be perfect.

[hauntedmansiongirl]

The Ranchos area is the most Arizona like, and is the furthest walk from food court and lobby. But they also tend to be the most quiet!

We love Coronado! Lately, it has surpassed POR as our favourite resort as it just seems to be less hectic. If a convention is on, the conventioneers are busy during the day, so the pools, bus stops etc are quiet! But the food court (Pepper Market) at breakfast and lunch will be packed, as will the bar by the lake in the evening. We love it so much!

Have a wonderful time wherever you ultimately decide to go!

[Cinderelley]

The quiet will help. The baby is a very light sleeper like her mom. Although I still haven't told her mom about the lake. We just haven't had any time to sit down and talk about it.

[MNNHFLTX]

I went and looked at the map. It looks like Casitas 2 and Rancho 7A are both set back from the water and fairly close to a bus stop. Rancho 7A appears to be farther from the water and close to the playground. Casitas 2 looks like it is closer to the main building/food for old tired bones. Does anyone have any info about either of those?

I've stayed in Casitas building 2 and it is a very nice location--as you said, close to the El Centro and bus stop and not a bad walk to the pool area. The Casitas are also close to the Convention Building and as such, tends to be where many of the convention-goers stay. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, since the quiet pool and other common areas (and that particular bus stop) are not as busy during the day (at least that was our experience), but if you want to be around more families, I would recommend Ranchos.

[Cinderelley]

I've stayed in Casitas building 2 and it is a very nice location--as you said, close to the El Centro and bus stop and not a bad walk to the pool area. The Casitas are also close to the Convention Building and as such, tends to be where many of the convention-goers stay. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, since the quiet pool and other common areas (and that particular bus stop) are not as busy during the day (at least that was our experience), but if you want to be around more families, I would recommend Ranchos.

Do you remember how far away from the water it was?

[missymouseworld]

We stayed at Coronado a few years ago in the Cabanas section and it was a nice resort and was near a pool and lake. As previously stated, there is a lake in the middle of the resort....and all the moderates we have stayed at have lakes also. We have stayed at a couple of the value resorts (All Star Movies/All Star Music) and they did not have lakes, just pools. (I believe Pop and Art of Animation have a lake separating them) Maybe this is an option for you if your daughter is concerned about the lakes?

If you use Google Maps and type in the resort name, they bring up a map of the resort and it will show the water/lakes there.

[BrerGnat]

Coronado is probably not your best choice. First of all, it is HUGE and there is no way to guarantee you will be in any particular section and that you will all have rooms near each other. The architecture is the same thing that the AZ and CA people see every day...they will find it boring, most likely. The food court is not operated by Disney and is just very strange, both in its setup and the food offerings. And the food is EXPENSIVE...it is a convention hotel, so the prices are jacked up because so many people there have expense accounts. Seriously, I paid like $12 for cereal, a banana, and a small milk. The rest of the food I had there was just not good.

On the water issue, you can't really avoid water at any resort in central Florida. Water is everywhere...every Disney resort has numerous pools, lakes, fountains, etc. Coronado is perhaps the one moderate that has the most water of all of them. There are fountains all over the resort, a huge lake, and numerous pools and spas. Drowning is terrible, but it's 100% preventable. Your daughter seems like a very protective mother, so she has nothing to worry about. Watch the little one at all times, around water or not, and she will be fine. In addition, WDW has put up rock barriers and fencing at all resorts that have access to a lake/pond/canal. There is NO way for a child to simply walk into the water anymore. All the pools are similarly fenced (the main ones, not the quiet ones).

I am going to recommend Port Orleans French Quarter for a moderate. Here are the reasons why I think it is a better choice for your traveling party:

1. It is small/compact. All the buildings are near each other and the footprint of the resort is small. It will be easier to meet up even if you are all in different buildings.

2. It is quiet. This is good for the baby to nap and such.

3. The pool area is perfect for young children. The pool is not huge, it's easy to keep an eye on the kids, and there is a new splash park/play area that looks really cool!

4. The foodcourt was recently renovated and the masks are GONE. It looks very nice now and the new menu there looks great.

5. You have access to a full service restaurant next door at POR (an easy walk). In addition, you can tke the boat to Disney Springs, where you will have a wide selection of dining and entertainment options for the adults.

6. There is only one bus stop, which is much better than spending 20 minutes just going around the resort to all the different stops BEFORE you even head out to the parks (this happens at Coronado). Bus service at POFQ is direct and efficient.

7. The architecture and grounds are lovely, and will be a complete change for everyone in your group. It will truly feel like you are somewhere else entirely.

[Cinderelley]

Ok Brergnat. you almost have me sold on POFQ. My only question is, will we be able to get free dining at FQ if it is offered?

[Genie1953]

I am thinking that Port Orleans French Quarter would be the best for you. They have just the one main pool where the other moderates have a main pool plus multiple other quiet pools scattered throughout the resorts. It is also smaller and much easier to manage. It is a beautiful resort.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Ok Brergnat. you almost have me sold on POFQ. My only question is, will we be able to get free dining at FQ if it is offered?

Probably not. As BrerGnat posted, French Quarter is an amazing resort, and so it is very often excluded from discounts, especially free dining.

[BrerGnat]

Ok Brergnat. you almost have me sold on POFQ. My only question is, will we be able to get free dining at FQ if it is offered?

It's usually excluded. Free dining has become more restricted and harder to get every year. I wouldn't be counting on it even being offered in 2018 at this point. Last year, it was only available on a handful of dates and resorts. It was very scattered.

You are more likely to score a room only or package discount than free dining. But, just know that the fall is no longer really a low season. The food and wine festival, Halloween parties and Run Disney events have made it a very popular time to visit. There may be no discounts at all.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Genie1953]

That is true...it is usually excluded from free dining and room discounts but the current room discount does not exclude them. Still I think it would be well worth staying there even without free dining. We have always stayed at Port Orleans Riverside but have decided to go with French Quarter in the future due to all the reasons given above.