Coronado Springs

[TinkerbellsMom]

We are heading to Disney this May. We usually stay at AKL, but thinking of trying a different resort. We would appreciate hearing pros/cons about Coronado Springs (especailly from those who are just returning). Thanks for your input. :mickey:

[ChipNDale79]

We stayed at CS last February.

Pros:
Resort is gorgeous

Cons:
Too big for me.

Our next trip is planned for the end of april, we have chosen to stay at POFQ simply because of the size of the resort.

[BigRedDad]

I am going in March.

Pros:
Gorgeous resort
Enough theming to keep it Disney
Queen beds
Great pool
Good restaurants
Night club
Spa
Gym
full lap pool

Cons:
It is large, but you can hop on a bus to the lobby
Not enough Disney theming for everyone's taste

[thrillme]

Pros:
Queen Beds
Good bus service

Cons:
WAAAAYYYY Too Big
Bar by pool closes ridiculously early :mad:
Bar that remains open is too far away
Food court is HORRIBLE :sick:
Rancheros are VERY far from front of hotel.
Arcade is dinky
Room was ordinary

[FantasmicJ]

To me, the resort isn't much bigger than the other moderates (aside from POFQ), so I really don't see that as a con. Plus, if you want to take a stroll, the walk around the resort is gorgeous.

Pros:
Location - pretty centrally located to all parks so bus rides aren't bad
Buses - seems usually less busy than other moderates
Resort seems quiter due to conventioneers
Main pool area is beautiful
Pepper Market has a good variety of food

Cons:
Pepper Market, though good, is expensive

[Scar]

Best bus service I've ever experienced, by far.

[buzz2001]

Pros -
Queen beds, 42" LG flat panel LED TV's, awesome bus service, terrific main pool area with the longest slide of the mods and biggest hot tub on WDW property, great lounge choices (3), fitness center, spa, salon, tanning beds, beautifully landscaped

Cons -
large but 3 of the 4 mods are too

[MMFreak]

I love this resort and have stayed a few times. This is the best mod for the amenities that are offered. The resort is large but did not alter our view of it in the least. We rented a four pedal bike and rode around and around the lake for an hour and then rented the boats for another hour it was great fun! I thought the food in the peppermarket was good every time that we ate there (we only had breakfast) and did not seem any more expensive then any other restuarant anywhere that we have been to for breakfast. I think we each had a mexican omlette with OJ, coffee and bacon for just around 10 or 11 bucks. Does not seem unreasonable to me <shrug>.

[EpcotFan182]

I agree with many when saying that CS had the best bus service out of all of the resorts I've stayed in. The overall look of the hotel is beautiful - especially the main lobby and pool areas.

On the negative side, it was a really long walk from our room to the main lobby area, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the food court. I also found the layout of the resort to be a little confusing, especially since it was so big.

Hope this helps - overall I didn't think it was too bad a resort, especially if you don't mind the walk to the main lobby. Have a great trip!

[bruin1344]

Pros
-Queen sized beds
-Quieter than a value resort
-Large selection at Pepper Market
-Good bus service
-Nice theme
-Decent pool

Cons
-Resort is large if you hate the extra walk
-Found the food at the Pepper Market nothing special

[Kenny1113]

Pro:
Quiet

Con:
Peppers market. Food is horrible ( not much better than cheap greasy diner), and expensive (I don't kniw how pp got all that for 10-11 bucks I paid about that for one omelette). Staff was not very good there either.

[wildernesslady]

Pro:
Recently refurbished - The rooms are very nice
The beds and linens are quite comfy
We liked the Pepper Market
Nicely themed - We felt like we were in Mexico
Bus system - We never had a long wait 5 min. max

Con:
Depending on where your room is, it may be a far walk. We were in building 5 and it didn't bother us.

[buzz2001]

The Pepper Market is a love/hate restaurant. :beer:

The menu has changed many times, most recently in December 2009 as the Pepper Market tries to find an identity that can fit in with the DDP. There is even a rumor that it will change into a Boma style buffet (maybe within a year - stay tuned). but that said, as it stands now, its half counter service, half table service. You get greeted and seated, have real plates, silverware and cloth napkins, the servers bring you drinks and refills and they bus the tables. For that, you are required to pay a 10% gratuity.

You can get you food TO GO and avoid the 10% charge and it outside on the deck overlooking the lake. You also can get meals at Cafe Rix or Siestas (poolside).

You also have the Maya Grill which is CSR's table service location. The breakfast buffet is a great value for $16.95.

[Mitzie]

We have stayed at 3 of the 4 mods, with the exception of POFQ. DH and I liked CRS. It was smaller than POR or CRB. We walked the entire circle around the lake and it wasn't that bad at all. I loved the fountains in the Castitas section. We were in building 4 over looking the quiet pool. Very nice and quiet. Buses were good. No complaints on the food. We liked how you actually ate on real plates in the Pepper Market, and they seated you and brought drink refills. We would go back.:thumbsup:

[Disney Doll]

I love CSR. Thus far, it's our favorite resort.

Tons & tons of beautiful outdoor space. Lush greenery, fountains, lake, etc. We loved just taking walks around the resort.

Quiet resort. Maybe big, but being more spread out gives you privacy and more peace & quiet.

Nice pool & playground area which was never crowded. Some people claim that because CSR is a convention resort the business travelers take away from the Disney feel. However, business travelers don't usually hang out at the pool or the playground so they are fine by me.

Lots of food options. We never had a problem with Pepper Market. It's not fine dining, but we had several good meals there and I appreciated the variety. We usually ordered food to go and dined outside on the patio by the lake. Great place for a quiet meal with a view and the ducks kept our son entertained. The cost seemed on target with most food prices at WDW. I also liked the grab and go market for quick selections like pizza, salad, and sammies.

Bus service was great. Never an overly long wait and a central location to the parks so no super long bus rides.

They were in the middle of their refurb when we were there last. The completed rooms looked fabulous.

The only con I can think of is that the Rancheros section doesn't seem as pretty since it is desert themed. We stayed in Casitas and loved it there.

[Belster]

We stayed at CS last February.

Pros:
Resort is gorgeous

Cons:
Too big for me.

Our next trip is planned for the end of april, we have chosen to stay at POFQ simply because of the size of the resort.

Same for me but a few extra:

Pro:

Great rooms, great beds!

Cons:

No WDW feel for my family and I. Resort is VERY spread apart even if you get a room "closer" to the lobby area still quite a hike.

While it was a beautiful resort...we will not be staying there ever again.

[CrazyStudent]

Pros:
Strikingly beautiful at night
I LOVED the Maya Grill, especially the ribs
Moderate-sized but good workout room
Great bus service is fast and efficient
Calm, quiet atmosphere
Nice beaches around the water with hammocks, quite relaxing

Cons:
Size is big but didn't bother me
Not impressed with Pepper Market but the Maya Grill more than made up my indifference on Pepper Market
Folks wanting the 24/7 'Disney feel' won't feel it here. I personally liked the resort's peaceful atmosphere but go elsewhere if you want the Disney feel at your resort

[GINNY69]

I stayed at Coronado a few years ago. I thought the resort was really nice..

Pros: Very nice themed Pool, nice walk around the lake.. Food Court was good and staff was very attentive. It was quiet for the most part , bus service was good.

Cons: Too many Conventioners, it seems that when your at the pool or in the food court and you are making noise or talking they give you dirty looks like you are bothering them. They seem uptight because they are not technically on vacation and they don't realize they are in disney and we are vacationers so get a grip.. also they talk very loud amongst themselves at the pool area talking business.. sorry i am on vacation i don't want to hear about business..

[c&d]

Pros:
Love the newly renovated rooms. The doors instead of curtains in the bathroom is really nice.
Love the lap pool.
Pepper Market, the choices make everyone in our family happy
Maya Grill, yum.
Health and spa a definite plus
The resort at night is beautiful to walk around.

Cons:
When a convention is there and you happen to hit their break time the food areas are a mob scene. Just walk away.

This is not a con for us but if you don't like walking really far this is probably not the resort for you. We just found the resort so nice that we never minded the walks.

[MushuGrl]

We just got back from our first time stay. I was prepared to 1) hate the Ranchos section and 2) hate Pepper Market.

We were put in Ranchos, and LOVED it. Sure it was a little bit of a trek to food court, but it was a beautiful walk and we could find a different route to take almost every time. Compared to Carribbean Beach, it was a breeze. Again, resort is beautiful, and in going to the different sections to explore, it almost seemed like we were in four different resorts!

We also enjoyed Pepper Market. Was different from your regular food courts. Little more expensive, but if you're like me and don't eat a ton of food, you could split an entree with someone, they give you so much food. We also loved that we could just walk into Cafe Rix and grab a pastry with our coffee in the morning before hitting the parks, no muss, no fuss.

Buses were timely and we always had a seat.

Rooms were gorgeous - we almost felt like we were in a deluxe! Beds were comfy and we slept like a rock.

The only downside we had was the Dig Site was closed. We aren't swimmers, but would have been nice to see.

All in all I loved it. I am a POP person, as I love the simpleness and how compact the values are, but I would DEFINITELY stay at Coronado Springs again!

[buzz2001]

We just got back from our first time stay. I was prepared to 1) hate the Ranchos section and 2) hate Pepper Market...It's funny how things work out. Welcome back and glad you enjoyed CSR!!

[ANG]

Just make sure you request a room nearest the front lobby. It can be quite sprawling! We stayed there on our honeymoon and loved it. Mousekeeping was great. We REALLY loved the TS Maya Grill. And the Pepper Market has tasty breakfast. I don't have a negative thing to say.

[Disneyglamour]

So if my family and I were trying to decide between POP and CS, is it worth the extra money to stay at CS?

[Kenny1113]

I like POP better than CSR.
However the buses are MUCH busier at POP.

[Scar]

So if my family and I were trying to decide between POP and CS, is it worth the extra money to stay at CS?I would say if you could aford it, and you were relying on the buses, then yes. Otherwise, probably not. Of course, if you've already stayed at POP, you may want to try another just for something different.

[Granny Jill A]

I've only stayed there once, and I agree that it is absolutely gorgeous. The grounds and fountains are delightful.

What puzzles me is the fact that the rooms have only one sink when all the other moderates have two.

Also don't care for Pepper Market that much. By the time we walked from station to station, our hot food wasn't. Prices were comparable to any convention hotel.

[CaptSmee]

Best bus service I've ever experienced, by far.

Agreed!

It is a beautifully themed resort. We have always been lucky and gotten rooms close to the main building. It's our fav moderate by far!