Disney's Coronado Springs Resort (Disney Moderate Resort) Reviews and Ratings About This Page:

[Jennifer Marx]

Coronado Springs' architecture and decor trace the travelers of colonial Mexican explorer Francisco de Coronado. The resort is located near Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Official Guidebook Review: Our official review of Disney's Contemporary Resort can be read in PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook (chapter 3).

Personal Review: Coronado Springs is our least favorite moderate resort. We feel the resort is too spread out, lacks a theme that we personally enjoy, and houses too many conventiongoers, which breaks the vacation spell for us. The grounds are quite charming in their way, however.

Other Reviews: Disney's Coronado Springs: A Resort Review.

Photo Reviews: See our Coronado Springs Resort photo collection.

Your Review: What do YOU think of this resort? We want to know! To leave a review AND numerical rating, click the Review button below. Please avoid commenting on previously posted reviews. Tip: Include your pros and cons! Click here for more review posting tips.

Results from these ratings and reviews will be factored into the ratings that appear in our guidebooks, too!

[Jenny Pooh]

I've never been to the Southwest or Mexico but I imagine Disney's take on the country side and architecture is pretty darn close. My stay at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort was during a relative quiet time, no big conventions going on or big celebrations. Coronado Springs did seem a bit out of the way from the theme parks. Upon entering the lobby you immediately are taken in by the beautiful fountain. Look up and you'll see a stunning painted domed ceiling.

The Coronado Springs Resort is huge and very spread out around Lago Dorado (a lake). It is divided into 3 sections: Casitas, Ranchos and Cabanas. We choose the Cabanas for our trip. We wanted to be close to El Centro and liked the look of these buildings. A few times we saw a cast member driving a large golf cart and offering people rides to their rooms. We never used it but if our room were farther away I would have used in heartbeat! In the future I am going to request a room in the Cabanas, building 9B. It's close to El Centro and just a short walk across the bridge to the pool.

Our room at Coronado Springs Resort was smaller than a deluxe but bigger than a value. Sinks are separate from the tub/toilet area. There is a privacy curtian between the sinks an the rest of the room making it a nice changing area. The decor has a southwest feel to it and it was minimal. Just a armorie/TV stand, two beds, small table with chairs. Just enough room to get your suitcases out of the way and still feel like you have room to roam.

El Centro has a few options to eat at. We ate at the Pepper Market one day for breakfast. They do the food court thing a little different, as you enter they give you a ticket and as you go around to the stations you'll get it stamped then pay on your way out. It was a little confusing at first but once I got the hang of it I liked it. Now they have a quick service option in the former arcade area. It had a good selection of pastries, sandwhiches etc. A great addition to this resort! Maya Grill was had a great buffet for breakfast as well.

The Dig Site pool is incredible. It is gigantic with a huge pyriamd that you can climb up a few stairs on. My son really enjoyed the play ground area next to the pool. We also rented a surry bike and rode around the entire Coronado Springs Resort property.

Pros

• Price
• Pool
• Close to Epcot, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom

Cons

• Large resort with a lot of walking. At the end of the day you just want to get to your room and not walk one more mile

[OffKilter_Lynn]

When I need a resort for a short stay, Coronado Springs always fits the bill. Many find the resort too remote from the other theme parks and too large to feel comfortable in but that may be what draws me back. To me, it's very relaxing, very quiet even though it includes a large convention center.

I've stayed in all three sections; Casitas, Ranchos and Cabanas. I've found that I prefer Casitas for the courtyards and fountains or Ranchos for the rugged landscaping. As with all the moderate resorts, all rooms have exterior corridors so paying more for a water view isn't necessary.

Each section has their own quiet pool and there is a fantasic main pool called The Dig Site. The Dig Site pool has a 123-foot slide with a spitting jaguar, a sand volleyball court, playground, arcade, bar and the biggest hot tub you'll find in Walt Disney World! Other recreation choices include a marina and bicycle rentals.

Having a car can be a plus here but the bus transportation is good and doesn't share routes with any other resorts. There are also internal routes serviced by large golf-cart vehicles and you can flag one down if you need a lift getting around this large resort.

There are several upgraded amenities here, (mainly because of the convention center) and include a health club, hair salon and spa treatments. The spa services are provided thru Niki Bryan (Niki Bryan Spa - Relaxed Yet) and are wonderful!

Dining options include a unique food court where upon entering you're seated and given a card. You can then visit the many different cooking stations, order what you wish and have your card stamped. You pay when you're done but note that a 10% gratuity is added upon check-out. While I don't like the additional 10%, the wide variety of food is very appealing and different from the standard food court fare.

When splitting a stay between resorts or looking for a room for a night or two, the Coronado Springs Resort can be a pleasant option to try.

[Tonichelle]

Absolutely LOVED our stay at the Coronado. Went in June when everyone said it would be horribly crowded, but we had such a magical time. It was quiet, relaxing, and a great place to come home to every night. The service was fantastic.


The only downside was our mousekeepers didn't do the best job cleaning, but we didn't make it easy to clean around. No biggy

I haven't been to many resorts to actually STAY but the Coronado makes me want to never try another one again... If I could I'd stay at CSR every time!

[LindyN]

We stayed at Coronado Springs from Dec 30-Jan 5, 2008. This was my 5th stay in this resort in four years. First time was July 2003, two visits in summer 2006, another visit in october 2006, and then this one. (Am I a fan???)
Although they were full you would never know it.
The theming is beautiful, although not "disney-ish." Food options are varied, although the Pepper Market does not operate like a typical Disney counter service location. We actually enjoy the food variety in this location.
Kids love the pool--even the quiet pools, which are good sized. They ask to stay here if the Beach Club is out of our budget!
busses only serve CSR--no sharing with another resort.
The place is huge and spread out, but that's what I like about it. I enjoy Ranchos 7A or 7B due to its proximity to the bus stop and main pool.

If you put a clock on the trip to the parks from the last bus stop, the MK is about 12 minutes, the resort is down the road and less than 10 minutes from the Studios and Epcot, and just around the corner from AK. I have never spent more than 15 minutes on a bus to a park from this resort.

Getting ready to book CSR again for New Years Eve 2008. I just love this place and cannot wait to return.

[dstsmay]

We stayed in May of 2007 for 9 days. Our Family loved Coronado. We were in the Ranchos building 7A which were very close to the bus stop. We were a short walk from a quite pool and the main pool both of which were great. We were quite a trek from the main building which was about the only drawback we saw to this resort.

We ate at the Pepper market 2 or 3 times and loved it. It was so nice to have all of the different choices and the meals were huge compared to some of the counter service. We were on the dining plan and couldn't believe they counted as counter service. We also had a great meal at the Maya Grill the sit down restaurant and wished we would have had time to eat their twice as they had so many wonderful sounding choices.

The bus service was great only once did we wait more than 15 minutes for a bus to leave the resort and Coronado doesn't share busses with any other resort which makes their busses have less stops.

Over all our only complaint was the walk to the main building and we would definitly consider staying here again.

[CupCake]

We just got back from our first trip to Disney and stayed at CSR. We absolutely LOVED everything about it. We followed Passporter's advice and asked for Cabana 8B which was close to the bus stop and the main building was a short stroll along the lake. We didn't make it to the pool although the quiet pool was right through the courtyard.

Everything was fabulous. We requested a rollaway bed...got it. After we got back from the parks, we could grab our mugs, catch a bus and be at the main gate straightaway. The bus service was incredible. We caught the bus at stop 4 and always had a seat. If we saw a bus coming back from, for example Hollywood, and it was filled we only had to wait a short time for the next one. Also, you can use the bus service around the resort itself so you really don't have to walk much at all if you don't want to but even on cool January nights, the walk was really nice around the lake.

We ate at the Pepper Grill on the last day and also were astounded that it was counter service since everything was cooked to order and the portions (breakfast) were unbelievably huge. In hindsight, we probably should have had a night at the Maya Restaurant as well...the menu looked fantastic.

The concierge also made sure Mickey left our 15 year old (autistic) son a balloon bouquet and a signed picture from Mickey on our last night. Everyone did everything they could to make our stay hassle-free, quiet, and relaxing. I'd be hesitant to stay in another resort.

[PamelaK]

My DD and I loved Coronado Springs. Our room had an excellent view when you stepped out onto the porch. However, it did take us a while to FIND our room. We were equidistant from two stops for our buses to the parks. We were the first stop to get off at one stop and if we went to the other stop it was the last stop before heading off to the parks.

The CMs were wonderful while we were there. THe Mousekeepers were even wonderful enough to prop the gifts from the Fairy Godmother so that my DD would find them right away. I highly recommend Coronado SPrings to anyone.

[MGW]

Feb 8 - 15, 2008

This was our first stay at CSR. We have stayed at ASMo twice and POR once. We thought this was a great resort!

I knew I wanted to try another moderate (if price was not a question I would of course pick a deluxe, but alas we do not have unlimited funds!) and at this time the pool at Caribbean Beach was being refurbished. So we chose CSR.

We had a great room location, Cabanas 8B room 8600. It was a corner room with 2 windows and right by the stairs. Right outside our door was a beautiful view of the lake and we were just a very short walk to the parking lot/bus stop 4 and the Dig Site.

Loved the Dig Site, the slide was awesome, played on the playground and used the hottub. The lifeguards organized games with the kids and the themeing was beautiful.

We ate dinner twice and breakfast once at the Pepper Market. Had the calzone and a taco salad, both times DH and I shared a meal, the portions were huge and more than enough for us. DS had chicken fingers twice, 5 for a child's portion! For breakfast we had mickey waffles and the breakfast platter, which was scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, fried potatoes and a biscuit. We shared it too and it was plenty for both of us.

We ate lunch one day at the pool bar, chicken wrap, quesdilla (sory, I know I didn't spell that correctly!) and chicken fingers. All were good and the strawberry, lime, mango margarita was yummy!

We checked out the Rix lounge, very pretty, but never sat in there for a drink. I also used the Rix Cafe to grab cereal and poptarts for DS. They had yummy looking baked goods in there!

We also used the fitness center, a very nice amenity. I would have loved to try the salon and get a pedicure, but just didn't have the time. DH and I walked or ran around the lake every morning, as were many others. It was a great resort for exercising.

All the convention attendees didn't seem to get in our way or make it more crowded, except right outside the main building in the mornings, they seemed to gather there before their meetings started each day.

Mousekeeping was OK, no towel animals or speical displays, but everything was neat and clean each day. There were a few stray pieces of cereal on the floor and under the bed when we arrived.

We seemed so close to everything, the MK is the furtherest away. But MGM, AK, DTD and Boardwalk were all really close! We could see the top of the Swan/Dolphin from the resort.

One morning we spent an hour walking around the resort and taking pictures. It is just beautiful. The 3 distinct areas are amazing. The Ranchos are very cool (or hot I should say!), you really feel like you are in the desert. And the fountains tucked away in the Casistas are lovely.

I would not hesitate to stay there again, the only reason I wouldn't would be just to try a different resort.

[scdisneyfan]

We stayed here in September of 2007. It was myself and three other girls. The room was big and roomy especially for four girls getting ready in the mornings.

Pros: I loved the atomosphere. It was really tropical and absolutely beautiful. The staff was great and very accomodating. The rooms were cleaned daily. We had a great building which was i believe cabanas 8B. We were right next to the bus stop and the pool. We never waited for more than 5 mins for a bus. The pool was great and a beautiful theme and we never felt like it was crowded. The resort overall was relaxing and we never got the feeling that it was too loud or overcrowded.

Cons: The air in our room did not work!!! It would get so hot at night that ( i who never complains that its too warm) slept with no covers on. We made a complaint and they said it was regulated by a motion sensor. Which they never really felt anything was wrong. It was weird because we could tell that some rooms were so cold their windows were fogged up. I sure hope we dont have this happen again.
The walk to the main office area where you pick up your packages was a long haul. I dont mind a walk usually but after a long day of walking that was the last thing i wanted to do at 10pm just to pick up our packages. Too bad they dont deliver to the rooms like they used to. I wasnt fond of the food court set up where you had to be seated with a waitress, however saying that the food was excellent. Lastly, the maid service did not take our homemade envelopes with the tips inside for two days. We thought that was odd and it hurt our feelings because we put a lot of time into making them.

Overall: I thought the resort was beautiful and had a great stay but i'm not sure i would pick this resort again.

[disneygramma]

Nicely themed, great pool, good food, reasonable value...this is a moderate so it does cost a bit more than a value. Most of those who worked there were friendly and helpful. Two stays, first time was more what we expected, second stay we found a few problems...had to request coffee and creamer/sugars which were frogotten one day, room service mostly hit or miss.....the "regular" was super, very clean, towel creatures and all, the replacement on regular's days off however was so different!!!!!
Room not cleaned well, no towel creatures and she was the one we had to call about to get the coffee and the creamer/sugar stuff.

Can go either way, but mostly great recommendations here...we especially loved the quiet pools near the rooms, and the fact that this resort did not share bus service with any other resorts!

[guerns17]

My DBf and I stayed at the CSR last March. We were in the Castias, which I was disapointed in at first because we wanted the Cabanas, but I ended up really loving our location and view. We had a lake view and were on the top floor so we were able to see all around the resort and the tower of terror! The grounds of the resort are SO nice!!! The two things that bothered me at this resort was the room. They really need to upgrade. It is dark and old. The bed covers need to be changed to some brighter better colors as well as the overall room. I actually prefered the allstar movies room that we stayed in in March 2007. The other thing that bothered us was the bus service. Our stop (it didn't matter where) seemed to always be the last to be picked up; even after the all star buses. We would literally see 2 to 3 buses from all other resorts go by before ours would arrive. It just got old after a while. Other than that the resort is great! The pool is really cool and I really liked that there are the private pools as well by the various hotel rooms. I would recommend to use this resort, if you REALLY wanted to. I honstly probably would not stay there again.

[KatMark]

We stayed at the CSR for the sixth time last September 1 - 9. We will be traveling again to the CSR this September 1 - 9 for our 25th wedding anniversary. My darling husband offered for us to stay at the Polynesian since we were celebrating our 25th anniversary. However, I said no for two reasons: 1) with two boys in college, I just cannot justify the cost of a deluxe resort and 2) the CSR offers everything we want. We have stayed in the Casitas section each time. The last two trips, we have been in Building 5 and 4 and loved this location. Last year, we had a hammock right outside our door and I would go sit in the hammock and watch the wildlife walk or fly by as my husband was taking a shower before we headed off to the park. We both often sat in it at night after the sun went down and just admired the beauty of the resort. We love being close to the quiet pool and the fitness center/spa (I get a massage every year). Even though it is a very large resort and we've walked at the parks all day, hubby and I enjoy walking around the resort when we get back after the sun has gone down and the lights have been turned on. The courtyards with the fountains and the lake are simply breathtaking when the lights go on. Although a convention resort (as are several other Disney resorts), we have never had an issue with the conventioneers. In fact, we rarely see them unless it is first thing in the morning when they are on their way to a meeting. We have seen a few by the pool on occasion and they have been very friendly, asking how our trip was going, etc. We love the different buildings, the Pepper Market (where else can you get a rib eye for a counter service credit), the spa, the gift shop. We have always had terrific CM's and mousekeeping. For my birthday last year (we were at the CSR celebrating my 50th birthday and successful breast cancer surgery/treatements), I received a birthday button, balloons and a "gold" key card when checking in. When we arrived to our room, there was a knock on the door and a gift basket was delivered with Mickey wine glasses, a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates, with a birthday photo signed by Mickey and Minnie. We were also given lush robes to enjoy during our stay. We received towel animals our last two visits, and we were always left extra shampoo, lotion, etc. Although I would like to one day try the AKL with a savannah view, I don't see us changing our resort any time soon. We just love everything about the CSR.

Pros -- Pool, Quiet Pools, Spa, Food Court

Cons -- No queen beds

[buzz2001]

I've stayed at CSR ten times since 1998 and created a website (linked below) to show how beautiful it really is. CSR now offers queens beds, club level rooms, a spa, salon, fitness center, dance club and full menu room service. Its much more upscale than the other moderate resorts at WDW.

[Queen of Everything]

We stayed at CS 8/8/08-8/14/08. DH loves the resort. I like the resort but have some things I wasn't exactly happy with. The food was not great. They really don't know how to do breakfast. I would not eat there again. I love the resort mugs! We saved so much money using those.

Amy