We are staying in Coronado Springs for the first time this October. It will be our familiy’s first stay at this resort (during previous trips we stayed in Pop and AoA). I have not stayed in a Moderate since the late 80s and early 90s (CBR and Dixie Landings - now better known as POR).Our family (me, DH, DS7) really enjoys the Values - the only reason we stay at a Moderate now is because we got free dining and wanted the regular dining plan (because we are doing several character meals).
What do you like about Coronado Springs? What would you have liked to know about it before you stayed there?
We will not have a car there. What is the Disney bus service from CSR like? In which order do the buses pass the different bus stops?
One final question - from DS7: Is the pool slide at CSR a lot of fun?
It’s been 6 years since I stayed at CSR, but I thought the buses were fine. Sorry I don’t remember the order of the stops, but we didn’t have any problems. We had s car but never felt the need to use it, so you should be fine. We liked the space in the rooms and the grounds are pretty. We also liked the food court there pretty well. And the slide was a ton of fun for my DD and nephews.
DH and I were there in July. Here is a good website for all things CS: http://buzz2k1.wixsite.com/coronado . We were in Casitas 4, because DH was attending a convention and I wanted to be near bus stop #2. That is the first stop for all theme park buses, so I got onto an empty bus in the morning and got off first at the end of the day. Buses go clockwise around CS. Theme park buses start at #2 (Casitas), but the DS buses start at #1 (El Centro). I agree with @awspoede, I thought the buses were fine. CS does not share with any other resort hotel.
We didn’t have any kids along. People really like the themed pool, The Dig Site, so you may want to be closer to it, such as in Ranchos or Cabanas. This resort also has a fitness center, and a business center.
We LOVE Coronado. The food court is one of the best. We did have a car, which was a very good thing because the resort is huge. There are buses that run internally though, so not having a car shouldn’t be much of an issue. Very beautiful resort!
We stayed there in March and the bus service was quick and easy — never waited more than 5-10 min for a bus and once you leave CS, its straight to the park.
we stayed in the cabanas so it was an easy walk to both the big pool and the food court. It is a big resort so you may have to do some walking depending on what section you’re staying in. However, the size helps make it feel less crowded which is nice after busy days at Disney.
Rooms are somewhat dated, but clean. The resort itself is nicely landscaped. I would stay here again.
DD 10 and DS 7 both LOVED the dig site pool and thought the water slide was amazing!
We stayed there in January and loved it. Previously we have stayed at Pop, a suite at AOA, and Shades of Green. Coronado is the kids favorite by far and they were 6,8, and 16. They loved the pool with waterslide and roasting marshmallows at the firepit. We never had an issue with the buses and liked that they had the display boards showing when the buses would arrive (though they weren’t all that accurate).
It is so peaceful! We love the food court (only one I know of that serves nachos) and how quiet it is. We had ZERO problems with the buses. I think we waited about 20 minutes once but it was nothing major. The only minor complaint was the amount of bus stops which means if you’re by bus stop 4 (we were), you’re going to have to make three other stops first on the way back at the end of the day. Visa versa, if you’re at stop 1, you’re going to have to endure three more stops on the way to the parks.
Couldn’t speak to the pool as we didn’t have any time for it.
We stayed there last September and are going back there this September. We normally stay at value resorts, but after staying at Coronado, my husband said he could not go back. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, you can definitely tell a difference in the comfort level of the beds. It did not feel as crowded as the value resorts have always been, especially in the food court. DS13 could not get enough of the pool and the slide, he loved it. It really is gorgeous to just walk around and take in the scenery.
I really loved Coronado - probably my favorite so far! The only thing I didn’t like was the size - so big! The pool area was great, the decor and theming very serene. I don’t remember any problems with the buses, but we did have a car there, and used it more often then not. The multiple bus stops at the moderates annoy me.
Stayed there the last week of March. Frequently saw buses arrive before 7:30 - earliest I saw was a Magic Kingdom bus at 7:15 (might have been others earlier, but that was the earliest I ever made it out to the bus stop). Be warned (though I’m told by others who stay there frequently that this isn’t common) - I frequently waited 30-40 minutes for the bus I needed. On the bright side, when I was 10 minutes late for my pre-RD ADR at BOG, they still let me in!
I should probably answer this, since I was the one starting this thread
We stayed in Coronado Springs first week of October last year and LOVED it! You will have such a great time.
About the buses: We had ADRs for pre-RD breakfasts in MK (CP one day, BOG one other day), Epcot (Akershus) and AK (TH) the week we were there. We are early risers in America, since we are Norwegians with a 6-hour time difference in our heads. So we tried to get on the first bus possible every day. In general, MK buses always arrived first. It seemed like the MK buses started to run around 6 a.m. for a 9 a.m park opening. AK buses were next, they started around 6.15-6.30. Then HS buses started around 6.30-6.45. We did not take advantage of EMH while we were there, these are the bus times for 9 AM park openings.
Epcot buses were the frustrating ones. We had a 8 AM ADR at Akershus, and wanted to make sure we arrived at the turnstiles, finished with the security procedure, in time for them to let the early ADRs in (which they do around 7.40). So we arrived at the bus stop early, as always. Bus after bus passed us. When the 3rd (!) bus in a row to MK arrived, we asked the driver if there were no Epcot buses. He looked very puzzled, and said that Epcot buses always started to run at 7. We said we had a breakfast ADR, and he replied that early breakfasts were at MK. It seemed to us that drivers had not heard about the pre-RD breakfasts at Epcot. When the 4th MK bus arrived a little later, he said the same thing - Epcot buses never leave until 7. So we explained the same to him about our ADR, he called his supervisor and was given permission to take us to Epcot instead of taking an empty bus to MK! Disney magic!
We arrived at Epcot around 7.20, and were very surprised to see how few people were there. At MK there were long lines at 7.20 the day before. So maybe it is true that nobody goes to Epcot that early?
