Are you thinking of choosing Disney World Coronado Springs Resort Hotel got your Disney vacation? The Disney Coronado Springs Resort is a huge moderate resort with 1917 rooms spread out over sprawling 15 acre site.
It is a convention center site – with a 95,000 square foot conference facility. This does make it rather different from other Disney hotels as it obviously attracts a lot of business people. This is attractive to some but a negative feature for others. We will talk more about this later in our review.
Photo by Greencolander
All the Disney Coronado Springs hotel rooms are housed in one of three distinct area which surround the huge Lago Dorado Lagoon. These areas are the Casitas, the Ranchos and the Cabanas. The Casitas and Cabanas are located closest to the main building with the Ranchos being a large walk from lobby, but closer to the main pool.
I know I keep saying this but The Coronado Springs resort is large. Very large! This can involve a lot of walking around the resort to get from your room to the parking lot and El Centro. But in many ways this is a big advantage. The resort just never seems to feel crowded which of course is a huge plus.
Arriving At Disney World Coronado Springs Resort Hotel
Photo by mrkathika
Check in is in the large El Centro Building. This is the building which houses the lobby, restaurants and the convention center. You either arrive in your car and park close to the front of the building or of course you can use the free Magical Express service from the airport.
The disadvantage of the Coronado Springs being a convention hotel is that if you arrive just behind that huge group of people checking in for the latest conference then you are in for a very long wait in the check in line. We arrived just at the wrong time and seemed to be the only guests not involved in the conference. The wait was long. Very long.
Photo by mrkathika
The check in process was not good either. I had booked 2 rooms and requested that they be close together. I had called 3 times to confirm this was on the booking. Including calling the day before. When we finally reached the check in desk we were told that we would be in the same building – but on different floors.
Usually Disney Cast Members are amazing and very willing to help. This lady had probably had a long day of checking in guests and really did not seem to want to help us at all. I know that there are limits to how they can help – if rooms are already filled I know they can’t do anything. But it was her unhelpful tone and manner that just didn’t help. Not magical at all.
The check in process at any hotel, but particularly a Disney hotel, is such an important experience. It wasn’t a good start!
Check in is usually no earlier than 3pm. You can of course check in, get your Magic Bands and leave your luggage with bell services.
Disney World Coronado Springs Resort Hotel Room
All of the rooms in The Coronado Springs are motel style and have an outdoor entrance. This is true of all the Disney moderate resorts. We had a first floor room and it was rather noisy with people walking past the window in the early hours of the morning.
All of the Disney moderate hotels are motel style but I think the noise is possibly worse at the Coronado as people are more likely to be out in the early hours as they are there for a conference.
The rooms are a generous 314 square feet and feel very spacious. Most of the rooms have 2 Queen beds but there are 224 rooms with king-size beds. There are also 99 disabled accessible rooms.
Photo by mrkathika
The bathroom has a bath with a shower over it. The sink is in an outside area with some hanging space. The sink area is separated from the bedroom area with sliding doors. Annoyingly the safe has a key and is not a modern electronic one with a combination.
There were some nice touches in the room like this Mickey Mouse towel arrangement. You can also see the Mickey Mouse detail in the southwestern influenced bedding.
In summary the room is fine. Not really very Disney themed but comfortable with a decent amount of space for a moderate resort. The bathroom is small but functional.
All standard rooms sleep up to 4 guests. There are suites available at the Coronado Springs which will sleep up to 6 guests and a child in a crib.
Coronado Springs also has Concierge Club guest rooms located in Cabana 9B which is one of the closest blocks to the El Centro building. Concierge rooms offer extra in room amenities such as DVD player,robes and coffee maker. They also have a dedicated Front Desk service, continental breakfast and snacks.
Where Are The Best Rooms In Disney Coronado Springs?
The key to understanding room choice is of course the location because of the size of the resort.
The Rancheros buildings are the furthest away from the El Centro lobby building with it’s restaurants and shops but is is closest to the main pool area. The last time I stayed there I stayed in the Rancheros buildings but had a car so admit that sometimes to make it quicker to get out to the parks after breakfast we did drive to El Centro.
If you like a quieter spot then you may want to choose the Rancheros – but you are going to be limited on views. There are limited water views available from rooms 6103,6203,6303,6225,6226,6326,6245,6246 and 6600 to 6604.
The Cabanas do offer some nice lake views. The advantage of Cabanas 9A and 9B are they are closer to El Centro and some also offer good views. The disadvantage may be that they are noisy. 9B is the Concierge building.
The Casitas are located to the left of the El Centro lobby. The closest is Building 1 and the furthest is Building 5. Some of these rooms offer great views of Lake Dorado – try 4230 to 4266.
Disney’s Coronado Resort Transortation
The bus transportation system at Disney Coronado is an efficient way to get around. But it isn’t perfect and there can be delays. There are 4 bus stops around the resort and buses will take you to Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Disney Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Magic Kingdom and Blizzard Beach. Journey times,in theory, are from 5 minutes to Blizzard Beach, to around 20 minutes to Magic Kingdom.
Other resort and Downtown Disney are accessed via the Transport and Ticket Center so take a long time and really aren’t to be recommended. If you want to go to Downtown Disney from the Coronado take a cab!
How Much Do Rooms At Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Cost?
Rack rates range from $170 a night in Value Season to $259 for a Standard Room. King rooms are at a premium from $211 to $288 per night. Casitas start at $687 and range up to almost $1,000 a night. If I was paying that price then I would pick a different resort!
Disney Coronado Springs Resort Pool
Photo by mrkathika
The Coronado Springs Resort has a wonderfully Mayan themed main pool at the Dig Site. The pool is large but does get crowded – the resort has a lot of guests to accommodate. The center piece is a 46 foot tall Mayan Pyramid. There is a water fall down into the pool and the effect is impressive.
The Dig Site does get pretty crowded though. When we visited, even in low season, you were fighting for pool chair space. The hot tub is set back from the main pool. It is the largest out door hot tub on Disney property but to be honest it really never felt that way as was always busy when we visited!
The kids really enjoyed the Jaguar Water Slide. It is 123 feet long and is accessed by steps at the side (it’s difficult to keep a watch on your children but you can of course watch them from a safe distance from the bottom of the slide.
The Dig Site also has the Siesta Bar and a playground. In the evenings movies are shown by the pool and s’mores are available.
There are also 3 smaller pools around the resort. These are just pretty ordinary standard pools with a you tub located in Casitas, Ranchos, and Cabanas areas. These do tend to be quieter though as the children tend to go to The Dig Site. Remember to take a towel with you to these pools as they are not provided. That can be pretty annoying when you have to walk back to your room to get one!
Disney Coronado Springs Hotel Restaurant and Eating Choices
Photo by Brett Kiger
The main restaurant is the Maya Grill and unfortunately I have to say that this is one of my least favorite Disney restaurants. Mexican cuisine is not my favorite and for me this is over priced and really not very special. It is open for breakfast and dinner.
The Maya Grill is rather a different concept for a Disney moderate hotel though. It caters primarily to the conference crowd and so does have a different atmosphere about it. This is fine for us but we just feel that the food isn’t that great. On the menu are the usual Mexican restaurant favorites tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas as well as some American favorites such as New York Strip.
Photo by mrkathika
The Pepper Market is a Quick Service Restaurant. Our experience with this has always been rather mixed as the food is inconsistent. It has an us usual system for a Disney hotel. As you enter you are given a paper slip. You then browse around the various counters to see what you would like to order. When you order your food your paper slip is stamped. You collect your food and find a table. You actually pay on the way out.
The prices are amongst the highest for a counter service restaurant – so good for the Disney Dining Plan but not great otherwise.
The Pepper Market has plenty of seating and the atmosphere can best be described as vibrant. It is a busy place and often pretty loud!
Cafe Rix is close to the lobby and is the place to pick up quick snacks, pastries, cereal, fruit and sandwiches. It is also a good place to fill your Refillable Mug.
This leads out into the Rix Lounge. This is a 300 seat bar and lounge which serves specialty drinks and appetizers. This was always crowded in the evenings as you would expect from a hotel with such a large conference facility.
There is also room service available in the Coronado Springs.
Disney Coronado Springs Recreation and Shopping
Coronado Springs is the only Disney Moderate Resort to have a spa. The La Vida Health Club is open every day from 6 am to 9pm. It is a good fitness space with all the machines and equipment you would expect. There is also a spa which offers the usual spa services such as massage, tanning, manicures etc for an additional charge.
There is a 0.9 mile track around Lago Darado for a relaxing stroll or a run. You can also rent bikes, kayak, pedal boats and electric boats.
There is a large shop just off the lobby which sells some Mexican themed items as well as the usual Disney themed goods.
Disney Coronado Springs Overall Review
I have stayed in the Coronado Springs a number of times and like it as a choice of moderate resort. The criticism that many people have is that it is a big resort. It certainly is and you really do have to understand that before you go. If you don’t want to potentially have a 10 minute walk to El Centro from your room then Coronado Springs probably is not the resort for you.
The rooms are spacious and comfortable. Your 3 year old is not going to be enthralled by the Disney theme though because there really isn’t very much of that. But if you want a comfortable place to stay with some good facilities then give Coronado Springs a try.
Have you ever stayed at Disney Coronado Resort?
Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.