Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Coronado Springs now has two gyms with all new equipment. They also offer several fantastic classes including yoga and boot camp. There is a new fun run on Sundays. Personally, I needed all these opportunities to work out because I love the food and wine at their new restaurant!

I came to Coronado with much skepticism about the new tower, and walked away a massive fan. It's not Disney-ed up like Pop Century or Art of Animation, but the difference in Disney touches between Gran Destino and Beach Club are minimal. Gran Destino being a massive tower gives it a bit more of a corporate feel, but it wasn't enough to really be an issue. The new Gran Destino rooms are lovely, but do suffer from being stylish over substantive. The bathroom is only usable for one person at a time, and it seems to be designed for photographic value rather than practical value. That said, the room itself is gorgeous, and if you're facing away from the lake you get a fantastic view of Epcot's and Hollywood Studios' fireworks at night. The rest of the property is lovely, and is nicer than the rest of the moderates (and perhaps some of the deluxe hotels). The regular rooms feel a bit more Disney, and are closer to El Centro/Dig Site etc. Coronado is a deluxe hotel disguised as a moderate and is my certain go-to at Disney.

We stayed in the Casitas before and decided to try the Tower. The new area is visually lovely though lacking the Disney warmth. I got the feeling the Tower doesn't really know what it wants to be. CSR has always been the convention center, yet it also has a loyal Disney family base so I am confused by the feel at the Tower. With the new restaurants/lounges and the odd bathroom layout, the Tower may be going for the no-children guests. The original buildings retained the family-fun vibe. Service was at extremes: absolutely amazing or unDisney-like. The check-in process was a bit disorganized. Still, I suggest checking in at the main desk (instead of online check-in) to get all the details you need especially if this is your first CSR stay. Tower PRO: -Nice new rooms with lots of extras (Keurig coffee, smart TV, rain shower,...) -Walk inside to get to original main area (no need to deal with heat or rain) -Arrival area and Bus 1 (actually the last stop) is here -Lobby and guest services are here -Nice fitness center -No one walks by your window so you can leave curtains open CON: -The bathroom layout does not make it easy for a family to divy up the space like the other CSR buildings bathrooms allow -Park-view rooms: if you are on the right side of the building, most rooms have a view of a service dock -Not much sound-proofing between rooms -Package delivery can be in three different places (front desk, bell desk, or conference area) Note: Disney is trying a tablet customer service process which could work except CSR doesn't have a clear line-up area (no rope barriers) so people bypass the line going directly to the cast member or the counter. Designated guest service desks and check-in desks would be helpful to get people exactly what they need and ease up long lines.

Loved Coronado Springs. We stayed in Ranchos. I had initially dreaded that we would be assigned Ranchos when we arrived as I thought other areas looked nicer but how wrong was I to worry, I ended up loving it. The room was clean, staff couldn’t do enough and the theming throughout the whole resort is beautiful.

Stayed in a Junior Suite with my family (2 adults + 3 children). We were located in the Casitas, which meant not soooo far from the lobby as some. However, now that the lobby is in the Gran Destino Tower, it is a farther walk than it otherwise would have been. Yet we were fairly close to the gift shop and the [old/established] dining. The room was fine. We had some issues getting our Magic Bands and phones to unlock the door, however, and ended up hiking over to the front desk to have that fixed. Also, the grounds weren't as clean as I usually expect from Disney. We saw cigarette butts on the ground, mushrooms growing in green spaces... We ate at Maya Grill, Rix, and stopped a couple times in the new Barcelona Lounge. Maya Grill was nearly abandoned and feels outdated, but the service was good and the food was decent. Rix is average. The drinks and charcuterie board at Barcelona Lounge were excellent, but the service was spotty. If I were to return to WDW (and I'm not sure I would based on this visit), I probably wouldn't stay here again simply because it's kind of a long way from anywhere. The buses were always late and full, and this resort isn't worth having to deal with that.