Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review
Coronado Springs is a Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World with a Southwest theme. This hotel review features new room photos, our thoughts on staying at the reimagined resort, dining, amenities, and more. This review has been refreshed following Gran Destino Tower’s debut and other upgrades.
At this point, Disney’s Coronado Springs is almost entirely back to normal. Every major restaurant has reopened, physical distancing has been dropped, and there are no longer waits or virtual queues to use the feature pool (that we’ve seen). About the only issue is that menus, especially at the food court, as still scaled back at some restaurants.
Our most recent stay at Coronado Springs was in Summer 2023, and even the bus service was good–minus one long wait leaving Magic Kingdom one night. Still, very good as compared to this time last year when we recommended temporarily avoiding Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. That’s no longer our advice–Coronado Springs is once again a good hotel option at Walt Disney World!
With that out of the way, let’s start by talking about that recent addition to Coronado Springs–Gran Destino Tower. This is basically a stand-alone hotel that shares some amenities with the rest of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Check out our Gran Destino Tower Review for an exhaustive look at the addition. It cannot be understated just how different Gran Destino is from the rest of Coronado Springs.
It’s basically a “Tale of Two Resorts” because Gran Destino is totally unlike the rest of the resort. Gran Destino is also totally unlike every single other Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. It’s more akin to the Disney Springs area tower-style hotels, albeit with Disney perks and amenities. The tower itself has a Las Vegas-lite vibe, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just very different.
As a whole, Coronado Springs Resort is Walt Disney World’s biggest convention hotel. This likely explains why Gran Destino has such a different tone and style than every single other Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. It’s undoubtedly catering to conventioneers, who are not necessarily interested in the rest of Walt Disney World and want more condensed accommodations.
The walk from the farthest rooms to the convention center–especially in business attire–can be brutal. Now, the walk from Gran Destino to the convention center is entirely indoors. Thanks to Coronado Springs’ convention hotel designation, the amenities, dining, and rooms are all arguably better than other Moderate Resorts at Walt Disney World.
That’s the upside of staying at this convention hotel if you’re a ‘regular’ guest, as you benefit from all of these elevated offerings. The downside is that Coronado Springs also has a different atmosphere and clientele (at least, during big events), and isn’t always catering to a family audience.
We’ve stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort several times and have updated this review as the hotel–and our perspective–has changed over the years…
Coronado Springs is very spread out with Lago Dorado, a 22-acre lake, in the center. The resort is described as evoking “the spirit and romance of Spanish-colonial Mexico” during the time that explorer Don Francisco de Coronado searched for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.
Theming-wise, we both think that Coronado Springs is underrated. There are three different architectural influences at the resort (all under the general umbrella of Southwestern): Ranchos, Cabanas, and Casitas. The architectural styles around the resort vary from urban to countryside, and in between.
Ranchos have more neutral color schemes and draw inspiration from southwestern cattle ranches. Cabanas are more colorful, and are designed to evoke the feel of Mexican beach resorts. Casitas are more urban, with Spanish architecture similar to what exists in Southwestern cities.
The one glaring downside to all of this is that Gran Destino has created a visual blight on the rest of the resort. Its scale and style do not even remotely match the outlying buildings, and it towering in the distance can be visually jarring. For many of you, this won’t be an issue (and there are upsides that come with Gran Destino), but for fans of themed design or repeat Coronado Springs guests who stayed pre-tower, this is sure to be a big downside.
Coronado Springs Resort is not adjacent to any of the theme parks, so guests of this resort must rely upon bus transportation or their own vehicles. There is no boat or monorail transportation from Coronado Springs Resort to any of the theme parks or Disney Springs.
With Gran Destino added, there’s arguably more of a burden on the bus transportation at Coronado Springs, which already wasn’t the greatest due to the numerous stops. During our first stay post-Gran Destino, we noticed an increase in crowdedness on the buses. However, this could’ve been a one-off. Walt Disney World bus service is notoriously inconsistent.
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is possibly the most divisive resort on Walt Disney World property. Proponents believe it is very underrated thanks to its nice and newly-remodeled guest rooms, a well themed and huge pool complex, and the best dining of any Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World.
Critics feel that the atmosphere is ‘ruined’ by too many convention guests who take away from the ‘vacation’ feel of the resorts; others also complain that the resort is too spread out. As for the positive attributes, I feel they’re all spot on. As for the criticisms, I’ve never once felt that business-travelers were in any way negatively affecting my experience at Coronado Springs.
We view the surplus of business guests as a neutral. Presumably, they won’t be engaging in impromptu cheer sessions in the middle of the night (as can happen elsewhere when there’s a big youth event at ESPN Wide World of Sports). On the other hand, they might stay out at the bar a bit later than the average guest. Overall, though, they’re just like anyone else. Not really a big deal either way.
As for the resort being spread out, it absolutely is. Gran Destino and the new bridges across Lago Dorado go great lengths to minimize this, but it’s still a bit of an issue. If you don’t like walking, you’ll either want to book Gran Destino Tower or perhaps Port Orleans French Quarter. I love a nice walk and I find spread-out resorts to have more to explore and a better opportunity to convey their ambiance, so this “negative” is a big positive for me.
As for theme, some areas do an incredibly great job conveying their themes, especially the arid rock-covered paths in the Ranchos area. While the Ranchos fit the theme very well, I’m glad the entire resort isn’t designed this way.
The vibrance and more cheery architecture elsewhere is great, but even that has been muted as Disney attempts to blend the rest of the resort with Gran Destino. Ultimately, much of Coronado Springs strikes the perfect balance between Southwestern architecture and a charming ambiance.
The Dig Site pool is one area that is spectacular. It cracks our list of the Top 10 Pools at Walt Disney World, and frankly could rank much higher once you consider this entire area that offers a lot.
Beyond the pool and its 123-foot water slide, there’s also an arcade, play area, Siesta’s bar, volleyball court, and the largest hot tub at Walt Disney World. This whole area is really nice–it’s a huge selling point for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
During our visits, we’ve always noticed that this pool is always less busy than almost any other hotel at Walt Disney World. While I originally figured this was just our anecdotal observations, I now think it might be attributable to the hotel’s demographics. Can’t be using the pool midday if you’re in a convention. (Great for families who want midday pool time–no fighting the crowds!)
Now, let’s turn to the guest room:
We think Coronado’s guest rooms are the most nicely-appointed of any Moderate Resort. We’ve found the bedding and pillows to be nicer in quality, and the desk workspace nicer. This is likely all attributable to the ‘business/conventioneer’ nature of many guests.
At one point, we would’ve sweated that Coronado also had the largest rooms of any Moderate Resort. Apparently, that’s wrong (see our Hotel Room Sizes at Walt Disney World post for more info), but we still think they feel more spacious. Perhaps that’s just a more efficient use of space than the others?
The newly-redesigned room at Coronado Springs is pretty consistent with what Walt Disney World is doing elsewhere with room redesigns. Elevated beds for luggage storage, crisp (or bland) white bedding, and more low-key stylization.
For like the thousandth time, I think bed runners would go a long way in making the beds look less sterile, but I realize the hotel industry is moving away from them.
The television is a significant upgrade (in both size and quality), and there are now in-room Keurig machines. That chair in the corner is also new, and a nice touch.
We’re on board with the new streamlined desk and storage space under the television, and it’s nice to have a surplus of charging ports.
We also like the removal of carpeting, but that can lead to more noise. We’ve stayed in these new rooms twice and haven’t experienced this firsthand, so perhaps noise is properly mitigated.
The Three Caballeros art is also a nice touch–although I really wish they’d bring back the Three Caballeros topiaries, which used to be outside the main lobby.
For me, the change of the headboards and sliding doors is a downgrade. I loved the texture and rich wood, and thought that style simultaneously added a feeling of sophistication and thematic coherency.
The new headboards look more modern, but also cheaper. The doors also look cheap, but without looking modern.
The bathrooms are a significant upgrade. Significantly more storage space, nice twin sinks, great lighting in the mirror, and generally nice finishing.
It’s not pictured, but the toilet and shower are a separate room, just out of the frame to the right. These rooms still have a tub/shower combo.
As for dining, there are a lot of options at Coronado Springs. El Mercadero de Coronado (formerly Pepper Market) has become one of our favorite counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World, so that should say a lot about how we felt about it!
The center area of Coronado Springs has Maya Grill, Las Ventanas, and Cafe Rix, and a number of associated bars and lounges, plus Laguna Dock Bar outside along the water. With the addition of Gran Destino, these are all basically overflow dining for big conventions, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two close in the near future.
The noteworthy dining at Coronado Springs is all new. First, there’s Three Bridges Bar & Grill, a new over-the-water dining option that offers views of the fireworks at both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We love the atmosphere and food here, and think this restaurant offers strong value for money. (Read our Three Bridges Bar & Grill Review for more.)
Inside Gran Destino Tower, there’s Toledo — Tapas, Steak & Seafood and Dahlia Lounge on the top floor, which are both high end and chic. These also tout great views, and also offer views of the fireworks at both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There’s also Barcelona Lounge in the lobby. We haven’t dined at any of these yet (they just opened!), but look forward to doing so in the very near future.
One issue with Coronado Springs is crowds. When Gran Destino Tower was built, no pools or bus capacity was added to the resort complex. The rationale was that the new tower would be catering almost entirely to convention guests, who would typically not utilize amenities the same way or to the same extent as regular tourists.
However, that’s only true when conventions are occurring. When they are not, normal tourists are the clientele booking those rooms, and they do use the pools and buses. This can mean longer waits for buses (or ones that are commonly packed full of guests), plus more people at the Dig Site and Lost City of Cibola pool.
On the plus side, the normal convention clientele means Coronado Springs has a more formidable dining slate. This is discussed above, but it’s worth reiterating. A regular Moderate Resort would not have Barcelona Lounge, Dahlia Lounge, El Mercado de Coronado, Rix Sports Bar & Grill, Siestas Cantina, and Three Bridges Bar & Grill. Nor would it have guests rooms that are as nice as Coronado Springs. So it really is a double-edged sword.
Overall, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a bit of a mixed bag depending upon your perspective, but we think it’s mostly good. The rooms are great, the pool is nice, and the dining is better than literally all of the other Moderate Resorts combined. Suffice to say, everyone benefits from the amenities that are aimed at convention guests. The outlying room clusters are definitely Moderate in style, but Gran Destino and the amenities and near-Deluxe level.
With that said, a lot of the theming doesn’t suit my personal tastes. I can appreciate some of it, albeit it not what Gran Destino adds to the landscape, but as a whole it’s not as appealing as the other Moderates. Moreover, if you’re staying at the most remote buildings in the resort, it’s a hike to all the dining options, and while you’ll be closer to the Dig Site pool area and Three Bridges Bar & Grill, you may not want to bother with anything else. At this point, we recommend Coronado Springs for those who will stay in Gran Destino Tower, or those who can get a great deal on one of the rooms in the rest of the resort. Otherwise, there are better Moderate Resort options at Walt Disney World.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Coronado Springs…is it an incongruous convention hotel, or a great value with Deluxe-level amenities? Are you looking forward to a stay at Gran Destino, or is it not your style? Anything you love or loathe about Coronado? Any tips or thoughts to add? Questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We have a room booked at CSR in June of 2018. I am curious as to why you suggest to change resorts in 2018 and not so much so for 2017. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I spent a night at this hotel on October 19, 2017 attending a conference that was held there. The room itself was okay, although somewhat dated. The worst experience was when I ordered breakfast from room service. It took 55 minutes for the breakfast to arrive – scrambled eggs, sausage, home fries, tea (almost $30!) – when it arrived, it was delivered in plastic trays, one tray for the eggs and sausage, another one for the home fries and a third for the bread. This already bothered me a lot! I stay in hotels frequently and almost received my breakfast on real plates with real silverware, stoneware cups, etc. On top of this I received a styrofoam cup for my tea and tons of those little plastic things with ketchup and mayo. Here comes the best, it was completely cold! I was unable to eat this. I went to the reception and complained and got the charge reversed.
Here is my point: Disney should lead by example when it comes to environmental issues – plastic trays, styrofoam, etc. is simply unacceptable! Shame on you, Disney!!! I will NEVER stay at any Disney hotel.
I’m upset by the Weistein rape association with Disney. How can we support a company that wanton
Y condones rape and assaults?
Why do you recommend going elsewhere as of 2018? We are booking a trip for April, and we usually stay at CBR. Your recent update has steered us away from it, so we looked here. Just curious as to your reasoning.
I have stayed at CS twice and both times have been in the first part of December. I love it. Yes you will have to walk a lot. As crazy as this sounds going to Disney; I don’t like being around a lot of people. CS gives me that disconnect. It is spread out so you don’t seem crowed everywhere you go. It was a chance for us to have some privacy. We have always felt welcome and have never had any problem with staff. It is my home away from home. I think people go in with high expectations and are easily let down. Maybe it’s easier for a just go with it kind of family.
Hello Tom! Does anyone know which building have completed the renovations at this point?
Just returned from a stay at CS and will never return. We have now stayed at all the Moderate resorts and our experience at CS was the worse. We checked in online and received our room number via text message. Upon arrival at 6pm we were asked if we wanted a ride in a tram cart to our room. We had tickets to the Halloween party and though it would save time so we could run to the party. After a few minutes we got the sense that they didn’t seem very organized. The room and the resort were lovely but….. we were an hour late to arrive at the Magic Kingdom for the party (which we paid extra for) because we waited 40 minutes for the tram and our room was far from everything but the pool and the gym…neither we cared about. We were in a “preferred room” in the Casitas 2 building on the 2nd floor (no where near elevators) which is quite a long way from ElCentro and a decent hike through a maze of corridors, down stairs and across a large (hot) parking lot to the Station 2 bus stop to the parks to our immediate disappointment as we requested ground floor close to transportation. Totally not worth the extra cost for a preferred room. Even more disappointing is the Casitas 1 and 3 buildings closer to ElCentro are under some heavy construction with barricades making it impossible to walk through the resort to ElCentro in an utter downpour with absolutely no direction signs to guide you to get to ElCentro around the construction area. Upon leaving Friday morning at around 8am we called Bell Services and were told no one was available to collect us and our luggage and they didn’t know how long it would be. Not wanting to waste time waiting around all morning we proceeded to walk in the general direction of ElCentro from the parking lot but wound up lost in a Cast Member Only area. A benevolent cast member in a tram cart he was repairing took pity on us and drove us to ElCentro to the luggage area where we could check our bags. It was a good mile and a half walk from where he rescued us. Needless to say it was a frustrating experience. We will not be staying there again.
Has anyone noticed how slippery the sidewalks are at the Coronado?
We stayed at the Coronado several years ago and really enjoyed it. The pool area is fantastic and we enjoyed the peppermill food court very much as it seemed a bit more relaxing to us than the standard food courts at Disney.
Unfortunately I believe the Coronado only accepts 4 per room and as we have 3 kids now we’re no longer able to stay here. Does anyone know if the new room refurbishments will include an extra bed such as at the Caribbean or Riverside?
By the way Tom, love your site. We’re big Disney fans but I still learn a lot rummaging through your reviews and reports.
We stayed there several years ago and had a pretty good experience. We had the dining plan so the cost of food was not a concern when eating at their food court, or can I call it a food court? You have to be seated by a hostess, then you go up to different stations and order your food. You get your food and sit back down. There is a server that gets your drinks for you. At the end you are asked to tip your waitress/waiter. I didn’t feel like they did anything special to deserve a tip–they didn’t even get us our food, just sat us down and got us drinks, (I could have done that myself). If you don’t mind tipping people for standing around, feel free to visit their “food court.” Otherwise, the food was decent. My husband loved the freshness of the meat station. Pastries/desserts were good for a snack on your dining plan, grab and go. It did take a while to get around from the room to the dining area and pool, but I didn’t mind. It was all part of the experience, plus you’re walking a whole lot anyway when you are at the parks, too.
Hi Meredith, we stayed here twice so far (third time will be in May). I experienced the strange food court set up during our first visit, but so glad Disney listened to complaints of guests because the last time (2 years ago) the food court was changed to standard food court where diners order and get own food, no help or tip required. thanks!
I visited the Coronado Springs December 2016 and it became my favorite moderate resort.
I am going back for a few days in April and can’t wait to see the updates
We stayed here on our honeymoon and loved the resort. Pepper Market was wonderful to eat at and we loved the pool, especially in the heat of August! We also appreciated the refined theming of the rooms and felt they were really relaxing and spacious. Now we are DVC members so we haven’t stayed here since our honeymoon but we certainly remember it fondly. I am very excited for the new refurbishment and to see what the tower will look like. I am also glad to see Disney putting some money into other resorts besides Deluxes/ DVC accommodations.
I stayed there in 2005 and agree it’s vastly underrated. I appreciated the convention element due to the more ‘sedate’ hotel guests. I also made use of the extensive business center to print my boarding pass as well as ship some of my purchases home via FedEx & UPS to save on lugging them back on the plane. Yes, it’s a LOT of walking but I too didn’t mind. I loved my view from the 4th floor casitas – you can see spaceship earth, tower of terror, swan and dolphin.
I want to be totally honest so people can make a good choice. I was here the first month Coronado Springs was built about 19- 20 years ago. It was fabulous then. Times have changed though and renovations is greatly needed. Old tubs and toliet in the tub area is a tight squeeze. No one does bathrooms like that anymore. Open it up with sink area .Put in a new bigger tub and there you go. New carpet please in rooms and furnishings. These beds are very comfortable which was nice. As far as cafeteria area…Avoid at all cost!! Food is outrageously priced and tastes just bad. Workers walk around bored and in general they don’t want to service you. That goes for front desk people as well. We entered hotel with some outstanding host and go check in with a bore of a desk worker. He had zero smile and seemed as if he just wish we were gone. OK, so the best part was the greeters when you enter. OK part is pool with militant Life guards (once again no smiles) and rooms just OK. The worst was the horrible prices and the cafeteria. Come on people at Disney!!! The employs outfits look tired the people look tired and your rooms are tired. At $181 a night, please!!! My Disney experience at this hotel was a 4 out of 10 and that’s just because beds are comfortable.
My husband and I just returned from Disney World from 11/28/16 – 11/30/16. We stayed at the Coronado Springs Hotel. When we got to our room we found that the room was not cleaned since the previous guests stayed. Both beds weren’t made, the trash can had debris in it, and dirty towels littered the bathroom. We had to lug all our stuff back to the car and switch rooms. This room at least had clean sheets and towels, but the mold on the bathroom tile was gross and the carpet needed vacuuming. How can any caring hotelier have tile grout that bad? The carpet was also very dirty so I wouldn’t suggest walking around in your bare feet and your white socks will get filthy too. It seemed to us and the other guests that we talked to at Epcot feel that Disney has changed and that it is now more about the money than the guest experience. The other thing I noticed is that everything sold on the Disney property is branded with some sort of Disney character or mouse logo. As an adult I don’t want that branded crap. We used to be able to buy non Disney branded items that were nice, but not any longer as their policy has obviously changed. Prior to leaving home I signed us up for 2 Fast Passes, but since we didn’t have I-Phones we couldn’t add more unless we went to a particular ride to create the fast pass and came back later. Why couldn’t they have Fast Pass kiosks throughout the park for better convenience of their guests? Their food prices are outrageous and I don’t see how they can justify selling hotdogs at Epcot for $8.00. They also charge $20 to park at Epcot. It’s bad enough that their ticket prices are outrageous based on what you can actually ride on during the day considering that standing in lines takes up most of that day, but to have to pay $20 to park if you choose to stay off the Disney property is highway robbery. Again, everything at Disney World is more about the money than the experience. The fireworks display at Disney Hollywood Studios lasted about 30 seconds and not worth staying for.
We’re so over Disney and I think that Walt Disney would be turning over in his grave if he knew how profit oriented they’ve become. The CEO’s must be stuffing cash like crazy in their Swiss and Cayman bank accounts! Disney is no different than your average greedy American company and that’s a fact! (Higher cost and less value to the consumer.)
The only positive thing that I have to say about our experience is that Disney World is decorated beautifully for Christmas.
We are so OVER Disney that we will never be going back.
Wondering how much walking time from the farthest resort inside Coronado Springs to the front where the food, etc. is? Also, is there a shuttle inside this park to get around inside?
The resort has bus stops throughout and the Disney Transportation buses stop at all of them. Stop 1 is the main building/lobby. That’s the best way to get around in my opinion. Otherwise you are in for a long walk. Maybe 20-25 minutes. No bueno when you are with children.
We are staying there in a couple of weeks! Where do we refill our mugs every morning? Could it be a long haul to do that?
We’ve stayed at Coronado twice in the past 2 years. The resort is pretty spread out. What we tend to do, is get everyone set and ready and walk through the lobby and grab our coffees/drinks etc and then walk over to the bus stop with the first pick up. This resort has 4 stops, so even though it took an extra 10-15 minutes, we walked to the first stop to make sure we got seats on the bus since we have two young children.
Which area is the first bus stop?
Pepper Market and another smaller cafe whose name I don’t remember. Both located in the main lobby
Do the Coronado Springs hotel rooms have mini fridges ? and is there a small freezer section in the fridge ?
They have small fridges without freezer
I’ll be staying at the Coronado this December. Do the rooms have coffee makers? I thought I read they do but I don’t see any in the pictures. It would be nice to have coffee in the room before heading out for the parks.
They do, nothing special though. It is one cup at a time machine, You only get two coffee pouches per day one decaf one normal and that is if the maid remembers. I love coffee first thing, it’s not to my taste, OK for emergency.
However next to pepper market awesome coffee shop, coffee is delicious speciality coffees available. Most days I would walk over to get my caffeine fix in style.
Coronado is fantastic resort wanted to go this year but told unavailable during end of July/August due to conference.
We leave a decent tip with a note “Please leave a few extra towels & coffee pods.” They leave a big pile of coffee pods & towels 😀 It’s worth a few extra bucks for us to have what we need, and I’m sure the keeper enjoys the appreciation.
We are staying at CSR for first time this september. We just have standard rooms and we have a 1yr old and a 2yr old. I have seen alot about Casitas and Cabanas but not much about Ranchos. We don’t really care about being close to lobby but the bus stop is first priority and main pool second. Looks to me on a map Ranchos 6A would be great for us as its next to bus stop 3 and close to pool. I read where buses run stops 2,3,4,1 in that order so 3 would be the second pickup if that’s correct. Anyone have any suggestions or tips for us about this or anything else? We are all about making it a great time for our two little ones.
I think the best advice is not to focus only on the kids. Obviously you want to include them in your plans and hit stuff they’ll surely enjoy, but they won’t remember much (if any) of this trip. They’ll have a great time whatever you plan with all there is to see.
When they get older, that’s when more of the focus will be needed on them. So go ahead and use rider swaps and do stuff you like, and leave out the stuff you don’t (Frozen sing along possibly, lol)!
Me & my wife are going to this resort in October, where would you guys reccomend we request to stay (area wise) want to near pool/lake view near bus stop & food areas if there is a certain area near that as I read mixed reviews on this site due to the size