Caribbean Beach vs. Coronado Springs Resort
Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs are hotels at Walt Disney World that have similar dining, pools, and rooms–but theme and transportation differences. As the two Moderate Resorts to receive recent reimaginings and huge expansions, vacation planners might wonder which to pick. This head-to-head comparison helps answer common questions. (Updated June 13, 2023.)
Trying to choose between Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs is common for visitors to Florida, so we recently did stays at both and have updated a couple of categories here as a result. Well, we might have also booked these resorts because they are currently offering up to 35% off nightly rates. So “for the sake of research” was our main reason, but deeper discounts was a very close second!
These two Moderate Resorts are among the largest at Walt Disney World and both have a lot of objective selling points. Despite this, each hotel caters to substantially different demographics. This is reflected in our Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best, where there’s a big gap between the two.
Caribbean Beach Resort is a popular choice with families, particularly ones wanting a tropical getaway. We’ve been calling it the “Poly-Lite” or “CaribBe” and have recommended it as a Polynesian-esque experience on a tighter budget. By contrast, Coronado Springs Resort is frequently used for conventions, and has upgraded amenities for this audience. As a result, it’s something of a “Deluxe-Minus” resort. Framed that way, it comes down to whether the Poly-Lite or Deluxe-Minus is the better pick.
Note that this comparison will not include anything added by Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs or Disney’s Riviera Resort, the DVC property on the former grounds of Caribbean Beach. Both are short walks (5-10 minutes) from the outlying resort buildings, this comparison is more about the ‘legacy’ Moderate Resorts.
We have a separate comparison of Gran Destino Tower v. Disney’s Riviera Resort. We’d highly recommend reading that too, as many of the amenities at those properties can be utilized by guests of these two Moderate Resorts. In fact, those additions are among the biggest selling points for both of these properties, even for guests staying in standard rooms.
What this post will seek to address is whether you should choose Coronado Springs, or if it’s better to stick with family-favorite Caribbean Beach. With that in mind, we’ll compare theme, cost, dining, pools, and other amenities to help you determine which is right for you…
Theme: Caribbean Beach – Both of these resorts have declined thematically as a result of their recent “reimagining” and expansion projects. While the construction brought substantive gains to each, these projects were thematic steps backwards as large towers encroached upon the seclusion and intimacy of each resort.
Coronado Springs added the more visually jarring and incongruous tower. The new hotel didn’t negatively impact Caribbean Beach to as great of a degree, as Riviera Resort is partially isolated by Barefoot Bay (and the fact that it’s a standalone property). However, Caribbean Beach also had the Skyliner and its support pillars dotted throughout the resort.
Coronado Springs Resort has three different architectural influences in its various sections: Ranchos, Cabanas, and Casitas. These styles transition from urban to countryside as you wander the resort (somewhat akin to Port Orleans Riverside). They also vary in vibrance, with ranchos being pretty neutral, whereas the cabanas are vibrant, almost reminiscent of Mexican beach resorts.
With that said, both retain a lot of their thematic strengths. Caribbean Beach Resort is a beach resort by name, but could almost pass for a port city in the Caribbean. In some ways the details and architecture are not as fully-fleshed as Coronado Springs, but it does the job in conveying an island theme. It’s fun, light, and airy.
Caribbean Beach does an exceptional job of capturing the essence of vacationing in the tropics. Even post-overhaul, the grounds are still lush, there are some beautiful beaches, and it all culminates in a relaxing environment that is a ton of fun to explore. In particular, Caribbean Cay is a gem hiding in plain sight.
I love wandering Caribbean Beach Resort resort late at night or in the early morning–something I cannot say for Coronado Springs. The environment is just more pleasant and inviting at Caribbean Beach.
Rooms: It’s Complicated – We just did stays at both Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs in Summer 2023 and have updated this category from Coronado Springs being the clear-cut winner to “it’s complicated.” Let’s start by showing the most common room at Caribbean Beach currently, which is pictured above.
This redone room is why we dubbed Caribbean Beach Resort “Poly-lite” in the first place. These rooms don’t look like budget motel accommodations, and feature a lot of details. Thematically, Caribbean Beach Resort has the best rooms of any Moderate. Time flies when you’re having fun, and this room style is now 9 years old as of 2023. (We had been referring to them as “recently” redone up until last year!) They are showing their age, with a lot of wear and tear and the design just generally starting to look tired. These 9 year old rooms are easily surpassed by Coronado Springs.
However, two newcomes have also appeared on the islands as of 2023. First is the “Under the Sea” rooms inspired by The Little Mermaid, which replace the infamous pirate rooms and can only be found in Trinidad. These Under the Sea rooms are great for families who want more space while they’re not sleeping, as the pull-down beds make the main living area far less cramped during the day. These are fantastic–far better than the standard rooms at Coronado Springs.
Finally, there are recently redone rooms that refresh the 9 year old style. These are a soft goods refurbishment that removes the carpet, installs platform beds for luggage storage, replaces some fixtures and furnishings, and brings a fresh coat of cooler paint to replace the warm colors. All of that might sound good, but it’s better on paper than in person. These rooms are bland, boring, and sterile to a fault, with not nearly enough theme and way too much white. They’re definitely fresher, but are devoid of personality, which is really a shame.
All of the standard rooms at Coronado Springs were redone about 4-5 years ago, have aged better, and do a decent job of balancing theme with functionality. These are the highest quality rooms of any Moderate, with upgraded bedding, a nicer desk for getting work done, and subtle details that just make it seem nice. These are feature-filled rooms on par with many Deluxe Resorts, undoubtedly done to make it more appealing to business travelers.
We’d describe Coronado Springs rooms as tasteful and high quality, with enough thematic touches to give them personality. They are also brighter and have a certain freshness to them that’s difficult to articulate. They are better than both the older and newer rooms at Caribbean Beach, minus the aforementioned “Under the Sea” rooms.
Dining: Coronado Springs – Coronado Springs has far and away the most dining of any Moderate Resort, which is the main (but not only) way it’s a Deluxe-Minus resort on the amenities front. The highlight is Three Bridges Bar & Grill, the new over-the-water table service restaurant. This is among the most underrated restaurants at Walt Disney World. Beyond that, there’s the El Mercado de Coronado food court, Rix Sports Bar & Grill, Siestas Cantina, Maya Grill, and more.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort has its own duo of underrated dining options in Sebastian’s Bistro and Spyglass Grill. While the latter still hasn’t a scaled back menu that isn’t quite as good as before, the former has a new family-style meal that is the best dinner deal in all of Walt Disney World. (For the sake of important research, I tested this again in Summer 2023–it’s still fantastic!)
Caribbean Beach also has Banana Cabana and Centertown Market, two other solid options. Still, these restaurants don’t measure up to the many at Coronado Springs Resort–and that’s not counting Gran Destino!
Pools: Caribbean Beach – On our list of the Top 10 Pools at Walt Disney World, Fuentes del Morro Pool (aka the “Pirate Fortress Pool”) at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort ranked #3 and The Lost City of Cibola Pool ranked #9. The Pirate Fortress Pool scores serious points for its Spanish colonial fortress style, fortresses, cannons, and general pirate appeal. It’s an awesome place to pretend you’re a pirate, and who among us doesn’t want to do that?!
Even though these rankings make it seem decisive, the Dig Site pool and recreation area at Coronado Springs has a lot of range that might make it appeal more to you. For kids, there’s the 123-foot water slide, Mayan temple ruins, arcade, play area, and 50-foot tall pyramid. For adults, there’s the large Siesta’s bar, volleyball court, and largest hot tub at Walt Disney World. Dig Site is a very solid, well-rounded pool area.
Transportation: Caribbean Beach – It lost a lot of its lush charm and secluded quality to gain the edge here, but the Skyliner is a huge win for Caribbean Beach in terms of transportation. Thanks to its two Skyliner stations, getting to and from Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now a breeze. This instantly moved Caribbean Beach from the worst to the best Moderate Resort transportation-wise.
With that said, bus transportation remains the achilles heel of both of these resorts. Since these are both sprawling resort complexes, each have multiple bus stops within the resort. This means a shorter walk to your bus stop than at some other resorts, but the downside is that it takes longer to get to the parks.
On average, both have among the longest room-door to park-entrance time of any resorts at Walt Disney World. As we’ve said before, there’s nothing magical about riding a bus (even one that says “Disney” on the outside), and this can get old over the course of a trip.
Thankfully, bus transportation is only necessary for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs if you’re staying at Caribbean Beach. It’s necessary for all parks if you’re staying at Coronado Springs, meaning you should either have a rental car or be prepared to pay extra for Uber or Lyft there.
Cost: Coronado Springs – On average, room rates are about $10 to $20 higher at Caribbean Beach for almost every rate season of the year for standard rooms. Prices are a bit less predictable once you get into the higher tiers of rooms, but Caribbean Beach is higher across the board.
This can be directly attributed to the Skyliner. Previously, these two resorts were almost identically priced. We’d contend that the Skyliner is easily worth $20 or more per night, but that’s why Caribbean Beach has the edge in the transportation category above. Fortunately, discounts are consistently good between the Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Caribbean Beach.
Verdict: Caribbean Beach – We are declaring Caribbean Beach the winner here, but at the same time add the significant caveat that there are a lot of Deluxe-caliber amenities at Coronado Springs superior to Caribbean Beach. However, we think that if you have the time at the resort to enjoy all of those amenities, you also have it to explore the resort, which is a more satisfying experience at Caribbean Beach.
There’s also a growing gap between the guest rooms at each. We first became big fans of Caribbean Beach when the “new” rooms debuted, but that was now almost 8 years ago. The rooms at Coronado Springs have been redone more recently, and their balance of form and function is superior. They also have aged better.
However, the Skyliner is a total game-changer for us. Transportation used to be frustrating at both of these resorts for all parks, and now that’s only true at Coronado Springs. This is the kind of transformational, functional addition that by itself outweighs literally everything else. And it helps that Caribbean Beach has not one, but two gondola stations.
The Skyliner makes getting from Caribbean Beach to Epcot or DHS a total breeze, and we often start at one of those parks and hop from there to Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom as a result (or just use Uber/Lyft). We’re huge fans of the Skyliner, and Caribbean Beach is the best Skyliner resort.
On a personal note, we’re entrenched in the Caribbean Beach Resort camp. Coronado Springs scores some well-earned points, but ultimately, it’s not a resort that we find ourselves eager to revisit for fun. There have been times when Coronado Springs is the only Moderate Resort that has availability with a good discount, but instead of booking it, we’ll look at rates for Pop Century. (This is especially true when wanting to take advantage of Early Entry–it’s tough to give up the Skyliner once you’ve gotten used to it!)
Our issue with Coronado Springs is probably that it’s just a bit blah. So many neutral colors and common design elements just make it not stand out in our memories. To be sure, there are splashes of vibrance, an awesome pool area, and we really like Three Bridges Bar & Grill, but we’d still choose Caribbean Beach Resort every single time when the two are comparably-priced.
That’s just us, though and your mileage may vary. When you analyze Coronado Springs ‘checklist style’ it really does have a lot going for it, so maybe we have some misplaced bias against it. However, we’re guessing that a lot of you agree with us, albeit maybe for different reasons. Unlike virtually every other resort at Walt Disney World, Coronado Springs doesn’t seem to have a strong and passionate fanbase.
In fact, aside from the All-Stars, Coronado Springs is the Walt Disney World resort we hear the absolute least about from Walt Disney World fans. We suspect that one part of this is it lacking the distinct character or charm of the other resorts. Another part could be simply because the resort targets business travelers, who aren’t as like to form attachments to Walt Disney World hotels as us Disney geeks. 😉 In any case, we’d really love to hear your rationale for your pick in the comments.
Our goal is for this post to be helpful in offering a head-to-head comparison of the most crucial elements of each Walt Disney World resort experience, but we suggest supplementing this with our full review of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (if you haven’t seen the new rooms, it’s definitely worth checking out just for that) and our Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review. With that said, what do you think…did we choose the correct hotel here?
If you’re still having trouble choosing between the two, determining which resort or room type is right for you, or if any other aspect of Walt Disney World vacation planning is simply too overwhelming and you need one-on-one help, we recommend contacting a no fee “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” or travel agent to get a quote and to help you plan. They get their commission from Disney, so none of the authorized (key word) planners will charge you for booking their trip and helping. Here’s one such Authorized Disney Vacation Planner that we recommend!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our verdict in this Caribbean Beach vs. Coronado Springs head-to-head? What about our conclusions in each category? Is there something we missed or got wrong? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Question- is there still a 10% upcharge on the food at Coronado Springs OR is that now a thing of the past ?
What is the scoop on Port Orleans??? Riverside is our favorite moderate, but we love French Quarter too!!!! Based on your review, we may try CBR………
I’ve got a stay coming up at Coronado Springs in less than a week, and had been seriously debating between it and Caribbean Beach. However, the factor that was a game-changer for me was my car. I’ll be driving down, and we’ll have park-hopper passes…which in my case means the Skyliner doesn’t actually add any value. It’ll be faster and safer for me just to drive to each park and then have my car there and available for me to drive to the next park. Given that the difference at time of booking (with the Disney Visa discount) was 128 for CSR versus 178 for CBR? I saved 500$ by picking CSR.
I cannot compare the two as we’ve yet to stay at Caribbean Beach. We were scheduled to stay there in July 2020, but it wasn’t open by the time our trip came around so we were re-booked to Boulder Ridge Villas (not a bad re-booking, there :). We then stayed at Coronado Springs in November 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We were in the Casitas section. We loved the feel of walking across the bridges at night to explore the grounds as we did on the night of our arrival. We just happened to catch a SpaceX rocket launch in the distance which certainly added to the magic! We loved, loved, loved mobile ordering from the Three Bridges Restaurant. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to eat onsite there as my kids (7 and 11) wanted to spend every evening in the awesome pool. But it was great to be able to order yummy food from Three Bridges and enjoy it at the pool. We also enjoyed drinks and some of our meals from the poolside snack bar. My husband and I are big on being able to enjoy a drink while the kids play, and being able to order a quick bit such as a burger or chicken fingers is nice when the kids work up an appetite in the pool. The only downside (which was due to COVID) was limited quick-service breakfast options. The only option was the walk-up coffee stand next to the gift store. The line was long and they wouldn’t even let you “jump the line” if you just wanted to grab cereal and milk from the shelves and fridge (and the gift shop was not open either). The market (quick service food court) was not open in November 2020; not sure if it has reopened at this point. I think, had the market been open, we would have been 100% happy. I can’t wait to try out Caribbean Beach when the opportunity presents itself, but we definitely would not hesitate to re-book Coronado in the future. We’re big fans!
Food and Beverage at Coronado Springs is the only Disney resort ran by a third party company. In facts it’s the company used at Epcot’s Mexico Pavillion.
So you can get IMHO better drinks at the pool bar then at other Disney Resorts and for less money. They have the Fiesta Margarita just like the one at EPCOT.
For me it’s Caribbean Beach hands down all the way. Hadn’t stayed there in over 15 years but in December 2020 booked a split stay with first week at Caribbean Beach and second week at Yacht Club level.
We were very pleasantly surprised by our room at Caribbean Beach. Decor was very comfortable and plenty of room for our two handicap scooters when we moved one of the chairs from the table under the luggage rack
We had already found out on our trip in 2019 to art of Animation suites what a game changer the Skyliner was but it was awesome to be at the hub of it with Caribbean Beach
Since Club level wasn’t available at Yacht Club we decided to call and ask if we could stay at the Caribbean Beach for our entire stay and we’re happy to be able to do so.
By contrast I stayed at Coronado springs once before the tower was built admittedly but found it very convention like and I absolutely hated the foods both at the restaurants and quick service. It is the only Resort on the entire property to which I would never return.
Well hoping Club level will be available next December and if so we’ll be back at Yacht Club but if not we’ve booked two weeks at Caribbean Beach right now for 2021 in December
We have just returned from our third stay at CSR. We’ve been once as a family, and twice just my husband and I. Two of our visits were during spring break, and even at that busy time, we found the resort quiet and peaceful. The grounds are lush and beautiful, and the walk around the lake is a nice respite from the go-go-go of the parks. We haven’t stayed at CBR in over 15 years, so I can’t really compare the two. For a little extra, this is our favorite resort. For just a quick basic stay, Pop is our go-to. I can see, though, if you are traveling with little ones, CSR would definitely not have the type of theming that would capture their attention and imagination.
Has the food court at Coronado improved in the last year? We moved from Pop to Coronado in Sept 2018 and were very disappointed. The food was more expensive for both lower quantities and lesser quality. Due to the huge conference center the distance to the center was huge. Not really a Disney feel and certainly not worth the money.
I stayed at Caribbean Beach a few weeks ago, and was really disappointed. The minimalist lobby didn’t meet my family’s needs: no arcade, found the restaurants lackluster. Got the pirate room and was unimpressed by the carpet and the small beds. The skyliner is the benefit here. The pool is nice but not nice enough to make the room comfortable or the overall resort comparable to the Polynesian. It’s my least favorite Moderate Resort.
We are staying at CB in November. Is there a convenient way to use the Skyliner to connect to Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary or the Polynesian? Or is the bus the best method?
If you want the skyliner involved for the hotels, you can take it to the Hollywood studios station and hop a polynesian bus there. It’s no more or less complicated than the switching you’d have to do somewhere along the way to get to another hotel. It’s way more streamlined to just hop on the magic kingdom bus at CBR for MK or the Contemporary (it’s an easy walk from the MK bus lot to the Contemporary). Skyliner wouldn’t remove any steps for these.
From several stays at CSR (pre- and post-renovation and tower), we miss the raised beds, hard flooring, and in-room Keurigs, and wouldn’t avoid hopping to Barcelona Lounge for drinks, but that’s about it. Once they repainted the entire resort drab browns and beiges to match Gran Destino, Coronado lost a lot of visual spark. A Las Vegas tower, a few golf course-inspired water jets, and an incredibly visually intrusive mid-lake lounge don’t make up for any of that. They do, however, add a lot of hectic energy that dampens Coronado’s previously serene evening vibe. And the dead former lobby. And the nerve to still charge Preferred rates for rooms that are now farther from the lobby and main bus stop. And the colonizer aspects of plopping a Spain-themed tower onto top of a deliberately Mexican/southwest-themed resort. (I’ve had CMs argue with me this wasn’t the intent of the original design, even though CBR’s very architect is quoted on the web saying it was.)
Now I know a lot of that doesn’t matter to some people. To my family, taken altogether, it was heartbreaking. I’m sure A LOT like many people’s reaction to bulldozing and rebuilding so much of Caribbean Beach Resort. What I think is odd is how much sympathy CBR fans got while that resort underwent such drastic changes, versus how often CSR fans got ridiculed on the web for being equally upset about the changes to their “home” resort. Bigger is not always better, and the idea that CSR fans should suck it all up because we got a shiny new skyscraper and rooms with indoor hallways (as many reviewers suggested when the tower opened) is such a double standard.
All of that as preface, we now prefer Caribbean Beach Resort to Coronado. The Skyliner is a game-changer, as is having a fully dedicated internal shuttle. While the Riviera may similarly suck up part of the view in the same way Coronado’s Gran Destino does, it’s completely separate–so the whole resort doesn’t revolve around it in any way. (Unlike the new Coronado.)
The resort glories in color the way Coronado used to, the compactness of the new Old Port Royale layout, with its incredibly inviting, comfortable, honestly Deluxe-level lobby is like nothing at all at Coronado. (Gran Destino’s sterile bar-as-lobby area is not comfortable at all.) The food court and Sebastian’s are both wonderful, and the pool bar and main pool are much more inviting than Coronado’s.
We’re thrilled CBR wasn’t “re-imagined” quite as ham-fistedly as Coronado. Any Coronado fan who misses the way our formerly favorite resort used to feel should definitely give CBR a try!
One thing to note on rooms: The CBR put in newer and bigger TVs than what is shown in the room picture (as of January 12, 2020). 55 inch Samsung TVs with really great picture quality. At this point, I would also expect those to be at Coronado Springs as well.
We have stayed at both resorts and I would put Caribbean beach hands above Coronado. I love the pool and the layout and overall feel of the resort at Caribbean beach. Coronado just felt like a large convention center hotel. I will say the room was nice at Coronado and we were super close to the bus stop. At CB, we stayed in a pirate theme room, which my kids absolutely loved and still talk about that resort experience. However, we were the last bus on the route at CB and therefore some buses would be full by the time they got to our stop which was really annoying. I also liked the room layout better at CB, with the sinks separate from the toilet and shower, where as they were altogether in one room at Coronado. Made it hard for sharing with my preteens who take forever in the bathroom. Food courts, Coronado had better food, hands down. That was only thing better then CB. I would not choose to stay at Coronado again unless it was an amazing deal.
We have now started to alternating between these two resorts. One year at CS, next at CB. Haven’t tried Skyliner yet as we were there right after the famous opening week issue and it was under “retesting” during our stay. We actually liked the “old” food court at CB before the renovation. Over at CS we like that you never have to wait for a spot in the hot tub.
We stayed at Coronado for a couple days during Christmas. We were in the Cabanas section. The room was beautiful. I really felt like they made good use of space too. I know you said you didn’t want to address the tower in your comparison, but with it being the lobby and check in area, it does add to the elegance of the hotel. I will say that the buses were a huge negative this trip. I found myself wishing for Port Orleans French Quarter. We will be checking out Pop and the skyliner on our next trip.
I wish that you would label what resort each of the pictures are from because I wasn’t sure.
Can’t wait to be pampered.
Coronado has always appealed to me more than the other moderates – especially the Ranchos. The buildings are beautifully detailed and all the rock-work and faux cacti combine for a powerful Southwest theme! You didn’t mention Maya Grill in the resort’s dining options…the place is frequently panned, but I enjoy their food and service – kind of a sleepy atmosphere though, I admit.
Great comparisons, we are planning a trip in feb 2019. Will all of the food court areas be open at CBR? We are staying 3 nights, only time to do one day at MK and plan to hang out a full day at the resort.
One more thing, I did notice that CS had rooms available and were cheaper than what I just booked at CBR for the Pirate room. Think I should switch to CS or maybe just spend the extra 1500 and get a room at AKL? I am with a 7 yo, who loves to swim. She’s not too picky about the pool she’s at but is like an only child and seeks opportunities to be w/other kids, so the pool factor is important to us. We didn’t get to use the pool at CBR (d/t weather, thunder/lightening).
CS has a really nice pool with a long water slide which my son (although he is 16 now) has enjoyed for many years. A lot of the kids seem to connect at the slides. There is also a little food stand there that you can get food and beverages (both alcoholic and sodas) as well as a ping pong table.
We’re going the week before thanksgiving. We are going with a group & thought we were getting Port Orleans, but by the time I found our otherwise, Port Orleans (except $299/nt rooms – which we are not paying for) Wilderness Lodge & Pop Century were already booked. (Just to let you know since you highly recommend these places as an alternative) Coronado Springs & CBR are our two options, so I’m so glad you did a comparison review! I wish that Disney wouldn’t drag their feet & actually get the work done on Old Port Royale by fall as scheduled, but I’m not holding my breath. Fuentes del Morro is the perk that’s keeping me positive 🙂
We just got back from WDW from an 8-night stay that morphed into a 10-night stay, with 9 of those nights in 2 different rooms in Aruba Building 55, which is the closest building to the Riviera construction and the Riviera Skyliner station construction. They erected a 4th pylon while we were there, right on the beach next to our building, all of which took place while we were at the parks.
The main pool and play area will be closed at Coronado Springs at the time of your visit. Construction is unescapable at WDW right now. I’ve never seen this level of construction; the only time that comes close is when we visited while Epcot Center was under construction, but that was largely contained and out of sight, except for Space Ship Earth rising, and the Epcot Monorail line along World Drive. Every night we came back to the CBR, including after extra magic hours, we could hear construction coming from Hollywood Studios, as they rush to finish up on Toy Story Land, working to catchup for all the rain that they’ve had. There are new interchange overpasses under construction at ESPN Wide World of Sports and Osceola, and World Drive and the Magic Kingdom parking entrance (all the better to reach the resort hotels). Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and the Star Wars Hotel at Hollywood Studios (plus the rush on Toy Story Land), Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille at Epcot, Land clearing around the solar farm by Epcot, land clearing south of Epcot and more.
Work continues on the new Centertown/Old Port Royale complex. One sign that this might be completed and open prior to your visit: The new entrance to the Caribbean Beach seems to be largely complete. The landscaping is complete, the signal lights and new resort sign on Victory Way are in place, though not illuminated, and while we were there, they asphalted the exit, then the entrance and then completed the street markings for the new entrance within the resort. Buses and guests with cars were using it to exit from the CBR (including us). I don’t know if any additional work might be needed inside the new guard house at the entrance, but the exterior seems complete, with detail paint touchups taking place while we were there. Between now and your visit, expect a 5th pylon to go up, in the parking lot of Jamaica, near the new central Skyliner hub, and most work on the Riviera to go inside.
The noise where we stayed was not bad from the construction. Inside your room, with your AC on, you are unlikely to hear it. The most noise we had at the CBR? After a late evening storm (and it rained a LOT while we were there), an enthusiastic frog put all construction noise to shame.
I’d feel safe in picking the CBR over Coronado Springs for your visit. No main pool at CS, and a realistic shot that the resort itself will have construction complete at the CBR by your visit. They are speeding construction of the main Skyliner hub right now, so Jamaica might be fairly quiet by your visit. Everything south of Caribbean Cay benefits by having it as a sound barrier from the Riviera and Old Port Royale construction; Trinidad North is a pretty safe choice. Oh, and Spyglass Grill in Trinidad South is a great outdoors sitdown quick service restaurant.
I’ve stayed at both over the years, although it’s been a while for both. For me, my number one draw for any Disney hotel is the theme. I agree that both hotels have wonderfully immersive themes, but I’d give the edge to Caribbean Beach over Coronado Springs. I just find CBR to be “prettier” and more tranquil than Coronado Springs. Both have lakes and a promenade, but I enjoyed walking Caribbean Beach’s more. I stayed with three kids, ages 1, 3, and 8 at Coronado Springs, and found it to be as family-friendly as any other Disney hotel. Bottom line is if you can afford it, you can’t go wrong with any Disney hotel, but of these two, Caribbean Beach is my favorite.