Christmas at Coronado Springs Resort
It’s Christmas at Coronado Springs Resort! We take a stroll around the hotel grounds and Gran Destino Tower to share a look at the holiday decorations and how things are looking. This post shares photos and thoughts about the Christmas tree and decor at CSR. (Updated November 26, 2021.)
With the debut of Gran Destino Tower, this Walt Disney World hotel has become one of the more underrated resorts at Christmas-time. There are a ton of great decorations all around the property, including a towering tree and unique lightning effects in Gran Destino Tower itself.
As it’s not connected to the parks via non-bus transportation, Coronado Springs Resort isn’t easy to access for most Walt Disney World guests. However, we recommend doing dinner at Toledo Steakhouse (one of the best table service restaurants at Walt Disney World) or Three Bridges (an underrated outdoor option), which are especially nice during the holiday season.
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, our Gran Destino Tower Review covers more of what you might want to know about these new accommodations. In a nutshell, Gran Destino Tower offers exceptional value for money and is a significant step up in amenities from all other Moderate Resorts, but that comes with compromises.
Gran Destino Tower won’t appeal to everyone. It’s fairly polarizing–there’s a good chance you’ll absolutely love or hate it. You can read the full review for more on that. Let’s instead take a look at how Gran Destino Tower is decked out for Christmas…
Upon entering Gran Destino Tower, guests are greeted by red and green lights between the entrance corridor lanterns…juxtaposed by a bunch of warning signs.
It’s a brief reminder of our present reality, and a sharp contrast to the peaceful holiday atmosphere around Coronado Springs Resort.
Last year, we proclaimed that Gran Destino Tower is now the best Moderate Resort at Christmas.
That sentiment still holds true. I can’t totally put my finger on why, but the lobby has an unexpectedly delightful holiday atmosphere.
During our visits to Gran Destino Tower during the holiday season, we’ve always found that it has a great energy. Fairly busy, but a very different atmosphere than the other popular Christmas resorts.
Lots of dressed-up guests taking photos in front of the tree, presumably just coming from a date night at Toledo Steakhouse. Also lots of convention-goers doing nightcaps at Barcelona Lounge.
Last year was a different story. Instead of an uptempo Feliz Navidad energy, Gran Destino Tower now has more of an slower Silent Night serenity.
While low crowds are always nice–that’s only up until a certain point. For Christmas 2021, we’re pleased to see Gran Destino Tower once again feel alive with people, it really makes the place come alive with a festive atmosphere.
I absolutely love that Gran Destino swaps out the normal warm, orange hues for holiday reds and greens in the illuminated lobby columns and panels.
These panels alone go a long way in establishing a ‘magical mood’ for the holidays at Gran Destino Tower. There’s a strong festive tone even before Walt Disney World’s Holiday Services department adds a single tree, wreath, or strand of garland.
Here’s a closer look at the Gran Destino Tower Christmas Tree.
It’s not quite icon size, but it’s close. Larger than the trees at Disney’s Riviera Resort or the Polynesian, but smaller than Wilderness Lodge or Grand Floridian.
Due to the permanent seating structure and chandelier above, the Gran Destino Tower Christmas tree is adjacent to the floor to ceiling windows rather than in the center of the lobby.
The placement works, and maintains the functionality of the seating area when Barcelona Lounge is bumpin.’
The mix of physical decorations along with moody lighting and soothing seasonal background music establishes a pitch-perfect holiday atmosphere at Gran Destino Tower.
Seriously, I could sit down here for hours. It’s so serene with Barcelona Lounge closed in the evenings. (That dining spot is currently only serving coffee in the morning, closing for the day at noon.)
Outside, there are giant bells hanging over the Coronado Springs Resort porte-cochère along with more garland.
While the degree of decorations is really close to normal, there are a few flourishes here and there missing.
In addition to the newer overlay that adorns Gran Destino Tower, there’s the tried and true decorations package at the legacy side of El Centro at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and its convention center.
We still enjoy “classic Coronado” but it feels forgotten as compared to the shiny new tower.
As always, if you’re planning on visiting the best holiday-time hotels, consult our Free Self-Guided Walt Disney World Christmas Resort Tour. That is our patented (not really) “Yuletide Resort Tour of Walt Disney World” that we previously suggested doing the morning before attending the Christmas party.
Alternatively, you can do Gran Destino Tower on your day off from the parks or break the itinerary up and do it over the course of several days–a strategy that does work well given the reduced operating hours. You can also do Coronado Springs Resort at the end of the second day of our 2-Day Yuletide Resort Tour of Walt Disney World or in the evening after your Animal Kingdom day.
Consider pairing a Christmas visit to Gran Destino Tower with a meal at Three Bridges Bar & Grill, Toledo, or a nightcap at Dahlia Lounge. It might seem like an odd recommendation, but if you’re looking for a holiday date night, Coronado Springs might be the best spot at Walt Disney World for it.
It’s the perfect mix of serene Christmas atmosphere, low crowds, excellent food, and great drinks. Gran Destino Tower doesn’t have nearly the high profile or popularity among Walt Disney World fans (or ease of access) as something like Grand Floridian or Wilderness Lodge, which is precisely why it’s such a savvy choice.
This is the current menu at Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago. As is the case with every restaurant at Walt Disney World, some dishes have been removed, but it’s still a solid lineup.
Read our Three Bridges Bar & Grill Review for recommendations and food photos. We’ll have an updated review coming very soon. Even though Villa del Lago is not decked out for Christmas, we recommend it as an exceptional outdoor dining option and is open from 4:30 pm until 12:00 am nightly.
Looking back towards Gran Destino Tower from the Three Bridges Bar & Grill waterfront seating area. You can vaguely see the icon Christmas tree through the middle window.
Overall, Gran Destino Tower delivers in terms of Christmas decorations and holiday atmosphere. It’s interesting that the latter is totally different than last year, this time delivering a serene setting instead of a jovial one. Hits different, but still excellent. There’s just something about Gran Destino at Christmas–hopefully you get a chance to experience it yourself!
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Christmas decorations at Gran Destino Tower? Pleased to see almost all of the holiday decor up this year? Plan on visiting Coronado Springs this Christmas season? Think Three Bridges or Dahlia Lounge would be a good option for a holiday time date night? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We are locals and love Toledo. Outstanding food and service! Actually been there twice this month. Compared to some of the other hi-end restaurants at Disney, it’s a bargain price-wise and the food just as good if not better. The hotel is beautiful too. If we weren’t DVC members we would love to stay there.
We are staying there for Thanksgiving week and hoping the chill vibe continues, although I do expect the bookings to pick up a little. We are excited to try out Three Bridges Grill!
We are staying in the regular buildings and not the tower – is there a grouping of buildings you would recommend over the others? Rachos, Casitas or Cabanas?
I stayed at the Gran Destino Tower last December and the hotel is so beautiful and very clean. The Christmas decor also very beautiful. I will most likely stay there again on my next visit I used Lyft for all of my transportation though, buses are very time consuming.
We stayed at Coranado Spings quite a few times. Before it had towers, and you stayed in Casitas. I loved how it looked when you drove up with all the pink and green pillars. The pepper market was good too. But barring those things it was not that remarkable for a moderate resort. The rooms not that different from a newly renovated value resort. But none the less I will always miss the way it was.
We stayed at Coronado for our December trip two years ago–in the old El Centro of course–and I did really like the elegant gold decor there also! Grand Destino looks great too! Loving all these holiday posts and photos!
I wonder if this isn’t to entice the convention crowd to resume business at this location. The decorations are clean and not so much Disney in your face like other resorts.
This is exciting news for us to see . . . we check in there on Sunday! It will be our kick-off to a much-needed holiday season this year.
And I love how the outdoor bells are reminiscent of the bell in the tower in the Destino animated short!
Do you know if it’s now possible to enter a resort without a dining reservation? We’re going next week and would love to pop into different resorts to see the decor.
It really depends upon the resort. Coronado Springs is pretty lax because they have a ton of parking and visitor demand is not high like the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT-area resorts.
I see, thank you! Love your content.
Just spent a week at GDT last week of October. It’s a gorgeous hotel. It’s a bit of a ghost town right now. The burger at Three Bridges was super good ( Thanks for recommendation from your review , Tom). Definitely missed having the QS open and no refillable mugs. Would stay again at GDT.
When a new post popped in my feed I was shocked it didn’t pertain to the Muppets returning to MK….
Although there is about zero chance we will venture over to Coronado Springs on our upcoming trip, it is great to see they are still investing in the holiday decor. Like you said, that seems to bode well for the other resorts.
I’d assume one positive for this whole pandemic thing is it makes it easier to get all the amazing photos devoid of other guests :-).