Coronado Springs Likely Host Resort for NBA at Disney World Starting in July
In the saga of the NBA coming to Walt Disney World to finish its regular season and playoffs, the latest development is a rumors are that Coronado Springs Resort will be host resort, with games resuming in late July. In this post, we’ll recap the news about pro sports being played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, and offer some commentary about what the NBA playing at WDW means for regular guests.
If this article is the first you’re hearing of this, start by reading NBA’s Bubble Site Front-Runner is Walt Disney World for background. In that, we cover the basic idea of the bubble site, including why ESPN Wide World of Sports and the WDW resorts are uniquely situated to host the NBA.
Shortly after that, the NBA and the Walt Disney Company released a joint statement that the two had officially entered into exploratory conversations about resuming its season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, in late July. (Interestingly, the NBA itself reported the headline this way: It’s Official: NBA Plans to Restart Season in July at Disney World Orlando.) That suggested it was a done deal.
Here’s the NBA’s official statement from that:
“The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in late July at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing,” said NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass via release.
“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medial protocols and protections are in place.”
Since then, there have been scattered reports by NBA insiders on social media, including ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He has reported today that the NBA’s Board of Governors has a Thursday meeting set for a vote on a finalized plan to restart the season, per sources.
Wojnarowski also reports the NBA is modeling a 22-team format for a July 31, 2020 resumption at Walt Disney World. The proposed timeline would put the last possible date for an NBA Finals Game 7 at October 12, 2020.
There still hasn’t been official official confirmation from the NBA including details or specifics, but it’s safe to assume this is a done deal with only some specifics to iron out and announce.
Another such specific comes today from NBA reporter Keith Smith:
“Per Walt Disney World sources, Disney and the NBA have agreed that Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is likely to be the primary host resort for the NBA when they resume the season. Sources say an agreement may be reached this week, which will allow preparations to move quickly.”
Not particularly surprising news, but one question is whether Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort alone is sufficient for housing and hosting the entire NBA. The resort complex has 1,917 guest rooms and suites in its outlying buildings, plus 545 rooms in Gran Destino Tower. (See our Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review & Gran Destino Tower Review for more.)
With 22 teams of 15 players each, there are a total of 330 players that would need to be housed (using Adrian Wojnarowski’s 22 team rumor–if the full league shows up, it’s 450 players). However, this is just players. It doesn’t account for coaching, operations, broadcasting, and medical staff–nor does it factor in the employees and Cast Members who will provide support at ESPN Wide World of Sports. It’s unclear if the “bubble” will encompass all of these individuals, or if they’ll stay off-site.
As we pointed out before, it’s likely that the NBA could also buy out one or more of the Bonnet Creek resorts. The Waldorf Astoria could be a good option for the league’s superstars.
Likewise, the NBA could probably buy out one of the All Star Resorts for support staff. It’s unlikely Walt Disney World will need all three of those resorts in the foreseeable future, so it’s certainly a viable option. Ultimately, Walt Disney World has far more capacity than it needs, so more resorts than just Coronado Springs could easily be utilized without impacting the reopening in any way whatsoever.
Speaking of which, this almost certainly will have no downside for regular guests. Our previous article struck a very optimistic tone about the NBA playing out its regular season at Walt Disney World, which we believe is beneficial for the long-term health of both Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney Company as a whole.
Nevertheless, this was met with some negativity and skepticism by readers, some of whom are not fans of the idea. To be clear, our article was written from the perspective of Walt Disney World fans, not NBA fans. We view this as good for Disney and, by extension, Disney fans and guests. (More accurately, it’s “not bad news” for Disney fans and guests. It’s immaterial to the guest experience.)
In our view, there is absolutely no downside to Walt Disney World guests. For over two months, we’ve speculated that Coronado Springs Resort was unlikely to reopen with the rest of Walt Disney World. That was weeks before any rumors emerged about the NBA.
Our expectation that Coronado Springs would not reopen right away was predicated upon its reliance on convention and event business, which has more or less vanished. Even now, it’s likely that Coronado Springs Resort won’t be the only resort that won’t reopen to regular guests.
In other words, the NBA is not displacing regular guests–those (and other) guests would be moved regardless upon the reopening of Walt Disney World. To the contrary, the NBA is helping Walt Disney World by booking rooms, event space, and a colossal sports venue that otherwise would’ve been shuttered.
Basically, if you ever sarcastically complained “Thanks Shanghai!” in response to rumors of that park’s startup cost causing operational cutbacks at Walt Disney World, you should be earnestly exclaiming “Thanks NBA!” as that league will be doing the exact opposite. Not only will the NBA be paying those fees to Disney, but it’ll be playing games that ESPN and ABC will broadcast and cover, which is likewise extremely beneficial to the Walt Disney Company. Even if you absolutely hate the NBA, this is an unequivocal win for Disney. Excepting health concerns, there is no other reason to be upset by this…unless you’re secretly hoping for either Disney or the NBA to fail, I guess?
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
What do you think of the NBA using Walt Disney World as a bubble site? Think Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Gran Destino Tower would be sufficient for everyone, or would the league need additional resorts? Other thoughts? We welcome a variety of viewpoints here, and will not delete anything on opinion alone. However, we will not tolerate insults, arguing, or politically-charged comments. Don’t ruin a 95% fine comment with an unnecessary cheap shot—that 5% will get it deleted. Additionally, please do not incessantly harp on the same point across multiple comments. Respectfully share your opinion and move along.
How about NO! If they insist on having the NBA at Disney, make them take over the value resorts only. This is more than fair. Don’t take rooms away from the nicer newer resorts or the DVC. If they don’t like it, let them stay somewhere else. Let DVC and annual passholders get a chance to enjoy some of what we missed during the closure.
Interesting article that talks about the relationships that helped get this done, particularly Bob Iger’s relationships with Adam Silver and Chris Paul. Iger and Silver were speaking and comparing notes on the virus, etc., back when Iger was still CEO, and I completely forgot about Iger and Chris Paul having a close relationship. Bill Simmons had Iger on his podcast back in early February and they discussed this, but I forgot all about it.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29267245/how-adam-silver-nba-stars-owners-negotiated-playoffs
Just to emphasize Tom’s point about the games being back on helping The Walt Disney Company due to the TV partnership with ESPN/ABC: Last year’s NBA Finals – 6 games – which are aired on ABC, generated $266 MILLION IN AD REVENUE. That was going 6 games and having one of the teams being from outside the U.S. market (Toronto) and not the pent up demand for sports that currently exists.
Will be interesting to see what happens if the NBA finals coincide with professional football season and maybe baseball season, also. We could theoretically go from no sports to all 3 major sports happening simultaneously. But more likely one or all the sports will have their tentative plans get changed by further developments. And college football looks less likely.
I don’t think the bookies could handle that volume!
Hi Tom! ESPN reported that the NBA and Disney are considering certain scenarios to make up for playoff teams no longer having home-court advantage. One of these scenarios being discussed is the top-seeded playoff teams getting to choose which hotel they would like to stay at on property. What do you think the likelihood of this being approved is? Here’s the article for reference: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29257603/nba-top-seeded-teams-mull-possible-playoff-advantages.
This would be a nightmare. I thought the point of them having the Coronado Springs area was to keep them away from the General Public as much as possible. This cannot be done if they get to pick where they stay and puts them at more of a risk with the virus. It will also displace more vacationers who are needing to have their vacations. I cannot fathom the problems that it would cause to have the NBA have the run of the hotels and resorts especially if the majority of the teams each pick a different one or they all select one that isn’t Coronado Springs.
How does this not affect guests? Why should I be happy about this? I have had a reservation at Coronado Springs for almost a year. Disney has not informed me and my family about this at all.
So they are going to make us wear face masks. There will be no meet and greets. No parades. No fireworks. It took us awhile but we finally accepted that. It’s to keep people healthy. We understand that.
But now they took away our hotel. So glad Disney put people with existing reservations first.
Again Disney never contacted us. And I have been keeping a close on what’s happening at Disney World. This is the first time I have heard Coronado Springs wasn’t planning on opening at all. If this was true for months my family should have been informed and so should have my travel agent.
I have had my trip to Gran Destino planned and booked for ages so this is a bummer for me. First the NBA gets all the covid tests and now they get my hotel. Great.
If it’s any consolation, your reservation would almost certainly be moved irrespective of the NBA. For reopening Coronado Springs, the options weren’t NBA or guests–it was NBA or not opening the resort at all.
Love the way you framed this in the larger economic sense for Disney. That being said, I do need to say one thing:
YESSSSSS GIVE ME BASKETBALL TO WATCH PLEASE!!!!!
Thank You Tom for explaining so well that this benefits Disney, their employees and even the state. Thank You to the Governor too for helping with this, it is extremely beneficial to the state financially because several cities were vying for this. It won’t effect my visit and like you said if they’re are people booked here or other hotels they will move you and it will probably be an upgrade.
Any ideas when we would be notified of a change in our resort? We are supposed to be at this resort in August, but we are traveling with another party as well and were supposed to be staying at the same hotel together.
Next week at the earliest. Even that is iffy–Disney’s system has been processing a huge backlog of cancellations, so it might be a while.
Hopefully that will mean an upgrade!
Thank you Tom for once again reporting the latest developments and offering some of your ideas for what may come next. I read your blog from the the perspective of an investor in The Walt Disney Company. Going to any Disney Park is an event. The vacation of a life time for many. A major investment for many families not just American, but from all over the world. It’s also understandable to be disappointed to hear that your planned Disney vacation has or will be cancelled, that you may have to change your planned vacation because of The Walt Disney Company’s larger view of surviving what has been the result of a worldwide pandemic and what is coming as a result. The world is going to need a few years to resolve and heal from all the damage the pandemic has brought with it. The move to partner with the NBA is brilliant. It gives Disney another brand to promote and to sustain the company. The company needs revenue to continue its expansion of the guest experience. The company cannot even complete existing capital improvements to its parks without revenue. The partnership is as genius and creative as any of the other acquisitions that came with Mr. Iger’s leadership. Those who feel disappointed could look beyond their anxiety of whether they will be able to take their scheduled vacation, or, as when the country has been in crisis in the past, make sacrifices for the greater good. In this case the sacrifice would mean rescheduling a vacation to a destination, any Disney park, that will “return to normal” in the near future. There are millions of die hard Disney fans. I am not one of them, but I understand their devotion and response to the positive message that defines Disney. You don’t have to set foot in a Disney park to have something close to a Disney experience. Disney + allows inexpensive access to a large percentage of the Disney film library and exceptional original content. I’ve watched home videos on You Tube from Disney fans that have lifted my spirits and made me smile, sometimes even getting me a little happy emotional. I read the reports of Disney cast members’ efforts to send cards with positive messages for our healthcare workers. The purpose of this message is try to put back in focus what has been lost. Americans’ lives have been upended. Let’s remember the families and friends who were required to say a final goodbye to a loved one whose passing was not comprehensible just a year ago. Let’s remember the lives of those who were ill and mended by our selfless healthcare workers. Let’s remember the millions of Americans out of work without the means to pay their mortgage, rent or even buy groceries. Let’s be grateful if we are in a position to not have had the virus affect us personally or financially. My intention is to do remind myself and others that Disney’s positive message has lasted for almost a century. Walt Disney would be as concerned for the lives of every American as for the company he founded. Our ability to plan a Disney vacation is a circumstance that millions of others would gladly trade for their recent challenges. We can move past this together. We’ll all have the ability, if not the finances, to return to a Disney resort. For now, my primary concern is for the general health of our country and that Americans look into the lives of others to influence how they prioritize theirs. Thanks for reading.
Well said Glenn. Bravo.
Right on. The picture is larger than many people can perceive. The emotional aftershock of these few months hasn’t even been realized and processed fully yet.
I think Disney is navigating through this unprecedented time amazingly well. Disney’s decisions and actions at this moment are historically significant, and it’s been truly interesting and inspiring to observe.
NOTHING MORE THAN DISNEY GREED! HOW ABOUT VALUING THE AVERAGE DISNEY GUEST, AND ALLOWING US TO HAVE THE CHOICE OF WHICH HOTEL TO BOOK. BECAUSE THEY ARE RICH BASKETBALL PLAYERS, THEY ARE MORE VALUED? TO TAKE OVER A WHOLE HOTEL IS FINE, BUT WHY ONE OF THE NICEST HOTELS AT DISNEY? IS THE AVERAGE RESORT GUEST NOT ALLOWED TO STAY AT A NICE HOTEL ON VACATION? WHY DIDN’T DISNEY INSIST THAT THEY STAY AT THE VALUE RESORTS ONLY, MONEY. THIS IS BS. I MAY HAVE TO SELL MY DVC, AND NOT GO TO DISNEY IF THEY CONTINUE TO ONLY CARE ABOUT MONEY INSTEAD OF GUESTS.
Great publicity for Walt Disney World & Coronado Springs.
My sports-crazy friends who don’t know a thing about Disney World have been asking me about it for the first time ever.
It was announced today that the last possible date for Game #7 of the NBA Finals would be October 12th.
So I would assume the resort would open back up to the general public sometime in the middle of October.
They’re going to have to import longer beds whatever hotel they stay at. I think CS, Gran Destino would be a good choice. It’s not too Disneyfied.
Does anyone know if fans will be allowed to attend games? Jw because they could, and would, bring a lot more people to wdw.
No fans.
My family has reservations for Coronado Springs starting August 1st and we are very concerned how,this will impact our vacation. Will they cancel our reservation to make room for them. If we are allowed to stay what will the impact be to us when it comes enjoying the resort and atmosphere. Will there be tons of reporters, extra security preventing us from entering certain areas as there NBA players there? So far we are less than under 60 days out and no word on dining reservations and now this? Sadly my son’s 21st birthday Only comes once in his lifetime, so changing plans is not something we can do as this has been his dream forever.
They’ll move you to a different resort.
I’ve seen several stories from people booked at CSR from August to October saying that their reservations are being cancelled by Disney, and refunded. No one is getting rebooked, or even the courtesy of an email explaining what is going on, or if there are any options. They just see their resort booking disappear from MDE and a refund on the credit card account.
That’s exactly when we check in, too. I had the perfect dining reservations and I was excited to start making FP+ reservations. I’m bummed that the 60 day window has been opened, and we haven’t been able to continue planning. I keep checking my email for a note from Disney, but nothing yet. I’m curious what resort we will get. Hoping for something amazing!!!
I booked a room at Gran Destino this past February for the first week in December. If the season and playoffs are still going on at that time, what happens to my reservation? I’m really looking forward to seeing the new hotel . I’ve already lost my DDP, extra hours, etc. I would be so disappointed if I can’t stay there now.
The playoffs won’t still be going on in December.
However, there’s a decent chance Coronado Springs Resort won’t reopen to the general public by December, in which case they’d move you to another resort.
Mixed feelings on this. Very upset because I booked a free dining plan with a stay at the gran destino for the first week of September and after losing the dining plan I was excited to get the 35% off and get to stay there. Now that’s gone. I just hope they don’t just cancel our reservation or downgrade us hotel-wise. Oh well. Hopefully the increased revenue will help Disney have proper startup money to keep from cutbacks
Disney doesn’t downgrade when they relocate guests to different resorts, so it’d be lateral on a free upgrade.
My personal experience from this past January, had to be moved out of all star music, put us in deluxe. Also got free upgrade from quick service dining to regular dining plan. Was given many choices of different hotels to switch too. Disney was amazing.
I’m excited for this. I’m not particularly an NBA fan, but will watch the occasional part of a game. But right now, any sports is good sports! And, as you said, certainly there is at least some money going to TWDC and to staff at ESPN and the hotels – all good things.
I look forward to NBA players and fans finding about Gran Destino Tower Rooms!
(Just to be clear, this about the end of the 2019-2020 season, right?)
I’ve got to say, Wide World of Sports is like conference space; there’s probably no reason to go out of your way to see it during a vacation.
I’m happy this can be done, but disappointed too, as it seems my August 28th reservation at the beautiful Gran Destino Tower will not happen then.
I think it’s fabulous that the NBA and Disney can work together like this, it’s a win win for both, sports fans get their sports back, the NBA gets to play and Disney gets some much needed revenue. This is a positive in my books.