Coronado Springs Resort Construction Update: Summer 2018
It’s been a few months since we’ve checked out refurbishments and construction progress on the 15-story hotel tower at Coronado Springs Resort. The tower plus the resort-wide enhancements is one of Walt Disney World’s biggest construction projects right now, and if you don’t believe that, just check out all of the cranes and equipment in this post!
Here, we’ll take a photo/video tour of Coronado Springs, provide insight into the current and projected progress on the resort, and our take as to whether you should stay here during your Walt Disney World vacation between now and 2019. (Note that I’m not going to rehash what we’ve covered previously, so if you want to see the concept video fly-through, check out our last Coronado Update.) While the Coronado Springs project is a colossal undertaking, it’s not a resort re-imagining, so the degree to which your stay will be impacted depends.
If you want a wholesale resort re-imagining (even if Walt Disney World doesn’t want to call it that), look no further than our Caribbean Beach Resort Summer 2018 Construction Update. While there are several similarities between the two projects–and the goal of both is to elevate the status of the respective resorts–the work at Coronado Springs is slightly less intrusive. However, that could very well change by this fall…
There are two things to consider if you’re planning a stay at Coronado Springs this fall or winter. The big deal that caught a lot of guests by surprise was the recent announcement that the Dig Site recreation area would be refurbished from September 4 through December 12, 2018.
This project will include everything around the Dig Site, which is a relatively large area on the edge of Lago Dorado. This area includes the volleyball court, playground, Iguana Arcade, and Siestas Cantina. Most importantly, this is where the Lost City of Cibola feature pool (the “Mayan Ruins Pool”) is located. All of it will be closed for refurbishment.
While Walt Disney World is currently listing the completion date of this project as December 12, we are incredulous. First of all, almost every hotel project in the last 18 months has fallen behind schedule. With so many simultaneous projects, resources are spread thin.
Second, this is a large recreation area, and we strongly suspect this is not garden variety maintenance, but rather, an enhancement project to elevate the resort’s amenities ahead of the tower being completed. Finally, it seems unlikely that there will be any urgency to get a pool reopened in winter, when few guests will care.
Suffice to say, those of you with Christmas week or New Year’s Eve trips booked for Coronado shouldn’t think you’re “safe” because this project will finish well before you arrive. If you’re booked for Coronado over those travel dates and a pool is essential to you, consider erring on the side of caution and changing resorts now before all other alternatives are fully booked.
We wouldn’t be shocked if getting the Dig Site work done by March is the internal target. Of course, our assumptions could be totally wrong–this could be routine work that’ll finish exactly as projected.
The other component of the Coronado Springs Resort enhancement project that will have a bigger impact right now and through early 2019 is the unnamed over-the-water bar and grill being built in the middle of Lago Dorado.
This dining spot’s foundation has been set and construction is now vertical. If the concept art is accurate, the design of this bar and grill is fairly minimalist and shouldn’t take an extended period of time to build. However, that doesn’t mean work will be done within a few months.
While this bar and grill is obviously going to be much smaller than the 15-story tower, the difference between the two is that the restaurant is in the middle of the lake, which is essentially the center of Coronado Springs.
During our visit to Coronado Springs, this construction was noticeable from everywhere that is along Lago Dorado…which is a lot of the resort.
As one of the overarching goals of this project is to elevate the status of Coronado Springs, there are a variety of smaller projects and rolling refurbishments taking place throughout the resort. For example, the exterior of the lobby rotunda was being repainted on the day we visited. Other buildings around the lobby likewise were receiving a new color scheme.
We doubt these projects will slow down at any point in the near future, as the thinking seems to be that they might as well do as much work simultaneously with the blanket construction warning given to guests. In other words, unannounced work like this should be expected if you’re staying at Coronado Springs anytime between now and next summer. What will happen when is totally unpredictable.
Walking around Coronado Springs while taking photos for this update, there were fewer sections of the resort that felt peaceful as compared to previous trips to Coronado for these updates.
We stayed at Coronado during construction last year and it didn’t bother us at all. I highly doubt that would be the case now.
As for the 15-story tower that’s being added to cater to convention and business guests, it’s coming along quickly. Construction on the tower is visible from all around the resort, so there’s that, but it’s not audible from everywhere. In fact, during our last stay at Coronado, we never even noticed it until we walked over by that side of the resort.
Part of the tower is starting to be enclosed and there’s interior work already beginning. There’s still a ton of work to be done prior to it opening next summer, but by this fall, we’d expect much of this work to shift to the interior of the enclosed building.
That shift should make a difference in terms of the construction vibe at Coronado Springs Resort, and at least partially offset the increase in work being done elsewhere.
The good news for those of you planning to stay at Coronado Springs in mid 2019 is that your construction impact should be minimal.
Elsewhere around Coronado Springs, there’s this over between the Ranchos and Casitas. I have zero idea what’s going on here.
Perhaps it’s a floating Food & Wine Festival kiosk, for Disney to capitalize on conventioneers who don’t want to leave the resort? (Anyone know what this actually is?)
The bad news is that anyone staying at Coronado between now and mid-2019 is much more likely to have their stay impacted by construction. While the main lobby and its several restaurants remain open at Coronado, which is a big advantage over Caribbean Beach, we’d say that the construction work is getting close to being as intrusive at Coronado as it is at Caribbean Beach (although both are pretty bad, so it’s a ‘pick your poison’ type of scenario). That’ll only get worse once the entire Dig Site pool area goes down for refurbishment.
As with Caribbean Beach, we know some of you are Coronado Springs diehards or have special circumstances that allow you to justify staying here, and that’s fine. Personally, I would not book a stay at Coronado Springs between now and roughly May 2019. With both of the Port Orleans Resorts looking great right now and offering lovely grounds, it’s impossible for us to justify paying virtually the same rates for two resorts that are essentially construction zones. Again, your mileage may vary if you’re a big fan of Coronado, but if you’re a first-timer who has never been to Walt Disney World, or just someone who is not keen on staying at a hotel that’s an active construction zone, stay elsewhere.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort since the construction started? What did you think of the experience? Would you recommend Coronado during construction to others? Planning on staying here during the Dig Site work or in early 2019? Any 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!
Just did a 4 day, 3 night stay at CSR and couldn’t agree more with Tom! While the dig site (pool area) was still open during our stay, the construction around the property was very disruptive. We stayed in the Casitas building 4 and did not hear any construction noise; however, walking to the pool was a long way through multiple pathways around the construction. There are now fences around many parts of the lakes due to the construction in the middle of the lake so you couldn’t see anything across the lake. The last day we were there they had closed off the main parking area to El Centro (where you get your food, go to the giftshop, register, etc.) and you had to park in the next parking lot over. On a positive note, the updated room was very nice, the dig site was enjoyable and the food at the pepper market was surprisingly good. There was a soccer tournament going on at ESPN and multiple soccer teams were staying at CSR. Not a big deal except for when several teams all went to the pool or the pepper market at the same time, it quickly became very crowded. Also, the smaller pools stayed open until midnight, so if you have young children, I would not recommend a pool view as it was very loud late at night. I’ve stayed at multiple Disney properties and I would not recommend this property while they are under construction.
I am attending a conference at CSR in March of 2019 so I habe no choice but to stay at this resort. I’m quite fond of the resort itself so the construction shouldn’t bother me too much. I am curious about the pepper market and if the food is anymore diverse now other than pizza and sandwiches.
I’m really disappointed at the changes to CSR. I’ve only stayed on site at Disney once and fully intended to return next year and stay at CSR but for some bizarre reason, even with the construction CBR was cheaper in the UK. As we were booking for free dining and probably won’t spend much time at the hotel I was out voted (plus we got in with our booking by the skin of our teeth before they put a booking freeze on Oct/Nov 2019 for Star Wars Land opening so couldn’t really be picky). Maybe because we were going so late in the year the higher price indicates the construction will be finished and make the resort worth charging more in Disney’s eyes, but I don’t think so. I fully agree with previous comments about it removing the character and charm of CSR 🙁
I agree with the disappointment of this huge change. Coronado Springs is our favorite moderate. I understand progress..but, this..no. Put in as many rooms as possible, bigger crowds, push more DVC memberships when the parks are so crazy packed now. Missing the old CSR.
We were booked here for the ultimate Disney fall into magic package sept 3-8 and were so disappointed to see the Dig Site was going to be closed beginning sept 4. I them switched my reservation to CBR in a pirate room but then read so many horrible reviews that I switched back to CSR. These are the only two moderate resorts participating in this particular package. Do you think Disney will possibly allow guests staying at CSR to use another hotels pool? What are your thoughts.
Great update! We are booked for Coronado for late August 2019 to take advantage (hopefully) of free dining, so I’m hopeful that all of this will be done by then!
Matt – Thanks for the info!! Just relieved a whole lot of stress!
Great Article, thanks! I think this resort is worth it if you have booked the Free Dining offer for this summer/fall/winter 2018 which was sadly excluded from POR resorts… Otherwise I would give them a try! It is by far the greatest money saving offer of the year..
We’re booked 12/15 – 12/21 2018…will spend the great majority of our time at the parks and Disney Springs…should we worry about the construction? Never been to FL in December – are the pools heated? Are there other pools than the one at Dig Site? Thanks for any advice.
We’re booked 12/14-12/26 and cannot wait to get back! We stayed here on our first trip to Disney World in September 2017 and the construction did not bother us at all. The refurbished rooms are great, they feel luxurious and have many amenities which are typically not available unless you’re at a Deluxe Resort. It even has more than some Deluxe Resorts! We are foodies who enjoy the finer things in life and this resort truly wowed us! Don’t worry about the construction, it actually just feels authentic with the construction lol!! The Maya Grill is awesome, which will be open. As to the pool construction, let’s hope they complete it by Dec. 12 as most Disney reps are saying…
Also, they do have 3 other themed pools! One in Casitas, Ranchos and Cabans sections. Including the Dig Site, 4 in total.
We are booked the week after Thanksgiving for free dining. With all the closings my kids are going to be so disappointed with no arcade and no main pool. What are the chances that Disney will do something about this?
We are booked that same week! We go twice a year (if not more) and last year we stayed at Caribbean Beach during Construction. Did not affect our vacation at all. We booked at Coronado Springs as they offered free dining (which is huge if you do the math). Disney has this down pat and will try to accommodate you in any way. There are many other pools on property (again, have stayed there many times)….The Market Place is second to none…You will most like be spending most of your time in the Parks! And yes you can enjoy other pools at other hotels. Just enjoy and have an awesome vacation!!
Does anyone know if Las Ventanas is still open? I noticed it’s not listed in the dining section of the resort page nor does it come up on the dining reservation page?
I saw some great rates in early October & considered staying there for a few nights during my October visit. That was until I realized the main pool (and it’s awesome, huge jacuzzi) would be closed. Not a chance after learning that.
I will pop over to check out the construction and watch some Playoff Baseball at Rix Sports Bar & Grill though.
We heard no noise at the dig site in June. We enjoyed it! The drinks and nachos by the pool didn’t hurt lol
We stayed at Coronado Springs the first week of June and honestly, the construction did not detract from our stay in the least.
We were in Casitas 3 and heard no construction noise. The resort is under construction but somehow still impeccably clean, over all quiet and was definitely a place we’ll stay in again.
Having stayed in one of their beautiful “refurbished” rooms, I can only imagine how great everything will look when completed.
Any update on which buildings are currently closed for refurbishment?
My husband and I booked a resort-only trip at CSR for our fifth wedding anniversary in early August. We previously visited in December and fell in love! When I checked hotel rates for August, I couldn’t believe how close in price it was to Pop, and that’s what made us choose Coronado Springs. I wonder if this intrusive construction is the reason. For me, one of the main reasons I like CSR so much is the amazing Dig Site. So, did you spend a good amount of time at the Dig Site? Could you hear loud construction noise constantly at the Dig Site?
We’re in the same boat – my wife and I booked a kid-free 4-night trip for our 10th anniversary the first weekend of August. It was only about $20 more per night over Pop and the All Stars weren’t much cheaper than that. It’s a $60 or so jump per night up to Port Orleans, so we went with this one too. It’s not a resort-only trip for us, but we’re looking forward to spending time at the pool, especially our first day there since we’re doing Magic Kingdom After Hours and not heading to the park until the evening.
Well, hopefully there at least still giving away the Three Caballeros construction pins ($10 worth of pins for all that construction seems like a joke, but still).
I feel that they have ruined the look and feel of Coronado Springs with the gargantuan tower. My husband and I used to enjoy walking around Coronado and had an appreciation for the atmosphere. The picture above looks like downtown Orlando.
yes — I’m afraid it will ruin the view and stick out like a sore thumb, similar to Swan and Dolphin. We LOVE Coronado — most luxurious of the moderates. And another note, closing the Dig Site temporary also means closing the Siesta Cantina (poolside bar) which we went to every morning for our refillable mugs of coffee and breakfast (they had eggs, cereals, etc). It is a LOONNGG walk to the main dining area, unless the bridge across the lake will be finished by September. Not convenient at all if staying closer to the Dig Site.