Coronado Springs Resort Update: Gran Destino Prepares to Open!
Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago is now open and the Gran Destino tower welcomes its first guests in just over a week at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort! We’ve been covering this hotel expansion project for nearly 2 years in our Walt Disney World Construction Update & Photo Reports, so it’s almost odd that this will be our last ‘in progress’ update from Coronado Springs.
In actuality, this is mostly a ‘finished product’ update. We had dinner at Three Bridges Bar & Grill the other night (review coming soon!) and wandered around Lago Dorado, but there’s very little to report now in terms of construction. The upside is that you can see into the lobby of Gran Destino, and even from a distance, it looks cool.
Most of what still remains to be done is around the porte cochere (the fluid design of which actually looks really cool), and it’s impossible to go up there for photos since it’s an active construction site. It’s visible from the road or a split second while entering Coronado Springs, but there are no good spots to stop and take photos…
Of course we will be back once Gran Destino is open to check out how it all comes together. With an Annual Passholder discount, we booked a concierge stay in Gran Destino Tower later this summer.
It was significantly less expensive than any Deluxe Resort at Walt Disney World, but that’s not necessarily a reasonable comparison since the tower is adjacent to a Moderate Resort and is not within walking or non-bus transportation of any theme parks. I guess Animal Kingdom Lodge is the same way, but this is no Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Upon arrival, you can see the new signage has been revealed for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Convention Center.
This replaces a temporary banner, which had a more vibrant design. In general, a lot of the colorful styling of Coronado Springs has been muted. If you asked me three years ago what Coronado Springs needed to do to improve, “become more drab” would not have cracked my top 500.
Since our last update, the temporary bridge that went directly in front of the construction area has been closed.
This happened after the opening of Three Bridges Bar & Grill, which is so named because with it opened three bridges connecting the various sides of Coronado Springs.
These bridges will definitely be a huge asset when trying to cut from the current lobby and convention center over to the far reaches of the resort.
The new lobby in Gran Destino should be easier to access from a number of areas, too.
Last month, the only major thing on the exterior of Gran Destino that needed to be finished was the enclosed walkway connecting the tower to the convention center and dining areas.
It’s now impossible to get close, but if you look at the right side of this photo, you can see it’s completed. (It’s the little two-toned corridor with arched windows.)
While I don’t like the exterior design, it also doesn’t necessarily offend me. It’s really the placement, adjacent to a smaller-scale and themed Moderate Resort that I dislike.
If Gran Destino tower were over by Disney Springs along Hotel Blvd., I’d have no issue with it. Gran Destino would fit perfectly among the other hotels in that area, and I’m sure convention guests would love easy access to the restaurants at Disney Springs.
I didn’t bring my super-zoom lens with me, but the glimpses I caught of inside Gran Destino’s lobby look promising. There appear to be several large and eye-catching murals.
I really hope there’s space for an icon Christmas tree in there. There have been a lot of thematic downsides to this project, now it’s time for some upside!
As noted above, Three Bridges Bar & Grill is finished and we dined there earlier this week.
It opened a couple of weeks ago, but I don’t believe Walt Disney World has officially announced that yet. The hours are shown on its DisneyWorld.com page, though.
A full review is slated for early next week, but our first impressions are solid.
It’s fair to say that this is a Geyser Point like experience, but better.
Given that Three Bridges Bar & Grill is going to cater heavily to convention guests, this makes sense. Hopefully that also means it maintains the menu quality, too.
All in all, it’s a nice addition to Coronado Springs. If Villa del Lago was the only addition to the resort, this re-imagining/expansion/whatever you want to call it would be a home run.
Totally unrelated, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this fountain or bridge connecting these two buildings.
We seldom stay on this side of Coronado Springs, but we spend a lot of time here, so that’s quite the oversight. In any case, it’s a pretty courtyard.
In case you missed it, Coronado Springs Resort has a brand-new logo.
This was actually in last month’s Coronado Springs Update, but it still hasn’t been officially unveiled by Walt Disney World, so here it is again. About half the trash cans around Coronado Springs have been updated with the new design.
We’ll be back sometime next month with a final verdict on Gran Destino and the culmination of Coronado Springs Resort’s re-imagining and expansion. If you’ve read even a handful of these updates, you probably can guess at least half of that post’s conclusions right now. Rather than rehashing what I’ve already discussed/complained about ad nauseam, I’ll focus on the substance of the tower, what it brings to the table in terms of resort amenities, and whether that outweighs the thematic degradation. I’m eager to step inside, and am truly curious to find out whether Imagineering has crafted something worthy of being a Walt Disney World resort.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Gran Destino Tower? Have you booked a stay at Gran Destino for Summer 2019 or beyond? Thoughts on the tower’s pricing? Excited to dine at Thee Bridges Bar & Grill? 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!
Here now at check-in. Literally in the same place in line for 30 minutes. Not one person has been processed.
Recently found out that the 2020 Dance Worlds competition which has been at the Coronado Springs convention center will be at the Disney Contemporary Hotel convention center. Are they planning renovation at the Coronado Springs
Convention center ?
Does anybody have any information as to whether the additional 545 rooms have resulted in any additional bus capacity – or are they just going to pack the (already standing room only) buses from CSR to the parks tighter? I am hesitant to move here from Port Orleans due to the new larger population at Coronado…
Checking in to the tower on July 11 for two nights and really hoping they are ready. Looking forward to seeing the place.
Missed you here at Disney Seas Tom!
Going in late September, but not staying in the new tower. Any advice on which building number/area to request for just a standard room? Love the article as always!
Casitas Building 4 is my favorite because it is very close to Bus Stop #2, which is the first to be picked up, so always guaranteed a seat. It’s also a short walk to El Centro, where dining is located. Building 5 is second choice because it’s just slightly further away.
I haven’t seen any Animal Kindgdom Lodge renovation update recently… any thoughts on this project?
Just discovered the history of the Disney short film Destino. If they have some large scale Spanish Surrealist styled murals in the lobby that could be impressive.
I love Coronado, but I’m sad that they put a restaurant (albeit a lovely one) in the middle of the lake, spoiling the view across the water. When they first announced the tower, I assumed they would also add another pool. I’m curious to find out if adding all those tower guests will make the Dig Site much more crowded. I know there will be a lot of conventioneers who might not swim, but that’s still a lot of additional people.
It’s been a major concern of ours 🙁
Disneys CEO has officially succeeded in Ruining WDW !
Where are the thousands of guests staying at these new high rises going to fit in the already overcrowded Parks. Instead of three small lands and ruining moderates with massive high rise hotels, they should have renovated current parks and added a fifth one to house there Universal syyle attractions!
The problem with Disneys CEO is he believes the money firehouse will never be Turned Off! It Will Become His Fatel Error.
agree. You can see many available rooms for summer and fall. He’s pissed off a lot of loyal Disney fans.
“Where are the thousands of guests staying at these new high rises going to fit in the already overcrowded Parks.”
I agree with your other points, but this argument keeps being made in opposition to hotel projects and it just doesn’t hold water.
Less than half of all guests in the theme parks at any given time are staying in on-site Walt Disney World hotels. WDW is a hotel company that also operates theme parks; one of their goals is to increase on-site occupancy. That applies both to the occupancy rate and raw numbers.
Those are goals that can be fulfilled without building another theme park. It might mean discouraging people from staying off-site (or disadvantaging those who do), but it can absolutely be done.
I’m also not saying I “agree” with the current level of crowdedness in the parks. Simply that pointing to new hotels as the problem is not just reductionist, it’s inaccurate.
I really like the new entrance sign. Crisp and clean not busy! Excited to try out the club level in 2020. Always stayed Deluxe. Can’t wait to hear reviews after it opens!
Numbers don’t lie, thousands of additional rooms equal thousands more guests in the Parks, Parks that already overcrowded!
Tom, you’re absolutely correct that these hotels do not add to the overall park crowds. It’s not as though travelers will book themselves into the Grand Destino for the resort alone and suddenly decide to visit a Disney theme park. Guests at these new hotels will already have been already planning a trip to WDW and will have chosen the new on-site resort over some other on or off-property option. HOWEVER, the increase in on-site properties does take away some of the advantages of being on-site. These new hotels increase the number of people vying for those 180+10 ADRs, 60-day FP+ and the limited attractions available during increasingly reduced EMH’s. I’m picturing a couple thousand additional people mashing their way towards the post-fireworks MK resort buses and thinking for the first time that the resort parking fees may be worthwhile.
They added the capacity to this resort to accommodate conference and convention business. Some conference attendees will visit the park for a day, but mostly just stay for the conference.
Looks beautiful but, although I know why they are doing this, I am disappointed with the loss of theming at all the hotels.
I like the new logo and think that would be a much better sign for the entrance perhaps with a fountain.
Personal objective opinion incoming: I go to WDW with my husband as our “big” vacation. We love Disneyworld, however when we are there, we like our room to be more subdued. It is nice to come back from a full day at the parks to a more “adult” atmosphere. With that said, we also do not have the budget to stay at a Deluxe resort where you can find this environment more readily than say, a Value resort. We are thrilled with how Gran Destino has turned out. I know that its not for everyone, but it is nice that Disney is offering (or attempting to offer) something for everyone. That said, I think there is a debate to be had around the “jack of all trades, master of none” issue. Just my 2 cents!
“We love Disneyworld, however when we are there, we like our room to be more subdued. It is nice to come back from a full day at the parks to a more “adult” atmosphere. With that said, we also do not have the budget to stay at a Deluxe resort where you can find this environment more readily than say, a Value resort.”
This is a very fair point.
I think Coronado Springs has always filled that role, as it’s long been the mid-range convention resort. In fairness, the tower is a lot more appealing than a bunch of satellite building for many people from an accommodations perspective.
I can’t argue against what they’re doing with Gran Destino, but I still think there was a more delicate, less disruptive approach to be had. Or a more interesting one.
Thanks, Tom. I agree that it could’ve been better thought out for sure. If I had to hazard a guess, is that Gran Destino is Disney’s litmus test for “Deluxe Lite” hotels as well. Its been predicted by many that Disney is, very slowly, attempting to be rid of tiered hotels. To your point however, I think that everyone’s definition of “Deluxe” can be wildly different (not a bad thing!). Some individuals defintion could be centered around prime location (subject to opinion), posh accommodations (also subject to opinion!). For most Disney regulars, theming tends to trump those (again, not a bad thing). All suffice to say, we have a 9 night reservation for Gran Destino in April 2020, and we are very excited!
Totally agree with that comment.
with the way they have really almost ruined the interior of the rooms at the value resorts are far as theming goes, you can just about get what you want at the renovated value resorts once your door closes. this is not to say i’m not in favor of the new, clean look and removal of carpet, i am, but the theme is virtually gone in those to where you almost don’t remember which resort you’re in because the look is now so generic.
It looks like a Las Vegas hotel from the outside.
Kat, that is exactly what I thought! Looks like a slightly decorated version of the Las Vegas Westin, off the strip, on Flamingo Road.
Yep. We commented on that last year when the last concept art was released. The name “Gran Destino” even sounds like a casino/hotel name!
This is probably a dumb question, but if it looks like a casino, and it’s name sounds like a casino, could this be something Disney is considering? Are there rules against it? I’m not a casino person at all, just curious.
if disney wanted casinos, they would have included them on their cruise ships. the fact that they have not tells me this is not an arena they are considering.