Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review
Coronado Springs is a Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World with a Southwest theme. This hotel review features new room photos, our thoughts on staying at the reimagined resort, dining, amenities, and more. This review has been refreshed following Gran Destino Tower’s debut and other upgrades.
At this point, Disney’s Coronado Springs is almost entirely back to normal. Every major restaurant has reopened, physical distancing has been dropped, and there are no longer waits or virtual queues to use the feature pool (that we’ve seen). About the only issue is that menus, especially at the food court, as still scaled back at some restaurants.
Our most recent stay at Coronado Springs was in Summer 2023, and even the bus service was good–minus one long wait leaving Magic Kingdom one night. Still, very good as compared to this time last year when we recommended temporarily avoiding Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. That’s no longer our advice–Coronado Springs is once again a good hotel option at Walt Disney World!
With that out of the way, let’s start by talking about that recent addition to Coronado Springs–Gran Destino Tower. This is basically a stand-alone hotel that shares some amenities with the rest of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Check out our Gran Destino Tower Review for an exhaustive look at the addition. It cannot be understated just how different Gran Destino is from the rest of Coronado Springs.
It’s basically a “Tale of Two Resorts” because Gran Destino is totally unlike the rest of the resort. Gran Destino is also totally unlike every single other Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. It’s more akin to the Disney Springs area tower-style hotels, albeit with Disney perks and amenities. The tower itself has a Las Vegas-lite vibe, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just very different.
As a whole, Coronado Springs Resort is Walt Disney World’s biggest convention hotel. This likely explains why Gran Destino has such a different tone and style than every single other Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. It’s undoubtedly catering to conventioneers, who are not necessarily interested in the rest of Walt Disney World and want more condensed accommodations.
The walk from the farthest rooms to the convention center–especially in business attire–can be brutal. Now, the walk from Gran Destino to the convention center is entirely indoors. Thanks to Coronado Springs’ convention hotel designation, the amenities, dining, and rooms are all arguably better than other Moderate Resorts at Walt Disney World.
That’s the upside of staying at this convention hotel if you’re a ‘regular’ guest, as you benefit from all of these elevated offerings. The downside is that Coronado Springs also has a different atmosphere and clientele (at least, during big events), and isn’t always catering to a family audience.
We’ve stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort several times and have updated this review as the hotel–and our perspective–has changed over the years…
Coronado Springs is very spread out with Lago Dorado, a 22-acre lake, in the center. The resort is described as evoking “the spirit and romance of Spanish-colonial Mexico” during the time that explorer Don Francisco de Coronado searched for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.
Theming-wise, we both think that Coronado Springs is underrated. There are three different architectural influences at the resort (all under the general umbrella of Southwestern): Ranchos, Cabanas, and Casitas. The architectural styles around the resort vary from urban to countryside, and in between.
Ranchos have more neutral color schemes and draw inspiration from southwestern cattle ranches. Cabanas are more colorful, and are designed to evoke the feel of Mexican beach resorts. Casitas are more urban, with Spanish architecture similar to what exists in Southwestern cities.
The one glaring downside to all of this is that Gran Destino has created a visual blight on the rest of the resort. Its scale and style do not even remotely match the outlying buildings, and it towering in the distance can be visually jarring. For many of you, this won’t be an issue (and there are upsides that come with Gran Destino), but for fans of themed design or repeat Coronado Springs guests who stayed pre-tower, this is sure to be a big downside.
Coronado Springs Resort is not adjacent to any of the theme parks, so guests of this resort must rely upon bus transportation or their own vehicles. There is no boat or monorail transportation from Coronado Springs Resort to any of the theme parks or Disney Springs.
With Gran Destino added, there’s arguably more of a burden on the bus transportation at Coronado Springs, which already wasn’t the greatest due to the numerous stops. During our first stay post-Gran Destino, we noticed an increase in crowdedness on the buses. However, this could’ve been a one-off. Walt Disney World bus service is notoriously inconsistent.
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is possibly the most divisive resort on Walt Disney World property. Proponents believe it is very underrated thanks to its nice and newly-remodeled guest rooms, a well themed and huge pool complex, and the best dining of any Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World.
Critics feel that the atmosphere is ‘ruined’ by too many convention guests who take away from the ‘vacation’ feel of the resorts; others also complain that the resort is too spread out. As for the positive attributes, I feel they’re all spot on. As for the criticisms, I’ve never once felt that business-travelers were in any way negatively affecting my experience at Coronado Springs.
We view the surplus of business guests as a neutral. Presumably, they won’t be engaging in impromptu cheer sessions in the middle of the night (as can happen elsewhere when there’s a big youth event at ESPN Wide World of Sports). On the other hand, they might stay out at the bar a bit later than the average guest. Overall, though, they’re just like anyone else. Not really a big deal either way.
As for the resort being spread out, it absolutely is. Gran Destino and the new bridges across Lago Dorado go great lengths to minimize this, but it’s still a bit of an issue. If you don’t like walking, you’ll either want to book Gran Destino Tower or perhaps Port Orleans French Quarter. I love a nice walk and I find spread-out resorts to have more to explore and a better opportunity to convey their ambiance, so this “negative” is a big positive for me.
As for theme, some areas do an incredibly great job conveying their themes, especially the arid rock-covered paths in the Ranchos area. While the Ranchos fit the theme very well, I’m glad the entire resort isn’t designed this way.
The vibrance and more cheery architecture elsewhere is great, but even that has been muted as Disney attempts to blend the rest of the resort with Gran Destino. Ultimately, much of Coronado Springs strikes the perfect balance between Southwestern architecture and a charming ambiance.
The Dig Site pool is one area that is spectacular. It cracks our list of the Top 10 Pools at Walt Disney World, and frankly could rank much higher once you consider this entire area that offers a lot.
Beyond the pool and its 123-foot water slide, there’s also an arcade, play area, Siesta’s bar, volleyball court, and the largest hot tub at Walt Disney World. This whole area is really nice–it’s a huge selling point for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
During our visits, we’ve always noticed that this pool is always less busy than almost any other hotel at Walt Disney World. While I originally figured this was just our anecdotal observations, I now think it might be attributable to the hotel’s demographics. Can’t be using the pool midday if you’re in a convention. (Great for families who want midday pool time–no fighting the crowds!)
Now, let’s turn to the guest room:
We think Coronado’s guest rooms are the most nicely-appointed of any Moderate Resort. We’ve found the bedding and pillows to be nicer in quality, and the desk workspace nicer. This is likely all attributable to the ‘business/conventioneer’ nature of many guests.
At one point, we would’ve sweated that Coronado also had the largest rooms of any Moderate Resort. Apparently, that’s wrong (see our Hotel Room Sizes at Walt Disney World post for more info), but we still think they feel more spacious. Perhaps that’s just a more efficient use of space than the others?
The newly-redesigned room at Coronado Springs is pretty consistent with what Walt Disney World is doing elsewhere with room redesigns. Elevated beds for luggage storage, crisp (or bland) white bedding, and more low-key stylization.
For like the thousandth time, I think bed runners would go a long way in making the beds look less sterile, but I realize the hotel industry is moving away from them.
The television is a significant upgrade (in both size and quality), and there are now in-room Keurig machines. That chair in the corner is also new, and a nice touch.
We’re on board with the new streamlined desk and storage space under the television, and it’s nice to have a surplus of charging ports.
We also like the removal of carpeting, but that can lead to more noise. We’ve stayed in these new rooms twice and haven’t experienced this firsthand, so perhaps noise is properly mitigated.
The Three Caballeros art is also a nice touch–although I really wish they’d bring back the Three Caballeros topiaries, which used to be outside the main lobby.
For me, the change of the headboards and sliding doors is a downgrade. I loved the texture and rich wood, and thought that style simultaneously added a feeling of sophistication and thematic coherency.
The new headboards look more modern, but also cheaper. The doors also look cheap, but without looking modern.
The bathrooms are a significant upgrade. Significantly more storage space, nice twin sinks, great lighting in the mirror, and generally nice finishing.
It’s not pictured, but the toilet and shower are a separate room, just out of the frame to the right. These rooms still have a tub/shower combo.
As for dining, there are a lot of options at Coronado Springs. El Mercadero de Coronado (formerly Pepper Market) has become one of our favorite counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World, so that should say a lot about how we felt about it!
The center area of Coronado Springs has Maya Grill, Las Ventanas, and Cafe Rix, and a number of associated bars and lounges, plus Laguna Dock Bar outside along the water. With the addition of Gran Destino, these are all basically overflow dining for big conventions, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two close in the near future.
The noteworthy dining at Coronado Springs is all new. First, there’s Three Bridges Bar & Grill, a new over-the-water dining option that offers views of the fireworks at both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We love the atmosphere and food here, and think this restaurant offers strong value for money. (Read our Three Bridges Bar & Grill Review for more.)
Inside Gran Destino Tower, there’s Toledo — Tapas, Steak & Seafood and Dahlia Lounge on the top floor, which are both high end and chic. These also tout great views, and also offer views of the fireworks at both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There’s also Barcelona Lounge in the lobby. We haven’t dined at any of these yet (they just opened!), but look forward to doing so in the very near future.
One issue with Coronado Springs is crowds. When Gran Destino Tower was built, no pools or bus capacity was added to the resort complex. The rationale was that the new tower would be catering almost entirely to convention guests, who would typically not utilize amenities the same way or to the same extent as regular tourists.
However, that’s only true when conventions are occurring. When they are not, normal tourists are the clientele booking those rooms, and they do use the pools and buses. This can mean longer waits for buses (or ones that are commonly packed full of guests), plus more people at the Dig Site and Lost City of Cibola pool.
On the plus side, the normal convention clientele means Coronado Springs has a more formidable dining slate. This is discussed above, but it’s worth reiterating. A regular Moderate Resort would not have Barcelona Lounge, Dahlia Lounge, El Mercado de Coronado, Rix Sports Bar & Grill, Siestas Cantina, and Three Bridges Bar & Grill. Nor would it have guests rooms that are as nice as Coronado Springs. So it really is a double-edged sword.
Overall, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a bit of a mixed bag depending upon your perspective, but we think it’s mostly good. The rooms are great, the pool is nice, and the dining is better than literally all of the other Moderate Resorts combined. Suffice to say, everyone benefits from the amenities that are aimed at convention guests. The outlying room clusters are definitely Moderate in style, but Gran Destino and the amenities and near-Deluxe level.
With that said, a lot of the theming doesn’t suit my personal tastes. I can appreciate some of it, albeit it not what Gran Destino adds to the landscape, but as a whole it’s not as appealing as the other Moderates. Moreover, if you’re staying at the most remote buildings in the resort, it’s a hike to all the dining options, and while you’ll be closer to the Dig Site pool area and Three Bridges Bar & Grill, you may not want to bother with anything else. At this point, we recommend Coronado Springs for those who will stay in Gran Destino Tower, or those who can get a great deal on one of the rooms in the rest of the resort. Otherwise, there are better Moderate Resort options at Walt Disney World.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Coronado Springs…is it an incongruous convention hotel, or a great value with Deluxe-level amenities? Are you looking forward to a stay at Gran Destino, or is it not your style? Anything you love or loathe about Coronado? Any tips or thoughts to add? 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!
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My stay at Coronado Springs from Oct. 26-Nov. 5, started off rocky… with the bags arriving 5 hrs + later and all of our clothes soaking wet but Daniel and Danny at Coronado treated us like royalty, they gave us $$$ credits, Pins for the kids, T-Shirts, and extra dining.
They were amazing!!!!
Thank you very much Coronado Springs team
We stayed in Gran Destino tower in Sept with our adult children, two rooms. Don’t find the layout of the bathroom to be family friendly AT ALL. With the sink and shower in same room with no divider, only one person can use that area at a time. Also you have to go thru the sink/shower area to get to the toilet which is in its own little room with a pocket door. Otherwise the tower was very nice. Probably wouldn’t stay there again though because of bathroom situation.
Can anyone tell me if the dial in the refrigerator in the room should be turned all the way to the left or all the way to the right for the coldest setting?
We’re staying at the Gran Destino Tower in a few weeks for a long weekend. Not sure how I feel about the theming but figured this was the perfect kind of trip to try it out. This sounds so petty, but where can I get my mug refills?! Will I need to walk over to El Mercadero for that. And is that a long, out of the way walk? Sorry I can’t find out about the mugs anywhere else, haha!!
I’m almost positive there’s a refill station in Gran Destino Tower down by Barcelona Lounge.
We have stayed at Coronado Springs many times and enjoyed it. We like old rooms much better. Too much white in the new ones. One big surprise for us was the Maya Grill. The food was excellent and there were very few people there. I assume many used room service, but when we went to Jiko, we found tables full of business people. This year we will be back at Port Orleans, The French Quarter. I do miss the Dining Room there. Last year we stayed at Riverside and again, that was a pleasant surprise, as the last time we were there was at least 15 years ago.
We attended the Advances in Rhinoplasty Meeting at the Coronado Springs Resort, where we also stayed for 5 days. We found the accommodations were very good, reasonably priced and a short drive away from all kinds of places to enjoy ourselves! We had a great stay until we went to check out the morning of 4/8/2019 at 11:00 AM. For security reasons, all cars must stop and check with security personnel, understandable. We waited for our turn, stopped, rolled down the window and I told the security woman that we were checking out. To our surprise, she came closer and yelled: “did I say you could not check out”. We were taken aback by her bizarre response. I asked: “I am sorry?”. She just walked away. I related the incident to one of the managers (I believe her name was Judy), who could not be more apologetic for the behavior of another Disney employee. THANK YOU, Judy, for not letting the incident with the security woman be the last impression we would have of the Coronado Spring Resort! VMR
We stayed at CSR last Thanksgiving (2018), arriving the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and left the Tuesday afterwards. It was our second stay and won’t be our last. Is it huge? Yep. A little research before booking can help bring your walking times to El Centro down. The wife and I have no complaints! We did not hear any noise from the construction (stayed in Casitas 3), the staff was great and the food was good. Short walk to El Centro.
We had heard the POR was nice too and checked it out. We are from coastal SC so the design was the same as we have here. We will be returning to CSR on our next visit. Love the vibe and everything about it.
I stayed at the Coronado in the cabanas area in August of 2018…the rooms were very nice and modern and it was absolutely magical just like Disney is supposed to be. I just booked a trip for July 2019 and we will be staying in the newly built tower at the Coronado…it looks gorgeous in the pictures so I hope we love it too!! My advice is that iife is short so stay magical and count your blessings that you get to go to Disney!!
we stayed at this hotel last weekend. the rooms were very nice but the room was to far from the parking. we went to the SPORTS BAR to eat and watch the hockey game IT WAS A PLAYOFF GAME . they would not put the game on for us. what a poor excuse for a sports bar. we will not go there again. it was a very important game for us as fans .
Is the rumor true about the Pool being closed starting in September
Unless you are a young, active adult/family with active kids AVOID THIS HOTEL and MOST OF DISNEY. Had unfortunate experience this week at a 5-day conference at DCSR and was SHOCKED at just how bad Disney service and caring for their guests has become. I went to WDW as a child the first year it opened, so have a long experience with WDW and while the grounds of this hotel might be considered lovely (if it wasn’t for all the noisy construction and cranes everywhere) it is a TERRIBLE layout, the Ranchos are like a bad Motel 6, the food is about on par with a K&W or Golden Corral and the grounds are absolutely not handicap accessible. It’s a huge long walk from one end of the resort (your room) to the only places to eat or have meetings. When you finally stagger back to your room through the 100% humidity all you want to do is collapse – not change and try to walk 1/2 way again just to get to the pool. Even the bus stops for the shuttles to OTHER parks are incoveniently placed. I can’t for the life of me figure out why there are no golf carts or shuttles to take you around to your rooms if you don’t want to run or jog around the 22 acre lake or rent a scooter. Maybe that is the plan? $50/day for a scooter adds up! NEVER AGAIN. Everywhere is stand in line, no benches, not seats, walked 24K steps a day (only supposed to walk < 6K because I have arthritis with asthma and bad knees). Miserable experience, staff was friendly but completely unhelpful. Only good point was beds were okay and sheets clean but rooms were old, outdated and smelled of mold. I came home with a terrible flare up of my RA and Asthma from the lack of ADA.
You sound kinda high maintenance, there, Chris.
Everything doesn’t need to be catered to you. Stop complaining. No wonder you are in a hover round, eating at Golden Corral.
Chris your inconvenienced? Im the one standing in line a for a hour while your hover round ass wheels right to the front of the line. Plus I have to wait for you to get on the bus while I sweat my balls off waiting.
Yes, as you point out, there are a lot of families on this blog, but I’m a single adult (gay) male who has been to Disney many times and tries to go once a year: I absolutely _love_ Coronado Springs, and, if you are a drinker, Cafe Rix- stop by after ten pm- is a bar that is open late and (a) generally has a convivial (to singles) clientele and GREAT bartenders who have been bartending there for many years- at Disney, only bartenders at Crew’s Cup Lounge have longer tenures.
Maya Grill has a good menu and a GREAT tequila flight, better than “La Cava” in World Showcase, because Maya Grill has Sangritta chasers!
The pool, which you praise, is nice, but the poolside bar isn’t as well staffed as “Rix.”
I just booked another Disney Vacation for GayDays (I stay on property because I’m not a circuit party kinda guy), and despite having stayed at some Deluxe Resorts and the construction obstructions, I once again chose Coronado. It is a GREAT option for non-family Disney fans.
I can’t speak to groups with kids or couples, but for singles, Coronado is a great location.
Divisive resort, indeed. Looking at the comments (mostly negative) I am a little shocked. My family stayed last weekend and it was a great experience. The tower construction is an eyesore, but did little to impact our stay.
The pool area is definitely one of our favorites – even over some of the deluxe resorts. The entertainment staff is great, the pool is large, and our daughter loves the slide! I’m pretty impressed with the food at the poolside cafe as well.
We love Las Vantanas breakfast and some of the baked yummies at Rix, but Maya Grill seemed a bit pricey for what you get. Pepper Market is what it is – a Disney Resort counter service. Nothing to write home about, but convenient.
As for the rooms, we loved the old rooms, but they did feel a tad dated. We were very impressed with the renovations from a design perspective (my wife is an interior design consultant) and the space planning was well thought out. Double vanity is a huge plus!
The layout of the resort is very large and if you don’t feel like driving to the lobby or restaurants the walk can be a bit daunting. But we like it. We’re active and we like being outdoors – especially considering the theming and the beautiful grounds. Very well put together and maintained. It’s quite immersive and one of the reasons we love staying at CS.
If you’re on the fence, wait till the construction is done. If you don’t think it will bother you – take advantage of the lower rates and book it!
Do you know if it will remain a moderate resort after it is refurbished ?
cause it looks a lot like a deluxe. i hope it will though
I stayed at Coronado Springs for a conference. We took the Magical Express from ORD and had problems, luggage arrived in a couple of hours. My wife and I were provided a refurbished room and it was very nice. Lots of storage under the bed (probably a nod to Disney Cruise Line), two-head shower (no tub) and long table/desk. Giant 50” tv although it didn’t swivel and wasn’t centered between the two beds. Minor complaints: shampoo and soap bottles were literally locked to the shower wall (cost savings measure?), no suitcase stand, no tub (didn’t really care), and the pocket doors and sliding barn doors are very heavy and hard to close which concerns me as a parent. We didn’t stay near construction so the noise wasn’t noticeable but they were working at 7:00 am. We have stayed here before and knew the restaurants and bars were great and they haven’t changed. The bartenders at Rex were great and engaged the customers in conversation, lots of fun. The bus service was fine- we travel to Disney World a couple times a year and the wait times were in line with other resorts. Yes, lots of waking especially to get to the Big Dig pool but it’s a big place so no way around it.
Coronado Springs, IMO, feels more luxurious for a moderate level Disney resort that may have some short term growing pains I’m excited about the new tower and lake bridges to a new (?). I would stay here again.
CORRECTION: we had NO problems with the Magical Express transportation system.
Our non-refurbished room was AWFUL!! We had to extend our vaca by a day (thanks Delta!), so rather than go off property I got a room here. It was in Cabanas, and the dingy looking outside of the building was matched by the worn out looking inside of the room.
Although there are lots of things we found wrong, by far the biggest was the uncomfortable bed. One of the worst, if not the worst, we’ve ever had in a hotel anywhere.
Stay away unless you’re guaranteed a refurbished room.
Just got back from a week at Coronado Springs. This was our second time there, and I have to say it I regret my choice this time. Both on the Disney website and literature provided in the rooms stated construction noise should not be heard before 9:00am. This was not the case as it began as early as 7:00am (way too early). Also, our room was very basic. Last time we did have a “preferred” room but that was for location. I didn’t think that standard rooms were different. The bathrooms have not been updated in years other than the sink areas. – they should have done the showers.
My family and I stayed at Coronado Springs for 10 days in mid December 2017. It was a HORRIBLE experience and not only would I never stay there again, I most likely won’t stay at any WDW resort in the future. The whole experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and I’m beyond disappointed. We didn’t have any heat in our room for the first 3 nights. They finally gave us a new room, but packing, moving, and unpacking yet again was an enormous time consuming hassle. The new room had black mold all over the back of the bathroom door. The bath towels had holes in them. It took 20 minutes for anyone to answer the phone every time I called the front desk. The transportation was VERY slow and there was never enough of it. Service in the food court was terrible. The resort is very spread out, and unless you’re in one of the front buildings, it takes a long time to walk to the main building. And this is a moderate resort! I can only imagine what you get in the value resorts! Shame on Disney for charging so much money for a glorified Motel 6. Never again!
Coronado springs resorts was a pretty crappy experience and will never stay there again. And has kind of turned me off to the whole Disney experience overall, sadly. I’ve been coming to disneyworld with my husband and children for years. Crappy shuttle service to/from the parks with 1+ hour wait times (we were told a shuttle runs every 20 minutes during normal operating times and we waited up to an hour. What the heck are we paying for???). AVOID Coronado springs resort!
We stayed in December 2017. We checked in early morning, checked our bags with bell services and hit the parks. We didn’t get back to the resort until almost midnight. We called bell services over and over for 30 minutes with no answer. Finally I called the front desk and was placed on hold for 20 mins. When we finally reached them we were told we would get our luggage in about 20 mins. 45 mins later I called back and couldn’t reach anyone. It was now 1:45 am. My 19 yr old daughter went down to bell services and was told they would bring our luggage shortly. She told the people we had requested it almost two hours ago, Their reply was “we will get it there when we get it there” She then went into the luggage room and took our large cart that had over 19 pieces on it and pushed it all the way to Casiitas 3They had zero concern that they put us out! In the meantime we had realized that our handicap grandmother couldn’t get on the bed in her “handicap” room so we called the front desk and they found her a true handicap room two doors down so we no longer had adjoining rooms. We had a member of the front desk call our room at almost 3am waking us all up just to ask if we received our luggage. When I said yes my daughter broke into to the luggage room and took it he had no response besides “ok”
I requested to speak with a manager the next morning whom gave us some fast passes. We dealt hours of hassle for 3 fast passes. I know that we will NEVER stay at this resort again!
Your daughter sounds pretty awesome!