Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World Review
In this review of Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World, discover everything you need to know for your next Florida family vacation!
With its Central American theming, convenient location next to Hollywood Studios, and sprawling campus, Coronado Springs Resort is an excellent option for your next visit to the happiest place on earth.
Yet, it doesn't seem to get the love that other moderate resorts get, especially popular ones like Port Orleans.
Why? Perhaps it's because it's often populated by droves of business travelers staying on property and attending one of the many conferences hosted here.
Earlier this year, we found a great deal on a room at Coronado Springs, so we decided to try it out, and determine once and for all if this moderate resort was great for families visiting Walt Disney World or if it needed to be left to the business travelers.
We ended up liking it so much during our first trip that we booked another stay at Coronado Springs for our next trip just a few months later!
Read on to see why you shouldn't overlook this fun, beautifully themed resort that's perfect for families.
The History of Coronado Springs Resort
Built in 1997, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort currently has 1,951 rooms surrounding the 15-acre central lake.
I can vaguely remember staying here as a middle schooler right after it was built. I remember thinking it was different than Port Orleans Resort, our favorite Disney Resort in the mid-90s.
Unlike Port Orleans, Coronado Springs in the mid-1990s felt vaguely business-like to me since it had many more travel amenities like the massive attached conference center, multiple restaurants, and multiple pools.
Today, much of those same features are still what attracts companies to have their annual retreats on the property.
See the Coronado Springs Resort map here.
My family ended up switching to the value resorts after All-Star Movies and Pop Century were built, and, for whatever reason, didn't head back to Coronado Springs until the last few years.
And what a time it is to return to the resort: a new 15 story hotel tower opened in spring 2018, marking the first major construction on this property since it was originally built.
Pros and Cons of Coronado Springs Resort
Pros of Staying at Coronado Springs
The hotel attracts quiet business travelers instead of big school groups.
Is that the sweet sound of silence?
Yep. Thanks to its heavy rotation of business travelers, this resort is one of the quietest that I’ve stayed at on property.
During our stays, we had the place nearly to ourselves as the business travelers didn’t seem to utilize the pool or other on-site amenities too much.
We did see a good number of families, but they seemed to be enjoying the low crowd levels as much as we were.
The resort is so big that you don’t need to go to the parks everyday.
Staying here is a destination unto itself.
I highly recommend that you plan at least one day to spend at Coronado Springs during your time at Disney World.
Hanging around the resort means you can relax by the pool, book a massage at the spa, eat at the restaurant, or working out in the gym.
Planning a resort day is great for keeping the entire family stress-free on your vacation, especially if you’re traveling to Disney World with toddlers!
There’s an internal resort bus system.
To help you get around Coronado Springs, the resort has a dedicated internal shuttle system.
There are several shuttle stops around the perimeter of the resort, which will take you to the main building and the park bus station, the main pool, or the other room areas.
This shuttle system is free and convenient if you don’t feel like hiking to the main building to refill your coffee mug.
The shuttles came regularly during our stays and quickly took us to the area that we needed to go.
Cons of Staying at Coronado Springs:
The theming here isn’t as strong as other Disney World properties.
While Disney World does some incredible theming in its resorts, some of them are more obvious than others.
Think of the larger-than-life statues at Art of Animation or the intricate landscaping throughout The Polynesian.
Coronado Springs draws inspiration from the American Southwest, including Spanish tile throughout the resort, beautiful fountains, Spanish-inspired restaurants, and a few appearances of the 3 Amigos.
Still, in an effort to balance that Disney decor with the necessity of a more business-like feel, the theming ends up being neither. It’s Disney decoration, sort of.
This isn’t enough for me not to book this resort again, but it is something to get used to if you’re used to staying at the other, stronger themed resorts.
There aren’t any other transportation options other than the buses.
Once thing that many of the on-property resorts do well is offering up multiple ways to get to the parks.
For example, Pop Century, Riviera, and Art of Animation all offer both the buses and the Skyliner. Swan and Dolphin also are within walking distance of the Skyliner at Epcot.
The Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and Polynesian offer up the monorail and buses.
Fort Wilderness has the buses and the ferry system.
Given that nearly all of the other resorts offer up more than one way to get to the parks, it’s a negative for Coronado Springs that it only has the buses, which can be crowded at peak times.
While Coronado Springs is really close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, it doesn’t have any walking paths connecting it, which is another missed opportunity in my opinion.
Coronado Springs Room Review
My preschooler hamming it up for the camera in the bathroom area of the room
There are four different sections across Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs: the Casitas, Rachos, and Cabanas in the original hotel footprint as well as the newer Gran Destino Tower.
During both of our visits, we've been placed in the Casitas section which, if you look at the Coronado Springs Resort map, you'll notice are the closest to the main building and conference center.
They're also the closest to the fitness center and spa as well.
A preferred room in the Casitas section
As a downside, the Casitas are the furthest from the main pool, which is called the Lost City of Cibola feature pool.
However, there is a small, non-themed pool right next to Casitas 3 for quick dips.
We stayed in a preferred room in Casitas 3 during our first visit and a standard room in Casitas 2 during the second stay.
The preferred room was definitely bigger and was closer to the lake, but I don't know that the difference was enough for me to pay extra for it (we were upgraded at no extra charge during check-in).
The sliding door leading into the bathroom area
The rooms have super comfortable mattresses and just-the-right-weight bedding, small desks, and bathrooms with their own sliding barn doors.
The ability to separate the bathroom from the sleeping area is a big deal since no one likes being woken up with a light in their face when the early bird of the group starts to brush his/her teeth.
This divider is the biggest difference for me over the Value resorts, which don't even have a curtain between the sink area and the beds.
My cute baby on the adorable southwest-inspired bedsheets
Coronado Springs Resort Service
Like the other on-property resorts, the main hall at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs has a massive check-in area and a concierge desk.
>> Compare more features of staying on-property and off-property at Walt Disney World here. <<
However, the Coronado Springs lobby also has bell hop service, and a rental car desk.
We had some issues with our Magic Bands on our second visit, and the concierge had us on our way quickly.
The cast members in the gift shop were also super friendly every time we visited, and, as wandering around looking at Disney stuff is one of my kids’ favorite pastimes, we spent a lot of time on each visit.
Of all of the places we interacted with cast members on property, the ones who were not super invested in the Disney magic were the cashiers at Pepper Market and Siestas Cantina.
On each of my visits, every cashier I had argued with me that I could not use my business debit card as a credit card.
As the wife of a banker and someone who constantly uses that debit card as a credit card on my travels, I know this can be done, but they insist that I get out of line and get a new form of payment.
They all had to call a manager for something that seems really basic, and I'm not sure why this was such a hang up since I had no other issues with my card anywhere else on Disney property or at any other store at home.
Resort Amenities
Thanks to the thousands of people who come to the conferences annually, Coronado Springs has everything you could possibly need, including:
a poolside bar,
a full-service restaurant,
a cafeteria-style dining area,
a hair salon,
a fitness center, and
a spa.
There's also a large main pool complete with a Mayan style pyramid and three smaller pools scattered around the property.
There are some really cute organized activities for the entire family like poolside outdoor movies, campfires, and surrey and bike rentals.
Besides all of the extra amenities, there are all of the on-property perks like a dedicated bus pick-up area, Magic Band access to the rooms, and charging privileges to the bands.
Final Thoughts
While you will see conference attendees with their bags and badges walking around the property, Coronado Springs is equally perfect for families on their big Walt Disney World vacation.
Unlike the hordes of raucous high school athletes, cheerleaders, and school groups that you often find at the value resorts, the conference attendees are there on business, so you won't have to worry about screaming and running in the hallways at 2 AM.
(If I ever had to turn my back on Pop Century resort, it would be because of this behavior.)
Because of the generally courteous nature of the conference attendees, family travelers won't even know that the business groups are there: each group is left to their own itineraries and everyone is happy.
We will definitely be back to wander around the beautifully designed campus at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort again!
What's your favorite hotel at Walt Disney World? Have you stayed at Coronado Springs Resort?
