In February of 2018, my family was “pixie dusted” with the opportunity to attend Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration. While we paid a discounted cost to attend this event, my opinions are 100% mine and, as always, 100% honest.
My family is always looking for our next resort “home” whenever we visit Walt Disney World. We’ve tried a good number of the resorts, from value to moderate to deluxe. Each category has its own advantages and disadvantages.
However, as I’ve matured in my vacationing, I’ve come to one solid conclusion: sometimes time is more important that money. In this Coronado Springs Resort review, I aim to help you know exactly what you’ll be getting when you book this resort.
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a moderate resort. Moderate resorts are the price point between value hotels and deluxe hotels on the Disney property. A moderate resort means the rooms are bigger, the on site restaurant is usually nicer, and the buses are typically dedicated solely to that resort.
Main Building and Check-In
Guests will enter the resort through the main building unless you check-in and get your room assignment beforehand. If you’re using Magical Express, they drop you off at the front desk no matter what. If you opt to skip the front desk, be sure to venture over to the main building and check it out at some point during your stay. It’s gorgeous!
Restaurants
Next, you will probably want to grab some grub after a long travel day (or day at the parks) and any one of the four restaurants offered at Coronado Springs is a great place to do it. Because the hotel theme is Spanish-colonial Mexico, all of the restaurants are going to offer amazing Mexican inspired fare.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are offered at Las Ventanas, Cafe Rix, and Pepper Market.Make a reservation for the upscale, dinner only restaurant Maya Grill (perfect for date night) or indulge in a cocktail at Siestas Cantina (by the pool), Rix Sports Bar and Grill, and Laguna Bar!
The Dig Site
As a family with young children, we often judge our hotels by two things: the size and convenience of our room and the pool. Luckily, Coronado Springs checked off both of our boxes.
The Dig Site features the large “Lost City of Cibola” pool as well as a massive 123 foot water slide, complete with a spitting Jaguar! The Mayan inspired architecture adds to the ambiance, but guests are not allowed to climb the pyramid in the middle. It’s just for looks.
If active, family friendly pools aren’t your scene, there are three leisure pools in each of the “settlements” or areas where the rooms are located (Casitas, Cabanas, and Ranchos). We were fortunate enough to stay in the Casitas, and we chose to hop over to the Dig Site whenever it was pool time for us.
The Rooms
With over 120 influencers attending Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we weren’t all able to stay in the same buildings (or swap rooms to try others out). My experience at Coronado Springs was based on our stay in the Casitas, specifically building 8A. We would definitely choose that building again if we could because of its proximity to the main pool and main buildings.
Our room was an updated room. We had new flooring and decor, and the bathroom was separated by a sliding door for both the sink area and the shower area. This was incredibly helpful for us when I had to get up early to get ready for sessions and the rest of the family slept in! Moderate Disney hotels are some of my favorite. Most of the time, we are just sleeping there, but I’ve really come to appreciate the extra space moderate rooms have for luggage and general “stuff” my family seems to accumulate on our vacations!
Grand Destino Tower
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort underwent some refurbishment between 2018-2019. The 15 story tower expansion is Grand Destino Tower.
It is aimed at convention goers and folks who don’t generally care so much about a resort being “Disney themed” (which is sad to me, but to each his own), so I expect it to be modern and fresh with more subtle Disney touches.We were not disturbed by any of the construction work, and the new tower looks gorgeous. It’s added new rooms and a new restaurant and lounge to the resort. I can’t wait to check it out next time we are in Walt Disney World!
Finally, do note that if you are staying at Coronado Springs for a convention or conference, the ballrooms and meeting rooms are a hike from the hotel rooms. Make sure you have your walking shoes!
Have you ever stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort? I’d love to hear what you think of it!
I’m Sarah, and you’ve landed on my website, On the Road with Sarah. This is where I share travel stories, tips, and so much more!
