Coronado Springs Resort Review

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is a Moderate Resort with a Southwest theme. I stayed there recently for the Disney Princess half marathon weekend. This review features room and resort photos and my thoughts on staying at Coronado. Please note that the Coronado is still under construction at this time, with the Gran Destino Tower being built towards the front of the resort.

Coronado Springs is very spread out with Lago Dorado, a 22 acre lake, in the middle of the resort. Disney describes the resort as “evoking the spirit and romance of Spanish colonial Mexico” during the time that Don Francisco de Coronado searched for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.

Coronado Springs is often named Disney’s convention hotel, but the feel of the resort is very relaxing and laid back in my opinion. It’s not close to any of the theme parks in terms of walking distance, so guests must rely on bus transportation or their own vehicles, however, I did not have an issue with bus transportation when I stayed on property. The bus schedule ran on time and frequently the buses even showed up earlier than their original scheduled times. There are four main bus stops at the resort which didn’t seem to slow us down that much, as I’ve heard complaints about other resorts transportation being an issue. There is no boat or monorail system from Coronado Springs Resort to any of the theme parks or Disney Springs.

Lago Dorado at sunset

The new 15 story Gran Destino Tower will add 500 rooms, including suites and concierge level rooms and is still under construction. My recent visit to Coronado Springs was not affected by this construction, other than the fact that the gates to access the rooms at the back of the property seemed to not be functioning correctly and let visitors enter with no need to scan their room keys.

Room refurbishments are also underway and are occurring in phases by building and should be finished soon. I stayed in one of the refurbished rooms and it was very nice, with comfortable beds, nice flooring and updated bathrooms. The Coronado construction is not intrusive for guests; from the building I stayed in towards the back of the property you could not hear any construction during the day (I was able to take a nap after the half marathon with no disturbances). The only way you would know is by driving or traveling past the parts that are under construction. Otherwise the property is very quiet and comfortable.

Bathrooms in the standard guest rooms. Lots of storage space and clean, modern decor. 

Theme wise I was less than impressed with the décor at Coronado Springs. Yes, it has the Southwest theme and the grounds are beautiful, but it doesn’t encompass that ‘Disney’ feel for me. The architectural styles at the resort vary under the general theme of Southwestern, with the buildings being called Ranchos, Cabanas and Casitas. We stayed in one of the Ranchos buildings, with the décor being modest with neutral colors. The rooms were comfortable and on par with other Disney moderate resorts I’ve stayed at as far as sizing and furniture. However, if you are looking for more “Disney” thematic elements in terms of character decorations in the rooms or small things like the letters or faucet handles to remind you of Disney movies, you will be disappointed. These rooms are much more ‘regular’ hotel like. The beds were very comfortable and the bathroom is clean and modern. Besides the lack of specific Disney decorations in the room, the only complaint I had is that, upon crossing the threshold of the bathroom, the fan in the bathroom automatically comes on, which can be quite annoying if you are staying on property during a race weekend with people who aren’t waking up to do the race.

The guest rooms at Coronado look much like a regular modern hotel

RECREATION

The main recreation area of Coronado Springs is called ‘The Dig Site’ or alternatively ‘The Lost City of Cibola’ named after the mythical cities of gold sought after by Coronado. The Dig Site is about a five minute walk from El Centro, close to the Cabanas and Ranchos buildings. The main pool, the Lost City of Cibola pool, has an impressive Mexican pyramid structure as its main decorative point. I was actually quite impressed with the pool. The pool and pyramid house a water slide and there is a kids play area here as well. Siestas Cantina, a bar in the pool area, offers refreshments. The arcade, spa and playground are also at the Dig Site. There’s a significant amount here to entertain families and it’s also a great spot to relax if you are on an ‘adult only’ vacation. I thoroughly enjoyed the pool and the water slide…being a young kid at heart, I love when pools have unique elements and fun slides. The hot tub was also nice to have, particularly on a race weekend when my feet were achy from running all the miles. Although I didn’t get to spend much time at the Dig Site, I would definitely enjoy spending more time here on a future visit.

The Mayan pyramid structure at the main pool

Like the other Moderate resorts, Coronado Springs maintains an active recreation schedule, including a nightly campfire and Movies Under the Stars. I did not have a chance to partake in these activities as I was going to bed super early due to being up so early on race morning. However, I highly recommend checking these activities out if you are staying here and are not on a schedule for sleep!

Coronado Springs is described as being in the ‘Animal Kingdom resort area’ but really sits between Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. It’s possible to get to all parks via the bus system, which runs frequently and on time (at least it did when we stayed there). I had no complaints about the frequency and timeliness of the bus system at this resort. It did not take long to get to the different stops or to the parks. Race morning transportation was efficient and easy to follow.

One cool extra...you can see fireworks at the property from Epcot.

DINING

Coronado Springs has two table service restaurants, two quick service restaurants, one snack shop, three bars (with two of the bars being inside the restaurants) and also offers in room dining. The table service restaurants are the Maya Grill and Rick’s Sports Bar and Grill. I did not dine at either of these during my stay, so I won’t review them here because I haven’t experienced them personally. The quick service restaurants, El Mercado de Coronado and Siestas Cantina, however, have very good food in my opinion. I dined at both during my recent stay and, of all the quick service resort restaurants I have dined at, I enjoyed these the most. El Mercado de Coronado is a food court style option which serves things like bowls, sandwiches, burgers and pizza. I had one of the Chipotle style bowls and was actually impressed with the quality of the food. In my previous experience at quick service restaurants, the food quality has only been so-so. This option was very tasty. Siestas Cantina has a more limited menu but I still enjoyed the sandwich I ate here compared to some other quick service places I’ve eaten.

El Mercado de Coronado, one of the better quick service restaurants. 

SHOPPING

Shopping is available at Panchito’s in Coronado Springs, which has the typical Disney merchandise and some small necessities guests may have forgotten to bring along with some Mexican and Southwestern style offerings. As is typical of Disney shops, some of the prices can be on the more expensive side for comparable items elsewhere, but if you’re looking for something along the theme of the resort there are some cute options.

Having stayed at a few different value and moderate resorts on Disney property, I can say that I would stay at Coronado again, but only if other options I enjoy were not available or out of my budget. If I am going to stay on Disney property and pay money for a Disney hotel, I really prefer more of a Disney theme to the property and rooms. While Coronado Springs is a very nice hotel, it just doesn’t “do it” for me in terms of giving me that “Disney feel.” Since the Coronado rooms don’t distinguish themselves over other basic room décor, if I’m going to spend money to stay at a moderate resort, I think I’d rather stay at a resort with dedicated theming or save a little money by staying at a value resort.