Quick Overview & First Impressions:
First Impressions stepping into the magic of Coronado Springs:
Coronado Springs was BEAUTIFUL, whilst it was the first time we have stayed on Disney property it exceeded our expectations. The theming was stunning as you walk around the resort, it was immaculately maintained. It will be hard to forget the memory of the first time we walked across the bridges and saw the tower. Equally memorable was walking into the lobby in the tower, it was breathtaking in both scale and grandeur.
The resort is large, but everything was in a 10 minute walking distance which we were pleasantly surprised about. The gift shop called Panchito’s had a great selection, and seemed large in comparison to many of the other shops we have seen when researching, there is also some daily essentials on sale such as Milk etc which was useful particularly with the toddler.
The Rooms & Accommodations:
The Rooms: Comfort, Style, and what you need to know:
Ratings: 4 / 5
The room in the Rancho’s area is not heavily Disney themed, but had nice touches with the 3 caballeros on artwork. We loved the décor it was just right, the room looked as if it was recently updated & no signs of wear & tear.
The room itself was spacious enough despite it containing 2 large double beds, alongside we had pre-requested a cot through the MyDisney App. The beds & pillows were super comfy, just what you need after long days. The duvet was nice and thin, again very helpful when it is warm at night time. The Beds were raised quite high which was practical allowing for suitcase storage underneath. The remaining floor space would have disappeared quickly if suitcases needed to be stored elsewhere. Only downside for us was that we were always worried that the children would fall out of the bed and hurt themselves on the hard floor, that being said, the bed is so big that there was little chance of them rolling around enough. The Cot was also a really good size for our 18 month old.
The room was extremely clean when we arrived, and for us we felt that the Mousekeeping every other day maintained a good level of cleanliness, that being said we didn’t spend much time in our room other than sleeping which probably helped.
Our room was an adjoining one & having read reviews from others staying on property we were worried that the rooms were not particularly sound proof. A potential nightmare when trying to maximise any sleep we can with the 3 little ones, however we didn’t hear any noise across the 2 weeks from the adjacent room or people going past our room via the walk way, given the feedback we had seen, this was a real positive.
There was one bedside table set between the 2 double beds, whilst our preference would have been to have one per bed, appreciate that this would not have been practical in terms of maximising the space in the room. The bedside table did provide some additional storage space with plug points, it also had a decent sized safe built in, which was more than enough to store Ipad’s / purses / wallets and a pair of AirMax headphones.
We did find that the storage offered by the unit against the far wall was much better, there was lots of draw space, enough for us to store clothes for the 3 boys and some of mine too. In addition more plug sockets were located above this. By using extension cables it gave us sufficient charging options for all our phones, battery packs, portable fans & magic bands.
This Is also where you find a small beverage cooler which was just about enough to keep a few small food items and drinks cool. There is also Coffee maker, which we didn’t use a great deal as it didn’t seem the cleanest.
The Bathroom and Bedroom areas are separated by a sliding door,
The bathroom had a lovely vanity with plenty of space for soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes and make up. Our room also contained a bath with an overhead shower, it did have a retractable washing line that pulled across the bath, a useful touch especially for drying out swimming outfits etc.
Within the bathroom, there was a relatively small wardrobe, sufficient for my wife and I to hang our nicer outfits, also stashed in here were the iron / ironing board, hair dryer and spare pillows.
Finally the air con worked a treat and made a real difference, this was a little noisy and possibly needed updating it did not interfere in any way.
Dining at the resort:
Dining at Coronado Springs: From Quick service to Fine Dining:
Overall – 3.5 / 5
3 Bridges 4 / 5
You couldn’t ask for a better location, sat on the water with amazing views of the resort, the one of the tower at night is especially good. The food was delicious, we had the queso dip to start with Steak Frites for Entrée, whilst more expensive than other options it was good value for money overall.
Our reason for scoring it down is not going to be applicable to everyone, but when we arrived we were told we would get an email and text when our seats are available so we were free to go and grab a drink from the outdoor Laguna bar. However because we are from the UK and with a UK mobile number it turned out that the SMS functionality doesn’t always work. By the time we received the email and returned to restaurant we were told we had missed the window, despite showing the front of house that we only had the email 4 minutes prior to coming back. We did complain as this wasn’t ideal with the 3 children, and they did prioritise us when new seats became available.
Rix Sports bar – 2 / 5
We went one evening & didn’t have high expectations, the menu was a bit generic and nothing jumped out. That being said, the burger I had was not too bad, and similar feedback from everyone on the table. The food was nice, but nothing to shout about and a little overpriced.
Maya Grill – 3.5 / 5
This restaurant was a little divisive for our travelling party, my wife & I shared the Carne Asada, which was AMAZINGLY tasty, however the rest of the party had other choices on the menu including the Fajitas and the pork dish which they were less convinced by. Service was also slow in here considering there was only a handful of guests in the restaurant. Again overall probably not the best value for money, although I would happily go back again for another taste of the Carne Asada.
El Mercado – 4 / 5
From the first morning eating a plate of mickey waffles, bacon, sausage a massive donut and cake in El Mercado, it set the tone for the holiday, we were officially in the Disney bubble & loved every minute. The options available were quite varied and it always provided a good option, I had the chicken tinga rice bowl which was very tasty, can’t go wrong with chicken tenders. As Coronado Springs catering is outsourced you don’t get all the options on the menu of other restaurants, however we were aware we could request the classic large Disney pizza but this was not so straightforward and created confusion initially. We did get it though after about 30 minutes and it was worth the wait (nearly).
Amenities & Recreation:
Overall: 3 / 5
Pools:
We used both the main pools & the smaller pool within the Rancho’s area multiple times during the 2 week vacation. The main pool was never too busy, the boys loved the slide and the theming, we tended to go in the evening which meant the water was a little cold, but I am sure that would be perfect in the hot parts of the day.
We did also enjoy playing table tennis and the boys had a run about the outdoor playing area with a slide too, this was a lovely little bonus area. There was a volleyball court too, but we 0didn’t get chance to use it.
There was also a small splash pool for the baby to enjoy too. The small pools did a job and were convenient, but were basic with no entertainment provided, on the plus side the pools were quiet so the boys could do plenty of splashing without spoiling everyone else’s day.
Laundry service:
We hadn’t intended to use this facility however given the close proximity to the pool and our room we thought we would give it a go. The washer dryers were easy to use, we used the detergent from the onsite vending machines which we found very useful, although it didn’t quite deliver the freshness and scent we get from using our own detergent, neither is it cost effective, so where possible bring or purchase your own if you plan to do laundry.
Resort activities:
We attended the Halloween party, this was brilliant, far better than we expected. We were planning to walk past and spend 5 – 10 minutes there maximum, but it offered so much, the DJ was awesome entertainment for the children ( and some adults), there were plenty of games for everyone to get involved with and a huge amount of treats for the boys to fill up their bags with, I think we were there for nearly 2 hours and the party was still going on.
Roasting marshmallows:
This was another activity that we did spontaneously and not something the boys have done in the UK. They loved the experience and great considering it cost nothing, we will absolutely do this again and upgrade to make it by purchasing a Smores kit at a small cost.
Location & Transportation:
The location of the Rancho’s area was absolutely perfect for us, right next to the car park and the bus stop outside our building was the first drop off and pick up spot for all of the parks. This was so perfect for us, we were no more than 5 minutes walk from the bus stop, we never had any issue at all in getting a seat, which was a big positive for us with children, also drop off first meant we could get back to our room quickly. To give a balanced perspective, this did mean we were effectively the furthest away from the tower, but this was no more than a 10 minute walk each way to the shops and food hall. For people without any mobility issues this walk is stunning especially over the bridges across the lake. We really did not see this as an inconvenience for us & we found it a great way to start our day.
The Pros & Cons:
Pro’s
- The resort is beautiful.
- Room was updated, clean and had sufficient space for us all.
- The little things, such as roasting marshmallows, Halloween party and the tower elevated our experience.
- The buses to the parks.
- The Smell of the resorts (if you know, you know).
Con’s
- Some of the food options were limited and possibly not always worth the price.
- Whilst it didn’t affect our stay due to timing & maybe some luck, I can imagine if there is a big convention during the stay it can become more crowded and put pressure on the amenities.
- No affordable options for families with 5 members or more requiring a single room.
Our honest verdict
- Our honest verdict is we would stay here again in a heartbeat. Whilst the Cons are around food, there are so many options on Disney property it is a good excuse to go and spend more time in Disney Springs. There is still plenty of other experiences such as the Dahlia lounge for a cocktail and the stunning Barcelona lounge for a coffee which we didnt get to do. There is also a running track around the park, which is not a selling point personally, but for those inclined I can imagine it would be a very scenic route.
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