Coronado springs vs Hilton Bonnet Creek

[HattieT]

Hi guys,

After following these forums for months, I’m excited to be posting my first thread!

I’ve been looking at package deals for May 2020, booking through British Airways. We’re doing a split stay - 4n universal and 7n Disney. It will be my boyfriends first time at Disney World so I want to make sure he gets the best Disney experience. The best Disney hotel options I have found are Hilton Bonnet Creek and Coronado springs. CS is about £150 more per person (so would save us £300 overall to spend in the parks). Bonnet Creek has great reviews on Tripadvisor but I’m unsure about the shuttle bus situation? Is it worth paying the extra for Coronado to get the full Disney experience and direct shuttles to the parks? We will probably spend most of our time in the parks and not much (if any) time lounging around the pool.

Hilton Buena Vista Palace is even cheaper than both of the above, however I am reluctant to book this option due to the poor reviews on tripadvisor.

Any thoughts or advice on Coronado vs Bonnet Creek would be much appreciated!
Thanks

 

[goofyintoronto]

Hi guys,

After following these forums for months, I’m excited to be posting my first thread!

I’ve been looking at package deals for May 2020, booking through British Airways. We’re doing a split stay - 4n universal and 7n Disney. It will be my boyfriends first time at Disney World so I want to make sure he gets the best Disney experience. The best Disney hotel options I have found are Hilton Bonnet Creek and Coronado springs. CS is about £150 more per person (so would save us £300 overall to spend in the parks). Bonnet Creek has great reviews on Tripadvisor but I’m unsure about the shuttle bus situation? Is it worth paying the extra for Coronado to get the full Disney experience and direct shuttles to the parks? We will probably spend most of our time in the parks and not much (if any) time lounging around the pool.

Hilton Buena Vista Palace is even cheaper than both of the above, however I am reluctant to book this option due to the poor reviews on tripadvisor.

Any thoughts or advice on Coronado vs Bonnet Creek would be much appreciated!
Thanks

Hello.
Welcome to Dis! I see nobody has answered your question yet so i'll jump in. I haven't stayed at Bonnet Creek but i heard good things about it. I have stayed at Coronado and absolutely love this resort. Its gorgeous. Im all for staying on disney property, so that would be my recommendation for sure. Esp if you want him to have a memorable experience at disney. The transportation from Coronado is so much better than at Bonnet. I guess Bonnet has shuttle buses, but i dont think they run as often.

 

[SarahC97]

Personally, I think it's worth it to spend the extra money to be in the Disney bubble. We've never stayed at Bonnet Creek but I have heard good things about it, so I don't think you'll hate the hotel. But I've found that staying on property at a Disney resort just adds something special. It's worth the premium price to me, even if it's staying at a value hotel.

I have stayed at Coronado Springs several times and it's an amazing resort. Beautiful grounds, beautiful rooms, good restaurants, and a great location. I'd always choose to stay there over an off-property hotel. Just my opinion!

 

[summerlvr]

I stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek a couple of years ago, and it is a very beautiful resort with a true luxury atmosphere, but I hated the bus system. I don't know if it has changed since then, but at the time, it was very inconvenient.

First of all, you had to reserve and get a ticket for the times you wanted to use the bus. I used it once to get to Magic Kingdom, and it took over an hour from the time I got on the bus until I actually walked through the gates at MK. I'm a rope drop person, and even though the first bus was scheduled for 8AM, it was well after 9 before I got to the park.
After getting on the bus at the Hilton, we then went to the Waldorf Astoria to pick folks up. This took a while because all strollers have to be stored under the bus in the luggage compartment.
Unlike Disney buses, this one dropped off at the TTC. Then you take the monorail or ferry over to the MK.
If you are going to spend most of your time going to the parks and you want to get there at or before rope drop, you probably won't be happy with the buses at the Hilton.

Coronado Springs is a very nice resort and I would pay the extra to stay there just for the buses. There are multiple stops, but it is still better than the Hilton in my opinion. At Coronado, the buses come about every 20 minutes, or more often during the busy morning times, but at the Hilton it is much less often.
Is your Coronado price for a regular room or for the Gran Destino Tower? I've heard wonderful things about the tower, but I've never stayed there. I have stayed in a regular room several times and they are very nice and have been recently renovated. I like staying in Casitas 4 since it is near bus stop #2, which is the first stop picked up for the parks.

I hope you and your boyfriend have a wonderful time wherever you decide to stay!

 

[5kidsmommy]

I'm in the onsite DIsney bubble camp. Staying onsite will give you better transportation options. Coronado Springs is a beautiful resort. I think for his first visit he'd really enjoy being onsite.

 

[Babsy]

I haven't stayed at Bonnet Creek either, but I have stayed at CSR and it is wonderful! For the sake of 300 pounds, I would certainly stay at CSR if it were me. The convenience and the experience of actually being in the 'bubble' is worth it to us. We have stayed at other off site resorts and definitely prefer to stay on site.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I will say that Coronado Springs has by far the best bus service out of all the resorts i stayed at. I rarely had to stand...and i rarely waited longer than 10 minutes. They came pretty quickly. I was impressed that after the fireworks at MK there werent a lot of people waiting for the bus. I guess because its a convention resort so most people dont go to the parks? That could be why its so amazing.

 

[Ksquared]

I have stayed at both resorts and loved them both for different reasons. However, we never used the buses while at Bonnet Creek. I think if you want to stay there you would have to rent a car or use uber as their bus service is not as reliable. Also, it's not free so you would need to pay for it and should factor that into the savings.

For a first trip, if you can afford to stay onsite, then I'd go with Coronado Springs. Bonnet Creek is located right next to Caribbean Beach resort so it's location is great but we switched and stayed onsite one year and have not been back to Bonnet Creek since. Not to say I wouldn't stay there again, but we much prefer to be onsite if we can afford it.

 

[nkereina]

Of the resorts mentioned, Coronado Springs is the only "true" Disney resort where you will get the full experience and all the perks of an on-site stay. Its definitely worth the cost, especially for the first trip.

 

[auntfrannie]

I stayed at both last year (different trips). Definitely Coronado Springs! Hilton Bonnet Creek was a mess just driving up to drop the luggage and doing check-in. Cars were everywhere and there weren't enough bell services personnel to help. Inside the lobby there was no formal line designation (no stanchions, no roped area). This resulted in people just walking up to someone that was just finishing and people yelling at them that they had to wait in line. And because either their computer system was incredibly slow or their people were, the line to wait was quite long.

The Hilton had the same impersonal service that you get any any Hilton. Enjoy your vacation and stay at Coronado Springs.

 

[SueDee]

I agree with the others. I have had recent stays at both Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Coronado Springs and much prefer Coronado Springs due to the bus transportation.

 

[Shellyred8]

Another transportation aspect to factor in is transportation to and from the airport. If you stay at CSR, you can use the DME to and from the airport. If you stay at Bonnet Creek, you will have to arrange for and pay for your transportation to and from the airport. An Uber will probably cost you around $30 - 40 each way.

Have a great trip!

 

[alliecat523]

Based on the responses I believe you are looking at the condos vs the actual Hilton Bonnet Creek hotel? I just raise this question because the two are often confused.

I agree that the condos are not great and the shuttle is worthless. The hotel, however, is lovely and has a beautiful charter bus that it shares with the Waldorf. It runs on a set schedule (not just the blanket every 20 min). I would highly recommend the hotel.

 

[LeeleeSTAR]

I’m in the Coronado as i type. 100% advise picking this if it’s an option.

 

[HattieT]

Thank you so much everyone for your advice! I have gone ahead and booked Coronado Springs. Very excited for May

 

[seashoreCM]

... the actual Hilton Bonnet Creek ... hotel, however, is lovely and has a beautiful charter bus that it shares with the Waldorf. ...

Must be the same bus a previous reply referred to and mentioned the compartment underneath (that only beautiful buses have) and mentioned the Waldorf Astoria. All non-Disney's resort shuttles serving Magic Kingdom drop off at Transportation & Ticket Center and guests take the monorail or ferry to get to MK.

In an earlier lifetime I stayed at Coronado Springs because a convention I was attending was held right at that resort. The convention used all of my time so I did not go to parks those days. So I do not have CSR bus experience to compare with. (I went to parks for a few days prior when I stayed at a different on-site resort that cost less.)

 

[Lisann]

I'm in the "stay-at-Coronado" camp, especially with a first-timer!

 

[NMF]

Is your heart set on just those hotels? If you don't want to pay the extra money, I would recommend just doing a value hotel... Pop century is on the skyliner now. My boyfriend and I just went on a trip to Coronado, where we split the room cost with friends, but after the trip, we both agreed that the extra price on moderates is wholly not worth it. You still get magical express and magic hours, etc with a value, and honestly if you see the beautiful new pop century rooms, they're not that much different from a moderate room... they're a dot smaller and there is 1 sink in the bathroom instead of 2... other than that, they're a great way to save money and stay on property. I always recommend staying on property. It's really worth it in the long run

 

[gatour]

I have stayed at all three hotels.

1. Hilton Bonnet creek is the nicest, if you are planning spending time at the hotel.

2. Coronado Springs gets you the nice theming and decent bus service.

3. Hilton Palace. I have stayed there several times and have found it a nice hotel for the price. A plus it is across the street from Disney Spring (within easy walking distance)

A forth option is what I call the "Original Hilton" next to Disney Springs. It nicer than the Hilton Palace and even closer to Disney Spring in regards to walking. Between the two they flip flop in prices.

One thing about staying near Disney Springs is the option of utilizing Disney Transportation.