Nervous about Coronado Springs....

[DisMom79]

I’ve been reading on TripAdvisor and a few other sites that CS has been a nightmare lately. Can’t get in the pool, horrendous bus waits can’t get food, mobile order taking 2+ hours, grab and go lines at Mercado out the door... etc. I’m not gonna lie I’m scared.... I’ve decided to use Lyft and I’ve made a few dining reservations but since we only booked a month early there’s not a lot available.

We’re essentially first time WDW... My husband and I went once in 2001 kids have never been. We’re frequent DL goers who need our fix and decided to jump on the great prices. I’m not sure what I’m asking... someone to tell me it’s not as bad as they say? I’m also hoping since spring breaks will be over it will be better. Any advice appreciated. TIA!

 

[Olaf63]

I wouldn't worry. I've read so many positive reviews about the resort and the pool texting system. You have to remember it is spring break right now so there are more guests.

 

[kylenne]

Take Trip Advisor with boulders of salt. As someone who lives and breathes customer service for a living (albeit for the government), the bald truth is that people are far, far more likely to complain about a bad experience than they are to give praise for a good experience.

And that goes triple if those “other sites” you mentioned include places like Yelp and FB groups.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I agree with PPs, I wouldn’t overthink reviews. It’s good to read up around different places, including here, just to get a frame of reference, but at some point you have to go with your gut based on your own travel preferences and an educated assessment of the situation. Not saying any of your referenced things don’t or won’t happen at some point during any given day, but they aren’t constant/all day long situations.

That being said, as a DL vet, just curious... did you look into any other resorts, in particular ones where you can walk to a park? I like CSR a lot, but obviously a very different setup than DL.

 

[Eastern]

Lyft is really nice but don't depend on prompt pickups during peak times like dinner hour, park opening, or when parks let out. Have a Plan B.

 

[LetsDoDisney!]

Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to get back to our “home” resort CSR in a couple of weeks! Just the beauty of the resort, the peaceful feel of it. We love the walk around the lake, which is different now I’m sure because of the bridges etc. but we’ll still love it. We love the pool, will just plan to put our name on the list if needed, no big deal there. I know going into it that the food situation has changed so we will change along with it. Might order takeout from Rix or Three Bridges, might not. We plan to go with the flow this trip. We won’t starve, we won’t be denied park time because of the buses, we’ll go gwhen we want to and get to the park when we get there. Can’t stress over what we can’t change. We’ll stay late if we want to or go back to the resort early.....we’re leaving it wide open other than obviously having park reservations so we have those in place. Just biding my time.... 2 weeks from today can’t come soon enough!

 

[Markal]

Coronado is our favorite moderate. We‘ve stayed there 3 times, and have been pleased every trip. I agree with the others - don’t stress over the reviews. Hope you have a “magical” trip!

 

[shyjade]

Last night we returned from a 5-day stay at CSR. Were there issues with some buses? Yes. Did we have to wait to get into the pool area? Yes. Was food service slow? Yes. Was it as magical as prior trips? Not for us. With all that said, we've stayed at CSR half a dozen times and will return again, even with the issues. We still had a great time, the resort is beautiful, and there were issues in the parks, too. It's not a CSR issue, it's a covid issue. There are lines and delays everywhere on property.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

The things that were said could be said about most of the resorts. You have no idea what was going on during that stay that was under review. Was it Christmas or spring break? If you get there and you are miserable Disney is the best at helping you. We had a stay at Coronado in Oct. and we were really unhappy the cm said we could upgrade to the tower for $50 or they would help us move to another location. You are not stuck

 

[Nabas]

The things that were said could be said about most of the resorts.

Agree.

We waited for the pool in November at the Beach Club, waited for the pool in March at the Wilderness Lodge.

Bus service is always hit-or-miss. It's largely a matter of timing. Sometimes you walk up and the bus is there in 5 minutes. Other times, you watch as bus-after-bus shows up for other theme parks, we no bus for the one theme park you care about.

However, we've not had problems with Mobile Order. I'm estimating that the longest we waited was about 15 minutes.

We've stayed at CSR several times and like it.

 

[DisMom79]

You all are doing great at calming my worries! I logically know all of these things... but helps to hear it from others. Keep the logical tips coming!

 

[DisMom79]

Agree.

We waited for the pool in November at the Beach Club, waited for the pool in March at the Wilderness Lodge.

Bus service is always hit-or-miss. It's largely a matter of timing. Sometimes you walk up and the bus is there in 5 minutes. Other times, you watch as bus-after-bus shows up for other theme parks, we no bus for the one theme park you care about.

However, we've not had problems with Mobile Order. I'm estimating that the longest we waited was about 15 minutes.

We've stayed at CSR several times and like it.

Awesome to hear about mobile order. So there is no like schedule for the buses? You just go to the bus stop and wait for buses to show up?

 

[DisMom79]

The things that were said could be said about most of the resorts. You have no idea what was going on during that stay that was under review. Was it Christmas or spring break? If you get there and you are miserable Disney is the best at helping you. We had a stay at Coronado in Oct. and we were really unhappy the cm said we could upgrade to the tower for $50 or they would help us move to another location. You are not stuck

Yes.... reviews in question were from March. Probably spring break. I keep telling my husband, most spring breaks are done by end of April. Why were you really unhappy at Coronado?

 

[Nabas]

Awesome to hear about mobile order. So there is no like schedule for the buses? You just go to the bus stop and wait for buses to show up?

Yes, that's how it is at every Disney hotel. Buses should be there every 30 minutes or less.

 

[DisMom79]

I agree with PPs, I wouldn’t overthink reviews. It’s good to read up around different places, including here, just to get a frame of reference, but at some point you have to go with your gut based on your own travel preferences and an educated assessment of the situation. Not saying any of your referenced things don’t or won’t happen at some point during any given day, but they aren’t constant/all day long situations.

That being said, as a DL vet, just curious... did you look into any other resorts, in particular ones where you can walk to a park? I like CSR a lot, but obviously a very different setup than DL.

Seriously in DL we walk everywhere! Uber from SNA and don’t use a vehicle again. I know WDW is huge but honestly I didn’t research resorts or locations. We decided last week to do this, looked on WDW site and booked a moderate. Caribbean Beach only had pirate rooms left and those are only double beds so that was out. Not a lot of options with the last minute trip. So that’s how we decided on Coronado. I only did research after the fact. It is what it is. I’m going because I miss Disney and going to just take it for what it is. It’s not going to be a “perfect” experience. As nothing has been this past year. But it will be fun no matter what! Excited for Pandora, Everest, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Slinky Dog Dash, the mine train, and all of the other new experiences unique to WDW. Also to ride TOT again and splash mountain since ours will be rethemed before I get to ride again. . Plus I need to remind myself 35% capacity is nothing!

on a side note.... I replied to a few people below and then I couldn’t comment for 30 min. Is that normal??

 

[wdwobsessed]

We are here now. It’s fine. We got grab and go breakfast with a short wait. Walked in this afternoon for a snack to an empty Mercado. Went to the Lounge tonight for drinks and a nosh. All good. People like to complain.

 

[wdwobsessed]

PS. Can’t comment on the pool or bus. We have a car.

 

[DisMom79]

We are here now. It’s fine. We got grab and go breakfast with a short wait. Walked in this afternoon for a snack to an empty Mercado. Went to the Lounge tonight for drinks and a nosh. All good. People like to complain.

Yaaay! Thanks for the update. That’s what someone else pointed out. Who hops on trip advisor and types out reviews? Pissed off Karens! Lol. People with good experiences don’t leave reviews as often.

 

[DisMom79]

One last question... we’re in a preferred room in casitas, should I switch to a tower room?

 

[plutolovr]

Have you already made your park reservations? I know availability is extremely limited the next few weeks.

Also, a tip with mobile ordering. Don't wait until you're hungry to order, especially if you plan on eating at busy times. This goes for resorts and theme parks. Order as soon as you can and choose a pick-up time. If you wait until you're hungry, say at noon, you may find you cannot get a pick up time for several hours.