By Dopey Diva
My husband and I recently returned from a weekend trip to Disney World to celebrate our 5th anniversary. Normally we stay in a value resort because we have our children with us and basically all we use our room for is to sleep and shower. On our honeymoon we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort so we wanted to try a different moderate resort since it was only the two of us. We figured it would be easier to try out a new resort without the kids to see if we would want to stay here with them on an upcoming trip. I have to say I am glad we came without the kids because it is not a resort I will return to with them.
Now don’t get me wrong, the Coronado is beautiful! It is also VERY large. In an attempt to save money I did not book a preferred room…big mistake!! Our room was so far from the main area we never walked there to make use of our refillable mugs. (TIP: If at all possible book a preferred room). The resort is so large they have 4 separate bus stops. This wasn’t a problem for us since we left fairly early to head to a resort and came back late. The stops are numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. When you are dropped off they start at number 2 then go to 3 then 4 then to 1 which is where the main area of the resort is located. The problem I did see was when they were picking people up later in the day to head to the parks there were still people on the bus waiting to get off at their bus stop. This made the buses very full and hard for people to get off the bus when they reached their desired bus stop.
We stayed in the Ranchos section of the Coronado…I would suggest asking for the Cabanas. Our room was beautiful and clean and spacious, but very business like. There is no Disney theme in these rooms other than a Mickey head on a throw on the beds and in the trim on the bathroom mirror. I know some people would be perfectly fine with this since they feel they are Disney themed out after being in the parks all day and enjoy coming back to a quiet room. However, I prefer the themes of the All Star and Art of Animation resorts. I feel the more Disney the better!
Since our trip was so short we were not able to enjoy the pools or any other fun activities the resort had to offer. There was a basic pool located right outside our room and the main pool and surrounding area was not too far of a walk. We did go over there one evening to see what all they had and I have to admit I know my kids would love it. There is a large Mayan pyramid surrounding the main pool which has a water slide, a hot tub (really bummed I didn’t have time to use it), a baby pool, a large checkerboard game, ping pong, a dig site, playground, and arcade. There is also a quick service restaurant/ pool bar called Siestas Cantina where you can enjoy a snack or beverage pool side.
Even though I don’t feel like this is the best choice of resort for my family many other families may love staying here. The grounds are beautiful and it is very relaxing and quiet. They offer great activities such as volleyball, a jogging trail, playground, arcade and a campfire for roasting marshmallows on the beach. All in all I had a wonderful trip and did enjoy the Coronado Springs. I may come back one day just to take advantage of the hot tub and pool with water slide!
