Why the mixed reviews for Coronado Springs?

[disneymyway]

I have a friend who is considering Coronado Springs but is seeing a lot of negative reviews on expedia and other sites. I have noticed myself that people seem to just love it or hate it - more than any other resort.

Why do you think that is? Are there real problems? What has been your experience? I have never stayed there.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I think it is a fine moderate with probably the best food court, and superior theming. Even though many sites are used for conferences and conventions, this site has the label of "The" convention site....and with that an unfair perception of being less of a family resort. Probably the other negative is with it's location, it gives the perception of being more distant (also not really fair). Other than that, it's a fine resort and possibly an undiscovered gem.

 

[disneymyway]

I think it is a fine moderate with probably the best food court, and superior theming. Even though many sites are used for conferences and conventions, this site has the label of "The" convention site....and with that an unfair perception of being less of a family resort. Probably the other negative is with it's location, it gives the perception of being more distant (also not really fair). Other than that, it's a fine resort and possibly an undiscovered gem.

I'd forgotten about the conference and convention part of it. That is where my husband stayed for a conference a few years ago and he came back and said he hated it.

I take Brian's reviews with a grain of salt, though, he's not the biggest WDW fan. He said it just felt like a crappy convention hotel to him and it wasn't well maintained - maybe he meant the meeting rooms or something.

Anyway, like I said, he's not the best judge. He complains about everything.

 

[Master Yoda]

CS has quite a few polarizing features about it. First of all you have the food court. The food tends to favor patrons that like a little kick in their cuisine. For the most part people either love this or hate it. The resort is set up as a convention resort which causes it to favor adults vs. families. Again you either love this or hate this. The resort is also huge and spread out. This results in a long walk to the pools, restaurants etc. but it also makes the resort feel vacant when it is at 100% capacity.

You stick a family of four with 2 kids that will not eat anything but mac n cheese, mom gets heartburn when she hears the word chipolte, dad has a trick knee and they will absolutely hate CS. On the flip side if you put a couple with no kids that is looking for a little privacy, a touch of night life, and a somewhat kid free resort stay CS will be a slice of heaven.

I love staying at CS when my wife and I are at WDW solo but when we bring the kids a resort like PORS works a little better.

There is also one other dynamic you need to consider. Most people that have a negative resort experience immediately vent to every review site that they can. A person with a positive resort experience rarely goes on line to scream their satisfaction from the roof tops. This results in a disproportionate number of negative reviews for any resort. I have stayed at nearly every resort on property and when reading many of the negative reviews I often wonder "How could be the same resort I just stayed at?". Like internet rumors, internet reviews need to be taken with a hefty pile of salt.

 

[courty]

me and my sister will be staying there on tuesday for 2 weeks!!!! fingers crossed. my main draw to this resort was that it was in fact a convention resort...im hoping for less little ones running around frankly lol

 

[slappy magoo]

Many of the negative reviews I've read are based on it feeling less like a Disney resort then others (similar complaints for OKW, SSR, even CBR). While I agree that some resorts feel more like a Disney experience (the MK resorts come most immediately to mind), some people prefer the more-muted vibe a resort like Coronado provides. But yeah, there are also the complaints about the food court and the wide layout.

 

[disneymyway]

CS has quite a few polarizing features about it. First of all you have the food court. The food tends to favor patrons that like a little kick in their cuisine. For the most part people either love this or hate it. The resort is set up as a convention resort which causes it to favor adults vs. families. Again you either love this or hate this. The resort is also huge and spread out. This results in a long walk to the pools, restaurants etc. but it also makes the resort feel vacant when it is at 100% capacity.

You stick a family of four with 2 kids that will not eat anything but mac n cheese, mom gets heartburn when she hears the word chipolte, dad has a trick knee and they will absolutely hate CS. On the flip side if you put a couple with no kids that is looking for a little privacy, a touch of night life, and a somewhat kid free resort stay CS will be a slice of heaven.

I love staying at CS when my wife and I are at WDW solo but when we bring the kids a resort like PORS works a little better.

There is also one other dynamic you need to consider. Most people that have a negative resort experience immediately vent to every review site that they can. A person with a positive resort experience rarely goes on line to scream their satisfaction from the roof tops. This results in a disproportionate number of negative reviews for any resort. I have stayed at nearly every resort on property and when reading many of the negative reviews I often wonder "How could be the same resort I just stayed at?". Like internet rumors, internet reviews need to be taken with a hefty pile of salt.

Thank you! This is very logical and makes sense! I'm sure you are right.

 

[sleepybear]

It really is a mixture of factors. It's very well-themed, with lots of courtyards and fountains and plants. But it doesn't have a real Disney feel to it. When staying there, I felt like I was renting a room at a really nice apartment complex.

And the convention factor is a big part of it. Lots of adults in polo shirts with their lanyards and badges. It felt a bit weird to be in shorts and t-shirt having a pina colada next to some woman on a lunch break from a convention.

Then there's the layout. It's sprawling. We were lucky enough to get a room near the main building. But some of those rooms are far, far away from any of the amenities. I'd be pretty annoyed if I had to walk around an entire lagoon just to be able to get something from the food court.

All in all, it's nice. But it's not Disney nice. There's far more magic at other resorts.

 

[kimmychad]

if you have the dining plan it's hard to beat the food court for a counter option.

 

[RiversideBunny]

Seems like when we're waiting for our resort bus at the parks, we see a lot of Coronado Springs buses.
Maybe that's not a valid observation and just a perception based on remembering the name among all the other buses.

 

[Disneykidder]

I stayed there about ten years ago with a friend and we both loved it. It was absolutely beautiful, the lake, grounds, buildings, etc,. The food court was well themed and very yummy. The pool was really spacious and cool. We loved the slide. I wanted to stay there with my family on my upcoming trip and they were booked solid. I tried weekly, too.

I really enjoyed this hotel, but then again I have enjoyed every Disney hotel that I have stayed at.

 

[jjgoo]

I am also among people that have enjoyed all the WDW hotels that I have visited. Carribean Beach, Beach Club, All Star Movies and Coronado Springs, Upcoming Animal Kingdom and I am sure I will love that too.

I too have seen reviews from people that say they like the All Stars much better than Coronado Springs and that shocks me. While I enjoyed Movies I would not put it even close to the level of Coronado.

As others have mentioned Coronado is not in your face Disney, a lot themeing is very subtle (which leads to a lot of nice hidden Mickeys). I loved the wide open resort. As a couple with no kids yet, it was very nice to take a romantic walk around the lake or go sit in a hammock and the resort did feel kind of empty. I am sure that it was mostly full but it was still very quiet and relaxing. When we do have kids though the pool and dig site are great and there seems to be a lot of places to explore.

Overall the hotel is just as clean, friendly and convienient as any other Disney hotel in my opinion (and as a matter of fact our Mousekeeping was much better than at the Beach Club).

I say give it a chance! You're still at Disney so your chances are great that it will still be much nicer than staying at some generic hotel on Int'l Drive.

 

[SchultzFamily]

We have stayed at the CSR six times and will be staying for the seventh in 16 days--and we can't wait. Our kids, when they traveled with us, deemed this their favorite resort (and we've stayed at All-Star Sports--we all hated it; Contemporary and Polynesian--our second favorite).

A lot of people don't think it has a "Disney" feel. Personally, I don't need a "Disney" feel after being at the parks all day. We go back to the resort mid-day to enjoy the scenery, take a nap and/or go swimming. At night, I don't want or need icons standing 10 feet tall in front of me.

We love the choices at the Pepper Market--where else can you get a Rib Eye Steak on the Dining Plan? I will admit the cast members are not the friendliest--but the Pepper Market is owned by an outside vendor and are not Disney employees (although that is no excuse). The cast members at Registration and Mousekeeping have always gone beyond for us. If we had an issue (and we've had only two in all of our stays), it was taken care of within 10 minutes.

We love the spread out feeling of the resort. Although a convention resort and it doesn't seem to attract as many families with young kids, it is spread out that even if the resort is full it does not seem overcrowded or noisy like the value resorts do to us.

I love it because it has a spa and I can get a massage every year we go.

We love the fact that there is a quiet pool in each section. I love walking to the Pepper Market every morning while my husband is getting ready for our day at the parks to get our coffee and watch the sunrise, the rabbits, ducks and the little lizards scampering all over.

The landscaping and flowers are lush. The Casitas have beautiful courtyards with beautiful flowers and fountains. Even after a long day and night at the parks, my husband and I will often take a walk each night upon our return around the entire resort just to enjoy the beauty of the resort after the sun has gone down and the lights are reflecting off the lake and the fountains in the courtyards.

We always have requested Casitas and have always gotten it. Last year we were in Casitas 5 and there was a hammock right outside our door that I took great advantage of.

We love the Dig Site pool, the quiet pools, the hot tub and the Siesta Snack Bar (and they have great adult drinks). We've even gotten involved in volleyball games on the sand volleyball court with other visitors. We've rented boats too.

A lot of people don't think it is "Disneyish" because it is a convention resort and there are "suits" there. In the six stays we've had there, we've seen maybe three or four people in "suits." We see men and women in casual summer attire walking to their meetings and actually looking envious that we are there having a good time and they have to work. They have always been friendly and said good morning (or afternoon or evening) and wished us a nice stay. People also tend to forget that the CSR is NOT the only convention resort at Disney--there are several, including the Contemporary.

We love it because is the closest moderate to a deluxe...but still at a moderate price. And now with queen beds replacing the full size beds and club level being offered, it is even more like a deluxe at those moderate prices (which is really great since we can't justify the cost of a deluxe with two boys in college).

 

[rob_and_kate]

I have stayed at Coronado Springs twice and had wonderful experiences both times. I was a little worried when I heard how large the resort is, however it did not cause a problem either of my visits. I am not usually an energetic person and have arthritis and found the walk to the Lobby managable. There were enough bus stops so finding one close enough to the room was managable.

I especially enjoyed the Hot tub, it was really relaxing and soothing after a long day in the park.

We were on the dining plan both trips and found the pepper market useful for quick lunches or an evening meal on arrival night. It was good that we had the choice to eat from different food vendors so we could both have the style of food we wanted.

Can't wait to go back!

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I've never stayed there. I have eaten there a few times. The resort is very pretty. The food is wonderful. However, I like spicy food. I wouldn't stay there simply because of the size. The resort is too big. As big as POR is, CS is larger.

 

[Bluewaves]

My biggest complaint about CSR was the food court, I am sort of a picky eater and get terrible indigestion and heartburn from certain foods, needless to say I ate there once and not much more after that. Furthermore being there sort felt like being there myself, like I was the only person there unlike the other disney resorts where you at least see other people.

I would have enjoyed CSR if the food was more like the other Moderates, I actually liked the size and adultness of the rest of the resort , it was just the food court that was a killer.

 

[goofntink]

Have to agree with Master Yoda, he hit it right on the head.We have also stayed at everyone of the resorts at least once.and my wife and I enjoy CS as well if it's just the 2 of us going.The other thing we have also overheard alot when there,is the complaint that it is not as "Disney" as the other resorts.

 

[Montyboy]

There is also one other dynamic you need to consider. Most people that have a negative resort experience immediately vent to every review site that they can. A person with a positive resort experience rarely goes on line to scream their satisfaction from the roof tops. This results in a disproportionate number of negative reviews for any resort. I have stayed at nearly every resort on property and when reading many of the negative reviews I often wonder "How could be the same resort I just stayed at?". Like internet rumors, internet reviews need to be taken with a hefty pile of salt.

Yoda, I agree that when someone is wronged they will write about it, but I'm searching for an article I read about how most consumer reviews are skewed to the positive. I turns out that people don't like to admit that they made a mistake with a purchase.

The article states that a lot of manufacturers have picked-up on this and started adding links to review sites so they can demonstrate very high percentages of satisfaction. Also, people tend to discount other people's opinions as being too picky.

Having said that, I also read TripAdvisor and wonder, "How could that be the same resort I just stayed at?"

What I found:
"Fully 90% of respondents say they write reviews to help others make better buying decisions, and more than 70% want to help companies improve the products they build and carry.

The study also found that 79% write reviews in order to reward a company, and 87% of the reviews are generally positive in tone."

 

[SchultzFamily]

The other thing we have also overheard alot when there,is the complaint that it is not as "Disney" as the other resorts.

This is what I can't figure out. What is so "Disney" about the Contemporary or the Poly or the AKL or the CBR or the POFQ? The only resorts I really see as "Disney" type are the values with all the icons outside. And, truthfully, after being at the parks all day and night, I really don't need "Disney" at the resort. I'm there to rest, swim and relax and walk around and enjoy the grounds themselves.

 

[Dwarful]

We have stayed at several different WDW resorts...values, OKW and mods. Our least favorite of all was CS. We were a group of 12 in 3 rooms on the trip at CS 12-22 to 12-31. Our age range went from 6-70. We paid pref. rooms. We were semi-close to the front desk area, but far, far away from the Dig Site pool. During our entire stay we never did catch a ride to any other area of the resort..nor did we see any complimentary golf cart transportation. The bus system when we were there was horrible. You spend quite a bit of time stopping at the various resort bus stops before heading out to your destination. There is no organization at the bus stops and Christmas Day we were heading into MK and a fight broke out the bus stop..over who was getting on the bus first. Not a pretty site for Christmas Day. The food court was alright, although I am not sure if this has changed or not, but you have an automatic tip added on - we received no service for this automatic tip, we got our own drinks, cleared our own table etc.,

I agree with other posters: if you have kids I'd opt elsewhere, although the Dig Site is nice, the resort is too big, esp. after a long day in the parks.