.png)
Have you ever heard the phrase “home resort” at Walt Disney World? In WDW slang, this term is used to describe a resort that feels the most like home to a guest and tends to be the most frequently selected due to its sentimentality among repeat vacationers.
To date, I’ve stayed at almost every Walt Disney World Resort hotel (Polynesian, I’m comin’ for you), and with that under my belt, I feel as though I have a decent grasp on which resorts are even worth a returning visit. Over the years, being a strict value or moderate resort guest (with some deluxe action here and there), I found myself along with my family, staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort the most frequently.
In July 2019, Coronado Springs Resort unveiled its new baby: Gran Destino Tower. This absolutely stunning addition is based on “Destino,” a former collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. The tower brought an additional 545 guest rooms, meeting spaces, restaurants, lounges, and one of the most stunning “moderate” lobbies I’ve ever seen.
Listed as an Animal Kingdom Resort, Coronado has an approximate travel time of 6 minutes or less from the hotel gates to each WDW park. The theming at this resort is based on Mexican, Spanish, and Southwest American cultures and sits around a lake, with many rooms showcasing a waterfront view.
With the opening of GDT, Coronado Springs Resort houses 2,385 guest rooms total. The rest of the resort is split up into three sections: Casitas, Ranchos, and Cabanas, each with its own external theming, detailing those Mexican and Southwest inspirations I mentioned earlier.
Every single room at Coronado has been updated and has the cleanest touches including a large granite desk area, leather back chairs, sliding wooden doors, and more. All standard rooms are about the same and, compared to some moderate resorts, are pretty large. The Casitas, Ranchos, and Cabana rooms sit at around 314 sqft, and the tower rooms sit at about 20% bigger.
Aside from the room situation, the hotel’s grounds are home to club-level access, multiple pools, a waterslide, a fitness center, multiple restaurants and lounges, and so much more. Every time we check in there is always something happening around every corner and leaves plenty to be explored for both families and couples.
And, like I mentioned earlier this is technically a “moderate” resort, even though the tower makes it feel more “deluxe,” which means lower prices. On average, we find the rooms in the outer three sections of the resort range anywhere from the upper $100s-mid $300s and find they mostly start around $200 a night. Tower rooms tend to start on the higher end of that price range, but we’ve snagged a few rooms there for less than $300 per night. It all depends on timing and availability, as with any other Disney hotel.
So, what are the cons? I think the biggest complaint, or annoyance, we find with this hotel is the transportation. In theory, being so central to each park, you’d think it’d be a no-brainer, but with a larger resort like this, it takes a decent amount of time to exit its gates, depending on where you’re staying, and vice versa, when you’re coming home.
With four bus stops and no other transportation options on its grounds, you’re at the mercy of the Disney bus. So, keep that in mind when leaving for reservations or other plans, and be sure to check your My Disney Experience app, which lists approximate bus times, per stop, all day long.
Regardless, we love this resort and are as happy in the Tower as we are in the Casitas. We adore the Barcelona and Dahlia lounges, and can’t get enough of the watchos at Rix Sports Bar. If we aren’t heading to the park, we can walk about a mile or so around the central lake, grab a frozen daiquiri, and even take a dip in one of the many pools. This is truly a resort and is worth every single penny.
Comments