If you’re looking for luxury accommodations on a budget at Walt Disney World, you’re probably thinking about booking a stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. But, is it really that much better than other Moderate Resorts? We recently stayed here and are bringing you along for our Disney’s Coronado Springs review.

About Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Overview

• Hotel Category: Moderate
• Price: $330-$550 per night
• Resort Area: Animal Kingdom Resort Area

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is one of the most popular moderate resorts at Walt Disney World. With roughly 2,000 rooms throughout the resort, multiple restaurants, pools, and entertainment, it’s easy to see why Coronado Springs is consistently at the top of the moderate resort list.

As a Disney moderate resort, Coronado Springs combines traits from value and deluxe resorts into an affordable, middle-ground destination for families.

Not only is Coronado Springs a Disney resort, but it also doubles as a business convention center. And, because it’s also a convention center, Coronado Springs offers more to guests than any other moderate resort on Disney property.

Atmosphere & Theming

Disney’s Coronado Springs blends Southwest American, Mexican, and Spanish cultures, combining romance and relaxation with Disney and entertainment. Donald Duck and his Three Caballeros appear around the resort, but you won’t find many gimmicky “Disney” themes here. Since many guests stay here for conventions and not necessarily for a typical “Disney” trip, you’ll see subtle Disney touches throughout the resort instead.

The resort is built around Lago Dorado, a 22-acre lake in the center of all the action. It consists of four themed sections: Cabanas, Casitas, Ranchos, and the recently added Gran Destino Tower. Each section takes a theme under its wing – Ranchos gives a southwestern ranch vibe, Cabanas sends guests to the beaches of Mexico, and Casitas pays homage to Spanish architecture.

The Gran Destino Tower sets itself apart from the rest, operating more like its own hotel. While the previous three sections are designed motel-style, with outside entrances, Gran Destino Tower is completely indoors. Elegant and artsy with a Barcelona style gives the tower a much different vibe than the rest.

El Centro is the main hub for dining and shopping. The convention center and Gran Destino Tower are connected to this area via an indoor walkway so you don’t have to step outside to reach these amenities.

Dining Options

Disney’s Coronado Springs has ten different dining options, including quick service, bars and lounges, and table service dining. This is more dining options than any other Disney resort!

Quick Service:

• Cafe Rix – open for grab-and-go breakfast options
• El Mercado de Coronado – main food hall for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Siestas Cantina – pool bar open for lunch and dinner

Bars and Lounges:

• Barcelona Lounge – coffee & cocktail bar open for breakfast and evening hours
• Dahlia Lounge – rooftop lounge open for dinner
• Laguna Bar – outdoor tequila bar open for dinner

Table Service:

• Maya Grill
• Rix Sports Bar & Grill
• Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago
• Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood

Guests are sure to find something to please everyone in their group between all the options Coronado Springs offers.

Amenities & Recreation

In addition to the amenities that all Disney World resorts offer, including complimentary transportation, free Wi-Fi, overnight and theme park parking, laundry services, and in-room gift options, Coronado Springs offers its own great amenities for guests including:

• Two full-service gyms
• Spa services
• Club-level rooms (this is the only moderate resort to offer club-level)

Regarding recreation, there is certainly enough to keep all guests occupied during their stay. The Dig Site is the main hub for recreation options, but there are activities throughout the resort. Some options include:

• Lost City of Cibola Pool with waterslide
• Three smaller pools
• Sand volleyball court
• Playground
• Arcade
• Nightly campfire
• Movies under the stars
• Shopping
• Jogging Trail
• Art Classes ($)
• Sangria University ($)

Transportation Options

Disney’s complimentary bus transportation is the only transportation option for Coronado Springs. Due to the size of the resort, multiple bus stops are around the property. You’ll find bus stops outside El Centro, and near the Cabanas, Casitas, and Ranchos sections.

Now let’s get into our Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort review!

Our Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

Our three-night stay at Coronado Springs was over Memorial Day weekend, a busy time at Disney World. That being said, this hotel was so big that we didn’t really notice the holiday crowds as we enjoyed all that Coronado Springs has to offer. Here’s a full Disney’s Coronado Springs review of our stay!

Rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

We stayed in a 2-queen-bed standard room in the Ranchos section, Building 7A. All of the rooms were recently updated in 2023, and the improvements certainly made a difference! Wood floors and dark brown and burnt orange hues give way to its southwest desert atmosphere.

The room was spacious enough for our stay and felt more open than other moderate resort rooms we’ve stayed in. Due to the resort doubling as a convention center, the desk space was larger than most rooms, seeming to make way for more open floor space. We had no complaints about the bed quality. In fact, we slept great!

While some guests have criticized the sliding door concept Disney has implemented to separate the bathroom and bed area in resort rooms, we gladly embrace this. With a toddler, it’s great to have the double sinks and mirror separate from the toilet and shower, making it much easier for everyone to get ready in the mornings.

The Ranchos section is the farthest away from Coronado Springs’s central hub, El Centro. But, we have no issues with long walks (and it was a long walk). We enjoy a slower pace when staying at a resort, but for any guests who want to be close to the action, I suggest booking a preferred room in the Casitas section.

Food and Drinks at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

Of course, with so many restaurants close by, we did a lot of eating during our stay too! Here’s our Disney’s Coronado Springs dining review.

Barcelona Lounge at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

Coffee enthusiasts should head to the Barcelona Lounge in the Gran Destino Tower for their daily coffee (or, if you are like me, your morning, mid-day, and evening coffee runs). This lounge offers specialty Spanish coffees in addition to the standard Joffrey’s served throughout Disney World, and it is well worth the walk. Skip the coffee at El Mercado de Coronado and walk over to Barcelona Lounge to start your day – trust me.

Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

On the first night of our stay, we dined at Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago. Three Bridges does not accept reservations, but you can be added to the waitlist on the My Disney Experience app or by walking up to the podium. These wait times frequently hit over an hour, so be sure to be added to the wait list before you are ready to eat! We lucked out by being hit with an afternoon thunderstorm, and since Three Bridges is an open-aired venue, not many people were heading there and quickly were seated.

The roasted corn dip and red sangria are a must for us on every visit here. We also tried the pork ribs appetizer, which was good but a little too spicy for our liking. I didn’t feel there was enough meat on the ribs to be worth the price. For our main meal, we shared the steak frites, which were cooked perfectly and flavorful. Even if you are not staying at Coronado Springs, I highly recommend a trip to Three Bridges if you can fit it into your schedule!

Siestas Cantina at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

Later in our stay, we enjoyed a few drinks from Siestas Cantina, which offers the standard poolside cocktails of frozen daiquiris, margaritas, beers, and wines. Our mai’yan tai and strawberry margarita cocktails were good, but nothing we longed to go back for.

El Mercado de Coronado at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

El Mercado de Coronado is the resort’s quick-service option, though we only dined here for breakfast once. They offer the standard breakfast fare that all Disney resort quick-service restaurants do, with a few extra touches. One of those additions was the chorizo and egg empanadas, which were a great alternative to your standard eggs or Mickey waffle platters.

Rix Sports Bar and Grill at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

Inadvertently, we spent a lot of time at Rix Sports Bar and Grill, dining there for both breakfast and lunch on multiple occasions. As avid sports fans, our trip was during the NHL hockey playoffs, and Rix is one of the only spots to watch sports throughout Walt Disney World.

Breakfast at Rix offers upscale versions of breakfast classics. The country beef skillet was a table favorite, while the newly Instagram-famous chicken-stuffed Mickey waffles left much to be desired.

Lunch provided standard bar food, and the carnitas nachos were our go-to; they were a great portion size for the price. The classic burger and the steak sandwich were fresh and tasty as well.

Overall Disney’s Coronado Springs Dining Review

Overall, our dining experiences at Coronado Springs during our trip mostly exceeded our expectations, except for the chicken Mickey waffles.

Amenities & Recreation at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

The Lost City of Cibola Pool is one of the best pools on the property, with one of the longest moderate resort waterslides. We spent every morning poolside, and I recommend getting there before they open. The pool opens at 10AM, but chairs began filling at 9:45AM, and by 10:15AM, no chairs were left.

We also spent time at the Iguana Arcade and the Explorers Playground. Each serves its purpose and then some. The arcade is small compared to other moderate resort arcades, but it does the job. You’ll find all your favorite arcade games inside. The playground is a league above many others, and my son would have spent hours here if we let him. There are two sides, one for smaller kids and one for older kids, but he had fun on both! For parents, a huge perk of this playground is that it is tucked back mostly in complete shade.

The Movie Under the Stars is held on the Gran Destino Lawn, which was The Incredibles on the night we attended. The location is right outside the Barcelona Lounge making it great for a little late-night coffee and movie!

Finally, we can’t forget about Panchitos, the shopping and sundries store in El Centro! Not only does Panchitos have classic Disney souvenirs such as coffee mugs, autograph books, and clothing, but they also offer Coronado Springs-specific merchandise. We enjoyed walking around the shop and seeing what specialty items they had in store.

Transportation at Disney’s Coronado Springs Review

The only Disney complimentary transportation option offered at Coronado Springs is bus transportation. And, because Coronado Springs is such a large resort, the bus stops within each section are a great concept. In fact, they saved us from having to walk from El Centro to the farthest room in Ranchos, which is easily a 10-minute walk.

Unfortunately, while the bus stops are a great concept, there is just one bus per destination for the whole resort, not a bus per bus stop. That means if you want to go to Magic Kingdom, you can get on the bus wherever you’d like, but that same bus will stop and pick guests up from every stop. During off-hours, this wasn’t an issue, but the bus was packed full during peak dinner time.

Overall, I didn’t mind the Disney Buses but be aware that guests will be standing in the center of the bus during popular travel times, which can be a little too close for comfort.

Overall Coronado Springs Resort Review

So, does Coronado Springs live up to its “top moderate resort” title? We think so! With the deluxe amenities, dining options, and spacious rooms, the price is well worth what you get from this resort. Coronado Springs is one of our favorite staycation destinations, and I’ll always recommend it to anyone interested in staying here. That said, I know it may not be for everyone.

Stay at Coronado Springs if…

• You are looking for a slow-paced, spread-out resort and don’t mind walking
• You want a larger room without paying deluxe prices
• You plan on dining at your resort frequently

Skip Coronado Springs if…

• You want access to more convenient transportation options like the Disney Skyliner or Monorail
• You don’t want to have to walk long distances between your room and resort amenities
• You want an “in-your-face” Disney theme

Comments

Have you stayed here before? Tell us your Disney’s Coronado Springs review in the comments below!