Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is our favorite resort - well, to be honest, it's the only one we've stayed at so far.  Every time we make our resort reservations, we always end up back at Coronado Springs.  And that's just fine with us.

This is one of Disney's moderate category resorts and is also a convention center, so it can tend to get very busy.  However, we've never had any issues in that regard.  The theming here is Colonial Mexican/American Southwest, and they do it very, very well.

The Cabanas

The Ranchos

The Casitas

The resort is divided into three village areas - the Casitas, the Ranchos, and the Cabanas.  During our first trip, we stayed in the Cabanas.  It was a beautiful area of the resort, but it was quite a far walk from our room to El Centro, the main building that houses the check-in desk, Panchito's Gift & Sundries, Cafe Rix, Rix Lounge, The Pepper Market Food Court, and the full service restaurant, Maya Grill.  The last two times we've stayed at Coronado Springs, we've been in the Casitas section of the resort.  Although it's still a walk to and from the main building, we can walk through the convention center which is a much easier walk, especially in the rain and heat.  

The resort's rooms were refurbished in 2009.  A typical guest room has 2 queen beds (or a king-sized bed) and a key-operated wall safe for valuables in the closet area. All rooms have complimentary Wi-Fi Service. There are handicapped accessible rooms available with a king-sized bed and a wheelchair accessible shower instead of a tub.  You can request bed rails and cribs from Housekeeping.  

 

Rix Cafe:  This is a grab and go coffee shop located near the main entrance and offers a selection of salads, sandwiches, and drinks, as well as pastries, muffins, fruits, and cereals.  This is also where you can get your refillable mugs for your water, coffee, tea and soft drinks.

The Pepper Market:  This is the resort's food court located in the main building. This is not your typical counter service place, but instead feels more like a sit down restaurant.  There is a good variety of food here - grilled, Mexican, hamburgers, pizza, fish, pasta, sandwiches, stir-fry, and baked goods.  We eat here a lot and have always liked it.  On our last trip, just days after being put on a gluten free/dairy free diet by my doctor, I found the chefs here to be very knowledgeable and helpful.  In fact, they took the time to educate me on my food choices, and one of the chefs actually took the time to check with me as to what time I thought I would be in for lunch on the days he was working so he could prepare my meals for me to avoid cross-contamination and make sure I had something that I would like to eat.  I had chimichurri chicken a couple of times which came with rice and black beans and was delicious, as well as a hearty grilled fish filet, nachos, and tacos, all of which were also very good.  Our family really likes this restaurant, and it is one of the reasons we return to this resort again and again.

The Maya Grill:  This is the resort's full service restaurant which offers Mexican and American Southwestern dining.  We have dined here twice over the last couple of trips.  My husband and daughter really seem to like it, however, I feel it has fallen short of my expectations in the past.  Both times, I've ordered their filet mignon, but felt that it wasn't the best steak I've had on property.  However, on our last trip, I felt the steak was a little better than the previous year, and I absolutely LOVED the dessert the chef made especially for me in light of my gluten free/dairy free diet.  I didn't really believe the waitress when she offered me dessert, since I hadn't had much luck getting gluten free/dairy free desserts on property, but she definitely surprised me.  She brought out a bowl of the most delicious ice cream.  I believe it was Tofutti with a homemade mango sauce that was absolutely delicious.  It absolutely made my vacation.  The only other place I was able to have a dessert that wasn't fruit was at Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios.  All things considered, I would definitely give this restaurant another try.  

The Registration Center

The Three Caballeros

Fuente De Las Palomas

Panchito's:  This is the resort's gift and sundries shop located in El Centro. There are also some groceries here, but beware, they are quite expensive.  We usually pack our own snacks from home, but we do buy milk to keep in our room's refrigerator for breakfast, as well as some soft drinks. Panchito's has a nice selection of gifts and clothing.

 

Pools:  The Dig Site is the large pool area at Coronado Springs with its centerpiece being a 50-foot Mayan pyramid behind which is a 123-foot long water slide that my daughter just loves.  Each of the three village areas have a quiet pool, and this was one we enjoyed on our last trip as it was relatively near our room, and we had it to ourselves every time.  

I hope you get a chance to enjoy this resort in the future.

Until next time, remember to keep the Mouse in your house.

Monica