The Resorts Gal Guide to
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a moderate resort located in the Animal Kingdom Resorts area at Walt Disney World. This stunning resort is comprised of villages that sit around a lake. In addition to the villages, the resort is home to a hotel, Gran Destino Tower. Guests planning a stay will want to familiarize themselves with the different room types, restaurants, recreation, and transportation options available at the resort.
The Basics of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Here are a few basic things you’ll want to know about the resort:
- Check-In: (3:00 p.m.)
- Check-Out: (11:00 a.m.)
- Self-Parking: Complimentary
- Free Wi-Fi Internet
- Address: 1001 West Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Benefits
Guests of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort can participate in Disney’s early theme park entry, a perk extended to all Walt Disney World Resort guests.
Early Theme Park Entry: This perk allows resort guests to enter any Walt Disney World theme park 30 minutes before officially opening to the general public. This early entry provides several advantages:
- Lower Crowds: Being among the first to enter the park allows you to experience popular attractions with shorter wait times. This will help you to check off must-see rides and experiences ahead of the crowd.
- Photography Opportunities: If you love capturing the magic of Disney, the early hours provide a fantastic opportunity for photos in front of iconic landmarks with fewer people in the background.
- Cooler Temperatures: Morning hours are often cooler, making outdoor activities more comfortable. But if you visit during cooler weather, don’t forget a jacket!
Planning Your Stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs
Below, you’ll find our planning resources for Disney’s Coronado Springs. We’ve stayed at Coronado Springs a dozen times over the year and have always thoroughly enjoyed it. While the resort has simple transportation options (buses only), we consider our resort transportation guide one of our most valuable resources. It’s designed to help you prepare in advance and can help you get around while you’re there.
Coronado Springs Resort Review: Our resort review discusses a detailed account of our last stay there. It provides our personal experience and focuses on how we like to spend our time at the resort.
Coronado Springs Resort Room Tour: We provide a tour of our room at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. It includes detailed descriptions, photos of a standard room, our thoughts on view upgrades, and when a preferred room location upgrade might be worth it. Room features include platform beds, flat-screen TVs, modern updates, and more. This room tour focuses specifically on the rooms in the villages at Coronado Springs. However, the rooms at Gran Destino Tower are only slightly different. We have a separate room tour of the tower rooms below. Rooms at Coronado Springs do not have a balcony. Each building has elevators. You can expect basic amenities like two sinks in the bath area, a hair dryer, toiletries, and a steam iron.
Gran Destino Tower Review: Gran Destino Tower is a separate hotel from the villages at Coronado Springs. This option is the closest you’ll get to a deluxe resort while staying in the moderate resort price range. The tower is an interior access hotel that’s connected to El Centro. Guests of the tower benefit from being near all of the resort’s major amenities except for the pool.
Gran Destino Tower Room Tour: This room tour shares photos and pictures of our room at Gran Destino Tower. We also have pictures of the room views from both sides of the tower.
Gran Destino Chronos Club Review: Coronado Springs is the only moderate resort that offers a club level, the Chronos Club. We stayed on the concierge floor and share an overview of everything to expect, including photos of the food offerings that were available during our stay.
Coronado Springs Dining Guide: Coronado Springs has plenty of dining options. However, we found its quick-service restaurant severely lacking on our last two stays. Thankfully, you’ll have a few great options for meals elsewhere at the resort. This guide discusses these dining options: Maya Grill, Rix Sports Bar & Grill, Three Bridges Bar and Grill, Cafe Rix, El Mercado, Toledo, Siestas Cantina Poolside Bar, Laguna Bar, Dahlia Lounge, and Barcelona Lounge.
The Pools at Coronado Springs: Coronado Springs is home to the Dig Site, a fun pool area themed to an archaeological dig site with a faux Mayan Pyramid, a large pool, a 50-foot water slide, a kiddie pool, a playground, a state-of-the-art arcade, and a sand volleyball court. Did I mention it was home to the largest hot tub at Walt Disney World? Our pool guide shares tons of photos and details!
A Nighttime Photo Tour of Disney’s Coronado Springs: We love this resort, but especially at night. This fun photo tour offers an evening perspective of Coronado Springs after dark.
Walking Distances at Disney’s Coronado Springs: We tracked the walking distances from each village at Disney’s Coronado Springs to the lobby. Find out how long it takes and discern whether or not you should make a special room request.
Other Recreation at Coronado Springs: Coronado Springs is the only resort with two fitness centers. One is the La Vida Health Club Fitness Center in the Casitas section, and the other is at Gran Destino Tower. (Note the spa and salon portion has been closed for years and has yet to reopen as of this update in 2024.) Jogging Trails are also available throughout the resort. We have a map of the jogging trails at each Disney Resort.
Transportation Options at Coronado Springs: Bus transportation is provided from this resort hotel to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. You usually have to take a transfer bus to Typhoon Lagoon. Also, make sure to save a copy of our transportation map for Coronado Springs.
Laundry at Coronado Springs: Coronado Springs has four laundry facilities near each section’s quiet pool. (There is no laundry room at the main pool.) An additional laundry room is available in Gran Destino Tower.
Panchito’s Gift Shop: This photo post provides an overview of the resort’s gift shop, including photos of souvenirs, snacks, groceries, and personal items.
Everything Refillable Mugs at Coronado Springs: This guide shares where to purchase Rapid Fill mugs at Coronado Springs, the current cost, and photos of every beverage refill station at the resort.
Individual Dining Reviews for Coronado Springs
Toledo: Tapas, Steak, and Seafood Review: This table service restaurant is on the rooftop floor of Gran Destino Tower. It offers beautiful views of the surrounding Walt Disney World Resort. However, I would recommend dining there (or anywhere else up high) in the middle of a lightning storm. That was a vibrant experience. That said, the food is good, and the restaurant even received a mention in last year’s Michelin Guide, which is noteworthy.
El Mercado de Coronado Review: El Mercado is the resort’s quick service. It was formerly called Peppers Market, and everyone loved it. Unfortunately, we have found that they tend to leave many food items sitting out under warming lights for guests to pick up, and it’s just not the same experience we had in the past. We used to dine there often. You can expect basics like burgers, pizza, sandwiches, and chicken nuggets. They also offer kids’ meals and Mickey-shaped waffles for the win at breakfast. (We love this resort, and the quick service is our only major issue.)
Related Reading
For your convenience, here’s a list of our articles related to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort:
Other Moderate Resorts to Consider
We have resort guides for every resort at Walt Disney World. If you’re considering other moderates, you might enjoy these:
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort
Whether you’re new to the world of Disney or are a seasoned pro in search of a new adventure, their goal is to give you an experience like you’ve never had before. Check with our travel partner, Firefly Travels, to begin planning.