The *NEW* Coronado Springs FAQ Thread (Part II)

[WDWBetsy]

Pepper Market is my new favorite CS restuarant!!! The taco salad was to die for! DH really liked the room and we felt this was a better choice than last years WL. I would definately stay at CSR again.

I really loved the Pepper Market too. Tried the ribeye dinner, taco salad and breakfast platter - very good! I also liked our room in the Casitas - I've requested the Cabanas next year to be between the Dig Site & restaurants. We've stayed at the AKL and the Polynesian - and while both were really nice, in retrospect I didn't like either one more than POR or CSR.

Buzz - your site and this thread are awesome!

 

[Buzz2001]

We are back from a 4 night stay at CSR and LOVED it!! We were in Casitas 1, rm 1217. It was a walk to get places, but we didn't mind as we needed the exercise. We loved the Dig Site, great slide!!!

Pepper Market is my new favorite CS restuarant!!! The taco salad was to die for! DH really liked the room and we felt this was a better choice than last years WL. I would definately stay at CSR again.

The buses ran well (except when they had to load 3 handicapped at once at MK-long line until another bus came along!).

The service was excellent and the grounds quite lovely. We weren't bothered by the conventioners at all.

I'll try to answer any questions, but I think Buzz has pretty much covered it all in his awesome site and this thread!!

Welcome back and thanks for sharing!!

 

[Amber74]

Awesome pictures! They were so great that we are convinced not to do Polynesian next year for our 25th annivesary, but to continue with the CSR as we have our last several trips.

Thanks I wish I would have taken more but I felt like I was always taking them while I was there. when i get back it doesn't feel like it is enough. Here is another one I forgot about. We went outside of our room right after it rained and there were a bunch of baby frogs everywhere. My son caught one and was holding it in a closed hand. I told him to gently open so I could take a picture of his frog. As soon as he opened his hand the frog jumped off and I thought I missed it but as you can see I caught it in midair. Hope you have fun next year and congratulations on your anniversary!

 

[Amber74]

Oh how fun! So, do you rent the life jackets or just check them out?
I'm getting more and more excited (and glad that the men didn't talk me into booking WL this time! I can't wait to actually SEE the CSR in person!)

The life jackets are free and you just return them at the end of your stay and thats it. We just walked up there and handed the jackets to them and they said thanks and we went on our merry way. It is very beautiful there and we regretted not renting a boat to ride around for a little while. We did ride the golf carts around the resort though so we could see the whole thing. The drivers were always very nice.

 

[Amber74]

Amber, thanks for posting the pics. I just returned from a 1 night stay last week (was in Orlando anyway and decided to stay so I could book the bounce back deal!), and I can't wait to return. I wish I had taken more pics.

Love the pics of your kids! We'll be taking our DD who will be just over 2 years old and her 10-year-old cousin. Looks like a lot of fun! I tried out the Dig Site pool and loved it. Glad to hear that your taking your own strollers worked out well. I'm going to take DD's too.

Thanks again!

Thanks for responding, I too wish I had taken more pics of the resort and everything else. I have also heard about people that get too caught up taking pictures that they think they missed out on a lot of stuff. While I was there I felt like I took alot. Not having our 2 strollers would have made the following a nightmare:
-traveling through Orlando's huge airport
-going back and forth to Pepper Market and the bus stops
-when my kids got tired on the way out of the parks
-going to Downtown Disney where they do not rent strollers at all

Also it saved us over $180 by not renting.

hope you have a great time

 

[WDWBetsy]

We went outside of our room right after it rained and there were a bunch of baby frogs everywhere. My son caught one and was holding it in a closed hand. I told him to gently open so I could take a picture of his frog. As soon as he opened his hand the frog jumped off and I thought I missed it but as you can see I caught it in midair.

I absolutely LOVE that pic. Reminds me of playing with baby frogs in our yard when I was little. How awesome that you caught it midair!! Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Simbee3]

I was able to book CSR for our trip next year through the bounce back program. I love this thread and have been reading through it over the past couple of days.
But, I would like to know a couple of things

1. Can I order the tuxedo strawberries to be delivered to the room?
2. what is the best area to request when staying there?
3. I see that you can rent boats, can someone tell me more about that and the other activities they have around the resort?
4.And does anyone think that the pepper market will be included on the dining plan next year?

Thanks so much for any information that anyone could provide.

 

[Buzz2001]

1. Can I order the tuxedo strawberries to be delivered to the room? Yes, you can order Chocolate Covered Strawberries $2.50 each. Not sure if they look like tuxedos.

2. what is the best area to request when staying there? see below

3. I see that you can rent boats, can someone tell me more about that and the other activities they have around the resort? Visit my website below and look at the marina pics on the left side of the menu. I have a pic of the price boat that list everything. Bikes, boats, fishing, etc...

4.And does anyone think that the pepper market will be included on the dining plan next year? It was added late last year so I hope that will be the case again this year. The PM is not run by WDW so that could be part of the hold up.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some good building choices.

Cabana 9b is close to bus stop 1 and the main building with a short walk to the Dig Site (main pool) over the wooden bridge. (Most convenient location and most preferred)

Cabana 8a is close to the Dig Site (and playground) and bus stop 4 with a short walk to the main building. (Closest to the Pool)

Cabana 8b and 9a are in between the 2 above. 9a has a quiet pool (and is the old smoking optional building).

Ranchos 7b has a quiet pool, is close to the Dig Site and bus stop 4 with a bit longer walk to the main building. 7b is behind cabana 8a.

Casita 3 has great courtyard and fountain views but you will have to walk or ride the internal shuttle to get to the pool.

Casita 5 has some nice fountain and lake views and is close to the Dig Site but farther from the main building. Close to bus stop #2.

 

[Simbee3]

Thanks so much for the information. So I take it the strawberries can be delivered to the room?

 

[MeLaNie9]

I am confused...is Pepper Market a DDP counter service spot currently?
It seems that the few reviews I have read about Maya Grill are quite positive, but it doesn't seem that popular on the DIS. We have just added 2 days onto our upcoming trip and are considering making an ADR for dinner there, one because it seems like it might be good and two because it doesn't seem very popular and we might still get a reasonably timed ADR at this late date.
Any advice/opinions on this? Thanks!

 

[Simbee3]

I am confused...is Pepper Market a DDP counter service spot currently?

The Pepper Market is currently a counter service location with the DDP. The reason that I had asked in an earlier post, is because for next year it isn't listed as of yet.
It seems that the few reviews I have read about Maya Grill are quite positive, but it doesn't seem that popular on the DIS. We have just added 2 days onto our upcoming trip and are considering making an ADR for dinner there, one because it seems like it might be good and two because it doesn't seem very popular and we might still get a reasonably timed ADR at this late date.

Any advice/opinions on this? Thanks!

We ate at the Maya Grill during our trip in August and I really enjoyed both the food and service we recieved. We plan on doing it again next year.

 

[Buzz2001]

I am confused...is Pepper Market a DDP counter service spot currently?
It seems that the few reviews I have read about Maya Grill are quite positive, but it doesn't seem that popular on the DIS. We have just added 2 days onto our upcoming trip and are considering making an ADR for dinner there, one because it seems like it might be good and two because it doesn't seem very popular and we might still get a reasonably timed ADR at this late date.
Any advice/opinions on this? Thanks!

Siestas, the Pepper Market and the Maya Grill are currently on the DDP. Nothing yet about 2008.

 

[Lilolvr]

We are back from a 4 night stay at CSR and LOVED it!! We were in Casitas 1, rm 1217. It was a walk to get places, but we didn't mind as we needed the exercise. We loved the Dig Site, great slide!!!

Pepper Market is my new favorite CS restuarant!!! The taco salad was to die for! DH really liked the room and we felt this was a better choice than last years WL. I would definately stay at CSR again.

The buses ran well (except when they had to load 3 handicapped at once at MK-long line until another bus came along!).

The service was excellent and the grounds quite lovely. We weren't bothered by the conventioners at all.

I'll try to answer any questions, but I think Buzz has pretty much covered it all in his awesome site and this thread!!

Thanks for posting!

 

[lustergirl]

good morning everyone!! Counting down the days to CSR!!!

 

[clemsondisneyfan]

OK...we just got back from an 8 day/7 night vacation to CSR. It was our first visit to this hotel.

The CSR resort is absolutely beautiful. We loved just walking and looking at the buildings, lake, pools, etc. For the first time in a Disney Resort, I actually felt as though I was on a tropical island vacation and not anywhere near Mickey Mouse!

We all loved the dig site pool and it was a very quick walk from the Cabanas. The pool is so big and the water ceremony in the morning at 10 a.m. was fun to watch. I can't wait to download our pictures of that!

We had a room in the Cabanas - 8A. The room was dirty when we arrived. We grabbed a mousekeeper walking by and asked her to take a look at the pillowcases, sheets & comforters - we had been in the room less than 15 minutes. She was appalled at how they looked - tears, stains, etc. She brought new pillowcases and said we would get a VIP cleaning in the morning. Well, my DH called the front desk and asked to speak to a manager. They assured us the room would be cleaned top to bottom that day. So, we left for a day at the parks and upon our return, everything was sparkling and smelled of bleach.

That was the last time it was actually cleaned. They swapped out towels and made the beds....but there were still soap stains in the bathroom and hair left around the sink and floors. It was never vacuumed again, etc. I was sorely disappointed in mousekeeping. We left $5 a day for the first 3 nights and then stopped. I was not going to tip for poor service all week long. We also never received even one towel animal and I didn't see any in the windows like you do at other resorts.

My house is totally clean, and I expect to live like that on vacation as well. We have never had a problem with any of the other WDW resorts before.

Our last visit in January 2007 was an 8 day/7 night visit to POP. The room was very clean all week and we got at least 7 towel animals throughout the week! For a value resort, they did a great job keeping the room clean AND the kids happy.

For our meals....the Pepper Market had really nice food to choose from. The service thing was a bit weird and confusing. They never really explained what to do and if we asked, the wait staff seemed to speak limited english. They were very nice, but did not communicte to the patorns very well. We ate there 3 times during the week - for lunch or a late night dinner. Every time we were there, people around us were confused about how to get their food and how to get refills, etc. Maybe they need to hand out a card when they seat you that explains what you need to do. The host or hostess doesn't do a great job of it and the servers have trouble with the language barrier! Once you figure it out though....you will enjoy the counter service meal. It sure beats hamburgers and hot dogs at the parks!

The Maya Grill had a nice breakfast buffet. We also ate dinner there one night and it was horrible. They put sauce all over everything. (we had 3 adult meals and one child's meal on the DDP) We prefer to taste our fish or steak....not cream sauces all over it. So, just know when you order to ask that they leave the sauce off if you are not a fan of smothering! Otherwise, it will be covered in brown or white sauces - ugh. The service was fiine and the atmosphere was really nice and relaxing too.

So, we will not stay at CSR again. I did not feel as if I was at Disney b/c is was so incredibly quiet and serene there. If I want to go to a resort and relax on vacation, I would do it somewhere other than WDW! When we go there, I expect to feel as though I am at Disney 24/7! We take 3 or 4 week-long family vacations a year and our WDW ones are fast-paced and fun. Our beach or mountain vacations are for relaxing and just enjoying ourselves.

I wish I had realized before this trip that the CSR seemed so totally distant from WDW. I read a ton of reviews and was pleased with what I read! I guess I should have read between the lines to see that words like beautiful, relaxing, etc. were not words we wanted to describe our family Disney vacation spot.

If you truly want to get away from WDW on your vacation, then this is the place to go! You could hang out there for days and not even realize you were anywhere near the Mouse!

Bus service was great....bus stop was very near Cabana 8A too. The courtesy golf carts run past you about every 5 - 10 minutes and can zip you around the resort quickly - just flag them down with a wave of your hand or they will not stop. And watch out....they drive like maniacs!! Don't let the kids get too far ahead or behind you....you will need to make sure they get out of the way when those carts come by!

Re-reading this makes me sound like a complainer! We normally come back from WDW just thrilled with our vacation. This was just an unusual circumstance for us. I wanted to give an honest review in case someone else like me is considering a vacation there. If your family just gets away once a year and you want to feel like you have the best of both worlds - Disney and tropical resort getaway....then this is the place for you!

 

[Lilolvr]

So, we will not stay at CSR again. I did not feel as if I was at Disney b/c is was so incredibly quiet and serene there.

That's a first. Didn't like a resort because it was quiet and serene. Sounds great to me!

 

[buffalogirl]

Welcome back! Thanks for the detailed report. I'm sorry CSR disappointed you. It's a shame that mousekeeping wasn't more thorough.
I agree with people who say CSR doesn't seem very "Disney", that's why we love it. To us it's a "vacation within a vacation". It's great to be a 10 minute bus ride away from the parks and be able to come back to a peaceful, quiet, beautiful resort. We love the food choices at Pepper Market and the pools are awesome.

The values definitely have a more "fun" atmosphere. I hope your next trip to WDW is better.

 

[lustergirl]

Part of the reason that I chose CSR for my upcoming trip is because it looks so romantic and lord knows I could use a little "spark in my marriage".

 

[Buzz2001]

That's a first. Didn't like a resort because it was quiet and serene. Sounds great to me!

That's exactly what I am looking for in a resort. I don't want Disney 24/7. I want to feel like I'm on a tropical vacation. It's a vacation within a vacation.

 

[MS_mom_1965]

I hope it's quiet and serene while I'm there! The reason we chose to stay at a mod rather than a value is for the peace and quiet (relative to the parks). After being elbow to elbow in crowds at the parks all day, we need a break and little room to ourselves.