Requesting The Best Rooms At Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
Imagine that it’s your first time staying at a resort, and when you get there, your room is on the complete opposite side of the activities you want to do. How do you avoid this? With our resort request tips! And today, we’re giving you specific resort request tips for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
In case you didn’t know, YES, you can request rooms at Walt Disney World. When we say room request, we refer to locations around the property, not room categories. If you pay for a standard room, you will still be getting a standard room, but hopefully, in an area that will benefit you the most. Coronado Springs is a gorgeous resort with tons of dining and recreation activities throughout the property. To make it easy, we will divide the room categories into two sections: the Grand Destino Tower and your standard and preferred rooms in the villages around the property.
Gran Destino Tower Rooms
Grand Destino tower rooms seem to get all of the hype at Coronado Springs. However, the rooms are comparable to the standard rooms, and when you stay on the property, you have access to the tower even if you're not staying there. So why would you want to pay extra for the tower? We would suggest this option for people who love having views outside of their windows and the posh feel of a high-rise resort. If you pick a water view room, you'll have beautiful views during the day, but if you choose a standard view room, there is a good chance you will see Epcot fireworks from your window.
The higher the room location, the better it reduces the noise. We suggest these rooms for single travelers, adults-only, or couples on a Disney vacation. The fastest access to these rooms is through the six elevators inside the tower, and to be honest, using the elevators can be a pain. People use the elevators to get to their rooms, as well as Toledo restaurant and Dahlia Lounge. And when your youngest child has forgotten their favorite stuffed animal on the 14th floor, it can be really inconvenient. And not to mention, Grand Destino Tower is the last pick-up and drop-off on the bus loop. So, in our opinion, coming from parents with a toddler, it is just better suited for adults.
If you don’t book a tower room, your room will be in one of three villages around the property. Which village is the best depends on what type of vacation you would like to have. We have broken it down into four traveler types to make it easy.
VILLAGE AREA | THE THEME PARK ENTHUSIAST
This is for the traveler planning to get to the theme parks when they open and stay until the fireworks. They don't really care 100% about what the resort offers because they will be spending all of their time in a Disney theme park. For this type of traveler, we suggest springing for a preferred room. Your preferred rooms are exactly the same as your standard rooms on the inside. The preferred category relates to the location of the room. These rooms can be found in Casitas buildings 1, 2, and 3, equally spaced between your food and bus stop. The Casitas village is the first bus stop on the bus loop, making it super convenient. If a preferred room isn't an option, your second choice would be to pick the Casitas Building four. It's a little further away from the food but right next to the bus stop making it easy to get on and off those theme parks.
VILLAGE AREA | THE RESORT RELAXER
These are for our travelers planning to use the pools and recreational activities at the resort. Whether you plan on having a full pool day or just jumping in the pool after a long park day, you're going to want to be as close as possible. To avoid taking internal buses to get to the pool, the best building to stay in will be building 8A in the Cabanas section. This building is next to The Dig Site, where you can find most recreational activities along with the Lost City of Cibola Pool. Two great back-ups to this are the Casitas Building 5 or Cabanas 9B. Both are just a short walk over the bridge to get there.
VILLAGE AREA | THE PEACE & QUIET TRAVELER
These rooms are for travelers who need a break from Disney's noise and constant crowds. You don't mind walking to the resort amenities if your room location is a quiet oasis. You will want to request the Ranchos section in either buildings 6A, 7A, or 7B. The theming is so cool in this section, but it is really far from everything the resort offers, making you walk a long distance or take the internal bus. You can't always account for a noisy neighbor, but you will not have to deal with the noise from the pools, nightlife, or restaurants in this section. It will be your own quiet retreat on your vacation.
VILLAGE AREA | THE NIGHTLIFE LOVERS
Coronado Springs has surprisingly good food and cocktails for a moderate resort. If you want to take advantage of the fabulous restaurants, lounges, and bars frequently, we suggest staying in the Cabanas section in building 8C. This building is the closest to the tower and will make walking back to your room simple. Dalia and Barcelona Lounge offer impressive cocktails and beautiful architectural views. And Laguna bar is right outside by the lake. We were very impressed with the nighttime options at this resort, and if that is something you plan to take advantage of, then the Cabanas section will be an easy walk.
VILLAGE AREA | THE FAMILY TRAVELERS
And finally, for our families with young children, the ones who, like us, have a full stroller and lots of gear going to the parks. You will want to request Casitas Village, specifically building 4. Honestly, we thought this really was the sweet spot for the whole resort. You are a short bridge walk to food and the Tower and a short walk away from the Dig Site. The bus stop is right outside of this building, and it is the first stop on the bus loop, which is perfect for young kids. It is also the only village with elevators in the buildings. And if you have a full stroller with a sleeping baby, you know how much of a perk this is! It would also be great for people who need wheelchair access but don't plan on booking a handicap-accessible room. Building 4 is right next to the Casitas leisure pool and is very convenient to all aspects of the resort.
RESORT REQUEST TIPS
When making room requests this specific, you will want to call Disney directly and keep the following in mind.
These requests are not guaranteed! Disney is happy to add the request to your booking, but please keep in mind that there is a big chance that it may not happen. And there is nothing that they can do about that.
Adding room requests can delay your check-in time, so keep an eye on that. We will rarely have a room request granted and get to check in early. Most of the time, we store our luggage with bell services and either hang out at the pool for the day or head to the theme parks. If it's starting to get late, you can always head to the check-in desk and ask that they drop your room request in favor of the next available room.
And finally, if you don't receive your room request, please know that it will not ruin your vacation! Disney resorts are magical places where you and your family can make great memories. These room requests are just suggestions, and if they don't happen for you, you will still have a great trip!
We hope you found this helpful as you plan for your next vacation at Walt Disney World. If you want to see the other resorts we have visited on our challenge, be sure to visit our YouTube channel and subscribe. If you want to learn more about Coronado Springs, then take a look at this video. We are visiting all 18 Disney Resorts by the end of 2022 and would love to have you along on this journey. And if you are planning a Disney vacation soon, we hope you have a Magical Resort Stay!
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