(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)
THE CASITAS, RANCHOS AND CABANAS AREAS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The 1917 rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort are divided among three differently themed areas:
- The Casitas, resembling a graceful cityscape
- The Ranchos, based on Southwestern desert habitats and architecture; and
- The Cabanas, intended to give the sense of “a quaint beachfront retreat complete with cozy hammocks.”
The Cabanas are best for families, and the Casitas for adults. See the map for their locations.
THE CASITAS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The Casitas, closest to the main building and Convention Center, have the loveliest architecture among these.
The Casitas also have the highest appeal to conventioneers, being both closest to the convention center, and the location of most of the Coronado Springs suites.
Most suites are in building 1, and there are many lovely courtyards and fountains between building 1 and building 2.
(Yes, Coronado Springs is the only moderate with suites; these are required to compete for convention business, as they are often given away or heavily discounted to meeting planners in return for reserving a block of rooms, and are also required as sales and meeting settings by some exhibitors.)
The quiet pool at the Casitas is the only pool at Disney World laid out for swimming laps.
Near here you’ll find the La Vida health club–the only health club at a moderate.
Buildings 1, 2 and 3 are closest to the services at El Centro and to the Convention Center. They are also interconnected by covered walkways, very handy in the rain or summer sun. Buildings 4 and 5 are balanced between El Centro and the main pool at The Dig Site. Buildings 2 and 4 are closest to the bus stop.
THE CABANAS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The Cabanas, the opposite direction from the Casitas, have undistinguished, dull architecture, meant to recollect casual beach houses, hence the perhaps overly subtle patching on the roofs…
…but look lovely from across the lake. These rooms have the best location for families, being in between the El Centro services and the main pool.
Alone among the three room areas of Coronado Springs, the Cabanas are fronted by beaches.
Another view of the beaches…
…and the beaches in the morning.
The kid appeal of these beaches and overall convenience to both El Centro and the main pool makes the Cabanas the best area for families, and is why I rate Coronado Springs as the second-best moderate for first-time family visitors.
You can’t swim in the lake from these beaches, but there is a quiet pool at the Cabanas where you can swim.
Building 9b is closest to El Centro and still convenient to the main pool, but is overly expensive “business class.” (Yes, Coronado Springs is the only moderate with a concierge lounge–with pricing aimed at expense-account convention travelers, I can’t recommend it.) Many rooms in 9b are closer to the bus stop in El Centro than the bus stop in the Ranchos area.
Building 9a is convenient to both El Centro and the main pool, and is the best choice for family travelers. Building 8b is also a fine choice–a little further from El Centro, but closer to the pool and bus stop.
THE RANCHOS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The third area, the Ranchos, has a wilder cactus-y Southwestern theme, which may be a little too realistically arid and barren for some kids to enjoy.
Theming includes dry washes…
…hitching posts…
…and animal tracks.
The buildings are meant to reflect the main buildings of old ranches. This works better in the tall buildings, not so well in the two-story buildings.
Note the stonework on the columns and the (fake) chimneys.
The Ranchos are also a hike from the resort central services and convention center, though some of these rooms are near the main pool. Building 7a is next to the bus stop but is otherwise the most inconvenient building at Coronado Springs. If you are here as part of a team attending a convention, your colleagues are in buildings 1 and 9b, and you are assigned by your boss to 7a–well, update your resume.
There’s a quiet pool in the Ranchos area as well.
SUMMARY: DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
Among the moderates, Coronado Springs’s strengths for first time visitors are its visual kid appeal, especially in the Cabanas section (not as much as at Caribbean Beach, but more than the other moderates), and its very high level of amenities compared to the other moderates—e.g. the only “real” room service menu among the moderates.
The principal negatives are that it can be clotted at times by conventioneers, and some nights of the year costs slightly more than the other moderates—i.e. $3-$6 per night.
Returning visitors often find Coronado Springs to be a favorite—because of its amenities approaching the level of a deluxe for the cost of a typical moderate.
See this for more on distinctions among the moderates.
PAGES: Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
EXTERNAL LINKS FOR CORONADO SPRINGS
MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- For where to stay, see this
- For your next best choices, in order, see this
- For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
- For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
- For resort reviews, see this
- For the value resorts, see this
- For the moderate resorts, see this
- For the deluxe resorts, see this
- For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
- For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Military/DOD families should look at this
- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
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2 Comments on "The Casitas, Ranchos, and Cabanas at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort"
So glad Cheryl! As you can tell, I put a lot into these reviews…
Thank you thank you thank you!!! This article was so helpful!!! I have been reading everything – and this article had it all!