Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)

DINING AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Note 8/4/2019: I am in the middle of updating this review to incorporate the changes at Coronado Springs that opened in July 2019. An overview of these changes is here, and a photo tour of a new room in the new Gran Destino tower is here.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort has a wider range of dining options than any other Disney World moderate resort, with more to come in July 2019.

It has in its El Centro area two table service venues, a counter-service option, and a grab and go coffee shop.  It shares with Caribbean Beach the distinct position among the moderates of having hot food at the main pool and it has a more extensive room-service menu than any other moderate. There are also three bars, with more to come.

Coming in 2019 are two more venues–a rooftop restaurant and lounge on top of the 15 story tower that’s being built between El Centro and the Cabanas, and an over-the water bar and grill whose construction status as of late April 2018 is shown above.

In El Centro you’ll find a grab and go food shop…

…and El Mercado de Coronado, formerly Pepper Market, the “quick service” meal offering.

The food stations used to be overly complicated, but fresh and interesting, making Pepper Market then the best food court among the moderates, though admittedly convoluted.  Now El Mercado de Coronado is much more like any other Disney World food court, with a bit of an added garnish of southwestern offerings and flavors.

Checkout and payment used to have a mystifying multi-step approach that garnered the envy of former Warsaw Pact customer service staff, but now is utterly simple. El Mercado de Coronado is now comparable to other moderate quick service offerings, a loss on the food front but a gain on the service and simplicity dimension.

The El Mercado de Coronado menu is here.

There are two table service offerings at Coronado Springs.  Best known is the Maya Grill.

The Maya Grill review from The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

The Maya Grill menu is here.

Also available is dining in Cafe Rix.

The main pool bar, Siestas Cantina, is unique among the moderates in offering a hot menu.

One of my lunches-Carnitas Tacos–from Siestas Cantina.

A perhaps more legible version of the menu is here.

On the lake side of El Centro, you’ll find the Laguna Bar–because of its setting, the best bar among the moderates.

Also here is lots of other outdoor seating.

Inside the main building you’ll find a third bar, the Rix Lounge.

Although the other moderates have caught up a lot the last few years, Coronado Springs still offers the best room service menu among them.

A larger version of the dinner side:

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here!

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

• Overview and summary review of Coronado Springs
• The theming and accommodations areas of Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a standard room at Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a Gran Destino Tower room at Coronado Springs
• Amenities at Coronado Springs
• Dining at Coronado Springs
• The pools at Coronado Springs

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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The following items aren’t exactly news, as they’ve been known for a month or so now, but I have not yet posted about them, so maybe they are news to you!

• The main pool at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, the Lost City of Cibola pool, and its surrounding amenities at the Dig Site, will close for refurb from ~September 4, 2018 to mid-December 2018. The three smaller pools here will remain open.
• The main Uzima Springs pool at Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge will close for refurb from ~September 4, 2018 to early December 2018. The Samawati Springs pool at sister resort Kidani Village will remain open to all Animal Kingdom Lodge guests
• In a more positive development, guests at Four Seasons Resort Orlando have access to FastPass+ at 60 days for the balance of 2018.

THE CLOSURE OF THE DIG SITE AND LOST CITY OF CIBOLA POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Most of the Disney World resorts have more than one pool, typically one main pool with the most amenities, which Disney calls the “feature pool,” and one or more smaller pools that create more capacity and limit walks that Disney calls “leisure pools” and which many others refer to as “quiet pools.”

The Lost City of Cibola pool, to close for refurb in September

At Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, the main feature pool is the Lost City of Cibola pool, and it and the set of amenities—ranging from a bar to a volleyball court—surrounding it are collectively called the Dig Site.

All of the Dig Site, including the Lost City of Cibola pool, will be closing for refurb in September 2018, and re-opening in December. The most reliable source suggests the dates of the closure will be 9/4/18 through 12/12/2018. (Take the re-open date with a grain of salt, as construction can be unpredictable.)

Coronado Springs includes three smaller, simpler leisure pools, one in each of its room areas, marked with green circles in the image (the Cibola pool is marked with a red “X”).

There is not remotely enough capacity in these three smaller pools for all the guests at Coronado Springs who might wish to use them, so if access to a pool is a key part of your vacation and you are traveling during the affected dates, I’d suggest not staying at Coronado Springs.

THE CLOSURE OF THE UZIMA SPRINGS POOL AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

The main feature pool at Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Uzima Springs pool, will also close for refurb later in 2018.

The Uzima Springs pool, to close in September

There’s not as definitive a source (yet) for the dates, but the assertions I’ve seen mark the close as from 9/4/18 through 12/4/2018. (Take the re-open date with a grain of salt, as construction can be unpredictable; you’ll find some claiming an earlier September 1 close date, but I find it unlikely that Disney would leave a pool open the Friday before a holiday weekend, and then close it the Saturday of that weekend.)

The Samawati Springs pool at Kidani Village

There are no leisure pools at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but sister resort Kidani Village has an equally nice option in its Samawati Springs pool, and (as always) Jambo House guests are welcome there.

It’s a bit of a hike—the two pools are about half a mile apart*—so the already-existing shuttle service between Kidani and Jambo House will be a good option. However, Samawati Springs may well be full when you get there, as both pools already commonly run near their lounging capacity.

On the other hand, a room refurb project is also reported to be kicking off at Jambo House in August 2018. Depending on how many rooms at a time are out of inventory for refurb, crowds at Samawati Springs may be less pressing. But my best guess (assuming a floor at a time is refurbed) is that Jambo capacity will be down at any moment no more than 25%.

So, like at Coronado Springs, if access to a pool is a key part of your vacation and you are traveling during the affected dates, I’d suggest not staying at either Jambo House or Kidani Village.

FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO NOW OFFERS FASTPASS+ BOOKING AT 60 DAYS

Between December and January all the on-property but not-Disney-owned resorts gained access to FastPass+ at 60 days except for Four Seasons Resort Orlando.

In mid-April 2018, Four Seasons joined this group, and guest staying there can now book their FastPass+ at 60 days. This removes the principal reason why before then I would have suggested that first-timers avoid Four Seasons Resort Orlando.

As is the case with the other resorts that gained 60 day FastPass+ access in late 2017 or earlier 2018, this perk is explicitly labeled as available through December 31, 2018, and “subject to change without notice.” And note that with just 443 rooms and suites, there aren’t enough folks at Four Seasons to make a material incremental difference for the ability of other folk to get FastPass+.

*To put this into context, the much-complained-about walk from the furthest Pirate rooms in Trinidad South at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort to its feature pool is just a hundred yards shorter.

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The Disney Springs Resort Area includes seven independently owned and managed hotels on Disney World property, at the far eastern edge of Disney World. These hotels are

• B Resort & Spa
• Best Western Lake Buena Vista
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
• Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• Holiday Inn Orlando
• Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista

For 2018, all seven gained access to the two most important Disney World perks—FastPass+ bookings at 60 days, and Extra Magic Hours. This access will continue through at least December 31, 2019.

Because of their new* access those perks, I’m instituting coverage of these hotels (there’s already a bit out there, but much is comped** and frankly a bit Pollyannish), starting with an overview of their bus service to the parks and other transportation-related items. For my coverage of other Disney World hotel options, see this.

DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS BUS TRANSPORTATION TO THE PARKS

There are two different bus routes at the Disney Springs hotels, each of which during my visits in late April and early May 2018 had two theme park routes most of the day and a third route, to Disney Springs, that began at 6p.

One, Route A, serves the four hotels on the southern side of Hotel Plaza Boulevard—the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista (there are three Hiltons of different flavors among the seven hotels here, so take some care in noting which you are actually staying in), the Holiday Inn, the B Resort, and the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton.

The second, Route B, serves the other two hotels on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, the Best Western Lake Buena Vista and the Wyndham, and the one hotel on East Buena Vista Drive, the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace.

Each route runs buses that serve as many as two parks. On my visit most of the day I saw buses that served Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and Hollywood Studios and Epcot. It may be that during times when these hotels are more heavily booked that routes are not so shared—I’ll be back in the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels in July, so will check that then.

The basic operating principle is that shared buses to all four parks will depart every 30 minutes, which is better than what you will see at most hotels not owned by Disney, but not as good as what the Disney-owned resorts (and Swan and Dolphin) provide.

Nominally, they are expected at a specific time at each hotel, e.g. “5 minutes after the hour and half-hour,” but schedule uncertainties caused by traffic lights, wheelchair lifts and such will make this a bit variable. My timing (yes, I spent hours at the Disney Springs Resort Area hotel bus stops timing the buses, because that’s what I do…) showed an average time between departures to the same park of 32 minutes, with a range of 23 to 48 minutes.

Buses start an hour before parks open, and run to 90 minutes after parks close. This includes Extra Magic Hours—buses begin an hour before Extra Magic Hours begins–and, in a nice touch, buses to hot parks may start even earlier. For example, on Sunday April 29, Disney’s Hollywood Studios had Extra Magic Hours beginning at 8a, and Animal Kingdom had a normal opening of 9a. However, not only did I see a Hollywood Studios bus at the Buena Vista Palace at 7.11a, but also there was an Animal Kingdom bus there at 7.08a, giving those looking to line up for Flight of Passage a nice early start at that park.

So the departure frequency is not quite as good as the every 20 minutes that you can expect at the Disney-owned resorts, and the number of stops among the various hotels served on the two services is also a drag compared to Disney-owned resorts, with only the moderates, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs having a comparable number of non-park stops.

The two parks per bus also slows things down, as does the drop-off point for Magic Kingdom. If you are going to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, you’ll typically go to another park first; if you are returning from Magic Kingdom or Epcot, you’ll typically go to another park first.

And unlike the buses at the Disney-owned resorts and Swan and Dolphin, which drop you off right outside the Magic Kingdom, the Disney Springs Resort Area Magic Kingdom bus drops you off at the Transportation and Ticket Center (in the area marked in red above), meaning you have another transportation act—ferry or monorail—to actually get to that park. (Shades of Green, Four Seasons, and off-property buses have the same issue.)

Returning from Magic Kingdom to the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels is particularly painful, as you first take the ferry or monorail back to TTC, then wait for the bus, take it to the Animal Kingdom, then come back from the Animal Kingdom to the various stops at the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels. For example, it took me almost 90 minutes to get from Adventureland back to the B Resort:

• Adventureland to ferry to TTC bus stop: 27 minutes
• Wait for bus: 16 minutes
• Bus to Animal Kingdom, then Hilton and Holiday Inn and finally B Resort: 45 minutes

As noted, Magic Kingdom buses are at the TTC, in an unshaded area.

Epcot Bus Stop

Epcot and Hollywood Studios buses are more convenient, just a bit beyond the Disney buses, though also unshaded (the Hollywood Studios bus stop is being redone, so this may change)

Animal Kingdom Shared Bus Shelter

Animal Kingdom buses share a pretty convenient shaded waiting area, but this also means you have to keep your eye out for your bus to arrive, as it may be masked by other buses.

Note that if your knowledge of which hotel is where, the weather and the amount of walking suits, you can take from the parks either Route A or Route B, whichever arrives first, and then walk over to your actual hotel if you are on the “wrong” route. For example, it’s around 700 feet from either the B Resort or the DoubleTree Suites bus stop to the bus stop at the Best Western.

This works least well at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, whose bus stop is ~2,000 feet from the nearest bus stop on the other route, at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista (I warned you all these Hiltons could get confusing). To put this in context for experienced Walt Disney World visitors, that’s a couple hundred feet further than the farthest bus stop to room walk at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

I probably should also note that the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels are among the most remote on property, with only the Animal Kingdom Lodge more distant among the Disney-owned resorts. This matters a bit less than you might think for getting to Epcot and Magic Kingdom, as there are good alternate routes from this part of Disney World that use Disney Vacation Club Way to avoid all the red lights you’ll find on Buena Vista Drive. But it certainly isn’t a positive…unless of course you are headed to Disney Springs itself, which is very close.

Overall, I’d class this bus service as worse than the worst of the service at the Disney-owned resorts, but better than that at many other non-Disney-owned alternatives.

GETTING TO DISNEY SPRINGS FROM THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA

Disney Springs is accessible from these resorts by driving your car, in the evenings by taking a bus, or by walking. The most distant hotel (the DoubleTree) is about 3,000 feet from the nearest edge of Disney Springs; the B Resort and Best Western about 2,200 feet; the Holiday Inn and Hilton Palace about 1,500 feet, and the Wyndham and Hilton about 750 feet. And note that this just gets you into Disney Springs—the far end of Disney Springs is more than 3,000 more feet away. As a point of  context, the walk from the Epcot World Showcase entrance to the American Adventure is about 4,200 feet.

These walks are along lovely tree-shaded sidewalks for the most part, and bring you to pedestrian bridges to take you up and over the traffic at the corner of Buena Vista, East Buena Vista, and Hotel Plaza Boulevard. But weather may make it unpleasant, and there’s not an insufficiency of walking at Disney World already in hand.

In the image above, I’ve drawn a red circle centered on the middle of Disney Springs, with its outer edge touching the most distant rooms of the most distant of the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels—the Doubletree. You’ll note that this circle takes in a lot of terrain—the walk to the center of Disney Springs is about as far as walking to this spot from the farthest of the Treehouses at Saratoga Springs…

DRIVING TO THE PARKS FROM THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA

Having a car frees you from the Disney Springs Resort Area bus schedule, but brings some other issues. Parking is free at Disney Springs, but costs (today; check back tomorrow) $22 a day at the theme parks. You will also pay parking fees at all of the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels (although that’s commonplace these days ) ranging from $8 per night to $22 per night.

Cars work well at Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. At Magic Kingdom, driving puts you in the same TTC parking area that the Disney Springs Resort Area bus system uses, so you’ll still have to use the monorail or ferry to get to the park itself.

Note that Kelly, my travel agent partner, can book you into–or help you avoid–one of these Disney Springs Resort Area. Use the form below to get in touch with her:

*The Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista was the only one of these that used to have EMH access, but that ended—temporarily, as it turned out–in January 2016

**The way this site works is you patronize the various sponsors—the advertisements, my travel agent partner, etc., and/or you buy my book —and I spend the money you create by doing that in going to Disney World and then reporting to you on what I find. Nothing on this site is comped—I pay for it all at rates that anyone can get.

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)

Note 8/4/2019: I am in the middle of updating this review to incorporate the changes at Coronado Springs that opened in July 2019. An overview of these changes is here, and a photo tour of a new room in the new Gran Destino tower is here.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort completed a room refurb project in the fall of 2018.

The main differences in the refurbed rooms:

• Double rather than single sinks
• More Disney theming
• The addition of an easy chair
• Wooden rather than carpeted floors
• Higher beds, with storage underneath
• Bigger TVs and many, many more power points
• More structured storage, especially in the old closet area
• Many rooms with showers instead of tub/shower combos, and where tub/shower combos still exist, the shower curtain is now sliding glass, rather than fabric

The rooms continue to be largely similar to those in the other Disney World moderate resorts, but with a few key differences related to the importance of the convention and meetings market at Coronado Springs–specifically, a desk instead of a table and two chairs, and a dresser optimized for two convention-goers.

As you enter the room, on one side you’ll find a pair of queen beds.

The bed side from the back.

A closer view of one of the queens.

Besides the lights over the beds you can see, there’s four of these pencil reading lights–one on each side of each bed.

As has become common in recent Disney World refurbs, the beds are a single mattress on a platform, and are about 30 inches high.

Open underneath, there’s now room for you to stick your luggage under the beds–there’s about 14.5 inches of clearance.

Between the two beds is a bedside table. Note the Three Caballeros-inspired art above.

There’s multiple power points on either side of this table…

…and a drawer, small but big enough for your important books.

Inside the table you’ll find a safe.

It’s as large a safe as I’ve seen in a Disney World room, likely so it can hold to hold the valuables of two conventioneers.

To give you a sense of its size, my book is six by nine inches.

The other side of the room is dominated by an easy chair and a long mini-fridge/desk/dresser combo.

This side of the room from the back.

The easy chair by the window is new in this refurb, replacing a couple of small ottomans, and makes the room more comfortable for conventioneers or families. Note more Three Caballeros art.

Next to it is the first part of the long object…

…with a glass-doored mini-fridge below…

…and a coffee service above.

Next is the desk area with a task lamp and set of power points.

Here you’ll also find the room service menu.

A larger version of the dinner side–still a little better than what you will find at the other moderates; note in particular the chef’s daily special.

Next is the dresser with a 54 inch TV above and another set of power points in between at the right.

The six drawers of the dresser will easily fit the two conventioneers or family of four that these rooms can hold.

The divided bath is in the back of the room, separated from it by a pair of sliding doors.

The sinks are just behind these doors. Note the makeup mirror, new with this refurb.

There’s an extensive set of toiletries, including sunburn relief gel, a shower cap, and a sewing kit–more than you’ll find at other moderates, or most deluxes–suited to the demands of business travelers.

There’s some storage below the sinks…

…and also at the back of the sink area.

The formerly open closet area is now enclosed.

Inside the closet you’ll find the iron and ironing board.

The rest of the bath is enclosed behind a pocket door.

It features either a shower, or (as I learned on Mario’s terrific Coronado Springs Facebook group–also see his site and forum), a shower/tub combo with sliding glass doors. If a tub is important to you, Mario says to request one.

Either way you’ll get a rainfall showerhead and in addition a hand-held head.

As is becoming common in hotels at Disney World and elsewhere, shampoo, conditioner and body wash is available in large wall-mounted bottles.

A motion-sensitive fan is in this part of the bath, and because it is loud and seems to never shut off, it may drive you mad until you realize that you can turn it off by tapping on the left-most of the three controls in this area.

In general this refurb is a positive step. Some will object to the lost carpet, and others to the shower or the glass doors in the tub. But the added sink, added easy chair, bigger TV, plethora of power points, re-structured closet, and other additions are all positives for both business and family visitors.  And the Three Caballeros art adds a bit of Disney theming to a space that in its prior life did not have any.

PHOTO TOUR OF A GRAN DESTINO TOWER STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here!

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

• Overview and summary review of Coronado Springs
• The theming and accommodations areas of Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a standard room at Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a Gran Destino Tower room at Coronado Springs
• Amenities at Coronado Springs
• Dining at Coronado Springs
• The pools at Coronado Springs

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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I was at Disney World last week, and among other adventures as usual blew a day wandering around checking the status of the various resort refurbs, on the principle that you can observe a lot just by watching. Here’s the scoop.

ALL STAR MOVIES REFURB

Since my last visit in February, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort  has entered a room refurb project.

When I visited a week ago, most of the two buildings (9 and 10) in the Toy Story Section were closed for refurb.

The floor plan (ignore the bath, as it’s the accessible variant) confirms what one would have suspected—that the refurb is following the path that Pop Century set, with queen beds, one a fold-down that makes the dining table go away, and, presumably, coffee makers.

For a photo tour of one of the similar refurbed Pop Century rooms, see this.

POP CENTURY REFURB

Speaking of the Pop Century room refurb project, the end is in sight. Buildings 4 through 10 are complete. That’s all its areas except the 50s.

In the 50s, Buildings 1 and 3 were being worked on at my visit, so the only bookable non-refurbed rooms were in Building 2.

This refurb should be complete by the late summer.

CARIBBEAN BEACH REFURB

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is in a complex refurb. 576 of its rooms were taken down–all of Barbados and half of Martinique–and are being replaced with a separate new standalone DVC resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort.

The current Buena Vista Drive entry to Caribbean Beach will become the entry to the Riviera, and Caribbean Beach will be eventually entered at Victory Way, with check-in shifted from the Custom House to a new area in the refurbed Centertown/Old Port Royale. Progress is far along on Victory Way entry, as perhaps you can see from my lousy drive-by photo (I was unwilling to stop traffic, and am generally an inept photographer).

The gift shop and most permanent dining are closed for refurb—the word is that there will re-open in late 2018. Temporary dining of varied quality and capacity has largely replaced them.

A month or so ago, a new permanent dining option, the Spyglass Grill, opened in the Pirate rooms area of Trinidad South. It’s small and not air-conditioned, but provides a quite reasonable breakfast, lunch and dinner set of counter service options. More seating is available outside.

I’ll post a full review shortly, but it’s a great option for those in Trinidad South.

It’s further than the Old Port Royale/Centertown options for everyone else. In the image, the two red circles are the same size and centered on the two sets of dining venues. A couple of buildings in Jamaica and Trinidad North are equidistant from the dining options; pretty much everything else is closer to Centertown.

The old bus stop at Old Port Royale has been replaced with three new ones, one for Magic Kingdom, one for Animal Kingdom and Epcot, and one for Hollywood Studios. I am hoping, perhaps unreasonably, that shortly the Martinique and Trinidad North stops will close as well, with the six (total) accommodations buildings in these two areas being served by the three new stops.

The demolition of half of Martinique means many of the remaining buildings here are closer to the new stop anyway, and the new stop is just 500 feet from the current Trinidad North stop. The elimination of these two bus stops would bring Caribbean Beach down to a reasonable four sets of bus stops (perhaps five after the Skyliner opens—see next para)—down from the seven or eight (depending on the route) of just a year ago. But who knows? Sadly, I’m not in charge…

Finally, construction of the Disney Skyliner system, a new set of gondola routes that will connect Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot, continues.

Caribbean Beach will be a key hub, and the station will be just south of Jamaica, making Jamaica, Trinidad North, and Trinidad South particularly well-located when it opens, likely in the second half of 2019. I have to think that the Skyliner will get its own bus stop, as otherwise there will be a lot of road-crossing to get to the Jamaica stop.

The Skyliner and the Spyglass Grill will make Trinidad South–until recently an overpriced backwater–a particularly intriguing place to stay.

You’ll find some Skyliner-related construction not just in the station area but also in the middle of Jamaica and Aruba.

CORONADO SPRINGS REFURB

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is going through almost as complicated a set of refurbs as Caribbean Beach—although, since they little involve dining, they are not nearly so disruptive.

First, the old Cabana 9b has been demolished and is being replaced by a 500+ room tower that will contain preferred rooms and a rooftop fireworks-view dining venue. This expansion will make Coronado Springs more attractive to the convention markets it already serves. This building, almost topped off, completely changes the ambiance of the entrance to Coronado Springs.

Second, Coronado Springs at the same time is going through a room refurb. I finally last week had the chance to stay in one of the refurbed rooms here, and you can find a full photo review of a refurbed Coronado Springs queen room here. (Co-author Josh of easyWDW.com published a review of a refurbed king bed room a while ago—it’s here.)

According to Mario’s terrific Coronado Springs Facebook group  (also see his site and forum), here’s the current status of the room refurb project:

Complete:

• Casita 1
• Casitas 2
• Casita 3
• Casita 4
• Rancho 7a
• Cabana 8a

Under Refurb

• Casita 5
• Rancho 6a

Not Yet Started

• Rancho 6b
• Rancho 7b
• Cabana 8b
• Cabana 9a

Finally, a new over-the-water dining venue is being constructed between the Casitas and The Dig Site. The concept art is above, and the current state of construction below.

PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER REFURB

Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort are undergoing an unambitious refurb that is proceeding quickly.

I have not yet stayed in one of the refurbed rooms (we have one booked for our late June visit), but according to Andre’s marvelous PortOrleans.org, here’s the current status:

Completed

• Buildings 1, 2 and 3

Under Refurb (old or new rooms may be partially available)

• Buildings 4 and 5

Not Yet Started

• Buildings 6 and 7

Ok, that’s the scoop on the refurbs for now! My travel agent partner Kelly can help you book–or avoid!–one of these rooms.  Contact her by using the form below!

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I’ve just re-published a re-do of my review of the Treehouses at Saratoga Springs, based on my stay in one in January—our third in a Treehouse, and eighth at Saratoga Springs. The updated Treehouse review includes 50+ new images.

In total, the updated Treehouse review has four pages:

• A summary and overview 
• A photo tour of the living/dining/kitchen spaces in a Treehouse
• A photo tour of a Treehouse master bedroom and master bath
• A photo tour of the back bedrooms and second bath of a Treehouse

Treehouses are among the most distinctive offerings on property for larger families or two-family groups. They are the only spaces that sleep nine with three bedrooms at a price comparable to a Two Bedroom villa.

The third Treehouse bedroom, however, has two bunk beds that won’t fit anyone much over 5’ 4”.

The living-dining-kitchen area feels more spacious than the equivalent in most Two Bedroom Villas, and both the dining table and the living room area seat more than almost all other such villas.

However, these rooms are distant from the main amenities at Saratoga Springs, and have a separate bus line that goes to Saratoga Springs rather than the parks. So I’m not at all keen on them for first-timers, and would strongly advise that returning visitors have a car or two.

But if your party can fit the beds and deal with the inconveniences, they are a spacious, flexible, darling, secluded, and woodsy choice, much the favorite in my family. Sadly, we’ve outgrown the bunk beds, but I look forward to future family stays here with grandchildren (are you listening, Teddy and Alex???).

There’s only 60 of them, and they seem to be pretty popular. So if you want one, can fit, and plan to have wheels, book them well in advance. Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can help you book your Disney World vacation at the Treehouses or anywhere else.  Contact her by using the form on this page.

The full updated review of the Treehouses begins here.

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