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Review: The Pools at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)
THE POOLS 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 four pools. The main pool, full of amenities, is the Lost City of Cibola pool at the central Dig Site.
Each of the current three accommodations areas at Coronado Springs–the Casitas, the Ranchos, and the Cabanas–has a pool as well, each much smaller than the main pool and with no material amenities.
The new tower being built at Coronado Springs will add hundreds of rooms but not an additional pool.
THE DIG SITE AND LOST CITY OF CIBOLA POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The Lost City of Cibola Pool is the main pool at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Themed to represent a lost Mayan ruin including a decaying pyramid handy for sun-bathing, it’s the second best family pool among the moderates, bested only by the more kid-appealing pool at Caribbean Beach. It’s by far the best pool for adults among the moderates.
For kids, the appeal is the exotic theming, the playground, and the 123 foot water slide. For adults, the appeal is the expanse of pool chairs, biggest hot tub at Disney World, and hot food at the pool bar.
The pool is centrally located in an area of Coronado Springs called in total “The Dig Site.” See the map below. The Dig Site area and pool is just above the words “Lago Dorado.”
This area is convenient to the Ranchos and Cabanas, and some of the Casitas. Other Casitas rooms are a hike. Each of these three areas also has a smaller pool, and this smaller pool is particularly convenient if you are in buildings 1-3 at the Casitas and you don’t need the amenities and fun of the Dig Site.
The pyramid dominates the pool.
Next to it is an 120 foot+ water slide.
It’s plenty big, with plenty of varied lounging areas.
There’s also a fairly weak kids pool…
…a fire pit…
…a hot tub–the largest at Disney World…
…a volleyball court…
…and a bar, Siestas, that unusually among the moderates serves hot food.
The menu.
Nearby is an extensive playground, with a sand play area…
…slide…
…and jungle gym.
The entire area is called The Dig Site…
…and is particularly nice at night.
Each accommodations area has its own smaller pool as well–and those come next!
THE CASITAS POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The quiet pool at the Casitas is the only pool at Disney World laid out for swimming laps.
The Casitas pool from the other end…
…and the side.
The Casitas pool at night.
THE CABANAS POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The Cabanas pool.
The Cabanas pool from the other end.
THE RANCHOS POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
There’s a quiet pool in the Ranchos area as well.
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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December 1, 2014 No Comments
What’s New in The easy Guide for 2015
Annual Disney World guidebooks—like ours, The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit 2015 —are only rarely rewritten from scratch.
Rather, stuff that’s still valid is left as is, and changes occur around it.
- Minor changes like updated prices are added to sections that remain largely the same, and other areas see material deleted and added to reflect the ebb and flow of changes in the parks and hotels.
- Moreover, there’s always errors and typos to correct—no matter how hard we try to be perfect the first time.
- Plus, too many of the images in the 2014 edition were hard to read (and did that lead us on a journey)
- And it’s also always easy to see places where we can add helpful info, and hard to restrain ourselves.
We purposely designed The easy Guide to be both the least lengthy and largest point-size major Disney World guidebook.
Even so, we saw enough critical material to add to increase the length of the heart of the 2015 edition (that is, excluding “About the Authors” and other stuff that no one cares about) from the 2014 edition’s 269 pages to 281 pages (this process, spread over the years, is how some guidebooks get to be 800 pages long…we promise to not do that).
So with that as background, here’s some of what’s new in The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit for 2015. [Read more →]
November 30, 2014 No Comments
Amenities at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)
AMENITIES 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 includes an area where you check in, buy tickets, and find shops, dining, bars, etc., called El Centro. The Convention Center and business services space also is accessed here. Almost all amenities except for the pools and health club are in this central area.
EL CENTRO AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
The main entry illustrates the graceful architecture you’ll find in most of the resort.
The check-in lobby has a Mexican-influenced look.
You check in here, buy tickets, make dining reservations, and such.
The far wall of the lobby has one of my favorite Hidden Mickeys, in the interacting shapes of three lights, much more visible to the camera than your eyes.
You’ll also find some charming toy displays in the lobby.
Nearby are shops, dining, and the Convention Center.
The gift shop Panchito’s is large, and while it has mostly standard Disney hotel gift shop stuff, there’s a bit of a Mexican selection similar to what you can find in Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion.
Coronado Springs is a convention resort, with a medium-sized convention center in El Centro, a circumstance which has led to much fussing, most of it silly.
All the deluxe resorts except the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge are also convention resorts, and these get little fuss.
Conventions yield fewer people overall because there are fewer people per room, and most of the time they are spending their time in meetings, in catered meals, and on the exhibit floor, rather than clotting the buses or food courts.
Demands for business services means that Coronado Springs also has more amenities than any other moderate–real room service, a real pool grill, a health club–none of which you’ll find at the other moderates.
But when a thousand people leave a meeting and head to the pool, you’ll notice.
There’s a bus stop outside of El Centro, and three more scattered around the accommodations areas.
There’s only a few amenities that aren’t in El Centro. One is the pools, to which I’ll return later. The other is the health club, spa and salon, which you’ll find near the Casitas quiet pool.
DINING 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
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!
November 30, 2014 2 Comments
Get 30% Off The easy Guide Through Monday
Update: This sales goes through 12/1!!!
As co-author Josh notes here, Amazon has a site-wide 30% off sale on any printed book through Sunday. Just input the discount code HOLIDAY30 in the spot indicated by the red circle:
So it’s the perfect time to get your copy of the brand-new The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit 2015!
The easy Guide 2015 is based on the amazing start of the 2014 edition–the best reviewed Disney World Guidebook in history. For more on The easy Guide, see this!
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November 28, 2014 1 Comment
Next Week (November 29 Through December 7, 2014) at Walt Disney World
DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: NOVEMBER 29 TO DECEMBER 7, 2014
The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.
The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on December 2014 at Walt Disney World, click here.
Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.
OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/29-12/7/2014
The Magic Kingdom will be open 8a-12MN 11/29, 8a-7p 11/30, 8a-12MN 12/1, 8a-7p 12/2, 8a-11p 12/3, 8a-7p 12/4 and 12/5, 8a-1a 12/6, and 8a-7p 12/7
Epcot will be open from 9a-9.30p every day
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-10p 11/29, 9a-8p 11/30 through 12/5, 9a-9p 12/6, and 9a-8p 12/7
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-8p 11/29, 9a-7p 11/30, 9a-5p 12/1, 9a-6p 12/2 through 12/4, and 9a-7p 12/5 through 12/7
EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/29-12/7/2014
Saturday 11/29 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom
Sunday 11/30 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
Monday 12/1 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
Tuesday 12/2 Morning: Epcot Evening: none
Wednesday 12/3 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
Thursday 12/4 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: none
Friday 12/5 Morning: none Evening: Epcot
Saturday 12/6 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom
Sunday 12/7 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/29-12/7/2014
The Magic Kingdom:
- Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day
- Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p 11/29, 12/1, 12/3, and 12/6
FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/29-12/7/2014
Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 11/29, 12/1, 12/3, and 12/6
Illuminations at Epcot: 9.30p every night
Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 6.30 and 8p every night
SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/29-12/7/2014
See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.
LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/29-12/7/2014
See this for forecasts.
DISCLAIMER
Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:
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November 28, 2014 No Comments
How to Get a Defective Easy Guide Replaced
Well, we’ve gone and created another “collector’s edition…” [Read more →]
November 26, 2014 No Comments
