Disney’s Coronado Springs Gets A Makeover

Disney’s Coronado Springs is a lovely Spanish-styled resort at Disney World near Orlando. It’s also currently a construction zone. Today’s post looks at the current state of Coronado Springs, as well as all of the changes that are to come. Everybody likes a good makeover, right?

Resort Overview

Let’s start with an overview of the resort as it stands today.

Disney’s Coronado Springs is a large, beautifully-themed resort wrapped around a 22-acre lake (Lago Dorado). The guest rooms are organized in three sections: Casitas, Cabanas and Ranchos. Each offers its own unique architecture and landscaping. The main building of the resort (El Centro), houses the reception area as well as a gift shop and multiple dining options. Additional refreshments are available at a lake-side bar located nearby and a quick-service restaurant overlooking the resort’s main pool. Non-discounted standard rooms run roughly $200 to $300 a night depending on seasonality.

Coronado Springs is also a conference resort, which means it offers some services that are unique to the other Disney resorts within its “moderate” category. Other than the expected conference rooms in the main building, you’ll also find a fitness center and spa. The modern-styled guest rooms (and suites!) offer large writing desks and expanded room-service menus.

Overall, I appreciate the theming and general layout of Coronado Springs. It has a more upscale and romantic feel to it than some of the other resorts in its class, which makes it a perfect choice for adults-only vacations or those looking for a reprieve from the busyness of the theme parks. You can take quiet strolls around the lake, enjoy a cocktail at the outdoor lounge or relax in a hammock nearby.

Although the size of the resort can be overwhelming at times, it also spreads out the crowds and provides quiet places to relax. I love the pool and the surrounding area, which includes an arcade, giant checker board, volleyball court and the largest hot tub on Disney World property.

On the downside, the current indoor dining options aren’t great. The service tends to be rather slow at times and the food is fairly standard. Most of the current dining options are located in El Centro, which ironically is not all that central to the majority of guest rooms.

The bus service is a bit hit or miss too. Coronado Springs currently offers four bus depots, which increases your odds of being close to one of them but also increases your transportation time due to stops at the other three.

So, will any of these resort attributes change once the new construction projects are completed?

In a word: YES.

Construction Projects

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that Disney World is a major construction zone at the moment. There are numerous projects underway at three of the theme parks and many of the resorts. You can read the details here. This doesn’t mean you’ll have a bad time or even notice most of the projects during your vacation though. Disney is almost as good at hiding the construction from guests as it is at delivering magical experiences once all those ambitious projects are completed.

The construction at Coronado Springs is one of the larger projects at the moment. The resort is experiencing a major makeover in terms of capacity, appearance and amenities. Construction began over a year ago and will continue through summer 2019.

The most ambitious project involves the addition of a 15-story tower near El Centro called Gran Destino. Once completed, the tower will feature a new lobby and 500 additional guest rooms, including several suite options and concierge level services. The top of the tower will also house a new restaurant called Toledo – Tapas, Steak and Seafood.  

Construction of the tower is pretty visible at the moment, since it’s hard to cover 15 stories behind one of those tastefully-designed construction fences. Fortunately, the work on the tower should be completed by this summer. Disney is now accepting room and dining reservations for July 9 or later.

Another construction project currently underway is the addition of another new restaurant in the middle of the Lago Dorado. The restaurant, called Three Bridges Bar & Grill is literally on the water, which means the amount of construction gadgetry required to build it is extensive. Construction may cause obstructed lake views and redirected pathways at various times through the coming months.

Fortunately, some of the many projects that started last year or earlier have already been completed. Disney painted the exteriors of some of the existing buildings in more subdued shades. The company also updated all of the guest rooms with hardwood floors, flatscreen and other modern touches.

The primary pool at the resort, known as the Dig Site, also received a refresh late last year but has now reopened. I’m a little concerned about the pool being able to handle the additional guests from the tower, since it doesn’t look like the tower is getting its own pool (?!?), but we’ll have to wait and see. Fortunately, the resort also has three more “quiet” pools (meaning no lifeguards or planned activities not actual noise levels!) around the property too.

Whew! See what I mean? So many projects! At least it’s getting closer to completion.

Future outlook

So the short-term implications of the make-over, which I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, focus primarily on construction hassles. Some construction, most notably the tower and the new lake-top restaurant, are still under way and will continue to be so through the summer.

On the plus side, the pool has reopened and all of the guest rooms are beautifully updated.

In the long-term, the changes to Coronado Springs are much more significant.

The new restaurant in the middle of Lago Dorado will be accessed by new walkways across the lake. This has the potential to make this sprawling resort feel smaller, because you’ll now have the option of walking directly across the lake rather than trudging around the perimeter. The new restaurant will definitely offer better views and accessibility than the current options.

The implications of the tower are a little bit harder to predict. On the plus side, the new building will offer additional room styles and dining options. I’m a fan of the sleek designs in Disney’s concept renderings of the new lobby and rooms, but others complain about a perceived lack of theming.

Whether or not Coronado Springs can really absorb 500+ additional guests is the bigger question, at least to me. In some ways I think it could, because the current resort is so massive it can sometimes feel abandoned. Adding more people and more amenities may actually make the resort feel smaller (cozier?) because everything is closer together. In other ways I’m concerned the addition of so many more guests, on top of conferences in particular, could upset the relaxed feel of the resort.

And then there’s the impact on pricing. As it stands today, Coronado Springs is a “moderate” resort in the ever complicated world of Disney World pricing. Technically, it’s at a slight premium relative to other moderates (Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach, etc.) due to its convention traffic, but it’s not by a huge amount.

Will the additional amenities cause another bump in price? No other moderate on property currently offers the range of restaurants or accommodations that Coronado Springs will have. None of them offer indoor room corridors and roof-top dining either. We’ll have to wait and see on that one too.

Conclusion

Disney’s Coronado Springs is a lovely resort with the potential of becoming even better in the near future. The addition of Gran Destino, a new 15-story tower means more guests on property.  It also means more amenities to delight them. The new restaurants and boardwalks across the lake have the potential to address some of the resort’s biggest weaknesses, which are mostly size, accessibility and dining options. If you choose to stay at Coronado Springs in 2019, just know there’s a chance you’ll encounter some construction. It shouldn’t make or break your trip, particularly if you’re traveling closer to the end of the year, but it’s good to know what to expect.

Add a little (makeover) magic to your world!