This past September, I stayed at two options guests have for hotel rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Guests have two options: a standard room in one of the villages and the Gran Destino Tower.
This resort is the second-largest on Disney property in terms of acreage and the number of rooms available to guests. The villages include 1,917 rooms and suites around a 15-acre lake. The Gran Destino Tower holds 545 rooms within a 15-story building. The only resort bigger than this one is Pop Century Resort which houses nearly 3,000 rooms, but in my opinion, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort feels way bigger.
The resort also houses a convention center, a ballroom, a business center, a boardroom and a junior ballroom. These make the hotel seem even bigger than for just housing guests who are staying there for the parks and several restaurants and gift shops throughout the resort.
Standard Room in the Villages:
The first thing about staying in a standard room at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is be prepared to walk a lot. There are three villages that house guests – Ranchos, Casitas and Cabanas. I stayed in the Ranchos village and I enjoyed it.
The room was spacious and is a typical moderate-resort room at Walt Disney World. The villages are in a motel-style form where guests will enter their room from the outside rather than inside.
The room I stayed in included two queen-sized beds, which could sleep up to four people. Although there was no table, the counter space below the TV was very wide and spacious.
Like all Disney hotels, there was a bedside table, an in-room safe, drawers, a closet, a coffee maker with a drawer filled with coffee pods, tea bags and cups, an ironing board and iron and a mini-refrigerator.
The closet was located in the sink area of the bathroom with extra pillows and blankets. H2O products were left on the sink and there was a good amount of shelf space for other items.
The bathroom and the shower are located together in one room, which I wish wasn’t the case. But it was just me on this trip this time around, so I was fine with it. But it could be difficult for a family of four.
Overall, the room was nice and very comfortable and a great option for a lower price.
One of the biggest cons to staying at the villages at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is the bus stops. There are four bus stops on this resort property. Bus stop One is at Gran Destino Tower, bus stop two is outside of Casitas, bus stop three is outside of Ranchos and bus stop four is outside of Ranchos and Cabanas.
When I first arrived, I had trouble finding the bus stops and felt like I was walking in circles. I’m sure that the longer you stay, the more comfortable you’ll be finding the bus stop closest to your room, but it was still difficult.
Another con is the distance from food locations and the lobby, which are both located in Gran Destino Tower. Having to walk a long way for food, especially in the morning, is a bummer. But I guess they want you to get those steps in.
Gran Destino Tower:
I’ll be honest – Gran Destino Tower feels like I’m living in the future. What shocked me the most was the elevators and how they operate. Guests will push the floor they want to go to on a touch screen and once your touch screen tells you what elevator to get on, you don’t have to push any more buttons – it’ll just bring you to that floor. CRAZY!
Once you key into your room, you’re met with a grand entryway with a bathroom on one side and a closet on the other and the beds, drawers and TV located in the back.
Unlike the standard rooms in the villages, the shower and bathroom are not together in the same room. However, the bathroom is inside the room with the shower. You wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom if someone was showering. Also unlike the standard rooms, this shower has a glass door that can be pushed open instead of slid open, which I also liked.
A pro to the Gran Destino Tower is the height of the rooms. You do have a better view than in village rooms. You could also have a room looking at the parking rather than the water. However, some rooms have a view of the fireworks show, which is great!
The rest of the room is very similar to the village rooms – your H2O products, drawer and counter space, extra pillows and blankets, a coffee maker with coffee pods, tea and cups, a mini-refrigerator and an in-room safe.
The bus stop from the Gran Destino Tower is extremely easy to locate and you don’t have to walk a lot. The only con from this is that although it’s labeled bus stop one, it is the last stop on the loop, but that means the bus will most likely have space for you to sit after other guests get off at other stops!
Overall, I enjoyed the Gran Destino Tower more than the villages. This was because of the location and overall vibes – it feels so luxurious. So if you have the extra money to spend, I recommend staying in the tower. Also try Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago because it’s so yummy!
