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Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide

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Coronado Springs Resort is Walt Disney World's first moderately-priced convention resort hotel.  It is themed in a fantastic Mexican motif that just drips with atmosphere.  However, being a convention hotel, Coronado Springs tends to have a more formal air about it than does Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans.  This tour focuses on the guest areas.  Since MousePlanet is primarily a vacation planning site, I figured I'd leave convention planning information to the Disney folks.

Coronado Springs approach

In this photo tour you'll get a glimpse around the resort and a little taste of the atmosphere that you're likely to experience here.  First, notice the VERY big drive through area here.  Again, it's apparent that this resort is designed for folks that are using taxis and shuttle services (rather than personal vehicles) to transport them to the facilities.  The other moderate resorts have an overhanging drive way, too, but it's no where near the size of this one.

When you enter the resort's main building, the first thing you see is this lovely fountain.  It's the centerpiece of the entry hall.  Straight ahead (to the right and outside of the picture above), is a door that takes you out to the back terrace for a view of Lago Dorado, the huge lake that the resort surrounds.

Entryway fountain

If you look up, above the fountain, you'll see Coronado Spring's famous entry way ceiling.  It's a spectacular piece of artistry that acts as a sky light during the day, and provides lovely backlighting in the evening and nighttime hours.

Entryway ceiling

Then, to the right of the entry hall is the main check in area.  This is a larger facility than the check in areas a the other moderate resorts for two reasons.  First, the room has a larger than normal guest services area (to the left and outside of the picture below) due to the convention traffic.  Second, conventioneers don't like to be kept waiting, so when necessary, additional staff is brought on to keep the lines down.

Check in lobby

It's not that Disney doesn't mind when "regular" guests have to wait, it's just that they've recognized that convention hotels tend to have much greater crowds coming and going depending on their meetings.

Panchito's is a pretty typical WDW resort store.  It has the typical Disney souvenirs as well as just about anything you'd need for a few days away from home.  It's just about the same size as Fulton's General Store at Port Orleans Riverside and is quite a bit larger than Jackson Square at Port Orleans French Quarter.  I've never really noticed anything in the shop that would lead me to believe that it caters to the convention crowd.  The items sold are very typical for a Disney hotel.

Panchito's Gifts and Sundries

Outside the main building, the rest of the resort facilities are laid-out around the lovely Lago Dorado ("golden lake").  Here, you can see the marina (located on out on the peninsula that juts into the lake on the left.  The umbrella tables out on the promenade are often filled with conventioneers taking a break from their meetings.  Usually, though, the area is quite peaceful and relaxing.

Main resort facilities across Lago Dorado

Click here to return to the Coronado Springs "Fast Facts" Page.

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