If you include the Gran Destino tower, this is EASILY a 5 star review. But, to be fair, I'm…read moreseparating the two, but still, Coronado punches well above its weight class.
Firstly.....this place is GOR.GEOUS. The spanish/Mexican/Southwestern theming is beyond beautiful. The layout is nice, with the Three Bridges tying everything together. The pool here is top notch and there are a multitude of food options. (More on this in a second...) About the pool, it is HUMONGOUS, and exquisitely themed, with a huge Mayan temple and super long "Jaguar slide." The hot tube is the biggest in all of Disney, and there is a playground adjacent to the pool. There is only a TINY, non descript basically toddler splash pad, and no water play area for the kids though.
Everyone complains about the busses because of the size of the resort, but that wasn't nearly as big an issue as it's made out to seem. (There IS an issue with the busses, but again....give me a second.)
I wasn't able to see the actual rooms at Coronado as, again, I stayed at the Gran Destino Tower, but if they look half as nice on the inside as they do the outside you should be fine. Seriously, this place is visually stunning.
The knocks are few, but potentially big. First and foremost, the El Mercado quick service dining is, in Coronado Springs parlance, BASURA. Absolute trash. The main dining facility of Coronado is almost inedible. LUCKILY, you have other options within literal feet of El Mercado (in Rix sports bar, and Maya Grill,) and then the Three Bridges Bar and Grill a quick stroll away. Hell, even eating at Siestas pool bar is 100 times better than El Mercado. The food at El Mercado was just terrible. We ate there once, and then never again. The choices are terrible, the execution much much worse, and the price was way too much for the quality you get. For literally a few dollars more, you can get a MUCH better meal elsewhere. The Barcelona LOUNGE; a literal bar in the Gran Destino Tower, served a better breakfast sandwich than the MAIN FOOD COURT OF THE HOTEL. If there weren't so many other food options, I would never stay here again because of El Mercado alone.
About those busses; like I said, it's not that big of a deal vis a vie resort size. Yes, Coronado is big, but the bus situation is not like say Caribbean Beach, where the busses feel like a war of attrition. There are only 4 bus stops at CS. The loop does not take that long at all. But what IS mildly infuriating is that there is no rhyme or reason to the stops. Gran Destino is "stop 1" on the loop, but sometimes it was the first stop heading out, sometimes the last. Sometimes on the way back from the park, the driver would drive past and start at bus stop 2. It was never the same day to day, park to park, driver to driver. You never knew if you were going to be the first/last/only stop, as all 3 happened multiple times during our stay. Also, there is a direct bus to Blizzard Beach, but not Typhoon Lagoon; for you water park types out there.
Overall, Coronado* is my new favorite hotel. The * is for Gran Destino. I would stay there a thousand more times. I think if I had to stay at Coronado Springs proper, I would probably skip it, as everything seems to be situated around the Tower, and the bus only caveat is annoying. It looks like if you were booked in the far out Ranchos/Casitas, you would have a HEFTY walk to things. The busses are worse at Caribbean Beach, but at least you have the Sky Liner there.
Lastly, if you're a Disney aficionado, you might not appreciate the EXTREMELY subtle Disney theming. The most you'll get are a few hidden Mickeys. I actually appreciate it.
Look: 5 out 5
Location: 3.5 out of 5 (Super close to AK and HS, close to Epcot. MK is a bit of a trip)
Food: 3 out of 5 (3 Bridges and Maya are GREAT, Rix is ok, El Mercado is egregious)
Transportation: 3 out of 5
Pool: 4 out of 5 (Jaguar slide is long, pool is HUGE. Hot tub biggest in Disney)