Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is a Southwest- and Mexican-themed moderate resort hotel at Walt Disney World in Florida, built around Lago Dorado lake. It opened on August 1, 1997, as Disney's principal convention resort, with more than 1,900 rooms and suites and one of the largest single-level convention centres on the East Coast of the United States.[1] A major expansion, centred on the Gran Destino Tower, was completed in 2019.
History
Coronado Springs was Disney's first moderate resort built from the outset around conventions, giving Walt Disney World a large meeting venue paired with mid-priced accommodation. Its convention centre provided extensive ballroom and exhibition space on a single level, and the resort has continued to host conventions, sporting events and group bookings alongside ordinary holiday guests — a dual role reflected in amenities unusual for its category, including a fitness centre, salon and business services.
The resort's appearance changed fundamentally in 2019. Gran Destino Tower, a 15-storey tower near the entrance, opened on July 9, 2019, adding 545 rooms, including 50 suites, and becoming the resort's main arrival building with a two-storey lobby.[2] The tower takes its name and some of its decorative themes from Destino, the short film begun by Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí and completed decades later. Its opening was accompanied by new dining over the lake and refurbishment of the existing rooms. Published room totals differ between Disney's tower-opening figures and later listings, so no exact current total is given here.
Theming and layout
The original resort is arranged around Lago Dorado in three districts. The Casitas, nearest the convention centre, evoke the residential neighbourhoods of Mexican colonial cities, with courtyards, fountains and palms. The Ranchos are pueblo-style buildings in earth tones, set among dry landscaping, cacti and rockwork suggesting northern Mexico and the American Southwest. The Cabanas are low, pale buildings in a hammock-dotted setting intended to recall a quiet coastal fishing village in Mexico. Buildings throughout use stucco, tile and carved wood detailing, and the whole resort is linked by walkways and bridges around the lake; Three Bridges Bar and Grill stands on platforms in the middle of Lago Dorado, reached by those bridges.
The Gran Destino Tower contrasts deliberately with the low-rise districts: a high-rise in a modern Spanish style, with a patterned screen, arched openings and a rooftop restaurant and lounge giving views across Walt Disney World. Transport is by bus to the theme parks, water parks and Disney Springs; Coronado Springs has no Disney Skyliner, monorail or boat link, but its convention facilities and tower distinguish it from the other moderate resorts, and from value hotels such as Disney's Pop Century Resort and Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
Dining and amenities
Dining is more extensive than at other moderate resorts. Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood, on the tower's top floor, serves Spanish-influenced dishes beside the Dahlia Lounge, named for a character in Destino. Maya Grill offers table-service dining in the original main building, El Centro, where El Mercado de Coronado provides quick-service meals; Rix Sports Bar and Grill and Café Rix serve the convention side of the resort, and the Barcelona Lounge occupies the tower lobby. Three Bridges Bar and Grill, opened with the tower in 2019, serves over the water at the centre of the lake.
The main pool complex, the Dig Site, is built around the Lost City of Cibola pool, overlooked by a five-storey Mayan temple with a water slide, plus a hot tub, children's pool and the Siestas Cantina bar. Three quiet pools serve the Casitas, Ranchos and Cabanas.