Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
by the TopOfHotel team
Coronado Springs is the Moderate resort with the most fun pool in its class — The Dig Site, a 46-foot Mayan pyramid with a waterslide — plus a smart 15-floor tower and a rooftop fireworks bar, though the convention crowd means the Disney feel runs thinner and the grounds are a long walk.
Coronado Springs is the Moderate resort with the most fun pool in its class — The Dig Site, a 46-foot Mayan pyramid with a waterslide — plus a smart 15-floor tower and a rooftop fireworks bar, though the convention crowd means the Disney feel runs thinner and the grounds are a long walk.
In-Depth Review
If your family has a kid whose idea of a great day is the pool, and you want a solid room on a mid-range budget, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort has a real case to make. It's a Mexico-meets-American-Southwest resort wrapped around the lake Lago Dorado, and these days the 15-floor Gran Destino Tower is its modern centerpiece. Guest reviews land around 8.3/10, with the pool drawing near-universal praise.
Rooms and decor
Rooms split two ways: the Gran Destino Tower (smart, high-view) and the original village rooms — Casitas, Ranchos, and Cabanas — which cost less and sit closer to the Dig Site pool. They sleep 4 and were renovated with charming stained-glass artwork featuring Disney character silhouettes. The tower rooms feel close to Deluxe quality, modern and high-view, though they come with no balcony. Whichever side you pick, the standout design moment is the lobby below.
Food and amenities
The clearest family highlight is the main pool, The Dig Site, built as the ancient Lost City of Cibola excavation. The centerpiece is a 46-foot Mayan pyramid with a roughly 123-foot waterslide running down it, plus a jaguar statue that spits water at swimmers, water-spitting totem poles, the biggest outdoor hot tub in Walt Disney World, and a separate kids' splash zone — reviews regularly rank it among the best Moderate pools. For food, the 16th-floor rooftop holds Toledo (Spanish tapas, steak, and seafood) and the Dahlia Lounge, both with panoramic seats for the Epcot and Hollywood Studios fireworks. Down at the lake, Three Bridges Bar & Grill floats out on the water, with Maya Grill for Tex-Mex, the El Mercado food court, and a hammock-dotted sand beach.
Location and getting there
The resort rings Lago Dorado, and the newer Gran Destino Tower raised the whole property a notch. Walk in and you hit a Spanish-modernist dome lobby — a sun-pattern dome ceiling over curved white wave columns, inspired by the Disney-Dalí short film Destino — that's become a photo spot in its own right. Getting to the parks is bus only: all 4 parks and Disney Springs, with no monorail, Skyliner, or boat. The upside is the buses aren't shared with other resorts, so they tend to come faster; the main stop is in front of the Gran Destino Tower, with 3 more around the villages.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk before you commit: Coronado is a large convention resort, so it often fills with business and seminar guests and the Disney-for-kids feel is thinner than at Riverside or Caribbean Beach — especially in the Gran Destino Tower, whose restrained, modern design leans adult. The grounds are sprawling, the walk from the tower to the Dig Site pool and food court is a fair haul, and the tower has no pool of its own. Add in the bus-only park access, and it's worth weighing if you want a full-on Disney atmosphere for younger kids.
Our take
After reading through plenty of real guest reviews, Coronado Springs fits best with families whose kids are wild about the pool — The Dig Site pyramid is the most fun in the Moderate group — and who want a good-quality room, or a high-view tower room, on a Moderate budget. What you have to accept is the convention vibe, the long walks, and the bus-only parks. If you'd rather have a warmer Disney feel for little ones, look at Riverside or Caribbean Beach above; if you're after something woodsier, the Fort Wilderness Cabins are next.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The Dig Site is the main pool, themed as the Lost City of Cibola excavation — a 46-foot Mayan pyramid with a roughly 123-foot waterslide, a jaguar statue spitting water, the biggest hot tub in Walt Disney World, and a separate kids' splash zone. Many reviews rank it among the best Moderate resort pools.
- The Gran Destino Tower stands 15 floors and opened in 2019. Its rooms are modern and high-view, closer to Deluxe quality, and the Spanish-modernist dome lobby (drawing on the Disney-Dalí short film Destino) is striking.
- The 16th-floor rooftop holds Toledo, a Spanish tapas, steak, and seafood spot, plus the Dahlia Lounge — both with panoramic views for watching the Epcot and Hollywood Studios fireworks.
- Three Bridges Bar & Grill floats out in the middle of the lake, joined by Maya Grill for Tex-Mex, the El Mercado food court, and a sand beach with hammocks along Lago Dorado.
- Moderate pricing, with the village rooms starting cheaper than the tower, and buses that aren't shared with other resorts so they tend to arrive faster — a good fit if you want a solid room on a mid-range budget.
- This is a large convention resort, so it often draws a business and seminar crowd and the Disney-for-kids feel is thinner than at resorts like Riverside or Caribbean Beach — especially in the Gran Destino Tower, whose design is restrained and aimed at adults.
- The resort sprawls around the lake, so the walk from the tower to the Dig Site pool and the food court is a fair distance. The Gran Destino Tower has no pool of its own.
- Parks are reachable by bus only — there's no monorail, Skyliner, or boat to the parks — and the tower rooms have no balcony.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Orlando
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Orlando — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
See activities in OrlandoAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Insider Tips
- Take the kids to The Dig Site (Mayan pyramid plus slide), the best pool in the Moderate group, and request a room in the Cabanas zone near the pool.
- Upgrade to a Gran Destino Tower room (beautiful, high views) if the budget allows, and book the rooftop Toledo or Dahlia to watch the Epcot and Hollywood Studios fireworks.
- Photograph the Spanish-modernist dome lobby in the Gran Destino Tower — the white wave columns and the sun-pattern dome are genuinely stunning.
- The vibe leans convention and adult, so if you want a full-on Disney feel for younger kids, weigh it against Riverside or Caribbean Beach.