Coronado Springs/ Epcot. Any tips?
 

We are making our first trip to Epcot (our daughter is working there through the college program) Feb. 3-5, and staying at a Disney resort for the first time. We have a room at Coranado Springs. Any tips for maximizing the experience? I have been reading on-line reviews of CS and they are pretty much the spectrum from love to hate. I have checked out several of the Disney sites (allears, etc.). I am looking at Wolfgang Puck's upstairs dining room for Friday night, in Downtown Disney and planning to eat Sat. night at either Chefs de France or the Canadian steakhouse. I am relying on my daughter to make reservations (hummm)so I am not sure how likely either will be.

IMO you cannot go wrong with the W-Puck UPSTAIRS restaurant..I've had some very good meals there and also at the Chefs de France (make reservations for both of these places in advance if possible.

Cannot comment on the Canadian steakhouse but I love the movie in the theatre.

For visiting Epcot I know there are a lot of strategies but ours has always been get there when the place opens AND immediately go to the BACK end of the lake/lagoon and work your way forward since many people start at the front.

As to the fireworks show at night (if you plan on doing it)..if you can, get a table in the Rose and Crown pub..one that overlooks the water..ASK for it..great place to view the show..otherwise, stake out a viewing spot outside early.

Never stayed at the Coronado Springs resort, but lived nearby and it's beautiful. I haven't heard too many complaints locally.
The restaurants at Downtown Disney are great. Wolfgang Puck's upstairs has excellent food but without reservation, you can wait up to an hour or more. The Rain Forest Cafe , also at DD is also good and lots of fun. Just outside of Downtown Disney on or just off of Hwy 535 are a number of great places. Bahama Breeze is about a mile down the road and across from the Disney entrance is a place called Pebbles, good steak, and The Crab House with great seafood. All pricey, but good food and service.
You can't miss with most of the restaurants at Epcot. The Chinese pavilion and Canada were two of our favorites inside Epcot. The French Pavilion also has great food. Expect to pay a price for all of it, China being the least expensive, I think.
When visiting Epcot also get Fast Passes as soon as you get into the park for the GM Track and the new Space Mission and Soarin. Most of the others you can get on with minimal wait time in Feb. Be sure ride the Energy ride. It's really neat.

Thank you. Very helpful comments.

I actually stayed at Coronado Springs last year for a meeting, count me as one who didn't like it. I consider it to be pretty budget, the food choices are also very limited and not good. It's really huge with a so-so pool area. I think of it as more of a business hotel if anything. I would plan on being off property as much as possible.

We stayed at the Coronado Springs in the past for a Convention and are going again this year for a Convention.
While I'm sure it's not the Ritz, I thought it was very nice for a Disney property, especially the grounds.
I think you'll have a nice time there.

We liked Coronado Springs but didn't make care for the food court-not bad but not great. The rooms are fine though and I've heard the sit down restaurant is good but haven't eaten there myself. Canadian steakhouse is good as is Chefs and Wolfgang Pucks. You can probably make reservations for that time period while you are there from your room-just press the priority seating button on your phone and it will connect you to whatever restaurant you want on property. If you don't eat a Chefs, at least make a stop in the bakery at France and get a dessert or fruit plate-they're magnifique!

We stayed at Coranado Springs and found it ok. But how much time do you spend in the room anyway when you visit WDW?

I believe the cluster of restaurants at Coranado Springs is called the Pepper Market. It had a mall food court feel to me, but I thought it was fine. I still remember the wonderful smell outside the restaurant area - makes me hungry.

The transportation inside the park is good and you can easily explore the other restaurants in WDW.

Don't foget to watch for the hidden Mickeys.

Mike Honeycutt

From allearsnet.com - accomodations section:

"Once you see the The Dig Site pool complex of this beautiful resort, you might forget that there's anything else to do or see here, but you'd be missing an awful lot.

As with all of Disney's resorts, the Coronado Springs grounds are worth investigating. This resort, in particular, is a flower lover's paradise. There are colorful hibiscus, canna, and innumerable multicolored blossoms scattered generously beside walkways, between resort buildings, along the lake's shore. And don't miss the short Nature Trail that winds behind the Dig Site for a private, quiet walk amidst the foliage.

If a longer walk appeals to you, there's a one-mile (approximately) path encircling the lake. It takes you past the three separate sections of Coronado Springs -- the urban Casitas, the remote, somewhat desert-like Ranchos, and the beachfront Cabanas -- and gives you a real feel for the diverse themes the architects of this resort attempted to create.

Don't miss the lovely courtyards in between the Casitas buildings with their spouting fountains and lush foliage, particularly at night when the dramatic lighting makes for a very romantic setting.

Need a break from the hubbub of theme park hopping? Just take a swing in one of the many hammocks surrounding Lago Dorado, the 15-acre lake in the center of this resort. Day or night, there's nothing like being waterside with the warm sand beneath you and palm fronds swaying overhead.

It's hard to overlook the resort's marina, situated as it is in a beautiful gazebo-like structure on the shores of the lake. As at the other moderate resorts, you can rent a variety of small watercraft and bicycles here for a fun few hours' diversion. You can also rent cane poles for a little catch-and-release fishing in the Lago Dorado.

Don't miss the umbrella tables near La Marina, behind the resort's main building, El Centro. They offer the perfect place for a quiet drink or lunch, peacefully overlooking the lake, with the resort's Mexican-inspired music gently playing in the background.

With its Mayan pyramid towering overhead, it's hard to miss the resort's main pool area, but what you might overlook here are some of the other aspects of this mini-water park. There's a 123-foot long water slide here, and perched atop is a jaguar who's been known to spit at unsuspecting swimmers. Walt Disney World's largest hot tub is tucked away in a secluded corner adjacent to the pool -- it will hold up to 22 people! Surrounded by trees as it is, you might also walk right past the sand volleyball court. And to the rear of the complex is the children's playground, which features a creepy (to me, at least) Mayan statue's head for the kids to crawl around in, as well as swings, a jungle gym, a slide, and a big sand pit.

The accents scattered around El Centro, which houses registration, Guest Services and the restaurants, may also be easily overlooked. Look on the walls -- there are really interesting Mexican and Native American wooden carvings in the lobby. The tiled fountains in Francisco's Lounge and Pepper Market sport fiesta-colored frogs and other creatures. The plants, including tropical birds-of-paradise, lining the hallways and adorning tables delight the eyes with bursts of color.

And then there's the dome. You can NOT miss the beautiful domed atrium that greets you when you walk into the main entrance of El Centro. Look up. White doves fly in a blue sky with puffy white clouds -- it's just a stunning piece of art.

All of these little things come together to create a very authentic Southwestern/Mexican feel, making Coronado Springs one of my favorite Disney resort hotels."

Wtih Epcot, the biggest thing you need to remember is to be aware of the show schedule at the World Showcase. If you are not, it will just seem like a lot of country themed gift shops.

http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ will give you a brief description of each of the performances and gives a schedule. You'll also get a schedule of events with the Epcot brochure once you get there. I really recommend deciding which acts interest you in advance so you can plot your course accordingly. I love "Off Kilter" (Celtic inspired rock - bagpipe, kilts, etc.) in Canada. The World Showcase Players are fun - see them in UK & Italy. We enjoy the Chinese acrobats in China and the drummers in Japan but your interests might be different. Oh - Kristos is kind of cool in a Cirque du Soleil meets the aliens sort of way.

Go to Soarin' (the ride, in the future world portion of Epcot) right away. Ride if the stand-by line isn't too long or get your fast pass. These fast pass tickets go quickly.

Stayed at Coronado Springs last July. Very nice. The rooms are the same as any other moderate Disney resort. We did have a little refrigerator in our room which was great for storing drinks and water. You're not in your room much anyway. It was nice and quiet and relaxing for us as we do not have small children. It's not as much children oriented as other resorts. The Food Court was fine for breakfast and a quick bite. Very convenient. The pool area was very nice. The bus transportation was right outside our door. There are nicer hotels but of course much more expensive.

I agree with the advice of heading to the back of Epcot as soon as you get there, stopping along the way to pick up fast-passes. While exploring the countries make sure to see all that each one has to offer. Some of the shows/rides within the countries are hidden and not right out in your face like other disney attractions, I visited Epcot 5 or 6 times before I really saw everything in each country.

Almost every restaurant in disneyworld will be great, but Wolfgang Puck is an excellent choice. I've never had a bad meal there. The buffet breakfast at the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club is great too, definitely check that out - it's much much more than a regular buffet. from Epcot you should walk over the the Yacht and Beach Club resorts anyway just to see the amazing sand-bottom lagoon-like pool. Boma, the restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is wonderful too - they have very unique dishes.

Wear very good walking shoes and if you're going during the hot months be sure to wear water-proof clothes, Epcot has a run-through fountain which helps a lot in the florida sun!

I stayed at the Coronado Springs and it was just fine. of course the deluxe resorts are a little roomier and have a few more comforts, but you really won't find a horrible resort in WDW.

I've stayed at most of the deluxe resorts at WDW but the only resort we've gone back to twice is Coronado Springs. Much less expensive than the deluxe hotels with many of the same amenities - salon, gym, room service. Lovely grounds, we love the pool area with its gigantic hot spa and fun slide. We also enjoyed the Pepper Market. Bus transportation was easy. On our last trip we stayed at CS while my brother's family stayed at the Polynesian. They came over to CS because they liked the pool better.

We (husband & I 25 years old)
stayed at Coronado Springs last june. It was moderate in terms of accomadations- just o.k. rooms. We only grabbed food to go at the Pepper Market in the am-which was fine (its a Movenpick restaurant). And didnt eat at Mayan Grill because we heard it was bad. We had fun travelling to other (nicer) resorts like wilderness lodge for dinner. Although rooms werent great, the pool area at Coronado and bar at the pool were great!

All in all we are not die-hard Disney fans, we just wanted someplace fun and easy to go for a long weekend. Coronado fit the bill, there was a nice pool&bar, easy access to the parks, and we didnt feel like we got ripped off.

I would recommend getting a room close to the lobby though...that way you can swing into the food court, store, etc. easily in the morning before heading off to the park. Its a longer walk to the pool, but its a pleasant walk. Also make sure your room is not too far from a bus stop (there is one at the lobby).

Have fun!

We are back from Epcot and found all of these hints and others on this site, to be very helpful. Our big day at Epcot (Sat.) the forecast was 80% chance of rain, scattered thunderstorms and wind. We were at the park when it opened, where we dealt with a light drizzle. We went through the cast entrance (almost no line; there's a plus! try to talk your child into doing the college program) and went straight to The Land to ride Soarin'. No line. No wait. We were in Row 1 of the ride. We liked it, and when we got off, rode again. No line. No wait. Row 3 that time, which we liked better. We're not big on thrill a minute rides, and I liked the sight of the shoes dangling above me while in Row 3. It helped me keep my perspective. Anyway, crowds were very small throughout the morning, I assume partly because of the time of year, but also because of the weather forecast. We never had any more rain after the initial drizzle and while the temperature dropped, conditions improved throughout the day. As a result, we never encountered a crowd until late afternoon, while viewing the acrobats at the Chinese pavillion. That was an outstanding show. Do not miss these little girls, ages 11-13, here in the U.S. for a year, and returning to their families in China, next month. They are unbelieveable; strength, grace and balance. I also loved the mariachi band in Mexico and the Voices of Liberty, the singers in the American Pavillion. It is true that you cannot see even half of Epcot in one day. I studied hard before going, and I am very determined and energetic, but I willingly testify, that it is not possible. We don't think we would have waited in line for the Mexican or Norwegian boat rides. They were good with no wait, but don't spend time waiting for them. Dinner at Le Cellier in Canada was good. Reservations for lunch and dinner are a necessity. Personally, I'll pass on the fireworks next time. I love fireworks, and they are good, but they won't probably be the best you've ever seen. (My daughter says MGM is the best evening show at Disney.) It might be better to leave the park then, especially if you are driving. But bus service back to the resorts after the park closed seemed very well done to me. We missed the first bus to Coronado Springs, but the second was just 5 minutes behind. Dinner at Wolfgang Puck, in Downtown Disney, was very good. I loved the braised short ribs. Coronado Springs was fine. The grounds really are lovely. The main pool and playground are great; if my children weren't grown, I would definitely have loved taking them there. The Pepper Market was ok; I was annoyed by the 10% service charge. The servers bring you drinks but that is about it, so really, the food is 10% more than advertised. On the other hand, I found the people at the restaurant to be accomodating, and the portions to be so large they can easily be split. We stayed in Cabanas 9B which was absolutely perfect-- close to El Centro and bus stop 1, with a refrigerator (at our request), and a corner room with windows on two sides. I don't think I would ever pay extra again for water view, as, while the view was lovely, it was on the other side of the exterior corridors. So to see the view, you had to keep the curtains to the room open. Privacy or view, but not both. Still, I am not sure any of the rooms in Cabanas 9B did not have a water view, and it was definitely a good place to be. There was some noise from the adjoining room, but not much and I slept well both nights.