CSR, even better than before...

[buzz2001]

My family and I just returned from our 11th trip to CSR and it is still our favorite resort.

Day 1:
We arrived late on Thursday night. No one was in line (6:45pm) and Marcelle was very pleasant during our check in. I was very happy to learn that our request was met and we were in cabana 9b, room 9508. I was excited to see the new rooms in person after only viewing the pictures on line. We only did carry on luggage so we headed straight for the room, of course I knew exactly where I was going.

The rooms are every bit as gorgeous in person. The new dark wood furniture and color scheme are very rich. The 42" flat panel stands out and those doors and fantastic! The desk is about the same size as the table but it has a outlet bar across the back with 4 plug for charging cameras, phones, laptops, etc and the network plug is built into it too. With the desk chair and the two ottomans, there is room for three to have a quick breakfast there.









We headed to the Pepper Market for a bit to eat since we hadn't eaten since lunch. The Pepper Market has changed a bit in appearance and menu. The center island that use to house the soda stations is now enclosed and the area that use to be La Tienda is now part of the Pepper Market seating. It is true that the Wet Burrito and the Taco Salad are gone! :sad1: I spoke to the manager about that and he stated that he also liked the old menu better but the changes came from above him. He wouldn't give up any info on the rumor that the PM is changing to a Boma style place so that is still just that, a rumor.

The rib eye is still an option for dinner but not at lunch. The carved roast of the day is still an option at lunch though. I definitely can see where people are coming from with the prices at the PM but you definitely can't compare this place to your average food court.

I got the half chicken dinner for $15.95 and it was enough for two or one large eater like myself. I thought this was priced okay for what I got and where I was (WDW).



I felt the food prices all over WDW were up. I spent $102 at Hollywood and Vine for three...(last time too), $87 for three at Le Cellier for lunch and $115 at Cape May Buffet but more on that later. The prices are up all over!!

Some options are great at the PM and some seemed over priced. I got hot wings one night for $10.95 and received about 15 to 18 wings and a huge portion of steak fries, well worth it. My DW got a pizza that was $10.25 (not bad) but my DD got a caesar salad for $12.95 (not worth it). I know some people get mad when they say the items are not ready at the same time but you can't rush a pizza, it takes 20 mins to cook. No way around it.

The burgers are $12.95 and they are thick! Not like the ones you get at the parks. And again, they are cooked to order.







As we finished our meal, I noticed a women sitting next to us with her leg up. I remember that someone from the boards I frequent stated she fell so we walked up and asked. It was her so we were able to meet her and her DH. We chatted for awhile and then we headed back to the room to rest up for our first big day.

[Diznee4Me]

Thanks for the photos - they were awesome. The DW, DD, and I have stayed there 7 years cosecutively - it is our favorite resort obviously. I am so glad that improvements were well done. I can't wait to see them. I am disappointed though to hear about the changes to the menu - the tacop salad was my one of my favorites.

I recently purchased one of the sunburst mirrors and a one of the matted/framed prints that hung in the rooms. I met Imagineer Joe Warren several years ago at an Imagineer Lunch and he told us he painted the originals prints that hang in the Coronado rooms. It is cool to have that print now.

[buzz2001]

Day 2:
On Friday, we decided to go to Epcot. We arrived at bus stop #1 around 7:45am. There was a few people there but still enough room to sit on a bench. If you need to get around the resort, just hop on a DtD bus to bring you back to bus stop #2, 3, or 4.



There was only about 10 people on the bus ride to Epcot from the resort. From departure of bus stop #1 to Epcot was 7 min ride. CSR has bus stop #7 which is 2nd from the exit. Very short walk after loads of walking at Epcot.

We arrived early and were able to ride Test Track (2x), Soarin, Mission Space and had a quick bit to eat at the Land. I like there sushi and the breakfast items are not that expensive. Then we decided to try the new Nemo ride which was very cute. Then we did Figment and walked around the countries a bit. I really enjoyed the movie in Canada. It was our first time viewing it. This is when I decided to have a pint ($8.00!!) with my DW and enjoy the scenery at Epcot. It is so beautiful there.

My DD wanted to check out the ESPN store so we rode the boat over to the BW and did a little shopping. By now it was time for our ADR at Le Cellier. The best meal we've ever experience at WDW has been at Le Cellier and this time didn't disappoint either. We started with the Edward Island Mussels for Two, these were delicious! My DW and DD had the Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich and I had Grilled Angus Chuck Burger. The whole meal was tremendous. We were stuffed for the rest of the day.

Were we at Epcot from 9-4 and decided to go back to the room. I wanted to meet up with Matt and the gang at 6:30pm but I under estimated my energy level when I made the time point.

We went back to the pool and my DD used the arcade card that came with the package and DW and I had a few drinks at the bar. Jesus was working since and told me Francisco was off until Tuesday. I never saw him the rest of the week so maybe he was on vacation too.

Francisco does have a drink named after him now though!



They also sell wings poolside now too!



The pool area was quiet around 6:30 - 7pm.

[Belle94]

Did you find there was enough room to store your clothes etc. in the new rooms? Did you feel like there was enough room with the 2 queen beds in there? Thanks.

[kakn7294]

We were there last August, well before the rehab but with the queen beds. There was plenty of room. I have to say that I really didn't like the old decor - it was just too busy and really isn't my style - but this new look is beautiful! Thanks for the pictures Buzz!!! I might actually consider a stay at CSR again someday.

[Love of Disney]

Thanks for the update. Man...it's really changed for the better since we were there in July!!

[stitchaholic]

we stayed recently in january for the first time and absolutly loved it,the big beds,the dig site pool,hottubbing with drinks after a long day in the parcs and cafe rix quiche,loved it!!!!!!!!

[Dawneeeey]

Thanks for the reviews! I love the new look!!

[buzz2001]

Day 3:
Today we headed out for AK. We've always enojyed doing AK on the Saturday of our trip and it has always seemed to be good luck. Again we arrived at bus stop #1 around 7:45am and it wasn't too crowded. Our bus arrived within 5 mins and there was 13 people for the ride over. No Blizzard Beach stop that early in the morning. The bus dropped us off at bus stop #8 which is in the middle of the pack. We were again on of the first to arrive at the gate. They opened about 8:45 and let us up to see the show in front of the tree of life.



We headed for E:E first and got FP's and then right in line. We were able to ride it 2x's. The nwe headed over to Primevil Whirl and rode that 2x's before going back to E:E for our FP time. Then we went to see the tigers.



I walked up to the safari to get some FP's and then we had an early lunch at the Flame Tree. DD and I got the ribs and DW got the pulled beef sandwich. Everything was very good but everywhere we ate, it avg around $45.00 for the three of us.

After lunch we rode the safari. This was the first time we rode it in the afternoon. There seemed to be more animals out and about at this time versus our usual first thing in the morning time. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the shows, riding Kali River Rapids (got soaked) and had a Mickey head ice cream or two before heading back to the pool for a swim. These two days were fabulous. The crowds were not bad at all. The weather was also fantastic! Around 80º's for both days.

We ate dinner at the PM again and I got the hot wings. I wasn't that hungry so I thought I would get something small. Usually you get around 6-8 wings when you order this out. We got everything to go and eat out by the lake. He handed me two to go containers that were loaded, one with fries and one with hot wings. There must have been 15-18 wings. Well once I started to dig in, I couldn't stop. They were very good and crispy, the way I love them. That is definitely one of the meals worth its price of $10.95. My DW got the pizza this time because my DD's was good the night before and my DD got the salad. I recommend the pizza ($10.25) but not the salad ($12.95).

[buzz2001]

Day 4: (Part 1)
This was a long day for us. We did two parks!! Again we headed to the bus stop around 7:45am for a 9am park opening. We went to DHS for the opening. Bus stop #1 was not crowded and we easily got a bus to DHS and there were very few passengers. We were up front for the opening and they were looking for guests to try out for the American Idol experience. About 10 people took them up on it and went to the side to try out for the producers. They were hyping this attraction big time. We started are day at DHS like any other time there, straight to RnR to ride and FP it, then over to ToT. ToT was not crowded this day, so my DD rode multiple times. Once up and down for me is enough. Then we headed over to Toy Story to get a FP. The wait was 60 mins which quickly jumped to 2 hrs because it broke down. We were a bit early to get another FP so we wnet to watch the AIE show. What a great attraction. The set up looks just like the show, right down to the Coke cups for the judges. They had a Randy look-a-like that was dead on. The attraction hold over 1,000 guests.







They had three people sing for our show and there were 7 shows. The guy that would our show was a CT resident going to school in Fl. He sang Sweet Home Alabama was tremendous.

After the show, we went back to get our Toy Story FP and they were already for 6pm that night. The crowds were hear now. DHS was packed. We did all that we wanted to so we went over to the Boardwalk for lunch at ESPN because of the crowds at DHS. Good idea because it was empty. We walked right in and got a table. It was my first time eating there and the food was very good. I got a Cuban burger and it was very good. A burger with ham and swiss. My DW got nachos for two that we all shared and my DD got a roast beef sandwich. We all liked the place very much.

We walked around the BW for awhile and then headed back to CSR to swim before our dinner at H&V. This is when I had a chance to meet one of my CM friends and got a tour of the club level lounge. They did that place up right. Everything was very nice and well done.

















Later in the day we headed back to DHS for our ADR's at H&V. I just can't eat like I used to. I felt like I was always full. It cost $102 for the 3 of us and I know I didn't eat that much food. I really can't see doing the buffets anymore unless we go with someone that has never been. I was full. The food selection was very good. The carving station and dessert were worth it alone but its just too much food and money.

After dinner, we headed over to Toy Story and rode with our FP. This is a great ride. I don;t know if any of you had the chance to ride it yet but it is very cool. I don't think I'd stand in line for 2 hours for it but the queue is huge. I bet they are going to hit 3 hours this summer for this ride.

[buzz2001]

Day 4: (Part 2)
We decided to go to the final American Idol show to see what that was like. This show was a chance for the 7 winners of the day to perform to see who got the golden FP to the real American Idol show. There was 7 good contestants but three stood out among the crowd. It was a tough decision but the audience choose a 14 year old girl that had a great voice. She can't go to the real show until she is 16 but when that happens, she probably will be even better.

At this point we decided to head over to MK since it was open until midnight and plus the 3 magic hours...3:00am! As we got there, the crowds were boring in, but I think they were there to see Spectro Magic and Wishes. We worked our way to Buzz and got a FP. My daughter wanted to ride the cars so she went on that while we stand and watched Wishes from there. It started to sprinkle a bit so we sat in the grand stands of victory lane for aboiut 20 mins and then it stopped. We got lucky because they talked about rain for the day but all we got was that 20 mins worth (and that was it for the whole trip).

No one moved from there parade spot after Wishes because Spectro was starting up at 10p. So then we rode Buzz, Space Mtn was a 90 min wait so we went to Mickey's Philharmagic (10 min wait), HM (10 min wait), Big Thunder Mtn (20 min wait). Still feeling the Kali effects from the day before, we did want to get wet again so no Splash Mtn for us this day. By now, the parade was ending so we cross over to Adventureland and went on PoC (no wait). At this age, my DD did everything she wanted (except for Space Mtn) so now she needed some candy so we made a pit stop at the candy store on Main Street USA.

After that we called it a night. It was around midnight. We walked to the bus stop for CSR (first one at MK). A bus was waiting there and we boarded and rode back to the resort. There were only 7 people on the bus.

It was a long day!!

[dtootsie42]

Thanks for the reports. They are terrific. Love the pictures.

[goofy78]

Great reviews! Thanks for sharing.

[buzz2001]

Did you find there was enough room to store your clothes etc. in the new rooms? Did you feel like there was enough room with the 2 queen beds in there? Thanks.

We are light packers so we each had two drawers in the dresser. If you back loads of stuff, room would be a problem at any mod. The queen beds don't make the room tight.

[buzz2001]

Day 4: (Part 2)
We decided to go to the final American Idol show to see what that was like. This show was a chance for the 7 winners of the day to perform to see who got the golden FP to the real American Idol show. There was 7 good contestants but three stood out among the crowd. It was a tough decision but the audience choose a 14 year old girl that had a great voice. She can't go to the real show until she is 16 but when that happens, she probably will be even better.

At this point we decided to head over to MK since it was open until midnight and plus the 3 magic hours...3:00am! As we got there, the crowds were boring in, but I think they were there to see Spectro Magic and Wishes. We worked our way to Buzz and got a FP. My daughter wanted to ride the cars so she went on that while we stand and watched Wishes from there. It started to sprinkle a bit so we sat in the grand stands of victory lane for aboiut 20 mins and then it stopped. We got lucky because they talked about rain for the day but all we got was that 20 mins worth (and that was it for the whole trip).

No one moved from there parade spot after Wishes because Spectro was starting up at 10p. So then we rode Buzz, Space Mtn was a 90 min wait so we went to Mickey's Philharmagic (10 min wait), HM (10 min wait), Big Thunder Mtn (20 min wait). Still feeling the Kali effects from the day before, we did want to get wet again so no Splash Mtn for us this day. By now, the parade was ending so we cross over to Adventureland and went on PoC (no wait). At this age, my DD did everything she wanted (except for Space Mtn) so now she needed some candy so we made a pit stop at the candy store on Main Street USA.

After that we called it a night. It was around midnight. We walked to the bus stop for CSR (first one at MK). A bus was waiting there and we boarded and rode back to the resort. There were only 7 people on the bus.

It was a long day!!

[buzz2001]

Day 5:
We were able to sleep in this day since we did two parks on Sunday. We started this day by hanging out at the pool for the morning. The temps started to drop a bit on this day but it was still warm enough to sun bath. My DD's priorities are changing with age. It used to be slide time and now it sunbathing time. It was very relaxing. We got a table and a few lounge chairs by Siestas. We stay here until around 2pm and went back to the room for showers and a nap (well I napped).

Around 7pm my DD wanted to ride her 2 favorite rides again so we headed back to MGM for the EMH's to ride ToT and RnR. Now it was cold. I don't know the exact temps outside but it felt around 50º. I had to wear a sweatshirt for the first time ever at WDW. And I almost didn't pack any for the trip because it's never been cold for us in FL.

As we got to the entrance to DHS, the crowds were pouring in for everywhere, the boat launch, the tram, the buses and the parking lot. It was packed!!

I wanted to try Toy Story again but the FP's were sold out and the line was 90 mins. Only certain rides had FP available during EMH's and Toy Story was not one of them.

We got in line at RnR (40 min wait) because we thought we could get on before the EMH's started at 8pm. At that point, you need a room key to enter any rides, no more wrist band. By the time we got off, the line for RnR FP's was starting to go up the ramp entrance from Sunset Blvd. It was CROWDED to say the least. I don't know if it was because it was Presidents Day, school vacation week or a combination but it was way more crowded than anything we experienced last year during vacation week. So my DD went on ToT (again, 30 min wait and then we grabbed a burger at Rosie's. I grabbed a few FP's for ToT before we ate so that by the time we finished, my DD could ride it again three times. The crowds for ToT were not as big as Toy Story or RnR. Then we walked around the shops and while my DD shopped for some clothes. It was a good day, I just wish I was able to get back on Toy Story once again. It was around 10:30pm so we headed back to the resort.

[vizsla]

Thanks for the reports.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[buzz2001]

Day 6:
We slept in again on Tuesday. Then we decided to have breakfast at the PM. I had the skillet breakfast which was scambled eggs, potatoes, sausage with a corn muffin. The coffee at the PM is very good. My DD had the Mickey head waffles and DW had coffee and a muffin.

Then we used some of this day to tour some of the other moderate resorts. We visited CBR so we took a bus to DHS and then over to CBR. The bus turned in and we got off at the first stop. The resort seemed nice. We walked towards the pool and food court on the main path. This place is definitely larger than CSR. The food court seemed like something at a mall with the burgers, pizza and regular fast food stuff. The store was in the food court and was small. We walked out by the pool. It was surrounded by a tall, iron wrought fence. From pictures, it looked huge but in person, it was small. It would fit inside the Dig Site pool. The hot tub was smaller than CSR’s too. One thing I didn’t care for was that the pool wasn’t visible from all areas. Some chairs are behind structures limiting your view of the pool and your kids. The new pirate ship area was cool but it wouldn’t interest my DD or older kids. I expected more beach area but they had a few small areas around the lake. It looks like a nice place but nothing that would sway me away from CSR

After our visit, we took a bus to DtD to have some lunch. We had a $15.00 voucher at Planet Hollywood with a free keychain voucjer so we decided to take advantage of both. We haven’t been to Planet Hollywood since 2000 so it was nice to revisit it. I had the turkey club sandwich. It was good, your avg club sandwich. My DD had the bruschetta. This came with garlic bread and a spread. It was very good. My DD got the potato skins and they were also very good. None of use were starving so we all shared bits of each others. Over all, the lunch was worth the trip to DtD. My DD want to check out some of the stores while we were downtown so we spend a few hours shopping.

After DtD, we went back to the resort. We decided to head to the Magic Kingdom for the night. We did a few of the mtns, HM and Mickey's Philharmagic! It was a bit on the chilly side this evening. The crowds were there again but we just did like the other night and hit the rides while everyone was watching the fireworks and parade.

Day 7:
We only hung out by the pool on day 7. It was a beautiful day. I saved the last two days of our passes and added 3 more and non expiring to give me 3 five day passes for our next trip. I was able to do this for $660.00. Cheaper than $1092.69 to buy them new on the next trip. And that's without any increases. I saved about $430! I'll take it.

We ate lunch at Siestas. Anyone who is going, definitely try the nachos and/or fries with cajun spice and cheese! Yummy! The buffalo chicken sandwich was good too. A couple of corona's with lime and I was set for the day.

I never got a chance to see Francisco on this trip. He must have been on vacation or sick for a few days.

Day 8:
Not much to say about day 8, we woke up, went to the ME stop and cried...

[mouseketeer mom]

That was a fantastic report! I've never stayed CSR, but I wouldn't hesitate. Your photos were great too. Thanks!!