Today, Disney finally announced the name of the new tower being built at Coronado Springs Resort – Gran Destino. (In Spanish, the name means Great Destiny.) The Gran Destino has been captivating the attention of park-goers since building commenced in 2017, and it is set to open in July 2019. The building sits where the former 9b building was, and it is noticeably different from the rest of the resort. That is because most buildings on the property are between 3 and 5 stories, whereas Gran Destino is a 15-story high-rise featuring 545 guest rooms (of which 50 are suites). If you are planning a visit to Coronado Springs, should you choose Gran Destino or the beloved Casitas, which recently underwent a renovation of their own?

Location

When it comes to real estate, location is everything. This stands true at the sprawling Walt Disney World Resort, too, as a room in close proximity to preferred amenities can save you precious time and energy. Coronado Springs is an expansive resort and one of the largest resort complexes on Disney World property. It is built around the 15-acre Lago Dorado Lake, which provides beautiful, scenic views for visitors. Although there are multiple villages throughout the resort, this post will focus on the preferred locations of Gran Destino vs. The Casitas.

Both of these locations are next to El Centro, where you will find Pepper Market (a food-court type of restaurantgift shops, Maya Grill, and much more. In fact, The Casitas are approximately .16 miles from El Centro, as is Gran Destino. In that regard, they are near even. However, Gran Destino will house the new main entrance to the reimagined Coronado Springs Resort, including a two-story lobby. In addition, Gran Destino is in much closer proximity to the Dig Site Pool. Although there are other pools in the complex, the Dig Site Pool is the flagship of the property, featuring a Mayan pyramid, waterslide, water playground, and sprawling swimming pool. In the past, this has been reason for many guests to request the Cabanas over the Casitas, but now, Gran Destino moves to the number one spot for location.

Comparatively, the Casitas are much further away, but they are actually closer to the resort convention center. Since Coronado Springs is billed as a convention resort, this could make the Casitas more preferential to some. For purposes of this post, however, we give the edge to the new Gran Destino since not all resort patrons will require access to the convention center.

Winner: Gran Destino

Atmosphere

For this category, we focus on the aesthetics of the Coronado Springs Resort and its overall Southwest theming. We believe that this is one of the main reasons people visit Walt Disney World and choose to spend more to stay on property. There is nothing like the feeling of being fully immersed in a place that feels like a completely different world without leaving central Florida. Coronado Springs blends architectural themes of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico.

The Casitas Village has a more urban feel to it, but it is also very quaint with plenty of nooks and crannies in beautiful courtyards throughout. It also contains several tranquil fountains and some topiaries. Inside, the rooms have been fully updated with new fixtures, furnishings, flooring, and more.

Comparatively, there is no denying that Gran Destino has a decidedly more ‘generic’ feel to it compared to the complex theming surrounding the rest of the property. Although Disney bills it as the ‘center piece’ for the resort – and it is beautiful – it still has that ‘tower hotel’ look to it. That may be something you prefer if you are visiting Coronado Springs for business (many people do). However, most vacationers don’t fork over the cash for a Disney trip for an experience they feel they can get elsewhere.

What Gran Destino seems to lack in architecture it makes up for in views. The high-rise building will offer views of Lago Dorado Lake, and a new themed table service restaurant will be situated on the top floor, offering stunning views of the Walt Disney World Resort (and perhaps even some evening fireworks views reminiscent of California Grill and ‘Ohana).

While we recognize that Gran Destino may blend more seamlessly into the landscape once the resort’s overall transformation is complete, we still have a soft spot for the traditional appearance of The Casitas. At the end of the day, we don’t go to Disney World to feel like we are staying in a hotel. For purposes of this post and the ‘atmosphere’ category, we prefer The Casitas.

Winner: The Casitas

Transportation

For now at least, Coronado Springs solely relies on bus transportation for its guests. Although there is always a possibility that Disney could expand the new Skyliner gondola system to Coronado Springs, for now it only visits Caribbean Beach and Art of Animation. Given that, we have to look at the current bus stops around the resort.

If you are staying in the Casitas, you essentially have two options. People in Building 1 may opt for the stop at El Centro, whereas those in Buildings 2-5 may choose the Casitas bus stop behind Building 4. The new Gran Destino is where Cabanas building 9b used to be just across the bridge from El Centro. While the closest bus stops are currently a bit of a hike to El Centro or the Cabanas stop, we expect Disney to create a new stop at Gran Destino given the number of rooms in the building and the new location of the resort lobby. If that happens, and for purposes of this post we will assume that it will, we have to give the nod to Gran Destino for transportation, as there is nothing like coming down the elevator and straight out to a bus stop.

Winner: Gran Destino

Dining

Currently, the dining options at Coronado Springs are primarily limited to El Centro. However, all of that is changing soon with the opening of the new table service restaurant at the top of Gran Destino and the creation of another restaurant on an island in the middle of Lago Dorado Lake (accessible via bridge walkways from each village). Really, it comes down to the types of dining you will utilize at the resort. First, take the lake restaurant out of the equation, since Disney claims it will be easily accessed from several places throughout the resort. This leaves:

Pepper Market (quick service food court that seats more than 400 people)

Siesta’s Cantina (limited quick service by Dig Site pool)

Café Rix (late-night quick-service for snacks and bites)

Maya Grill (table service – dinner only)

Rix Lounge (specialty cocktails and bites)

Laguna Bar (light snacks)

New Table Service atop Gran Destino (themed table service)

Of the above restaurants and lounges, all but two are located at El Centro nearest the Casitas. The other two are closer to Gran Destino. However, we don’t expect many people to be visiting the themed table service restaurant at Gran Destino multiple times per trip. Compare that to the Pepper Market food court, where resort guests are more likely to make multiple pop-in visits for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Winner: The Casitas

Our Conclusion

With both Gran Destino and The Casitas taking 2 of the 4 categories we examined in this post, there is no clear winner. Ultimately, travelers must decide which categories between best location, atmosphere, transportation, and dining are most important to them. Furthermore, you may disagree with our criteria and actually prefer the features and amenities that we did not.

So where will YOU stay during your next Coronado Springs Resort visit? Gran Destino or The Casitas? Or will you stick to the quiet and seclusion of the Ranchos or Cabanas? Let us know in the comments below.