First Look - Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs Resort

The Walt Disney World Resort has shared photos of the gorgeous interior of the brand new Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort including the magnificent two-story grand lobby, the beautifully appointed guest rooms, as well as the restaurants and lounges.

Celebrating the rich cultures and vibrant landscapes of Spain, Mexico, and the American Southwest through contemporary design and Old World traditions, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort shines with renewed luster. On July 9, 2019, the resort will complete a multiyear re-imagining focused on today’s travelers, marking the official debut of a new tower, new restaurants and a new arrival experience.

The new Gran Destino Tower rises dramatically on the southeastern shores of Lago Dorado (“Golden Lake”), the resort’s 22-acre lake. The tower – opening to the public July 9 – offers 545 modern guest rooms (including 50 suites and club-level services), a grand two-story lobby, new meeting venues, and a rooftop restaurant and lounge with spectacular views. The distinctive tower becomes the stylish new gateway to the 2,385-room resort.

Gran Destino Tower takes its name from the classic Disney film “Destino.” Drawing inspiration from the surrealist animated short, the tower is a whimsical, magnificent visual feast, diverse in its design and execution. The tower’s outdoor Destino Plaza are also ideal for weddings, business receptions or other special events.

Past its grand entrance and signature ribbon-patterned design that climbs up the side of Gran Destino Tower, guests step into a stunning lobby – an homage to the Catalan Modernism style. On their way to check in, new arrivals pass intricate wooden screens with rows of beautiful Moorish hanging lanterns, while decorative bronze screens inspired by Spanish tile patterns accent the rear wall of the lobby.

The warm colors and patterns of Barcelona inspire the sun-filled Barcelona Lounge on the lobby’s lower level, offering plenty of casual seating and lake views. Beneath a magnificent chandelier framed by sculpted plaster columns, guests can enjoy coffee in the morning and cocktails as the day progresses.

The Catalan theme extends to the tower’s stylish new guest rooms and suites. A wall covering in each room is inspired by Spanish tile medallions, adding an Old World touch to a contemporary design. The new tower also offers club-access rooms for guests who want to enjoy the benefits of the Chronos Club. The club boasts commanding views of Walt Disney World Resort and cast members who can assist with vacation planning. Light refreshments are available throughout the day.

Now let's take a look at the rooms ...

Each tower guest room also offers a new interactive television system that provides a more customized and Disney differentiated in-room experience. This new television system will enhance the guest experience with Disney-quality services, content and personalization. For example, guests can view their Disney PhotoPass images on the large screen and stream their entertainment services from their personal devices to the in-room television.

Gran Destino Tower is crowned by dramatic rooftop dining locations; Tolédo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood and Dahlia Lounge, offering breathtaking views of Walt Disney World from the tower’s 16th floor. Named for the storied Spanish city home to avant-garde writers and artists of the 1920s and ’30s, Tolédo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood is a table-service dining experience. The Spanish-inspired menu features entrees like chuletón, a 32-ounce, Spanish-style ribeye for two, as well as sustainable seafood and classic Spanish sides. It’s all served in a setting that features live olive trees, vibrant colors and an intricate vaulted ceiling with stained-glass accents. There’s also an onstage tapas kitchen inspired by the flavors of Spain, specializing in small plates, charcuteríá, and cheeses.

The adjacent Dahlia Lounge takes its mesmerizing shapes and swirling patterns from Spanish Modernism, inviting guests into an intimate, artful space where they can enjoy signature cocktails and panoramic views.

As part of the broader re-imagining of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, three new pedestrian bridges now extend across Lago Dorado, allowing for quick and convenient passage to and from all parts of the resort. In the middle of the lake at the nexus of these new pathways is Villa del Lago (“Lake Villa”), home to a new outdoor restaurant, Three Bridges Bar & Grill. The open-air, waterfront dining location offers delicious entrees and shareables, along with refreshing cocktails and signature sangria pitchers. Three Bridges Bar & Grill features a rustic, Old World charm anchored by a large stone hearth behind the central bar.

These new experiences complement the wide array of amenities and experiences at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, including floating gardens, scenic nature trails, and palm-shaped courtyards. All existing guest rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort were updated with new fixtures, furnishings, and lighting. Guest feedback helped shape the room remodel that introduced an expansive desk space, hard-surface floors, platform beds and more. In addition, a fresh, sophisticated new color palette ties together the entire resort experience.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is now a celebration of Spanish, Mexican and American Southwest cultures, infused with a profound respect for the natural world – most notably water. These design motifs span centuries to form a common thread that connects the new with the newly re-imagined.

Planning a Last Minute Trip to Walt Disney World.

For most of us, going to Walt Disney World means a little (or a lot) of planning in advance - with dining reservations, fast passes and flights.  But for others, sometimes it's a last-minute "Let's go to Walt Disney World" type of vacation.

In today's blog, I'm going to be sharing all about planning that last-minute Disney trip.

A very common question is do you get a Magic Band if you're traveling to Walt Disney World on a last-minute trip?  Well, it all comes down to how last-minute your trip is.  If you have more than eleven days prior to your stay at the time of booking, you can go into the My Disney Experience app and customize your Magic Band with your favorite color, your name on the back, and they will send your Magic Band to your house.  If it is ten to six days before your trip, you can customize it on the My Disney Experience app with your favorite color, your name on the back and Disney will send it to your Disney Resort so you can pick it up when you arrive,  However, if you have five or fewer days, unfortunately that's not enough time to customize your Magic Band and you'll pick uu a solid gray Magic Band when you check in (with no name customization on the back) but it will still work and it's still a free magic band.

Of course, if you have your own Magic Band, whether one the special design ones or one from a from previous trips, those will work as well and you can bring one with you on your trip and decline a new Magic Band.

If you've planned a trip to Walt Disney World before and taken advantage of the Disney Magical Express service, you know that before your trip, Disney will send you several yellow luggage tags you attach to your luggage allowing you to bypass picking up your luggage at Orlando International Airport.  Using these tags, Disney will deliver your luggage to your resort room via their luggage delivery service.

But what happens if you have a last-minute Disney trip?  There are a couple options - one being you could collect your luggage off the carousel yourself and bring it to the Magical Express bus where they will put your luggage on the bus with you, or two, you can hand the Cast Members at the Magical Express desk the claim ticket that you received from the airline when you checked in your luggage at your home airport.  They will take care of everything else it will arrive at your resort that night.

If you've been to Walt Disney World before you know the value of fast passes.  Disney's fast pass system can get you on some of your favorite attractions and rides with extremely low wait times but if you're going on a last-minute Disney trip can you still get them?  Of course you can, and you may even be surprised with how many attractions and rides still have fast passes available for your stay.  Of course, getting fast passes all depends on the time of year and the crowd level but you may even see some great fast pass availability on the day you're in the park.  The key is to keep checking the My Disney Experience app on your phone frequently.

What about dining reservations?  Well, you might be surprised how many dining reservations may still available at the very last minute.  If you can't find one available for your stay, don't be afraid to check in at the restaurant desk, keeping in mind walk-up availability comes down to the time of year and the crowd level in the parks.

Now you may be thinking that because you're planning a last-minute Disney trip, it's going to be more expensive, especially at the resorts.  That is not always the case especially depending on the time of year if you're trying to get a reservation for.  As an example, if you are trying to get a resort room at Walt Disney World two days prior to Christmas so that you can be in the parks on Christmas Day, you may be out of luck.  However, other times throughout the year you may be surprised at how much availability there is.  If Disney is not selling as many of those rooms as they would like, they may even start to discount them just a little bit.  There will be no big announcement like the regular discounts, you just have to search on the Disney World website and you may be in luck and be able to say "oh my gosh look at this great deal that I found for a Disney Resort - let's hop on a plane and go."

These last minute deals are not as frequent anymore but it does happen, so yes, you can still experience the magic of a last-minute Walt Disney World vacation.  The most important factor to remember is the time of year.  If it's the time of year when the crowds are relatively low, you are going to have better luck with finding great fast passes and dining reservations, and even your flight will probably be less expensive.

If you're thinking about going during a heavy crowd time of year like the middle of the summer or Christmastime, you're unfortunately going to be paying a little bit more and may not even find the availability that you're looking for.

Have you been successful in booking a last-minute trip to Walt Disney World??