A Visit to El Centro at Disney's Coronado Springs

We talk about El Centro a good bit on the site, and it recently occurred to me that those who have never visited the resort might not know its significance. El Centro is the primary hub of Disney’s Coronado Springs. It’s so much more than just a lobby. So, for this mostly photo post, we’ll explore the area and what you need to know before your visit.

a sign that says El Centro over the resort side entrance of Disney's Coronado Springs

We’ll start with a view of El Centro from across the lake. The entire area comprises the resort’s lobby, quick service food court, and gift shop. If you’ve been following along, we discussed the best and worst room locations at Disney’s Coronado Springs. Proximity to this central hub will be the deciding factor for some when upgrading to or requesting specific areas.

Here is the main entrance on the resort side.

For the sake of this article, we’ll jump to the front of the resort and check out the main entrance. Longtime fans of Coronado Springs will likely look at the photo below and reminisce about the days of the former Magical Express. This is where the magical bus service would drop you off on your first day, and tragically pick you up to return to the airport on your last day. This area was always bustling back then.

the walkway to the bus stop at El Centro — You can take this walkway to the bus stop shared between El Centro and Gran Destino Tower.

We’ll turn around and walk properly back inside the resort’s front entrance.

a long walkway with tile flooring, painted shades of blue and golds with large ceiling fans overhead

Mainly, because I wanted to tell you about a hidden Mickey that a cast member pointed out to me. When you’re walking into the resort, if you look to the door on your left, you’ll find him.

El Centro's front entrance at Coronado Springs

He’s on a decorative button toward the top of the door. I can’t help but wonder who had the idea to put him there.

a hidden Mickey near the entrance of El Centro

We’ll continue inside, where we’re greeted by the pineapple fountain. It’s reminiscent of the fountain at Old Port Royale at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

To our right, we see the resort’s lobby area. You’ll find a couple of casual seating areas and plenty of workspaces with charging stations for your electronic devices. You can also see a substantial hidden Mickey in the photo below.

He’s in the form of a projection that lights up the resort’s coat of arms. I cannot tell you how many times I visited Coronado Springs before learning about this “in plain sight” hidden Mickey. Once you see him, you can’t not see him.

a hidden Mickey created by a light projection in El Centro

This area was formerly where you checked in for your stay. Of course, these days, most guests bypass check-in and head directly to their rooms thanks to Disney’s Direct-to-Room offering.

If you need assistance, you might find a cast member in this area, or you can continue down the adjoining hall to Gran Destino Tower.

the entrance to the hallway that leads from El Centro to Gran Destino Tower

This hallway is a huge asset for guests who are staying in the tower. It allows them to pass between the hotel and El Centro. All of the other villages require an outdoor walk to reach El Centro. If you’re curious, we discuss the walking distances from each village at Coronado Springs in a separate article.

a long interior hallway with a light tile pattern

Here are a few more photos of the lobby area at El Centro. We’ll have a look at the Gran Destino Tower lobby in a separate article. It’s vastly different, but as a guest of the resort, you can access either.

On the opposite side of the main entrance fountain, we run into Panchito’s, the gift shop at Disney’s Coronado Springs.

A statue of Panchito Pistoles appears to be serenading the fountain. He is one of The Three Caballeros.

We always like to browse Panchitos and check out the resort-branded merchandise.

A long hall extends down the opposite side of El Centro, leading to the resort’s Convention Center and restaurants.

a closeup of the fountain in El Centro with signage for the gift shop, convention center, and restaurants

The star-shaped light fixtures make for a pretty effect.

Cafe Rix is immediately on the left. This is one of the many places to order a cup of specialty coffee at Coronado Springs.

a sign that says Cafe Rix with the storefront

Past Cafe Rix, you can stay straight or take a perpendicular left turn. Once you turn, you’ll see Rix Sports Bar and Grill on the left, and El Mercado is on the right. Cafe Rix is a place we consider a hidden gem. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have some very quality and reasonable menu items.

Straight ahead, you’ll see the subtle entrance to the resort’s Convention Center. I say subtle because the convention hall is massive, but you would never know it unless you passed through those doors.

Back to the main hall, we continue to the entrance of El Mercado, the resort’s quick service food court.

a hallway with star light fixtures and tile flooring at El Centro

At the end of the hall, you’ll run into Maya Grill, a table service Mexican restaurant, just before the exit.

the entrance to Maya Grill at Coronado Springs

Back outside, you’ll find a variety of tables and chairs around the El Centro area.

The view faces the lake. Three Bridges Bar and Grill sits in the center.

Laguna Bar is also in this area. They serve a variety of margaritas and other beverages.

Throughout a week’s vacation, you’ll likely visit El Centro multiple times. I hope this photo walk-through helped put things into perspective.

Final Thoughts

We enjoy staying at Coronado Springs and find that it often feels more like a deluxe resort than the other moderate category resorts. For more on the resort, you might enjoy the following:

Or you might enjoy our entire guide to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.