Caribbean Beach Resort Questions...

[streudel423]

Hi, this is my family's 3rd visit to DW, but our first at the Caribbean Beach Resort. We have reserved a Preferred Location at either Martinique or Trinidad North. I was wondering if anyone here had any comments or tips about the resort. Also, does the resort share buses with other resorts? What stop does the bus visit first upon leaving the resort and returning from the parks? We are visiting the first week of December. Anyone else visited DW and the CBR this same time? How were the crowds on the buses to and from CBR and the parks? Thanks! Any info would be greatly appreciated!!
-Shannon

[disney100%]

Though POR is my family's favorite resort, CBR is a close second. We have always enjoyed the atmosphere and theming of CBR. As for buses I am not sure which stop is first or last. I do remember that we had to stand quite a bit last time we were there, but it was during peak season and we were quite far out - South Trinidad. The buses do not stop at any other resort. There is a lot of walking to get from some buildings to OPR, but there is an internal bus that stops at each of the villages and OPR. I hope that helps! Enjoy your trip!

[mdricks]

Welcome to intercot! CBR is a great resort with a neat theme and a lot of hidden areas to explore. Even though you are "near the action" don't miss going out on the little island and looking around. There are some neat areas to relax and let it all sink in.

The main pool is very nice and any kids will love it, the quiet pools usually are and can be great places for a quiet afternoon.

The busses are unique to the resort and do not share a route with other resorts but CBR is a B-I-G resort and sometimes the busses can be standing room only by the time they get all the way around. We were in Jamaica and we had to wait a bit for busses during peak season.

I believe the rooms at CBR are the biggest in terms of square footage of all the moderates.

The food court is very nice with a lot of good selection, Shutters is so-so and not really worth a TS dining plan credit IMO. My family really enjoyed this resort and I would stay there again.
:thumbsup:

[maizey05]

You'll like CBR. It was surprisingly quiet, dispite the fact that the resort was filled. I'm not a food court type, but I liked the food court there. Very good selection of entrees! When I think of a food court, I think of burger and hotdogs, but here they have yummy cajun food, grilled specialties and really good salmon. I had an omlette there for breakfast and it was gigantic. Pools are nice, CM are nice, the grounds and room are spacious. You'll have so much fun there.

[Disneyfirsttimer]

We stayed in Martinique and our bus was usually the first to be picked up to get to the parks and the first drop off of the night when back to the resort. Sometimes the driver came in a different entrance and we were the last drop off. We only had 1 crowded bus the entire week and that was going from MK back to CBR. This was our first trip to WDW and we loved the resort. We are staying there again in October.

Have a great trip!

Karyn

[Brenle]

Martinique is the first stop. Stayed there last year and loved the resort. Very kid friendly. Not too big, not too small. Also Marinique is very close to Old Port Royale where the pool, restaurants, etc. are located.

I agree with mdricks. Shutters was our least favorite restaurant in all of WDW. We had the DDP and had dinner there the first night of our trip. Thankfully, we had wonderful dinners (and reservations) elsewhere.

[LilOrmstonViolet38]

the first stop issue is totally dependent on three issues: where the bus is coming from/going to, the specific driver, and the driver's mood. i have stayed at CB like 4-5 times (Jan being the last trip there) and never is it always the same. normally i would say that Martinique is the first stop, but that is only when entering the front entrance, which is about 3/4 of the time. however it varies. alot of the times at night drivers go in the back entrance and Jamaica is first. so it really depends... and as the bus driver gets new destinations (middle of the day switch) it varies as well. i hope that helps.

[Here we go again...]

They do change up the bus pick-up and drop off. They do this so that the last stop will not always have to stand.

We stayed in Martinique a couple of years ago and loved it! Our door faced the lake, so when we woke up we opened the curtains to watch the sun reflecting on the water while we had our coffee.

At night, we would sit out on the hammocks and listen to Illuminations. At times you could even see the fireworks. That was really cool.

I had to go to the front desk to print my boarding pass the day before we left so I took the internal bus there. On the way back, I walked. It really was not that far, and it was a very nice walk around the lake.
Overall, CBR is our favorite moderate. We love the tropical theming and the pool is great too. They have a fantastic assortment in the food court... not just the burgers and chicken. They also have a huge gift shop that we had a hard time keeping my DD out of....

[Harriet]

I agree with Angle this was my first Moderate I stayed at and I loved it. The food court is better then most and for the bus I really had no problem her and I stayed in Aruba both times I stayed here.They do not share there bus with any other resort. The only thing here is there are no elevators if you are on the upper floor. This is my only negative part.

[minnie-mouse]

Welcome to Intercot! CBR is my fave moderate resort. I have stayed there several times. We love it there, nice relaxing atmosphere, fun and friendly, nice size rooms. We stayed in the Jamaica building on our last visit and found it to be a great location, just a short walk over the bridge to the food court and man pool.

You'll find the buildings are spread out a bit around the big lake, but that is what is so nice about it. It never seems crowded and the grounds are just beautiful and great for early morning walks or early evening strolls around the lake. What we loved was that every building had its own pool and beach area, very convenient.

Enjoy CBR!

[mousetrapper]

We, too, have stayed at CBR more than any other resort at WDW and enjoyed it very much. It has everything -- including wonderful beachy theming and music, the food court and market area is great and the pool is beautiful -- yet is remarkable quiet as someone else commented. We have always stayed at Jamaica. It's close to a bus stop and a lovely five minute walk to the main pool and Port Royale area.

The first few times Jamaica was always the first stop on the bus route, coming and going. It was very convenient -- an empty bus in the morning and the opportunity to get off first in the evening after a long tiring day. But the last time we stayed there (2005), that wasn't the case. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, as others have posted here.

We still love CBR and recommend it highly.

[Momof2boys]

We stayed at CBR in Oct 05 and really enjoyed ourselves. We stayed there as part of a split stay with the Poly. The food court area was great and I loved the tropical grounds. Bus service was fine and didn't have any long waits. The only down side was the beds - with a family of 4 those full size beds don't work too well for us.

I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time !

[PirateKris]

We stayed at CBR last May for our honeymoon and LOVED it! It was peaceful and quiet. We really enjoyed the beaches. It is a huge resort but each building has it's own bus stop. I don't recall ever having to wait for more than 15 minutes for a bus. The only time we ever had to stand on the bus was going home from MK at the park's closing (big mistake). We also loved the poolside bar, the Banana Cabana. The food court was decent but we never ate at Shutters. We truly enjoyed our stay at CBR. I think that it appeals to all ages so I'm sure you and your family won't be disappointed!

[GeminiAngel]

What are the bed sizes in CBR? Do they have a King w/sleeper sofa?

[Mariaºoº]

They do offer king size rooms, but they do not have sleeper sofa's or daybeds.

CBR is our family's favorite resort. We normally stay in Aruba which is a short dance (gotta dance to the caribbean music) over the bridge to OPR. We absolutely love the lay-out of this resort! It's very spread out so you don't feel as if you're running into a crowd. Instead you feel as if you have the islands all to yourself. The only time you'll see other's will be at the food court.

The food court is absolutely delicious with loads of fresh and different offerings. There are two different shopping area's the Straw Market and then the Trading Post. One offers more of a caribbean themed souvenirs including bathing suits and towels and the other offers the typical Disney souvenirs including luggage, strollers, first aid items, etc... A really nice arcade is located in OPR as well.

I highly suggest renting bikes and riding the path around the resort to really see and enjoy CBR. You can also rent different watercraft at the marina.

Enjoy a lazy evening laying in the hammocks while watching the higher up fireworks of Illuminations.

We found the main pool to be quiet in the mornings/early afternoon and then in the evenings when everyone else went back into the parks. You'll also find the main pool to be quiet once the slide is closed for the evening. Each island has their own quiet pool which we found all to ourselves our whole trip last August.

CBR has their own bus transportation. They do not share with any other resort. There are two entrances into CBR so the pick up and drop off varies, but we found Jamaica/Aruba to be first on many occassions. There's also an internal bus system that will take you from each island to OPR if you choose not to walk.

I was very concerned when I first booked CBR because of the amount of walking one could possibly do at CBR ever since my husband came home from Iraq 30% disabled. He had no problems whatsoever walking within CBR at all!

Have a wonderful, magical vacation!!!

[rj]

:ack::ill:

[shan-ash]

We stayed there last Jult and had only time with a crowded bus. Like an earlier poster said, it was coming back from MK. If we didn't want to try all resorts, we would probably be staying there agin next summer:mickey:

[boo425]

My kids and I stayed there last August in Trinidad South. We had a room on the second floor. I circled the building twice with 2 suitcases in hand. Boy was I surprised to find out there are NO elevators to the 2nd floor!:confused:

[LuckyMum22]

:ack::ill:

ditto!

dirty -(poor mousekeeping-Fruit Loops on the stairs outside our room for an entire week!),
crowded-("little island" with inconsiderate guests breaking in to restricted areas after dark-saw a lock being replaced on two different mornings),
bus hassle (round and round with sleepy kids-we were in Jamaica)...

I know everyone has their favorites but this is my least favorite. Sorry... just my :twocents:

[RAIDER]

Welcome to intercot! CBR is a great resort with a neat theme and a lot of hidden areas to explore. Even though you are "near the action" don't miss going out on the little island and looking around. There are some neat areas to relax and let it all sink in.

The main pool is very nice and any kids will love it, the quiet pools usually are and can be great places for a quiet afternoon.

The busses are unique to the resort and do not share a route with other resorts but CBR is a B-I-G resort and sometimes the busses can be standing room only by the time they get all the way around. We were in Jamaica and we had to wait a bit for busses during peak season.

I believe the rooms at CBR are the biggest in terms of square footage of all the moderates.

The food court is very nice with a lot of good selection, Shutters is so-so and not really worth a TS dining plan credit IMO. My family really enjoyed this resort and I would stay there again.
:thumbsup:

Ditto ...especially with Shutters there are alot better places to eat :thumbsup:

[DisneyTwinsMommy]

It is also my LEAST favorite... We stayed there in December for our honeymoon and we found it to be awful! We stayed in Aruba, which was WAAAAAAY far from the food court. We bought the refillable mugs, but found the food court too far to make them worth while... The buses never came, were super crowded, and took at least 20 mintues just to get out of CBR complex!! Their is an internal bus, but I can count on one hand how many times I saw it! We had driven down, and we ended up driving to each park just to avoid the horrible bus scene. (Not what I had in mind for my Disney resport stay.) And, the entire time we were there the main pool was closed! (probably not their fault, but still irritating!) There are no elevators to the second floor, so we had to DRAG our luggage up and down the steps...I am torn between trying another moderate resort or just staying with values (which I have NEVER had a problem with...) Sorry, I love almost everything about DW... CBR is the exception! :(