Carribbean Beach Resort

[Disneyexpert15]

Has anyone stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort? On my next trip to DisneyWorld I want to stay at Caribbean Beach Resort in 2008.:mickey:

[vicster]

We just stayed there last month and were very happy with it. The past 3 years we stayed at WL so I was a little nervous about staying somewhere else. We would definitely stay there again. Just make sure you request a building close to Old Port Royale otherwise it could be quite a walk to the food court. (we stayed in Trinidad North). Needless to say the landscaping is beautiful and the walk to the food court was very nice. No complaints at all about CBR.

[GoofyforFun]

We just returned from our trip Sept 29 - Oct 6. We had 3 rooms in Aruba51 . We all said it was worth going back to, everything was great. We were close to the bridge so our kids used the big pool at night. We basically slept in our rooms, we had breakfast there just about each morning. (ON DDP) used counter service and everyone in our group enjoyed the food. Rest of the time we were at the parks. We ate dinner mostly in different resorts or DTD. :thumbsup:

[crazeedizneefinatic]

We just returned from CBR. We stayed there from Sept. 21 - 30th. The resort is really pretty and we loved the little beaches here and there with the hammocks. My son loved to dig in the sand and even got a free bucket and shovel with a kids meal from the food court. The housekeeping was very good and our room was always nice and fresh with plenty of towels when we came back. My son loved the main pool since it reminded him of POC. That seemed to be always crowded so we frequented the quite pool near our room. We stayed in Aruba builing #52. Here are the downfalls that I found at the resort. The resort is HUGE! Although we knew this going in but we were still quite surprised. You can't believe it till you see it type of thing. I also found that the checkin process to be a bit drawn out. Where you check in is called the "customs house". There is nothing else in the building, you just go there to check in or out if you need too. After that we had to wait for an internal bus to take us to our "island". Seemed like to much trouble to me, maybe since we waited for a long time that did not help either. Another thing we did not like was how far the bus stop to the parks was from our room. After navigating all the little paths and walking across a huge parking lot the bus shelter was there. If you are traveling with children watch them in those lots. Too far from where we were staying for our liking. Especially after a long day at the park. I do have to say that the bus service was good, no longer than a 10-15 wait. Another downfall of the resort for us was the walk to the food court. The first few days we were like hey this is great, scenic and so forth but by the middle of our vacation is was a hassle. Especially if it was to refill our mugs. We absolutely wasted money on those this trip. I think we filled them twice maybe 3 times. By the time we got back from the parks the food court was closed anyway, it closed at 11pm. We always just bought pop or water from the machines at $2.50 a bottle. Boy did they make the money on us for drinks, lol!

Other than those few little things our stay was lovely. If I ever do stay there again I would DEFINATELY get a preferred room. It would have been worth the extra money to us. I can even say that, and we do like to walk and exercise but boy it is a huge place. Something else that we did not do that I think we would next time is rent a bike. We saw a few people renting surry bikes and it looked like fun.

All in all I think you will definatly enjoy CBR! Just pace yourself and before buying the refillable mugs ask yourself if you will be eating at the food court or plan to be back before the food court closes for the evening.
Have a great trip!

[DizneeFan13]

I was looking in the rehab schedule on this website and found this about the CBR -

"Old Port Royale Feature Pool at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort will be closed January 8 - September 15, 2008. During this time, Guests may continue to use the six leisure pools located throughout the resort. Additionally, waterslides for children will be added at the Barbados and Jamaica village pools and enhanced children's recreation activities will be offered"

If the main pool is one of the features you were looking for, this may sway your decision.

Otherwise I hope you have a great trip.:mickey:

[Darbylew]

We love CBR. It is so colorful and the grounds
are so pretty and tropical looking. The food
court is real good. We always ask for building
33 in Trinidad North. This will put you near the
food court with gift shop, main pool and bus
stop. Have a great time in the land of MICKEY.

[BronxTigger]

I was at CBR this past August and really enjoyed my stay there. I would not hesitate to stay there again. I was in Aruba 53 and it was a decent location; not too far from the bus and a walk through Aruba and across the bridge to Old Port Royale (the food court, gift shop, and main pool area).

If you click on my name and go to my home page you can see my CBR photos.

[garymacd]

We also stayed at CBR last month in Aruba 51 a couple weeks ago. It is very nice and colourful. The rooms were clean and well decorated. We loved the food court at Olde Port Royale and they showed football at the pool bar - good mix!

There are seven bus stops in the resort. Our building was halfway between two of them, but we were close to the bridge that led to Olde Port Royale. After breakfast we were able to just go outside and catch the bus to the parks.

Our only concern about the resort was the sheer size of the place! It is massive and seems like everyplace is so far away.

[RAIDER]

I was there last year and i found it a very relaxing resort .The private pools are a good size and the food hall is excellent value for money ...Have fun :thumbsup::mickey:

[Momof2boys]

We stayed at CBR 2 years ago and really enjoyed ourselves. Even though we were in Trinidad South, the walk to Old Port Royale & the Marketplace wasn't too bad. We also thought the food court was above par for the moderates and enjoyed many items from there. The grounds are absolutely beautiful.

[Figgyluv03]

I worked there back in 2001 and am hoping I can upgrade my resort to there next year since I really miss it. It's like home to me. I love the layout and the tropical feel.

[emerzmom]

The CBR is very nice and has a great atmosphere, however, the resort is too big in my opinion. Some of the rooms are VERY far away from the food court and the main building. I have stayed there twice so I don't hate it by any means. I would just try to get a room closer to the food court and main building to make it easier on yourself.
You are in WDW...it can't be bad :mickey:

[IloveDisney71]

My DH and I stayed at the CBR in Nov. 'o5 and loved it. It is a beautiful resort. We paid to have a preferred room so we would be close to the food court. It is a large resort, but the good thing is that each area has a bus stop so there is not much of a walk to the bus stop areas. You will have several stops when leaving or arriving at the resort, but we didn't mind that. Make sure you take time to walk around and enjoy the scenery. There is a pretty little island that even had blooming flowers in Nov. :)
I will probably stay at CBR again in the future. It would be my choice out of the moderate resorts.

[ryca1dreams]

We stayed in Sept. Because I forgot to request a room, we were in South Trinidad which is right next to Brazil (just kidding). But, it is a very big resort. It took 10 minutes to walk to the Old Port Royale area - one way. The walk was peaceful and quiet in the morning.

If you plan on using the food court a lot, try to get a closer building - Aruba, Jamaica, N. Trinidad.

Bus service was fine. Rooms were clean and roomy.

Overall, I would describe it as a relaxing and calm place.

[wdw538884]

I have stayed at CBR on many occassions and love the look and feel of the resort.:thumbsup:
CBR was the very first place I stayed on my first visit to the World. It will always hold a sentimental place in my heart. Stay there every once in a while. I love the walk to the food court in the am for coffee.:cool:

[Cinderelley]

Stayed there last month, and I won't go back.

[pixiesmimi]

We stayed there the first time this August. We were in Aruba and loved it. It was a little walk to the food court and I, too, would rethink the refillable mug next time because we didn't use it much. I would have liked to have refilled it at night but too tired to walk to the food court after walking all day. It is a beautiful resort though and if you have time to walk around and explore and enjoy it, it is worth it. We loved the room, service, food court and theme. But a warning, if you do go on the beach or have children that want to play in the sand, beware of sand fleas. We only went to the beach one time to lie in the hammocks and when I got back to the room, I had flea bites all over my feet. I never felt them but evidently, they were there. We will go back.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Worst Disney resort by far. I'd stay off property before I'd stay here again. We had several things we didn't like about the resort. One of them being that our dirty towels that we put on the floor were rehung as if they were clean. YUCK!

For the moderate resorts I'd recommend staying at CS. I've stayed there on 3 occassions and really liked it.

[CleveRocks]

Stayed at CBR twice and loved it loved it loved it. I had NONE of the bad experiences the above poster had. Bad service can happen everywhere, even at WDW.

[mermaidmarian]

Stayed there last month, and I won't go back.

That's too bad. Was it not the right resort for you or did something happen to dampen the experience?

[LuckyMum22]

Stayed there last month, and I won't go back.

Our family feels the same!

We stayed there last year and won't go back.
I'm hoping things have improved but we had lousy housekeeping there. We walked by a pile of Fruit Loops on the steps to our room on the first day we were there until we checked out. The pool was closed every time we went to use it. It seemed like they cleaned it at busy times, so we had to use the quiet pools which are just a pool. There are quiet pools at other resorts just the same. We wanted to see the water cannons and theming but never even got in. We stayed in Jamaica building #45 and it was so much of a walk to get our mugs refilled that we lost $ in purchasing them! When we went to get our mugs filled we had to walk over the little island in the middle of the resort and on two occasions there were repairmen fixing broken locks on gates in the mornings. It seems they lock off parts of this island and some guests took it upon themselves to let themselves in after hours. We just didn't like the feeling of this resort.
We just got back from PO Riverside and had a completely different experience. So much so that I wrote Guest Relations about how excellent our room was cleaned and how well everything was kept at POR. When it comes to the moderates, we will never choose CBR over any of the others. That's my :twocents: !

[Cinderelley]

That's too bad. Was it not the right resort for you or did something happen to dampen the experience?

There was mold in our room, housekeeping only left supplies for us the first day, and the showerhead broke off and hit one of us in the head. We were there for 12 days. We were in Jamaica, if that makes a difference.

[SurferStitch]

We stayed at CBR in October of 2004, and absolutely loved it! We had a first floor room, and it was immaculate. Mousekeeping did a wonderful job. :thumbsup:

Our room was bright, cheery and did I mention....clean?

It's our favorite mod, and I would definitely stay there again if we wanted another mod.

We also stayed at POR twice, and really disliked it both times (won't say hate....I don't hate anything at WDW). Dirty, musty, dark, dingy room both times we stayed there. Totally lackluster service (actually downright rude at times). Terrible mousekeeping. The only reason we stayed there twice was because our second stay was actually booked long before our first stay (got a great last-minute deal), and our second stay was with another couple, and we wanted to give it another chance. Won't ever stay there again. :nope:

[Disneyexpert15]

Thanks for eveybody's input!!!! It really helped;)

[wdwvacationeer]

We stayed at the CBR last summer and loved it. We were in Aruba Building 52 and some how my daughter remembers it was room 5208-this was a great location. It was just a short walk over a bridge from the food/shopping/main pool area and like a 30 second walk to a quiet pool or beach and a two minute walk to the bus. Our mousekeeping was fabulous- clean and special touches for the kids every day except one. Like I said we loved it and would stay there again this summer except the pool is being refurbished so we are trying something new to us- AsMu but will definitely stay there again.:mickey:

[rnin02]

We've stayed there twice and love the resort. I would recommend requesting a room in either Jamaica or Aruba, or paying for the preferred room, just so you are closer to the food court. We stayed in Jamaica our first trip, and its a beautiful, not too long (5 min?) walk across the lake to the food court...very scenic, very relaxing. The 2nd time we got stuck in Trinidad South (I think South...the one in the middle of nowhere!) and that walk was not fun at all...10+ mins to get to the food court. But if you don't like walking around the resort, there is always the internal resort shuttle as well.

[FredTaco]

We're staying there in Sept, it wasn't our first choice (POFQ was booked) but figured we would give it a shot. We're doing the free dining plan so we were limited on what we could choose and had to spend a little extra for the water view room. When people say "preferred" is this the same thing? I'm wondering because I really don't want to have to walk 8 miles to a bus stop. Since we're on the dinging plan I'm not too concerned about the food court. I assume since I've got the water view we'll be close to pools, although I guess that could mean the lake too...

[rnin02]

We're staying there in Sept, it wasn't our first choice (POFQ was booked) but figured we would give it a shot. We're doing the free dining plan so we were limited on what we could choose and had to spend a little extra for the water view room. When people say "preferred" is this the same thing? I'm wondering because I really don't want to have to walk 8 miles to a bus stop. Since we're on the dinging plan I'm not too concerned about the food court. I assume since I've got the water view we'll be close to pools, although I guess that could mean the lake too...

Water view and preferred aren't the same thing. There are 2 preferred buildings (I think) Martinque and Trinidad North. Water view could mean pool view or lake view. There is a "quiet" pool at each island, plus the main pool at the food court. I think the main pool is going to be closed for rehab in September though:( But the quiet pools are still nice.

[Kidsmom]

We stayed there last August in Jamacia and loved it. We had connecting rooms and everything was perfect for a moderate resort.

I didn't think the walk was too far from the food court or the bus and I was 3 months out from a major leg surgery. The food court was a little crazy and busy, but it wasn't too bad.

We spent 2 days just at the resort (non-park days) out of 10 days and loved the programs for the kids.

I would recommend it as a moderate, although it is the only moderate I have been too! ;)

[rnin02]

We're staying there in Sept, it wasn't our first choice (POFQ was booked) but figured we would give it a shot. We're doing the free dining plan so we were limited on what we could choose and had to spend a little extra for the water view room. When people say "preferred" is this the same thing? I'm wondering because I really don't want to have to walk 8 miles to a bus stop. Since we're on the dinging plan I'm not too concerned about the food court. I assume since I've got the water view we'll be close to pools, although I guess that could mean the lake too...

I meant to say also that each "island" has its own bus stop, so you are never that far from a bus stop. Its really a great resort, I would love to be going there this september!

[brewcrew26]

I've stayed at all the mods except CSR. CBR is probably ranked third after POFQ and POR (which are pretty even for me). That isn't to say it's an inferior resort. DH and I enjoyed our honeymoon there immensely and it wasn't our first choice (we decided to switch from AKL with all the economic concerns right now).

The CMs were all very friendly. The Bronx door greeter at the Custom House is hilarious, just don't wear a Red Sox shirt around him. LOL. Our rooms were very tidy and bright. We had two windows in our king bedroom Bldg 31 in Trinidad North. We had a great view of the lake and were just a short walk from everything.

My only qualms were with the food court and registration area being too small during very busy times during the day. I would love to see them change up the Shutters restaurant with something else, but otherwise, it was really great. I would definitely go there again, although our next trip we want to splure on either WL or AKL.

[CleveRocks]

We're doing the free dining plan so we were limited on what we could choose and had to spend a little extra for the water view room. When people say "preferred" is this the same thing? I'm wondering because I really don't want to have to walk 8 miles to a bus stop. Since we're on the dinging plan I'm not too concerned about the food court. I assume since I've got the water view we'll be close to pools, although I guess that could mean the lake too...

At CBR, the term is "preferred location," and it means being in one of the 6 buildings closest to Old Port Royale, the complex that has the food court, restaurant, shops, arcade, etc. Preferred location is comprised of all 3 Trinidad North buildings (31, 32 and 33) and 3 of the 6 Martinique buildings (24, 25 and 26).

"Water view" is a totally separate category ... it means, of course, a room with a view of water. The "water" could be either the lake (Barefoot Bay) or a quiet pool. Since each village has some lake frontage AND since each village has its own quiet pool, every village has some water view rooms. Also, the water you have a view of could be pool or could be lake ... you can request one or the other but you can't reserve one or the other.

[Fryguy]

We have stayed there numerous times and would not hesitate to do it again. Our last trip there (December 07) we stayed there in two rooms next to each other and it was great.

We love the resort!

[FredTaco]

At CBR, the term is "preferred location," and it means being in one of the 6 buildings closest to Old Port Royale, the complex that has the food court, restaurant, shops, arcade, etc. Preferred location is comprised of all 3 Trinidad North buildings (31, 32 and 33) and 3 of the 6 Martinique buildings (24, 25 and 26).

So do you have to pay extra for the "preferred location" or is this something that is just requested?

[beksy]

We stayed there in Feb (our first time staying on property so nothing to compare it to) and really enjoyed it. We thought the theming of the resort was fabulous...very laid back and relaxing after being in the parks all day. We even saw ducks and rabbits around the resort! We were in Aruba and close to the bus stop so that wasn't an issue for us, but we were a good walk from the Food Court. The quiet pool was close for us, too, and never seemed to have more than one family in it. We enjoyed walking around the resort and thought it was beautiful. Our room decor added to the outside atmosphere and was very clean. We had great mousekeeping, no trouble with dirt or clean towels or anything and all the CMs we met were very helpful. On our check-out day we overslept and they went out of their way to help and accomodate us in any way we could since we totally missed the pre-arranged time. They were very understanding and the guy came back a little later so I wouldn't have to go through the front desk to reschedule a third time. :number1: We would stay here again but I would give and will use the following tips:
1. Pay the extra for a preferred location, especially if you ar planning on using the Food Court much...it will be worth it!
2. We never had a problem with bus service or waiting or filled buses but remember that the internal bus only stops at the different islands and at the customs house (for check-in and out). Also, the only bus that stops at the customs house is the internal bus. I learned this lesson the hard way!:blush:
3. There are no elevators so if stairs are a problem make sure to request a ground-floor room.
4. Take the time to walk around the resort and enjoy the atmosphere, especially Castaway Cay, the island in the center. It is worth the time! :thumbsup:

[rnin02]

So do you have to pay extra for the "preferred location" or is this something that is just requested?

Yes, "preferred location" is an extra charge. I don't think its very much, but I'm honestly not sure.

[FredTaco]

Thanks for the info. Would I be accurate in saying that if we're not planning to use the food court or the themed pool (I'm being told it will be open) then the preferred location thing may not be worth doing?

[rnin02]

Thanks for the info. Would I be accurate in saying that if we're not planning to use the food court or the themed pool (I'm being told it will be open) then the preferred location thing may not be worth doing?

Probably it wouldn't be worth it to you guys, but remember that the gift shop is by the food court as well, if you need to go there to pick up packages or anything. But most of the islands are not that far from the food court area, the furtherest one is Trinidad South, if you can avoid getting in there, nearly everywhere else is just a nice scenic walk. Jamaica and Aruba are really the best islands to stay at in my opinion, a nice little walk across the lake to the food court, very scenic and beautiful.

[Dixie Springs]

Just back from CBR (flew home this morning).

[Warning: Mini-Trip Report/rant embedded in post]

We were big CBR fans - the first moderate, and our first chance to stay on property all those years ago. We've since stayed all over WDW, but CBR was always a fav, due to theming. This last visit was disappointing. We knew about the main pool closure, so that wasn't an issue (so we thought).

1st room was Jamaica - DD noticed bedbugs and some hairs on the sheets. DW brought a bug specimen to guest services, but felt like a charlatan bucking for an upgrade in doing so.

On to Barbados - nice courtyard room - unfortunately, it was a 'smoking courtyard', with a nice planter filled with butts outside our door. I think it was a smokers convention - I have never seen so many. Also, the bed sank toward the middle and the room screamed 're-furb me' (so did Jamaica for that matter). On to Martinique. Not 'right next to food court' Martinique, but 'the Barbados pool is closer than ours' Martinique (building 21). We settled there - I was so tired of moving, I would have accepted a scorpion on the pillow smoking a cigar.

So, in this jaded mood, I started noticing some CBR issues:

(1) I don't know where it is on the refurb cycle (except the pool), but the rooms are due. All 3 of ours still had the Holiday Inn-style non-central air conditioner that blows on 1 of the 4 people in the room. Ceiling paint was peeling. Bathroom looked old. TV was an antique (even All Star Jazz had a nicer one - in size and vintage).

(2) Food court location is cumbersome, unless you are in the closest buildings of Martinique/Trinidad. The Jamaica bridge 'shortcut' is hardly that. Bike rental should be complimentary with the refillable mug purchase.

(3) We really did miss the main pool. It's kind of the heart of the place. The quiet pools are bare and plain. The temporary slides they tossed into some of these pools look industrial, out of place, and cheap.

(4) Even though we don't normally use them, the other moderates have actual, distinguishable restaurants. CBR has "Shutters", which is nothing more than a walled-off portion of the food court with menus.

(5) It was unanimous: Outside of the extra square footage, we would rather have been in Surf's Up! for the money (and that's even with DD's CM CBR rate of $99/night).

Sorry if I offended any CBR fans - I was once a defender myself...

[CleveRocks]

So do you have to pay extra for the "preferred location" or is this something that is just requested?

Preferred location is a separate room category that costs extra to reserve.

And by the way, it's the same with water view rooms and king-size bed rooms.

Any one of these "upgrades" costs an extra $15 to $26 per night, depending on the season. [And, oddly, you can only pay for one upgrade; you can't pay for/reserve/guarantee a room with 2 of the above upgrades.]

If you don't plan to use the food court, restaurant, shops, or arcade, then preferred location would be a totally meaningless upgrade for you. There is ZERO difference in the interior of a preferred location room and a standard room.

[pixiesmimi]

Thanks for the info. Would I be accurate in saying that if we're not planning to use the food court or the themed pool (I'm being told it will be open) then the preferred location thing may not be worth doing?

I think you would be remiss in dismissing or not using the food court (even for late night snacks). It is a good food court (a little small) but had good venus for the different kinds of foods, especially breakfast. They have a good gift shop and you can catch the bus right out front to the parks.

We went in August, just DH and I, and loved CBR. We were in Aruba and overlooked a quiet pool. There were never more than a couple of people in it at a time and was really "quiet". We could hear all the noise and screaming way over in Aruba from the themed pool and I can imagine how loud it would have been actually being over there. I would think the renovations on it would be done by now since they started them last year.

Our room was great with no problems like Dixie Springs and others have reported. It was one of the best rooms we have stayed in. The walk to the food court wasn't bad and the bus stop was just outside our building. No long waits. We were upgraded to a King size bed (room) without having to pay for it because I had requested Aruba and they had put us in Trinidad South, which is exactly where I didn't want to be and had specified this. So just ask when you get there. No telling what you might get. We were very surprised and happy with this corner room. I would stay there again any time. We loved it!

[FredTaco]

Thanks for all the info. I would imagine we'll probably visit the food court if nothing else to grab a light breakfast once or twice. My family isn't big on breakfast.

One other thing, from looking at maps that it seems all of the bus stops are located on the other side of parking lots. Is that correct?

[rnin02]

I think the bus stops are on the side of the parking lots closest to the rooms, I don't think you have to cross the parking lot to get to them. I don't remember 100% though.

[CleveRocks]

I think the bus stops are on the side of the parking lots closest to the rooms, I don't think you have to cross the parking lot to get to them. I don't remember 100% though.You always have to cross through at least a small sliver of parking lot to get from the rooms to a bus stop.

[pixiesmimi]

Yes, the bus stop is on the road and there is a parking lot between there and the villages but the parking lots aren't very big so it isn't a very long walk to the buildings. (I guess that depends on what building you are in). :) Our building was directly across from the bus stop so it wasn't bad. Not as long a walk for a tired person as the one at ASMovies was.

By the way, I had the same concerns as you before we stayed there by looking at the map but was pleasantly surprised when we got there. The only problem we had was finding our room. We walked around and around the building before we finally found it. When we finally did, discovered it was right by a staircase and overlooked the pool. They didn't have the signs that direct you to the rooms right or were hard to figure out. This was in Aruba.

[sleeping beauty77]

My DH and I stayed there for our honeymoon and 13 years later, with SIL and BIL. We really like it there. The grounds are simply beautiful. It's pretty spread out , but when you call to reserve your room ask to be close to OPR as you can. Which is probably a preferred location. So it's a little more $$, but worth it. If you choose to go to CBR I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.:mickey:

[Minnie Imagineer]

I didn't really like the Caribbean Beach Resort. I did like Shutters though, and the food court. There were too many pools and too many different buildings. It was like a crazy, cheaper version of poly in a way. The main pool looked like fun but there were too many screaming kids in it, and the private pools were really cold and a little too 'quiet'! My fav hotel is still poly by far!