Coronado or Caribbean Beach?

[AvonleaCF]

I'm trying to decide between Cordonado Springs and Caribbean Beach for my next trip. I stayed at POR last year so I don't want either of the Port Orleans resorts again so soon (I want to try all the moderates before repeating).

So what the pros and cons of CS and CB? I'm a young adult and will either be going alone or with a friend, so no kids. No health issues either. I know CS is huge, but that's what I'm leaning toward.

[BronxTigger]

I've been to both.

When are you going? CBR's main pool will be down for most of 2008, so it would be better to do CSR in 2008 and then do CBR after they get their new pool.

Caribbean Beach:
-I prefer the theming of CBR to CSR, but that is a personal preference.
-No elevators, buildings are 2 floors.
-Corner rooms get 2 windows (I don't think this is the case at CSR).
-There are hammocks on the beaches throughout the resort.
-Very calm and peaceful resort. I love the plants and the short buildings and the feel of the place.
-The food court and gift shop are both pretty big. If you get Aruba or Jamaica you will only have to walk across the island to get to them. The food court has many options, but I only ate here once (for breakfast) because I was eating in the parks.
The bus stops at all 6 villages + Old Port Royale on each trip. Some buses start at Jamaica, others start at Martinique.

Coronado Springs Resort:
-The resort is beautiful, especially at dawn and dusk. I stayed in the Ranchos, which has a very desert them and I wasn't crazy about the lack of plants (there were cacti) but overall the resort is beautiful, despite not being my personal favorite theme.
-This resort has elevators, buildings range in height.
-The cabanas section has hammocks if you want to relax.
-The pool here has the longest slide of the moderates and it is a very large pool. You can also sit on the bottom of the pyramid and feel the water splash you.
-I didn't eat at CSR (ate in the parks); the gift shop is decent.
-There are 4 bus stops at this resort but I didn't use them; I had a rental car on that trip.

Both of these resorts are huge, so that is basically a non-issue between them.

[mouselover93]

just got back two weeks ago from the caribbean beach. its gorgeous. the rooms are bigger then i expected for a moderate. each " island " has its own pool. the food is good. i dont think i even saw 1 piece of trash. the housekeeping was very helpful if u asked them for something extra they gave it to you. 10 out of 10 stars

[Mickey 101]

Although we've never stayed at CS, I can comment on CBR. We stayed there for the first time a few years ago and intended to try the other mods, but we are hooked on CBR. We did finally try POFQ one time which was very nice, but our favorite is still CBR. We love the theming and always stay in Jamaica or Aruba and do the walk others referred to across the island to Old Port Royale. It has a very laid-back 'island' feel, nice steel drum music playing and lush tropical foliage. We've only used the quiet pools because they're so close to the room.........nothing really special, but very relaxing after a day in the parks. This past trip, we paid for a water view and it was just gorgeous overlooking the beach. It made checking out harder than ever.......

[kathiep]

I have stayed at both CBR and CS. They are very comparable -so it really does become a matter of personal preference.

Things I would consider:

the main pool and play area at CS is much better than CBR - which will be closed for quite some time anyway.

The food selection/quality at CS is superior to that of CBR. I believe it's due to serving the conventioners. They have many more options and it's much better.

I found the public areas of CS to be less crowded. Again, I think this has something to do with the conventioners. They weren't using the public areas when we were. We didn't use the buses but from what I could see, the buses and stops were less crowded as well.

We were happy with both and would stay at either one again - but would probably lean towards CS.

[AvonleaCF]

Thanks for the replies so far! I'm planning on the first week of September in 2008.

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

We have stayed at both a couple of times. The theming at both is really amazing. The one thing I noticed was with the convention center the food court at CS was always very busy. On the plus side we used the main pool on a couple of occasions at CS and practically had it to ourselves. The buses as CS were also less crowded but other than AK seemed like we were on the bus alot longer than CB. The size of the resorts seemed similar so they are definitely more spread out than POFQ. Either would be a fine choice.

[ThanxForNoticin]

I agree with most of the posters - both resorts are very nice, but I prefer CS. The pool and the food court/restaurant are better. Actually, depending which building you stay in at CBR, CS might be an easier resort for walking. Have a great time.

[mrsgaribaldi]

We just stayed at CS 10 days ago and really loved it. So much so that we are booking it for Feb!! I think you will like either one. I love CBR too:thumbsup:

[Donald_Quackers]

I just got back after staying a week at CS, and I enjoyed the resort, except we were in one of the farthest rooms from the food court (I thought the food court to be pretty expensive).

On the plus side, we were a very short walk to Bus Stop 3, and they had it arranged such that you could take any theme park bus to the front, and take a Downtown Disney bus back. That was a godsend for my Mom, who can't really walk far.

(Trip report pending)

[madi47]

Well we stayed at both. I think they were both beautiful in there own ways. I do have to say though that the food at the CS was much much better. It can be a long walk to the food court but hey your in disney. The walking thing has never even been considered an issue for me because that is a lot of what the week is. I also found the pool area at CS awesome. Great theme. I also thought that the boats you can rent right in the middle of the resort really neat. So I guess all that said I guess I'd say CS.

[PAMOUSELOVER]

We just stayed at CBR this Sept. Our next resort will be CSR. Will we loved CBR, the main pool was not to great and the slide was really made for children under the age of five.
My DS and DD like the pool near our room much better.

[CaptSmee]

We have stayed at both resorts twice in the past few years. I actually love both for different reasons. I doubt i'll ever stay at Port Orleans ever again (the resort is much too large & sprawling).

Coronado Springs seems to be a little less Disney than CBR. It has a convention center and you'll see lots of people in dress clothes and wearing name tags often. A few weeks ago when we stayed there the bus trasportation was amazing. We didn't have a full bus all week long and when standing in line at the parks to leave, our line seemed to be smallest. The pool is MUCH bigger here than at CBR, but there also are quiet pools as well.

I think you'll enjoy either resort that you stay at, I know that we did!