Back from trip - Caribbean Beach review

[AmandaChan]

I am not posting this to scare anyone away from CBR... just providing my experience and I am sure others have had a better experience/luck. Also I would appreciate feedback on others' experiences!

We stayed here June 6th - June 13th. We stayed in Aruba in bldg #52. I had read reviews about this being a large resort but I had no idea just how spread out it was until I actually got there. It took us forever to walk from the lobby to our room.. I have read reviews about how people enjoy the site and walking around, seeing the scenery. I thought we would too but with a small child it is really quite a burden having to walk over that gigantic bridge just to get some breakfast or just a drink. I honestly don't understand how they coerce people to stay in the Trinidad South bldgs. I would have refused...


We did get a room on the bottom level next to our adjoining party like we requested. I ordered a pack and play and it came promptly. We had delivered ourselves a package and I knew it had arrived seeing as how I tracked it via Fed-Ex. When we checked in (our room wasn't ready but our other party's was) they said that they did have our package and that they would bring it up to us. After 3 phone calls and 6 hours later I got my package, at 8 pm.


When we first arrived I thought our room smelled like ammonia. We did not receive any towel animals at all and neither did our other party... Do they not do those here I wonder? Housekeeping was great for the first few days even when we had called and requested 8 more towels.. But the 4th day they must have been in a rush or overwhelmed because we literally had 10 towels in the middle of the bathroom floor that weren't picked up and we had no clean wash cloths. We also had no coffee and mother in law chased down the housekeeping cart twice to get disposable cups for coffee. Oh and that same day we did not get any wash cloths I called housekeeping during what seemed to be shift change and asked for some and I was so taken aback by a particular employee's rudeness that I called the resort manager (I have never in my life called and complained about someone to their manager).


I will admit though for being a somewhat 'busy' time of the year our bus service was the best that it has ever been and this is our 5th time traveling to Disney. I think maybe 4 times we ran after the bus! We waited for 10 minutes at Downtown Disney and that was the longest. We even left at park closing at Epcot one night and we got on a bus very quickly. And it depends on which stop you will be... sometimes we were picked up first sometimes, last. It all depends and it did not seem terrible at all.


I thought the cafeteria would be cute but it was actually kind of a pain for the sections to be split up. You have to walk to each section to see what they are serving. At the other food courts we have stayed they have all been in one central area you can look around and choose.. The food court seating seemed spacious however we did not ever use it.


The resort was nice but nothing more. There were some nice colors on the umbrellas and the pool seemed fun for kids but other than that it doesn't have much personality. The bldg's designs are nice but I have to say that the #1 reason I will NOT be back is the fact that I kept getting lost, especially when your room is facing an inner part of the courtyard. I was almost in tears one night trying to find our room. Sounds silly but it was very frustrating and I was not the only one in our party that felt this way.


When we left at 4 in the morning the bell service came and picked up our party of 8 and our luggage in a van and took us to the lobby to be picked up by DME by 4:30. It really is a great service but I couldn't believe that when I put my sleepy 1 year old into the carseat in the van he slammed on the gas and drove before I had a chance to buckle his seat belt. And I even said.. I don't have him buckled in... and I knew he heard me. I said it really loud. I will let you know that he did NOT stop. I am being serious. I guess he was in a big rush because someone called him over his phone and asked him if he was going to be fine.



We are avid Disney fans and we are open to different experiences but I have to say I was disappointed in this resort.

[goofy-4-disney]

My family and I have stayed at CBR several times on our trips to WDW and have enjoyed our stay there on every trip. Size was never an issue for us, as we knew going into it that it can be a little bit of a walk to some parts of the resort from your particular building. However we've always stayed in a preferred room/building with close access to Old Port Royale (definitley worth the extra cost). Each time we've stayed there we've also had towel animals and very good service from housekeeping. We love Old Port Roayle and how the options are spread out like they are, keeps the lines down instead of filing everybody through the same area. I would definitely recommend CBR to anybody going to WDW.

[BraddyB]

I am sorry you didnt have a good time there. Actually the building you were in is a pretty good location. I personally didn't think the bridge was "gigantic" and enjoyed the walk through Carribean Cay to Old Port Royale. It seems to be either a love/hate resort. The stories about housekeeping and bell service though are unacceptable anywhere and should have never happened.

[buzznwoodysmom]

If you got lost at CBR then don't ever stay at POR!!! We've stayed at many of the Disney resorts, including two stays at CBR (never got lost there), and POR had to be the hardest resort to navigate.

We stayed at CBR twice, in the farthest section from everything (the pirate rooms) and we never thought the walk was as bad as some make it out to be. I guess it just depends on the person. We traveled with 2 kids, ages 10 and 8, and 4 kids, ages 14, 9, 7, and 7, and we never thought the walk was too bad for them or us. As for getting your package late, that's just how it goes sometimes, and could have happened at any resort. They have tons of people checking in and out daily and I don't even want to imagine how tough it is to keep up with all the bags, and requests.

Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay. If you ever want to stay at a moderate again try POFQ. Its the most compact and charming moderate resort. Its our favorite moderate and we've tried them all. The great thing about WDW is there truly is something for everyone. While you didn't particularly love CBR its our second favorite moderate. My SIL and her family LOVE POR, and we absolutely didn't like it at all, will probably never even try it again. Different strokes for different folks!!!

[JenniferS.]

We were also in Aruba building and we never walked over to the pool/food court. They have an internal resort bus. But, I agree it is too big and it wasn't for us either. The room was nice and we had no mousekeeping issues, but we did have bus issues. Waiting...waiting..waiting...full bus drives right buy...waiting...it was crazy.

[darthmacho]

Thanks for the review. I think that you made a great point about the distance in relationship to your small child. Until your child is say, about 6-7yo, you should consider requesting rooms near the main building or center. Personally, I enjoy exploring the resort, so long as I'm near a bus stop.

The other complaints you had were too bad. There is no excuse for the bad housekeeping. That was shameful, and you were right to complain.

As for the cafeteria, POR was set up the same way. It can be chaotic when you, a spouse, and two picky, indecisive kids have to decide, order, and pick up meals from four different stations, and then you have to stand in an awkward, makeshift line, with your hands full, to get bottled drinks, and then juggle yet again to pay, get fountain sodas, and then PRAY that you can find a seat...:doh:

Anyway, I hope you at least had a great vacation, and I hope you have a better stay at your next resort. :mickey:

[AmandaChan]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay. If you ever want to stay at a moderate again try POFQ. Its the most compact and charming moderate resort. Its our favorite moderate and we've tried them all. The great thing about WDW is there truly is something for everyone. While you didn't particularly love CBR its our second favorite moderate. My SIL and her family LOVE POR, and we absolutely didn't like it at all, will probably never even try it again. Different strokes for different folks!!!

MIL and family enjoyed the resort for the most part. We have stayed at POFQ and both DH and I were like dang, we should have stayed there. We loved the walk around the grounds and it was small compared to CBR. I realize that everyone has a different experience and these things happen everywhere just wanted to share what happened to me! I had never however had bad housekeeping issues at other resorts. Even at Pop we got towel animals. And there were plenty of nice people that greeted us with a smile and were helpful. It just didn't meet my fancy and I really am not that hard to please. I feel like I am a very understanding and rational person but it seems like maybe we had bad luck this time around. Besides the stresses of traveling to WDW with a large group and a small child (for the very first time) we had a GREAT time!

We won't be going back for at least a few years... and I'm hoping to save up enough to stay at Polynesian and use the monorail. I was looking at pricing today and my DH couldn't believe that I was planning our next trip. :mickey:

[buzznwoodysmom]

Oh forgot to add, that we have stayed at many WDW resorts, all levels and have rarely received towel animals. There were many trips at all resort levels where we received zero towel animals. And even when we did it was only one or two per trip, never a daily occurance. I would never judge a resort based on whether or not we got towel animals during our stay. Not saying that YOU were judging the resort based on that, but I see you've mentioned it more than once.

We've had some bad housekeeping at other resorts too, so again, it can happen anywhere. The two places we received the worst housekeeping was at CSR and WL. We actually had decent (notice I said decent, not good) housekeeping at CBR, but I will say that housekeeping over all, for us at least, is no where near as good as it was years ago. We've noticed over the past 4 years housekeeping has really been slipping no matter which resort we stay at it seems. And as someone else mentioned most of the moderate resorts food courts are set up similar to CBR. I don't like that set up either, we don't like having to wait in multiple lines to get our food. I really wish there was some way to make those moderate food courts easier. We dread almost any meal we have in a moderate food court.

Hopefully you will find a "better fit" for your family on your next trip. The Poly would be a great location with a stoller!!!

[JoDisney]

We just stayed at CBR in May and had a fantastic time. Our room was in Jamaica on the first floor. We were near the quiet pool. Right outside our room was a lovely garden area with tables, umbrellas, chairs, and benches. There was a bottle-brush tree that was red in color that was exquisite. It was so beautiful. We so enjoyed the large resort. We love to walk. Also, we took advantage of the marina. We loved all the pools. I thought it was absolutely lovely.

[Christine]

That's too bad about your experience.:( I'm sorry when anyone feels disappointed on their Disney vacation.

I just wanted to say that our very first trip to wdw in 2002 was at cbr. We were on the farthest and backside building across the lake. We flew and didn't bring a stroller bc we figured we'd just rent them in the parks- having NO idea how long the walks from bus stops & to food courts etc would be.
I remember very well thinking my back would Break on the treks to and from old port royale!
Tired momma, tired baby (mine was 2 then) and backpacks full off stuff- ugh! I remember that "gigantic" bridge too!!

Fast forward 8 years- we stayed there again for a weekend after we moved here- the bridge shrunk! :thumbsup: a kid that walks her own feet or heck, stays in the room while I fetch Bfast, and trade the backpack for a wristlet- NOW I like cbr!! ;)
It's even become a favorite jogging path of mine!

So maybe try again when that little one gets bigger and your load gets lighter? :)

[AmandaChan]

We just stayed at CBR in May and had a fantastic time. Our room was in Jamaica on the first floor. We were near the quiet pool. Right outside our room was a lovely garden area with tables, umbrellas, chairs, and benches. There was a bottle-brush tree that was red in color that was exquisite. It was so beautiful. We so enjoyed the large resort. We love to walk. Also, we took advantage of the marina. We loved all the pools. I thought it was absolutely lovely.

Don't get me wrong, I thought the resort was lovely too. All of the green plant life and the buildings are beautiful. Most of my complaints did come from the fact that it was a far walk with a child (had it been just DH and I, I would have enjoyed it more).. and the fact that housekeeping was down right ridiculous. Just a few ideas that I will be keeping in mind for our next trip.

[AmandaChan]

Oh forgot to add, that we have stayed at many WDW resorts, all levels and have rarely received towel animals. There were many trips at all resort levels where we received zero towel animals. And even when we did it was only one or two per trip, never a daily occurance. I would never judge a resort based on whether or not we got towel animals during our stay. Not saying that YOU were judging the resort based on that, but I see you've mentioned it more than once.


Yeah that's what I kind of figured.. just something that was on an expectation list seeing as how we have always gotten many in the past. I just assumed they weren't doing them as much anymore. I wasn't too bummed out about it.. just something I noticed. It's always nice when housekeeping goes that extra mile for you.

[Tink#64]

I concur about the towel animals! When you don't get even adequate service from Mousekeeping, and then no towel animals, it's frustrating to see those little critters in, what seems like, everyone else's windows, DISAPPOINTING! So no, I don't make my resort decision on towel animals, but even one per week long visit would be nice! After I prepare Mousekeeping envelopes at home, complete with stickers, and it looks like you did nothing in our room - total disappointment! I have to admit, many times, I've resorted to hanging the DO NOT DISTURB sign, pocketing the Mouskeeping dollars & cleaning up myself! I looked at a dead fly in the corner in the bathroom for 2 days before doing this one trip! And silly as it may be, kids notice everyone else's towel animals on display in their windows! So of course they wonder why we didn't get one? Where's the magic in that? Gosh darnit, in a week long visit, is one towel animal too much to ask for? I think not! ::(

[AmandaChan]

I concur about the towel animals! When you don't get even adequate service from Mousekeeping, and then no towel animals, it's frustrating to see those little critters in, what seems like, everyone else's windows, DISAPPOINTING! So no, I don't make my resort decision on towel animals, but even one per week long visit would be nice! After I prepare Mousekeeping envelopes at home, complete with stickers, and it looks like you did nothing in our room - total disappointment! I have to admit, many times, I've resorted to hanging the DO NOT DISTURB sign, pocketing the Mouskeeping dollars & cleaning up myself! I looked at a dead fly in the corner in the bathroom for 2 days before doing this one trip! And silly as it may be, kids notice everyone else's towel animals on display in their windows! So of course they wonder why we didn't get one? Where's the magic in that? Gosh darnit, in a week long visit, is one towel animal too much to ask for? I think not! ::(

It's funny because MIL kept leaving a tip for housekeeping and I guess she kept leaving it in the wrong place then finally she put it under a glass on the sink and the day they finally took it was the day that they did not pick up the 10 (there were exactly 10 towels, from swimming and what not) on the bathroom floor and wet wash cloths in the shower and no clean wash cloths at all. I mean really, other than vacuuming (I have a messy toddler) and taking our trash all I want is some towels. So maybe next time I will empty my own trash somehow and just call and ask for towels. All I know is I spent a lot of $$$$ on this trip and it was my family's first trip and there were a lot of little things that just kind of spoiled it for me. I completely understand that it is the draw of the luck and I could come back and completely enjoy a stay at CBR in the future.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

From what I understand Disney pays their mousekeeping well in comparison to other hotels...plus I would imagine that they make pretty good tips...I know we always tip daily and it seems most people on Intercot tip as well so I would think that is the norm. So, there is no excuse for poor service. Your room should be serviced and fresh towels provided daily as needed. As far as towel animals, we don't expect them but we've stayed at CSR and three of the four values and have never failed to get towel animals. I would think at least one day out of your stay was a reasonable expectation.

As far as the layout of the resort, I have heard quite a bit about it being spaced out on this site. I do a pretty good job of researching the resort layout so I know what to expect. That is why we chose WL over AKL for our upcoming trip. We needed a more compact layout as my mom recently had foot surgery. However, I know sometimes you just don't realize the layout until you see it in person. I actually lost my way at Pop a couple of times.

I am sorry you were disappointed. I would agree POFQ would probably be a better choice for you unless you can afford a Deluxe.:)

[RedSoxFan]

I agree, CBR is a huge resort and depending on your location; it's a hike to the food court. We were in Aruba too. It was a long walk; but I found it nice. DH didn't like the long walk to get a coffee. It is a pretty resort. Sorry to hear about mouse keeping. That is awful. I think we got 1 towel animal at CBR. Last year during our stay at WL, we got a towel animal (sometimes 2) every day. My daughter and niece (both 14) would race to the door every night to claim the animals. It was funny. I guess it just depends on the mouse keeping staff.

[AmandaChan]

I agree, CBR is a huge resort and depending on your location; it's a hike to the food court. We were in Aruba too. It was a long walk; but I found it nice. DH didn't like the long walk to get a coffee. It is a pretty resort. Sorry to hear about mouse keeping. That is awful. I think we got 1 towel animal at CBR. Last year during our stay at WL, we got a towel animal (sometimes 2) every day. My daughter and niece (both 14) would race to the door every night to claim the animals. It was funny. I guess it just depends on the mouse keeping staff.

I hate to admit it but that is the kind of service we were hoping for.. Oh well, maybe next visit when we could maybe stay in a deluxe. I wouldn't stay in a value again because of the need for a refrig and the bus stations but you pay a lot of $$ for a moderate and it just doesn't seem like you get what you really pay for. It's a shame. And as much as I like POFQ I felt the same way about that resort, too. Even when I didn't have the LO with me at CBR (when he was asleep with DH) I felt like it was such a pain in the butt to walk over that bridge to get ... diapers, milk, what have you. And we got the mugs, I hardly used them because of the walk. Just didn't seem worth it.