Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs?

[zpbarn01]

I need some help deciding between the two. My girlfriend likes the Coronado and I am leaning towards CBR. Neither of us have stayed at a moderate and I alone have ever stayed on property and that was at the values. Any help in breaking this tie would be appreciated!

[mickeystoontown]

I just commented on another thread where the poster couldn't decide between the Port Orleans resorts and Caribbean Beach. Instead of retyping everything, I'll repost it here (with Coronado instead of Port Orleans). Here goes:

I can't comment on Coronado Springs Resort as we haven't stayed there. I can, however, talk about the Caribbean Beach Resort as we have stayed there 8 times so far. Each of the resort villages has a bus stop so you're never far from one. We have been early, mid and late May (including Memorial Day and Star Wars Weekends) and early to mid August and we've never encountered any problems with buses. The buses do stop at the other resort villages before leaving the resort but it doesn't take long to make the resort loop. And, because the resort is centrally located, your ride to the parks are short.

The standard and preferred rooms have a slight Nemo theme and have plenty of storage. We are now a family of three but have gone as a family of four and had enough room to unpack 10 nights worth of clothing and "stuff". The rooms at the CBR are slightly larger than the other moderates and are 340 square feet.

Each resort village also has their own stretch of white sandy beaches complete with hammocks and beach chairs, a laundry facility and quiet pool. If you have to do laundry, you can simply walk over to the quiet pool area where the laundry rooms are located and then take a swim or play on the beach.

There is an island in the middle of the resort and there is a nice playground area for the kids and seating for the adults.

Old Port Royale is home to the food court, arcade, store and a concierge desk. Just outside of the OPR are the main pool, kids' water play area, hair wrap station, pool bar, hot tubs and the marina. Also outside are plenty of picnic and umbrella tables. At night, weather permitting, movies are shown in the OPR courtyard and a marshmallow roast is held on the beach.

The food court has a nice selection of foods to choose and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's also a grab n go station that serves fresh pastries, fruit, packaged sandwiches, fresh veggies and an assortment of sweets and drinks.

I have lots of pictures of the resort in my trip report and I've posted many on the CBR picture thread. If you want to see some of them, simply click on the link in my signature below. If you have specific CBR questions, please feel free to ask.

Hope this helps.

[Jen12573]

DH and I have stayed at both CSR and CBR. We prefer CSR, hands down! Oddly enough, one of the things we like about CSR is the subtle Disney theme that you find in the rooms and on the grounds. We love Disney, but like the escape to what feels like home to us, CSR. It's quieter, we have never had to battle for seats on a bus, the buses are frequent and the rides to each of the parks are not too long. Even when there is a convention (we were there 3x when the resort takeover by Grainger occurred) we didn't mind at all. We never had to battle for a seat on the bus, because the convention guests were in meetings.

We stayed at CBR in 2011 from 12/25-12/31. We liked it, but felt the rooms really needed a good rehab. I believe they are doing a rehab there, but it missed our building. Although I may be wrong. Although we like CSR better, we liked CBR well enough for the time we spent there.

The cast members at CSR are some of the nicest people we have encountered, and there are 3 who remember us every time we visit. Even when we didn't stay there in 2011, we went back to visit them and to see the holiday decorations (which were way better than CBR!)

Check out the threads for both CBR and CSR, everyone is different and everyone has their preferences. What one person loves about a resort, another person dislikes. I hope this helps. Good luck, and have fun planning!

[ADisneyQueen]

I've been to both and I prefer CSR. It is more upscale and everything seems newer. The CBR rooms and the building we were in Aruba seemed old. CSR feels more like a vacation spot b/c of the theme.

[ginnygi]

This is kind of funny, because a few months ago I found myself asking the same question. We have stayed at CBR before, but never at CSR. We enjoyed CBR very much. They have a fantastic kiddie pool for young kids (5 and under). You didnt mention traveling with children though...

Ultimately we decided on CSR, to try something different, but also because I have heard repeated that is a more "grown up" resort. They have a night club on property that I am looking forward to enjoying They also have a 22 person hot tub. I also look forward to enjoying a cocktail one night in the hot tub. I think what sold me on CSR was the idea of having a little grown up fun on my vacation to make it a little more balanced since we will be at the parks with our kids all day. If you are into that sort of thing, you should try Jelly Rolls too. We had a BLAST there on our last vacation.

CSR is very centrally located to all the parks, and it has fewer bus stops then at CBR (this is a big factor for us after a long day of park touring and getting back to the hotel late, and just wanting to get to our rooms). In all honestly though, I think you would be happy at either resort - they are both fantastic. You cant go wrong! Enjoy your trip

[Eeyore's Wife]

Of your listed resorts, CSR, hands down. Better food, better entertainment, and more detailed theme.

For a Moderate trip with two young adults, POR is the Best option, in my opinion. Best Food, great live entertainment, boat to DTD, and a King room with River view is just about PERFECT!

[puertorican00676]

Originally Posted by zpbarn01

I need some help deciding between the two. My girlfriend likes the Coronado and I am leaning towards CBR. Neither of us have stayed at a moderate and I alone have ever stayed on property and that was at the values. Any help in breaking this tie would be appreciated!

It really depends on the theme you want for your vacation. Also Coronado, it is more compact than carribbean beach. Coronado is less spread out however both are big resorts! If you want to have a more adult feel to it, coronado springs wins with more ammenities, however if you want a bigger room then carribean beach is better.

[zpbarn01]

Thanks guys. Just booked a room for CSR for 5 nights. You all have us very excited!

[MagicalMawMaw]

We love CSR....it is such a pretty resort....you'll love it!

We've stayed there 2 times & are booked for next Dec there already.

[angelbear425]

CSR, hands down!

[Dixiemom]

Only been to CSR and have no desire to try CBR. Love the queen beds, lake, atmosphere.....nice having a fitness center too!!!

[maxiesmom]

I've stayed at both, and think you have made the right choice. I like CSR much more than CBR. Better bus service, better food, and queen sized beds instead of fulls.

[zpbarn01]

I wasn't even aware of the fewer stops along the bus routes. That's great news

[Makcarly]

I love CSR! In fact, I am on hold right now switching my reservations from POP to CSR!

[Merida DunBroch]

Originally Posted by Makcarly

I love CSR! In fact, I am on hold right now switching my reservations from POP to CSR!

Haven't stayed at Caribbean Beach, but Coronado Springs is wonderful. It's beautiful, especially at night.