I would say it all depends on how much time you actually spend in your room. Our stays are 10 days and we have at least two down days where we sleep in, take our time getting ready, explore the resort and then do whatever. Given that, the room size means a little more to us than it would if we were there for just 5 or 6 days and spent the entire time park touring.
We originally booked a stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort but a couple of months later decided we really didn't want to spend the extra money on "just a room". So, we changed to the Pop Century Resort. Just about three weeks later, we started getting nervous about the room size and changed back to the Caribbean Beach Resort. I am so glad we did!
From the minute we drove onto the CBR's grounds, we loved it. The resort is spread out but that's part of its appeal. Because of it's size, the guests never feel crowded.
The village buildings are all painted bright cheerful colors. Tropical trees, fruit trees and shrubbery are planted everywhere. Each of the villages has their own white sandy beach and quiet pool.
We were assigned to Jamaica Building 41. We had requested an upstairs, non-smoking room in the village of Jamaica and that's just what we got. Our room faced a very pretty courtyard which had benches and tables for the guests. The walk to the Jamaica pool and beach was less than a minute. It took about 3 minutes to get to the bus stop and just about 5 minutes to get to Old Port Royale.
The rooms at the CBR are 340 square feet and, believe me, when you get everything and everybody in the room, you'll be thankful for the extra square footage.
Unless you request a king bed room, your room will have two beds which are raised off the floor. This is a nice storage area for your empty luggage. The mattresses were replaced in June, 2006 (during our stay) and they were quite comfy. A small nightstand is between the two beds. There is a table and two chairs in the bedroom area. A large mirror hangs above the table. The television is enclosed in a wooden armoire which has three large drawers and two lingerie size drawers. A dorm size refrigerator comes standard (no extra cost) in the CBR rooms. There is a large padded bench that has a very deep drawer beneath. Great for storing all your purchases. Above the bench is a peg type shelf where you can hang hats and backpacks.
The sink/closet area is fairly large. Two sinks are built into a long wooden cabinet and there are two storage areas beneath the sinks. The closet rod was pretty long and about a dozen hangers were there already. We brought along another two dozen and still had room to hang more stuff. A privacy curtain can be pulled to separate the bedroom from the vanity area. Nice when everyone is trying to get ready at once. There is a small safe in the closet wall.
The toilet and bathtub area is the typical size but was extremely clean. No loose tiles, no mold or mildew.
An iron, ironing board, hairdryer and coffe maker are all standard at the CBR.
Mousekeeping was great while we were there. They came in daily and cleaned the room thoroughly. We never had to call for extra toiletries, linens or towels. They were always provided as was coffee, sugar and creamer packets. We also received four towel animals during our stay.
The CBR was one of the quietest resorts we had ever stayed in. We never heard our next door neighbors. No running water, no flushing toilets, no televisions, no talking, no nothing!
We rented surrey bikes and watermice at the marina. You could also rent canoes, pontoon boats, bicycles and sail boats. The promenade around the resort lake is a little over 1 mile and makes for a nice stroll.
The island in the middle of the lake was very pretty and we found several benches and gliders set up among the lush foliage. We saw several families having picnics on the island.
Tropical music plays throughout the resort and it keeps you in a festive mood. The main pool was pretty crowded while we were there in June but we really didn't care because we swam in the Jamaica quiet pool and, sometimes, we had it all to ourselves.
You can order a frozen drink from the Banana Cabana and sit at one of the umbrella tables if you would like. There is also a hair wrap station and hot tub near the main pool.
You will find a wide variety of foods to choose from at the food court. At breakfast, there were Mickey waffles, omelets, eggs, breakfast meats, fresh baked items, etc. At lunch and dinner, you can order chicken strips, burgers, deli/sub sandwiches, pasta, pizza, rotissiere chicken and veggies, fresh bakery items, salads, etc. There are microwaves and toasters located in the food court.
The store was a pleasant surprise. One side sold Caribbean Beach Resort themed items such as swim suits, sandals, flip flops, shorts, jewelry, etc. The other side sold the more typical Disney merchandise such as snowglobes, autograph books, t-shirts, toys, hats, etc.
The arcade is not super huge but it was never super crowded either. You purchase a refillable playing card which you simply swipe on each game. No keeping up with tokens or coins.
The bus transportation ran very efficiently during our stay. Sometimes there were two and three buses at the bus station at once waiting to pick up or drop off. There is an internal resort bus if you don't want to walk.
If it were me and I planned on spending any real amount of time at the resort, I would spend the extra money and stay at the CBR. We are headed back to the CBR in just 52 days and I can hardly wait to laze around the Jamaica beach and watch the Epcot fireworks at night!
Hope this helped in your decision making process, Lisa
When my dh and dad found out it would be 500 cheaper (each) they both said go for the value!
I was about to give in, but I've had my heart set on a mod for months. This will be our first trip staying onsite and Im spending the extra 500 (and my parents will too
) Im shure we'd still have fun at a value(after all its DISNEY
) but I figure i got a pretty good tax return this year so may as well go for the mod. On the other hand, If I had to pay for the whole trip myself and was saving $1000 I may go for the value
