Am I crazy to consider Cabana Bay vs Caribbean Beach?

[denman007]

I think I would need ME and FP to keep my xmas trip.

 

[denman007]

Not crazy at all. We really like the US resorts and have picked them over WDW a few times. Look what you get at Cabana Bay, A bigger pool with a lazy river, Starbucks in the lobby, a gym, a bowling alley. We liked their CS food better as well. Also, like you mentioned a suite vs a basic room. The drive is very short, I think it's only a 15-20 minute drive to MK.

I guess it just depends on what xmas will look like this year with crowds and uber, etc.
I enjoyed the Universal hotels when we stayed there - but that was for their parks. Pools are great. Restaurants were good too.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We are too considering this resort. When we stay offsite we usually stay at Sheraton vistana idrive. I get great rates off skyauction.com.
But we saw the tim tracker video this week and thinking of making a change.

 

[Nabas]

This is why I am struggling. I love staying onsite at WDW, but the benefits of staying there have been greatly reduced. My kids are older, so the necessity to take mid day breaks is not there. I have been looking at cost differences, including parking fees, and it is still coming out cheaper to stay at Cabana Bay. I am hoping Disney will release some discounts, but these holiday prices in December to stay at a Disney resort are too much. We would get so much more for the $ elsewhere...I somehow feel like I am cheating on WDW

With you having your own car and Disney charging for parking, that cancels one of the reasons to stay onsite.

Have you considered renting a house?

We've stayed at Emerald Island a few times. There are homes listed on VRBO:

Emerald Island

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I guess it just depends on what xmas will look like this year with crowds and uber, etc.
I enjoyed the Universal hotels when we stayed there - but that was for their parks. Pools are great. Restaurants were good too.

The OP has their own car, so Uber is out of the equation. And for us, we always have our car.

 

[daae3]

I am booked currently at CBR for 5 nights with 2 day tickets for $3340. I can book Cabana Bay (2 queen beds, 1 sofa bed) for $2100. Quite a difference. So far, Disney Springs options have not panned out...

you are definitely not crazy! I would jump at that..esp if it fits your party and you are looking for something more than a place to crash...staying in the bubble is nice, but its not as easy to do these days so why not find something that works for your family and suits your vacation style. I stayed at the Royal Pacific a few years ago and was so impressed by the Universal Hotels and my travel group agreed they would like to stay there again...the food was great, the hotel was easy to navigate...plus felt like a restful breaks from the parks...

 

[Kestryl]

I love Cabana Bay! We actually have a trip planned soon for 8 nights in a family suite for $1200. (That includes taxes.) We have AP passes- it definitely helps to knock the prices down further. The food is good, the pools are lovely, and the drinks are tasty. We haven’t done bowling, but that’s an option too.

However, we do this because we also do Universal. We do mix in Disney (the trip above will have a few Disney days), but you do have to account for driving and parking. It was fine for the most part- Magic Kingdom was the most annoying. But when we stayed at Coronado in March, the bus system took just as long if not longer than driving from Cabana Bay, so... depends on the day, I guess.

 

[Racheldb]

With you having your own car and Disney charging for parking, that cancels one of the reasons to stay onsite.

Have you considered renting a house?

Yes, I have been looking at house rentals as well. Checking all of our options. Cabana Bay is actually looking more an more promising. The price and all of the great reviews I've read are really pulling me in that direction.

 

[Racheldb]

The OP has their own car, so Uber is out of the equation. And for us, we always have our car.

Yep, we have our own car with us and we don't mind driving.

 

[Racheldb]

I truly appreciate all of the great input and advice everyone is giving! I've been looking into all of it! I'm driving my husband crazy with obsessing! I am leaning more and more to Cabana Bay. The pricing is the main factor for us this trip. We were just at Old Key West for 7 nights the beginning of July. This trip in December has to be more budgeted My spreadsheet of different options is getting out of control. I just have a hard time separating myself from Disney Resorts. Please, any more advice and tips are welcome! Keep them coming! I am determined to get this all sorted out within the next day or so!

 

[Racheldb]

We are too considering this resort. When we stay offsite we usually stay at Sheraton vistana idrive. I get great rates off skyauction.com.
But we saw the tim tracker video this week and thinking of making a change.

Thanks for sharing that!

 

[Racheldb]

I love Cabana Bay! We actually have a trip planned soon for 8 nights in a family suite for $1200. (That includes taxes.) We have AP passes- it definitely helps to knock the prices down further. The food is good, the pools are lovely, and the drinks are tasty. We haven’t done bowling, but that’s an option too.

However, we do this because we also do Universal. We do mix in Disney (the trip above will have a few Disney days), but you do have to account for driving and parking. It was fine for the most part- Magic Kingdom was the most annoying. But when we stayed at Coronado in March, the bus system took just as long if not longer than driving from Cabana Bay, so... depends on the day, I guess.

Thanks for sharing! While looking into all of this, we are actually now considering doing 1 or 2 days at Universal as we have never done it, as well as doing 3 days at Disney. So, maybe I'll stay at Cabana Bay to save some money for our Disney trip, but also take the opportunity to try out Universal!

 

[denman007]

Thanks for sharing! While looking into all of this, we are actually now considering doing 1 or 2 days at Universal as we have never done it, as well as doing 3 days at Disney. So, maybe I'll stay at Cabana Bay to save some money for our Disney trip, but also take the opportunity to try out Universal!

With Univ you could use some of your saved money to get express tickets which I bet would come in handy at xmas!

 

[denman007]

But when we stayed at Coronado in March, the bus system took just as long if not longer than driving from Cabana Bay, so... depends on the day, I guess.

We're staying at CS and I am actually considering uber if the buses are too slow or full.

 

[shawthorne44]

We loved Cabana Bay, so you can't go wrong there.

But, for our Disney trip we have a condo booked in Windsor Hills. 3/2. 15 nights was a tish over $2000. The condo is near the pool and the waterpark. I actually perfer that over a private pool since we have an energetic only child.

 

[Kestryl]

Thanks for sharing! While looking into all of this, we are actually now considering doing 1 or 2 days at Universal as we have never done it, as well as doing 3 days at Disney. So, maybe I'll stay at Cabana Bay to save some money for our Disney trip, but also take the opportunity to try out Universal!

If you decide to try Universal, check out the APs- it may not be worth for everyone to get one for just 1-2 days, but it may be worth it to get an AP rate on the hotel room. Just crunch the numbers!

 

[Kestryl]

We're staying at CS and I am actually considering uber if the buses are too slow or full.

Yeah... we were at the second bus stop, tried to get to Magic Kingdom, waited 40+ minutes (and people had been waiting longer than us), saw not one single bus, so decided to bail and drive anyways. It was frustrating. Hopefully it’s gotten better since then!

 

[Racheldb]

With Univ you could use some of your saved money to get express tickets which I bet would come in handy at xmas!

Very good point!!

 

[Indio]

We stayed at Cabana Bay in June and we really liked it. It did have a lot of amenities - we spent our time in the parks so didn't use many of them. You could spend time at City Walk when you get back from the parks. The express passes at US for the week of Christmas will probably be upwards to $300 per person per day. So keep that in mind.

 

[artinlife]

OK, I cannot believe I am even asking this. I have booked the Caribbean Beach for Dec 18-26th...the price is causing me some hesitation. We are hoping for a discount to be announced for this time period, but I am not holding my breath. I have been searching for some more price friendly options and am considering off site. This is so unlike me as I love the Disney bubble, but money is a consideration. I stumbled upon Cabana Bay at Universal. The family suites would be a perfect situation for us. I have a teenage boy and girl...they will not sleep in the same bed together. Has anyone else stayed at a Universal Hotel and travelled to the parks at Disney? Am I crazy for considering this? We will have our car with us. The price difference is significant!

I stayed at CB for three nights just before everything closed down. It was a solo trip and I loved it. I am a big Disney fan but never stayed at the Dis Values, just mostly Moderates, so I have no comparison to CB and them. All I can say is just do it. You will be happy with this resort in most ways. The theming is good and the pools are really nice too. I would say try a bit of both as each of these places are different animals. After all, variety is the spice of life.