Beach Club vs. Caribbean $$

[disny_luvr]

If it's in your budget I'd upgrade. If not, stay at CBR. It's a nice resort.

 

[Linda T.]

We have done both, and we actually liked CBR better. We loved how close BC was to Epcot but that was about it. So no we wouldn't spend the extra money on BC. Have a good vacation!

 

[hookedonears]

Yes for sure. Location, location, location. Makes all the difference in the world. Worth every penny.

 

[parith1114]

It would be worth the extra money for us, none of us were big fans of CBR. It may have been that we switched to CBR after staying YC CL in the same week. We also stayed prior to the renovations. We found the resort to be too large, and the rooms were pretty worn. We fell in love with the location of BC and that pool, seriously, the best on property (IMO). We also found that we weren't fond of the offerings at the CBR food court. I know lots of folks would choose this as their favorite moderate, but for us it was bottom of the barrel. Having said all of this, please know, my family would stay in a cardboard box if it meant we would be on a Disney vacation. If it isn't in the budget, it isn't in the budget. Either way you'll have a great time, enjoy!

 

[Kimi313]

I haven't stayed at CBR but I am dying To. I have stayed at BC and loved the resort. The pool would be a big plus for the children and location to HS and Epcot is great. The only down fall I have with BC, and this is just me, is lack of breakfast items their. We are rope drop people, ride until 11:30, lunch, and then stay till closing. I don't normally eat a big breakfast but while at DW I want one for the energy and I want something to stick to my ribs so I can make it to 11:30 or longer depending on crowds. I do not want pastry or a breakfast sandwich. They do have a character breakfast Buffett but not paying the money for every morning of course. Don't get me wrong I love BC I just wish they had a better CS like Cont does.

 

[busymommy2pink]

I would absolutely pay it. I was at Caribbean for the first time in August last year and I'm never going back... I can't reiterate this enough. Lol

Absolutely, 100000% I would pay even more to upgrade. As you can see in my signature, our 10th anniversary familymoon trip to CBR this past November was not a great experience. We are planning a re-do for our favorite, Beach Club. Two days in and we were hitting up deluxe resorts begging them to see if they had rooms (not to be upgraded, to PAY for), but everyone was booked to capacity. We did not enjoy CBR at all. From the staff, to the resort, to the food to the buses to the rooms.

We stayed 2 adults, 1 teen and 2 kids at Beach Club and it was spacious enough. Plus the newly renovated rooms look gorgeous. We can't wait to check them out. And also, depending on when you are going, the indoor hallways at BC are a major selling point.

 

[AJA]

We have stayed at both and yes I would upgrade!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't feel that either the values or the Moderates are as good of a deal dollar for dollar as they once were.

So if it were me - I'd pay for beach club. But look around to see what the maximum discounted rate out there is. Lately it seems that you can find deluxes at a steeper discount than moderates...and the cost difference becomes negligible.

 

[Nancyg56]

People online will always be happy to spend your money for you. If the $1000 is considered significant relative to the budget, you will still have a marvelous trip at CBR.

LOL! Yes they will!!!! OP- look at your budget and do not deviate if the amount will impact it. It is easy for us to tel you that we woudl absolutely upgrade...we have no idea what your finances will allow after the upgrade.

I don't feel that either the values or the Moderates are as good of a deal dollar for dollar as they once were.

So if it were me - I'd pay for beach club. But look around to see what the maximum discounted rate out there is. Lately it seems that you can find deluxes at a steeper discount than moderates...and the cost difference becomes negligible.

THis is what I am hoping. I have POR booked as a BB. I priced teh BC, the resort the Little Ladies will love, but it is $1500 more, even with the BB discount. I decided to just keep POR, and in the event a better discount becomes available that makes the cost difference a little less difficult, I will make a change. I know the kids will love BC, even though my DH does not...but they will love POR as well, so no way will I break my bottoms line on lodging.

 

[dizzyinwdw]

We stayed at the renovated CBR rooms with 5 last May. The new room was very nice and we were standard room in Jamaica, so "short" walk to the pool and food court via the bridge. Lovely resort and pools, busses were good, but didn't like that the check in was away from the rest of the resort. I agree with PP it depends on what you value or would make-or-break the vacation. $1000 is a lot of money you can spend on many things, one being the resort location and amenities. For example, when we do park intensive trips we love Pop--we splurge on character meals, party tickets, etc! When we are doing resort time plus parks we do a deluxe/value split stay or maybe all deluxe (as budget allows)! This time we are a party of 5 again, some park lovers some not, and we are planning lots of DHS/Epcot time so YC is our fit. Most of our party has APs so the "savings" on tickets we can use to splurge on the resort. Any resort you will have a great time.

 

[brinkley07]

We love coming back to our room at the end of the day and having the amenities of a deluxe. That is just our preference. If my budget didn't allow it I would still be happy going back to a room anywhere in Disney. We recently stayed at POP as the rest of the party wanted to go there during our trip. It was a lovely trip and the resort was ok. Would I recommend Pop, no and I wouldn't stay there if it was my decision but it was a room at Disney. I would prioritize based on your budget and where you feel the money is best spent. No one else's preferences really matter as long as you and your family are happy.

 

[Kevin355]

We love coming back to our room at the end of the day and having the amenities of a deluxe. That is just our preference. If my budget didn't allow it I would still be happy going back to a room anywhere in Disney. We recently stayed at POP as the rest of the party wanted to go there during our trip. It was a lovely trip and the resort was ok. Would I recommend Pop, no and I wouldn't stay there if it was my decision but it was a room at Disney. I would prioritize based on your budget and where you feel the money is best spent. No one else's preferences really matter as long as you and your family are happy.

Brinkley, your post deserves a "Winner" rating for the last 2 lines alone.

What I like about moderates, especially CBR, is that we only use the room to sleep and shower for the most part. My wife and I take 2-3 days of our 6-7 days trips and go to BC, YC, GF, CR and visit and walk-around. They are on the monorail for the most part, and we enjoy walking at CBR and walking along the Boardwalk. We like going to Grand Floridian and walking around there and shopping and eating, then when it's done, we go back to CBR. If I was doing a room only and no parks, I may consider deluxe, but we can still enjoy the Deluxe resorts without the $$$ to actually stay there.

 

[Minnie222]

For me, if that $1000 is still within budget, I would move to BC for sure.
But if I were to stay at moderate, I would use that money for food, and shopping. You know, spend more freely at the shops.

For DH, his advice is to stay at moderate, as he is totally spent at the parks, and wherever he sleeps doesn't matter to him much.

 

[goofyintoronto]

People online will always be happy to spend your money for you. If the $1000 is considered significant relative to the budget, you will still have a marvelous trip at CBR.

Yes, I agree 100%.

CBR has the largest rooms of any moderate. Quiet resort, good eating area, quiet pools at each resort, and the main pool is excellent.

Yes, CBR is awesome. I should add that the main pool at CBR is zero entry. Perfect for your wee one!

I would only upgrade to the Beach Club if you spend a lot of time at Epcot and plan on spending a lot of time at the pool. I would also suggest upgrading to a preferred room at CBR. If you do that, that will eat up another $60 a night, compared to a standard room.

I've stayed at both resorts, and both are fine. But if you love Epcot, the Beach Club is the place for you. Otherwise CBR is fine, but only in a preferred room location. If you are booking standard I wouldn't book CBR. It is just too large.

For what its worth, I stayed in a standard room at Jamaica #45, right at the bridge. It was an easy walk across the bridge to the main building. Sure, a preferred room would be easier. But a standard, esp at Jamaica, isnt very far. There's no guarantee where you'll be placed of course. So booking preferred is a good idea. Me, I like to book standard and take a gamble. Always works for me.

CBR is a great resort. So tropical and pretty. Loved the hammocks by the beach. The main pool, food court, and rooms itself are all great. The resort has been refurbed, so everything is new. If your on a budget, i'd definitely stay here. its beautiful, you'll still have a great time.

PS: Just wanted to note that the pirate rooms still have double beds. The rest of the resort have queen beds. Stay away from the pirate rooms. Its not considered an "upgrade" as disney claims as not only are the beds smaller, but its also located in no mans land!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If I could swing it I would pay. If I couldn't I wouldn't have an issue staying at CBR.

We have stayed at CBR twice and loved it. We got a good deal and did BC this past August. BC was amazing. My kids LOVED it. The pool was amazing, walking distance to Epcot and the theming.

 

[clapton]

If you want to stick within your budget then go with the CBR. We have been going to WDW for many years and we have stayed everywhere from values to deluxe and we have always had a great time. It was the time we spent as a family and the memories that we made that mattered!!