Hi everyone,
Well I thought it would be nice to write a review while it is still fresh in my head. We arrived in Orlando on Sunday, April 25 and came back home on Friday, April 30, 2010. I had the most fantastic time and the CRB was wonderful. Only once did it rain and that was on Sunday night from 7pm to around 1 am. I have never encountered such lightning and thunder. For five hours straight it thunder and lighting with out a break in between. When I opened the door on Monday morning you could not tell a storm even happened.
We arrived by Magical Express at 10:15 am (we had a 6:30 am flight out of Buffalo, NY) and our room was not ready yet so we went to OPR for Breakfast and then to the Pool. Breakfast was mobbed but we muddled through our first dining plan counter service and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The pool was very nice and my kids Roselyn (6 yrs old) and John (5 yrs old) were in love with the water slides and the pirate pool area. The weather was in the low to mid eighties every day and the water was very warm. We went to the main pool, which was closer than the island pool four times in total. Only once was it so busy we had trouble finding two lounges together. The Banana Cabana is very close but we did not order anything from there so I cant comment.
Around noon I received a text that the room was ready and we headed off to Trinidad North to room 3112. This was a bonus upgrade, because we paid for a standard room and received a preferred. The only request I made was to be as far away from the smoking courtyard due to Johns asthma. The location was fabulous, about a three minute walk to OPR and one minute walk to the bus stop. It was a corner room so we had two windows. The last time we were at Disney and stayed at POP Century which we liked a lot. But, I have to say, staying in a more spacious room with two sinks is very nice for four people. That and the free fridge are awesome. No issues with a/c or the fridge, in fact the fridge froze our water bottles in the back... It was clean and there was not a mold issue because mold is a trigger for Johns asthma and he did not need his nebulizer the entire trip. The room location was very quiet and I heard no noise from above or next to us. Once I heard a toilet flush but I was at the sink and it was very faint.
The busing system is very doable and convenient. We did the internal bus twice. On Sunday evening at about 7pm, my husband (Kevin) took it to Custom house to get our carry on in the pouring rain. It took about an hour for the round trip bus and for Bell services to find the luggage. From what Kevin said they were in no hurry and did not accept a tip even though he did try to give it to the man. The second time was when I went on the final day to pay our room charges. Again, it took about an hour for the round trip (5 stops). They DO NOT allow major luggage on the internal bus and the information is announce at Check-in, a sign at the bus and in your room. So please do not get huffy if your bus driver enforces the rule. There was a family that wanted to get on with 6 suitcases, a stroller and carry on's. The bus driver made an exception but the women was very B****y and screamed she would never stay at CBR because of it. I secretly (or maybe not now) wish she did enforce the rule. Oh well, please READ the litature provided!!!
Amusement park bus system had no problems. Epcot and Hollywood Studios took at most 10 minutes. Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom took about 20 minutes. Down Town Disney also took about 30 minutes with two stops at DTD. Once, it was standing room only going to MK at 8:30 am but another bus pulled up so the people that were boarding were able to get onto that bus. Another time was coming back from MK after the night parade. I was expecting that and didnt have a problem either time. All other times we were able to get seats. For MK, Epcot, and HS the stops were Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, OPR, Trinidad North and last Trinidad South. And coming back it was usually, Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, OPR Trinidad North and last Trinidad South. Maybe twice it was a different run but I cant remember the particular route. And since Epcot is closer than MK we did see that bus more that any other. Again, its because it is so close they probably were able to do the route in half the time of the MK bus. We would come back to the hotel between 1 and 5 in the afternoon and it would only be half full.
Concierge was very nice. We flew Southwest, so I had to get my boarding passes 24 hours ahead, and there were two at the desk. I stood to the side and they told me when it was 4:27pm, took my confirmation number and punched in all the data. Bam, done!! Very pleasant!!
The food court met our needs but was nothing fancy and it is small for the size of our resort. One day they had a made to order omelet station and it was very tasty. We only had three meals there and we did not get the refillable mugs because we are not soda drinkers.
The gift shop is nice and your can get just about anything there. Roselyn did have her hair wrapped by the pool and it cost $23. It is a little pricey but it was vacation. We walked through the
Castaway Cay (?) to get to Jamaicas beach and play ground. That was a nice stroll.
Well, I think that is everything that I encountered. I would definitely stay there again. But since the kids will be older I may pay for the preferred section since it is so close to OPR.
Ann Marie
) I have a few quick questions:
