We just returned from CBR last night at 1am. We were there Sunday to Friday and it was our first time. We had a pirate room that was a first floor corner room (3601) to be exact. Obviously this was Trinidad South.
We LOVED IT. It really was fantastic. Some of the reviews out there had be nervous, but it was such a total non-issue. Our room was clean and light and a little bigger than I expected. We had towel animals everyday, sometimes more than one. Mousekeeping always left our kids' animals and books/toys posed in the cutest arrangements. The grounds are gorgeous, the pool is amazing, the walk to PR is not too long. The cast members were for the most part extremely friendly and helpful.
The pirate rooms are so much cuter in person than in the pictures. The plank carpeting looked less than comfy in the pics, but it's nice and soft carpet with a pirate ship look. I also thought the rooms looked to dark and yellow in the pics as compared to the Nemo rooms, but not so in person. The wood crate dresser is spacious and the barrels for the fridge and by the bedside work and look fine. There's even more storage in the treasure chest. My 3 and 6 year old kept playing Captain Hook and steering the bed. The curtain separating the sink area is thicker and more solid than I expected. We kept the light on at the sinks at night and closed the curtain, and the light shone behind the skull, making a very, very cool nightlight. The skull lights up great. My DH timed the leisurely walk to Port Royale at 8 minutes.
On the downside- the posts about the toilet/bath are being tiny are correct. If you want a large toilet and tub area, this is not for you. But the sink area is larger and more useful with the curtain than I expected. I thought the curtainw as silly before I went, but it actually came in extremely useful, especially with sleeping little ones.
Also, yup, the beds are double (unless you have the king rooms). It is what it is. If you need queen, go elsewhere. As far as comfort of the pirate beds... I expected them to be hard, and I like hard beds. They were a little too soft for me. They do have a less thick mattress than your standard bed, on top of a box spring. I found this to be a non issue and they were the same as any other bed in my opinion. Too soft for my taste but no different than another bed. Not crazy about double, but that's no different than the Nemo rooms, and it was fine.
I've read reviews that claim this is just a huge motel. I beg to serioulsy differ. I've never been to a motel that was ever this fantastic. YES, the rooms open to the outside world and the second floor has no elevator, but that is part of the Caribbean feel. There are other resorts if you want the indoor thing, and if you are here to walk the parks, can you really not climb a flight of stairs? In any case, the rooms do have a basic motel layout inside, though they were slightly larger than I expected. The theming added a lot inside.
On the outside however, wow, how awesome! We are not people who like the crowds and glitz and mayhem, so for us, after spending the day in the park, the relaxing feel of this resport was totally what we needed. It was perfect. It is extremely relaxed and beautiful, with plenty of options and things to do.
The main pool (or "loud pool" as my DD says- opposite of the quiet pools) is great. One large but straight and slower slide and one tunnel super fast slide in the main area. Of course, then there is the pirate ship slides for tots. My DD loved the scheduled pool dances and beach ball games. Every evening there's a marshmallow roast. Yes, they set up movies in the evening. They have crafts and other ways of participating.
The Caribbean Cay island is great. I just wish they had it open after dark (you can still pass through to port royale but the nooks and playground get closed off).
The walk around the whole pond/lake is very pleasant. Every villiage seems to have its own set of pluses and minuses and it's really hard to go wrong. I will say that in my opinion, the rooms that face the parking lots are at a huge disadvantage. We didn't request a water or garden view room, but we seemed to get a garden one anyway. We only requested a corner, which we did get. I would say any of the inside facing or water view rooms on either first or second floor are fantastic. Parkinglot ones, less so. The corner corner rooms aren't larger, but they are brighter since they have a second big window. I think I saw a mirror in place of the window in one of the non-corner rooms.
Yes, you can see Epcot's Illuminations from the Port Royale deck/picnic tables, or from some of the beaches (Trinidad North for certain).
It's true, CBR seems to be among the furthest station for bus pickups at the parks. Not sure what that's about but it's true. Not a big deal.
Depending on which direction the bus drops people off at on the way back, it can be tiring to get to your island.
Yes, the little court yards are designated smoking areas, but we rarely saw anyone smoking in them. We used them to sit and read while the kids played ride and seek or napped, and we also sometimes ate dinner at the tables there. I imagine if a large bus/group staying there could really ruin this, but for us it worked out as a great little quiet area. I have to wonder... we saw lots of busses parked in Jamaica. Do they not book large teams/groups in the pirate rooms? If that's the case, it's a huge selling point for Trinidad South. I have no idea.
During the day, when you'd typically be at the park, it can be quite noisy. They seem to always be either power washing the building or blowing leaves off the walks, or edging the grass. It's only a couple hours or so and then it's back to the calm. You can see that it must be hard to keep up the perfect look of the buildings, and yet they do a great job.
If you want CBR pizza, it's MUCH cheaper to walk it back to your room than have it delievered. It's surprisngly tasty, though it seems crazy to me that a Caribbean Beach resort does not offer ham and pineapple. I was told they used to, and got rid of the pineapple. So much for the island feel when it comes to pizza!
Overall, we found the food choices to be just fine, varied and tasty.
While I was there, there was a 5' alligator that chased the morning beach comber person. There was another cast member at the beach when I brought the kids there in the morning, and I was talking to another guest who had just talked to the CM. The guest said he was told by the cm that usually they move on, but this one had been spotted a few times so would be caught. Still, it was sobering. Obviously, it doesn't appear to be a big issue as you never hear of a problem and people are all over those beaches at all hours, but it's certainly good to keep in mind.
Sorry this got so long. Overall, we truly loved it here. If we ever go back to Disney, we will definitely choose this resort again. It was just what we were looking for. Our trip was just too short. Hope all that information is helpful to someone.
I hope this doesn't translate into very large crowds. 
, giggling 
..or rolling of eyes 
....but I have to ask...what are considered "Special Requests" when asking for a room? I like the sound of a corner room (And Thank you MJO for the GREAT reviews)....I know that requesting a garden or water view costs more...so I didn't want to put that in as a special request and then have to pay the extra $ upon arrival for asking for it. We did pay for a perferred room.....but just wondering what "Special Requests" have other folks put in for and have or have not gotten. Thanks!!
