Caribbean Beach FAQ part V

[safetymom]

DISNEY'S CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

Welcome to the CBR FAQ's Part V. This thread will always be stuck at the top of the Resorts board along with all the other resorts.

Please sit back, kick your shoes off and enjoy reading about CBR. If you have any questions I would be glad to answer them.

Phone: 407-934-3400

900 Cayman Way
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
(for priority shipping)
Mailing Address:
Post Office Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
(for United States Postal Service deliveries)

Caribbean Beach has free wi fi at Shutters, Old Port Royale Food Court, Goombay Games, Calypso Trading Post and the Straw Market and the resort rooms.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort FAQ’s

CBR opened Oct. 1988. The resort is arranged around a 42 acre lake. The size of the resort is 200 acres and has 2,112 guest rooms.

Where can I find a map of CBR?

http://www.idhal.com/CBR/cbr.html

Where can I find pictures of the resort?

http://www.idhal.com/CBR/cbr.html

Can you tell me about the different villages at CBR?

http://www.idhal.com/CBR/cbr.html

There are 5 villages at CBR.
Trinidad - 576 Rooms - Terra Cotta, Bronze, Green color scheme; Trinidad, buildings 3100, 3200, 3300 are located in close proximity to Old Port Royale.
Martinique - 384 Rooms - Sea Blue, Red/Pink Trim color scheme
Barbados - 384 Rooms - Salmon, Pink/Teal color scheme
Aruba - 384 Rooms - Pink Purple with Teal Roofs color scheme
Jamaica- 384 Rooms- Yellow, Blue

21 Special needs rooms
2,112 Non Smoking rooms
The entire resort is non smoking now. Here is a link to the Smoking areas at the resorts at WDW. http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/

Bedding:Two Double beds are in each room except rooms with king beds. Rollaways $15.00 plus tax. Crib on request (under 3 years)

Each village has its own pool except Trinidad has 2.

Rooms can accommodate up to 4 people. There is a curtain between the room and the sink area. Coffeepots, full size ironing boards and irons, hair dryer are provided. Mickey bar soap and shampoo is provided daily.
They are all 2 story buildings. They have no elevators. They also now have refrigerators in every room. http://www.idhal.com/photogallery/photo2058/real_p.htm

Preferred locations
Martinique it will be buildings 24, 25, 26. In Trinidad North it will be 31,32,33. The additional charge will be $15 per night.


How do I check in at CBR? Where can I buy tickets?

You will need to stop at the guard shack before entering CBR. Be sure to have your room confirmation and a Photo ID to show the guard. He will direct you to the Customs House. There is a guest services window in the Customs house. They can help with information, priority seatings, ticket information.

Where do I do laundry? At each quiet pool is a laundry room. They have 8 washers and 10 dryers.

Where can I buy meals, souvenirs, play games, etc.?

You would need to go to Old Port Royale. This is where the food court, gift shop, video arcade, sit down restaurant, is located. The food court area has a central check out with different stations serving a variety of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. There is a sit down area and there is also the Grab and Go market area with separate check out. The Grab and Go market has different selections during the day. Varies from bread, bagels, donuts, cereal, sandwiches, beer, wine, desserts, etc.

Occasionally they have live groups playing in the courtyard at Old Port Royale.

Arcade photos


Shutters at Old Port Royale is the sit down restaurant. You can make Priority seatings for this restaurant.

What is the island in the middle of the lake?

The island is called Caribbean Cay(used to be called Parrot Cay). It has several play areas for kids and some tucked away romantic benches for adults. There are bridges that connect the island to the mainland. It is great to walk around the island and enjoy the views.

How far is it to walk around the lake?

The distance around the lake is 1.4 miles. It is great for walking, jogging, and riding bicycles.

Where can I rent boats and bicycles?

Marina, Barefoot Bay Boat Yard (407) 934-2851
Old Port Royale/Lighthouse
Hours: (subject to change)
10:00am - 5:00pm
Last rental at closing
Lake cleared 30 minutes after closing
Marina hours are approximate (may close due to inclement weather)
Rentals:
Sea Raycer by Sea Ray®: $24.00(plus tax) per 30 mins. 38.00 per hour.
Canoe 3 guests max $6.50 per 30 mins. Sun Tracker®Pontoon Boats: $42.00(plus tax) per 1/2 hour
Pedal Boats: (1-4 passengers) $6.50 (plus tax) per 1/2 hour
Sailboats: (1-2 passengers): $20.00(plus tax) per hour
17' Boston Whaler Montauk 6 guests max. $33.00 per 30 mins.

Boat Rentals

In order to rent watercraft, a guest must be 18 years of age and present a WDW Guest ID or valid driver's license.
Marina Plans for Walt Disney World Resort Guests only

Requirements for driving watercraft: Not sure if this has changed lately!
A child must be at least 12 years old and at least 5-feet tall to drive the mouseboats There is a maximum combined weight of 320 lbs. permitted for a mouseboat.
Drivers of pontoon boats must be 18 years of age. (Maximum of 8 people)
Drivers of canopy boats must be 18 years of age. (Maximum of 6 people)
All drivers under the age of 18 MUST have a parent or legal guardian sign a release.
Drivers 18 years of age must provide ID with birth date.

Bike Rentals
Barefoot Bay Bike Works: (407) 934-2851
Old Port Royale/Lighthouse
Hours- 10-5 daily( Subject to change)

Prices:
Mongoose® Bicycle: $8.00(plus tax) per hour/$22.00 (plus tax) per day
Surrey Bike (2-seater): $18.00(plus tax) per 1/2 hour
Surrey Bike (4-seater): $22.00(plus tax) per 1/2 hour
Children’s bikes, child seats and helmets are available
A limited number of children’s bikes have training wheels
No overnight rentals

 

[safetymom]

The Nemo Rooms at Caribbean Beach

I stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort in Walt Disney World in Orlando FL over the weekend. I was anxious to stay in one of the newly refurbished rooms since Disney announced the new Nemo theme for many of the rooms. Caribbean Beach is my favorite resort at WDW.

I have stayed many times at CBR over the years and loved the subtle tropical feel in the rooms. So when Disney started the refurbishment I was concerned I would not like the new rooms. Well once again Disney did a great job at creating a new feel when you enter the room.

I had a room that was very close to the parking lot but I couldn’t hear any noise from the area and it was hard to even see the cars from the sidewalk outside the room. I stay in Martinique 24 which was the first building to be done. This is considered a preferred building costing extra at CBR. It was a very short walk to Old Port Royale the food court and the main pool.

The new rooms have been painted and received new carpeting, furniture, flat screen television, curtains, shower rod and curtain. If you have stayed here before the carpeting is new but the color is a deeper green. The chest of drawers houses the fridge.

They kept the double beds but they are now on a platform. The downside is that was a great place to store your luggage. There is plenty of room back by the double sinks to store any luggage.

There is a bench with a drawer that will hold a lot. The new dresser has plenty of drawers. I didn’t miss the old armoire they had in the room. The new room feels larger.

The curtain is new back by the double sinks. That is a great feature when you are trying to get ready in the morning, some have used that area as a private area for a baby in their porta crib.

The room comes with a fridge, 4 cup coffee maker with several packets of regular and decaf coffee and the condiments for it, full size ironing board and iron. You receive a small bottle of combo shampoo/conditioner and a Mickey bar of soap.

The bathroom received the new curved shower rod and new shower curtain. The room was very clean.

I had a room with the door connecting to the room next door. I never heard my neighbors.

The safe is small and wouldn’t hold a laptop but it would be great for all the small stuff.

The one thing I wasn’t fond of was the Ethernet connection is on the nightstand between the beds. The cord was just long enough that the person closest to the nightstand could use the laptop. It would have been nice if the Ethernet connection had been at the table.

I enjoyed my stay at CBR and will be back again soon to enjoy the resort and pool. I can't wait for the new pirate rooms coming in January in Trinidad South.

 

[safetymom]

Pirate Rooms in Trinidad South All the rooms in Trinidad South have the Pirate theming. These pictures were taken in a handicapped accessible room. The bathroom area will be different in a regular room.

 

[safetymom]

The New Pool at Caribbean Beach

Pool use is for Caribbean Beach Resort Guests and Disney Vacation Club Members ONLY. During certain times of the year, Disney Vacation Club usage may be suspended due to capacity. Please contact front desk to verify.

Pools are heated to approximately 82 degrees at all Walt Disney World Resorts
For safety, diaper-age children must wear plastic pants or swim diapers

Pool Hours: 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM(subject to change)
Lifeguard/Slide Hours- 10am to 8pm (subject to change)

The main pool has water falls, a slide, a kiddie pool and a spa. There are free life preservers at the pool and marina that guests may use.

Towels: A limited supply of towels is available at the Old Port Royale pool ONLY. Guests may also bring towels from their room. There are no towels available at the Village Pools.

There are separate showers in the locker rooms at the Old Port Royale pool

There are coin operated lockers at the Old Port Royale pool only.

Village Pools

Hours:7:00am - midnight (subject to change)
Swimming, sunbathing, and coin operated laundry facility
No lifeguards at Village pools. Swim at own risk.


Towels: No towels available. Guests should bring towels from their room. Towels are only available at the feature pool.

Swimming is not permitted in the lake.

 

[safetymom]

Food in Grab and Go Market during Breakfast hours. For lunch and dinner they have cupcakes and cookies in case.

 

[safetymom]

Blog about Caribbean Beach by Pete Werner
http://www.disunplugged.com/2010/03/17/disneys-caribbean-beach-resort-a-great-choice/

CBR Photo Gallery
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/g929-disney-27s-caribbean-beach-resort.html

Video of CBR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGweFyH4XY

 

[safetymom]

Pictures of the new playground on Caribbean Cay. November 2010

 

[safetymom]

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[safetymom]

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[safetymom]

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[KELLY]

I'm hoping to stay at CBR for the first time and this thread has been helpful.

Thanks for doing this again!!

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

We will be at CBR for the first time at the end of August - can't wait!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

YAY for Part 5 of the CBR FAQ!! Thanks for always keeping us up to date on everything at CBR Safetymom!


Here's the link to my CBR review with lots of info and pictures ~ http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2074555

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

We just got back from 8 nights at CBR and enjoyed it a lot! The rooms were clean, the resort was well-maintained, and we really enjoyed the theming! The CM's were all very friendly and helpful, as well. It was our first time at the resort, and I think all of our 16 member group would stay there again.

Our only issue was the buses. The first few days of our trip, bus service (after the morning rush) was horrible. We waited at bus stops in the resort, at stops in the parks - it didn't matter, we waited. On our second day in the parks we'd come back for a rest and were going back for our dinner ADR at Chef Mickey's. We got to the stop over an hour before our ADR...and found a crowd already there that had been waiting for a while for a MK bus. We waited another 30 minutes or so on top of that! We waited at Epcot later in the week (with a heat index close to 110 degrees) for almost 40 minutes for a bus. We heard lots of people complaining, but also heard a lot of regular CBR-ers telling people that it had never been like this when they'd been there before. To their credit, the bus service got better by the end of the week. Our wait times were much improved by Friday/Saturday. And it sounds like most of the people who stayed right after us had no bus trouble at all!

We utilized the food court a lot! We finally found a kids meal my DS (6) will reliably eat...apparently, chicken nuggets taste better when they're served in a beach bucket! We brought 8 buckets home between my three kids...I think I'm going to use them to hold pencils in my classroom. We really felt there was a good variety of things to eat, and that the items we had were tasty. When the food court got crowded at breakfast, they opened the seating at Shutters for people to sit at, so we were always able to find a table.

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay. I never did get a chance to lay in one of the hammocks...I guess that will have to wait until next trip!

 

[MrsPook]

So excited to read this! We are staying at Carribean Beach for the first time in October and we can not wait!

 

[michellejed]

Safetymom..

We have stayed at CBR several times and love it! This time I want a building by a bus stop and also close to every thing else, it's our grandkids first visit

Would building 23 in Martinique be a good pick and how would I ask for this?

When we made our reservations they linked our 2 rooms together, I just want to make sure we get to stay close by each other and be close to a bus stop.

Thanks so much.
Michelle

 

[safetymom]

You should call reservations and have them add your room request to your reservation. Disney will not guarantee them but it never hurts to ask.

 

[tink1953]

After reading this great overview of this resort I can't wait for our Christmas trip in early Dec.

Our first time in a moderate and we are looking for a place to relax and enjoy the weather and I think we chose the right place, I love the tropics.

Which section is Nemo?? and is that preferred? I got a King room already and was wondering if Nemo rooms have King beds??

thanks...great info!

BArb

 

[mthomp976]

We just got back from 8 nights at CBR and enjoyed it a lot! The rooms were clean, the resort was well-maintained, and we really enjoyed the theming! The CM's were all very friendly and helpful, as well. It was our first time at the resort, and I think all of our 16 member group would stay there again.

Our only issue was the buses. The first few days of our trip, bus service (after the morning rush) was horrible. We waited at bus stops in the resort, at stops in the parks - it didn't matter, we waited. On our second day in the parks we'd come back for a rest and were going back for our dinner ADR at Chef Mickey's. We got to the stop over an hour before our ADR...and found a crowd already there that had been waiting for a while for a MK bus. We waited another 30 minutes or so on top of that! We barely made it to the CR for our ADR on time because some of us ran down the path from MK to the hotel to check in and explain the situation. The group that had been waiting before us missed theirs by 20 minutes but had a number to call and let them know so that they didn't loose their reservation. We waited at Epcot later in the week (with a heat index close to 110 degrees) for almost 40 minutes for a bus. We heard lots of people complaining, but also heard a lot of regular CBR-ers telling people that it had never been like this when they'd been there before. To their credit, the bus service got better by the end of the week. Our wait times were much improved by Friday/Saturday.

We utilized the food court a lot! We finally found a kids meal my DS (6) will reliably eat...apparently, chicken nuggets taste better when they're served in a beach bucket! We brought 8 buckets home between my three kids...I think I'm going to use them to hold pencils in my classroom. We really felt there was a good variety of things to eat, and that the items we had were tasty. When the food court got crowded at breakfast, they opened the seating at Shutters for people to sit at, so we were always able to find a table.

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay. I never did get a chance to lay in one of the hammocks...I guess that will have to wait until next trip!

We also stayed from june 16th-the 22nd, I was beyond frustrated and dissapointed in the bus service.


Long waits, full buses. i was usually holding my 21 month old and had to stand. Those busses take some crazy turns, so it is rather difficult to hold a baby while holding onto the bar so you don't fall in someones lap.

The resort was great. It was just so hot and rainy.

 

[mthomp976]

Also, the resort is huge. You don't realize how large until you are there, We were in Aruba 54, and the walks got old really quick. I was fine, but when you have 3 kids after a long day in the parks walking all that distance to get dinner, it isn't always fun.

Be prepared to walk, or just rent a car.

Looking back now, i think we would have been better off renting a car for 180 or so for the week. Would have been more enjoyable. I'm form Michigan, so i've never relied on public transportation.

Still, the resort is great.