We also recently got back from CBR. Our stay was 8/29-9/3. We did online check-in and it worked fine, but wasn't a necessity. There were no lines for either place. We paid for a preferred room through Travelocity and got our requests (ground floor, connecting with my mom), no problem. I think they put us as far away from OPR in preferred as they could've...bldg 33 in Trinidad North. It wasn't really far, but slightly annoying, since I paid to be closer, and really don't think we were. We were very close to the bus stop, which was very nice, and had excellent bus service. I think one time, we wondered why it was taking so long, and then it showed up. Leaving the parks, we were very lucky and never waited more than a couple of minutes. I didn't love all the different stops at the resort...I think we've been spoiled by one stop at POFQ.
We have no complaints or issues with the room at all. It was perfectly clean and well kept. Overnight one night (or VERY early in the am), they powerwashed the walkway outside our room. That was a little noisy and annoying, but no one but me even noticed it.
We only ate at the food court, so cannot comment on Shutters. The turkey dinner was quite good, and I kept going back to that! I agree with a PP that it was really cold in there. In swim clothes with cover-ups, it was uncomfortably cool to sit and eat.
My daughter (10) preferred the slide at the pool at POFQ. She doesn't like enclosed slides, so she really stayed on the smaller of the two, but she enjoyed it. The kids water play area is fantastic in theory, but there are no lifeguards and the older kids playing in it like banshees made it unsafe for my 2 yo son. It was also much colder water than the main pool, which we thought odd. My son ended up wanting to be in the big pool anyway, so none of that really mattered in the long run. It seemed like the pool area was smaller than POFQ, but it could've just been perception. I hated to imagine what it would be like when it was really busy, though, as it was pretty crowded at times, and the parks and resort were not busy at all.
The bottom line for us is...CBR is a very nice resort, and we would certainly stay there again, but it wouldn't be our first choice. I would only stay there in a preferred area, personally. That was not because there were any problems, but just personal preference. For some, the size is a huge problem, for others, it doesn't matter. We were kind of in between, but we do prefer a smaller resort, in general. I would certainly recommend it, even though it wouldn't be my "goto" resort.
Hope that helps anyone looking for info!
Brooke
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I went for the pirate rooms just because it's my first trip to Disney and I wanted it to be extra fun and special. I can't believe nor do I think it's possible that I have to wait a year! But with that 
