caribbean beach, opinions please!

[maxiesmom]

I am planning a trip for 6 people for October 2006. To keep costs down I am thinking of splitting the stay between a moderate and the Contemporary. My sister will NOT do value, though I would love to try POP! The only moderate I have not stayed at is the Caribbean Beach. And there does not seem to be a great number of posts about this resort. Do you all know something that I don't as to why I should avoid it? I should add that I would book a preferred room in the hopes of not having to hike to the main building and bus-stop. How does CB compare to POFQ? Thanks for your help!

 

[disneyworld!]

this is the only mod I have stayed at....and I LOVED it!!!
what I liked about it:

I was in jamaica, I think building 44/45 is best, near quite pool, not to far from the food court. bus stop right near.
the room was huge, bigger to me then the WL rooms. or at least equal. I loved the way it felt like a "Island" themeing was great... I also really liked the food and prices in the food court.

the only neg for me was climbing up the stairs to the second floor. next time I would stay on the first floor. and for myself I would ask for room 4455...great pool view.
the only neg I could for see is it is a huge place. as long as you get the right location lyour golden!!

 

[HANDYMOM]

DH and I Disneymooned at CBR in 1998 and we really liked it. We stayed in Jamaica and had a nice corner room (2 windows, makes room feel bigger) overlooking a beautiful courtyard. It was just a short walk to the main building and food court, Olde Port Royal.

That being said, we took our two boys to PO Riverside last May and LOVED it. I don't think you'd be disappointed at CBR but if I had to recommend only one, I'd pick POR.

Relax, from what I've read on these boards and experienced myself, you aren't going to ruin you vacation by staying at any of the moderates....

Good Luck!

 

[PirateOfTheCarribean]

We've stayed at PORS many times and absolutely LOVE it! It's our home away from home!

Caribbean Beach, on the other hand - we didn't enjoy at all! We found it very spread out (a long hike to the main building) and also didn't like the fact that the "food court" building and the "front desk" buildings were so far away from each other. This was especially inconvenient when we had to store bags at bell services on the day of a cruise, but had to meet with the cruise group at the food court building - lots of hiking with bags.

The worst, though, was "bird island." To move between our room and the food court building, we had to cross an island covered in large trees inhabited by birds who obviously ate a diet high in blue berries. Every time we went through there, at least one of us would be bombed; and, no matter how fast I got the clothes to the sink to scrub it out, they were always ruined with a big purple stain. We ended up holding a rain poncho over our heads like a tent every time we wanted to get a drink. Really annoying!

So, that's my 2 cents. We haven't stayed at POFQ, but can tell you that PORS is beautifully landscaped, has a great pool (better than CB, in our opinion), and is far more convenient than CB.

We've also stayed at Coronado Springs and enjoyed it very much - the pool with the Mayan pyramid slide is awesome. The only downside we found with CS was having to wait to be seated at the food court and having to pay a tip for someone to get our drinks when we were perfectly capable of getting them ourselves. That's only minor, though. I'd still recommend it over CB.

Hope that helped.

Cheers,

Pirate

 

[Jakesmom1]

We stayed at CBR the year before last and absolutely loved it.

I dont remember what bldg we were in, but it was quite a walk to the main pool and food court. But it was a nice walk, over a bridge ( no bird poop here ). We were on the second floor and we had a corner room. We did not request a preferred room, and it was beautiful. There are no bad views from what I saw. Even though we were very close to the parking lot, there are so many trees etc. you couldnt see it. Very quiet hotel we thought.

The food court is right next to the pool which was great. There is the main pool and several quiet pools, we used both, the quiet pool was always empty, and is right by the laundry room, very convient.

We are going in July and I tried to get a ressie here but they were booked, so we are staying for the first time at POFQ, am excited to try something new.

I dont think you can go wrong with the CBR, It would be my first choice of the Mods.

 

[LoraJ]

I really liked CBR. I just loved the whole atmosphere. I felt so relaxed. Loved laying in a hammock on the beach.

 

[gingermommy94]

CBR is great! It's the only place we stay now!

The atmosphere is fabulous. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is wonderful. We love it

 

[safetymom]

You will find many folks here that love CBR. You might want to read the CBR FAQ's listed below. You will also find trip reports about the resort.

I also have lots of pictures from CBR. If you have any questions just ask in the FAQ II thread and you will get lots of answers.

 

[Linda T.]

My family has stayed at both CBR and POR, and hands down we love CBR. The beautiful tropical themeing and sandy beaches with hammocks is wonderful at CBR. The food court has great variety and the bus service has always been good. The main pool and the quiet pools are really nice. We usually stay in Jamaica and love walking across the bridge to the main pool and food court. My family is going in June 22nd thru June 30th and we will again be staying at CBR. Good luck on your decision.
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1979 - Offsite
1995 - CBR
1997 - CBR
1999 - POR
2003 - CBR
2005 - CBR

 

[Laurajean1014]

Sorry, this is not a resort I would recommend. In the mods, we recommend to our friends, Coronado Springs and Port Orleans.

 

[jaysmom4285]

We stayed at CBR in December and loved it. Jamaica building 45 is a great location - right at the end of the footbridge to Old Port Royale, and near a quiet pool. It was a very short and pleasant walk over the island - we never had any problems with birds while we were there. We didn't' find it inconvenient to have the Custom House in a different location since we didnt' have to go back there after we checked in, but there is an internal bus, if you don't want to walk. The bus service was very efficient - we rarely waited more than ten minutes. The theming is beautiful. I'm sure you'll love it.

 

[catbertdave99]

We were at CBR for the first time just this April and loved it! The resort is large, but if you request a preferred room (I think it's $15 extra per night) you will be in either Martinique or Trinidad North, either being right next to Old Port Royale where the food court and main pool are located. We were in Martinique 2549, and it was perfect.

Bus transportation was great, and all the CM's were friendly and great too. My kids loved the food court, and so did I.

The best part, though, was lying in a hammock on the beach outside our building and listening to the breeze go through the trees....ahhhhh....

 

[Snoopygirl]

My DH & I were just there 5/21-5/28 for the first time and we loved it!!! We were in Trinidad South, so it was a hike to the food court but they have an internal shuttle that takes you around the resort. It is a very quiet and beautiful resort and we would definitely stay here again. We had a ground floor, corner room w/ a courtyard view. Very nice

Go For It!!!

 

[utahkennedys]

We liked the CBR but have you thought of a Disney Vacation Club property? You can rent points for a 2 BR at Old Key West for example that sleeps 8 and has a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, jacuzzi, huge balcony, washer dryer, etc. for MUCH less than you think...check out the DVC boards here and I think you may be surprised! In Sept, a 2 BR rents for about $220 night (no taxes) when the rack rate is over $500 plus tax, etc. It depends on the time of year...just a thought...

 

[MrsDude]

We stayed at the CBR last October and were more than pleased. We were in Trinidad North building 32 near the food court, and the main pool. The grounds were beautiful, the room was comfortable (there is a curtain in the vanity area that allows for privacy). Each village has its own pool. And just so you are aware, the rooms are a bit larger than the other moderates.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Though CSR is our favorite moderate, CBR is a agreta resort. We have stayed there and would recommend it!! We stayed in Jamaica and it was a short walk across the bridge to food court and theme pool. We loved the tropical atmosphere!

 

[SeaSpray]

I love this resort! Check out my pictures and comments from our stays there in 2001 and 2002 Here's a link to my CBR pages on my website: http://home.comcast.net/~terry527/html/CBRmain.htm and http://home.comcast.net/~terry527/html/cbr.htm

 

[Troy08]

Have stayed there twice and loved it both times. Once in Aruba(nice walk across the bridge on the lake) and once in Martinique(nearest building to food court). The theming is excellent. I just love all the bright colors and the Caribbean style music that plays. I found no problems with the food court. Ate breakfast there mostly but did do a couple of dinners. Love the refillable mugs. There is lots to do there in the form of renting water craft or surrey bikes etc. The resort is big and if you are in an outlying building, its a hike to the food court. But since you said you would pay for preferred, that should not be an issue. Both times I went was in July and we had no problems whatsoever with the bus transportation. Plus, the rooms are good sized-we were four (three adults and a teen) and had plenty of room.

 

[Msslaydbug]

Add us to list of people who love CBR. I have never understood why it gets a bad rap around here. Yes it is really spread out , but for us thus was part of its charm. We were in Jamaica and loved our walk across the bridge (nope no bird problemes here either). It was so peaceful. We really enjoyed the theming. We would stay there again in a heartbeat. For now we are trying to experience as many resorts as possible.

 

[PurpleChick]

Another vote for CBR. Make sure your schedule includes some resort time. It is so relaxing there.