Caribbean Beach or Pop Century

[Disney Forever]

Hi everyone,

I am going with my DD on October 3 to WDW, for the 50th anniversary .

We are very excited to use the Skyliner, so I booked a stay at the Pop Century Resort. as I was looking up about the Skyliner from the Pop I noticed that we will always have to transfer at the Caribbean Beach,

My question is, it will cost about $400 more to stay at the Caribbean beach, do you think it’s worth it.

Thanks in advance

Nathan

 

[Castlequeen5]

Nope...not to me! Really I think it depends on your personal preferences in what you want with accommodations. I’ve stayed in both resorts after the Skyliner opened, and I actually prefer Pop. I thought the rooms were much nicer. CBR just seemed dark and dated to me. Plus I like having the food court, instead of the the little market or the restaurants. But we were only at CBR one night, so my experience was pretty limited.

As far as convenience for the Skyliner, we had no problem with the transfer at CBR from Pop. It was very simple. Obviously the busiest times will be at opening and closing, but I don’t think you would save that much time being at CBR. And I certainly wouldn’t spend an extra $400, just because of the transfer. It’s really very easy.

Something else you may want to consider if you are going to MK/AK, are the bus stops at CBR. They have an internal bus just for CBR, because it’s so big. You would get on the bus closest your area, then go to the main bus stop at the front. So that would take more time to get to your destination.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

Depends on whether you are just using your resort to shower and sleep or if you want to hang out a bit.
CBR is beautiful, the beach setting gives it a more resort feel, and has a gorgeous pool area, if you plan on spending time by the pool, I’d choose it over pop.
If you are going to spend most of your time at the parks, then save the money. The transfer at CBR is pretty easy.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Is your DD an adult or a child? Pop is very well themed and suited for kids. If DD is a kid I would save the money and stay at Pop. If DD is an adult I think the upgrade to CBR would be worth it. It's a beautiful resort with a laid back island vibe.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I wouldn't make the change just for the Skyliner.

I'm looking to make the change because CBR has a more adult vibe.

 

[BrotherCraig]

Nope...not to me! Really I think it depends on your personal preferences in what you want with accommodations. I’ve stayed in both resorts after the Skyliner opened, and I actually prefer Pop. I thought the rooms were much nicer. CBR just seemed dark and dated to me. Plus I like having the food court, instead of the the little market or the restaurants. But we were only at CBR one night, so my experience was pretty limited.

As far as convenience for the Skyliner, we had no problem with the transfer at CBR from Pop. It was very simple. Obviously the busiest times will be at opening and closing, but I don’t think you would save that much time being at CBR. And I certainly wouldn’t spend an extra $400, just because of the transfer. It’s really very easy.

Something else you may want to consider if you are going to MK/AK, are the bus stops at CBR. They have an internal bus just for CBR, because it’s so big. You would get on the bus closest your area, then go to the main bus stop at the front. So that would take more time to get to your destination.

How are the updated rooms at CBR? Just curious. We are thinking about moving to a different resort because I have been told that CBR was never renovated in over 10 years - that the rooms are outdated and that the Disney site is not truthful with their news about the updates from two years ago. People said it never happened.

 

[Castlequeen5]

How are the updated rooms at CBR? Just curious. We are thinking about moving to a different resort because I have been told that CBR was never renovated in over 10 years - that the rooms are outdated and that the Disney site is not truthful with their news about the updates from two years ago. People said it never happened.

I really have no idea. I only stayed there one night, so I have nothing to compare it to. Someone else with more experience would need to answer. The picture you included, looks like the room we stayed in. I had my 4 girls with me, so we stayed in a room for 5. There was a small Murphy bed like thing (lime green shelf under the tv), that my youngest slept in.

Just to be clear the room was fine...I just thought it was not as modern looking as Pop. It seemed dark to me. I know that Pop has definitely been updated. CBR is very pretty and it was cool to see the Skyliner over us. It definitely does have an island vibe and the main pool is very cool with the cannons and slides. As I stated earlier, I definitely wouldn’t pay more just to be closer to the Skyliner. So it depends on the reason you booked CBR. If you just want to be on the Skyliner route, Pop is a great option. But if you’re looking for the island vibe, CBR is definitely the place.

 

[Castlequeen5]

Also when we stayed at CBR, we were in the Aruba section. We were very close to the Riviera station. That was where we got on/off the Skyliner, because that made the most sense. So we still had to transfer at the CBR station, even though we were actually staying there!

 

[BrotherCraig]

I really have no idea. I only stayed there one night, so I have nothing to compare it to. Someone else with more experience would need to answer. The picture you included, looks like the room we stayed in. I had my 4 girls with me, so we stayed in a room for 5. There was a small Murphy bed like thing (lime green shelf under the tv), that my youngest slept in.

Just to be clear the room was fine...I just thought it was not as modern looking as Pop. It seemed dark to me. I know that Pop has definitely been updated. CBR is very pretty and it was cool to see the Skyliner over us. It definitely does have an island vibe and the main pool is very cool with the cannons and slides. As I stated earlier, I definitely wouldn’t pay more just to be closer to the Skyliner. So it depends on the reason you booked CBR. If you just want to be on the Skyliner route, Pop is a great option. But if you’re looking for the island vibe, CBR is definitely the place.

Thank you. There will be 5 of us and a baby. We could have stayed at Dolphin for cheaper but decided to try CBR. I did stay for a night in POP before but that was before the renovation.

 

[loves to dive]

Worth it is subjective. Moderate resort rooms are slightly larger than Value resorts. Moderate resorts have a hot tub at the main pool and CBR has a small "quiet" pool at each village. There is usually a TS restaurant at moderate resorts, only a food court at Value resorts. The bus stop at Value resorts is not shaded but does have a designated que. The moderate resorts have a shaded bus stop but no que, so it can be a free for all getting on the bus. CBR is within walking distance of Riv. so there is more food options, although Pop is within walking distance of AoA so you can use their food court as well.

If money is no object and you are going to actually use the resort instead of just spending the night and staying in the parks all day, I would say a moderate is always the better option.

Thank you. There will be 5 of us and a baby. We could have stayed at Dolphin for cheaper but decided to try CBR. I did stay for a night in POP before but that was before the renovation.

I would always pick the Dolphin over a moderate. Again, bigger rooms, walking (or boat) to two parks. Huge pool area. Lots of food options. Inside hallways.

 

[WNYDisneyDad]

I personally made this exact change from Pop to CBR for my November 2021 trip for these reasons

- Not having to transfer at CBR on Skyliner
- A more "vacation" feel. Pop has 2800ish rooms while CBR has 1500ish. CBR is nearly half the people but MUCH larger. While this is a negative for some, it was a huge plus for me. I'd take a longer walk for a more tranquil feel. I'm 36 and will be traveling with my son (13), so we don't mind walking one bit.
- Proximity to Riviera and their food options
- Quiet pools in each island section

 

[Castlequeen5]

Thank you. There will be 5 of us and a baby. We could have stayed at Dolphin for cheaper but decided to try CBR. I did stay for a night in POP before but that was before the renovation.

We are usually a family of 6, when visiting Disney. So we either get a suite or 2 rooms. That particular trip, there was only 5 of us that first night. So we tried CBR. If I had 5 again on a trip, I would go back to CBR with no hesitation. But if I need a regular room or 2 rooms, I would choose Pop.

 

[Belle83]

For me it would depend on the party size, and how much you mind the Pop Century theming. If it were just DH and I, we would stay at Pop to save the money. But with all of our kids we would want more space and stay at CBR, plus the covered bus stops with benches are nice at CBR (versus a line at Pop). I do really like CBR but if the issue is just the Skyliner, stay at Pop. That alone is not worth $400 imo.

 

[mandis77]

I've stayed at both (this was before Skyliner). CBR is very beautiful and has a great pool area. But it is huge. Depending on where you are in the resort, it is quite a walk to the pool and main buildings. Also, if you plan on using the buses to get to MK/AKL they stop at each section which can add some time so you need to plan accordingly. At POP the updated rooms are really nice. I prefer the 70's section which is still close to the main building/pool/buses but still quiet. I think it just depends on how much time you plan on spending at the resort.

 

[ford91exploder]

Worth it is subjective. Moderate resort rooms are slightly larger than Value resorts. Moderate resorts have a hot tub at the main pool and CBR has a small "quiet" pool at each village. There is usually a TS restaurant at moderate resorts, only a food court at Value resorts. The bus stop at Value resorts is not shaded but does have a designated que. The moderate resorts have a shaded bus stop but no que, so it can be a free for all getting on the bus. CBR is within walking distance of Riv. so there is more food options, although Pop is within walking distance of AoA so you can use their food court as well.

If money is no object and you are going to actually use the resort instead of just spending the night and staying in the parks all day, I would say a moderate is always the better option.


I would always pick the Dolphin over a moderate. Again, bigger rooms, walking (or boat) to two parks. Huge pool area. Lots of food options. Inside hallways.

^^^^ THIS 1000x ^^^^


If the room is just to rest your head after a commando day at the park the Values are fine, If you want to enjoy the resort experience a moderate or deluxe or a SWolfin stay is best.

 

[JennyDrake]

The new rooms at CBR are great! More and better food options, larger rooms and a more quiet resort. Depending upon the time of day, you could wait up to 45 minutes JUST to transfer from skyliner (Happened to us more than once. Waited 40 minutes to get on skyliner and another 45 at transfer.