Caribbean Beach Questions

[kristainohio]

DH and I are heading down December 13-17 and are thinking of staying at Caribbean Beach. This is to celebrate our 10th anniversary (1 year late since we had a baby right before our anniv!) We usually stay WL but since this is our 2nd trip to WDW we are going a little cheaper on room and getting the dining plan to splurge a little (DH is a miser with food $$ so to get the dining plan will allow him to enjoy eating and not just ordering the cheapest thing on a menu). We are planning on getting a preferred room. Will this be close to the Lobby/bus stop? How is the bus service at CBR--does it share with anyone? We have had very good service at WL so I'm a little nervous (and I LOVE the boat to MK at WL) but like the looks of CBR and it will be fun to try out something new! Any advice?

Thank you!

 

[minnie mum]

CBR has always been our favourite mod. A preferred room will be close to the main dining and pool area. That is why it is a preferred room. CBR does not share buses with other resorts, and we have never had a problem with the bus service. The only advice I have is to bring your camera and spend a little time exploring the resort in the early morning and/or in the evening. It is such a beautiful resort.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

I'm not 100% sure the answer to your question about preferred rooms, as we didn't have one, but it's common to hear people complain about the size of CBR. It can often take 15 minutes on the bus to make a complete loop around the resort before going to the park. The pirate themed rooms are located farthest from the food court, if that's something you're interested in (though I don't see it being) Something to take into consideration.

Personally, I enjoyed my time at CBR, but I think that POR and POFQ have a much more grown up and romantic vibe (unless you're total beach people, then CBR is for you!)

 

[kristainohio]

Is the bus stop at the lobby the first stop on the loop?

 

[minnie mum]

Nope. There are 2 different loops that start at different ends of the resort (depending on which entrance the bus uses)- and neither of them begins at Old Port Royale. If you're worried about the bus arriving full, don't. When one bus fills up before completing the loop they send another one really quickly.

 

[goteamSy]

We actually preferred our stay at CBR (2007) over the one at WL (2010)! We found the bus at CBR wonderful and when we went it didn't share with any other hotels {not sure if this is still the case???}. The bus just went around to the different "islands" of the hotel. We enjoyed how spread out and peaceful the hotel was. While things were a walk {compared to WL} none of it was too far. We had a king room in Jamaica on the first floor and the bus stop was literally right around the corner. The buses were always prompt and we never had to wait for too long {unlike our most recent stay at Beach Club!}. We still talk about this Disney trip as it was our favorite!

 

[P00H1010]

DH and I are heading down December 13-17 and are thinking of staying at Caribbean Beach. This is to celebrate our 10th anniversary (1 year late since we had a baby right before our anniv!) We usually stay WL but since this is our 2nd trip to WDW we are going a little cheaper on room and getting the dining plan to splurge a little (DH is a miser with food $$ so to get the dining plan will allow him to enjoy eating and not just ordering the cheapest thing on a menu). We are planning on getting a preferred room. Will this be close to the Lobby/bus stop? How is the bus service at CBR--does it share with anyone? We have had very good service at WL so I'm a little nervous (and I LOVE the boat to MK at WL) but like the looks of CBR and it will be fun to try out something new! Any advice?

Thank you!

We love CBR! The preffered rooms are the closest locations to Old Port Royale (which is where the food court/main pool/gift shop is located). CBR is seperated into islands and each island has its own bus stop. As far as bus services there is an internal bus shuttle that circles the resort stopping at each island's bus stop as well as the custom house (main lobby). The park busses make 1 loop around the resort stopping at each island's bus stop before heading out (these buses do not stop at the custom house). CBR does not share a bus with any other resorts. As with any resort anything could happen that might make the bus schedule not run as smoothly as it should. Generally (as I'm sure you know) Disney says that buses should run aprox. every 20 minutes. We have stayed at CBR 3 times and for the most part have had decent bus service to and from parks.

 

[mcd2745]

You would be wise to familiarize yourself with the layout of CBR. See the map linked below:


http://allears.net/acc/ResortMaps/CBeach.pdf


There is no "lobby" where your room will be. You check in and out at a completely separate building called the Customs House. In between check in and check out ,you'll have no reason to go to the Customs House. There will be a guest services desk at Old Port Royale (OPR) - where the food court and main pool are located - for anything you may need. Preferred rooms are in the buildings closest to OPR. Each "island/village" of rooms has their own bus stop. So no rooms are far from a bus stop. Bus service is the same as any other resort.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

we're thinking about staying here also, have they upgraded CBR to queen beds like some of the other mods?

 

[P00H1010]

Nope, no queen beds. All of the pirate rooms have pirate ship shaped double beds. Standard rooms are doubles as well. They do have upgraded rooms with a king bed though.

 

[lanejudy]

Is the bus stop at the lobby the first stop on the loop?

The "lobby" is actually a separate building with no rooms near it. After check-in, you likely will not have any need to go back to the Custom House (a.k.a. "lobby") during your visit. As someone else mentioned, preferred rooms at CBR will put you near Olde Port Royale which is the building with a Guest Services counter, the food court and table service restaurant, the gift shop and the arcade; as well as nearest the pool area which includes a very large pirate themed pool and kiddie pool, hot tub, pool bar, the recreation rental areas and such. It will be a short walk across the parking lot from Olde Port Royale to the that bus stop. Other bus stops for each "island" at the resort might be fairly close to rooms, depending on which building you are in.