Caribbean Beach Resort FAQ Part 3

[Me2Me]

We just returned yesterday from our stay at CBR. I'll do a full review soon. However, I felt I could best answer your question since we did in fact stay in Jamaica 45.

I didn't notice anyone smoking anywhere near the building. The rooms are separated from the courtyard by landscaping and a railing/walkway. Since there are no balconies and the windows don't open I wouldn't think smoke would be an issue.

My only complaint about the smoke was that you had to walk through the smoking area near the bar/fountain to get to the food court and there were ALWAYS people smoking out there.

The Jamaica buildings were a superb location and I would highly recommend them!

Thanks for this. We were at CBR a few years ago but I can't quite picture the courtyard. I just know it was a great setting.

 

[mickeystoontown]

These are pics of our Martinique courtyard. We have also stayed in Jamaica and the courtyard was very similar to this.

 

[safetymom]

You will find more people that will write a nasty review of a resort than those that had a great experience.

 

[camdensmom]

OK.. question.

I am really stressing over my ressie at CBR and considered changing.

I have two boys ages 5 and 9, DH and myself.

We have only stayed on property at POFQ and that was just me and DH in 2005

We wanted to try something different and now I am scared I made the wrong decision.

DS5 has asthma -not over serious, but he does take medication each morning and will not take it with water. I would like to be near the food court so that is not a problem. We will have refillable mugs. We have paid for preferred rooms. So is there a certain building I should request?

My concern is the size of this resort and I have read some pretty bad review lately. Now, I realize that you will get good, bad and ugly reviews here.. everyone has a different opinion. I just need someone to tell us we will be fine here. LOL.. I know.. I worry way too much!

I had booked and paid for preferred, but when I arrived I was told they were out of those rooms and that they placed me in a water view because the price was the same. I complained (nicely) and they did put me in Jamaica 45 which was a great location and I was so much happier there than I would have been in the actual preferred location.

I have stayed at all of the moderates as well as the values and the Poly and I can honestly say that CBR was my favorite hotel experience (and we just stayed last week so it's a current review). You'll love it.

There is an internal bus which is quick and air conditioned so that shouldn't be an issue. Also, as the others said you could easily fill the mug with apple juice at night and put it in your fridge.

 

[Nank]

Do you think the pool will be ready by November?

I am just about to book it but not if the cool pool is not ready. Thanks.

 

[safetymom]

It should be done in Sept. Keep checking the first post of this thread for any updates.

 

[scrappinstevie]

Thanks for the review TBL7...I'm planning on requesting Trinidad South 1st floor myself (we will have a car)...can you please give us a review of the room itself...was it clean? how was mousekeeping? was everything working? did it fell dated compared to say a Marriot room?

Thanks so much for your help!

The rooms are large and bright and clean and everything worked last time we were there-had a light bulb burn out, left a note and it was replaced when we came back that evening. The Mousekeeping staff did a good job and left many towel animals. Our room was always cleaned before we returned to the room even on an early afternoon.

We LOVE CBR!! Highly recommend it as a moderate.

 

[camdensmom]

I just posted this on the resorts board, but thought I would cross-post it here in case anyone was interested and doesn't frequent that board. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

After much debate between CBR, CSR and POR we decided upon CBR.

We had recently stayed at CSR, POR and POLY (all very nice for different reasons), but opted for CBR for a new experience.

We had booked a preferred room for myself, DH and our almost 3 year old son and our only request was 1st floor.

Check-in (at around 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday) would have been extremely quick except they said they were out of preferred rooms and so they placed us in a waterview room because the price was the same. Having stayed here before I knew that a waterview meant very little as there are no balconies and nicely said that I was not interested in paying additional money for it.

I was really nice about it and the cast member was equally nice. She went back "behind the scenes" twice and ultimately we were offered a waterview room in Jamaica 45 on the 1st floor. According to the map the walk didn't appear to be much further than the preferred rooms and it was very close to the quiet pool, the bridge to Caribbean Cay and the playground on the beach so I happily accepted it.

It turned out to be a blessing because it was a very quick, but more importantly ENJOYABLE walk to Old Port Royale via Caribbean Cay. We enjoyed the scenery, flowers, bunnies, birds and tropical feel as we strolled to and from the food court. The preferred area was very close to the construction and the walk to Old Port Royale from there was along the ugly construction wall that was put up so we were very VERY please with our location and I was happy that my laid back attitude at check in paid off.

Our room was spotless upon arrival and mousekeeping was outstanding throughout our stay. There was nothing above and beyond (i.e. towel animals), but the room was always in "check-in condition" when we returned to it and was always clean early (which was important to us because we did come back each day fairly early.

My son sleeps in a crib at home but we were able to push the bed against the wall and put three bed rails around it. He did great and was happy to have so much room. Our bed was squeaky, but suprisingly comfortable for a full sized bed. I was prepared to share the bed with my toddler because it seemed small, but DH and I slept just fine. The squeaking did wake me a few times when I or DH would turn in the night, but it wasn't worth complaining about.

The resort was very quiet considering it was sold out and the guests were all very nice and respectful. We really enjoyed our stay at Coronado when we were there, but we noted that this was a much better fit for us. We did go to CSR to eat at the Pepper Market one night and were turned off by the large number of conventioners. There were just a lot of loud, rowdy groups of men who were obviously enjoying a little R & R after the normal convention hours at CSR and we realized after returning to CBR that night how much we enjoyed the "Family Feel" of that resort.

There were lifegurards on duty at the pool and they did a great job of keeping the pool experience safe and enjoyable.

The food court was better than average. It's typical food court food, but it was quick, easy and the prices were fair. It was always clean and everything in the grab and go area was extremely well-stocked at all times.

There were lots of fun activities going on. Our favorite was the movie on Caribbean Cay. We sat in beach chairs and watched Toy Story. Fun! There was live music in the main courtyard area and kids were up dancing.

The most noteworthy thing to me on this trip were the cast members at the resort. Each and every person we came in contact with was friendly and courteous. We were always greeted with smiles, eye contact and hellos.

I have enjoyed all of my stays at Disney. Most recently we stayed at the Polynesian and although it was a great experience I can't justify the price of the deluxes for what you get there. I also don't personally care for the values (mainly because of the large school/sport groups and lack of landscaping/walking areas). I feel the moderates offer the most dollar value and while I do like each of them, I can honestly say CBR is now my favorite by far.

I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone and I'm looking forward to going back on a future trip and enjoying the new pool!

 

[Sgt.Tibbs]

My family and I will be making our 1st trip to WDW and I am looking forward to our CBR stay in Oct.
I do have a few questions though...does CBR have in-room coffee makers and fridges?
Has anyone ever ordered groceries from Garden Grocer and had them delivered to CBR? Experience?
Any help is appreciated! TIA!

 

[safetymom]

Yes CBR has a fridge and coffee maker.

 

[Sgt.Tibbs]

Great, thanks so much! I need my AM coffee for sure!

 

[hmillerbarilla]

I feel the moderates offer the most dollar value and while I do like each of them, I can honestly say CBR is now my favorite by far.

I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone and I'm looking forward to going back on a future trip and enjoying the new pool!

Great review! Thanks for posting it.

 

[budbeerlady]

IThere were lots of fun activities going on. Our favorite was the movie on Caribbean Cay. We sat in beach chairs and watched Toy Story. Fun! There was live music in the main courtyard area and kids were up dancing.

Tell me more about this movie thing....do they do it often... what else is offered as far as activites? DD would love to see a movie in the open air... Thanks!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Thanks for the review TBL7...I'm planning on requesting Trinidad South 1st floor myself (we will have a car)...can you please give us a review of the room itself...was it clean? how was mousekeeping? was everything working? did it fell dated compared to say a Marriot room?

Thanks so much for your help!

The room was a great size. As compared to a Marriotts room, I would say Marriott's (courtyard/fairfields) are nicer but this room was nice for a moderate. I believe it is by far the biggest moderate and we even agreed it was bigger than a room at WL.

We had no issues with mousekeeping. We requested more pool towels and were brought more than enough.

The beds were always made and we were happy to see that when the ppl beside us left a day early, all the linens were removed from the bed and put outside the doors...we've always wondered if they totally removed all the linens when ppl check out of hotels!!

We really liked the curtain to sep the room/bathroom. My mom used the coffee pot and more coffee was delivered each day. We left tip money but didn't get any towel animals. We also requested more shampoo and soap and were left a ton of it!!!

I'm not sure how much or how long they clean. The one day we left and went to get a beverage at Port Royale, was gone maybe 15/20 mins and our room had been clean.

As far as the room goes, it was a perfect size and ours was always clean.

 

[dutch63]

I just wanted to say how much I have appreciated the information on this thread and the gracious spirit of many of the cbr fans. My husband and I will be staying there next Tuesday, May 6 (celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary ) We have only been to the Poly, which has been a wonderful experience but budget constraints (3 daughters in college) made us consider other options. I am typically someone who does not deal well with change but this board has really helped to to allieviate any concerns about trying something new. Can't wait to post trip report when I get back. Thanks again for the great info, and if any of you have any last minute ideas for things to do at the resort they would be appreciated

 

[camdensmom]

Tell me more about this movie thing....do they do it often... what else is offered as far as activites? DD would love to see a movie in the open air... Thanks!

They said they do it every Sunday and Wednesday. They had beach chairs set up on CAribbean Cay with a big screen. Lifeguards greeted us at the gate and had glow in the dark beads for the kids.

The 1st movie was Toy Story and the 2nd was Lilo and Stitch during our stay.

 

[camdensmom]

I just wanted to say how much I have appreciated the information on this thread and the gracious spirit of many of the cbr fans. My husband and I will be staying there next Tuesday, May 6 (celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary ) We have only been to the Poly, which has been a wonderful experience but budget constraints (3 daughters in college) made us consider other options. I am typically someone who does not deal well with change but this board has really helped to to allieviate any concerns about trying something new. Can't wait to post trip report when I get back. Thanks again for the great info, and if any of you have any last minute ideas for things to do at the resort they would be appreciated

We stayed at the POLY in December and while I very much loved our Magic Kingdom view and the great pool, I was annoyed by the crowd level. I hated that I paid top dollar for that resort, but would have to wait forever for a bus/monorail and fight through swarms of people in the lobby because non-guests use it as a 'hub.' It attracts a lot of diners as well as people who use it as a pass through to MK (i.e. "let's just take the poly bus and then hop the monorail). I think you will find the gorgeous landscaping and relaxed atmosphere to be a treat for you and your DH. Happy Anniversary!

 

[MRYPPNS]

TBL7: Thanks for the reply! It was very helpful in making me feel better about the room conditions.

 

[staribluenite]

I've been visiting Disney with my family for the past 20 years. We have stayed at numerous resorts, but have never stayed at CBR. I just booked my first vacation without my family, and I will be bringing my boyfriend who has never visited Disney before
I was referred by a friend to request Jamaica. However, before doing so, I would like some more opinions, maybe from people who travel to Disney often. I am looking to be somewhat near a bus stop, although we will have a rental car. I dont want to be ANYWHERE near the construction. This is my boyfriends first trip to Disney, and I would like him to get the feel for Disney, leaving ugly construction and loud noises out of the mix. It would be nice to be near a quiet pool, and of course, if possible a view of the lake.
If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it!!

 

[LuvsTinker]

There were lots of fun activities going on. Our favorite was the movie on Caribbean Cay. We sat in beach chairs and watched Toy Story. Fun! There was live music in the main courtyard area and kids were up dancing.

Wow, that's something new. All the years we've been staying at CBR, I've never seen them show movies.

Glad to hear