Caribbean Beach Resort FAQ

[Momto8]

You will have to check out and check back in again. I know because we had to do this on our last trip in December. The value rates started 1/1, so we had two reservations. They need to issue you new resort ID cards and a sign for your car if you drive. However, we were able to keep the same room. Maybe they will deliver the cards to your room so you won't have to go to the front desk. They didn't offer that to us, so I wasn't aware they would do this, but this was at AS Music, so maybe they offer that at this resort.

As far as connecting rooms, even if your rooms aren't ready at check in, they will know at that time if they were able to grant your request. They just won't give you the room numbers until they are ready.

 

[safetymom]

For continuing reservations you shouldn't have to go to the desk for new cards. If you are doing this because of a change in rates then you will have to check out and check back in.

 

[kmc33]

We too added an extra night prior to the package. We checked in Wed evening. The CM explained that we would have to check out and check back in again Thursday morning prior to going to the parks, since the new cards would have our park passes encoded. He offered to have the cards delivered to our room and said that we needed to pick a half hour time slot for when we would like them to be delivered. Since the earliest available was 7:30 - 8:00 and we were planning to get the bus around 7:00 am to go to MK for early entry, one of us had to go to the Custom House to pick up the new keys.

Another not for land/sea packages in terms of room locations. We were in Aruba on the first floor. I talked with someone on the Wonder who was placed in Barbados and when she checked in she told them that she requested Martinique. The CM told her that all land/sea package holders needed to be assigned to Barbados, Aruba, or Jamaica and on the 1st floor. She ended up getting them to put them in Jamaica. Where we were located also corresponded to what that CM told her.

 

[kiddoc]

We are staying at CBR for the first time in a couple of weeks. I have 2 small children -- 3 years old and 16 months old. Which is the best area to request for access to the main pool and/or beach areas? My 3 year old is a pool fanatic!

 

[safetymom]

All of the villages have a beach and quiet pool. If you want to be near the main pool you should ask for Trinindad North or Martinique.

 

[jlaspoq]

(moved from another thread at Safetymom's request!)

We just got back from our first stay at CBR and we loved it!

The resort is very picturesque, and the marina / bike rental is a great way to take a break from the parks.

By the way, I had posted a question a while back about the family plan for the marina. There are two plans - one is $115 (four hours of boat rental) and the other is $199 (unlimited during stay) - but neither plan includes the Surrey Bikes! It seemed a little high to us, and we wanted the Surrey bikes (twice, as it turned out), so we just paid as we went and came out cheaper.

The food court was pleasant, although the lines for breakfast were very long at around 9am - they need to have the same menu at each location. We wound up standing in 4 different lines plus cashier, and I finally gave up and got a croissant for myself. The grab n go breakfast worked great for us.

Our room was very nice. Be prepared - not only is the resort large, once you're at your building you can have a meandering walk to get to your actual room. Ours had to be half way from any set of stairs we took. By the way, we were in Trinidad North and really liked it.

The island in the middle of the lagoon is very peaceful. We watched Epcot's fireworks from the bridge.

The pools and beaches are great!

Bus service was mixed - we had some rather long waits, and underestimated how long things would take. (Got to AK and Epcot about 10 min after opening, despite being out there a half hour before.) Plan 45 min if your timing is crucial. Also had some long waits to return - over 30 min one time, even though the buses are supposed to be running every 20 min. Other times we had great luck and walked right one - restoring hope in the system! So overall, it evened out.

Let me know if you have questions!

 

[bunnyfoo]

I'm going to be at CBR in May and found your review helpful jlaspoq! Thanks! What did you think of the food in the food court? I checked out the menu on Deb's site and the breakfast stuff looks good for the price. We're not really morning people so I'm hoping we'll be able to avoid some of the rush at the food court

What was the pedestrian traffic like at Trinidad North? Lots of people walking by? Was it noisy? I'm still undecided over which village to request

 

[jenanderson]

We are just back and already I am missing the relaxing time we had on vacation!

We also stayed in Trinadad North. We were in building 33 which seemed perfect to us ( 1st floor - room 3324 - king size corner room & room 3323 - 2 doubles). Our rooms were set back slightly from the main path which meant that we did not have hardly any noise. In fact, we only saw people going into our building one time during the 6 nights we were there. We never heard anyone in the evening either. The rooms were still close enough that I could open the door and easily see the beach area. We also had some pretty plants around our area so when we stepped outside the door it felt very tropical. We could walk down a short sidewalk and be on the main path which was quite busy at times. I would not have wanted to be in the Trinadad North building closest to the main pool, it just seemed to busy and noisy in that area. I felt our walk (3-4 minutes) to the food court was easy to do and put us far enough away from the busy areas.

I also agree about the spotty bus service. We had wanted to be to the Magic Kingdom at open on the early entry day and got to the bus stop at 7:15 am. We waited almost 20 minutes before we finally hopped into our own car and went there. After that experience we were sure to be to the bus stop by 7:05 am if we wanted to be to a park at open. It seemed while we were there a bus would come around 7:00 and 7:10 am but then none until almost 8:00 am. Service back to the hotel was always great. Only once did we wait more than 10 minutes.

We never felt that the lines in the food court were long. Our service and food there was really good with generous serving sizes. The kids really loved the sand bucket filled with chicken nuggets and fries. The bucket had a shovel on the side of it and after eating, the kids had a toy to play with on the beach. I thought it was a really cute idea.

We loved the relaxed feeling of the CBR!

 

[jjct1]

Is their still a playground on Parot Cay Island? On the map it is listed as one.

-jjct

 

[safetymom]

I was there in Feb. and I didn't see much playground equipment on the island. There used to be but looks like they took most of it out.

 

[jjct1]

So it looks like the only playgrounds are at Martinique and Trinidad South? I was thiing about requesting Aruba 1st floor, as I am going with my 2 1/2yr old (trip starts friday - yeah) who would love the play ground and also the quitness of Aruba but maybe I should request Martinique?

Also, which way is Epcot? West of Aruba?

-jjct

 

[tiggeroo42]

Originally posted by jjct1
So it looks like the only playgrounds are at Martinique and Trinidad South? I was thiing about requesting Aruba 1st floor, as I am going with my 2 1/2yr old (trip starts friday - yeah) who would love the play ground and also the quitness of Aruba but maybe I should request Martinique?

Also, which way is Epcot? West of Aruba?

Aruba is very close to the playground that's near the bridge to Parrot Cay Island--probably a 1-5 minute walk, depending on which building you're in.

Epcot is north of CBR, so if you're in Aruba facing the lake, you'd look to your left. The maps are kind of confusing because they're not oriented with the north on top. Here is a map with the correct orientation.

 

[Dodie]

Before I make my requests, can anyone tell me if any of these buildings are SMOKING? We have requested a NON-SMOKING king-bed room and I don't want to mess that up by including a smoking building on my fax:

Aruba (51, 52, or 53)
Jamaica (44, 45 or 46)
Martinique
Trinidad North

Love this thread. This will be our first CBR stay and I've found it very helpful! Thanks!

 

[clutter]

Dodie, you read my mind, I was just going to ask the same thing!

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

According to my map, the only buildings where smoking is allowed at CBR include: Martinique 21, Aruba 51, and Trinidad North 31.

I've been busy researching and planning for my trip in July!

 

[clutter]

Thanks!!! Gotta send my fax on Friday!!!

Doing the happy dance, don't know if I'm more excited because we're going or if it's because my 6 yo dd doesn't know yet. I'm telling her on tuesday that I'm picking her up early at school to go to the dentist before I spring it on her that she's taking me to disney for mother's day!!!!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Ok, I will try this question here. Sorry if it has been asked, but with 175 replies on this thread it is hard to keep going back looking for different answers each time I have a question !

Which Jamaica building is actually closest to the playground-44 or 45, I don't want to be near it for noise control! Would the courtyard(standard) view on 45 be quieter or would 42, 43 or 44 be safer? Also considering Aruba 52. Is 42 real far from bridge?Don't want to be facing a quiet pool either. We have 2 kids who DO walk, and we like the 2nd floor. Don't want too far a walk, though will walk a bit more for quietness issues ! I have looked at maps, but people are more helpful. Thank you.
Have stayed at PO in Magnolia Terrace and Acadian and that distance is fine.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

ok, double post, so I will change it to add that we drive our own car to the parks when staying at a moderate.

 

[tiggeroo42]

Originally posted by BibbidiBobbidiBoo
Which Jamaica building is actually closest to the playground-44 or 45, I don't want to be near it for noise control! Would the courtyard(standard) view on 45 be quieter or would 42, 43 or 44 be safer? Also considering Aruba 52.

Jamaica 45 is actually the closest building to the playground, and it is a high-traffic area since it's so close to the bridge and quiet pool. Jamaica 42 and 43 would be the quietest since they're right in the middle of the village. If I stayed at CBR again (which I wouldn't hesitate to do--it's great!), I would request Jamaica 43 or 44 just because that area seemed really beautiful and quiet, yet close enough to walk to anywhere you might need to go. Since you'll have your car, you may want to avoid 42 because the buildings closest to the lake are quite far from the parking lot (and bus stops). I preferred the courtyard view to the beach anyway.

We stayed in Aruba 53, and it was a very quiet area. Aruba 52 is right next to the quiet pool and promenade, so, again, if you want to avoid a high traffic area and be closer to your car, it may not be your best bet. Building 53 was about a 10-12-minute walk to OPR, 2-3 minutes to the quiet pool and laundry, 3-4 minute walk from the bus stop, and a quick walk to our car (we had ours, too). We could see the Epcot fireworks from our room.


Oh, I have one more thing to add. I requested 2nd floor, but got 1st. I was disappointed at first, but it ended up being better because the second floor rooms only have stairways at the ends of the buildings, and if your room is in the middle it could be quite a walk before you get downstairs. I got "trapped" on the second floor of a Jamaica building after going up there to take pictures. It took me a while to find a staircase to get down! If you're concerned about the noise on the first floor, don't be. We did not hear one peep from anyone during our week at CBR.

I know you'll have a great time!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Thanks tiggeroo , lots of good info!
We have a trip this month(can say that now) at CR, THEN I can concentrate on CBR more .