Caribbean Beach Resort FAQ

[safetymom]

All the rooms at CBR have beem refurbished. They also have outside balconies so you don't have a private one.

 

[sm4987]

The building you choose depends on where you want to be. There are 2 buildings near the food court, 25 and 26. We were in building 25 second floor courtyard view and found it to be pretty quite and close to the food court. It was really a beautiful area.

 

[TheDailyBuzzherd]

Thanks for the replies ... it seems #25
may provide the best accomodations
overall ... less traffic and more privacy.

I'll knock The Three Stooges' heads
together ta git us a room there.

 

[TimeWarp]

Just back from CBR. The atmosphere was so relaxing. My DH and I just love that tropical feeling. I especially enjoy looking at the landscaping. My DH enjoyed running around the lake. The bus service, food court, pool, pool bar were all enjoyable. We stayed in Martinique 25. That was one of my requests when I made the reservation. I didn't call or fax before we went. I would definitely stay there again.

 

[Nicoal13]

I was at CBR from 11/8 to 11/15.

We loved it. Were were in Aruba 55. Very close to the bus stop and only a short walk over the bridge to the food court and pool area.

Any questions just ask!

 

[maine_jennifer]

Well, looks like after much planning and research, we won't be staying at CBR in January.

AP rates came out today and there were none available for CBR.

We're going to Coronado Springs - you can't beat $700 in savings!!

CSR will be a first for everyone in my group except me. I was there in August and while it was ok, it wasn't "my" resort. I was really looking forward to CBR, but I guess it'll have to wait until another time.

Thanks to everyone, especially SaftetyMom, for all your help!!

 

[safetymom]

maine_jennifer. Sorry to hear that you won't be staying at CBR. I have stayed at CSR twice and just never warmed up to the resort. I am sure you will have a great vacation.

 

[firstmickey]

Just Back: CBR
Hi all,
DD and I enjoyed 5 nights at CBR.
It was a wonderful trip.

We arrived at CBR via towncar (FL TOURS: Great service) at 7:30 PM. The custom house is beautifully decorated with beautiful tropical Christmas trees.

We had our first night at regular rate because we were not able to get AP rate for that night. Then the next four nights we had the AP rate. I knew ahead of time that I would have to check in twice, but I had sent a fax asking for a room in Jamaica 2nd floor and if I could stay in the same room the whole time.

AT checkin, we were told that we were in Jamaica 4505 (first floor) for the first night with two double beds, then the rest of the stay we were in a king bed room. When I requested to stay in the same room, the CM changed my ressie so that we could stay. Not sure what happened but I was booked at a King bed AP rate. (I still had to pay the king bed AP rate even though I switched to double beds). I was just happy to not have to move rooms though. He asked me what time I would like my new keys delivered. I did not have to come back to the custom house, they brought me the paperwork and the keys the next AM which I thought was great.

We were taken by bell services to our room.

Our room was in a good location, close to bus stop, ice machine and short walk to the beach and the quiet pool. It was about a 5-8 minute walk across the island to the main pool and the food court. It was not a bad walk except for at night when it was cold!! The view and the paths are beautiful.

The room itself was OK. There was a lot of mold in the bathroom on the walls and around the air conditioner. I also thought the air conditioner could use a good cleaning. There was food and crumbs and dirt in it.

The curtain separating the dressing area and the beds was a good thing. there was a hairdryer with a nightlight at the bottom and an iron, board, and coffee maker with free coffee packs in the room.

The linens seemed very clean and like new.

Except for the mold problem, housekeeping was very thorough and did a very good job. We received towel animals two days. One day we had two bunnies and one day we had two birds. My dd was thrilled with them. We did tip everyday in special "mousekeeping envelopes" that we had made ahead of time.

I enjoyed the theming of this resort, pool, etc and DD loved it, but overall it was a little too large for my tastes. I thought the bus service was extremely efficient for such a large resort, but I think the bus experience comes down to luck. One night, we went to the bus at 4:30 to go to Epcot and the bus came in 2 minutes but the people who had been waiting before us said they had been waiting for 35 minutes for an Epcot bus.

The food court was ok for breakfast with all the stations open with lots of selections. For lunch, it was terrible with only two stations open plus the grab and go. We never ate dinner there.

I don't want to leave the impression that we didn't like it or that it wasn't a nice resort. It was beautiful. The beaches and pools were great. It is my DD's (age 9) favorite resort so far. I just think I prefer POR. I kept comparing the two while I was there.

I would probably stay there again some time. I know DD would love to stay there again.

I would be happy to answer any questions.

Donna

 

[Kristen0522]

My fiance and I have decided to go to Disney World for our honeymoon....we have a budget of 2,500 (it could be a little more if we have to but would like to keep it at this) we want to go for six nights....after airfair our budget is about 2100...so I need ideas and tips!!! We want to stay onsite....is this feasable? Thanks!!

 

[ChairborneRangr]

Park Passes ~250 500
Food 30-50/day each 600
Cirque du Soliel ~70 each 140
Moderate Resort $102 w/ tax 714
CTH code

Total $1,954

Yeah, It’s doable.

I made a lot of assumptions. If you want to do an Illuminations cruise or othe high dollar items, switch to Pop Century for ~61 a night with tax. But CBR (or any of the moderate/delux resorts) are more romantic. It all depends on how much time you will be spending at the resort versus at the parks.

These should help...

12/1/03 Planning Sheets

DIS-ney Secrets

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Sorry to change the subject but we are just about to book CBR and I still have a few questions after reading through 20pgs! Is there a waterview room that you can see Epcot/fireworks from?

Also, we were thinking of getting a towncar service to drop us off and pick us up again. I wanted to use our last day in the parks and head back to the airport late but I understand check-out is early. Is there some place to leave our luggage?

Lastly, we are trying to choose between Jan 25-31 or March 9-16. Does anyone know if there are any special events going on that will make the parks unbearable with crowds? We really want the March dates but concerned about spring breakers. How 'bout comparisons in weather?

Thanks so much for any help! I hope these questions have not been asked too many times!!

 

[safetymom]

Luckymommyx2 , not sure if there is a waterview room that you can see the fireworks from. The beach at Martinique is a great place to see and hear the fireworks from Epcot.

You can leave your suitcases with the bell captain and they will hold them for you until you return.

I am not sure about any events. I have been to the parks in Jan. and March and it is a great time to go.

 

[purplebelle]

Hi! I just got back last night from 5 days at CBR---Martinique building 23, room 2335 (Dec. 3-7th). This was my 3rd stay at CBR, but the other 2 times I was a little kid and don't remember well. (I had requested Martinique when making reservations.)
I've heard a lot of talk about the mold in CBR bathrooms but was happy to notice none of it in my room. Room was spotless and brought a smile to my face as soon as we walked in. Our room was right near the bus stop so it's window view was of the parking lot (view wasn't important to us). But I have to say, being located close to a bus stop was a blessing. Nothing's better than being exhausted after a day at a park or two and having your room RIGHT there. Plus, we were pretty close to Old Port Royale.
We bought the refill mugs and used them a lot. We mostly used them in the morning and at night. We didn't eat lunch at CBR b/c we were busy at the parks. The food in the OPR was typical of Disney. It was really nice to see some (although very few) healthy options to eat.
The bus system was so convenient. Of course sometimes you had to wait for one park while seeing 2 buses from the same other park pass you by. But I enjoyed sitting in the warm sun that refuses to show it's face in Chicago. The drivers are very kind and love to chat about Disney. They provided great "secrets" of WDW and were great comedians over the speaker system when buses were packed with tired vacationers.
OPR was busy at meal times...like 9am and 6pm. So if you don't like crowds, try 8:40am b/c then it's deserted.
Hmm...can't think of anything else. Loved CBR and it's fun Caribbean feel. So happy to have stayed there and would highly recommend it. The prettiest colors IMO of the buildings (but not location) is Jamaica. Lovely yellows and blues.
I was told that CBR was booked solid when I was there (but I don't know if that meant the whole resort was available to be booked) but even so, it was never crowded. The main pool was filled with 2 or 3 families and private pools were mostly empty. It was slightly too cold for some to swim I guess.
About the parks: On weekdays, virtually no lines! This was an excellent time of year to visit Disney World! I really can't wait to go again!!!

 

[safetymom]

purplebelle, thanks for the trip report. Where the holiday decorations up at CBR?

Did you watch the fireworks from the beach?

1 week to go and I will be living in Florida. Yippee.

 

[purplebelle]

Hi Safetymom (& all),
Yes, the Christmas decorations were up. I think pink poinsettias were the inspiration for the decorations b/c they were everywhere...in taste. There were also green bushels with ornaments and holly leaves all over the place. It wasn't Christmas overkill with the decorations (in case I'm coming across that way.)
I didn't get a chance to watch the fireworks on the beach. In fact, I never thought of that, but we were at the parks each night so we watched them at whatever park we were at.
Have a great move to FL, safetymom! You'll be updating everything so much more often once you're down there permanently I bet.

 

[TheDailyBuzzherd]

Yup! The Xmas decor was up when we got there the Saturday after
T-Day. Everything looked great.

CBR is a great place to stay. We had a blast!

One very teeny-tiny peeve: the cannon guns at the main pool no
longer work. A lifeguard said they were a pain when the lines froze.
Yet, another swimmer said they were inoperable in September.
So, I guess it's permanent.

Oh! saw me first armadillo while walking the boardwalk near
Barbados. Tried to look for more to no avail. Down there, they're
treated as if rodents, but I'll bet they're tasty.

 

[LJ01]

"One very teeny-tiny peeve: the cannon guns at the main pool no
longer work. A lifeguard said they were a pain when the lines froze.
Yet, another swimmer said they were inoperable in September.
So, I guess it's permanent."

I read this is one of the reasons Roy Disney resigned...we are paying for services that do not work.

 

[safetymom]

I noticed that when I was there in Oct. and I just thought they hadn't turned them on. It was the little things and the attention to detail that converted me to Disney.

I can remember my very first stay to WDW and CBR. I didn't want to go to WDW!!!! No way, why would anyone want to stay at a hotel and spend days riding rides.

Well we went to CBR and I still wasn't convinced. The first morning I woke up and went outside and there was a hot air balloon floating overhead. I watched them take flowers out of the beds and replace with others because they had become spindly. I was sold!!!!!

It was the little things. I hope Disney doesn't lose sight of what made them great. Hopefully they will do something with the water cannons.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I just put down my deposit for our trip in March! I'm soooo excited!!! This will be our first time at CBR and not a value resort. I'll probably be bugging everyone on opinions for room locations and tips. I'm so glad someone started this thread. I really hope they fix the water cannons because my son would love to see them in action.

safetymom...great pictures! It's making me even more excited, if that's possible!

 

[Kimbert27]

We just got back last night from a 7-night stay at the CBR! I am so glad we chose this resort, it was wonderful! I went with my boyfriend, his son (10) and his niece (11). We stayed in Barbados 1644, (we had requested Trinidad North, but could not get in there, they were booked solid because of Pop Warner and Cheerleaders) not a bad walk to OPR and very close to our bus stop. I cannot say enough about how great all of the CM's were, how efficient the bus service was, how clean our room was etc. Our "Mousekeeper" Gloria, was a doll! She made us animals on two days and left a note telling us that they missed us while we were out! She took time to come and thank us as we were leaving yesterday! Our room and bathroom was spotless! Every CM we came in contact with was friendly and very talkative, offering to take pictures of us etc. The bus drivers were great too! The food court was the normal food court fare, pretty good. We did eat at Shutters, it was nice, but it just was not our type of food (Caribbean). The overall theming of the resort is wonderful, I felt like I really was in the Caribbean, which is totally my style! The Caribbean themed Christmas decor was beautiful too! We spent our last day by the pool and there was a sandcastle building contest held by the lifeguard Clay that was fun for the kids. (we even got into the spirit and played too!) He was such a nice guy! The last few days of our stay, the cheerleaders started to arrive and by the end of our stay, we were tired of them. I must say, the younger groups of them were very well behaved! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me. We really enjoyed this resort! Thanks to Safetymom for the great thread, it really helped me make my decision! I will post pics soon!

Kimber