Caribbean Beach Resort - second thoughts

[Youneek1]

I booked our first trip to WDW yesterday through a travel agent. I elected to get price quotes only for Contemporary and Caribbean Beach Resort. I'd prefer Port Orleans, but both locations are not showing availability for our dates. I decided on Contemporary, mostly since I have dreamed of staying there since I was a little girl. This stems from the fact that growing up, it was the hotel shown most frequently in connection to Disney World. I also love the idea of the monorail right into the hotel. Outside of those 2 facts, I don't have an emotional attachment to Contemporary.

After thinking about it for the whole day, I've now talked myself into switching to the Caribbean Beach Resort. I love the idea of using Skyliner. And, while money is not the only factor, I don't mind saving a little extra money by staying at Moderate vs Deluxe. But I am second guessing again, and now looking at every available option and have worked myself into an anxiety induced self doubt party.

We will be staying only 7 nights, with 6 days in the parks. The break down is 2 in MK, 2 in Animal Kingdom (my daughter is obsessed with Avatar. But is that too much?), 1 day in Epcot and 1 day in Hollywood Studios. I would like to be able to return to the hotel if needed to allow my kiddos to have their inevitable mid-day break down tantrum in the cool of our room vs in the parks.

Any pros or cons that experienced guests can pass my way? I'm feeling very overwhelmed, and just want to feel comfortable with this decision and I don't know the factors I even need to take into consideration.

 

[Carol_]

I’ve stayed all over. Relax about CBR. It’s great and fun and the skyliner is awesome. So is the pool.
Visit the contemporary while you’re there. Eat at The Wave with your saved $$.
(I love the monorail too but there’s a reason there’s no Magic Candle Company product with the featured scent “Monorail”)

 

[Youneek1]

I’ve stayed all over. Relax about CBR. It’s great and fun and the skyliner is awesome. So is the pool.
Visit the contemporary while you’re there. Eat at The Wave with your saved $$.

Thank you. As silly as it sounds, I think I just needed to hear someone say it. I've been reading so many reviews, my head is spinning.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If staying at CR isn’t out of your reach I would go with CR. We’ve stayed at both and benefits of CR greatly outweighed the savings for us. Rooms are huge at CR compared to CBR. Walking to MK is so easy. CBR is very spread out

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Based on the need for a quick mid-day break close to the parks I’d say stick with CR - you’re only spending 2 days in the Epcot area so you’ll spend the other 4 waiting for/on buses for a while.

However if you decide that you want to switch we really like CBR, it’s a beautiful property and the pool there is great for kids

Have fun!

 

[nkereina]

I don't disagree that Contemporary would be best for 2 days at MK, but with 1 day at DHS and 1 day at Epcot, the benefit of being able to walk from CR to MK is the same benefit as being able to use the Skyliner to DHS and Epcot from CBR. So no matter if you choose CR or CBR, you'll have to use alternate transportation the same amount of time. I think CBR is also more centrally located, so your commutes to and from AK would take less time as well.

When are you going? Resorts are operating at low capacity right now, so there's a good chance of getting a room in a decent location at CBR. We like Jamaica 45 and Aruba 51 for easy access to Old Port Royale, the pool, and the Skyliner.

 

[karen4546]

Not a fan of CBR. So, my vote would be CR (Especially since it is your DREAM) ! Could you do a split stay? No matter which one you choose, it's WDW and you are going to have so much fun!

 

[Dug720]

I adore CBR! I really wish I'd had my TA book it for me for Marathon Weekend, but I opted for AoA to save money. Looked yesterday out of curiosity and while CBR is still available, it's now $100/night more than I'm paying at AoA pre-taxes added on, and $500+ is pretty much my meals and such while there!! (Especially with no dining plan) So unless there is a BIG discount offered between now and then, I'll be quite content in my LM room!

I do love CBR though. It was my first on-property resort and I still consider it my Disney Home.

 

[Dsny4fun]

I love CBR.....and the extra money saved can be used towards a future vacation

 

[MomOTwins]

I think deluxes make a big difference with midday breaks. Your room will be a much shorter (and air conditioned) walk from transportation, room will be a nicer place to chill while the kiddos rest, the pool if you use it on breaks will be closer to your room and less crowded, and for the parks where you are reliant on bus transportation, that is easier at a deluxe with one stop than CBR with a long bus loop. We've only done a moderate (POR) once, and we found the transportation to be torture compared to deluxes--and that was with staying all day at the parks and only needing it to go to parks in the morning and back in the evening. If i had to add another round trip midday I would have been miserable.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Based on the need for a quick mid-day break close to the parks I’d say stick with CR - you’re only spending 2 days in the Epcot area so you’ll spend the other 4 waiting for/on buses for a while.

However if you decide that you want to switch we really like CBR, it’s a beautiful property and the pool there is great for kids

Have fun!

I don't agree. They're also only spending two days in MK. That, combined with CBR's much more central location to the three parks that aren't Magic Kingdom, plus the actual bus ride times between CBR and the three parks, make the Moderate resort that much more desirable. Even if the Epcot monorail were to open by the time OP arrives, getting back from Epcot to CR requires two monorail rides, a transfer, and three more stops before arriving at the resort.

If OK doesn't get have park reservations, probably the best solution is four nights CBR, transfer to CR, reserve the two full CR days for Magic Kingdom.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

If OK doesn't get have park reservations, probably the best solution is four nights CBR, transfer to CR, reserve the two full CR days for Magic Kingdom.

Oooohhhh split stay is actually a great idea!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oooohhhh split stay is actually a great idea!

Thankyou thankyou! No applause, please - just throw money!

 

[Summer2018]

I booked our first trip to WDW yesterday through a travel agent. I elected to get price quotes only for Contemporary and Caribbean Beach Resort. I'd prefer Port Orleans, but both locations are not showing availability for our dates. I decided on Contemporary, mostly since I have dreamed of staying there since I was a little girl. This stems from the fact that growing up, it was the hotel shown most frequently in connection to Disney World. I also love the idea of the monorail right into the hotel. Outside of those 2 facts, I don't have an emotional attachment to Contemporary.

After thinking about it for the whole day, I've now talked myself into switching to the Caribbean Beach Resort. I love the idea of using Skyliner. And, while money is not the only factor, I don't mind saving a little extra money by staying at Moderate vs Deluxe. But I am second guessing again, and now looking at every available option and have worked myself into an anxiety induced self doubt party.

We will be staying only 7 nights, with 6 days in the parks. The break down is 2 in MK, 2 in Animal Kingdom (my daughter is obsessed with Avatar. But is that too much?), 1 day in Epcot and 1 day in Hollywood Studios. I would like to be able to return to the hotel if needed to allow my kiddos to have their inevitable mid-day break down tantrum in the cool of our room vs in the parks.

Any pros or cons that experienced guests can pass my way? I'm feeling very overwhelmed, and just want to feel comfortable with this decision and I don't know the factors I even need to take into consideration.

I've stayed at both, and my experience staying at the Contemporary was tremendously better than at the Caribbean. I'm sure the skyliner has improved transportation, but I just didn't like the resort or the room very much. We loved our room in the Contemporary. It was so much larger and the view from the tower of Bay Lake was breathtaking. The convenience of being able to walk or monorail to MK was everything. We loved the pools, the grounds, the shops, and the restaurant options including their Quick Service. The only way I would return to CBR is if I was offered a free vacation, and I got the room all to myself.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Thankyou thankyou! No applause, please - just throw money!

 

[westie55]

I've stayed at both. Of all the Disney resorts (I've stayed at most of them), the Contemporary was the biggest let down. The grounds, buildings, and decor are unattractive and I missed the better theming of other Disney resorts. CBR is great. Yes, it is spread out, but the grounds are beautiful. The rooms are nice for a lot less money. The food court has so much more variety. The pool at CBR is SO much better. I liked being on the monorail for sure. MK is my favorite park. But the walk, which I thought would be so great, was long and hot with no shade and my toddler was in a "refuse to ride in the stroller" phase which didn't help. We ended up on the monorail more often than not. The gondola makes CBR even more attractive than it used to be. I last stayed at CBR 3 years ago and I was at the Contemporary last year. I like CBR better than CR overall I think, which is saying a lot since it is half the price.

 

[Selket]

I adore the CR - it's probably my favorite resort. If park hopping was still a thing for your trip then CR would be an easy choice as it's so nice to be able just to walk or monorail over there in the evening or to another resort for dinner, etc. CBR is nice and I think the skyliner adds some flexibility. I'm personally not too keen on changing resorts especially if you have kids - so much nicer to unpack for the week and not have to deal with that. But...all that being said.... I think you really cannot go wrong with CR or CBR or a split stay. If you're visiting farther in the future (like next summer) when park hopping could be back - I'd lean more to the CR. Nothing beats walking to the MK

 

[Sunnywho]

If you stick with the Contemporary, that would be awesome for midday breaks from MK. With that hotel, I'd consider doing 3 days at MK and 1 day each at the other parks. Two full days at AK might be hard to fill considering that the shows are closed and it sounds like your kids are too young for thrill rides. Two days at MK and two days at EP is also a good option.

 

[Spazz2k]

So you can't go wrong with either choice, but for us when our kids were little, they preferred CBR. From the pool, the playground, the new bar and center area...it is really more kid friendly than the CR. The pool at the CR is kinda plain IMO compared to CBR...Skyliner is really a great experience for its great views and quick travel times, so that adds to the excitement.

My pros and cons
Contemporary Pros
Monorail
Chef Mickey's
Hotel monorail hop to see Poly and GF
Huge rooms

Cons
Right now if in tower..elevator wait time is crazy
Kinda basic pool
Not a ton of outdoor space
Long transportation rides

Caribbean Pros
Skyliner
Pool and playground area
Bar pool is fantastic
Open outdoor spaces
Topolinos at RR is fantastic also Mickey breakfast

Cons
Rooms are kinda blah
Long bus waits... especially during covid
Can be a hike to pool if in a far building
If there are storms in the area..no Skyliner

I dunno...you will be fine at either..just my 2 cents worth..we go a lot and have stayed at them all, doesn't make me right or wrong, just gives me an opinion. Hope you have a great trip!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

The other potential con to CBR is the lack of elevators.