Caribbean Beach Resort too big?

[jeirikis]

We are looking at staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort in a preferred location room but I keep hearing that it's so big & a far walk to the pool, to eat & to the buses. We have a 3 year old & a 1 year old & we don't want to spend a lot of our time walking very far to get to everything.

 

[I Love Pluto]

If you are staying in a preferred location, then you will be in the 3 buildings to the left (Trinidad North) of the main building and the 3 buildings to the right (Martinique). They are not far away at all.

Explain your concern at check-in. The CBR staff will work their best to please you in your choice of location. They are fantastic at this resort!

 

[disneydreamin247]

The size of CBR is often exaggerated. I have stayed there and thought the resort was beautiful and peaceful. If you are staying in a preferred location you will be in a building close to OPR so there will not be a long walk with your little ones.

 

[Sue M]

We loved CBR. Stayed in Jamaica section and it was a great location. One thing, CBR buildings are only 2 stories, so don't have elevators. If you have strollers you may want to request a ground floor location.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We stayed at CBR in Feb 2011. It is a beautiful resort!!! We were in Barbados (not preferred) and felt that after a long day of walking in the parks, it was pretty long to walk over to the OPR for a snack or to fill our mugs... Especially with two little ones who were already asking us to carry them. that being said, I agree with pp in that you should let them know your concerns upon check in and I think they will do their best to address them..we had great customer service from the front desk when we were there...they went above and beyond to address our issues!

 

[OKW Lover]

Keep in mind that the area with the "services" is centrally located so you won't ever have to walk the entire length of the resort. At worst your walk will be half way.

 

[mericletwins]

Everyone's definition of "too large" is different. The first time we stayed there our twins were 9 months old and I was 6 months pregnant and I thought it was lovely. We were in the Aruba building and I didn't think the walk to Old Port Royal was that far at all. Plus, there are multiple bus stops throughout the resort so you are never far from a bus stop. I would assume that you would be using strollers, so having to carry the kids shouldn't be an issue.

 

[MMrules]

If you are staying in a preferred location the walk will be fine. I have stayed in one of the furthest locations and the walk was not too bad. Even at deluxes there is a lot of walking within the hotel it is just that the halls are enclosed from the elements. The resort is beautiful and walking around it is enjoyable.

I would bring a stroller for each child to use within the resort and it won't be an issue.

 

[JennyDrake]

I'll echo what others have said, if you are staying in a preferred location it will be irrelevant. We stayed in preferred a few years ago and even from the second florr it was 6 minutes to the food court or bus stop.

 

[caseyjmu99]

When we booked our room the agent said that it was the largest of the disney properties. We decided to book a preferred room so that we could be close to dining and the main pool.

 

[shells4]

We stayed at CBR Jamaica and it was a shorter walk then where we stayed at the Polynesian. We thought the resort was lovely and enjoyed the walk. Jamaica is not a preferred location but we have requested it for our next stay in March. If you walk from one end of the resort to the other, it is large, but the pool and dining area is centrally located. JMO but I thought the size of the resort was blown out of proportion.

 

[P00H1010]

The size of CBR is often exaggerated. I have stayed there and thought the resort was beautiful and peaceful. If you are staying in a preferred location you will be in a building close to OPR so there will not be a long walk with your little ones.

I agree...we loved CBR and loved the layout of the resort. Although the resort is rather large, we didn't feel like it was as massive as people make it out to be.

OP, I wouldn't be concerned about walking distance for the little ones, I think you'll be fine. As stated the preferred rooms are in Trinidad North and Martinique. The food court, main pirate pool, gift shop etc are all located at Old Port Royale. As you can see by this map, those two villages are the closet locations to Old Port Royale:

Also keep in mind, if you and your family really aren't into the main pool each village has their own pool as well. There also is an internal bus system if you don't want to walk. Have a great time!!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I agree with everyone else. When we stayed at CBR, I really wanted to book a preferred room but none were available. Best $150 I ever saved! We were put in Barbados 14 which is one of the more outlying sections for standard rooms (pirate rooms are a teeny bit further I think) and it was perfect. Our walk was around 5-7 minutes at a VERY leisurely pace to OPR, we had two quiet pools very nearby, bus stop very nearby and we enjoyed being close to the Custom House for our Magical Express pick up.

I walked all over that resort, I timed the walks from the various sections and was surprised at how convenient it was.

From my experience if I had extrememly young kids who were in strollers but maybe I didn't have one (as in I was renting my strollers at the parks) I would get preferred or young kids too old for a stroller and also if it was the heat of summer and I didn't want to walk too much in the heat to the pool, I would book preferred. Otherwise I would not.

If you do book preferred, you will be fine. A preferred room at CBR is about as convenient as you get at a Disney resort.

Longest walks I ever had at WDW were at Boardwalk. Down a long hallway (albeit it was air conditioned) to the elevator, than through the lobby, and then walk a bit to the bus stop. I was missing our Barbados location that trip let me tell you.

 

[RHMH]

Hello - Martinique is a great area. Close to 2 pools and not very far from the Centertown and the main pool area. With the little one's, don't forget to request the first floor.

 

[eribriggs]

Don't worry! Like everyone has said, it's all in where you stay at CBR. We have stayed there many times (with 3 kids) and we always request Martinique and receive our request! It is a beautiful, relaxing resort to stay at.

 

[tanyaandallie]

It IS a big resort and it IS spread out. Is it too big? I think that depends. We went this summer and took one walk from our room to Old Port Royale. It was INSANEly hot. WAY too hot. I was seriously roasting. There is just not shade at all. We are walkers, have no issue with the walking, but the walking in the serious crazy heat with no shade was more than I could handle.

So.......if you are going in August, take the resort shuttle to the main pool instead of walking unless you really do get a preferred room. If you are going when it's not so blazing hot........you will be fine!

 

[njmom47]

We stayed in Aruba and walked the bridge to Old Port Royale. And as others have said, there is an internal (resort only) bus if you need it. I loved that each building has it's own quiet pool...a quick way to relax without the commotion of the big pool. And the playground was very closeby as well.