CBR fan: I'm won over

[WedWay72]

My wife and I, after staying at many WDW resorts decided to check out Caribbean Beach Resort in January...and thought I'd quickly share our experience. We really enjoyed the theming there...and the water really adds a great deal to the effect. The CM's were nice, the room was like BRAND new (they were just rehabbed) and we felt was the cleanest of any WDW resort room we had ever stayed in.

A nice feature: a sliding curtain between the sinks and the bed area..which is nice in the morning if the early waker wants to not bother the family/spouse.

Food court was efficient and colorful. "Shudders" gave us a great evening meal.....VERY nice.

Bus service was fine but you're the first pickup so expect to ride the entire resort before getting out to the parks.

I'll keep this short but my wife has named this her favorite resort (it's the beaches, water, color)...and I really enjoyed it as well.

Three cheers to the rehab....I think we've got our CBR back from the old days, when it was the first moderate resort at WDW.

 

[Janet2k]

WedWay72, I, too, fell in love with the CBR during my stay there. It is a great resort. I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

 

[safetymom]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed CBR. It is our favorite resort.

 

[Robinette]

[Originally posted by WedWay72]

A nice feature: a sliding curtain between the sinks and the bed area..which is nice in the morning if the early waker wants to not bother the family/spouse.

____________________________________

We too love CBR. And that curtain is soooo nice to have for us that like to get up and ready early. It blocks most of the vanity area light from the rest of the room. I wish they would put that in all of the resorts.

Glad you enjoyed your vacation there!

 

[vicnmickey]

You have alot of great pics on your site. Thanks for sharing with us. I am so looking forward to going back, 53 more days!!!!

 

[safetymom]

You will love it. Glad to hear you enjoyed the pictures.

 

[powellrj]

Thankyou so much for your review of the CBR. We are going in June, and were really excited until I read Bob Sehlingers book. He didn't have nice things to say about the CBR and I was begining to wonder if I had made a mistake. Thank you so much for bringing back my excitment. These boards have become an obsession, I can't seem to walk by the computer without checking out whats new! Thanks again!

 

[safetymom]

I don't understand how anyone wouldn't like CBR. If you are used to Deluxe hotels maybe but I think CBR offers an escape from the world with the theming and the lake. I truly feel like I have taken an Island vacation when we stay at CBR.

 

[SuzEm]

This is great to hear! I'm trying out CBR this year for the first time, and was a little hesitant to try it because I loved CSR so much. But I think trying different resorts is part of the fun. I'm really looking forward to my 9 nights at CBR!

 

[mimimom]

THanks so much for bringing back my excitement for our trip in july i had read some posts that were not very kind to CBR and i was beginning to worry. this will be our first trip to DW. we have been to disneyland several times because its just easier for us since we live in washington state and it is possible to drive. DW seems almost overwhelming compared toDL.We will be staying 2 weeks(1week off site week 2 at CBR) will this be enough time do you think? 4 months and 8 days until departue!!! mimimom

 

[sm4987]

I love this resort as well. I stayed once 10 years ago and then again last year. It is a wonderful place for me. Even though I've decided to try WL this summer, I'm going to drive to CB because I love it so much.

 

[boltjames]

Question: How does a family of 4 with a two-year old function in one room?

Answer: That all-important curtain in the CBR rooms.

If you can live without hanging any of your clothes, you'll find that the rental cribs fit perfectly between the sink and the indented wall of the pseudo-closet. Ben goes to sleep at 7pm, so we turn out the lights in the bathroom/vanity and put him in his crib. Close the curtain, and the rest of us can watch TV and read with the lights on while the little one sleeps.

BJ

 

[safetymom]

Mimimom, you will love CBR. I find there is always something new at the parks or resorts every time I go. I don't worry if I don't see everything in one trip. That way I can come back again.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

We just got back last week from our first ever stay at CBR. We loved it. Everything about it, from the theming to mousekeeping. My requests were filled very quickly with little extras I wanted. Everyone was so friendly. The food court was great. Alot of selections for everyone to choose from. The only problem was the coffee. YUCK! We figured out with 5 creams and 6 sugars you can doctor it up to drinking levels.

 

[Momto8]

WedWay72, thanks for the positive feedback on CBR. I'm really looking forward to staying there for our first time in June.

I have a couple of questions about the bus service at CBR. For those of you who use Disney's transportation, were the buses crowded? By looking at the resort, it looks like they have 7 bus stops. Is this correct? Did it take longer to get to the parks than other resorts because of all the stops? My DH likes to the park the car and take Disney transportation. He loves the fact that he doesn't have to drive our entire vacation, so transportation is very important to us.

We've stayed at POR 3 times (like this resort) and CSR once (didn't care for it) and wanted to try something new this time, but if transportation is not that good at CBR, we might consider switching.

Powellrj, that's why I don't buy Bob Sehlinger's book anymore. It is too negative and while reading the book, I almost got the feeling that it almost discourages you from going to WDW. There are too many other good guide books out there that aren't so negative. JMHO.

 

[franw]

We have always found the bus service to be terrific at the CBR. Every once in a while you just miss the bus you wanted but we have seldom waited more than 10 minutes. You can run into crowded busses at peak times going to any resort but if you time it right, you can usually get a seat. If you wait until the park is closing or one of the fireworks or parades has just ended you will probably have a pretty crowded bus. We either leave before or we hang around for a while afterwards and the bus lines are more manageable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the CBR to anyone, especially someone with kids.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

No problems at all with the bus service a couple of weeks ago. Like the other poster said, you may just miss a bus going to your destination, and there may be a couple in a row for the same place, but you really don't wait long at all for your bus to come along. There are seven stops, but they were varied during the week. We stayed in Martinique and most times we were the third or fourth stop. But sometimes, we were the first, coming back from the parks that is. During our week, we only had to stand once, and that was after the fireworks at MK.

 

[BuzzMe]

We stayed at CBR last weekend and were not to happy with the buses. It felt like it took forvever to make the rounds of all the bus stops in the resort(at least 20 minutes). We stayed in Jamaica and were usually the first stop so we always got seats, but by the last stop many people were standing. We often had long waits for buses heading back to the resort from the parks. Surprisingly the bus to/from Downtown Disney was the quickest!
People often post about how spread out CSR is, but CBR seemed much more spread out to us and the busing much less efficient.

 

[Momto8]

Thanks for all the replies about the bus service. I'm sure the buses run about the same as other resorts and that it's just hit or miss with the timing.

But 20 minutes to make the rounds!! That's just a bit much. I'm concerned about the number of stops and the time it will take to go around the resort. I thought it was bad with POFQ and POR with 5 stops and also the Epcot resorts having 5 stops also, but 7 stops!! I remember the buses at BW, Y&BC, and S&D seeming to take forever before leaving for the parks but can't remember if it took 20 minutes. But maybe they did because the bus had to go to each resort and that might be more driving than going around one resort. I know the boat ride to Epcot and MGM seemed to take forever with all the stops, plus it went so slow, so maybe it will be about the same time at CBR as the Epcot resorts.

Any comments?

 

[smg1062]

Im happy with what Ive read here about the CBR (SAFETY MOMS pics help!!). Weve been to WDW 3 times, all deluxe. This will be our 1st time with our 6 yr old boy. The resort looks very cool, a change of pace from the 'hotel' look of some others at WDW. Question for all: I requested the Martinique villa because its closest to the main building.
Is that of any benefit?

Thanks,

Steve (Eli's dad)