CBR or try to change???

[Goofydaddave]

Me and DW and our 2 girls,,,6 and 9,, for their first trip Sept 22-29!!! Got free dining at CBR.... Should we try to switch to CSR or POFQ?? I was leaning towrds these resorts but couldnt make ressies until thurs evening.. Park hopper 5 days and will pay for waterparks one day while we are there.. I here watch the food at CBR,, and its seems to be last on everyones list.. I could stay at parks until closing but the girls may give out on me half a day or so here and there...
Wife and I have been to ASM before but this may be once in a lifetime trip for my girls..(Until teenage years anyway)...want it to be special...Thanks for any and all input............

 

[MariaEllerºoº]

Personally I wouldn't switch. We're biased because CBR is our favorite resort. We love the lay-out of this resort. It really helps to keep crowd levels down...you don't feel as if you're being run over by a mob of people as you can feel at smaller resorts. It's easy walking within the resort. If you don't want to pay for a preferred room than request Jamaica 45, 46 or 44 or Aruba 52. Aruba 51 is the only smoking optional building of this whole resort. We found the food court to be fabulous! Lots of different foods to chose from, fresh and delicious! Much better than some of the deluxe resorts. We love the themeing, atmosphere, location and the rooms are larger here than the other moderate resorts. Great paths to rent bikes and they have their own marina to rent watercraft. The shopping selection is fantastic! One section is the straw market where you can find caribbean themed selections and the trading post has the typical Disney souvenirs plus first aid, strollers, luggage, etc, etc..... Great selections! We found the main pool to be quiet in the mornings and evenings and we always had the quiet pool to ourselves each time we went. CBR does not share buses with any other resort which is a huge plus! They even have an internal bus that makes a loop around the resort to OLP for those who do not want to walk. Great playground areas for the kids and you can view Illuminations and see Spaceship Earth from this resort.

CBR is fantastic!

 

[Cindy B]

CSR right now is very hard to find rooms, let alone free dining rooms.
I've been trying for three months for availability in late August and has been blocked, let alone any free dining rooms.

I love CSR and would love go back, but my dates have been blocked since December/January. And yes, I call CRO, check AAA website, and even check Expedia/travelocity, etc...

I've also heard that POFQ has sold on certain dates for free dining rooms.

 

[bnk1120]

I think you are going to have a great time no matter where you stay! I stayed at CBR last year and loved it. Yes, it is large. However, it is quiet and peaceful and very pretty. It also has a TS restaurant and POFQ does not. I'm one of those people who always think things work out a certain way for a reason...so I stay stick with your original ressies and have an amazing time!

 

[Goofydaddave]

Thanks for input! So it sounds as though shuttle service is pretty good.. Is the proximity good to all parks as well??

 

[catbertdave99]

We love CBR! The bus service to the parks is quick and efficient. There are buses coming to all the stops frequently, and CBR doesn't share buses with any other resort. You'll have a great time!

 

[Amy&Dan]

We absolutely loved CBR. We also loved CSR, POR and POFQ! All four moderate resorts have their own special charm and theming. If I was lucky enough to have trip during the Free Dining timeframe, any resort I could land would be fine by me!

Be sure to check out the CBR FAQ thread for lots of information and details on this resort. It does seem to always rank last in the polls here on the dis and that puzzles me. But the bottom line is that there are plenty of people who love the resort. I bet you will one of them! Have a wonderful time on your Disneyworld trip!

 

[mm6mm6]

Stick with the Caribbean Beach Resort! You'll love it!

Seven pools! Parrot Cay Island (watch fireworks from it)! Double sinks in the rooms! Wonderful bright colors and theming! Manicured white sand beaches! Comfy hammocks to lounge in the sun on! Water Mice to rent! Surrey bikes to tour around on! Ducks, huge turtles and bass to feed (bring quarters for fish food)! Two great restaurants to choose from (you can even have table service at your resort)! Wonderful check in area! Shimmering lake water views! Bar right by the main pool! Water cannons at the pool along with a slide and water fall! Relaxed and open feeling the way a "resort" should be...not a "hotel/motel" feel! Excellent bus service!

Here's a pic from our room, showing the beach, the lake, and Parrot Cay Island:

Here's the main pool (that's my DD5 going down the slide):

Here's another shot of gorgeous beach, lake and island:

Look at those vivacious colors:

Did I convince you????

Enjoy!

 

[jenk99]

We really enjoyed our stay at CBR! It provided a really nice relaxing retreat from the parks.

If you can afford to upgrade to the preferred building, I would highly recommend it. It is closer to the food court, main pool and main bus stop. I think if this is a "once in a lifetime" trip, it would be worth the extra expense.

Have fun!!

 

[cinderellacm2000]

Have a wonderful time! We stayed there this past September and I can not wait to go back. Our kids had a ball and the ambiance was romantic, festive, and welcoming. I think you are very fortunate!

 

[Linda T.]

We love CBR! We are going in July and this will be our fifth time there. We love the beautiful tropical themeing, the white sandy beaches with hammocks, and the ducks. We love the size of the rooms with the two double sinks. We have always had good bus service and we like the food court. My daughters (now 20 & 17) only want to stay at CBR. Have a great trip!

Linda T.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

June, 1979 - Offsite
June, 1995 - CBR
June, 1997 - CBR
June, 1999 - POR
June, 2003 - CBR
March, 2005 - Disneyland
June, 2005 - CBR

Next Trip - July 11 thru July 18 - CBR

 

[miraged]

We loved CBR my dd and ds and I were there for 10 days the last week of May and the first week of June, in 2006. We stayed in Aruba and it was a bit of a walk to the food court, but we had a nice fridge and kept things in there for breakfast. The kids loved the big main pool, and the much quieter village pool, which was really great for me doing laundry since it was right there. If your kids like animals, there are bunnies, birds, little lizards, lots of wildlife that my daughter adored. The bus service was excellent, and the children really enjoyed going to the parks in the morning and relaxing at the hotel in the afternoon. I'm hoping to take them back this September and the response from them is this is their favourite place to stay. Oh, plus we could see the fireworks from Epcot in the evening. It really is lovely, and the WDW staff are all wonderful.
Donna

 

[Goofydaddave]

Great positive info! Will look into upgrading room at checkin, (with luck, free of charge) upon checkin,, feedback has eased my mind and decision,,--could have went with POR,,, already have ADR for Cindys breakfast at the castle!! sweet!!

 

[mm6mm6]

Hey Goofydaddave!

From one guy to another, you're going to love CRT with your daughters! Be sure you get in some of the pictures too!

And don't forget to bring a disposable underwater camera or two (buy 'em at home where they're cheap instead of impulse buying one at WDW)...they're great for pics at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach.

By the way, I recommend TL over BB. The single HUGE wave at TL is alot more fun than the constant wave pool at BB. Your daughters will love the Crush N Gusher roller coaster (it goes UP!) tube ride. All the other slides are a blast and Shark Reef is a really cool salt water snorkling experience with the safety of lifeguards all around. It's just like being around an ocean reef!
And the lazy river is fantastic!!!

Have fun!
-Steve

 

[MariaEllerºoº]

If you don't want to pay for a preferred room than I highly suggest requesting Jamaica 45...literally at the foot of the bridge and island to OLP! Very easy walk and a quick walk to the bus stop. Also, Jamaica/Aruba is the first bus stop when buses use the Jamaica entrance into the resort. Never a long wait for buses.

 

[bjscheel]

I had just decided I wanted CBR for our next, as yet undecided dates, trip. This thread is even more encouragement! I was just pricing packages for fun and saw it was not much more than a value. Looks fabulous, can't wait!