CBR Travel Hacks

[kace08]

I've heard horrible reviews about Transportation at CBR. Are there any hacks for getting around? I'm especially concerned about getting to/from Disney Springs, the Waterparks and the Boardwalk. I've heard the resort is hard to get around as well because of its size. Is there a particular building that I might be able to reserve to reduce walking to bus stops and transportation time? I'll be staying there in late August.
Thank you!

 

[patty57]

Uber or Lyft.

 

[WEDWDW]

Wait for then Gondolas to be built.

 

[AngiTN]

I've heard horrible reviews about Transportation at CBR. Are there any hacks for getting around? I'm especially concerned about getting to/from Disney Springs, the Waterparks and the Boardwalk. I've heard the resort is hard to get around as well because of its size. Is there a particular building that I might be able to reserve to reduce walking to bus stops and transportation time? I'll be staying there in late August.
Thank you!

First, you can't go from CBR to Boardwalk on the Disney buses. You'll have to go to a park and transfer. Uber/Lyft is always better when going resort to resort.
Disney Springs is about the same at all resorts. Getting there isn't so bad. Getting back can be a PITA. We Uber/Lyft there too.
We don't do water parks so no clue on them.

 

[Sweet Pea Reed]

If you'd like to reduce the amount of walking to bus stops, you could probably make a building/room request to be close to a bus stop. CBR is made up of various "villages" and each village has its own bus stop. I stayed there last month, and while all the villages are around a sizable lake, there is no need to walk around the lake every time you need to go somewhere. It's not difficult to navigate. Except for the time that I willingly took a stroll the whole way around the resort, the only walking we did was to our bus stop, and then to and from Old Port Royale for the food court a few times. I would suggest asking for a room near a bus stop. CBR is a gorgeous place --- enjoy your trip!

 

[AEA1127]

We stayed in Jamaica and it was the first pick up in the morning (I believe). We were always able to get a seat, so if that's something important to you then maybe that would be a good village request.

 

[Beer Me]

There's no direct bus from CBR to the Boardwalk but everything else is no problem.

In a given week, most of the time we will wait <20 minutes for a bus. A handful of times maybe 30. And usually once or twice during a trip there is a 40 minute wait which can be aggravating, but in my experience is on par with bus service at any Disney resort.

My hacks for a nice CBR stay -

Utilize the quiet pool in whatever section you are staying. We found the main pool crowded and noisy. The quiet pool which was steps from our room rarely had more than a dozen people at any time. Usually we had it all to ourselves. I keep a supply of beer, soda and snacks in the room so frequent trips to the main hub were not necessary.

Check out the beach and hammocks near each section. Again, they are rarely occupied and can be incredibly peaceful before or after a trip to the parks. Bring a drink and a book.

 

[DisneyAnytime]

We pretty much always stay at CBR and feel that the resort bus system gets a bad rap. It is only "bad" if you have mobility issues because it is pretty spread out. However, there are bus stops at each village and are typically just across the parking lot. Some people get frustrated because the bus does stop at each village on its loop around the resort before departing for the park(s). To me, that is just all about managing your expectations. If you are aware going in, and are willing to "go with the flow", it shouldn't be an issue. The wait for buses is never long unless you walk up just as the bus you were wanting is pulling out. Of course, it isn't a perfect system and the buses aren't exactly "like clockwork" because -- well, traffic.

Either way, you are at Disney World so relax and enjoy!

 

[kitkat4622]

Check out the beach and hammocks near each section. Again, they are rarely occupied and can be incredibly peaceful before or after a trip to the parks. Bring a drink and a book.

I plan on putting a hammock to good use on our shortened park days

 

[AngiTN]

We pretty much always stay at CBR and feel that the resort bus system gets a bad rap. It is only "bad" if you have mobility issues because it is pretty spread out. However, there are bus stops at each village and are typically just across the parking lot. Some people get frustrated because the bus does stop at each village on its loop around the resort before departing for the park(s). To me, that is just all about managing your expectations. If you are aware going in, and are willing to "go with the flow", it shouldn't be an issue. The wait for buses is never long unless you walk up just as the bus you were wanting is pulling out. Of course, it isn't a perfect system and the buses aren't exactly "like clockwork" because -- well, traffic.

Either way, you are at Disney World so relax and enjoy!

Boy, this should be posted as a sticky and just fill in the blank for every Resort on property. These are not just CBR issues. This is the nature of a mass transit system, which Disney Buses are.
Manage Expectations
Go with the Flow
Relax, you are at Disney
Remember those things would alleviate so much stress overall

 

[margot31]

Boy, this should be posted as a sticky and just fill in the blank for every Resort on property. These are not just CBR issues. This is the nature of a mass transit system, which Disney Buses are.
Manage Expectations
Go with the Flow
Relax, you are at Disney
Remember those things would alleviate so much stress overall

Thanks for that....for the past few days I have gotten very nervous about my resort choice at CBR (first time with kids and young kids at that) and while it was the best deal for us, I was starting to regret the choice. But than if I didn't choose this who knows when I would be getting back to disney. Would it be wrong to not do online check in....we still have to go to the front desk but from my understanding that the room assignments are made even prior to getting there.

 

[AngiTN]

Thanks for that....for the past few days I have gotten very nervous about my resort choice at CBR (first time with kids and young kids at that) and while it was the best deal for us, I was starting to regret the choice. But than if I didn't choose this who knows when I would be getting back to disney. Would it be wrong to not do online check in....we still have to go to the front desk but from my understanding that the room assignments are made even prior to getting there.

We do online check in, always. Because it means the trip is one step closer. It's mostly mental. But yes, they do assign the rooms a few days prior to arrival. There is no harm in waiting till you arrive. If you want to pay the room total due (for room only) with gift cards it can be a benefit to you to wait till you arrive. Otherwise, if you do online check in they run the card you put on file at that time prior to your arrival. They can reverse it but that can be a pain so if you don't want to charge to a card on file then you do skip online check in.
Worth noting that doing online check in and going to the front desk at arrival are really 2 different things. You can do online check in and still go to the front desk if you want. Nothing stopping you. And some people don't get their room number via text even when they do online check in. I typically do both, online check in so I can give them room preferences and stop by the front desk, because I like seeing the staff.

 

[Tmom5]

We pretty much always stay at CBR and feel that the resort bus system gets a bad rap. It is only "bad" if you have mobility issues because it is pretty spread out. However, there are bus stops at each village and are typically just across the parking lot. Some people get frustrated because the bus does stop at each village on its loop around the resort before departing for the park(s). To me, that is just all about managing your expectations. If you are aware going in, and are willing to "go with the flow", it shouldn't be an issue. The wait for buses is never long unless you walk up just as the bus you were wanting is pulling out. Of course, it isn't a perfect system and the buses aren't exactly "like clockwork" because -- well, traffic.

Either way, you are at Disney World so relax and enjoy!

We are a very "go with the flow" family, very laid back, and know we will have a good time, because It's Disney!! But for the first time we have a member of our group with very limited mobility and dementia (no stairs, and will be in WC most of the time)...Can you give me some tips to make the most of our stay at CBR! I booked it before I realized the size (because we were down to 4 months away) and we don't have a lot of options to switch now. So any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!