We stayed at the CSR from 8-5-03 to 8-11-03.
What a wonderful resort! We stayed at the Caribbean Beach last year and they are very similar. The big difference is the theming.
We checked in on tuesday at around 8:30am. No line at all. Just one person in front of us. About 5 windows open to check in. It went very smoothly and our CM was wonderful.
I had made three Priority Seatings before our trip. I didn't know we could get printouts and confirm them right there on the other side of the check in area. It makes sense that you can of course though!
So I got printouts that make it that much easier to just hand them over at your dinner or show when you arrive.
With that done, we left our minivan in the main lot and took a bus to MK.
I must say, the green fountain at the El Centro main entrance is just so peaceful to welcome you to the resort.
The gift/convenience store is very nice with everything we needed and lots to look around at.
The bathrooms/mail/ATM/lounge areas were super clean and beautiful!
The patio area right behind the entrance that opens onto the resort and the lake is breathtaking. Just watch out for the toxic bird poop on the railing that I got on my Disney tshirt which stained it permanently in an instant....
We only ate at the Pepper Market once since we were at the parks so much and had so many pre-planned dinners. But it was very nice. I liked the set up and it lent a very authentic flavor to the southwest atmosphere. We didn't get to try the Maya Grill, again due to just not being there much.
We were in room 8242 in Cabanas 8A on the second floor in a water view room. The CM who checked us in gave us that room as she said it would be great for our DD6 to be close to the dig site.
Trust the CM! It was just plain perfect! We parked later our first day (after returning from MK) and never moved the van again for seven days.
Our room was super clean and the theming was perfect. Having stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort last year, the only difference is that the CSR has just one sink instead of two and there wasn't a curtain to draw to separate the sink area from the main room. No biggie though, hardly even worth noting.
Our view of the lake was just fantastic! I loved stepping out on the sidewalk to the railing with my morning beverage and taking in the Florida heat/humidity/blue sky.
The Dig Site pool rules! The CBR's main pool pales in comparison. At the CBR, we were right by the Jamaica quiet pool and we used it constantly. We only went to the main pool once and found it too crowded and too small with a tiny hot tub and a little kiddie slide. Although I did like the waterfall.
The Dig Site Jaguar slide rocks! My DD6 went down it about 200 times! The numerous wide stair areas were great for lounging around in the water. The giant temple/pyramid is really something. I never stopped marvelling at it. At 10am, they officially open the pool and turn on the water. A lifeguard calls everyone over to the dry steps and all the kids sit on them. They go through a bunch of wonderful Disney mumbo jumbo which ends with everyone chanting, "Wa-ter, wa-ter, wa-ter" and then the watch starts cascading down the steps from the top. Very fun!
At night, the CSR is unbelievably good looking, the lights really make the colors stand out. The small fountains, rock piles and shrubs really add to the theming.
The bridge to El Centro has party lights hanging from it that look great too.
The resort is sprawling as it should be. But walking to El Centro for milk or whatever is not a problem.
We rented a four wheel surrey bike to tour the resort which was fun.
The white sand beaches and hammocks are great for sunning, relaxing, or reading.
The bus stops are numbered 1 (at El Centro), 2, 3 and 4.
We were by #4.
The busses stop in the following order 99% of the time (I asked the drivers): 2, 3, 4, 1.
We NEVER waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to take us to a park, DD, or a water park.
But on EE day at Epcot, we were at stop #4 and a filled bus passed us by.
On EE day at MK, we simply walked the five minutes across the CSR to bus stop #2 (the first) so that we got an empty bus which got us a seat and no problem getting to MK.
I think the CSR compared very favorably to the CBR. We were so close to the Dig Site pool and liked it so much (never too crowded, always warm) that we never went to the quiet pools.
The Siesta bar and grill at the pool refills the mugs and has a pretty decent menu along with a great Bloody Mary (according to DW!). The pool area also has the sand/playground area but it is limited to under 48" tall kiddies who are between 2 and 5 years old.
There is a little kids (like walking age to 3 years old) pool about 6" deep with water fountains shooting up in the middle too.
All in all, we loved the CSR, we recommend it to anyone. I think the moderates are a great value over the value resorts.
Next time, we'll try Port Orleans just so we can compare!
When we left, we took a picture of our DD6 by the "Adios! Amigos!" sign as you leave the resort. She pretended to wipe away a tear as she pouted!
What a wonderful resort! We stayed at the Caribbean Beach last year and they are very similar. The big difference is the theming.
We checked in on tuesday at around 8:30am. No line at all. Just one person in front of us. About 5 windows open to check in. It went very smoothly and our CM was wonderful.
I had made three Priority Seatings before our trip. I didn't know we could get printouts and confirm them right there on the other side of the check in area. It makes sense that you can of course though!
So I got printouts that make it that much easier to just hand them over at your dinner or show when you arrive.
With that done, we left our minivan in the main lot and took a bus to MK.
I must say, the green fountain at the El Centro main entrance is just so peaceful to welcome you to the resort.
The gift/convenience store is very nice with everything we needed and lots to look around at.
The bathrooms/mail/ATM/lounge areas were super clean and beautiful!
The patio area right behind the entrance that opens onto the resort and the lake is breathtaking. Just watch out for the toxic bird poop on the railing that I got on my Disney tshirt which stained it permanently in an instant....
We only ate at the Pepper Market once since we were at the parks so much and had so many pre-planned dinners. But it was very nice. I liked the set up and it lent a very authentic flavor to the southwest atmosphere. We didn't get to try the Maya Grill, again due to just not being there much.
We were in room 8242 in Cabanas 8A on the second floor in a water view room. The CM who checked us in gave us that room as she said it would be great for our DD6 to be close to the dig site.
Trust the CM! It was just plain perfect! We parked later our first day (after returning from MK) and never moved the van again for seven days.
Our room was super clean and the theming was perfect. Having stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort last year, the only difference is that the CSR has just one sink instead of two and there wasn't a curtain to draw to separate the sink area from the main room. No biggie though, hardly even worth noting.
Our view of the lake was just fantastic! I loved stepping out on the sidewalk to the railing with my morning beverage and taking in the Florida heat/humidity/blue sky.
The Dig Site pool rules! The CBR's main pool pales in comparison. At the CBR, we were right by the Jamaica quiet pool and we used it constantly. We only went to the main pool once and found it too crowded and too small with a tiny hot tub and a little kiddie slide. Although I did like the waterfall.
The Dig Site Jaguar slide rocks! My DD6 went down it about 200 times! The numerous wide stair areas were great for lounging around in the water. The giant temple/pyramid is really something. I never stopped marvelling at it. At 10am, they officially open the pool and turn on the water. A lifeguard calls everyone over to the dry steps and all the kids sit on them. They go through a bunch of wonderful Disney mumbo jumbo which ends with everyone chanting, "Wa-ter, wa-ter, wa-ter" and then the watch starts cascading down the steps from the top. Very fun!
At night, the CSR is unbelievably good looking, the lights really make the colors stand out. The small fountains, rock piles and shrubs really add to the theming.
The bridge to El Centro has party lights hanging from it that look great too.
The resort is sprawling as it should be. But walking to El Centro for milk or whatever is not a problem.
We rented a four wheel surrey bike to tour the resort which was fun.
The white sand beaches and hammocks are great for sunning, relaxing, or reading.
The bus stops are numbered 1 (at El Centro), 2, 3 and 4.
We were by #4.
The busses stop in the following order 99% of the time (I asked the drivers): 2, 3, 4, 1.
We NEVER waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to take us to a park, DD, or a water park.
But on EE day at Epcot, we were at stop #4 and a filled bus passed us by.
On EE day at MK, we simply walked the five minutes across the CSR to bus stop #2 (the first) so that we got an empty bus which got us a seat and no problem getting to MK.
I think the CSR compared very favorably to the CBR. We were so close to the Dig Site pool and liked it so much (never too crowded, always warm) that we never went to the quiet pools.
The Siesta bar and grill at the pool refills the mugs and has a pretty decent menu along with a great Bloody Mary (according to DW!). The pool area also has the sand/playground area but it is limited to under 48" tall kiddies who are between 2 and 5 years old.
There is a little kids (like walking age to 3 years old) pool about 6" deep with water fountains shooting up in the middle too.
All in all, we loved the CSR, we recommend it to anyone. I think the moderates are a great value over the value resorts.
Next time, we'll try Port Orleans just so we can compare!
When we left, we took a picture of our DD6 by the "Adios! Amigos!" sign as you leave the resort. She pretended to wipe away a tear as she pouted!
Glad you enjoyed it.
