Disney's CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT Information & Questions-Old Thread-New Thread Link in Post 1

[jacksmommy]

The only way to ensure you get a room with a Murphy Bed is if you have a party of 5. Otherwise, it is only a request. We have stayed at CBR and used an air mattress with no issues. It fits between the 1 bed and the window. And when not in use, we would lean it up against the wall.

CBR has been the quietest WDW resort we have stayed at yet. We always joke that it seems like we're the only people in our building even though we see people coming and going. And we have stayed both on the ground and 2nd floor.

Our 2 favorite locations are Jamaica 45 and Aruba 51. And of the 2 we prefer Jamaica 45 only because of the bright yellow exterior. It just screams Caribbean to us.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I will bring our air mattress for sure.

 

[jacksmommy]

Has anyone stayed at POR and CBR? I would love some comparisons - size, bus service, pros/cons, etc. We have stayed at POR twice and we are excited about CBR!

 

[Kevin355]

We will be staying in June at CBR with my parents who both will need scooters. Does anyone know what stop the buses make first? We are trying to make room requests and want to make sure they can both get picked up instead of waiting an hour for a not so full bus.

Depends on which gate the bus comes in. As for scooters, your parents will get good bus seats no matter what in that WDW really takes care of those with motorized transportation. They will move people and adjust the seats on the buses for your parents.

 

[Kevin355]

Has anyone stayed at POR and CBR? I would love some comparisons - size, bus service, pros/cons, etc. We have stayed at POR twice and we are excited about CBR!

Have never stayed at POR or POFQ. But CBR is larger only because of Trinidad South. Trinidad South is usually reserved for those wanting Pirate rooms. Bus service has never been a problem in 14 years of staying there. Went twice last year...was in Jamaica in March and Trinidad North in September. There is a stop for each resort and 1 for OPR...6 or 7 total stops. Have never had bus crowd issues except for Christmas time. Will never stay at any other resort except CBR. Love the motif, the lagoon, food court, and my wife and I talk a walk every morning early around the lagoon. If there is a fog coming off of the lagoon, it is very tranquil. Like taking the bridge across the middle of the lagoon, or getting my wife a coffee and me an iced tea in the morning and looking over the lagoon at the deck at OPR. The music on the footbridge coming over from Jamaica et. al., is great.

 

[dansdad]

Has anyone stayed at POR and CBR? I would love some comparisons - size, bus service, pros/cons, etc. We have stayed at POR twice and we are excited about CBR!

We were big fans of POR and have had multiple stays there. POR was our favorite until having to switch to CBR for Free Dining a couple years ago. We just fell in love with CBR and haven't been able to go back to POR since. We just really love the laid back and relaxed Island feel of CBR. We think the main feature pool at CBR is much better and we also prefer the food court too. We just like the way the food court at CBR is laid out and the food options too. We feel it was a great idea to have the check-in/check-out area in a completely separate area than the food court, arcade and gift shop. This really keeps the noise and craziness down. The only time we have needed to go to the Custom House is when we checked in and had to catch ME. Everything you could possibly need to do, except check-in or out, can be done at the Concierge Desk at OPR.

We also like that every village at CBR has its own bus stop. We have had a couple good hikes at POR to get to a bus stop from our room. See we're not a eat breakfast at the food court and catch the bus there type of family. I am an early riser so I get ready and head to OPR and get breakfast for all of us while my wife and son get ready. Then we can stroll over to our village's bus stop. We have always had great bus service at CBR. I know there can be issues anywhere, and I know people have had issues at CBR during their stays. But overall, I think it is very smooth.

As @Kevin355 stated, if you were to remove the Trinidad South village, where the Pirate Themed rooms are, then CBR is the same size as POR.

 

[totebagg]

Has anyone stayed at POR and CBR? I would love some comparisons - size, bus service, pros/cons, etc. We have stayed at POR twice and we are excited about CBR!

We stayed at CBR our first visit in October 2013 and was in Trinidad South and even though it was a little bit farther to the OPR than the other villages it was still a doable and a lovely walk. We stayed at POR last September in Magnolia Terrace in the mansions section. We never had issues with the busses at either location but sometimes the busses from POR also picked up from POFQ and it felt like the busses came more frequently when we were at CBR but that could just be how the busses were running! We like the food court layout at CBR better I liked the pool better at POR as I could lounge in the shade and I thought there was more seating but my 7 year olds pick is definitely CBR.
I would say it comes down do you like one theme over the other. The river and winding paths at POR is really nice and scenic but the white sands and hammocks at CBR are tough to beat. So we are going back to CBR this year but I don't think you will go wrong either way!

 

[bartleby1]

We are staying at CBR for the first time in July (usually stay at POR due to family of 5 but so excited we can try somewhere new now!). I have 2 questions.

1. I noticed the kids meals come in a sand pail and therefore cost more than POR. Is it possible to get the meals without the pail for a cheaper price? We are staying for 12 nights and really don't need to be paying extra for mulitples.

2. I just found out that there is a softball tournament while we will be there and the two recommended disney hotels for the players and their families are All-Star sports and Caribbean Beach. Do you think this will make the resort crazy? I ask because a few years back my SIL had a bad experience with a group of cheerleaders at one of the value resorts.

 

[vrajewski10513]

We are staying at CBR for the first time in July (usually stay at POR due to family of 5 but so excited we can try somewhere new now!). I have 2 questions.

1. I noticed the kids meals come in a sand pail and therefore cost more than POR. Is it possible to get the meals without the pail for a cheaper price? We are staying for 12 nights and really don't need to be paying extra for mulitples.

2. I just found out that there is a softball tournament while we will be there and the two recommended disney hotels for the players and their families are All-Star sports and Caribbean Beach. Do you think this will make the resort crazy? I ask because a few years back my SIL had a bad experience with a group of cheerleaders at one of the value resorts.

It may be slightly busier, but most families that are down there for tournaments usually opt for the value hotels. Plus, CBR (or any mod really) is more spread out than the values, so even when it is busy it definitely doesn't seem it

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Just booked a one night stay for this Friday!! We have a a standard room but I was thinking about requesting Trinidad North or Martinique. I understand those are both preferred locations but has anyone gotten in one of those areas with only a standard room? Please let me know, thanks!

 

[Kevin355]

Just booked a one night stay for this Friday!! We have a a standard room but I was thinking about requesting Trinidad North or Martinique. I understand those are both preferred locations but has anyone gotten in one of those areas with only a standard room? Please let me know, thanks!

Got Trinidad North in September with no extra charges.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Got Trinidad North in September with no extra charges.

Thanks!!! It was between CBR and POR but I was able to get CBR cheaper so that's what we went with. The only two times I've stayed there have been disasters ( not resort related just personal related) so I'm hoping third time's a charm!!

 

[dansdad]

Just booked a one night stay for this Friday!! We have a a standard room but I was thinking about requesting Trinidad North or Martinique. I understand those are both preferred locations but has anyone gotten in one of those areas with only a standard room? Please let me know, thanks!

As @Kevin355 stated it can happen. And just an FYI, only have of Martinique is Preferred.

 

[bartleby1]

It may be slightly busier, but most families that are down there for tournaments usually opt for the value hotels. Plus, CBR (or any mod really) is more spread out than the values, so even when it is busy it definitely doesn't seem it

Thanks! I hope you're right!

 

[Dis703]

Good grief this has grown way too long to make my point clearly ... simply put, as a terribly jaded public transit user by the end of the 4th day i willingly walked to the bus stop. Only frustrating part was that construction was going on and the parking lot in the Jamaica section was a mess so we had bizarre paths to walk along! We were in the very front section of Jamaica 42 and yes it did take a bit to figure out which path to use but never once was it a chore to get to the stop! RELAX and enjoy your holiday and as they put it "leave the driving to us" ]

Thanks for sharing! I was hesitant to book CBR because of the complaints about size and buses, but after reading so many similar complaints about other resorts where we stayed and didn't experience issues we decided to give it a shot. 19 days and we will see for ourselves!

 

[britfish]

I was trying to find out which building have completed the refurb? Also, is there an April activities/movie schedule floating around anywhere?

 

[elaw]

I was trying to find out which building have completed the refurb? Also, is there an April activities/movie schedule floating around anywhere?

IMPORTANT NOTE-UPDATED 4/7/15: The CBR began a major refurbishment in May, 2014 and recent reports are that all standard and preferred buildings are complete.
Permits have been filed for "Room Rehabs" on the Pirate Rooms, Buildings 34-30 to be complete October 3, 2015.
With the refurb, families of five are now able to book a room at the CBR.

The first post of this thread contains all sorts of great info.

http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/resorts/wdw/pdf/CBR-Calendar.pdf

http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/resorts/wdw/movies-under-stars.shtml

 

[vrajewski10513]

I was trying to find out which building have completed the refurb? Also, is there an April activities/movie schedule floating around anywhere?

All buildings have been refurbished with the exception of Trinidad South, which houses the Pirate rooms.

 

[britfish]

Thank you! I started on page one and got captivated by all the great pictures and guess I missed the refurb info!

 

[FutureMrsF]

When will I know what room and building we have.

Our stay is in May and I have done online check in so just wondered at what point we know?

Do we only find out when we get there?

Thanks

 

[Donald - my hero]

When will I know what room and building we have.

Our stay is in May and I have done online check in so just wondered at what point we know?

Do we only find out when we get there?

Thanks

Yes, you won't find out till you actually check in.