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

[msteffen]

Are the pools heated at CBR?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Are the pools heated at CBR?

They sure are! You can find more pool information in the first couple of pages.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Welcome everyone! Thanks for the compliments on the new thread. I've been a fan of the CBR every since we stepped foot on the property many many years ago.

If someone does take a picture of the kids' meal in a sand pail, would you please post it so I can add it to the informational posts? Thanks!

 

[wolf29]

You can add us to the list...August 20-28!

 

[minniemumma]

We will be at CBR as of tomorrow so if no one else has answered I'll try to stop in the food court and check for you!

Yes they still do this with the nuggets and fries and the fish and fries at the second food window in the food court

 

[Dug720]

Just did my online check-in for Marathon Weekend!! I initially requested Martinique and Second Floor (I've got a king room already), but after looking more closely at the map, I went in to change to Barbdos (I remember being there before and walking to and from the Customs House rather than having to wait for the internal shuttle) since I am arriving later (I figure 9:30pm is the best case scenario). It let me put the Barbados request on, but the Martinique and Second Floor both remained greyed and I couldn't change them, so it says I've got three requests. Should I call or fax to specify that Barbados is my preferred village s they don't get confused?

I'm really not too picky other than I don't want to be "upgraded" (not so in my opinion) to a Pirate Room like they tried to do last year (do they even have King Pirate Rooms?), so ultimately it doesn't matter - which I guess is good since I'll be getting in later in the day and may not have any choice of rooms to change into. Just curious if I should do anything about how the system apparently let me make THREE requests.

 

[firegurl]

Awesome job, Lisa! I've popped in several times already just to look through all the pics and fuel my excitement!

Could you kindly add us to the roll call list for Feb 21-27?

Also, last thread someone offered to snap pics for anyone with questions. DD heard about a meal that comes in a beach bucket and is obsessing over it. Anyone have a pic if this or confirm they still do this? If not, I'll need to let her down gently, or maybe pull a bait n switch with a bucket we bring from home

We are here now and DS got this today. Small sand pail and shovel, cheeseburger, fries, apples and a drink-$7.49. I didn't think that was too bad. DS really liked that the burger was on goldfish bread.

I may not do a full TR when this is over, but I will definately be writing a formal letter to Disney after this trip. Sadly its only day 1 so I hope it gets better. Its prwtty discouraging after such a huge buildup for this surprise trip for DS. At least he reacted well to the surprise.

 

[Bektasmic]

Thanks for the confirmation/description of the beach bucket meal. DD will be so excited!

To the OP who is having a rough start to the trip, I'm so sorry. Hopefully this means you've just gotten all the inevitable vacation pitfalls out of the way early and it will be nothing but pixie dust from here on out

 

[nikkij]

Anyone check-in recently that was told this when they did the check in online?

When I did online check in I was told I was selected for stream lined check in and to report to the designated kiosk in the lobby.

We went to CSR in January and did online check but still had to go to the online check in line that was quite long. Is streamline a CBR now available as it previously tested at other resorts (those resorts escape me, but I'm thinking AKL an a few others).

We are set to check in on the 22nd. I'm fixing to reserve our pre-Disney hotel for the night of the 21st today.

 

[erin327]

Just did my online check-in for Marathon Weekend!! I initially requested Martinique and Second Floor (I've got a king room already), but after looking more closely at the map, I went in to change to Barbdos (I remember being there before and walking to and from the Customs House rather than having to wait for the internal shuttle) since I am arriving later (I figure 9:30pm is the best case scenario). It let me put the Barbados request on, but the Martinique and Second Floor both remained greyed and I couldn't change them, so it says I've got three requests. Should I call or fax to specify that Barbados is my preferred village s they don't get confused?

I'm really not too picky other than I don't want to be "upgraded" (not so in my opinion) to a Pirate Room like they tried to do last year (do they even have King Pirate Rooms?), so ultimately it doesn't matter - which I guess is good since I'll be getting in later in the day and may not have any choice of rooms to change into. Just curious if I should do anything about how the system apparently let me make THREE requests.

I had a similar experience. I ended up with 4 things checked instead of changing them like I thought I was doing. I did call and ask to have it changed. I don't know whether or not that was the best move, but it is what I did.

 

[Twindisneykids]

So excited, we are headed to the airport now! Should arrive to CBR at 2:00pm

 

[Dug720]

I had a similar experience. I ended up with 4 things checked instead of changing them like I thought I was doing. I did call and ask to have it changed. I don't know whether or not that was the best move, but it is what I did.

Thanks. I am thinking I may just leave it as either of those would be fine. And while I like second floor, if they ignored that I wouldn't fuss as I'm slated to do the Goofy Challenge.

 

[caperkathy]

Just got home Wed night from our first trip to Disney. I absolutely loved CBR. I had faxed a room request for Aruba 52 ground floor and got it. I also mentioned in the fax that it was our first trip and when we got to our room there was a phone message from Goofy welcoming us and saying he heard it was our first time here which was really nice. I liked our location because we were close to the bridge to OPR and also close to a quiet pool. The main pool is beautiful but we didn't use it because my 14 year old didn't like the crowd. Usually no more than 4 other people in the quiet pool with us which was nice.
It was so nice to be staying in a room that was only about a month old, so fresh and new I was impressed with the size of the room as well. The only glitch we had was on our 2nd night when our magic bands wouldn't open our room. Unfortunately we were so exhausted and feet were so sore that night it felt like a 2 mile walk to concierge to get it fixed, lol! The best steak I've ever had was at Shutters. It's a charcrusted New York strip and was amazing! Overall I found the staff very friendly and helpful. Housekeeping was great, we always had 8 towels in our room so plenty for pool and showers. We never had a problem with buses, longest wait was about 20 min and that was only about twice. I loved walking through Caribbean Cay and hearing the music playing. This was definitely my kind of resort.

I found everywhere we went in Disney people were so helpful and went above and beyond when they found out it was our first trip. Maybe they are always like this but they really made us feel special. We were chosen for a "magical moment" at the Liberty Inn quick service. They seated us at a special table with full linens and waited on us like a table service. It was so funny because people were staring at us trying to figure out why we had this table, lol! My husband did not want to go on this trip and grumbled about going for months. On our second day there he was already planning our next trip! The only thing we regret is not going sooner. My moody teenager that rarely smiles turned into a 9 year old again and you couldn't wipe the smile off her face. The only problem I have now is I don't know what to do with my time. I've spent months planning and researching before our trip that I'm feeling a little lost now. I guess it's never too early to start planning our next trip.

 

[caperkathy]

OK I'm gonna try this again�� we are needing to change our dates. I want to go to see Disney all christmassy but my dh wants to be able to swim. Is it warm enough for swimming the first week in November? Our original dates are Oct. 18-25. If to cool for swimming in November when would be the next best dates? Myself and DS and dd cannot handle extreme heat. Any recommendations?

We just got home this week. We were there from Oct 25 - Nov 5 and I would definitely recommend these dates. I don't like extreme heat either. Most days were 25-29 degrees which was hot enough for me. We did not get one drop of rain the entire trip. We did have 2 cooler days but it was kind of nice to have a break from the heat. Even on the cooler days people were in the pool as they are heated. The days it was 29 the heat was starting to get to me.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

I found everywhere we went in Disney people were so helpful and went above and beyond when they found out it was our first trip. Maybe they are always like this but they really made us feel special.

YOu can occasionally see people on these boards complaining that the CM's aren't as friendly as they once were...I think a lot of that might be familiarity and previous experiences. THe first time, it seems so amazing because it is unlike the treatment they get anywhere else, and it is unexpected...but once you learn to expcet it, it is harder to be impressed.

My husband did not want to go on this trip and grumbled about going for months. On our second day there he was already planning our next trip! The only thing we regret is not going sooner. My moody teenager that rarely smiles turned into a 9 year old again and you couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Happens everytime!

The only problem I have now is I don't know what to do with my time. I've spent months planning and researching before our trip that I'm feeling a little lost now. I guess it's never too early to start planning our next trip.

Well, did get get a lot of photos? time to start putting together photo albums? writing a trip report? After our first trip I went to a website and created a photo book from our photos, also made some collage posters, etc.

Helped pass the time before planning the return trip 3 years later.

 

[dis_guy]

Caperkathy, thanks for telling us about your trip.

Yeah, I was a grumpy DH on our first trip in 2008, too. I actually thought about staying at home with the pets and not going at all, but I went for the "sake of everyone else's trip."

I grumbled about the crazy early hour we had to be at the airport. I patiently waited for hours in Denver when our plane was very late arriving. I complained about arriving in Orlando after midnight. I hated trudging through the airport looking for "Mickey".

I was impressed with how we were looked after at the DME desk. You'd almost think they really cared about how we were doing. I was amazed once we got to CBR with the speed they checked us in, put us all in a van, and got us into the room. The driver made sure we were all set for our first night and we crashed hard. The next thing we knew, it was 9:30 and there was a soft knock at the door with bell services delivering our luggage. He said they held onto it as long as they could since we came in so late and they didn't want to wake us too early.

A few days into the trip we were watching a movie under the stars on the island (before they moved over by the pool) and the Epcot fireworks started up. Sitting there with DW and our two teen-aged daughters between us made me wonder when the last time was that we did anything like this? It had been a long time to be sure.

Finally, it all ended and I was sitting on the plane as we climbed away from MCO. I looked over at my DW and said, "I was thinking..." "That we should come back," she finished my sentence for me. And that's how we've ended every trip since, talking about the next one. Now that the kids are older, it's usually just the two of us, but we still have a blast on every trip.

Last April we came to the horrible realization that a trip on our next Spring (we're both teachers) Break was not going to happen. For 2015 it matches Easter week exactly, meaning higher priced flights and no chance of any kind of promotion from Disney. So it's going to be fall for Food and Wine. Still a year away from our next visit and that will be the longest we've been away from the magic since we started going. But that's OK because we're going back.

So sure, I start planning for the next one even if we have no firm date set or can't book anything for months, it helps keep me in the Disney mood and it makes the waiting easier.

Sorry for the long post!

 

[Twindisneykids]

Caperkathy, thanks for telling us about your trip. Yeah, I was a grumpy DH on our first trip in 2008, too. I actually thought about staying at home with the pets and not going at all, but I went for the "sake of everyone else's trip." I grumbled about the crazy early hour we had to be at the airport. I patiently waited for hours in Denver when our plane was very late arriving. I complained about arriving in Orlando after midnight. I hated trudging through the airport looking for "Mickey". I was impressed with how we were looked after at the DME desk. You'd almost think they really cared about how we were doing. I was amazed once we got to CBR with the speed they checked us in, put us all in a van, and got us into the room. The driver made sure we were all set for our first night and we crashed hard. The next thing we knew, it was 9:30 and there was a soft knock at the door with bell services delivering our luggage. He said they held onto it as long as they could since we came in so late and they didn't want to wake us too early. A few days into the trip we were watching a movie under the stars on the island (before they moved over by the pool) and the Epcot fireworks started up. Sitting there with DW and our two teen-aged daughters between us made me wonder when the last time was that we did anything like this? It had been a long time to be sure. Finally, it all ended and I was sitting on the plane as we climbed away from MCO. I looked over at my DW and said, "I was thinking..." "That we should come back," she finished my sentence for me. And that's how we've ended every trip since, talking about the next one. Now that the kids are older, it's usually just the two of us, but we still have a blast on every trip. Last April we came to the horrible realization that a trip on our next Spring (we're both teachers) Break was not going to happen. For 2015 it matches Easter week exactly, meaning higher priced flights and no chance of any kind of promotion from Disney. So it's going to be fall for Food and Wine. Still a year away from our next visit and that will be the longest we've been away from the magic since we started going. But that's OK because we're going back. So sure, I start planning for the next one even if we have no firm date set or can't book anything for months, it helps keep me in the Disney mood and it makes the waiting easier. Sorry for the long post!

So sweet! Brought tears to my eyes

 

[caperkathy]

YOu can occasionally see people on these boards complaining that the CM's aren't as friendly as they once were...I think a lot of that might be familiarity and previous experiences. THe first time, it seems so amazing because it is unlike the treatment they get anywhere else, and it is unexpected...but once you learn to expcet it, it is harder to be impressed.


Happens everytime!



Well, did get get a lot of photos? time to start putting together photo albums? writing a trip report? After our first trip I went to a website and created a photo book from our photos, also made some collage posters, etc.

Helped pass the time before planning the return trip 3 years later.

Good idea, I should do a scrapbook

 

[caperkathy]

Caperkathy, thanks for telling us about your trip.

Yeah, I was a grumpy DH on our first trip in 2008, too. I actually thought about staying at home with the pets and not going at all, but I went for the "sake of everyone else's trip."

I grumbled about the crazy early hour we had to be at the airport. I patiently waited for hours in Denver when our plane was very late arriving. I complained about arriving in Orlando after midnight. I hated trudging through the airport looking for "Mickey".

I was impressed with how we were looked after at the DME desk. You'd almost think they really cared about how we were doing. I was amazed once we got to CBR with the speed they checked us in, put us all in a van, and got us into the room. The driver made sure we were all set for our first night and we crashed hard. The next thing we knew, it was 9:30 and there was a soft knock at the door with bell services delivering our luggage. He said they held onto it as long as they could since we came in so late and they didn't want to wake us too early.

A few days into the trip we were watching a movie under the stars on the island (before they moved over by the pool) and the Epcot fireworks started up. Sitting there with DW and our two teen-aged daughters between us made me wonder when the last time was that we did anything like this? It had been a long time to be sure.

Finally, it all ended and I was sitting on the plane as we climbed away from MCO. I looked over at my DW and said, "I was thinking..." "That we should come back," she finished my sentence for me. And that's how we've ended every trip since, talking about the next one. Now that the kids are older, it's usually just the two of us, but we still have a blast on every trip.

Last April we came to the horrible realization that a trip on our next Spring (we're both teachers) Break was not going to happen. For 2015 it matches Easter week exactly, meaning higher priced flights and no chance of any kind of promotion from Disney. So it's going to be fall for Food and Wine. Still a year away from our next visit and that will be the longest we've been away from the magic since we started going. But that's OK because we're going back.

So sure, I start planning for the next one even if we have no firm date set or can't book anything for months, it helps keep me in the Disney mood and it makes the waiting easier.

Sorry for the long post!

That sounds so much like our first trip I remember walking through MK all 3 of us hand in hand and thinking wow we haven't done this in years. It was so heartwarming and such a bonding trip for us.

 

[mscardullo]

Anyone have pics of the new cbr