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

[PhoenixStrength]

I remember the fridges at Pop Century had a small freezer compartment. Do the fridges at CBR have them? From the pictures, it looks like they do not. Can we get ice at OPR? Are the soda machines equipped with ice dispensers like at a fast food place? I want to take groceries with us when we leave CBR and travel to the beach for a few days and I would like to put them on ice. I hate the idea of trying to find a grocery store near the beach.

Each building has an ice machine, so you can easily get ice close by your room. But to answer your question, yes the soda machines do all have the typical ice dispensers as well.

 

[shana398]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;52694508]Did you request a building other than Martinique? Did you do on-line check-in? I am so afraid to have an experience like this. I would have demanded to be moved or change resorts.[/QUOTE]

I did not request a particular building. I requested ground floor and connecting rooms, and I got both of those. I did do on-line check-in. I would definitely request a building other than Martinique, at least for buildings 22 and higher.

I did ask to be moved, but they said they were 100 percent booked so we could not move. I have emailed Disney about our experience. I got a call back, and the person I spoke to was very helpful. She said she would be in contact with the resort directly about all of the issues we had. I told her it was not just us, but now four other families we have heard from who had similar experiences the same week on the same Island.

Looking back, I should have demanded then and there to be moved to another resort.

 

[erin327]

We also had to call for toilet paper! We had no toilet paper and no tissues. We dug napkins out of our backpack. They delivered the toilet paper about an hour later.

 

[shana398]

I'm wondering if these negative experiences in Martinique and housekeeping are related to the renovations? Like maybe they haven't staffed it appropriately to clean it if it's being refurbished? (Not that that justifies, just speculating)

I wondered the same thing. Our TVs and clocks were unplugged as if they were getting ready to refurbish. Also, the carpet looked like it had been pulled up and put back down. Our toilet looked like it had been used as a Port a Potty. It was not flushed.

Also, whenever we called to complain, whoever answered the phone would say they would take care of it, but obviously what they did was call housekeeping and not inform them of what needed to be done because then housekeeping would call our room and ask what the problem was and I would have to explain again. Then nothing was done until I called several times. Some requests were never met, period, and that was after several calls.

We were also told several different things by different people, like no one knew what was going on.

 

[erin327]

We also had the clock unplugged and an odd dirty toilet issue.

 

[nkereina]

Just came back from our resort hopper trip where we stayed for the 2 last nights. Got a refurbished room in Jamaica: perfect. Loved the resort. Now that we have tried the 4 moderates, I can honestly say that CB is our Number 1.

The only downside (we didn't have the time to check the possibilities)... Having to walk 20 minutes in the cold at 5:45 AM (it was freezing yesterday morning) to get to the Lobby to take the Magical Express. Is there any other way to do it?

We called bell services the night before and told them what time our Magical Express was and they said they'd be there 30 minutes before our bus time. They came right to the door and loaded our bags and us into a van. I tipped him of course. It is quite a hike to get your magical Express bus, can't imagine doing it with luggage.

A question for you previous CBR folks... Our flight home isn't until 7pm, which means Magical Express will be around 4- way past check out time. I know they will store our luggage but what is the best way to get it checked in with ME and stow our carry ons at the main lobby- in other words, how do we get it all there? If I call the night before and tell them a set time, will they come get it? How much time should I budget for this? We are going to MK that days or a few hours- it opens at 8am and though Im doubting we will make it for rope drop, Im hoping to be there as close to 8 as possible...

Thanks!

We also arranged for bell services to pick up our bags at our room. They came at 8am (I had said 7:45, but they showed up at 8...) and he came in, tagged our bags, and took them in a van. We were not taking DME, so he stored them in bell services until we were ready to leave. When we came back from the parks, we just got off at the Barbados stop and walked across the street to Custom House. Luggage storage as well as the DME stop are both outside Custom House. Taxis are also available there (we took a cab as we were moving to Universal that day).

To avoid walking from your room, you can have bell services pick up your bags and then just ride the internal bus to Barbados. Not sure if the internal bus has an actual Custom House stop or not, but Barbados was a two second walk. You can't bring your checked baggage on this bus though, so it's either walk with your luggage or have bell services pick it up.

Our bad experience was in Jamaica. Although it wasn't as bad as what some have said, we did have a problem getting our luggage and two separate days the housekeeping did not replenish the toilet paper when they cleaned. Our last day we had to actually call the front desk and ask someone to bring toilet paper.

We also had sub-par housekeeping in Jamaica. The surfaces hadn't been cleaned or dusted in quite some time - drink rings from previous guests on the table and dresser, and a layer of thick dust on top of the closet rod next to the sinks. I set a pair of black pants on this shelf when laying out my clothes for the next day and when I picked them up, it was disgusting. There were also crumbs from previous guests under the table that were never vacuumed. One day, we came back to our room at 4pm and our room still hadn't been serviced. We put the do not disturb sign out as we had to get ready for dinner, and when we opened the door, a bag of towels were hanging out. Glad they gave us this, but why were they there so late in the day to begin with! To me, that tells me they are short staffed and overworked, which is why the cleaning seems so rushed.

 

[bafleyanne]

We also had sub-par housekeeping in Jamaica. The surfaces hadn't been cleaned or dusted in quite some time - drink rings from previous guests on the table and dresser, and a layer of thick dust on top of the closet rod next to the sinks. I set a pair of black pants on this shelf when laying out my clothes for the next day and when I picked them up, it was disgusting. There were also crumbs from previous guests under the table that were never vacuumed. One day, we came back to our room at 4pm and our room still hadn't been serviced. We put the do not disturb sign out as we had to get ready for dinner, and when we opened the door, a bag of towels were hanging out. Glad they gave us this, but why were they there so late in the day to begin with! To me, that tells me they are short staffed and overworked, which is why the cleaning seems so rushed.

Yes, we had dust too! I really hate to complain about stuff like this as I'm certainly not a perfect housekeeper at home, but I was very surprised to see dust in the shelf below the tv and other places in the room. It all speaks to being rushed and overworked like you said, I think, but we've never had an experience like this at a Disney resort. Hopefully after the renovation is complete it will be better!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

No excuse for poor housekeeping..especially with Mousekeeping...but, honestly since forever when we travel we pack a roll of toilet paper in our "personal care" bag just in case...spare couple of towels as well...mainly because we drive everywhere and you never know about some of the rest stops, or rain...but they do come in handy in emergencies.

It is DECEMBER!!!! Hitting the road a week from Friday!!! Just unpacked from the thanksgiving visit to relatives, relined the suitcases up to start packing for Disney!!!

 

[nkereina]

Yes, we had dust too! I really hate to complain about stuff like this as I'm certainly not a perfect housekeeper at home, but I was very surprised to see dust in the shelf below the tv and other places in the room. It all speaks to being rushed and overworked like you said, I think, but we've never had an experience like this at a Disney resort. Hopefully after the renovation is complete it will be better!

True, but you're also not being paid for it at home I can see them not vacuuming daily, but they should definitely do it between guests. And dusting, or at least a quick wipe down of all surfaces, should be standard too. But yes, overworked I think is the problem here. They need more staff.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

True, but you're also not being paid for it at home I can see them not vacuuming daily, but they should definitely do it between guests. And dusting, or at least a quick wipe down of all surfaces, should be standard too. But yes, overworked I think is the problem here. They need more staff.

A daily vacuuming is an expectation of mine as a guest, as is dusting, replacing towels, tp, etc. Anything else is unacceptable. I think too many people are afraid to demand basic service. Don't be! You are paying for it.

 

[nkereina]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;52700018]A daily vacuuming is an expectation of mine as a guest, as is dusting, replacing towels, tp, etc. Anything else is unacceptable. I think too many people are afraid to demand basic service. Don't be! You are paying for it.[/QUOTE]

I agree but vacuuming to me is like changing the sheets. Unless someone clearly spilled something that needs vacuuming, I don't think it's necessary to do it each day - so long as its the same guest in the room! If a new guest is coming in, then absolutely.

I guess it's a moot point because I don't think CBR housekeepers are vacuuming daily, regardless

 

[CJK]

We really enjoyed our stay last month, but we did have something strange happen. We had a late flight on our check-out day, so we phoned to ask for a late check-out time. We were told that we could stay until 1pm. At 11:10am, mousekeeping knocked on our door and told us that 11am is the check-out time. We explained that we had already called and were permitted to stay until 1pm. The CM looked confused, but did leave.....or so we thought!

Instead, she actually stood outside the room and waited for us to leave!! I guess she didn't have many rooms to clean that day?? She actually stood there, leaning on the railing and waited. I can't say with 100% certainty that she was there the entire time, but every time we looked out, she was there. Surely she had something better to do with her time?? We left at 12:40pm. It ended our trip on a bit of a sour note. Her presence made us feel guilty.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

I agree but vacuuming to me is like changing the sheets. Unless someone clearly spilled something that needs vacuuming, I don't think it's necessary to do it each day - so long as its the same guest in the room! If a new guest is coming in, then absolutely.

I guess it's a moot point because I don't think CBR housekeepers are vacuuming daily, regardless

I am so afraid you are right. We usually stay deluxe but I convinced my whole family to try CBR for Christmas (we got free dining and this resort was the only one available). If we stay moderate, we are CSR fans. I am SO SCARED that this resort won't be nice or clean. So many negative posts lately! I come from a family who has moved both from the CR to the Poly and another time from Poly to GF because of issues with rooms/cleanliness/worn furnishings, etc. I am so hoping we can just check in and enjoy ourselves, but there is no way some of my family members will settle for what has been described here. Hoping for the best...

 

[caperkathy]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;52700456]I am so afraid you are right. We usually stay deluxe but I convinced my whole family to try CBR for Christmas (we got free dining and this resort was the only one available). If we stay moderate, we are CSR fans. I am SO SCARED that this resort won't be nice or clean. So many negative posts lately! I come from a family who has moved both from the CR to the Poly and another time from Poly to GF because of issues with rooms/cleanliness/worn furnishings, etc. I am so hoping we can just check in and enjoy ourselves, but there is no way some of my family members will settle for what has been described here. Hoping for the best...[/QUOTE]

We stayed in Aruba last month and housekeeping was great. Room was always cleaned and lots of towels and toilet paper. The rooms were just finished 2 months ago so everything is nice and new. The complaints seem to have come from Martinique and Jamaica only so I would request a different village. We loved our stay n Aruba

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

We stayed in Aruba last month and housekeeping was great. Room was always cleaned and lots of towels and toilet paper. The rooms were just finished 2 months ago so everything is nice and new. The complaints seem to have come from Martinique and Jamaica only so I would request a different village. We loved our stay n Aruba

So glad to hear that. Thanks!

 

[Donald - my hero]

We stayed in Jamaica 42 at the end of Oct/beginning of Nov and have nothing but good things to say about how our room was kept. We only had the room cleaned every other day since there are only 2 of us but we always got fresh towels, had at least 3 rolls of TP at all times. Even on the days we did want the room cleaned we rarely left before 10:00 so after the 2nd day she adjusted her "route" and did our room last instead of 1st. I spilled a glass of juice one night and used a few towels to clean it up the best i could. Left a note with an extra $5.00 to cover the extra work needed and not only did the carpet get cleaned, she left the $5.00 behind with a note of her own telling us it wasn't necessary since she didn't feel we left her much work most days.

I feel badly for all of you who had less than stellar service and i would echo what others have said "the time to complain is when it happens" I would not put up with what i consider unsanitary conditions ie toilets that are not flushed.. i would demand a new room in either the same resort or move me elsewhere. That is not acceptable, when you rent a room you enter an unwritten contract that it will be in working order.

 

[CanadianPaco]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;52700456]. I am SO SCARED that this resort won't be nice or clean. So many negative posts lately![/QUOTE]

I am feeling the same way

Is there sample wording for the fax request letter that others have sent?

 

[lizzytizzy]

I am feeling the same way

Is there sample wording for the fax request letter that others have sent?

Just got back from an 11 night stay and stayed at the Barbados 11 building. LOVED our stay. The room was refurbished. We had our room cleaned and towels replenished daily. There wasn't any problem with that. I had to call housekeeping a couple of times to get shampoo. But, after that, we got it daily. The only negative thing was that our room had a lot of gnats/mosquitoes during the first half of our stay. It was attracted to my ipad when I was surfing during the night because of the light. But, after that big rainstorm and cold front, it all died. our room was fine after that!

 

[PoohsFan1]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;52700456]I am so afraid you are right. We usually stay deluxe but I convinced my whole family to try CBR for Christmas (we got free dining and this resort was the only one available). If we stay moderate, we are CSR fans. I am SO SCARED that this resort won't be nice or clean. So many negative posts lately! [/QUOTE]

We are DVC members therefore we usually stay in Deluxe accommodations ourselves. However, this trip coming up will be a trip with my DD13 and DD11 and this resort looks like a fun resort for us (we love the look of the beaches and hammocks), however the negative posts lately have gotten me thinking....should I switch and go to a place we know and love. If we stay at a moderate resort we always stay at POFQ, but this time we wanted to try something different, I would even consider switching to CSR because we haven't stayed at that moderate either. I know we will more then likely enjoy the resort because we haven't stayed in a bad Disney resort yet, but like I said before, the negativity has really gotten me thinking.

 

[hcox31]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;52700456]I am so afraid you are right. We usually stay deluxe but I convinced my whole family to try CBR for Christmas (we got free dining and this resort was the only one available). If we stay moderate, we are CSR fans. I am SO SCARED that this resort won't be nice or clean. So many negative posts lately!

We are DVC members therefore we usually stay in Deluxe accommodations ourselves. However, this trip coming up will be a trip with my DD13 and DD11 and this resort looks like a fun resort for us (we love the look of the beaches and hammocks), however the negative posts lately have gotten me thinking....should I switch and go to a place we know and love. If we stay at a moderate resort we always stay at POFQ, but this time we wanted to try something different, I would even consider switching to CSR because we haven't stayed at that moderate either. I know we will more then likely enjoy the resort because we haven't stayed in a bad Disney resort yet, but like I said before, the negativity has really gotten me thinking.[/QUOTE]

I totally get what you are saying. Keep in mind though, you will always always hear negative reviews more so than positive ones, particularly on the Internet. Kind of that squeaky wheel gets the grease thing. Or when you only get phone calls from your kids teacher when they've done something wrong.

I'm sure there are issues at every resort and it isn't independent to CBR.