Disney's CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT Information & Questions

[TJDisneymama]

Do we have any inside scoop on the official ETA on the food court reopening? Ive seen june, 2018 and Fall, 2018 mentioned.......

 

[dansdad]

Do we have any inside scoop on the official ETA on the food court reopening? Ive seen june, 2018 and Fall, 2018 mentioned.......

Nothing official. Those dates are just guesses.

 

[Cayaco]

Every village has it's own pool so you'll be close to one no matter what. Jamaica 45 and Aruba 51 are great locations. Both are away from the construction yet a very short stroll across the bridge to the Main Feature pool.

What's the luck in requesting a closer area versus one on the other side of the lake? Is it all just that day and you show up and hope for the best? We're going in October.

 

[dansdad]

What's the luck in requesting a closer area versus one on the other side of the lake?

All of Trinidad North and Martinique, the 2 Villages on the same side of the lake as the Main Feature Pool, have Preferred King and Water View rooms. So if you booked a Standard room, you will be on the other Side of the Lake in either Aruba or Jamaica. We really like Jamaica 45 and Aruba 51. Some of those rooms are actually closer than some of the Preferred rooms in Trinidad North and Martinique.

Is it all just that day and you show up and hope for the best? We're going in October.

Rooms are assigned 2-3 days out so it's best to call and have any room requests added to your reservation 4-5 days out.

 

[WEDWDW]

Once I make it through all the resorts, theres a good chance CBR will become my "home" resort......wait, arent they building DVC there?!?!?

How much do you think the DVC addition,since it won't have the Caribbean theme of the rest of CBR,will affect the "feel" of the Resort?

I am so glad we got to dine at OPR the last night it was open and experience the Resort one more time before the Barbados demo.

 

[Cayaco]

I was just reading the other front page PORvCBR thread, its some hardcore anti CBR sentiment going on over there..

So anyway, we booked a standard room. Is there any walkabout areas we can hope to request?

 

[dansdad]

I was just reading the other front page PORvCBR thread, its some hardcore anti CBR sentiment going on over there..

Yeah, there's about a dozen or so DIS regulars that have some real dislike for CBR. But, you can't please everyone.

So anyway, we booked a standard room. Is there any walkabout areas we can hope to request?

Not sure what you mean by walkabout areas. There is a beautiful walkway that goes around the lake that is great to stroll around. There are some nice trails going through Castaway Cay that are nice to stroll along. The beaches are also great to walk on after a long day in the parks.

 

[Cayaco]

I meant walkable to the main pool area. Some folks are acting like its an impossible walk from some rooms to the main hub.

I just measured it, looks like worst case scenario its less than half a mile.

That leads me to believe the complainers just do not like moving, thats a very tiny walk and i am no longer worried about where I am going to stay. If people cant walk to the main pool then how are they going to survive a day in a park?

 

[dis_guy]

I was just reading the other front page PORvCBR thread, its some hardcore anti CBR sentiment going on over there..

So anyway, we booked a standard room. Is there any walkabout areas we can hope to request?

Yeah, the "any other mod but CBR" sentiment goes back since before I frequented these boards. It was usually because (1) the resort is too big and spread out (2) it only has full sized beds not queens (3) Shutters is terrible, (4) it only accommodates families of four, and (5) whatever else the particular poster didn't care for.

I just chuckled and thought to myself, "Good! You keep on thinking that-- it'll make it easier for me to get a reservation anytime I want to-- and it'll be less crowded."

Since then they've renovated the pool, added the Pirate Rooms, the other rooms were redone and got the much vaunted queen beds and later the Murphy beds, and finally, Shutters became a pretty good TS choice. At least the "anti CBR" rhetoric subsided, for awhile..

So now they're bashing CBR for having all the construction (which will no doubt get rid of the "poor food court" criticism and give CBR what promises to be a unique waterside TS restaurant) to deal with and maybe seeing it as less of a resort with the DVC property being built there...who knows?

If this conversion is a success and it will be, Disney may be looking to repeat the pattern at another mod (or two!) so nobody's favourite resort is "safe". In a few years maybe the tables will be turned again when "they" are saying "Don't stay at POR with all that construction, go to CBR, it's much nicer..."

 

[dis_guy]

I meant walkable to the main pool area. Some folks are acting like its an impossible walk from some rooms to the main hub.

I just measured it, looks like worst case scenario its less than half a mile.

That leads me to believe the complainers just do not like moving, thats a very tiny walk and i am no longer worried about where I am going to stay. If people cant walk to the main pool then how are they going to survive a day in a park?

My DW and I have always thought so, too. If that's too much of a walk, what on earth do these folks do about all the walking in the parks? Lol! Never understood that thinking. Using our fitness trackers we have done 35000 step days at Disney, and we're in our late 50's!

 

[Colleen27]

My DW and I have always thought so, too. If that's too much of a walk, what on earth do these folks do about all the walking in the parks? Lol! Never understood that thinking. Using our fitness trackers we have done 35000 step days at Disney, and we're in our late 50's!

As one of the complainers, it is the walking *on top of* everything we do in the parks that is a pain! But to be entirely fair, my one and only stay at CBR was in a pirate room at the furthest end of building 39. On the second floor, despite requesting ground floor because we had a stroller. With three kids, ages 16mo, 7, and 10 - all young enough to be too impressed by the main pool to be convinced to swim in a quiet pool instead. I absolutely hated the trek to the pool, hated hauling the stroller up to our room, and barely used our refillable mugs because it just wasn't worth the hike. Pretty sure the Pop pool and food court were closer than Old Port Royal. (I didn't like POR with little kids for the same reason - too spread out for little legs if you get a distant room, though at least there we did have an elevator).

Despite all of that there was a lot I liked about the resort, mostly the pool and the tropical vibe, and with the kids now 9, 16, and 19, I'm not so worried about the distances getting around the place. Pretty sure I'm not going to be hauling a stroller up stairs or carrying a tired kid back from the pool again! Plus I'm not booking a pirate room this time, so I'm sure to get a better location.

 

[cyndiella]

We specifically requested buildings with the drink machines, so we'll see what we get. Hoping for Jamaica.

Curious: how do you request a building with the drink machines or a "mini food" Island Markets? This sounds like a great idea to me. We leave our mugs in the room while at the park and have to get them and walk back to the food court to get a fill up of ice tea or whatever...

 

[dansdad]

Curious: how do you request a building with the drink machines or a "mini food" Island Markets?

Best way is to call the Main Reservations line and add a building request to your reservation.

 

[cyndiella]

Best way is to call the Main Reservations line and add a building request to your reservation.

Thank you. Do I call 2 -3 days before I arrive? Isn't that when they start assigning rooms? Do you have that ph number?

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

Curious: how do you request a building with the drink machines or a "mini food" Island Markets? This sounds like a great idea to me. We leave our mugs in the room while at the park and have to get them and walk back to the food court to get a fill up of ice tea or whatever...

Our travel agent did the calling. You can only request a few things with the online check-in, so I asked her and she said that was her job! I found the map on here with the drink machine building numbers and told Amber our building requests to call in.

 

[cyndiella]

Thank you. I will do that! Can she request that for me now?

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

Thank you. I will do that! Can she request that for me now?

I think you have to wait until you do online check-in. That's when I told our TA. So - 30 days out.

 

[dansdad]

Thank you. Do I call 2 -3 days before I arrive? Isn't that when they start assigning rooms? Do you have that ph number?

It's best to call at least 4-5 days out. 407-W-DISNEY is the number you should call. Unless you booked through a Travel Agent then they own the reservation and have to call for you.

 

[cyndiella]

I think you have to wait until you do online check-in. That's when I told our TA. So - 30 days out.

I did on line check in yesterday... My choices were: Ground floor and Martinique... That's it.. no other options. So that is what I chose.. lol.... So now I can look to see which building I want on the map and let her know to request that one??

 

[cyndiella]

It is just that I read here that about half the time people's room requests are ignored. They have to re-request at check in..