First Time Family Going to Disney Here...

[LipGlossQueen]

And I've been second guessing my resort choice. I've booked our stay at CBR for October and to say we are excited is putting it mildly. We aren't fussy. I don't expect fancy. We plan on most of the time being at the parks. But we will have downtime at the hotel. I really fell in love with the look of Caribbean Beach. It just looks beautiful. But I have read so many negatives about the dated rooms or lack of housekeeping. There seems to be so many posts about it not being up to par with the other Disney hotels. All I expect is cleanliness. I've wanted, dreamed of going to Disney for so long. My kids are over the moon. I just want this to be an awesome vacation. I've been looking at CSR. CSR seems pretty much the same as CBR on the outside except the rooms have been updated. I see better reviews for CSR and hear they underwent a renovation recently. I just want this trip to be everything we've dreamed of. Ive been stressing out thinking about it. Thanks for any info or advice.

 

[jillgunter]

My only complaint was the lack of HOT water when we stayed, it was luke warm. It was a very bad cold spell in December, so maybe that was the problem. They came twice and looked at it, said it was fine. But then AKL restroom about scalded our hands off! Our room was clean, we had a Nemo room. I wouldnt stay there again, but it wasnt that bad. Plus I think they have a cool pool, we were there in December normally so we never swam.

 

[luvdisney87]

I was like you and fell in love with the look of CBR also. Our first trip I debated between CBR and POR and chose POR....loved it!!!! It was beautiful. Second trip debated between CBR and CSR and wondered if I would regret not staying at CBR being we didn't the first time so I chose CBR. It was clean and the pool area was pretty nice but I felt the resort was too spread out. We spent most of our time doing the loop to all of the bus stops. Thankfully we paid for a preferred room and was close to dining and the pool otherwise we would have had to hop on a bus for that too. The landscaping was nice and like you said, you really don't spend much time in your room. I just wanted to put in my two cents! You are going to have a great time wherever you stay (after all, it's Disney)!

 

[dawgfan]

You will hear all kinds of reviews on all the resorts. Itreally comes down to personal choice on the theme to me. If the theme at CBR was good for you then you will likely enjoy the place. The only other consistent "complaint" is how spread out the resort is. CSR is much more spread out to me if you ask. If you have seen the resort online and believe that it will be your cup of tea, you should enjoy CBR just fine. Just know it is spread out and you will have to deal with the internal bus system. That is no big deal.

 

[lovedonald]

We have stayed at CBR several times and love it!!! I would highly recommend booking preferred if you can afford it. We always ask for a room in Trinidad north. It is one of the smaller villages and very close to the main building and pool. There is also a small quiet pool in each village. The room has always been clean and if you need anything like extra towels they will bring them right away. I wish you the best with your trip! You are going to have a blast!!!!!

 

[Lumiere Lover]

I hate to say it, but of all the Disney resorts I have stayed at, Caribbean Beach was the one I liked the least.

However, you may have a better experience. I felt like everything was so far away, and there were too many bus stops within the resort before you left for the parks.

I hope you enjoy yourself. If you have your heart set on CB, give it a try!!

 

[dansdad]

We have not stayed at CSR, but out of the other Moderates CBR is our favorite! We love the laid back and relaxed atmosphere. It is such a nice break from the craziness of the parks. We have been when CBR is at capacity and it never felt like it. You really feel like you are on a tropical retreat. Every village has its own bus stop so you are never far from one and each village has its own quiet pool. The grounds are beautiful and we enjoy walking around the lake as the sun comes up and Disney "wakes up". One of our favorite things is to grab a drink at the Banana Cabana, plop down in a hammock on the beach and watch the higher fireworks from Illuminations. The main feature pool is really great and we have a hard time getting our DS out of there to go to the parks! Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great time. We just happen to love CBR and wanted to pass this along.

 

[mickeynut1]

And I've been second guessing my resort choice. I've booked our stay at CBR for October and to say we are excited is putting it mildly. We aren't fussy. I don't expect fancy. We plan on most of the time being at the parks. But we will have downtime at the hotel. I really fell in love with the look of Caribbean Beach. It just looks beautiful. But I have read so many negatives about the dated rooms or lack of housekeeping. There seems to be so many posts about it not being up to par with the other Disney hotels. All I expect is cleanliness. I've wanted, dreamed of going to Disney for so long. My kids are over the moon. I just want this to be an awesome vacation. I've been looking at CSR. CSR seems pretty much the same as CBR on the outside except the rooms have been updated. I see better reviews for CSR and hear they underwent a renovation recently. I just want this trip to be everything we've dreamed of. Ive been stressing out thinking about it. Thanks for any info or advice.

We've never stayed at CSR, but we loved CBR. The grounds were beautiful, the food court was good, the pool was fun, and the bus transportation was great. CBR is a big resort, but we loved it as it's centrally located and although there are 4 or 5 internal bus stops, we found that it didn't take more than about 10 minutes to get to any theme park, water park, or DTD. With that said, if CBR appeals to you, I'd stick with it. You will see a lot of reviews from good to bad as everyone has different opinions/experiences and just because some people don't like the resort for whatever reason(s) and/or have had a bad stay, doesn't mean you will have the same experience. I know reading negative reviews gets you second guessing your choice, but you won't know if you like it until you try it for yourself. Good luck.

 

[GrumpysGal]

Over the last several years we tend to stay strictly moderate...values just aren't our style and, now that the kids are older, the price of a deluxe is no longer worth it for us given the small amount of time we spend in the room. We have stayed at all of the moderates, and CBR and CSR are our faves...we tend to alternate btw the two b/c there are aspects of both that we really enjoy. Here are strictly our opinions on the advantages of each...CSR: (1) Queen beds (2) wooden sliding door dividing the sink area from the sleeping area...really lessens the noise (3) nicer, more updated decor (4) main building/check-in located at El Centro. CBR...(1) we prefer the theming here...very relaxed and tropical (2) more storage space in rooms, double sinks (3) nicer/better themed pool area (4) we prefer CBR's food court. With all that said, we think both resorts are beautiful and have never had a bad stay at either...and no issues with cleanliness ever. (In fact, only issues we have had with maintenance/cleanliness were during a Poly stay.) Some complain that both are too spread out, but it has never bothered us in the least...we enjoy walking around the resort. Some also complain they don't like the "convention" feel of CSR and there are sometimes "suits" scurrying about, but again that doesn't bother us and seems to make the buses and pools less crowded at times. I would say just go with whichever appeals to you the most and I think you will be happy with your choice. Have a wonderful first trip!

 

[casey5457]

I've been a member for a while, but haven't posted until now so here goes!

It seems like CBR gets negative reviews more than any of the other moderate resorts, but we love it and have stayed there three times (most recently in November 2012). It would be great if they updates the beds to queen size like the other mods, but it's really the only major complaint I've had.

We love the quiet, relaxed atmosphere after all the sensory overload in the parks. It is a large resort, but we've never paid for preferred rooms and don't find the walk to Old Port Royale too daunting even for multiple mug refills. Honestly, it's WDW and we've already walked (what seems like) 873 miles...so what's 5 more minutes?!

And like the previous poster mentioned...you're at DISNEY! Have a great trip!

 

[mpetti]

We loved staying at CBR. It is a large and beautiful resort. The transportation was one of the best. We never waited long for a bus and what's great they have the internal bus system to take you around the resort. We did pay extra for preferred and the bus stop wasn't far from our room. The pools are great and no complaints about the food court. The room was very large and we are 4 and had no problems with the beds. Also never had any water problems. Never had a problem with house keeping and the room was very clean. I even used the Laundry room when I was there and the machine for change wasn't working. I called and they immediately sent someone over with change. I think most people second guess their choice of resorts. Don't worry and sit back and relax you are going to WDW and you are going to have a great time. Enjoy it.

 

[hsmamato2]

I think CBR is beautiful....large,spread,but BEAUTIFUL! you can walk thru jungle type trails, so many calm,beautiful places to relax.....it's really pretty there! YOu will love the respite from noisy parks....IMHO

 

[buzznina]

I cannot comment on CBR, since it has been years since we stayed there. But I will say that mousekeeping and transportation will be hit and miss no matter what resort you are staying at, so you sort of have to take those with a grain of salt. We will be going in October also, have a great trip

 

[jettyspagetti]

Our family really likes CBR. THe kids love the theme and its a great resort for downtime away from the parks. We've never had a problem with mousekeeping or terrible wait times for buses. We've only stayed in the preferred section-Martinique building 25 both times so its also pretty convenient to the food court also.

 

[TennesseeGirl]

And I've been second guessing my resort choice. I've booked our stay at CBR for October and to say we are excited is putting it mildly. We aren't fussy. I don't expect fancy. We plan on most of the time being at the parks. But we will have downtime at the hotel. I really fell in love with the look of Caribbean Beach. It just looks beautiful. But I have read so many negatives about the dated rooms or lack of housekeeping. There seems to be so many posts about it not being up to par with the other Disney hotels. All I expect is cleanliness. I've wanted, dreamed of going to Disney for so long. My kids are over the moon. I just want this to be an awesome vacation. I've been looking at CSR. CSR seems pretty much the same as CBR on the outside except the rooms have been updated. I see better reviews for CSR and hear they underwent a renovation recently. I just want this trip to be everything we've dreamed of. Ive been stressing out thinking about it. Thanks for any info or advice.

We are going to CBR for the first time too. We normally stay at a value so... But I was like you in second guessing my choice until I talked to a friend who has a son the same age as mine (ten.) They have stayed at both CSR and CBR and she said she definitely preferred CBR, especially for the kids. She also said the bathroom at CSR felt claustrophobic. I suggest subscribing to the CBR thread ... It will definitely keep you excited.

 

[bethclayton]

And I've been second guessing my resort choice. I've booked our stay at CBR for October and to say we are excited is putting it mildly. We aren't fussy. I don't expect fancy. We plan on most of the time being at the parks. But we will have downtime at the hotel. I really fell in love with the look of Caribbean Beach. It just looks beautiful. But I have read so many negatives about the dated rooms or lack of housekeeping. There seems to be so many posts about it not being up to par with the other Disney hotels. All I expect is cleanliness. I've wanted, dreamed of going to Disney for so long. My kids are over the moon. I just want this to be an awesome vacation. I've been looking at CSR. CSR seems pretty much the same as CBR on the outside except the rooms have been updated. I see better reviews for CSR and hear they underwent a renovation recently. I just want this trip to be everything we've dreamed of. Ive been stressing out thinking about it. Thanks for any info or advice.

i know these boards show so many of us agonizing over every nuance of our resort stays, so it is easy to get caught up in all that. but i want you to take a deep breath and hear this- the resort you pick is not going to make our break whether your family loves its first visit to disney, especially when you are all this excited. you will love being at disney, since it is your first visit you will probably rarely be at the resort, and you guys will have a great trip whether you love the resort or not. and if you have concerns while you are at the resort (cleanliness, etc.), please get a manager at the front desk to help rectify any concerns you have, so that the rest of your stay can be as enjoyable as possible.

our first stay ever 7 years ago was at CBR. i could tell you the pros and cons but what is most important is that i remember our first trip as being amazing experience for all of us, it is one of my favorite memories. the resort didn't add anything to our experience, nor do i think it took away from it. the first visit is so magical regardless.

 

[SmallWorld71]

We are going to CBR for the first time too. We normally stay at a value so... But I was like you in second guessing my choice until I talked to a friend who has a son the same age as mine (ten.) They have stayed at both CSR and CBR and she said she definitely preferred CBR, especially for the kids. She also said the bathroom at CSR felt claustrophobic. I suggest subscribing to the CBR thread ... It will definitely keep you excited.

I highly recommend this too!
I've been to WDW plenty of times and I still always second guess my resort choice after I've made it. All of a sudden I start noticing all the great things about the other resorts.

Subscribing to the thread of the resort you are going to is a great way to get to know the ins and outs of your resort and share the excitement with others who love it there.

 

[LipGlossQueen]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. My hubby decided to look at the different hotels and liked the amenities of CSR better so for the few dollars more, he switched us over. I'm going to try not to stress about the hotel choice and let my pure excitement of finally going to Disney and my children's excitement carry me through. I truly can't wait. Especially since we are going during my favorite time of the year, Halloween. Just got our tickets for the Halloween party. Yippee!!!! Thanks again everyone.