Greetings from CBR! Any questions?

[boltjames]

corvair: The CBR is located right on the fringe of the Downtown Disney area which also is very close to "civilization"- meaning that there are very nice, new, and super-clean versions of non Disney owned stores like McDonalds, Exxon, and (in the example of food markets) Goodings. You can make a 20 minute round trip to Goodings and load up on small-fridge essentials every few days if you wish. It's literally 100 feet outside of the Disney gates but feels like it's part of the Disney experience somehow.

I find that a cheap rent-a-car is a must-have on properties not directly on the Monorail. Before we had kids, the buses were just fine. With strollers, coolers, camcorders, digital cameras, clothing, etc it's impossible to have fun without a vehicle. Also, you need to consider the amount of time you're spending and what you're going to do. If you're going to go 100% Disney (ie MK, Epcot, MGM, AK, DD, Water Parks) and have no kid issues then you can get away with just busses. If you're going to explore Universal (City Walk is pretty nice), Sea World (avoid at all costs), or do some Outlet shopping then you're going to need wheels.

The weather's great. As far as fave rides, Space Mountain is still as fun as ever, Test Track is good, and Dinosaur was surprisingly scary and effective.

Have fun.

BJ

 

[traceycooper]

hi i,m sooo jealous we,re going to the CBR in may cant wait
have you any more info on the construction work behind CBR ?
and how long its likely to last & if there could be a noise problem.
Weve never been to Disney so ANY info is great to hear.
Have a drink for me!!

 

[boltjames]

traceycooper: Just got back today and we had a great time.

I see that you're in England, so I'll assume you're English and tell you that there were tons of Brits at CBR having a blast. I'm sure you will too.

Don't sweat the noise issue at the construction site- but take my advice and request Jamaica building #45 (unless you're a smoker).

Here's a link to a map of the CBR so you can see what I'm referring to:

http://www.wdwig.com/cbrmap1.jpg

The Trinidad North area is the one from which you can see the construction very close by. Stay away from that part of the resort and you'll be fine.

Next, Old Port Royale is the site where the food court is and where you'll spend the second most amount of time (your room and private pool being first of course). Jamaica is right across a bridge that runs through a cool tropical island. The walk is a little longer than Martinique or Trinidad North, but worth it. Avoid Trinidad South like the plague. You're far away from the action and the lakefront has water skiing that might be annoying.

Have fun! Cheers!

BJ

 

[traceycooper]

thanks for the info,still a bit worried about the construction as we,ve booked & payed through a tour operator & they will have pre booked accomadation.if worse happens & we get trinidad
will it be bad?? as you can imagine flying from the uk is not cheap
and this is our dream holiday (doing wonder cruise too)
glad you had a good time.

 

[boltjames]

Don't know everything about the travel industry, but I think if you call 001-407-WDISNEY and give them your last name your independent reservation should come up. If that doesn't work, just go up to the front desk upon check in and change the room if you're banished to Trinidad North.

BJ

 

[denman007]

Boltjames...why do you say to avoid Seaworld?

 

[boltjames]

denman:

From a post made earlier tonight.....

Just got back from CBR yesterday (Jamaica 45) and I must tell you to avoid SeaWorld at all costs.

Times are tough on SeaWorld it seems......about half of the restaurants and food stands were closed, causing huge lines at the ones that remained open.

Want to see a shark? You're out of luck because that attraction is closed until summer.

Want to see Shamu up close in the tank? Sorry, it's closed.

Want to take a ride up the spiral viewing pole? See you in the Winter.

Want the kids to enjoy the kiddie park and the water rides there? Sorry......no can do.

Want someone who speaks English to help you in any store or restaurant? No habla Espanol.

I should have realized when I saw signs at the ticket line saying "get a free pass for the rest of the entire 2002 year with the purchase of a ticket today" that something was amiss.

I pity the poor English; it seems that some European booking agency is sending all the Brits there as half the people who didn't speak Spanish spoke the Queen's English.

Save your money and go to Animal Kingdom, Kennedy Space Center, or McDonalds instead.

BJ

 

[Rudyrnpo]

boltjames;

Thanks about forewarning us about Seaworld but i think my ds is so set on it that i have to take him to prove it to him. You know that old, I have to see it for myself especially if my mom told me because you know she can't be right.

Hopefully, we can go early and leave early and hit one of the other parks with plenty of time to spare.

Regarding the refrig, i have been going back and forth regarding that. I can probably fit one of those collapsible coolers for about $15 and fill it with ice and stuff or pay the $10 a day for the fridge. I don't have that many snacks that would go in the fridge. more water and juice boxes. i am a first timer with kids, 8 and 4. what would you do?

 

[boltjames]

Rudyrnpo: Based on the ages of the kids you may not need the fridge, but I'd do this:

Rent it so that it's reserved for you, and if you don't need it after all, just have them remove it and you'll only pay for it for a day or two. For us, we needed it 24/7 with a younger child. We figured we'd save at least $10 a day on drinks/food to pay for it and that's why we did it.

For the "big cooler" theory, if you're going to leave the cooler in the air conditioned room all day filled with free ice from the machines then it would likely work. Avoid dragging a big *anything* to the parks as it will sloooooooow you down bigtime. Remember that there's increased security at the gates and the trams aren't easy to navigate either.

The bigger question for you is are you going to get a stroller? While you'd think that an 8 year old and a 4 year old can walk without aid, you'd be surprised to find that most can't walk the 5 miles a day in the heat with the lines and the excitement. You may want to read "The 25 Rookie Mistakes" on the wdwinfo homepage for more advice.

Have fun!

BJ

 

[Rudyrnpo]

Thanks Boltjames.

I had not even entertained the thought of dragging the cooler to the park. strictly room furniture. between all the other stuff to carry i think i would have to kill myself. water bottles, ponchos, cameras, autograph books, that is just in the outer pouches of the fanny packs.

i am also debating on the stroller. if the kids get tired, then my dh will surely be ready to come back for a rest which i have planned for almost every afternoon. My dh does not do well with heat, crowds, lines, cranky kids but then again who does? so afternoon siesta by the pool, if i can find a hammock even better is planned.

how were the lines and crowds? I know now is spring break and all kinds of stuff. do you think i will avoid it going the second week of April?

i have not set too much of an itinerary. especially since they got rid of EE i don't know which park to do which day. Flying by the seat of my pants. but then magical moments occur like this right?!

 

[tjhj]

Just alittle input on the stroller delema, well we were their in sept and my kids are 4 and 2. We brought our stroller with us from home. I used it for luggage in the airport, they wanted nothing to do with it, I took it to the park the first day and they again would not sit in it. I pushed it all around the park back and forth with no kids in it, In the rain their I was pushing the stoller, the wonderful stroller that I thought I would be saving $ with, So each day I would lug this stroller on boats on bus's just hoping it would get some use...Well, I was tired and sore, I finally left it at the resort and rented one (they didn't sit in that either). I felt like I just wanted to throw it (the stroller) off the boat the one day. If your kids sit in one now take it if not leave it at HOME

 

[boltjames]

Rudyrnpo: Don't want to give you too much advice here as it will take away the fun, but here's what we did for reference:

Started at the MK with character breakfast at 8:30. Gets you into the park early. Rented a double stroller right at the ticket entrance for $15 and left the single stroller (for the 1 year old) in the trunk of the car. Went back to CBR at 1pm for a swim and naps. Got up and went back to MK at 5pm and had dinner at the Italian place on Main Street. Did the rest of the park in the cool evening, watched the fireworks from Adventureland while the kids had ice cream. Back to the hotel around 9pm.

Repeat the above for MGM the next day. No character breakfast, but at the park early - afternoon nap - back to the park for dinner.

Next day we went to the Contemporary Resort and rented a large pontoon boat for 2 hours and had fun on the lake. Went back to the CBR for lunch and hung at the pool / beach / playground all day.

Next was a half day (morning) at AK. Don't need more than that really. Back to the hotel for a swim in the afternoon. Did the Polynesian Luau for dinner (only because we'd done Hoop De Doo so often.......HDD is better IMHO).

The rest was non-Disney related, so I'll skip it. The lines were manageable, but I'm not a fan of FastPass due to the extra stress of waiting on one line and worrying about time running out on the other. My kids were happiest when we were strolling around the park and not on the rides. Yours may be different. We rented a double stroller each morning in the parks and left our regular one in the car. Our plan was that if we didn't need strollers at all that would be great but best to have just one on hand and rent just in case. In retrospect, I'd have left the big stroller home, bought a $10 disposable job at WalMart for the Orlando segment, rented the double in the parks, and then dump the WalMart special in the trash enroute to the airport.

BJ

 

[cottontail]

Hi: Can I ask you how much to rent the pontoon boat at the comtemporary resort for 2 hours. Thanks

Deb.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Wow boltjames, what a great informative thread! I've never stayed at CBR before, never had a desire to, but after reading this you've got me wanting to go experience this resort. You're detailed replies are fantastic, and full of great info, whether one is staying at CBR or not. Thanks for the AOL hookup number. I'm glad you had a great time.

 

[Rudyrnpo]

Hey boltjames,

the lake you did the pontoon on, is that the one that has had alligator sightings? Which is the waterway to stay away from if you happen to know?

what is the difference between the pontoon and the watermice if anyone happens to know?

I really don't know yet if my kids will be more for the rides or hanging out. we have done amusement parks before but nothing like this and believe it or not, my little one is more the daredevil than the older one. They really enjoy shows alot more so parades and shows will occupy a great deal of time i assume.

Thanks so much for all your info.

 

[boltjames]

cottontail: As I recall, it's about $55 per half hour for the pontoon's. They are the largest boat they've got (can seat about 8 I think) and have plenty of room for the stroller and a nice canopy for shade. If you do some boating (and I highly recommend it) make sure you go to the Contemporary and go out on the big Seven Seas lake. You can go to the very edge of Fort Wilderness, right up to all the beaches for the CR/PR/GF, and even see the ticket takers at the Magic Kingdom. The kids will love going under the Monorail tracks too.

TeresaNJ: Glad you enjoyed the daily reports. I learned a lot in these forums and was just trying to return the favor. If I helped you, mission accomplished for me!

Rudyrnpo: I guess there must be alligators in the Seven Seas lagoon, but it's the largest man-made lake on the planet and deep as can be so you'll never run into trouble there. The pontoon boats are really large.....big enough for about eight people.....and they're expensive. The watermice are small semi-speedboats for youngsters. Promise me you'll do this: take a few hours to go on the main Monorail and check out the big hotels (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, etc) and when you're there you'll see all the boats as these resorts are all on the circumference of this enormous lake. One of the least talked about and least appreciated "attractions" at Disney are the phenomenal lakes that are safe and a great way to get some sun, stay cool, and bond with the family.

BJ

 

[AnnaS]

Hi, I hope I am not repeating this question, my Brother, Sister-in Law and two children ages 5 and 3 will be there in July. Which building would you recommend, close to pool and food court. Walking distance, not smack in the middle of it - are parked cars also close to each building? Thanks.

 

[boltjames]

AnnaS: Jamaica 45 if you want to be a 3 minute walk away over a tropical island and bridge. Martinique 25 if you want to be almost on top of the food court area. All of these buildings have their own large pools- the one near the food court is the biggest and is "themed" with water slides and a waterfall for the kids.

Here's a map that will help you:

http://www.wdwig.com/cbrmap1.jpg

Choose Jamaica. <------ my advice.

BJ

 

[AnnaS]

Thanks BJ for responding so quickly - I will tell her Jamaica 45. How far is the "themed pool with slides" from Jamaica 45 - only two minutes? This would be great. I hope you are enjoying your stay. Two friends are going to be down for two weeks - by brother in July and I am jealous!

 

[JALaP]

We just returned from CBR, and had a terrific time. While I am not the fount of knowledge that BJ is, I did want to weigh in: The resort was beautiful and our room was clean and 'fresh.' We took the bus, at least 2 round-trips to the parks daily, and never had any kind of wait at all. They finished the Martinique construction while we were there, but thanks to BJ, we had switched to Jamaica.
IMPT: I had been told that Jamaica 45 was the only non-smoking building, which is what CBR front desk had told me when I called to switch. But when I checked in, they told me that there were now only a few smoking buildings at Jamaica.So we ended up in Jamaica 46, where a room was ready for check-in.
The walk to the bus stop was very very short. We always ran, and it took about a minute. And many times we were the last stop leaving the hotel and the first arriving. No set pattern, though, that we could discern.

Also want to confirm the Epcot fireworks report: saw them beautifully from the parking lot! Even heard the music!
The walk from Jamaica to the food court was, as reported, easy and picturesque. Birds on Parrot Cay, but not so many. If you want to avoid the "Birds' sensation, though, avoid the Jamaica and Aruba beaches. Not helped by kids feeding the birds!

We just used food court for breakfast and drinks and it was fine. Dieting, so I didnt get to assess the syrup situation, BJ! Used the Jamaica pool, and the Aruba one when Jamaica was too ball-filled. Also enjoyed the Jamaica and Aruba beaches. Hung out by the main pool for pina coladas, but it was pretty crowded mid-day for swimming, so we stuck to the quiet pools. All in all, very happy with the Hotel- a great disney/beach experience,and what a thrill to be getting it for a reasonable price. Would definitely stay again. Judy