Help! CBR, did I make a mistake?

[mself145]

second time staying on property. First time 5 years ago in ASMovies. This time we decided to do a moderate. I listened to my travel agent and she got free dining and said that CBR was the best out of our choices and budget.

Well, for 2 adults and 1 child, (princess obsessed dd3 at time of travel) we will have a joining room with my parents, just my mom and dad, in the other room. my dad will need a WC accessible room as he is disabled. Preferable ground floor for him.


My travel agent is a good friend. She said that the only way she could get free dining was to book a pirate room, I have heard the pirate room is in Trinidad South which is a long ways away from the main food area.

The trip is for dec 17-22. My travel agent told me she would keep looking for a standard room or another room closer, did we pick bad?

My original option was for fq riverside of course, but would have liked Pop and upgrading dining, or CSR, but travel agent talked us out of it. Please tell me we picked right?

Help talk me into CBR. I was finally getting a bit comfortable with the newly renovated look of standard rooms and now, the pirate theme and far away? Tell me I'm over-reacting.

 

[PaintsWindColors]

The pirate rooms are fantastic and CBR is a wonderful resort! Trinidad South is a bit far away but there is an internal bus that circles the property and will take you wherever you need to go (Old Port Royale, etc). Additionally, each 'village' of buildings has its own quiet pool. I found this site helpful when I stayed at CBR in 2014: http://www.disneycaribbeanbeach.com/

But if you ultimately decide that CBR won't work for you, have your TA keep checking for other resorts because availability can change!

 

[kreckl]

Breathe. The week free dining is announced everything gets gobbled up but things do open up as people figure out what they really want to do. The pirate rooms have smaller beds and they aren't as comfortable - thats what Ive heard. I just checked and it looks like there is availability in a standard room. Check it yourself?

 

[Bree]

Yup. Standard room is showing as available with FD.

I really like CBR, but have little interest in those pirate rooms. I think Disney has it backwards with the pricing. They should be charging less due to location not more due to theming.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Disney does restrict what types of rooms are offered for Free Dining, and it is often upgraded rooms (i.e. the pirate rooms at CBR and the Royal Guest Rooms at POR), so it may be that standard rooms at CBR are not included in the promotion.

Regarding the pirate rooms, I have not stayed in one, so I can't comment on the room or the distance.

I will say that I'm poking around on the Disney TA website and I see standard CBR availability with free dining that week (I just searched one room, though). With free dining, many TAs place a hold the day it comes out, and then cancel the hold later in the week. As people change their reservations around to accommodate their wishes and needs, availability shifts.

I also see CSR availability (standard rooms and others) and Pop availability (standard and more) as well. Maybe your TA can look again, because it definitely seems that reservations are opening up!!

 

[kreckl]

I found the standard room by going through the special offers then free dining links.

 

[Disneylover99]

I see availability as well. But I'm not sure if there is a way to check to see if there are two standard rooms available since you have to book the rooms one at a time, and you also need a room for your parents.

 

[mself145]

The plain standard is availible, but not the wheelchair accessible. And as dd will be staying back and forth with me and dh, and my mom and dad, depending on her mood that day, as it will be a huge sleep over for her. we will need ajoining rooms. Or at least in the same or very close buildings both bottom floor for easy dragging of all her necessities to sleep. Lol.

 

[loves to dive]

Have you looked into the price of getting a room only discount the adding the dining plan if you want it? Sometimes you come out better that way then with free dining since you have to pay for a non-discounted usually preferred room.

 

[Kevin355]

CBR is our favorite resort. With that said, keep having your TA look for closer rooms, or call the WDW agent yourself. I have never had one not get us a different room, although we have never used a TA before. WDW will always try to work with you, even if it takes a little.

 

[maxiesmom]

Ok, don't freak, because I am going to list a lot of negatives out:

CBR doesn't have elevators. At all. Your TA needs to make sure your NEED (not request, NEED) of a ground floor room is noted on your reservations. And when you check in at the desk, ask then to be sure that is what you were assigned.

Second, if what you want are rooms with the inside door between them, you need to request connecting. But be aware that connecting rooms are just a request, and cannot be booked. So you may or may not end up with them. And that is true of every Disney resort, connecting rooms are a request only.

Third, the pirate rooms are the ones the farthest away from the food court and feature pool. That is precisely why they are themed--to try and entice people to stay in a section of the resort no one wanted before.

I have to be frank, I think your friend did you a disservice. If you had booked CSR you would at least be in a resort that has elevators, meaning you could make do without ground floor rooms, even if you would rather have them. And having the whole resort to pick from would give you a better chance of getting connecting rooms. I've stayed at both, and I would pick CSR over CBR in an heartbeat.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I would go and re post this in the Disabilities Forum. I would also ring Disney what hotel is best for your Dad. I would email or phone them and ask. and then get your travel agent to make the changes.

 

[HopperFan]

Ok, don't freak, because I am going to list a lot of negatives out:

CBR doesn't have elevators. At all. Your TA needs to make sure your NEED (not request, NEED) of a ground floor room is noted on your reservations. And when you check in at the desk, ask then to be sure that is what you were assigned.

Second, if what you want are rooms with the inside door between them, you need to request connecting. But be aware that connecting rooms are just a request, and cannot be booked. So you may or may not end up with them. And that is true of every Disney resort, connecting rooms are a request only.

Third, the pirate rooms are the ones the farthest away from the food court and feature pool. That is precisely why they are themed--to try and entice people to stay in a section of the resort no one wanted before.

I have to be frank, I think your friend did you a disservice. If you had booked CSR you would at least be in a resort that has elevators, meaning you could make do without ground floor rooms, even if you would rather have them. And having the whole resort to pick from would give you a better chance of getting connecting rooms. I've stayed at both, and I would pick CSR over CBR in an heartbeat.

Agree.

- I have stayed in Pirate rooms and they are far from an upgrade. The beds are full beds and sit very high with hard strange mattresses. Haven't been renovated in years. Not sure what they offer for WC users and transferring. I wouldn't stay in them again unless they were offered at more a value rate.

- Pirate rooms are very far from the main hub, far enough that we decided on the second time in that area to not even use the main hub at all. We drove elsewhere to eat and drove to parks.

- NO ELEVATORS in entire resort so you have to be diligent that your folks must have first floor. AND connecting or adjoined, just a request, so given that they can only have first floor, and first floors are a popular request - at CBR there is a greater chance of you being separated. Add that you are booked in Pirates, not the rest of the resort, so the number of rooms there is limited.

I would personally do what @maxiesmom suggests and tell your TA to stay on it to get you moved to CSR. It has elevators, it's smaller than CBR, drink refill and counter food at the main pool, queen beds and multiple dining options for your DDP. Probably better odds of connecting rooms due to no first floor restrictions and options throughout the resort. If it were me I would also be trying to book my own reservation in case your TA does not.

PS - CSR is STUNNING at the holidays!

 

[BadDad]

I've stayed at many Disney resorts. CBR is one of my favorites. I stayed in both Aruba and Jamaica areas. However; it was during the winter months and I was escaping the cold mid Atlantic.

I walked more at ASMovies and ASMusic than at CBR. Plus the food court is tops and has the same prices as AS resorts.

 

[maxiesmom]

I've stayed at many Disney resorts. CBR is one of my favorites. I stayed in both Aruba and Jamaica areas. However; it was during the winter months and I was escaping the cold mid Atlantic.

I walked more at ASMovies and ASMusic than at CBR. Plus the food court is tops and has the same prices as AS resorts.

Unfortunately the OP will be in Trinidad South as that is the only section with the Pirate Rooms. I don't know about how much you walked at the All Stars, but I'm lazy enough that I always pay for preferred rooms at the value resorts. Not much walking then!

 

[wdw4rfam]

CBR is our favorite resort (well that may change after our POLY stay this year) but I will admit that preferred is the only way I will stay there. We got lucky and got the first building next to the food court. Keep trying to switch is my advice.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Honestly I would not listen to your travel agent, friend or not. You know what you want and I think you know you don't want CBR, especially the Pirate Rooms. Full price for full beds? Eeek would not interest me. Tell her that and have her work hard to find you a new room. Be specific and tell her thanks for the recommendations but that is not the route you want to go.

I am very meh about CBR but many people love it. What is the theme that interest you? That is the one you should go with. Disney is too expensive to settle imho. Sure, keep it in budget but try to get what you want, don't let others sway you including us!

 

[mself145]

My main theme would be POR, mansion side. It's just so quiet and peaceful and more scenic for me. But I like the look of CSR myself. I loved the oversized stuff of ASMovies especially toystory, so pop would be fine for me as well. I am really not too hard to please. I swear.

Swimming is not a priority, but going back and forth for naps is for dd. Also for "tea" and cup refills.

I am thinking of keeping looking for other accessible rooms and then going from there.

I do like the play area at CBR, and the basic standard room scene. Not much else though enfortunately.

 

[beck00]

Definitely keep in touch with your TA, and have her on the lookout for something else. I see why she initially chose that with your need of two rooms, one accessible...especially with the madness of FD promo dropping. Initial availability was extremely limited. I was online refreshing the site when the promotion went live, and there were several resorts that had no availability other than suites. Like others have posted, so much is opening up every few minutes so just tell your TA to keep an eye out. Disney makes it so easy to modify your reservation; there's no good reason she can't do it if there is availability. It doesn't hurt for you to look too, and let her know ASAP if you see something.

 

[Fabooliss]

Since you are taking a three year old... Can I also point out, that the Pirate rooms have skull/crossbones decorations? My DD is/was a scaredy-cat, but there is NO way she would have slept in a room with that theming at that age. (BTW, keep looking, I'm finding the rooms in December at CBR and CSR are appearing and disappearing rapidly). I just switched from ASM to CSB Preferred rooms.