help please:preffered rooms..worth it

[Darcy]

We will be staying at the Caribbean resort 9/23-9/1. What I need to know is what exactly a preffered room is, and is it worth it?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Preferred rooms either have a view or are very convenient to food, pools, etc. You have to be really careful with preferred rooms at CBR. The first time we stayed there, we paid extra to have 2 preferred/waterview rooms. Well, one room (a corner room) had an itty-bitty, tiny view of the water if you looked out the window at the right angle. The other had no hope of a water view, since it looked out on a courtyard. To make matters worse, we seemed to be as far from EVERYTHING as we could possibly be...for more $$. This was several years ago; and, if I knew then what I know now (Thanks to the DIs), I would have spoken up and gotten things. Since I didn't know, I just lived unhappily with the situation.

 

[jaysmom4285]

The preferred rooms at CBR are in Martinique and Trinidad North, the villages on either side of Old Port Royale. They are closest to the food court and main pool and cost $15 more per night. Whether it's worth it is up to you - if it is critically important to you to be as close to OPR as possible - maybe you're traveling with small children or older relatives, and walking distance is a big factor - then it probably is worth it. We like to stay in Jamaica building 45 - it's right at the end of the footbridge that goes across the lagoon to OPR, and if you look at a map, as the crow flies it's about as close to OPR as some of the Martinique and Trinidad rooms. There's a bus stop, ample parking, and a quiet pool at each village. And there's an internal bus that makes continuous loops around the resort if you don't want to walk. It just depends on how important it is to you to be close to OPR.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

This is a huge resort (area wise). I would request to be near the food court and I would wait for a room to become available if I was staying more that a couple days.

 

[SheepdogMom]

I stayed in Trinidad North 3 years ago before it was considered a preferred room - Personally, I would definitely spend the extra $$$ to stay there again. This resort is very big.

 

[TDC Nala]

I would find a resort map (there is probably one posted at www.allearsnet.com) and check the location of the preferred rooms before deciding if you really must book one. Remember that the entire "villages" are considered preferred and you could be placed anywhere within them. You might want to note the numbers of the closest buildings and request those when you make your reservation. You'd probably be guaranteed a preferred room, but the building itself would be a request.

If you don't want to pay extra, request Aruba or Jamaica and walk the bridge across the island to get to the main buildings. Remember that each "village" has its own bus stop and pool, so you're really only considering if you want to be close to the food court building and/or the big themed pool.

 

[safetymom]

The preferred villages at CBR are Martinique and Trinidad North. Yes they are worth paying extra if you want to be the closest to the food court and main pool. I don't recommend paying for a water view but preferred building is worth it.

If you don't want to pay extra think about staying in Jamaica. It is a short walk across the island.

I have pictures and a resort map on my website listed below.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

I personally dont think its worth it but we stayed in Jamaicas at CBR and we didnt pay extra$$ and it was a really short walk to food court, pools etc. If you need to gurantee being close to the food court, you might want to consider it. We preferred the Jamaica section b/c at night it was so loud over by the food court and pool we wondered if people staying in those areas could hear the steel drum band! Beautiful resort though-would stay there again!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I would pay for perferred at CBR, if to just avoid Trinidad South! Last time I stayed there, I was placed in Trinidad South, which is near nothing! Very quiet there, and I hardly saw anyone when I walked the paths. I was on a solo trip, and total isolation from the world was not what I wanted! I swear, I felt closer to Bonnet Creek than the rest of CBR! Whenever I hiked to the Food Court, I passed the other villages and they all looked like much more fun and alive than the sleepy, out-of-the-way Trinidad South. If I stay at CBR again, I will pay the extra money for a closer building!!

 

[goodferry]

My vote would be for the pref. room. It can be a really long walk to the food court and main pool from parts of the resort, and requesting Jamaica doesn't always work (it didn't for us) SOMEBODY has to stay in the far reaches of this enormous resort, if I were you I would pay the extra money to make sure it wasn't me!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

My vote would be for the pref. room. It can be a really long walk to the food court and main pool from parts of the resort, and requesting Jamaica doesn't always work (it didn't for us) SOMEBODY has to stay in the far reaches of this enormous resort, if I were you I would pay the extra money to make sure it wasn't me!

Totally agree! And I have learned that the people placed in the far reaches always includes me!! Every time I ever made any sort of request anywhere (like AB at POR; bunk beds at AKL; anywhere-but-Casitas at CSR) I been turned down - every single time! So now I make sure in places like CBR or POP, I get a decent location with the perferred room!!!

 

[2MuchOhana]

My personal favorite is Aruba. It is not a preferred location. It is located next to Jamaica and is probably not requested as much; so you would stand a better chance of getting it. The walk is not bad to the food court either. However, if you don't want to walk it you can catch the internal shuttle bus at the any of the bus stops!

Aruba was generally the second but sometimes first bus stop to and from the parks as well. At least it was when we were there. It may have changed by now.

Jodi

 

[Star Wars Guy]

We lucked out. On our first stay at CBR (1992) we were booked in Martinique 24. Because we liked the location and because I'm sort of a traditionalist, we've always requested and have gotten Martinique 24 on subsequent trips.