Major Indecision: Caribbean Beach v. French Quarter

[Sunshine11]

Hi all, first post- so excited to be returning to WDW! We're planning our April 2020 (4/26-5/2) trip to WDW. I'm slightly obsessing about which resort we should stay. We're looking at Moderates, would love Deluxe, but just don't want to spend that kind of money this trip (unless a major discount comes out...unlikely, but hey! it could happen). Our decision is down to a King Room at Caribbean Beach or Standard at French Quarter.

I've done a lot of research and here are my overall takeaways: CB is huge, room quality seems to be hit or miss, food and customer service are also hit or miss, bus situation can be rough. We love the look of the CB pool (toddler splash area) for our 2 year old son. French Quarter seems to be much higher rated consistently, splash pad is okay even if the theming may go over son's head, room's seem better without the carpet and greater storage options, and an overall better (much better?) bus situation.

Now here's the crux of the situation- the Skyliner. Obviously it hasn't opened yet, but I'm assuming that will be a game changer in getting to Epcot as well as restaurants at any of the Epcot area resorts (I'm disregarding DHS because we don't plan on going there). And so I am completely torn on which resort to book. I like having peace of mind... CB reviews are all over the place and that worries me, but love the idea of Skyliner. FQ seems like a safer bet overall, decent transportation, even though it will be slower to get to Epcot. Please help, I'm going crazy over here! We are talking with a travel agent (okay, two agents...indecisive over here) and they haven't been very helpful in this aspect (or any aspect other than pushing us to book a package- but that's a post for another day). Also! I've been told this is a cheer competition weekend...is that a deal breaker? Should we look for a different week?

Thanks in advance, you have no idea how much I appreciate!!

 

[Sunshine11]

French Quarter hands down.

 

[khmoorefield]

We are having the exact same debate for our trip next April (either 4/17-4/24 or 4/20-2/28). Currently have POFQ booked but have been debating hard about CBR. However, I know there will be cheer competitions going on and I fear that many of them will be at CBR. I know there are some other sporting events at ESPN WWoS that are offering packages at CBR (you can see this info on the ESPN WWoS website). CS is also likely to be housing many many cheerleaders. Though I don't like the idea of missing out on any good discounts with POFQ, it might be appealing enough to avoid the cheerleaders at the resort. I am also considering that if a good promotion comes out, it might be reasonable to upgrade to a deluxe. At least one of the cheer competitions this year will be at the Contemporary, so I expect the monorail and MK to be busier due to this.

Ugh. Also contemplating just rescheduling our trip to Mid-May.

How did you find the exact dates? There calendar of events was confusing (to me atleast ) We were looking at mid May too, but airfare is way more AND the flights are terrible! I'm curious how much of an impact there would be on the parks and if the whole week would be shot.

 

[jerseyduke]

You may just be a genius.

I have said this for years, glad you agree

Just did a little research on renting DVC points and it sounds way too good to be true! Seems to me the only major hiccup with the whole thing would be availability, but looking at the availability calendar at one of the major rental websites and we may get what we want! Just seems to good to be true...haha I'm highly skeptical.

I do not think the calendars on the rental websites reflect availability. (However, I just checked and as of this very moment, its pretty good)

Realize the caveats:

The point rental brokers need to find someone willing to rent out points, they may not be able to do this. But, if they do not, you dont lose anything. Just have to go to plan B.

DVC members can book at their non home resort 7 months from their arrival date at 8AM. For you that means on Sept 24th, availability will probably change drastically, particularly at Boardwalk and Beach Club. (I myself have a reservation for some of your dates at the Grand Floridian, and I plan on trying to switch to Beach Club at 8AM the first day I can) - meaning, if you want to go this route,
you probably should be on it within a few days.

Realize that you can cancel a Disney cash reservation 5 days out with no penalty. With DVC point rental, I would ask the broker the policy, but my guess is, once you pay, its final - If you cancel, you are out the entire sum. (it sounds drastic, but, the owner of the DVC points could very well lose his points if you cancel - thats the gamble you take )

I do not think its too good to be true at all, it does have added risks as stated.

The Time Share store and Davids are both very reputable

 

[spacegirl2007]

USAF Cheerleading & Dance Worlds are 4/25-27
ICU Worlds haven't been announced yet but are typically the Wed-Fri before USAF (so next year most likely 4/22-4/24
Summit should be the largest this year and will be 5/1-5/3
And then D2 Summit will be 5/8-5/10

I tried to post links but they were blocked, you can just google the competition name and 2020 to see the dates.

For part of our dates, CS has no availability so it is bought up by one of the organizations right now.

You can see the other sports events that are already on the espn wwos website under events - narrow down by date to just April and May.
and you can view some of the packages (on the right hand side of the event detail box) to see which resorts.

ETA: The impact on the parks is not much. These are slower times at WDW which is why the events are held then. The impact on the resorts where they stay, on the other hand, is significant. If you look around the boards and other message boards, you will see a lot of mixed opinions but the majority of the people who have had negative experiences, it has been at the resorts and on transportation.

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

I think one of the benefits of the Skyliner will be that you won't have to deal with the unknown of "when will the next bus arrive". Though, that can be minimized by using the app and watching the bus arrival times. But if you are ready, and there won't be a bus for 20 minutes, you still have to wait somewhere or do something else until the bus arrives. With the Skyliner, you should just be able to walk there and get on with minimal wait time ("should" being the key word). I know people are all over the board with the Skyliner, some are excited for it, some hate the idea of it. I guess until it's up and running, we can all just speculate. As you can probably tell, I'm on the "i'm excited for it" side. I have high hopes for it, but in the back of my mind there's a little piece of me preparing for the worst!

That does make sense, and I’m actually excited about the Skyliner too. People act like it’s brand new technology, but it works fine in ski resorts all over the world. I think it will be great!

I just think that if the goal is to be close to Epcot, then Boardwalk area hotels are the way to go. If that’s not practical or affordable (which is perfectly valid) then I don’t see too much difference between the time taken to get there from some of the other resorts. It all evens out, and only AKL and the MK-area hotels would be on my “No” list if I were concerned about proximity to Epcot.

OP, I like the suggestion to try to rent DVC points and stay at Boardwalk. I stayed there and it was gorgeous, and my friend stayed in the DVC side at the same time in a beautiful, spacious room. It is wonderful being on the Boardwalk and so close to World Showcase.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

FQ

 

[CynBeth]

POFQ!

 

[bryanb]

Just stayed at the CB last month. Newly renovated room was very nice with a comfortable bed. Upgraded fixtures made it quite pleasant. Obviously didn't get to ride the Skyliner although it looked like a lot of fun. The new Centertown building is beautiful and the food options were decent. The changes were a nice upgrade compared to the first time I stayed there.

Ultimately, it's not my favorite because the resort is just so expansive. I wasn't even in the farthest block of rooms, and it was a trek under the hot Florida sun and pouring rain just to get to the main building. If you're not on the first few bus stops, that can also feel a bit annoying when you're tired at the end of the night. On the other hand, NOFQ is actually quite easy to navigate and compact. I love the New Orleans theme and the food is also excellent (beignets, anyone?). The boat service to Disney Springs is convenient and relaxing, and Disney Springs now has some amazing dining options which are worth making the trip for.

Don't get me wrong, neither are bad experiences though... you'll have fun no matter what you pick.

 

[shystalips]

There's a reason POFQ is usually excluded from all promotions. POFQ is amazing. I would stay every time if I could.

 

[dachsie]

Another thing to consider about the Skyliner - it won't run in a storm

 

[Disneylover99]

I’d always pick POFQ.

I’m assuming the gondola is in a central area of CBR? Even so, it could be a bit of a hike to get to depending on your room location. I’d rather take the bus at POFQ. It rarely shares with Riverside.

 

[SnowChaser]

We recently stay at French Quarter with a 2-year old, and it was great for him. The scale of the resort was such that he could easily walk on the little “roads” to the pool, playground, food court and lobby. He loved the splash pad. There’s a large, grassy area where he loved to run around. These were all high points for me when traveling with a wiggly little person, who spent more than his fair share of time being herded through the parks.

 

[Bjkandma]

Another vote for POFQ. It's the smallest resort on propert y, which makes all rooms close to the one bus stop. It is a ferry boat ride to Disney Springs, which as a lot of restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

CBR might have the g ondolas running to Epcot, but you will need to ride the internal bus to MK and AK, if you chose to go to those parks.

 

[Searc]

So much good advice and so fast- thanks all! I'd like to say I think I'm leaning towards FQ, but I'm sure I'll waiver again until we finalize. Going to look at renting DVC points too, but like I said above, seems to good to be true maybe. That would be absolutely ideal because then we could hopefully get a resort that we could minimize the bus situation entirely.

One thing to be aware of with renting DVC points is once you book and pay, it is non-refundable and you have lost all flexibility in regards to changing dates. You pay 100% up front and you're out the money whether you go or not.