Ok we are staying at Carribean Beach Resort... advice?

[bryantk]

We made the decision to spend 6 nights at Carribean Beach Resort. What should we look out for, ask for, etc...? Thanks in advance!

 

[bishop1989]

Long walks and long bus rides. I found CBR to be too spread out for my liking. But, that was with a 2 yr old at the time. But, I still had a great time being that I was in WDW.

 

[mom2my4dwarfs]

We stayed at the CBR last year and loved it. We will be staying there again this year. We stayed in the Jamaica section and it was a short walk to the main pool and food court. They did try put us in Trinidad South, which we would have not been happy about at all since that is the farthest from Old Port Royale. Martinique and Trinidad North are preferred buildings. Can't tell you about the buses since we rent a vehicle.

 

[stemikger]

Depending on what section you are staying in the walks to the main pool and Port Royale can be a bit long if you have little ones, but they are magical in the early mornings. I enjoyed getting up real early and walking around. The atmosphere is beautiful at this resort. My only slight disappointment was with the main pool. It looked so big in the pictures, but it is kind of small for a resort this size. However, each section has what they call a quiet pool - so you have some options.

This resort is great and I'm sure you will love it. Have fun.

 

[safetymom]

You might want to read the CBR FAQ's listed below. You will have a great time at CBR.

 

[FloridaGirl]

We stayed there in December of last year-- and although SO many posts had been written that were negative-= we LOVED it-- we had an upstairs corner room-- so we got extra windows to look out of-- and asked for a QUIET room and it actually was the quietest room we stayed at all year. Although we were in Trinidad-- and it was a long walk-- we used our car and drove everywhere so that was not even a problem for us-- the small beaches are great fun---- take my advice-- read what people post-- then try for yourself-- and have fun! We all have different tastes and one person's castle is another's dump--- so go with a great attitude-- you're at Disney! Have fun-- we loved our trip at CBR.

 

[4theloveofdisney]

We loved CBR!!! If you can, try and stay in the Martinique or Trinidad North section. They are the closest to everything. Another tip is to get a corner room - you get two windows which really makes the room feel larger and lets the sunshine in. If you have small kids, pack some shovels and pails and let them play in the sand one afternoon. If no kids, plan on relaxing in one of the hammocks! At night you can see the fireworks from Epcot from different areas. If you can't see them from your room, catch them from behind the main pool bar. They used to have parrots on the island in the lake also. Another thing we liked about CBR is getting our food from the food court and then eating outside. It was so relaxing sitting by the fountain or by the water. Have a great trip!!

 

[MrIncreadable]

We stayed at CRB in May 2003. We had 5 kids total, DD2, DS4, DS6, DN7, DN9. We had a great time. We stayed in building 24 which is close to the food court. The buses were not bad, They sometimes seemed long but it was never a complaint. The rooms were nice and the pools were relaxing. I have heard people complain that the check in building is to far away, All I can say is we only went to this building twice and it was not that big a deal.

There are bus stops all over and we found it interesting whiel we waited for a specific bus to talk to other guest and find out where they are from. It made the time pass quickly. Not saying we waited more than maybe 10 minutes tops for any bus.

Good Luck and have a great trip.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

We stayed at CBR 2 years ago and loved it! We were in Jamaica section and had a short walk to the buses , a quiet pool and laundry and it really wasn't far to the food court and mainpool. We really enjoyed it - right now I have a ressie at POP but if codes come out I will try to upgrade to CBR.

 

[jaysmom4285]

We stayed at CBR in early December and loved it as well. We were in Jamaica 45, which is directly across from the walkway across the lagoon to Old Port Royale. It was a very short and pleasant walk and is every bit as close to OPR as some of the outer buildings in Martinique and Trinidad, and you don't have to pay extra for a preferred room. We found the location to very quiet and pleasant. We had rented a car to get back and forth to the airport but never used it for on-site transportation because the bus service was so good. I don't think we ever waited more than ten minutes for a bus. The food court had great variety and seemed to be able to handle large numbers of people very efficiently.

 

[murph103]

We stayed there in July and we loved it. We were in Jamaica 45, right near the bus stop and just across the lake to the food court and the main pool. When we go next year, we'll stay there again. We had a second floor corner room and it was very quiet. We knew there was a family next door to us, but we never heard them.

 

[PCFriar80]

The CBR price is great! My DW and I just returned from a 2 night stay there after being at the BCV......had a little problem with weather here in CT so had to postpone one part and book another. We enjoy walking and actually walk to
Epcot and MGM via the Boardwalk. Just cut through the grass across the from the Aruba bus stop across the street and down the sidewalk pass the Hess Station and to the Boardwalk!! Beats the bus and it's just another adventure!
Same on the return. BTW the walking justifies the snacks......nuff said!!!

 

[mrssmh]

How long does it take to walk?

 

[PCFriar80]

20 minutes from the Aruba bus stop to the Boardwalk. And another 5 - 10 minutes from there to IG at Epcot. We request Aruba 56 or 54. If we can't get those we go for Jamaica 45 or 46. It's adventurous but again, better than a bus!!

 

[mrssmh]

Thanks PCFriar80. Maybe we'll try that.

 

[mbcary]

I have stayed at the Carribean twice and really enjoyed it. I like to walk though. The second we stayed we were pretty far from OPR, but I loved waking up in the morning and walking through the quiet, beautiful resort to get my coffee. I also liked the fact that each area had its own pool.

 

[racheltyler]

If traveling with small children, I would recommend requesting a preferred building closer to the main areas. We've stayed at alot of the resorts in different categories - this is not one of our favorites mainly because the main pool is not that great. We were just there in what's supposed to be the slowest time of year and could not get a seat at the main pool - front desk said resort was only 25-30% booked!. I think there's over 3000 rooms and this pool is so small to accomodate. Otherwise, resort is beautiful, food court is good, quiet pools are nice. Have fun!

 

[jlkmn]

enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. when we got married in disney my whole wedding party and most of the guests stayed at CBR. it was my first time staying and what a wonderful resort. Many things to while staying there.
you can sometimes see the fireworks at epcot there as well out at the beach. grab a hammock on the beach and relax youll feel like you on the islands.
jen

 

[bryantk]

thanks for the replies!!! our details are that we are only there for five (5) nights, so we will be cramming alot in. No children to worry about kids activities or walking, although due to our short stay we don't really want to spend the majority of our time waiting for the bus as we won't have a car. No need for a pool either, any swimming we do will be brief at the water parks. As for dining I'm not sure we will eat there more than once if at all, we want to try all the best restaurants around the entire resort. As you can tell we won't be spending much time in our rooms

 

[scoutsmom99]

bryantk,
I just got back from CBR last week and it was great...I went solo and I stayed in Jamaica 44 which was a very short walk to the Jamaica bus stop...in my entire week there I only had one long wait for an MGM bus my first day. It seemed the busses were either starting the routes with Martinique or Jamaica which worked out really well. Enjoy your stay