Opinions wanted - POP or CBR for family of 4 with smaller children?

[MaddiePearl]

First off - this is my first post since planning our last trip in November 2011...I can't say how much I'm looking forward to planning this trip and scouring the disboards There is so much information here!!

So first up, looking for opinions at staying at CBR vs. Pop Century for October 2012? We will be traveling with two children a 4 year old and almost 3 year old. We stayed at Pop Century on our last trip when the kids were 2 & 1, we LOVED it and found it very convenient.

Any strong opinions on making a change to Caribbean Beach Resort? Like I said, I was very happy at POP on our last trip, everything from the food, the transportation, the convenience and even the "ambiance"...my children were happy so, so were we. The only thing I felt that was lacking was a pool with a slide. Is it worth making a change to CBR?

Thanks in advance

 

[Sue M]

We enjoyed our stay at CBR. I thought Jamaica was a great location near bridge over to the food court & pool. Also close to bus stop. Nice playgrounds on the beaches. Since our stay the main pool has been refurbed and a children's water park splash area added. It looks like fun!
I think you may also enjoy the larger room, and having 2 sinks.
If you decide to stay at CBR I'd put in a room request for Jamaica close to bridge.

 

[Mousemommy1]

First off - this is my first post since planning our last trip in November 2011...I can't say how much I'm looking forward to planning this trip and scouring the disboards There is so much information here!!

So first up, looking for opinions at staying at CBR vs. Pop Century for October 2012? We will be traveling with two children a 4 year old and almost 3 year old. We stayed at Pop Century on our last trip when the kids were 2 & 1, we LOVED it and found it very convenient.

Any strong opinions on making a change to Caribbean Beach Resort? Like I said, I was very happy at POP on our last trip, everything from the food, the transportation, the convenience and even the "ambiance"...my children were happy so, so were we. The only thing I felt that was lacking was a pool with a slide. Is it worth making a change to CBR?

Thanks in advance

IMHO, stick with POP.

Our girls' first trip was when they were 3 and 5. We stayed at POP and had a wonderful trip! POP is so well laid out and the theming is just cool for little ones. We had great bus service and we all enjoyed the food court.

On their next trip, they were 4 and 6 and we decided to "upgrade" to CBR. Yeah, it is most certainly our least favorite resort. It is very large. DH and I are very healthy and active, but a 10 minute walk to OPR to refill mugs or grab a snack after a long day of walking in the parks was a bit much (the agony of it was having two tired little ones dragging behind...). The internal bus system made us feel like we were on the bus FOREVER.
We also had some mousekeeping issues that we weren't thrilled about either at CBR.

We would NEVER choose CBR over POP from our experience. But at least we tried CBRand know its not for us.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at Pop but we loved CBR and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The grounds are beautiful, the food court was great with alot of variety, the room was very comfortable (we are a family of 4), the pool was awesome, and we thought the bus transportation was great. There are 4 or 5 internal bus stops and we didn't think it took long at all getting around. We thought the bus service was quick and efficient and since CBR is centrally located, it didn't take more than 10 minutes to get to any theme park, water park, or DTD. Plus I think the kids would love the pirate themed pool and slide. Good luck.

 

[lanejudy]

We've stayed at both POP and CBR and liked both. My deciding factor is always..."what do we plan to do?" Will you be spending most days, all day, at the parks? Go with the value resort. Do you plan mid-day breaks back at the resort each day and/or any non-park days to hang at the resort? Go with CBR. When we plan to go all-out at the parks, I don't waste money on the moderate resort because we only use the beds at night. If we plan a more laid-back trip with time spent at the resort, I feel it's worth the extra $$ per night to upgrade to the moderate for the pool and on-site table-service restaurant. CBR does have a nice water-play area for the little ones with slides and water spouts and such, separate from the larger pool which also has 2 slides (into deep water).

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Ted in Halifax]

My wife and I wanted to try the CBR, but we asked the kids where they would like to stay and they said the POP, even over Boardwalk and AKV. Not my pick, but nevertheless we are staying at the POP for at least 12 days of our vacation. My kids love the POP.

Ted