Please help ease my mind (CBR)

[PugLover]

Hey All,

DH and I are planning on going to the CBR from 09/07 - 09/14 using the FairyTale Pkg. We dont think the AllStars are for us. We are doing a good bit of traveling over the next 8 months so our budget for this trip wont allow a deluxe resort.

I have the airfare and car booked but for some reason cant bring myself to make the final call to book the resort. I am just not sure. We do plan on at least one full day just hanging at the resort (pool, beach and just walking around), possibly two full days.

I have not been to Disney as an adult, neither has DH. I dont know why I am so nervous about this. The price with the FairyTale Pkg. is perfect for us and the photos of the resort look lovely. I have read many threads on these boards about how much others have enjoyed the CBR.

I really want this vacation to be wonderful. It is our 4th wedding anniversary trip and the only trip we have alone. All our other planned trips are with family or friends. We enjoy (no matter where we travel) lounging by the pool/beach so this should seem ideal, I just dont want it to be a bust. I know the rooms are on the smaller side but really, we wont be in there much except to sleep. We will miss not having a balcony but I know with our budget we cannot afford a deluxe. Normally we go to all-inclusive/no children resorts. I am guessing during our stay we won't run into a ton of kids at the resort since most will be back in school. We are not anti-children or anything, lol, but I guess it is making me nervous.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[jel0511]

I've never stayed at CBR, but have visited and it is a beautiful resort. We even considered staying there this summer, but we decided to go back to our favorite hotel, WL. As to not seeing kids, there are kids everywhere at WDW, even in the off season. You tend to see more of the under 5 crowd during the off season, since they don't have to worry about school and such. We saw EXACTLY that during our Feb trip. I was AMAZED how many toddlers and babies that were there. So, be prepared for toddlers running around, they will be there !!! If a balcony is REALLY important to you, why don't you think about staying at the WL. In my opinion, it's the most romantic resort, with the exception of the GF, and it really isn't much more than CBR, probably only about $300 for the entire week. You will have a balcony, interior corroridors (that is important to me) and it's a deluxe resort. This is the one reason we decided to go back to the WL, to us it's just more relaxing and easier to "hang" there than at the CBR. But that's just me. I think you'll have a wonderful time, and you will enjoy CBR, it is a beautifual place.

 

[Pammy_from_WI]

Don't worry, the CBR is pretty nice for the price. We stayed there and were in Aruba, pretty close to one of the quiet pools. Yes, it was across the lake from the main pool and food court, but really if you want peace and quiet you don't want to be next to the food court anyhow.

The rooms are small, but with two people you'll be fine. We had 3 adults and even tho we trip over each other once and a while, it worked out fine.

They have a beautiful lake that you can walk around, with hammococks here and there, makes for a nice romantic night, we never saw anyone else out there in the evenings.

The quiet pools were always dead, we saw people once on our 16 night stay. The main pool can get busy, but at night, at least when we were there, they had music going and you could get a drink and swim. Not too many kids later in the evening.

The food court was ok, nothing to write home about, but it was fine in a pinch. Plus you'll have a car which will make it easy to go to the other resorts to eat or visit.

I've seen others complain a bit about the wear and tear on the rooms, but ours was fine.

Again I wouldn't worry the CBR is pretty nice and you can't beat the price. Have you also looked into the CSR? That should be the same price, but I think it tends to draw a more adult crowd. We've never stayed there, so can't really comment, but others might be able to. If you do go with the CBR, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Pammy

 

[safetymom]

I have stayed at CBR more times than I care to admit. I don't think you will have any problems with kids. You will see a lot of them at the main pool but each village has a quiet pool where you will be pretty much alone. The rooms are a nice size.

CSR also attracts a lot of families because of the pool.

I think you could have a very wonderful vacation at CBR. There are courtyards where you can sit and enjoy this beautiful resort.

I truly feel like I have escaped when I stay at CBR. It is romantic with the beaches and hammocks also.

I have pictures of CBR on my web site. If you have any more questions, please ask.

 

[KMH1]

We spent a week+ at CBR celebrating our third wedding anniversary. We thoroughly enjoyed it. I would suggest you reserve a king/waterview room with just the two of you. That is what Amy and I did. We had a very nice room in Jamaica with a limited waterview. It was a very short walk from our door to the beach and a beckoning hammock. CBR is a very large resort and a nice place to relax if you choose to do that. Amy and I, however, do not spend a lot of time in the room or at our resort, we prefer being in the parks. That is the other benefit of CBR is that it is pretty centrally located to all four parks, Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk and the water parks.

 

[married2grumpy]

We just recently returned from our first visit at CBR. It too was our anniversary (8th) but we had 3 kids in tow. I think you will enjoy the resort. We spent several days at the pool without going to a park and there was enough for us to do to keep even the kids busy. You can rent a surry bike and ride around the resort which is a lot of fun and a great way to see each "island". We also rented a boat and spent some time out on the water which was so relaxing. We would watch the Illuminations fireworks from the beach at night. We saw several couples in hammocks at night during the fireworks and other evenings just relaxing. There are some pretty walkways and secluded areas to sit and talk. For the price, I thought it was a terrific resort. Also, the rooms are a good size, not too small. I believe they are the largest rooms of the moderate resorts. We are leaning towards WL our next visit but only because we have AP's and don't have to pay park admission this time and want to try a new resort each stay if possible. I would stay at CBR again and would recommend it to others.

 

[PugLover]

Ya'll, thanks so much!

I dont want to give the wrong idea about asking about the child population at the resort. Last Aug. we spent a few days at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas (Radisson) that allows children and it was pretty overwhelming by both the pools. Between the games they play with the kids (tug of war and that sort of thing) and the noise it was rather UNrelaxing. Children were running around, bumping into our chairs, spilling our drinks... basically just running wild.

I am not at all conerned about the dining aspect (no matter where we eat) because we rarely sit down to dinner before 8:30 or 9.

As soon as DH gets home we will book the resort. Thanks again for all the feedback. If we really enjoy Disney (as I said havent been there in 17 years, LOL) then I am sure we will go for the deluxe next time. We will be able to make a really informed choice because we plan to walk the grounds of all the resorts just to check them out!

Great pics by the way

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by married2grumpy
We would watch the Illuminations fireworks from the beach at night. We saw several couples in hammocks at night during the fireworks and other evenings just relaxing.

More info on this please.....how much of illuminations can you see? And from which beach facing which way?

Thanks!

 

[safetymom]

You can hear the music and see the higher fireworks. If you look in the direction of the Custom house or Barbados you will see them. At 9:00 they turn off the ball (Spaceship Earth) so it is a good idea to locate it before the fireworks. We always sit in Martinique to watch them but I am sure there are other good spots for viewing. We watched them 4 times last week from there.

 

[married2grumpy]

We also watched them from the Martinique beach. You can see all the high ones really well. The sky loghts up from the low ones and you can see some laser lights in the sky. It was fun to see. Just bring your bug spray for at night on the beach.

 

[sarahj]

We returned from CBR on May 3rd. It was our first time there and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Our room was in Trinidad North which was just past OPR. Our room faced the parking lot and we thought one facing the water would have been a little nicer, but it really didn't matter. It was kind of nice to walk outside our door and take 10 steps to get to our car!!! The main pool at OPR was crowded with kids. But if it was too crowded for us, (we were there without our kids), then we just went to our quiet pool and sometimes we almost had it to ourselves!!! Our room had a king size bed and was very comfortable. The room wasn't huge, but was plenty big enough for the two of us. Had a nice table and chairs. Also the sinks were outside the shower/toilet area so that was nice. The room was decorated in very bright colors and was quite pretty. The beach areas were nice and clean. Every night we took a walk around the resort (a 1.4 mile path). The food court was never very crowded. The sit down restaurant, Shutters, was good. Although it suggested priority seating, we walked up one night and got right in. We ate lunch at the food court a few times. Although there wasn't a lot to pick from, the food wasn't too bad. The Grab and Go was stocked with salads, fruit, cereals, cookies and pastries.

We wouldn't hesitate to go back again and I think you will enjoy it.