POR or Caribbean Beach?

[mamateacher]

Hi all,
We are a family of 4 (two boys ages 13 and 14). We have stayed in the Contemporary and Poly, but now that the boys are older, we are looking to save money (although I will very much miss the monorail). Which resort is best....Riverside or Caribbean Beach? We will most likely come back to the resort mid-day on most days during our week visit in the summer. If you can recommend one or the other and say why, that will be helpful.

Thank you so much,
Marci

 

[DisBuckMan]

Do you mean "Beach Club", or Caribbean Beach? Beach Club is a deluxe resort, and you're not going to save a whole lot of money compared to Poly if you stay there. Caribbean Beach is a moderate like PO Riverside, so there is quite a bit of savings there.

If you did indeed mean Beach Club...then yes...Beach Club. No comparison if you can swing the extra dollars.

 

[mamateacher]

Do you mean "Beach Club", or Caribbean Beach? Beach Club is a deluxe resort, and you're not going to save a whole lot of money compared to Poly if you stay there. Caribbean Beach is a moderate like PO Riverside, so there is quite a bit of savings there.

If you did indeed mean Beach Club...then yes...Beach Club. No comparison if you can swing the extra dollars.

Thank you for clarifying. I just edited my post to reflect the Caribbean Beach, not the Beach Club. There is a $1300 difference, and we are trying to save money. Thanks again!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

NA

 

[mamateacher]

NA

What does NA mean with regards to my original question?

 

[jezebel73]

The pool is nicer at Caribbean Beach. CB also has the pirate-themed rooms, if that would appeal to your boys and/or be worth the extra cost (maybe not is this case!). Personally, I prefer the "feel" at POR, though I am not sure how to quantify that. Big bonus of POR is the boat to Disney Springs if you will be spending time there. Also you can walk or shuttle over to French Quarter for an additional pool and food options.

 

[loves to dive]

Both are good resorts, I enjoyed POR a little better than CBR but wouldn't hesitate to stay at CBR again if it were less than POR.

 

[uccats97]

They are both nice but I enjoy POR over CBR. I think the transportation is better at POR, the ability to pool hop with POFQ is nice and the boat to Disney Springs is convenient.

 

[megs1313]

I'm at CBR right now and have stayed at POR recently (April '16) and HANDS DOWN recommend POR, especially if you want more convenient transportation.

 

[dansdad]

They are both great resorts and you can't go "wrong" with either one. Having said that, we prefer CBR. We feel the pool, food court, table service restaurant, and overall feel are a step above. At CBR every village has it's own bus stop and leisure pool so you are never far from one. The rooms are recently refurbished and look great. The laid back, relaxed atmosphere is such a nice break from the craziness of the parks. Our teenage son gives CBR two thumbs way up! We were big fans of POR until having to switch to CBR for Free Dining years ago and haven't been able to go back.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi all,
We are a family of 4 (two boys ages 13 and 14). We have stayed in the Contemporary and Poly, but now that the boys are older, we are looking to save money (although I will very much miss the monorail). Which resort is best....Riverside or Caribbean Beach? We will most likely come back to the resort mid-day on most days during our week visit in the summer. If you can recommend one or the other and say why, that will be helpful.

Thank you so much,
Marci

We've never stayed at POR, but we loved everything about CBR and wouldn't hesitate to return. With that said, I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter which resort you choose .

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

What does NA mean with regards to my original question?

Sorry, I had posted a response to the question that addressed why I would choose Beach Club over Port Orleans. Once I saw your edit I edited my post to say NA. I can weigh in on Port Orleans/Beach Club but have never stayed at CBR.

 

[Hockeyfan17]

You will get people that are on both sides here. We have stayed at both and preferred CBR. We liked the pool better, and unlike others that have posted on here, found the transportation much better and more convenient at CBR. In saying that, we did like POR, just not as much. We did like the boat to Disney Springs. Getting there from any other resort can be a chore. Either way you will be just fine.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would choose CBR. We've stayed there twice and loved it. My kids love their pool and actually prefer it even over the new Poly pool. We never had an issue with transportation there. Never waited more than 5-10 minutes for a bus. Request Aruba 51 or Jamaica 45 to be close to the bridge to OPR. We were in Jamaica and it was a 3 minute walk over to the pool. We don't mind walking and healthy teenage boys shouldn't either.

 

[Barnabas T Bullion]

They are both great resorts and you can't go "wrong" with either one. Having said that, we prefer CBR. We feel the pool, food court, table service restaurant, and overall feel are a step above. At CBR every village has it's own bus stop and leisure pool so you are never far from one. The rooms are recently refurbished and look great. The laid back, relaxed atmosphere is such a nice break from the craziness of the parks. Our teenage son gives CBR two thumbs way up!

+1 on this. The only real dealbreaker would be if you plan to go to Disney Springs once or possibly more than once, then the boat from POR to Disney Springs could sway you as an advantage for POR. One thing no one ever talks about is how quick the bus ride is to Epcot and HS from Caribbean Beach. It is very close to both.

My kids are smaller but loved the vibe of the CBR, and my wife and I did too. It received high marks from all of us.

 

[mamateacher]

Sorry, I had posted a response to the question that addressed why I would choose Beach Club over Port Orleans. Once I saw your edit I edited my post to say NA. I can weigh in on Port Orleans/Beach Club but have never stayed at CBR.

Thank you!!

 

[soniam]

We like both. Check to see if CBR is doing refurbs while you are there. I know there's a rumor that there's going to be major construction. I wouldn't stay there for that. We got bit at Poly during their construction. Other than that, they are both great resorts, and I wouldn't hesitate to stay in either one again. CBR has a better pool for older kids. However, I like the boat to Disney Springs. CBR is really convenient to DHS, and you can actually see some of the fireworks, maybe the Illuminations ones too, depending upon where you are in the resort. I like that CBR has sliding doors on their sink area; whereas, POR only has a curtain. It's a thick curtain though. I also like the table and chairs at POR better; CBRs chairs look like metal folding chairs. However, we rarely sit in the chairs and just use the table to throw stuff on.

 

[DisneyFan1005]

Def POR... I stayed at CBR last May and hated it. I had a pirate room in Trinidad South and dreaded the 15 minute walk back and forth.

 

[Huff]

I'm at CBR right now and have stayed at POR recently (April '16) and HANDS DOWN recommend POR, especially if you want more convenient transportation.

In all my visits to WDW I have never waited for a bus longer than at POR! Multiple times we've sat and waited, and waited, and waited. Last time we gave up after 40 minutes trying get a bus to MK and called Uber.

We stayed at CBR in Jamaica for 10 nights. Bus service was excellent the entire time. For the most part, Jamaica was first stop on in the mornings and first stop unloading at the end of a night. We loved that! Just a great time for us.

POR does have one of the best food courts while CBR's is lacking.

 

[Huff]

Def POR... I stayed at CBR last May and hated it. I had a pirate room in Trinidad South and dreaded the 15 minute walk back and forth.

Thats not a CBR problem. Thats a Trinidad South problem!! Not the area to stay in if its important to be close to the dining and pool.