Sell me on staying at CBR!

[discookiemonsta]

We have never stayed at CBR. The more I read about it the more nervous it makes me.

For one, the bus stops and the sheer size of the place scare me.

Another huge issue is the fact that there are no elevators. We will have four kids, two in strollers traveling with us. So a ground floor room is a definite must. But how much of a guarantee is it that we will get one?

So, please tell me all the great things about CBR! We are a family of 6, if that helps.

Also, if possible, calm my fears about the ground floor and transportation issue!

Thanks!

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Caribbean Beach buildings are only 2 stories so if you make "first floor" your primary request, I would think you stand a good chance of getting it. We requested a corner room (first) and a first floor room (second) and got a first floor room (no corner). As far as the resort goes, I love CBR! The pool is absolutely fantastic! Easily my favorite of the moderate resort pools. My daughter (age 6) loved just walking around the grounds, as well. She enjoyed looking in the water and seeing all of the turtles and fish, as well as playing in Caribbean Cay. The food court is also well themed and we enjoyed eating there the few times we dined at the resort. Now, the resort is huge - no denying that. However, we never had to wait very long for a bus (this is this past July, if that helps you get a mental picture) and the multiple stops really didn't bother us. It was rare that the buses were so full that we had to stand. And they now have monitors that will tell you how long until the next bus is supposed to arrive. I think that really helps the kids have a little patience. Also, we had a pirate room which meant we were in the farthest section (Trinidad South) and the walk from Old Port Royale really didn't bother us. We did it multiples times a day. We decided to time it once when we were heading from our room to OPR to get a pizza and pick up our packages. It was just around 10 minutes to get from our room (in the scond-farthest building of the farthest section) to OPR, order the pizza, and go get our packages. That's really not bad and the walk along the river is really quite lovely. One night, my husband and I put our daughter down and went and sat on a bench outside our room and were delighted to see the Epcot fireworks over the trees. Truly, CBR is a very beautiful resort and, while large, not at all unmanageable.

 

[HopperFan]

We have never stayed at CBR. The more I read about it the more nervous it makes me. For one, the bus stops and the sheer size of the place scare me. Another huge issue is the fact that there are no elevators. We will have four kids, two in strollers traveling with us. So a ground floor room is a definite must. But how much of a guarantee is it that we will get one? So, please tell me all the great things about CBR! We are a family of 6, if that helps. Also, if possible, calm my fears about the ground floor and transportation issue!

Thanks!

Can't guarantee or calm you on this one. It is a valid concern.

You have a choice of CBR or POR if you want moderate. Since it seems you will also have a pack n play then the extra floor space at CBR will come in handy. The rooms are newly renovated, so that is very nice, as is the doors to bath area instead of POR curtain. The pool is geared for young families with zero entry and the water playground, so that will be a big plus.

 

[Hopefully]

I can't help. CBR is my least favorite Mod and the only resort I won't return to. I just didn't like anything about it.
Good Luck

 

[Nancyg56]

I'll try. CBR is a nice resort, albeit not my favorite. It is a large resort, so you really need to be sure you understand that. I think it is drop dead gorgeous though. The colors, the grounds, the lake and the beaches, all beautiful and serene. Shutters is among my favorite TS restaurants, with our meals very good and outstanding service.

I did not mind the bus service, there were several stops, but I thought that it was okay.

I did pay extra for a preferred room, which I thought was worth the cost.

Because you need ground floor, you may want to make it your only request.

Again, thi sis a pretty resort with a lot to offer, so I think that if you manage your expectations, go in with an open mind, this will be a keeper.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've stayed there twice and loved it. It really is a beautiful resort with a great vibe.

I've never had an issue with transportation. We stayed both times in Aruba and were facing the parking lot. Right across the parking lot was the bus stop. A very short walk to OPR also. The pool really is amazing. My kids loved the splash area and the pool slide.

Going to the parks there were never 7 bus stops. Maybe 3-4. I didn't mind it. It went quickly and never knew people hated it until after my trip. The buses always came quickly. We only had to stand once on the way back from MK one night.

We had a second floor room once when DD was still in a stroller. I didn't even think to request ground floor. We did have ground floor on our second trip.

The food court has a great theme and the food was good. My kids loved the shops there too.

 

[Dug720]

Hands down my favorite resort on property! Beautiful and relaxing.

 

[wdw4rfam]

CBR is our favorite moderate. It was the last one we tried honestly because of the reviews. I was mad at myself then, because we LOVED it. The foodcourt has the best selection of any on property in our opinion. The pool has 2 slides and an awesome pirate area for small kids. The size to me didn't seem any bigger than POR, but I don't know the exacts. Yes, there's more bus stops, but not as many people at each stop pushing onto the bus. We never had a single issue with buses in the 10 days we were there last thanksgiving. We just bought DVC, so I dont know if we will ever stay moderate again, but if I did, it would be CBR in a second. Make sure you call and have them add your request to your reservation and note why. We did that for my son who has autism and won't sleep in a bed with anyone, so we HAD to have that Murphy bed and only had 4. She told me it's better if they add it, then to just add it on online check in.

 

[Dis703]

CBR is in our top 3 Disney resorts right along with BC and BWI. We stayed there last year and absolutely loved it. The resort is beautiful and so peaceful and quiet. Even the rooms seemed so much quieter than the other resorts we've stayed at. We stayed for 9 nights and towards the end of our trip I heard a door slam and realized it was the first sound I had heard coming from any room around us the entire time we were there. There are little beaches with hammocks to relax in. The pool is really great and the pirate ship themed splash zone for little ones is awesome. The CMs were great. The bus transportation was honestly the best we've had so far at Disney. Hoping that wasn't a complete fluke but we rarely waited even 5 minutes for a bus. Only once we waited over 10. And there is a bus stop at every village so you are never very far from one. It is large, but I feel like it's exaggerated quite a bit. I can recall walking the long hallways of BC and it felt like it took forever to get from one end to the next but no one seems to complain about the size of that resort. Maybe because it's outside vs. inside? The grounds are so gorgeous I rather enjoyed the walk to OPR. Which from Jamaica 46 was only 5-6 minutes over the bridge.

There is a little playground for the kiddos. You can watch the fireworks from Epcot at night. Overall, I just loved the way it was so quiet and peaceful after the crazy hustle and bustle of the parks.

If you need a ground floor make it your request. We requested it for the same reason. I didn't want to lug a double stroller up the stairs several times a day. If it's that important to you also make sure you stop at the desk and find out if you were able to get a ground floor and if you weren't assigned one ask them if they could check and see if there are any available. They were very helpful when we did the same.

 

[Barnabas T Bullion]

I'm going to pipe in here as well in support of CBR. We've stayed at AKL and POFQ recently and the entire family liked this as much as any of the other two. We had the same reservations about a big resort with all these bus stops, etc... but it never bothered us. As a Disneyphile, I have read plenty and saw it is a lower rated resort but we tried it anyway. We were very happy we did.

Big positives for me: the pool is amazing. Also to consider, no one ever mentions how close this resort is to 3 of the 4 parks. Very short trips on the bus. You can see the Epcot fireworks from the Carriage House that is how close it is to Epcot. The kids loved the resort grounds which were beautiful. Loved the vibe of the place.

We never really had issues with the bus. It is a BIG resort but don't think a little walk is a big deal. I did stay in a preferred location though. Liked the food court as well. Nighttime movies by the pool. Loved it.

I think it's a tremendous resort. In fact on our next trip the kids are asking to go back there.

 

[emsstacey]

Between POR and CBR, CBR won for several reasons... first, the buses were better than POR for us. There were never huge crowds waiting and the buses seemed to move quickly with few stops. Second, the food court was never crazy crowded where POR was always crazy crowded. We were able to use the hot tub at CBR and it was always full at POR.

That said, I think either place will try to accommodate the first floor request and bussing and everything else is pretty much dependent on how full it is at the time and whether people rush to the busses at the same times-- can't predict those things. We enjoyed both a lot.

 

[Kevin355]

We have over 10 stays at CBR. The size complaint is way overblown. Have never had an issue with walking the grounds. Have only had one issue with buses, but that was on Christmas Day in the early 2000's. The food court is excellent. Each area has its own quiet pool, and the main pool is zero entry for the little ones.

You will always have those who have their favorite resorts. You will also always have people who have to find a problem with a resort that is not their favorite. Not everything has been perfect at CBR, but we have had no complaints with any stay at CBR.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Favorite, favorite, favorite!
Believe it or not, we liked it better than the Poly! (Poly was much noisier and far more crowded!)
Our first stay there was in '06 and we foolishly decided that all the hoopla about POR/FQ must be true, therefore better resort. Entire family liked CBR better!
It's a tranquil, peaceful lovely resort with an excellent main pool, great CMs, nice quiet pools, and Shutters is an amazing restaurant! We also really like the food court.
I promise, you won't be disappointed!