So disappointed with CBR!

[Poohbug]

For those of you who have never stayed at CBR-please do not change your reservation because of other people's reviews.

CBR is not for everyone. But you really don't know that unless you try it. I have stayed at CBR many times and it is the resort we tend to always go back to. I have never had any problems with the bus, food court, etc that I did not encounter at the other Disney resorts I have stayed at.(values, moderates, and deluxes) I am looking forward to my stay at CBR next week. It will unfortunately be my last stay for a while because my family has outgrown many of the room options on WDW property.


OP-sorry you had a bad experience, I hope your vacation was still fun. It sounds like the cheerleading participants were the worst part of your trip. Note to self: avoid WDW when competitions are scheduled at WDW.

 

[LuvsTinker]

We also stayed there in 99 and I didn't notice anything about it being rundown. We loved it. I see you still loved it as well. Loved the Ol Port Royale. But, to be honest, someone working in a food court or a CM would really have to be having a bad day and be extremely rude for me to think twice about it.

Would love to hear some positive responses from people who have just gone down. Hope there's some out there! I'm hoping the place hasn't gone downhill these last few years.

We were there in Sept., in TS before the Pirate renovation. The room was fine - nothing to complain about; our Mousekeeper was great. The fridge was ice cold.

One time we waited over 30 minutes for a bus, otherwise, under 15 minutes the rest of the time.

The new pool area looks great; our son loved the Pirate ship water splash area.

One time we stayed at CBR during Pop Warner and it did change the feel of the resort for me; I wouldn't stay there again with football or cheerleading events, but that isn't the fault of CBR.

 

[Amy&Dan]

For those of you who have never stayed at CBR-please do not change your reservation because of other people's reviews.

CBR is not for everyone. But you really don't know that unless you try it. I have stayed at CBR many times and it is the resort we tend to always go back to. I have never had any problems with the bus, food court, etc that I did not encounter at the other Disney resorts I have stayed at.(values, moderates, and deluxes) I am looking forward to my stay at CBR next week. It will unfortunately be my last stay for a while because my family has outgrown many of the room options on WDW property.


OP-sorry you had a bad experience, I hope your vacation was still fun. It sounds like the cheerleading participants were the worst part of your trip. Note to self: avoid WDW when competitions are scheduled at WDW.

I totally agree. Sadly, bad experiences can and do happen at each and every WDW resort. I have seen complaints of dirty rooms, bad housekeeping, crowded pools at all the various levels. CBR is like any other thing in life, it can't be all things to all people. However, if people change reservations based on this review, they'll be changing again shortly. Because the resort they switch to, will see a bad review on this board too!

We loved the CBR. It was a wonderful experience. We enjoyed the grounds, the pools, the theming and had incredible bus service all nine of our nights.

I am sorry the OP didn't enjoy her stay and I appreciate her review. However, many of us have had opposite experiences.

And I also agree that not everyone can pay those deluxe rates. Its great that the OP can now say she tried a moderate and can now say she will always stay deluxe. However, for the many of people that cannot duplicate that scenario, rest easy. Many of us find the moderates to have been wonderful and not shabby places at all. Frankly, to me the Poly while wonderful simply was not worth the more than double rate I paid for it over CBR. So even if I could afford to go that route again, I probably wouldn't. It was wonderful but not really anymore so than CBR was. Or CSR, POR or POFQ. I love the DVC's, however, were it not for my points, I wouldn't pay cash rates for those properties either. I'd stay moderate and be very happy to do so since I have stayed in higher level WDW resorts and found that while wonderful and fun, they simply don't offer me enough more to justfy that expense. Just me of course.

Oh, and you always have to leave the cabinet door open for those hotel mini friges. I don't know why they don't tell you that or why they put them in those cabinets. They don't cool properly if they are enclosed.

 

[mom2aandj]

On all ears rate and review, CBR is the lowest ranking Mod... and POP ranks much higher... CBR ranks very close to All star movie.
There are only 2 resorts that rank lower than CBR,
Sports and Music...

the Contemporary (7.8) and the Dolphin (7.9) also rank lower than CBR, just FYI.

 

[Amy&Dan]

With allearsnet reviews and tripadivisor reviews, I take everything with a grain of salt. CBR may be the lowest ranked mod, however I don't consider an 8.01 vs. an 8.47 to be so much lower on the scale I'd not stay there. I also think that those type of reviews tend to be very critical. Sort of like restaurant reviews. Reviews on the disboards are different. Its more of a message board where you know what you post will be dissected and responded to. I also noticed that many of the recent CBR reviews were all positive with "none" marked on the con's section (on allears). Some of the negatives were regarding size which would have applied at CSR, POR and all of the values as well.

There is nothing like that scale here on the disboards. In the end, you just have to pick a resort that has a theme that appeals to you with a price that fits your budget.

I didn't really see a common nature of complaints and I would still say that resort with 300+ reviews that has a solid B is doing something right. Not one resort (YC came close with a 8.98) ranked a 9 or A rating. So in essence, all WDW resorts on allears ranked with a B or less on allears. I looked at AKL just to see (always want to stay there) and consistently people marked it was far from everything, dark rooms and the busses were slow. But I'd stay there in a minute irregardless of that ranking on that site. And I'd advisce others to do the same where CBR or any other WDW resort is concerned as long as the theme and price fit their needs. And I'll also add that based on that allears review page, 88% of all people who stayed at CBR would recommend it to others. So again, still basically very positive feedback on the resort on that particular site.

CBR has been doing very well in recent mod polls around here. So it must be doing something right. But yes for sure, there will be slip ups and less than magical stays. I am sorry the OP's stay fell into that category!

 

[danny25]

To those of you who are not enjoying your stay at CBR, I'm sorry it wasn't what you were expecting. My family loves it there, we have also stayed at WL, but our budget allows for a moderate, and that is where we choose to stay. The bus problem can be at any resort, it is not just a CBR issue. The buses are probably routed by a computer program that sends messages to a dispatcher who tells them where to go. Its not the buses fault, nor is it CBR's. As far as CMs being rude, anyone can have a bad day, and I have found that if you greet someone with a smile, you get one in return. With regards to the A/C or refrigerator not working properly, did you call the front desk and notify them, did they repair it for you? Those can happen anywhere, not just at CBR. Just some food for thought. We love CBR, the rooms are large, the landscaping is just so tropical, the pools are so much fun, and my kids love them. As far as the cheerleading stuff, that's not a CBR issue either, that problem lies with the adults with that group and if they were bothering you, why did you not notify the front desk, they may have been willing to ask them to move. Don't always rule it out!!! Some of us love it there!!!

Totally agree, it´s unfair to compare one deluxe with one moderate, it´s a big price difference, I personally never compare 2 Disney resorts all are differents and all are fantastic, yay for CBR

 

[friskykitten]

Another CBR fan here! It was our first Disney resort we ever tried and it will always remain a favorite with us. We have stayed here several times and we had only one stay that wasn't as great as we had hoped. Parking lot view......UGH! The music that is piped in as well as the tropical/beachy flavor makes this resort special to me. I also love the bright colors of the buildings and Nemo rooms.
I have tried POR and really liked it, though not as much as CBR. I am not a fan of the theme at POFQ and will probably never stay there due to that fact. We still have the Coronado to try out but it isn't high on my list of things I must do.
We like staying at the Deluxes too but prefer the foodcourts that are offered at the mod and value resorts. Due to our family size we ususally stay with DVC. But every once in a while I am able to take only a couple of kids with me and can stay at one of 'regular' resorts. I am still waiting for my chance to try the POP and Poly.
I know I am rambling.....the main point that I really need to make is that each resort has it's own feel, theme and flavor. That is what makes each of them so special! I have loved staying at all of them. From value up to the DVC Villas. True there are a few I haven't had the pleasure of staying at all of them yet but POFQ is the only one that I believe I wouldn't really like. Someone else may enjoy the POFQ as their favorite resort.

** as a side note: I REALLY DISLIKE sharing the resorts/parks with those 'groups'. I was a cheerleader for four years but I would do anything I could to avoid going whilst any group may be there. I was always told that October was a big month for the foreign 'tour groups'. But now it seems that there is hardly a time when there isn't a group of some sort visiting the world. And none of them are ever quiet groups. A list of "good times to go without running into groups" would be a wonderful thing.....

 

[ILoveDisney-Angie]

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

I can truly say that I thought I would give CBR a chance since our money situation isn't so healthy this year (and I was thankful to get to go at all).

I have stayed at a moderate before (POR - twice, when DH and I first started going to WDW). I was VERY pleased with POR. DH and I loved staying there. I just choose to stay at deluxe resorts mostly for location (Beach Club & Boardwalk). It is definitely worth every penny if you can afford it. We love being near Epcot and MGM (still can't stop calling it MGM and it will take me a while to start calling it Hollywood Studios..lol).

Anyway, with that being said, I was all for giving CBR a chance. It just so happened that SO many things went wrong. I didn't even mention everything in the original post since I would take up a whole thread myself.

I am glad other posters like it since that frees up the other hotels that I want to stay at (lol).

I just wanted to let everyone know about my experience that may plan to stay there soon. I have had little issues at other WDW hotels but nothing like what I experienced at CBR. It just didn't have that Disney feeling that DH and I love.

If we have to stay at a moderate ever again it will definitely be POR!

 

[dannysmommyval]

Ugh... I just got back home. LOVED CBR - mousekeepers were great, (no towel animals - boo hoo) everyone was attentive. The only negative--- the cheer/dance kids and parents. They were rude and certainly affected my vacation. I was in Jamacia 56 and had them partying all nite long, trying to get into our rooms numerous times (between 1 and 3am or so). I don't know if these were HS kids or not but some were so toasted they couldn't find their rooms and some of the advisors were by the pool until it closed drinking up a storm. I do give credit to CBR lifeguards because they did threaten to remove groups because they wouldn't stop cheering and flipping each other in the main pool - I saw this a bunch of times. There were little kids in there and the cheer kids didn't care. It was my only negative - well that and no towel animals (lol).

I would go back for my next trip - I would just plan it for a different date span.

 

[mamarissa]

i must say, that as a mom to a cheerleader (my dd9 is on an allstar team), i totally agree about how groups of girls (or boys) can act. i have been away with the team before and believe me, i kept my daughter under control, but i cannot say the same for other moms. i guess that comes with any group though, not just cheerleaders. i would be completely bummed if i was on vacation and saw a group at the hotel when i checked in!!

on another note, i agree with pp that sites like allears, where you rate hotels, dining, etc.....people who have a bad experience are much more likely to log on and complain than someone with a good or excellent experience, which is why i prefer the dis.

so sorry op had the cheerleading group to contend with--hope you still enjoyed your vaca!!

 

[KimiCoconuts]

We stayed at CBR last September and we cannot wait to go back! We haven't stayed anywhere else at Disney on property. We loved the feel of the hotel and the quiet while we were there. The room was pleasant, the food court was convenient and we ate them more that we had planned. The pool was not open yet but we look forward to it this year. We loved our Mousekeeper, she was wonderful to us.

We loved walking about the resort and enjoying the tropical feel to it. We never thought we had to walk too far, we expect to walk a lot at Disney. We never had to use the busses since we had our own car.

I would hate a loud, unruly group at any resort! Hope your next stay at Disney is better.

 

[momof2intx]

We stayed at CBR in Feb the week of Cheerleading nationals!! We really enjoyed the resort itself….got connecting rooms with my parents, great view of the water….close to the food court and the room was clean. Grounds were beautiful and you could actually see and hear Illuminations from EPCOT.

The only thing I could not stand about CBR was having to share busses and the food court with the cheerleaders. When you get a bunch of teenage girls together without any supervision (no, none of the chaperones were ever sighted…..) they act ridiculous and can get really obnoxious and annoying. That is the only part of the trip I wish we could have avoided. When they left....it was such a HUGE difference. The resort seemed peaceful and quiet.

As for the resort itself….it was great!

 

[dmmichelle]

Oh my,,,, we are booked for May 6!!! We have 3 rooms! Some of the posts are making me question our choice!!!??? We picked CBR for many reasons, beach, sand poools and eating choices! We do plan to relax,, when we can,LOL! We do like it quiet to sleep! My DD is in a wheelchair so the bus system comes in handy! Hmmmm lots to think about!

Hey everyone,

Well let me just say that we had a wonderful stay at CBR in one of the Pirate-Themed rooms from April 8th - 13th . Personally. we thought the room was wonderful. It was very clean and smelled great. We had three towel animals during our stay (all Easter themed) and they seemed extra generous with the soaps and shampoo. The fridge didn't seem super cold when you opened it now that you mention it but we had it stuffed full with milk, beer yogurt, etc. and the food was always cold so no worries there.

We loved everything about this resort and for my family (me, DH, DS 11 and DS 6 ) it was the perfect choice! The pool was great and we thought the food at the food court was excellent. Lots of choices and healthy options as well.

I thought the staff was just fine...I mean, I was pleasant and friendly to everyone and everyone was pleasant and friendly right back!! Sometimes I think people expect the Disney "cast members" to be on some sort of hyperactive happy juice! They're just regular people folks -I'm sure they get tired of the complaining, rude and grumpy people (I know we saw LOTS of those!!!) and maybe they're just not feeling very "magical" all the time!

We had about a 15-minute walk from our room to Old Port Royale/pool area. We enjoyed the walk as it was so beautiful and tropical but I can see how some people would find that a bigger deal than we did. We rented a bike which was a hoot and were in the pool a lot. We even wandered around Parrot Cay Island (I think that's what it's called?) which was a lovely nature walk with a picnic area in the middle. My boys loved the beach area and my husband fell asleep in the hammock one afternoon!

To be honest, we were a bit worried about the buses but again we had a VERY positive experience. We never waited more than 10 minutes (maybe they had extra buses on since it was Easter?) but we also avoided MK until after Easter and only actually went to Epcot and HS while we were at CBR as we knew it would be busy.

We really took full advantage of the DDP this trip and had some wonderful meals at Boma, Biergarten, Spoodles, Shutters (at CBR) and Mama Melrose. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I was not one bit disappointed with CBR and the boys LOVED the pirate room details.

Just wanted to voice a positive opinion since this thread seemed quite negative...CBR was great!!

 

[disadventurer]

We stayed at CBR April 19-21. Requested Jamaica or Martinque and received Aruba. Our original room 5531 was right in front of the smoking courtyard and we specifically asked for no smoking and the room itself was not as clean as it could have been. I immediately called the front desk and they happily switched me to Aruba 5610 outer corridor facing swamp garden. We had no neighbors for the two days. Wanted to ask to switch again to be closer, but everyone was tired and didn't want to go back and forth.

Smoking is an issue with our family and it appears to go unchecked as people walk all around or smoke right by the quiet pools which is totally offensive to me.

The quiet pool in Aruba was wonderful. It was warm and only a couple of kids in it. The surrounding grounds were lush and beautifully landscaped. The maintenance staff always said hello and made you feel welcome!!

The new pool is wonderful, but too young IMHO for dd17 and ds13. Only 3ft deep. Would be nice if hot tubs were available in each building as they were packed by adults.

Pool bar in full swing into the evening and packed. Looked nice but again too smokey in the courtyard for us.

Had requested late check-out at 12:30 and got it. Went to breakfast at Old Key West so much food though per person!! Nice switch from foodcourt. Older crowd there!

Rooms could have been cleaner, no towel animals for kids birthdays, (we did get birthday buttons at check-in) beds were comfortable for doubles.

All-in-all an ok stay. Would definitely not stay again. Prefer Ft. Wilderness cabins (golf cart rental is a hoot) and French Quarter is more intimate. Both have boat service either to the parks or DTD. More Disney feel if it must be Disney.

Otherwise, Courtyard Marriott Village. Received free upgraded room with pool view and balcony, $25 Mousesavers coupon on foodcourt, 20% coupon on next Orlando stay at a Marriott, queen beds, 4 free drink coupons--couldn't beat that for $99/night.

Hope you all try CBR for yourselves and see if is appealing to you. Everyone should try it at least once!!

 

[ntsammy5]

The worst stay I've ever had at WDW was at Poly the best was at several different resorts - all three levels. My advice - try it - you may like it.

 

[Hockey Mom KQ]

We stayed at Carribean Beach this year- in a pirate room and loved it However, this was the first year that the cheerleaders were not there during our stay. It does impact your vacation because the lines are longer, the pools are crowded, and the restaurants are full. Does anyone know when the cheerleaders will be there next year? I have nothing against cheerleaders, but the crowds, no matter who they are, have an effect on your vacation. This year was perfect.

 

[FanaticadeDisney]

I just booked a stay at CBR for my birthday. I have never stayed there but l like the vivid colors of the roofs. I'm very positive and I hope that I'll have a good time.

disadventurer, Did the only thing that your kids got for their birthday was buttons?

dmmichelle- What did you eat at Shutters with the Disney Dining Plan?

I have stayed at deluxe, mods and value resorts before but this is the first time that I got the DDP. At this moment, I'm lost and I don't know where to go to eat and what would be the best places to take advantage of the DDP.

 

[disadventurer]

Hi FanaticadeDisney! Happy early Birthday to you!! I bet you'll have a wonderful time!! Dd17 and ds13 received cute b-day buttons at check-in and they wore them to the parks and some cast members said "Happy Birthday" to each of them. Real nice touch. In addition, we had reservations at 7:30 at Rose & Crown in Epcot and at first had indoor seating. At approximately 8:50 our waitress, Sophie, moved us outside for the 9 pm Illuminations show where we had our dessert/coffee. It truly was magical!! What made it extra special--Sophie had the waiters/waitresses and guests all sing "Happy Birthday" to them while the fireworks exploded. A true memory.

Did miss the towel animals in the CBR room though!! Ft. Wilderness (August 2008) made alligators, rabbits, donkeys, turtles, elephants, and ducks. My ds20 came in from Alaska where he goes to college so, again, it was special.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I just booked a stay at CBR for my birthday. I have never stayed there but l like the vivid colors of the roofs. I'm very positive and I hope that I'll have a good time.

disadventurer, Did the only thing that your kids got for their birthday was buttons?

dmmichelle- What did you eat at Shutters with the Disney Dining Plan?

I have stayed at deluxe, mods and value resorts before but this is the first time that I got the DDP. At this moment, I'm lost and I don't know where to go to eat and what would be the best places to take advantage of the DDP.

Just to chime in, special things for a birthday or anniversary really vary. Its not just a CBR thing where you may not get a towel animal or special things for your birthdy. For example, my dd on her birthday receieved coloring books, stickers and some candies (this was at CSR) but my son received nothing for his birthday at ASSP. Its just a gamble. So don't expect anything and then if your resort does something special, all the better!

Towel animals in general also just vary. I have gotten them at some resorts each day, other times not a single one. We always tip so its also not tied to that. If the housekeepers have time, I think the do like to add that special touch. HOwever due to the economy, Disney has cut back on lots of positions and I imagine those housekeepers have more rooms to clean due to those cut backs. So things like towel animals may be suffering. No idea, I only know that in over 20 resort stays, our towel animals have varied quite a bit.

Have a great birthday, hope you enjoy CBR and that its as magical there for you as it was us.

 

[miprender]

We stayed at CBR in 1997 and we were not big fans either. Just to spread out.

To the OP if you liked the POR, you should try POFQ. I can not say enough about this place. It was such a nice relaxing place,so quiet and we went during Easter week.