Stayed at Carribean Resort.. Not Impressed..

[CleveRocks]

For those of you who jumped on me for not "done some homework prior to your stay" and " asked some questions of the CMs rather than just felt badly about your situation ", I DID!!! I have stayed at a disney resort many times in the past. When I made the reservations, I asked for a room close to the food court area. I guess I should have said that in the first post.. but it was late (late for me anyway) when I wrote it..

All I am saying is that they made no attempt to honor that request. When I checked in, I told them and the person did not seem to believe me, and basically did not seem to care. Her supervisor was no help either, basically the same attitude.

Again, as I said in my first post, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay. I wasn't trying to jump on you, I was trying to help you (and others) for the future. And I will continue with that now.

At CBR, a "room close to the food court area" is a separate reservation category and costs more per night. Perhaps "they made no attempt to honor that request" because the Preferred Location rooms (that is what that category is called) were sold out.

I say this supportively, not angrily or sarcastically, if you had done sufficient homework for your CBR stay, you would have known that a mere request for a room close to Old Port Royale would put you in line behind the many people who RESERVED AND PAID FOR that privilege. Had you known that, it would have saved you a lot of aggravation.

And on a personal note, I have tremendous respect for someone who requires dialysis and still manages to travel for business.

 

[dacky041208]

It's not whatever reasons, It takes alot of heat b/c it is not a good resort in alot of people's opinion. I did my research thank you very much and I still did not like it! CBR is one I won't go to again, and not b/c of my room assignment, we got preferred like we payed for, but b/c the bus system is difficult to manuver and wastes time. The food court is very limited compared to POP (a value).
I think it is unnecessary for someone to correct an adult woman who is giving an opinion, she didn't ask what could I have done differently to make my stay better, she simply said what happened.

not trying to get into any argument (you sound a little heated here ) but if you did all the research before your trip, then why did you still go to CBR (I'm personally curious because it was one of our three finalists for our upcoming trip next week)? And I didn't mean to "correct" soccerdad and I truly hope he enjoyed the other aspects of his disney trip, but isn't that why people come to the message boards? to learn things about disney they might not have known?

 

[eliza61]

Ok...

For those of you who jumped on me for not "done some homework prior to your stay" and " asked some questions of the CMs rather than just felt badly about your situation ", I DID!!! I have stayed at a disney resort many times in the past. When I made the reservations, I asked for a room close to the food court area. I guess I should have said that in the first post.. but it was late (late for me anyway) when I wrote it..

All I am saying is that they made no attempt to honor that request. When I checked in, I told them and the person did not seem to believe me, and basically did not seem to care. Her supervisor was no help either, basically the same attitude.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the walking, except for the days I go to Dialysis. I would get up at 4:00am on those days, so by 2:00 or 3:00 I was really beat.. Walking around Swan and Dolphin all day, then going back to CBR, and having to walk that far to the room was not fun. It would typically take me 30 minutes for the walk back to my room.

I definitely didn't mean to "jump" on you, from your initial post it sounded as if you made your request upon check in. Which is absolutely the worst time to try and get special request.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

OP - If you plan on going to WDW again, you won't find a food court as good as POP. Been there done that.

Also, perhaps as others have said, you should have booked a preferred room. We had one when we were there and that made me love the resort. If we didn't have one, I too probably wouldn't care for CBR either.

and

CleveRocks - you rock in my book

 

[weaglej]

I'm glad i booked a preferrred room.. didnt even know what it was at the time. haha.

8/7 - 8/13 is gonna rock!

 

[7nqb00]

Ok.. I checked out today from CBR this morning and headed toward the aiport. Here is my thoughts of CBR.

Very nice atmosphere.
Too much walking
Not worth the price.

Here is some detail.

I checked in late on Sunday night (aproximately 9:30pm). Only a couple of people manning the windows. No problem, I kinda expected that. Upon checkin, I asked that I be on the first floor since there are no elevators, and I also asked to be close to the conference bus stop. I was attending an IBM conference, and they provided a shuttle to the Swan and Dolpin. I had a medical reason for the requests. Well, the shuttle picked us up at the building that contained the food court. Guess where they put me.. Jamacia, building 41, room 4132, the very furthest corner in that building away from the food court. And they refused to move me!! I am on Dialysis, and after my session(s), I have some issues with walking due to weakness, and it just makes you tired. I told them about it, but they did not seem to care. The "internal shuttle" was not very convienient, not real reliable of when it was going to pickup. I actually only saw one of them. So, I ended up walking to make sure I was ontime for the conference shuttle. It typically took me 20 to 30 minutes to walk from the room to the food court after a morning of dialysis.

The food court was pitiful. Not much of a real choice, as compared to Pop Century. At lunch, when I ate there, you had the choice of some type of sandwich (burger, chicken etc..) and pizza. There were 4 sections, 2 of which were closed at lunch. Not real impressed. And the resturant there, just too expensive!!

The room was average. A little larger than a value resort, and it did have 2 sinks and a refridgerator.

Overall, I would choose any of the value resorts over this one.

Just my opinion..

Sorry about your stay. I understand your frustration.

 

[jerseymom473]

Whether the OP did homework or not, he should have been accomodated, or if impossible to, no availability then at least he should have a explanation or attempt to help anyway they could. This not a simple "no towel animal complaint", but a valid issue!!

To the Op I give you so much credit, to do the walking you did in the Floridia sun!! Hats off to You!!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

All I am saying is that they made no attempt to honor that request. When I checked in, I told them and the person did not seem to believe me, and basically did not seem to care. Her supervisor was no help either, basically the same attitude.

While CBR is one of our fav resorts for the tropical theme, we've never found the CM's to be friendly or helpful. We stayed there every summer from the time it opened in 1988 until about '92 and only once did we have a wonderful and helpful CM at check-in. We arrive friendly & smiling ~ we're on vacation!!

In years past the Special Needs dept would only help if a guest required a fully accessible bathroom, but now they are very accommodating. I have MS, do not require a fully accessible bathroom, but do have some other needs. So,for our next trip I called Special Needs now have no concerns about our room location this summer.

I wonder if they thought they did honor the request within a std room location - many request Jamaica as it is closest to a bus stop and food court. If this was true, then they should have explained it clearly....and, if available, at least ask if you would like to upgrade to a preferred location or change resorts. This was a medical need and assistance should have been provided - with kindness.

Thank you for sharing your CBR experience ~ It may well help a guest with medical issues be sure to call special requests in advance.

 

[perla75]

Buses headed for everywhere EXCEPT Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney start at Jamaica. That means you could have jumped on a bus for Epcot or a bus for Disney's Hollywood Studios or a bus for Animal Kingdom or an internal shuttle to transport you to the bus stop at Old Port Royale.

Hi there,

I just wondered where you got this info about the CBR buses from?

We stayed at CBR in January and LOVED it! We were also in Jamaica, which was perfect for us (though I can see why it would be difficult for someone with major health issues). During our stay, the internal and external buses ran great, but I wasn't aware that only certain buses went to Jamaica. We mostly walked to OPR for the buses each morning, just because we enjoyed the walk over the bridge. I'd like to read more about this, in case we stay here again.

Thanks!

 

[CleveRocks]

Hi there,

I just wondered where you got this info about the CBR buses from?

We stayed at CBR in January and LOVED it! We were also in Jamaica, which was perfect for us (though I can see why it would be difficult for someone with major health issues). During our stay, the internal and external buses ran great, but I wasn't aware that only certain buses went to Jamaica. We mostly walked to OPR for the buses each morning, just because we enjoyed the walk over the bridge. I'd like to read more about this, in case we stay here again.

Thanks!

I didn't say that only certain buses go to Jamaica.

All park/DTD buses stop at all 6 villages and at Old Port Royale. But different buses START their route at different places. Buses bound for Epcot, DHS and AK start their route at Jamaica, and go clockwise from there to all the stops. Buses bound for MK and DTD start their route at Martinique and from there go clockwise to all the stops.

This has been routinely posted by a current or former Disney Transport bus driver. And I noticed it during the week I was there.

 

[perla75]

I didn't say that only certain buses go to Jamaica.

All park/DTD buses stop at all 6 villages and at Old Port Royale. But different buses START their route at different places. Buses bound for Epcot, DHS and AK start their route at Jamaica, and go clockwise from there to all the stops. Buses bound for MK and DTD start their route at Martinique and from there go clockwise to all the stops.

This has been routinely posted by a current or former Disney Transport bus driver. And I noticed it during the week I was there.

Woops! Thanks for clarifying that!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Obviously everyone has different tastes, and different expectations for a trip to the World. That being said, if you have a medical accomodation it needs to be met.

But a medical accommodation can't be met if it's presented as simply a request.

 

[adell557]

not trying to get into any argument (you sound a little heated here ) but if you did all the research before your trip, then why did you still go to CBR (I'm personally curious because it was one of our three finalists for our upcoming trip next week)? And I didn't mean to "correct" soccerdad and I truly hope he enjoyed the other aspects of his disney trip, but isn't that why people come to the message boards? to learn things about disney they might not have known?

Sorry about the exuberant response. We went with CBR b/c it offered the biggest square footage and we have two small children, it also provided a fridge. It had a slide at the pools, vs. the value's don't. I didn't really see any comments on the food court that would have deterred me and the CM's I spoke too assured me that it would have all the options and more like the POP.
The slides were nice, but we didn't spend as much time there as we thought we would. The extra square footage was negated by the giant furniture in the room, and we never used the buses b/c they took too long to come around or were full when they got there, and we had a car available so we opted for that. We like CS at our resort b/c we do character meals and don't really utilize a TS restaurant at our resort. The CS choices are limited at CBR, whereas at the values I guess b/c they don't have a TS retaurant they offer more choices. This time we have gotten in on a fridge swap at the POP and we are very thrilled to be returning to it. Just my opinion though. If you do go with CBR, GET A PREFERRED ROOM!! Otherwise you will waste a lot of time walking or waiting on the internal bus.

 

[adell557]

Ok...


adell557 - I am a he... at least the last time I check I was .

.

Sorry about that, kind of jumped the gun as I didn't even notice your name. Fixed my posts.

 

[adell557]

So in other words, you believe it was NOT helpful for me to point out to the OP how to avoid the same pitfalls in the future???

I don't call that "correction," I call it providing friendly advice that the OP can benefit from in the future. And also, that anyone reading the thread can benefit from, as well. I can see how you might see it as criticism, but it was truly meant to be helpful for future trips.

ANd for the record, you never saw me write that CBR is great and how dare anyone not like it. I believe I didn't even give my opinion about CBR, whether I think it's a good or bad place to stay. I wasn't trying to convince the OP or you or anyone else that the OP "should have" liked CBR. I was trying to help the OP and anyone else not encounter the same types of problems again in the future.

If that makes me a bad guy, then I'm guilty of being a bad guy.

[Right now, however, the only thing I THINK could make me a bad guy is that I live at the beach and it's Memorial Day weekend and not only didn't I invite anyone to stay, but we're leaving and going to a non-beach vacation!]

Like I said on a previous thread, we don't see eye to eye. We will have to agree to disagree.

 

[kmchar1]

May I suggest booking with the special needs department next time you stay on property? It makes the requests soo much easier to obtain and special needs will make sure you get the room you need. I'm not criticizing..just offering some help for next time. Also, call or fax in a request ahead of time if you aren't booking with special needs. I'm a room assignor at Disney and I can assure you that we do take requests seriously.

I'm sorry to hear about your stay. Have you written to guest communications?

 

[LakeAriel]

I agree with the OP. I spent one night in December as I wanted to check it out. I will never stay again (unless I had a car available)
When I needed to take a shuttle bus just to get to my room I knew I had made a mistake. The grounds are pretty, my building ( Aruba, my request) needed renovation and the spacing and bus issues were unacceptable to me..

I have done more then my share of homework, book reports, narratives and essays...

 

[CleveRocks]

May I suggest booking with the special needs department next time you stay on property? It makes the requests soo much easier to obtain and special needs will make sure you get the room you need. I'm not criticizing..just offering some help for next time. Also, call or fax in a request ahead of time if you aren't booking with special needs. I'm a room assignor at Disney and I can assure you that we do take requests seriously.

I'm sorry to hear about your stay. Have you written to guest communications?

So please settle the rumor for us ... you are saying that faxes sent to the resort are still accepted??? What time-frame prior to check-in day do YOU suggest as the most helpful and effective???

 

[maxiesmom]

Whether the OP did homework or not, he should have been accomodated, or if impossible to, no availability then at least he should have a explanation or attempt to help anyway they could. This not a simple "no towel animal complaint", but a valid issue!!
QUOTE]

So are you saying the OP should have been given a complimentary upgrade because of his medical issues? Just curious.

And if there were no prefered rooms available to move him to, what other help were the CMs supposed to provide?

And fwiw, booking a prefered room does not always get you one. I have found that out the hard way. Made a request (and paid for) a prefered room for medical reasons, and not gotten one. Resorts do overbook.

OP-Did you know that there was an additonal charge to be in a prefered room?

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

So are you saying the OP should have been given a complimentary upgrade because of his medical issues? Just curious.

And if there were no prefered rooms available to move him to, what other help were the CMs supposed to provide?

And fwiw, booking a prefered room does not always get you one. I have found that out the hard way. Made a request (and paid for) a prefered room for medical reasons, and not gotten one. Resorts do overbook.

OP-Did you know that there was an additonal charge to be in a prefered room?

I am continually floored that there are some people who think that because they have a medical issue, that if they arrive at a resort without having made prior arrangements that they should be able to walk right up to the check in counter and state their condition and receive a Preferred Room. Having a medical condition or disability is NOT an invitation to receive an upgraded room. If that is what you want you will have to pay for it just like the rest of us. I have a child with a medical condition and we have always paid for a Preferred room just for that reason. She has epilepsy as well as blood sugar issues, so we pay to stay close to the Food Court so we have quick access to food and drinks in a hurry, if she is getting close to a low sugar episode and can hopefully prevent a seizure. I have always just assumed we needed to pay for it, it never even occurred to me to ask for one at check in. I rather pay for it and have at least some assurance that it will be there when I get there. But as Maxiesmom has said, even then it can get given away, even though she paid for it. I guess it was taken by someone to walked up to the counter at check in and asked for the upgrade. I know given my situation, if that had happened to me, I'd be extremely HOT !!! Not reserving it in advance only creates a room nightmare at the counter for the rest of us!!

Sorry, OP you had a rough trip, but as others have said, next time reserve and pay for the Preferred Room, I think you will be happier.

We love CBR and it meets all of our expectations, in fact it exceeded them. We will be there again this year in December and we are sooooo looking forward to the new pool.