The New Caribbean Beach FAQ Part VII

[Skrump]

Enjoying this thread we are pondering between two adjoining rooms at Caribbean Beach for fall of 2015 or Art of Animation Finding Nemo family suite. My kids will be two 9 year olds a 6 year old and a 5 year old then. We spend a lot of time at the pool wondering the depth of the slide and if its difficult to watch kids in the main pool and off in the little kid area at the same time.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

What villages and buildings are currently renovated at this time? We are due in 12 days and I had requested Martinique or North Trinidad, but am willing to move in favor of renovated room.

 

[HaveKidsWillTravel]

Enjoying this thread we are pondering between two adjoining rooms at Caribbean Beach for fall of 2015 or Art of Animation Finding Nemo family suite. My kids will be two 9 year olds a 6 year old and a 5 year old then. We spend a lot of time at the pool wondering the depth of the slide and if its difficult to watch kids in the main pool and off in the little kid area at the same time.

Just make sure you ask for 'connecting' rooms, as adjoining rooms are simply next to each other with no internal connecting door! made this mistake last time. We are heading back to CBR mainly for the pool! We love the location too. My (at the time) 3 (almost 4) year old loved it. It was his favorite part of Disney World. It was easy for him to go up to the slide and come down while my husband waited in the water. We hope that he isn't too tall for the pirate splash area this year - have to go measure him. Now we have an almost two year old and I cannot wait to enjoy the pool area with both kids.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

What villages and buildings are currently renovated at this time? We are due in 12 days and I had requested Martinique or North Trinidad, but am willing to move in favor of renovated room.

The only village that has been completed is Jamaica, which is straight across the bridge from OPR. Have you paid extra for a preferred room, or were you just going for those two villages (non-preferred)?

 

[CTPacky]

Please add me to the Roll Call. Sept 13 - 20.


4 times a year whether I need to or not..........trips to CBR that is.

 

[themommy]

Hi! Thanks so much for all the pictures of the menus! We are trying to weigh our options as to whether DDP will be worth it. If we do it, would do PLUS to have at least 1 sit down for a character meal or two during our trip. It looks like most counter service options in the food court are about $10. With the meal plan, you get a drink too? We have never done a meal plan. Also, a character meal/ breakfast is typically around $30?? Are drinks extra or included with that? Thanks so much for any DDP tips!!! Love the refurb pics- beautiful!! So excited for October!!

Not exactly sure what you mean by "plus". The regular DDP (not quick service) would give you what you need. You can get all of the character breakfasts with this one except for Cinderella's Table. CT would be 2 credits. All meal plans all come with a non-alcoholic drink for each meal. I honestly can not remember how much a character meal/breakfast would cost out of pocket, sorry. I do remember they are a good chunk of change. Also, if you get any kind of dining plan then you get a free mug for drinks at the resort for the length of your stay. I suggest you go to the "dining plan" page either here or on WDW.com and it will show you all of the restaurants that participate and how many credits each one is. Have fun!

 

[Dislover1991]

Well, it's now official!!

We are going to CBR for our 8th stay, November 7-14, 2015. Just made the reservation this morning.

It feels great knowing we have a trip coming up, even if it is a looooonnng ways off!

We just booked for the first week of September 2015 so our trip is pretty far off but like you said, it's great to know it's booked

This will be our first time back at CBR since our stay when I was 2 years old- and I'll be celebrating my 24th birthday on our stay next year Can't wait to see how much the resort has changed!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

The only village that has been completed is Jamaica, which is straight across the bridge from OPR. Have you paid extra for a preferred room, or were you just going for those two villages (non-preferred)?

Well, my hope was for a non-preferred room at Martinique as I know its only a request (I have stayed at CBR many many times and usually pay for a Preferred). But THANKS! for reminding me. DH and I are taking this trip without the kids and booked a STD room to save some costs, but put it in as a request. However, we are certainly ok where ever they put us. The new rooms look very nice, and I just thought it'd be nice to be put in one if possible.

 

[dansdad]

Happy Saturday CBR peeps! I see lots of people to add to the roll call. Welcome!! I will add you all and answer any unanswered posts when I get on my PC Sunday night. It's much easier when I can multi quote.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

Well, my hope was for a non-preferred room at Martinique as I know its only a request (I have stayed at CBR many many times and usually pay for a Preferred). But THANKS! for reminding me. DH and I are taking this trip without the kids and booked a STD room to save some costs, but put it in as a request. However, we are certainly ok where ever they put us. The new rooms look very nice, and I just thought it'd be nice to be put in one if possible.

I'm hoping for a refurbished room in Martinique, but going by their schedule they won't get to Martinique until October/November-ish, and then North Trinidad will be done in the spring, last.

I don't mind not getting a refurbished room in buildings 25 or 26, but will be gutted if they're still working on Martinique in March when we arrive.

You never know, they might have opened the first building in Aruba in a few weeks when you arrive. I've been told Jamaica is nearest, though.

The only reason why I asked about preferred is because if you've already paid you would have to ask for a refund if you traded down (unless you had a lake view instead, which is actually the same price as a perferred).

 

[Donald - my hero]

It's getting close to my on-line check in date (hold me down i'm so excited!) and i have a few questions. It is my understanding that currently Jamaica is finished being renovated? By looking at the map on the 1st page of this thread it seems to me that this might be a preferred area?? I've only booked a standard room with a King bed (that screams holiday to me -- no kicking from the "over-active" hubby )

Huhm i can be long-winded -- what i need is a room that is removed from the smoking area due to allergies and from crowds due to my bi-polar (i need to be able to wind down at the end of a busy day). Should i call to get these things noted or wait till we check-in? They are not "true" medical reasons but important. We will be arriving by 8 a.m. and are more than prepared to wait for a suitable room

 

[Mrs Eeyore]

We were at CBR in July and yes they had the Key West omelet. I think it was available every day. Was at omelet station!

That is awesome! Thanks for the info. Another reason to get back there ASAP!

 

[maxiesmom]

It's getting close to my on-line check in date (hold me down i'm so excited!) and i have a few questions. It is my understanding that currently Jamaica is finished being renovated? By looking at the map on the 1st page of this thread it seems to me that this might be a preferred area?? I've only booked a standard room with a King bed (that screams holiday to me -- no kicking from the "over-active" hubby )

Huhm i can be long-winded -- what i need is a room that is removed from the smoking area due to allergies and from crowds due to my bi-polar (i need to be able to wind down at the end of a busy day). Should i call to get these things noted or wait till we check-in? They are not "true" medical reasons but important. We will be arriving by 8 a.m. and are more than prepared to wait for a suitable room

Jamaica is not a preferred section. If you want to request you are away from the construction and away from any smoke, call and have it noted asap. It is always best to have it noted on your reservation, and then repeat that request when you check in. I have to say that out of my last 3 resort stays, CBR is the only place that met any of my requests.

 

[dis_guy]

We just booked for the first week of September 2015 so our trip is pretty far off but like you said, it's great to know it's booked

This will be our first time back at CBR since our stay when I was 2 years old- and I'll be celebrating my 24th birthday on our stay next year Can't wait to see how much the resort has changed!

I think my DW prefers to have our trips booked asap, because I am sure that I'm easier to live with if I have a trip to "fuss" over.

I think you'll notice a few changes since your last visit! Enjoy it.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I'm hoping for a refurbished room in Martinique, but going by their schedule they won't get to Martinique until October/November-ish, and then North Trinidad will be done in the spring, last.

I don't mind not getting a refurbished room in buildings 25 or 26, but will be gutted if they're still working on Martinique in March when we arrive.

You never know, they might have opened the first building in Aruba in a few weeks when you arrive. I've been told Jamaica is nearest, though.

The only reason why I asked about preferred is because if you've already paid you would have to ask for a refund if you traded down (unless you had a lake view instead, which is actually the same price as a perferred).

Actually, Martinique won't be started until December probably. Aruba is August and September, then Barbados would be October and November.

 

[Robertfam08]

Jamaica is not a preferred section. If you want to request you are away from the construction and away from any smoke, call and have it noted asap. It is always best to have it noted on your reservation, and then repeat that request when you check in. I have to say that out of my last 3 resort stays, CBR is the only place that met any of my requests.

That is good to know - we only paid for a standard room. I requested Jamaica, ground floor, and I will be over the moon if we get it! We are traveling with three kids, so the bigger beds would be fantastic.

CBR wasn't our first choice, but free dining pulled us in. The more I learn about it, the more I think it was the best choice for us after all! My preschool aged kids will really enjoy the pool, I think.

 

[Deb123]

Well, tonight is our last night here. Tomorrow, we will be headed home. This resort has been great! Like I said before, we are AP holders and come a lot. (At least 6-7 times a yr) We've stayed in every resort but OKW, Poly, Contemporary, BLT, and GF. Me and my son are more go, go, go all over the place, and my husband is one to just stay back at the resort and relax a good bit. Disney works great for us, the best of both worlds! We do not like to stay in the same resort twice in a row. CBR always has a fantastic rate for AP holders. I was always hesitant to stay here because of the size of the resort and bad reviews. Those bad reviews are just crazy! Yes, the resort is big, and their are a lot of bus stops, but it really does not take long. And I can say, just compare trying to get to the parks from WL, and see how long it takes! That is a nightmare! They stop at the campground, too. And those bus rides are WAY longer than CBR! The layout of CBR is very easy, just follow the path around the lake. It always will lead you wherever you want to go. Also, you are never far from parking either. So, that works great for unloading your car. Just compare that to say Boardwalk, for example!! My one and only complaint is that the food court does not accept TIW. I know Shutters does, but not the QS here. And all of the values, Coronado, and POFQ does. We do usually eat a lot of QS meals at our resort while on vacation. But that is the only complaint! I know everyone who will be staying here soon will have a fabulous time here. We will be back!!

 

[Dislover1991]

It's been over 20 years since we have stayed at CBR so I'm sorry if this is a question that has been answered multiple times- but where are the standard rooms at CBR? We were hoping to stay Martinique or Trinidad but didn't know those were considered preferred rooms. We have a standard booked.

 

[bellebookworm9]

My one and only complaint is that the food court does not accept TIW. I know Shutters does, but not the QS here. And all of the values, Coronado, and POFQ does. We do usually eat a lot of QS meals at our resort while on vacation. But that is the only complaint!

The general rule is that if a resort does not have a TS restaurant, then they accept TIW. (It's the same for CM dining discounts). I don't see the CSR as a listed location for accepting it, but that's why the values and POFQ do. Same thing at Animal Kingdom. Since there are so few TS places there, discounts are good at the QS.

It's been over 20 years since we have stayed at CBR so I'm sorry if this is a question that has been answered multiple times- but where are the standard rooms at CBR? We were hoping to stay Martinique or Trinidad but didn't know those were considered preferred rooms. We have a standard booked.

Jamaica, Aruba, and Barbados, as well as buildings 21, 22, and 23 of Martinique, house the standard rooms. Trinidad North and the rest of Martinique (24-26) have the preferred rooms; Trinidad South is pirate rooms only.

 

[Atchley]

I believe the preferred rooms are in Trinidad North and some of the Martinique. (the rooms closer to the food court.)
Aruba and Jamaica are not preferred but just a short jump across the bridges to get to the food court.