The New Caribbean Beach FAQ Part VII

[SunnyDey]

Another question: We are checking in on September 21st. I requested Aruba 51 when I called to make the reservation in May. I know they are still working on Aruba. Is all of Aruba shut down during the construction or do they open buildings in that section as they are completed? Hoping we have a chance at Aruba 51. If not, I might call and change my request to Jamaica.

 

[dansdad]

So sad the kids' pool area will be closed. DD was looking forward to it. Is there a height requirement for the big slides in the main pool?

No, there's no height requirement. As long as they're old enough to go down by themselves and not have to get "caught" by a parent at the bottom of the slide.

Another question: We are checking in on September 21st. I requested Aruba 51 when I called to make the reservation in May. I know they are still working on Aruba. Is all of Aruba shut down during the construction or do they open buildings in that section as they are completed? Hoping we have a chance at Aruba 51. If not, I might call and change my request to Jamaica.

They shut down the entire village until they have completed 100% of that village.

 

[SunnyDey]

No, there's no height requirement. As long as they're old enough to go down by themselves and not have to get "caught" by a parent at the bottom of the slide.



They shut down the entire village until they have completed 100% of that village.

dansdad, do you think there is a chance they will be done with Aruba by 9/21?

As for the pool, she would not have to be caught at the bottom. If I am reading the other posts correctly, she is able to go on the slide with a life vest, is that correct? She could swim to the side with a vest.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

They shut down the entire village until they have completed 100% of that village.

Are you sure about that? They did not do that for Jamaica, only the buildings they were currently working on were closed. Both myself and mickeystoontown were staying in Jamaica when the refurbishment was going on in other Jamaica buildings.

 

[mickeystoontown]

When we were there in May, we were in Jamaica and they were actually working in that same village at the time. Dansdad, have they now started closing the entire village or just some of the village buildings while the work is going on?

 

[ErinsAuntMimi]

Does anyone know if you can request egg whites for omelets or scrambled eggs at the CBR food court? How much hassle is it? Any tips? TIA

 

[dansdad]

dansdad, do you think there is a chance they will be done with Aruba by 9/21?

As for the pool, she would not have to be caught at the bottom. If I am reading the other posts correctly, she is able to go on the slide with a life vest, is that correct? She could swim to the side with a vest.

I think it's very possible that they complete Aruba by then, see below. Yes, she can definitely wear a life vest.

Are you sure about that? They did not do that for Jamaica, only the buildings they were currently working on were closed. Both myself and mickeystoontown were staying in Jamaica when the refurbishment was going on in other Jamaica buildings.

When we were there in May, we were in Jamaica and they were actually working in that same village at the time. Dansdad, have they now started closing the entire village or just some of the village buildings while the work is going on?

I'm not sure if they shut down a village completely when they first start working on it. But I do know that they won't start putting guests into refurbished rooms until that village is 100% complete. At least that's the plan as of now. My cousin is at CBR right now and she did some snooping for me yesterday. Currently all of Aruba is shut down as far as guests go. Aruba 51, 52, 53 and 54 are 100% complete. Aruba 55 is 90% complete and 56 is 75% complete. They are expected to be done and start taking guests by September 15th. She was able to get all this info from a very talkative and forthcoming CM working the Concierge Desk. My cousin has a gift like that.

 

[houstonmama]

Heard back from travel agent. Disney is not willing to do anything to 'compensate' us for the loss of the splash pool area. i'm so disappointed. we have a 20 month old and i was so looking forward to spending time with her in the splash area while our son enjoyed the big pool. common' disney - not even a 'we're sorry, here's a $50 credit'. i'm not expecting an upgrade to GF, but some gesture would be nice.

I would email Guest Services. You might get the same results but it's worth a shot.

Yes I understand that they have to refurb/fix things but they don't decide these things from 1 day to the next. They should post info on-line or let you know when you call in. This way we can make an informed decision and choose to stay there or not.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I think it's very possible that they complete Aruba by then, see below. Yes, she can definitely wear a life vest.





I'm not sure if they shut down a village completely when they first start working on it. But I do know that they won't start putting guests into refurbished rooms until that village is 100% complete. At least that's the plan as of now. My cousin is at CBR right now and she did some snooping for me yesterday. Currently all of Aruba is shut down as far as guests go. Aruba 51, 52, 53 and 54 are 100% complete. Aruba 55 is 90% complete and 56 is 75% complete. They are expected to be done and start taking guests by September 15th. She was able to get all this info from a very talkative and forthcoming CM working the Concierge Desk. My cousin has a gift like that.

Guess they are learning as they go since they definitely had guests in the other Jamaica buildings while work was ongoing in other parts of Jamaica. But, that was back in May/June so they may have changed up the way they are doing things.

 

[HaveKidsWillTravel]

i completely understand where disney is coming from. i get that things need to fixed, refurbed, etc and i appreciate it. their attention to detail and cleanliness is unmatched. that being said - had i known, we would have chosen a different resort. and honestly we would change our dates - but then i would lose all of our ADRs and FP+ which i'm practically required to make months in advance. i'm just really bummed. at least the play area will be open and the big pool. disney is disney, we're going to have a blast no matter what. i'm just very disappointed.

 

[2girlsmomma]

Is there anything else I should do to improve my chance of getting a refurb room? I requested a refurb room on my reservation, with no other requests. Will doing online check in help? Or should I wait? Does that even matter? Anything else? We check in 9/26 so hopefully Aruba will be done too

 

[smokeyblue]

After months of changing our mind today was the day we had to pay the balance of our package. I'm happy to say we decided to go! We will be staying September 27-Oct 4 for F&W, FD and our 10th anniversary. Like everyone else, I am really want a refurbished room; we are an adult couple and not too keen on character decor.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Cant wait to see your pics, thanks for sharing.
OOOOOOOOO I think Im gonna have to request a water view room. That's a lovely veiw

These pictures are absolutely beautiful!!! And also awesome view too!! What room # are you in. I might just have to request this one- the view is amazing. Thanks so much for doing this for us!!

OMG I want THAT ROOM!! So just to confirm, Jamaica?? King Bed?? Dang, now i super excited

Gretchen, thanks so much for the pictures! Your room and view are gorgeous!

Yes, I booked a king bed room specifically. Then I used the Touring Plans room view tool and selected any and all rooms with views that I liked and faxed that as my request to CBR. I also requested Jamaica, water view via online check-in, but since the room I got was one of the top four I had put in the fax, I suppose that means they are reading them. I have to say that the refurbished rooms look much nicer in person than they did in many of the earlier photos.

I hope you all don't mind but I'd prefer not to post my room number at this time, for safety and privacy. If you can wait until Monday when I check out, I'll gladly post it then.

They shut down the entire village until they have completed 100% of that village.

I'm not sure if they shut down a village completely when they first start working on it. But I do know that they won't start putting guests into refurbished rooms until that village is 100% complete. At least that's the plan as of now. My cousin is at CBR right now and she did some snooping for me yesterday. Currently all of Aruba is shut down as far as guests go. Aruba 51, 52, 53 and 54 are 100% complete. Aruba 55 is 90% complete and 56 is 75% complete. They are expected to be done and start taking guests by September 15th. She was able to get all this info from a very talkative and forthcoming CM working the Concierge Desk. My cousin has a gift like that.

When I came back from DHS about two hours ago, there were cars in the parking lot near the Aruba buildings which makes me think guests are staying in at least a few of them. I'll go do some investigating tomorrow in the daylight!

 

[Ava]

Beautiful pictures! I may have to request a water view room as well. Normally I don't care about the view from my room at a hotel, but that would be so nice to wake up to.

Question for all of you frequent CBR visitors - do you think 1st floor vs 2nd floor makes a difference in the noise level in the room? I requested 2nd floor when I did online check in, so we won't have noise from people overhead, but having to carry a stroller up the stairs isn't ideal either. I can't decide which would be better/worse.

 

[kitty2kidz]

Any idea what percentage of the refurbished rooms have the Murphy bed?

 

[wdw4rfam]

i completely understand where disney is coming from. i get that things need to fixed, refurbed, etc and i appreciate it. their attention to detail and cleanliness is unmatched. that being said - had i known, we would have chosen a different resort. and honestly we would change our dates - but then i would lose all of our ADRs and FP+ which i'm practically required to make months in advance. i'm just really bummed. at least the play area will be open and the big pool. disney is disney, we're going to have a blast no matter what. i'm just very disappointed.

Exactly how I feel. Had I known, we would have gone with AOA, since we were torn from the beginning on these two. I am very disappointed. I'd love to change, but it's too late now, there's nothing left. I'm hoping it really does reopen when they say, then we would have a couple days at least. I guess it could be worse, they could have closed the food court on us like they did at ASMU- after offering them free CS dining

 

[mickeystoontown]

Beautiful pictures! I may have to request a water view room as well. Normally I don't care about the view from my room at a hotel, but that would be so nice to wake up to.

Question for all of you frequent CBR visitors - do you think 1st floor vs 2nd floor makes a difference in the noise level in the room? I requested 2nd floor when I did online check in, so we won't have noise from people overhead, but having to carry a stroller up the stairs isn't ideal either. I can't decide which would be better/worse.

We have stayed in both downstairs and upstairs rooms and haven't noticed any difference in the noise levels. If your neighbors are really loud when they are walking by your room, you can hear them a bit or, occassionally, you may hear a flushing toilet if you are near the bathroom area. Other than that, we didn't notice any noise.

 

[gschon]

Does anyone know what kind of work will be done to the kids pool? Will it involve jackhammers???

 

[themommy]

Exactly how I feel. Had I known, we would have gone with AOA, since we were torn from the beginning on these two. I am very disappointed. I'd love to change, but it's too late now, there's nothing left. I'm hoping it really does reopen when they say, then we would have a couple days at least. I guess it could be worse, they could have closed the food court on us like they did at ASMU- after offering them free CS dining

I just wanted to say that last year we had originally booked Dec for ASSR. I found out later that the food court and arcade was going to be closed. I called and explained to them that we were not told about this when we booked and were not happy. They immediately asked me if I would mind changing resorts and got someone on the phone from ASMo and he happily booked us a room there with free dining even though they did not offer it there. I had 0 problem getting things changed. They could not have been more helpful. That being said, we ultimately changed to CBR because my DH wanted sit down meals. I can understand about the OP not being able to switch because it was not booked through Disney but, through AAA. Maybe if it would have been a direct booking it would have helped?

 

[dansdad]

Does anyone know what kind of work will be done to the kids pool? Will it involve jackhammers???

Since no construction permit has been filed for the work as of yet, we can only assume that no jack hammers will be involved. It's most likely routine maintenance of pumps and filters. If they are going to be tearing anything up, they will need a permit.

In my experience, the permits are viewable at least a couple weeks before work starts. That does not mean a permit will not be filed between now and then. But they normally are filed by now.