Very many questions

[Brodiecat]

Today my husband has called and said scratch Gulf Shores, we're going to Disney in Sept with the Military salute deal. We have only stayed at SOG 3 years ago.

We have a 3 yr old and 6 yr old. We have ressies at CBR for 8 nights for $792 including tax. We could get it for $714 without a view. My questions...because I have no idea what I'm in for at this resort. I understand it is very big.

1. How easy will it be to get around with 2 young children?

2. Do they rent the water mice at CBR?

3. What area should we request to be in to be accessible to the themed pool and the food court or anything else that you think we will be using frequently?

I am a person who takes a vacation to relax at some point and forget about the hustle and bustle. I like convenience and good service. Am I in the right place. Keep in mind I have little ones that need to use the bathroom constantly, also.

We can also get Wilderness Lodge for 8 nights for $1065. What is this resort like and would it be worth it to switch our ressie to there?

 

[safetymom]

You will have a great time at CBR. Unless you stay in Trinidad South you won't walk more than 10 mins to Old Port Royale the food court and main pool area. If you want to be close to them then request Martinique or Trinida North.

I suggest you read the CBR FAQ thread listed below. I also have pictures of CBR up on my web site. It is a beautiful resort.

If you have any questions about CBR I suggest you post them in the FAQ thread and you will find many people will answer.

We have stayed there many times and can't wait to go back.

 

[daannzzz]

Yes the Caribbean Beach is very large. To be closest to the food court, restaurants, shops and main themed pool you will want to request the Martinique or Trinidad North sections. All the buildings are two stories and there are no elevators so you may wish to request a bottom floor as well. This resort has exterior walkways like a motel so you enter the room directly from outside. Do remember that these are requests and there is the possibility that you are assigned a room farther away from the main area. There is a pool, laundry room, beach and paly ground at each village but that doesn't help when you want to go to get something to eat. They have numerous water craft for rent including water mice.
Here is the map od Caribbean beach. Old Port Royale Center Town is where all the food and shops are.
The Wilderness Lodge is one large building so you don't have to go outside to get to any of the services. The rooms are a hair bigger and they all have balconies. There are only two pools the main themed pool and the unthemed pool at the Villas of the Wilderness Lodge.
Transportation is fine at both though at the WL you take a boat to get to the MK. All other destinations are reached by bus. At Wl I beleive the bus stops at Fort Wilderness to. At CBR the bus stops at 7 stops internally.
Whether it is worth it to upgrade is only something you can decide.

 

[Demosthenes]

If it were my family, we'd upgrade to WL for $300 for a week in a heartbeat. We prefer the larger room, the interior hallways, the balcony, the boat transportation to the MK (which will be very convenient to you with your kids), the boating is better on Bay Lake, the restaurants are better at WL IMHO, the activities are more varied and abundant at WL. During Sep., the parks close early, so you'll be looking for good ways to entertain the family at night. FW, which is a a short bus or boat ride from WL has a free movie and campfire sing-a-long each night and hay rides. Also, the Electrical Water Pageant is shown each night on the shores of Bay Lake in front of the WL.

 

[MrsPete]

For only about $300, I'd say go with Wilderness Lodge. Why?

You say you want relaxation -- WL is the place! Plenty of little spaces here and there to sit and relax.

WL is very kid friendly. It's less spread-out, thus, less walking. There's a good, big kiddie pool, a playground, and a small beach. The kids can visit the kids' club every afternoon (with you) to do crafts, etc. There's a HUGE (think 2 hotel rooms huge) sandbox that they can play in. Also, be sure to request bunk beds for the kiddos.

From WL you can watch the Electric Water Parade every night at 9:30 -- the kiddos will love that!

You can rent Water Mice at CB, but the lake is tiny and you'll have no where to go. The ones at WL have bigger engines, and you have all of Bay Lake to explore. Water Mice were a huge hit with my two girls.

We had a great time with transportation at WL. The girls enjoyed the boats to the Magic Kingdom immensely.

From WL it's only a jump to plenty of good meals: Hoop-dee-doo, Chef Mickey's, Ohana's.

Go with Wilderness Lodge -- you'll love it!

 

[luvindisneyworld]

I would also say for 300.00 more for 8 nights go with the WL.we were there in May and we stayed at the VWL and we LOVED it.with kids the boat system is wonderful to MK.they have 2 full service restaurants and a fast food area.You and your kids would like the WL more than CBR in my opinion.dont get me wrong i have nothing againist the Moderates and Value resorts but if you want relaxation WL is the resort i woul pick over any onsite resorts no matter which one i was comparing it to.We loved it so much we stayed 2 extra days.

 

[Brodiecat]

Thanks for all the opinions. It looks like we may go with the WL.

They gave me a price of $1065 for 8 nights. Is this a good deal or could we get this any year in Sept?

We're using the military deal. There are many different issues on who can use this package. The words we recieved were any orders could be used for guardsmen even if they were stateside orders.

Any replies on the rates would help!

 

[MELSMICE]

If you're looking to spend a little less than go with CBR - I'm sure you'd have a great time. But...........if you're looking for first class all the way & relaxation then definitely go with WL.

It is an absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful resort. It is very relaxing, close to MK & also FW, which, as others have said has a lot to do. FW has a nightly movie, you can also rent the water mice at WL, bikes & take the bike trail over to FW, you can fish at FW.

I think CBR is a nice resort, but I think if you want to relax & can afford the extra $300 then definitely go with WL. Have fun.

 

[disney daft dad]

Hi Brodie

I have just checked the full rack rate for WL for your dates and it is $221.89 per night... looks like they have applied the equivelant of the AP discount rate (40%) to your quote...bear in mind these have not been issued yet and space is always limited on these codes..... I had a similar concern when changing from POFQ to Poly (would it really be such a bargain..) If you are willing to pay $133 per night for WL and are happy with this price then go for it, and do what I've done...ignore ALL threads relating to CODES!!! What I don't know won't hurt me!!!! Ahhhhhhh ignorance is bliss sometimes!!!

Enjoy whatever you decide

Disney Daft Mum

Val
xx

 

[Brodiecat]

Thanks Daft Mum!

The discount that was applied is the Military salute deal which is 40%. I just wanted to be sure I was truly getting a good deal. I canget All Stars for $420 for 8 nights, CBR for $714 or WL for $1065. The reasoning for possibly choosing WL is we thought maybe we would never get the opportunity to stay at WL for that rate again. Most of the time we just stay at SOG. The fear of making the wrong decision is so haunting.

Let me mention this though...I called about Boardwalk Inn and they wanted $1500 for our stay. Why are they higher than WL?

 

[palmtreegirl]

The reasoning for possibly choosing WL is we thought maybe we would never get the opportunity to stay at WL for that rate again. Most of the time we just stay at SOG. The fear of making the wrong decision is so haunting.

I say definitely go with the WL then because the low rate could be your only chance. WL is an incredible resort! It's beautiful and you have a boat to the MK and CR. The water parade comes by every night, you can rent bikes and ride over to the Fort Wilderness campground where there's a free peeting zoo with pony rides for 1.00.

The reason it's cheaper is because both the AKL and WL are the more affordable deluxe resorts probably because they aren't within walking distance to a theme park or on the monrail. The BWI is located right next to Epcot and walking distance to MGM as well, hence the higher price.

I can't see how you'd be disappointed with the WL and I think if you wander over, while staying at the CBR, you'd end up regretting not spending the extra $$. It's such a beautiful resort, I just love the place.