Wilderness Lodge or Caribbean Beach

[Tami281]

I am looking at going to Disney World in November. We had originally booked a woods view at WL but have wondered if it might be better to stay at the Caribbean.
We are taking our 2 yr daughter. What resort is quieter and what would they have for a child her age. We are hands on parents so we will not be using any childrens club stuff at the resorts. We also are driving to Disney so we will have our own transportation with us if we decided we wanted to go eat off the premises or do something that wasn't Disney realated(ie Sea World, Universal, etc).
We plan to spend most of our time in the parks. I figured the money we would save if we chose the Caribbean Beach could be used for more souveniers, more character breakfasts or lunches, etc
Any opinions.
Also if you have stayed at the Caribbean Beach what was your room number did you have a king or double and what was your view like.
I have heard you can see the Illuminations show from that resort. Is this true?I am looking at going to Disney World in November.

 

[Freiden8]

I'm always one to say go for WL... but in your situation, I think the CB would be a better choice.

 

[DrKnow77]

I've got to vote for the WL. While I loved CBR, the WL is an amazing resort.

You can see part of Illuminations from CBR, but only from ver specific parts of the resort. I believe it is only visible form Martinique. One thing you might think about with CBR is that it is extremely spread out. We were put in the Trinidad South islands during our last stay at CBR and it was a good 15 minute walk to the Old Port Royale center (food court, gift shop, refillable mug soft drinks, etc). While 15 minutes doesn't sound like alot, after walking through the parks all day long, the last thing you want to do at the end of the night is walk 15 minutes to OPR and 15 minutes back to get a soft drink or coffee. Granted, Trinidad South is the furthest island away and you may get a better location, but the entire resort area is pretty spread out.

With the WL, all of the rooms are in one building and it is very convenient to get to the lobby of the building. It is much more convenient than the CBR. Not only is it convenient, but the decorations and theming are just amazing.

If you do decide to go to CBR, you will not be disappointed. I still really enjoy this resort, but prefer the WL in comparison.

Good luck!

 

[safetymom]

I think CBR would be a good choice for your family. If you are concerned about walking then ask for a preferred location. They cost extra per night but worth it.

If you are assigned to Trinidad South just ask for another location. They are usually very good at accomodating requests at check in.

You might want to check out the CBR FAQ thread. I also have pictures on my website listed below.

You will love CBR. We never found it a long walk to get to the food court and main pool.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Tami281,

WELCOME to the DIS

I would stay with WL the CBR was just too spread out for me.

I love the Lodge being small and cozy. The CBR has 2,112 guest rooms the Lodge has 728 (+the Villas 136) if staying at WL you have Ft. Wilderness Campground just a 5 minute boat ride (or you could rent bikes and ride over) they have pony rides, petting zoo, ect. at the lodge they have a kiddie pool, activities for the childern all day. (storytelling, hidden Mickey's, duck races)

I'm sure you will have a great trip whichever resort you decide on.

 

[rykdad]

I've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge before and loved it! However, our family realized that we hardly spend any time at the resort, so we're going Moderate this year to save some $$. If money is not an issue, I'd go with WL. Otherwise, go to CBR.

 

[BeamsofLight]

Hmm, this is a tough one. If you feel you'd only be spending a smaller portion of your time at the resorts, and you'd like to save money for other things, I'd vote for CBR. I've stayed there repeatedly and always had a good time.
There aren't a ton of activities for small children, although there are beaches you can play on (can't go in the water though), playground areas and a neat theme pool with a slide. You can feed fish and ducks too.
We've usually requested the Jamaica area, which is a relatively short walk to the foodcourt across a bridge. We've also stayed in a few other areas and never found the walk prohibitive, but I imagine that might be different with a toddler. The only room number I have on hand is 4236, a king-bed room in Jamaica where we stayed on our honeymoon. Great location, beautiful lush scenery.
That said, we stayed at WL this winter and really enjoyed it as well. I think the walk from our room to the foodcourt was comparable to a walk from the closest 'villages' at CBR to its foodcourt. We did request an out-of-the-way room though. WL pool is also really nice, and the proximity to Fort Wilderness with all it's activities may be something you'd like for a young child as well, especially the pony rides and petting zoo. Even we had fun there. I found WL noisier than CBR, probably because I'm used to CBR being more spread out.
Maybe check into more of the activities at FW, and see if you'd be interested in them, then weigh that against how much time you really want to spend at the resorts.

 

[kjustice]

I would vote for the WL. I have two small kids too and just having everything nearby makes the difference. I didn't like having to walk or even drive to food, shops, etc.

Although your daughter is too young now, when she is 3 (or 4 whatever the age is) let her go to the Cub's Den at WL! My daughter (who never had a babysitter before the age of 3) loves to go there and will turn down firewrok trips back in the park for a night in the Cub's Den.

Lastly, get the bunk beds for her. My daughter has always wanted them and thank goodness for the ones at the WL - I can now have them at home!

Good luck and have a great time on your trip!

God bless!

 

[Delaware Mike]

My wife and I have stayed at both resorts within the past two years and recommend CBR. Someone else makes a good point about WL being a little more noisy, as CBR is spread out. After a long day of fun, when its tub and jammie time, having a little more quiet is worth it.

CBR was refurbished only a couple of years ago. The rooms are nice, the Old Port Royale food court is good and convenient, and the grounds are marvelous. We have stayed in Jamacia (sorry, can't remember the room number), second floor, and were able to see Iluminations at night. Its a great way to end the day! Jamacia is close to the walkway (bridge) to OPR, its food court and pool, and the pool at Jamacia is very nice.

The one thing we did not like about WL is that its so far outtaway from everything else in WDW. Being near MK has advantages, however if one wishes to go to MGM, AK, et cetera the drive is long. CBR is more centrally located so the drive to any park, water park, PL, Marketplace is about the same.

Whatever your decision, I hope that you have a great time!

 

[slimplaw]

I can't offer any insight into CBR as I've never stayed there and I am very biased toward WL over any other resort. For me, the vote in favor of WL would be because they have queen size beds there and doubles at CBR.

 

[picantel]

I have a 3 and 6 year old and both of them love WL over any other resort so I have to go with that.