I'd like to know more about the Caribbean Beach Resort.

[Mickey626]

Hello all fellow Disneyphiles!

If you know me, you'll know that I haven't set foot in the 'World since May 2007. This is possibly about to change.

There is an approximate 50/50 chance that I could be going down to Florida during Spring Break this year (March 16-21 for me) and staying at my uncle's new beach house just outside Tampa.

As with any trip down to Florida, one is almost always required to visit Walt Disney World in any way possible. At least that's how it is for me.

Anywho, I've been doing a bit of research over at AllEars and on the official website, and have discovered that, not only would we go during the "Peak" season of the year, but resort prices per night would be drasitcally increased to malicious levels. This means that we will not be able to stay in a deluxe resort this time

But! I looked at the different moderate resorts and have finally settled upon the Caribbean Beach Resort. It's in the middle of the world, looks beautiful, and it only costs about $250 a night as opposed to the easy $400-$450 a night for the deluxe resorts.

Now, I've read some reviews over at AllEars already, but I would like YOUR opinion. What do YOU think of Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort? What would maybe cause me not to stay there (that is, if I do)? What would cause me to stay there? What have your past experiences there been like? Give me everything you've got!

[SuperStarKerri]

The last time I went to Disney World was January 2nd-4th and I stayed at the Caribbean Beach resort for the first time! I honestly wasn't expecting it to be much. I was let down by my last vacation before that when I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. But to my surprise, Caribbean Beach was really nice! We were upgraded to the newly referb. Finding Nemo room! The pool looked very nice and the theming was great. I really want to go back for a longer visit.

[disneydame2004]

There are a lot of discounts floating around, so be sure to check before booking anything - or use a good travel agent.

I personally like Caribbean Beach. It's very pretty and nicely landscaped. It is spread out and you can end up awfully far from the food court. The buses have multiple stops and it can take a while to get out of the resort and on your way to a park. If you don't have an issue with stairs, ask for a second floor room. Some of the bushes have grown up quite large and the last first-floor room I had was a view of a single shrub.

Happy Planning!

[Spodie]

It's really big. If you decide on that resort, make sure you see where the first or second bus stops are (a word of caution though: the stop that is designated as "bus stop 1" is not always the stop that the bus drivers stop at first). If your bus stop is the last stop on the route, then it is possible that you'll have to wait until a couple of busses until one pulls up that isn't full. If you're driving, then no worries - you won't have to worry about the bus! This resort was also the first Moderate Resort built, so this was the "test" resort where anything that didn't go so well was fixed in the subsequent Moderates that were built (like it's size). However, as previously mentioned, the landscaping and theming is wonderful and I believe that one of the pools is newly refurbished.

If you're looking for something a little smaller and more intimate, try Port Orleans French Quarter. There is only one bus stop (although FQ and Riverside share busses during the slower times of year) and no room is far away from anything (pool, food court, etc).

[Mickey626]

Fortunately, I'm 99% positive that we will be using a car, since we will have to drive from my uncle's beach house to Orlando, which is about 2 hours away. My thought is we could park at the Contemporary parking lot the next day, walk to the Magic Kingdom, take a bus from there to DHS and see that in the morning, then take a bus back to the Magic Kingdom to see that, then walk/boat/monorail back to the Contemporary for dinner and departure. Aren't all on-site guests allowed to park in any resort parking lot?

[disneydame2004]

... My thought is we could park at the Contemporary parking lot the next day, walk to the Magic Kingdom, take a bus from there to DHS and see that in the morning, then take a bus back to the Magic Kingdom to see that, then walk/boat/monorail back to the Contemporary for dinner and departure. Aren't all on-site guests allowed to park in any resort parking lot?

Generally, you are not supposed to park at a resort to go to a park. If you try to park there in the morning, the guard at the Contemporary may issue you a 3 hour parking pass. Parking at the Contemporary is somewhat limited due to the construction at Bay Lake Tower.

I'm fairlly certain there isn't a bus from the MK gate to DHS, and that you'd have to catch that bus at the TTC. Or you could take one right from the Contemporary. Honestly, you'd save time by driving to DHS and then driving from there to the Contemporary for your walk to the MK and back to Contemp. for dinner.

Parking is free in the theme park parking lots for on-site guests, so you don't save anything by parking at a resort for the day at the parks.

[princesslb]

yeah you have to go to the ttc to get a bus from mk to dhs. so we just walked from mk to contemporary like you said. i like caribbean beach i havent seen the new pool/rooms but i definitely think its better there if you have a car because everything is so far apart!

[solfan68]

Its been... (pulls out calculator for some quick math) thirteen years since our last stay at CBR. Now that's not to say we didn't enjoy it. Wife and I did the Disneymoon at CBR in 94 and returned two years later. We've been trying to hit a broad cross-section of the WDW resorts in the meantime. Having hit three of the four mods, I can honestly say they all have their appeal. But back to the question at hand.

We liked the CBR, but were relatively close to Old Port Royale both times. So take that into consideration. The resort is painted in pastel colors and features sandy beaches with hammocks to enjoy - if you're so inclined. The food court was standard Disney fare. The pool has recently been refurbed as have some of the rooms(to a very piratey theme). I'd honestly be inclined to re-visit the resort on our next family trip.

[BamaJenn]

Without reading any of the above replies (because I didn't want them to necessarily impact what I am going to say)... here are my thoughts on the resort.

1) If you're used to Deluxe, the rooms are a bit smaller and less "tada!!" than you're used to but they are well sized, and bigger (though not by much) than the Value resorts. The bath/vanity area is also notedly larger with a nice little curtain you can pull shut for some privacy.
2) The grounds of the Caribbean Beach Resort are beautiful! I loved just walking around all the paths and finding the hidden hammocks and bridges.
3) The theming is very nice and the different "beachy colored" buildings around the lake make for a great scene.
4) The food in the food court is awesome. We didn't have a thing we didn't love.
5) The little gift shop is very cute but not much different than you'd find at the other levels of resort.
6) There is ample parking around your building but, finding your way out to the main road can be difficult. On 2 separate occasions we found ourselves lost or going around the wrong side of the resort. The signs aren't the greatest.
7) The pool outside Old Port Royale is very cool. The theming is some of the best of any of the resorts (in my opinion) and kids love to swim under the bridge and then get out, over it, and down the slide.

I'm sure it's been said but there have been two refurbs at the resort recently. One was to a Nemo themed room setup and the other to a Pirates theme (though I don't think any of the pirate rooms are open yet). If you're looking for theming... that could be great. If you're not... make sure to request a regular room. We enjoyed the "Caribbean" feel to the rooms.

[Mickey626]

Thanks for all the help guys! I am happy to announce that we will officially be VISITING WALT DISNEY WORLD March 17-18, as a small detour from a larger vacation in the Tampa Bay area. And, yes, we are staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Water view. No pirates. As much as I love Pirates of the Caribbean, my parents aren't too wild about the whole theme of the pirate rooms, so I decided to get a standard-themed Water View room. I'm hoping that we'll end up with one of the Nemo rooms. They look awesome

About the parking situation: yeah, I read up on it on AllEars and you guys were right. Although, are we allowed to park at a theme park and then go all around without unparking?
Though, now that you mention it, maybe it wouldn't be *so* bad to drive to DHS/MK. Quicker probably.

So, yes. We have come to it a last. Our triumphant return to the Walt Disney World Resort! Ahahaha!

BTW, if anyone wants to know, we'll probably be eating at Le Cellier and The Wave for dinner. The Wave is new to us and I've heard positive things about it. Plus, I'd like to check out all the new goings-on at the Contemporary like the Bay Lake Tower and the new shops and stuff. I don't think I've actually been in the Contemporary since like.....2005. Yeah. Lot's to see! Along with all the new rides like Toy Story Mania and the newly renovated Spaceship Earth. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

[MagicMom]

CBR is my home resort. Recently we stayed at POR and I liked it, but it wasn't "home." The theming is so cheerful. The pools are very nice. The Old Port Royale main pool is brand new, as well as the facilities around it. The rooms are arranged in clusters of buildings that are color coded by "island." The POTC rooms are in Trinidad (North) I think. Martinique is where the Nemo rooms are. 24/25/26 buildings are the closest to the food court and bus stops. The food court and shopping area is called Calypso and it also has a bus stop that is very close to 25/26 buildings. I believe that Disney has started classifying this island section as a Premium Location and they can charge a little extra for it.

Personally, my family prefers a short walk to the Old Port Royale/Calypso area since we are there more frequently than anywhere else in the resort, so we usually request Martinique 26 and go from there. We do not usually spend extra money on Water View because we spend so little time in the room. Also, be aware that water view can mean a view of a pool and not necessarily the landscaped lagoon area.

Oh, and the last time I drove to another resort (for a dining reservation) the security at the gate verified my appointment before they would let me park!

Have a wonderful time!