Caribbean Beach is a Dump!

[dansdad]

I am not sharing my budget with you or anyone. It's none of your business.
I stayed 10 days so far. Another 5 planned for August.
And I'm no expert on anything

 

[Nancyg56]

angiTN, you appear to be an expert on the construction at the CBR and the state of the resort, I do have a question for you. How many days have you stayed there during construction and how much money did you spend? By Disney standards it's a dump!

I find this pretty stinkin rude. The bottom line is that CBR rates are reduced due to construction. If you or anyone else decides that they want to take advantage of the reduced rack rate they need to accept that the resort is not up to "Disney Standards."

People have been willing to share their experiences during construction and if you do not find that helpful, that is fine. It is not fine to come here and insult people who have tried to help others. What you have failed to recognize is that we all use the resorts differently, from the food service options to the pools and shops, to transportation, and it is disrespectful to come here and call out a poster who has a history of being knowledgable and helpful because you disagree with her perspective.

Now: you want to share your budget that is your choice, although why anyone needs to know that is beyond me. To ask someone to justify their opinion by requesting the amount of money they spend brings a rude post to the level of ridiculous.

 

[Accidental Magpie]

We will, thanks! We live nearby, go every month or so. Making it a habit ever since the wildfires. Trying to do our part to help the economy

We went in May with our Girl Scout troop and had a blast. I took a pic of the main drag in Gatlinburg on that Friday night and was amazed at the lack of traffic. I hope more folks continue to return there.

 

[Blanquita]

I'm going on April next year, and i'm worry the hotel is going to be a bad experience now! Its my first time at WDW and at USA any recommendations? should i ask for any room better than another if its possible? Thanks!

 

[disneydreamer781]

LOL It is NOT a dump. What a ridiculous statement. They are undergoing refurbishment and it was clearly announced ahead of time. There is nothing "dumpy" about the resort at all. Seriously? A dump?

I'll have to remember to pack my "I survived construction at CBR" tee shirt.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I have to think about this because for the dates I want in October there is not much difference in the per night rate at CBR and POFQ/POR. $210 standard vs $235 garden view. I was hoping it would be much lower but it looks about the same since POFQand POR is a garden view and not a standard view.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm going on April next year, and i'm worry the hotel is going to be a bad experience now! Its my first time at WDW and at USA any recommendations? should i ask for any room better than another if its possible? Thanks!

It's tough to predict where they will be working next year. I suggest that you keep up on the CBR resort thread so that you are not surprised.

I also will say that the same factors that bother some folks will have zero impact on others.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I do have to admit though when I saw the Bar set up in a trailer I found it very amusing although pretty tacky! Not something I would expect from Disney.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

We stayed 9 days in May, but had the $75 gift card AND $75/night discount, so it helped ease the pain of construction quite a bit. It was our first visit to CBR and we had a great time. We did not go to the main pool area however as the jack-hammering was a huge issue for us and we did not eat at the resort, other than a sandwich or two from the food truck. I found the house keeping hit/miss most days, but other than that had a great time and would go back.....but likely only with another discount or when construction is over (if we can ever afford it). I should add that it was just DW and I....no kiddies.

 

[AngiTN]

We stayed 9 days in May, but had the $75 gift card AND $75/night discount, so it helped ease the pain of construction quite a bit. It was our first visit to CBR and we had a great time. We did not go to the main pool area however as the jack-hammering was a huge issue for us and we did not eat at the resort, other than a sandwich or two from the food truck. I found the house keeping hit/miss most days, but other than that had a great time and would go back.....but likely only with another discount or when construction is over (if we can ever afford it).

The good news from what I understand, this is over. The clearing is finished and all the debris is hauled off. I suppose there could be more and if they have to drive piles to build towers it may mean different types of loud noises. My DH is a civil/structural engineer so he's fascinated by all this stuff I know more about it than I care to, let me tell you. But I'm darn good at pretending it's fascinating

 

[creativeamanda]

I find this pretty stinkin rude. The bottom line is that CBR rates are reduced due to construction.

I just want to address this statement. Because, yes, CBR is reduced due to construction. I priced my upcoming reservation and compared it with Coronado Springs and Pop Century. Here are the specifications I looked at:
Dates: January 1-8, 2018
Rack Rate Package
8 Day Base Tickets
Disney Dining Plan

From Highest to Lowest cost:

Coronado Springs, Standard View: 2705.12
Caribbean Beach, Standard View: 2569.01
Pop Century, Standard Room: 2218.01

Difference between CSR and CBR: around $17.01 per night
Between CBR and POP: around $43.88 per night

One of the big selling points for moderate resorts is that there are better food options at the moderates. The other is the theming. I'd say the theming is shot at CBR based on the pictures I saw. So that leaves the great pools. Looking at the month of January (as that is my example), would one really think that the pool and hot tub is really worth an additional near $20 per night over another moderate?

I would argue that at this time, the construction happening at CBR places it on the same lines as a Value resort and therefore Disney should drop their prices to that.

That is my opinion, which I'm entitled to. I think you, Nancyg56, are getting too wrapped up making the opinions about how someone feels about a Disney resort way too important. In the grand scheme of things it is not that important.

 

[Nancyg56]

I just want to address this statement. Because, yes, CBR is reduced due to construction. I priced my upcoming reservation and compared it with Coronado Springs and Pop Century. Here are the specifications I looked at:
Dates: January 1-8, 2018
Rack Rate Package
8 Day Base Tickets
Disney Dining Plan

From Highest to Lowest cost:

Coronado Springs, Standard View: 2705.12
Caribbean Beach, Standard View: 2569.01
Pop Century, Standard Room: 2218.01

Difference between CSR and CBR: around $17.01 per night
Between CBR and POP: around $43.88 per night

One of the big selling points for moderate resorts is that there are better food options at the moderates. The other is the theming. I'd say the theming is shot at CBR based on the pictures I saw. So that leaves the great pools. Looking at the month of January (as that is my example), would one really think that the pool and hot tub is really worth an additional near $20 per night over another moderate?

I would argue that at this time, the construction happening at CBR places it on the same lines as a Value resort and therefore Disney should drop their prices to that.

That is my opinion, which I'm entitled to. I think you, Nancyg56, are getting too wrapped up making the opinions about how someone feels about a Disney resort way too important. In the grand scheme of things it is not that important.

Historically, CBR is priced higher that CSR, and when I looked for discounts I chose CST because it was priced lower than the normal discounted rate for CBR. SO yes, the rates are reduced. Low enough? That is debatable, but they are in fact reduced. I always choose to avoid resorts with any construction in play, no matter the reduced rate because I find I notice the disruptions and I am willing to pay more in order to do so. I

What I find troubling is when folks share their experiences or their own perspective on how the construction is impacting them, or if they disagree with the characterization of the resort, some are getting called out in a rude and disrespectful manner. I am not going to debate if the discounts, the little offered perks or the reduction in teh rack rate is worth the inconvenience. To me there is no discount or gift card that woudl entice me but if I did choose to accept the rate, I would not come back and complain.

 

[rlduvall]

We drove by Caribbean Beach multiple times the week of July 4th and I admit I was shocked at how bad it looked with all the construction going on. I know I would never stay at a resort with that much chaos going on.

 

[disneydreamer781]

? But the lobby at CBR hasn't changed. Well, I guess a change has been they've put a couple snack things in there or something, at least I thought someone said they did. But as for construction or remodel work, there is none going on

I'm thinking that most of these issues folks are finding with CBR and construction are with CBR and not so much with construction. In other words, even not under construction many having issues wouldn't like a stay in CBR

Yeah, I don't understand finding the lobby "dumpy" at all. The lobby has nothing to do with the construction. If someone doesn't like the resort, it's their right but some people may go into it thinking they are going to be disappointed and hear the issues and they feed off of that. It's also a bit ridiculous to compare the lobby of a deluxe DVC to a moderate.

 

[shrcpark]

We scored the $75 GC and a Disney dining plan. I don't care about the construction. I do care about the pool and where I am sleeping. Any word on how many rooms will be refurbished by September 2017?

 

[DisneyMommyinTraining]

I just booked this hotel for October and I will be 7 months pregnant by then. My husband and I want to go to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. Did I just make a huge mistake? I've stayed at Disney properties before under construction but I've never stayed the Caribbean beach resort. Should I change hotels?

 

[disneydreamer781]

We scored the $75 GC and a Disney dining plan. I don't care about the construction. I do care about the pool and where I am sleeping. Any word on how many rooms will be refurbished by September 2017?

What rooms? I didn't read that any rooms were being renovated just that the Dining options would be impacted.

 

[AngiTN]

We scored the $75 GC and a Disney dining plan. I don't care about the construction. I do care about the pool and where I am sleeping. Any word on how many rooms will be refurbished by September 2017?

Rooms are not being refurbished so none
They were done 2 or so years ago
At least all but pirate rooms were
But even those are not being done now
Only grounds are being worked on

 

[disneydreamer781]

Then the better idea would be to actually look at it with their own eyes by looking at one of the many construction update videos out there

Not perfect but doesn't look dumpy to me but what do I know

No not dumpy but I can't stop laughing about the Bar in a trailer and the Grab & Go in a hotel room. I don't know about Disney but I think I would have done it the other way around but I guess guests close by wouldn't approve although it can't be great having people marching in and out of a grab & go either. Unless rooms near that area are kept empty I don't think I would enjoy the traffic.

 

[AngiTN]

The red neck in me loves the bar in a trailer