Disney's CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT Information & Questions

[dansdad]

Does anyone know where is a good area to request when we have two rooms? I would love to be close to the food courts and transportation since we do not have a car. I just need to be close to my mom that is in a different room.

What room type did you each book?

 

[happymom2one]

What room type did you each book?

Opps, sorry Standard

 

[dansdad]

Opps, sorry Standard

Make sure the 2 reservations are linked as "traveling with" in the system. Then make the first request for both rooms to be near each other. Make the location the next request. This way the room assigners know being near each other is the most important.

Great Standard rooms are in Jamaica 45, Aruba 51, Martinique 21, 22 and 23.

 

[happymom2one]

Make sure the 2 reservations are linked as "traveling with" in the system. Then make the first request for both rooms to be near each other. Make the location the next request. This way the room assigners know being near each other is the most important.

Great Standard rooms are in Jamaica 45, Aruba 51, Martinique 21, 22 and 23.

Thank you. Thank you! Here is to hoping I get a close spot.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

So really it doesn't sound as bad as our last stay at POR. We walked from our room in Parterre, down the path, across the bridge, past the main building and over to the bus stop. I was thinking Jamaica or Aruba but didn't know if the bridge was closed at a certain time of night since the play area closes at sunset.

Thanks all!

I couldn't tell if this got answered or not, the play area gates are closed but you can still cross the bridge and walk through the Caribbean Cay. Jamaican and Aruba are both great options...I prefer Jamaica because it is the first stop for the bus if it comes in the entrance off of Victory Way.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Make sure the 2 reservations are linked as "traveling with" in the system. Then make the first request for both rooms to be near each other. Make the location the next request. This way the room assigners know being near each other is the most important.

Great Standard rooms are in Jamaica 45, Aruba 51, Martinique 21, 22 and 23.

Ditto to what @dansdad said -- Jamaica and Aruba are an easy walk across the bridge and the grounds are spectacular to see on the walk in both directions -- and added plus is that because you are across the lake from OPR -- it is generally quieter at night as well in Jamaica and Aruba.

Tom

 

[wulfgeat]

Off of page 2..........

And why would they remove clocks from all rooms? I guess it is cheaper, but it can't be more than a few bucks per clock with the number that they buy. I can't figure out a good reason.

 

[dansdad]

Off of page 2..........

And why would they remove clocks from all rooms? I guess it is cheaper, but it can't be more than a few bucks per clock with the number that they buy. I can't figure out a good reason.

There were a several reasons.

Guests complaining about being woken up in the middle of the night by an alarm set by the previous guest.
Guests complaining about alarms going off in unoccupied rooms next to them at all hours of the day/night.
Guests complaining about alarm not going off and them missing an ADR or Rope Drop due to not setting the alarm correctly.
Survey results from guests showing 85% of guests don't use the provided alarm clock and instead use their phone.

They didn't save any $$ by removing them. It actually cost them $$ to remove them and to then provide them to guests who request them. They're trying to appease everyone which is nearly impossible.

 

[Tia1977]

We're just back from our 1st CBR stay, and def not our last! We have June 2017 booked and feel like we found our "home" going forward It's taken us 3 trips to WDW to find where we "belong". Granted our 1st 2 stays were at Values & you could argue Moderate differences skew our views. Possibly...However, between our last stay (2 months ago) and this one; we toured 3 deluxes thinking we might stay those places come next June instead. I know tours aren't the same, and the ones we toured are nice. But, CBR has the right "vibe" to fit our vacation interests.

Our stay was 10/8-10/16 (was 10/7 prior to hurricane Matthew). Out of ALL the gazillion positives for this resort, there's literally only 1 negative I can think of (listed below), possibly 2 depending on your village location.

We felt truly blessed to get our room selection, and def don't plan on it happening in the future (although the building will remain 1 of the 3 we request each time). We were in Jamaica 45, room 4557. Lake view, 2nd floor, corner room, closest to bridge, pull down bed, connecting room if needed...AMAZING view when you opened your room door. Pics attached are to show the 3 angles of view.

The "Vibe": We loved the atmosphere all around! You have the crazy fun of the parks, then the relaxing feel of the tropics as soon as you step off the bus. The perfect tranquil escape from the madness! We loved the lake views, the village beaches, the bridge to OPR, the main pool area, and even OPR on the inside itself. Well done Disney!

The room: We loved the size, didn't feel cramped at all. We loved of course the queen beds (and they were comfy too!). We loved the many available drawers for space. And we loved the wooden doors separating the vanity space from room. I'm an early riser & my family sleeps in. I was able to get ready & iron our clothes each morning (plenty of space for me to move even with ironing board), without waking my sleepy heads. The doors block noise & light well. I personally loved the Cuisine Art single cup coffee makers. Makes 2 @ a time, & tastes even better than the OPR industrial pots.

The Location: There's DEF a reason this building and/village is recommended as a request folks! If you don't book preferred, this building/village should def be on your list of requests! You can see how close to the bridge from my pic! The bridge was a short, peaceful, enjoyable walk away from the hussle & bussle of the OPR.

Mousekeeping: Our room was always cleaned well. Our 1st night checking in (the very day after the Matthew craziness!) my husband called to request a box fan & extra coffee. No problem to them. They were there a couple hours later with both. The next day, we came back from HS for a mid afternoon break before our room was cleaned. When they knocked, we asked it to be cleaned later at a specified time. The woman was sweet about it, and the room was cleaned when asked. We also kept getting extra coffee every day after our 1st request of more.

OPR: My expectations for Disney "food courts" were admittedly pretty low after our 1st 2 stays (so I might be biased?). But, the atmosphere was so adorable! Def not "cattle herd" at all! And the food even better. When we can get huge chicken breast jerk chicken, black beans, & mashed potatoes for dinner that taste fresh /yummy, then deli cut sandwiches on multi grain bread with pasta salad & veggie soup that tastes fresh/yummy for lunch; a Disney "food court" doesn't sound so bad lol! And don't get me started on how we loved the main pool area! Even my grumpy 39 yr old hubby slid down the big slide with us and loved it! Plus, we saw the SW's fireworks from there one night! (Pic below).

The negatives: #1 Every courtyard is pretty closed in. And, every courtyard is a smoking area. I say this with no bias bc I myself am a smoker (I'd always go to the main one by the pool bar. But, smokers further away from OPR have no choice but their courtyard). It gets pretty smoky within the confines of those buildings. I smoked in ours once, & I didn't even like it. I felt bad for the non smokers & kids with rooms in those areas. If you're sensitive to smoke & didn't book a Water View, request a non courtyard room (parking lot or side walkway) & specifically tell them your family is sensitive to smoke. You might get cars as your view coming out the door, but a view is only a couple seconds anyway. #2 This is a huge resort! Unless your family is pirate theme or bust, do NOT get the pirate rooms and expect to be happy with your location. If you don't book preferred, my own advice is Jamaica 1st, then Aruba as your requests (closest villages to the bridge on the opposite side of the lake). And phone them in/have your TA phone in. Don't just rely on the generic online requests.

The buses: I saved this for last bc I personally feel the luck of buses has no bearing on a resort. But, we loved the wait time boards posted at the bus stops! We also had incredible luck the whole trip through coming/going. Again, keep in mind it's luck & not CBR. There are internal stops at each village then OPR before heading off to your desired location. All I can say is you might want to consider another resort if you're looking to fly off after getting on the bus. But, chances are you're not taking a Disney bus if so lol!

So that's it. We're already looking forward to our stay next June, and we're already talking about which 2018 dates to book afterwards!

 

[brandy1126]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

 

[Calee]

We had our van, but never saw it after parking it on arrival day. We had no trouble with busses and loved not having to life a finger.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

We always drive, and park the car after unloading...walk past it all week heading to the bus...sigh deeply when I unlock it to load the bags on check out day. As I am (currently) the only driver, it is MY vacation not to have to drive.

 

[dansdad]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

The times we've had our car with us it never moves until we head home.

And where our room was would not make a difference at all. Every Village has its own bus stop so you'll never be far from one.

 

[CJK]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

I may be in the minority, but we much prefer to drive to the parks. The only exception is the Magic Kingdom, where we always take the bus. We just find driving faster. Now that Disney Springs has the parking garages, it's a breeze to drive to Disney Springs too.

 

[mickeygirl78]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

If you plan on going to the waterparks, I would recommend driving there. If you take Disney transportation you have to transfer at Disney Springs (TL) or Animal Kingdom (BB). When we've had a car, we do not take it to the four main parks or Disney Springs. We only use it for waterparks and ADR's at other resorts.

 

[KearneyFam02]

We've driven to WDW once, and we left the van in the parking lot the entire time with the exception of going to Walmart once.

 

[jsgrant5]

We are staying here for the first time 12/9-12/17/16. I will using an ECV in the parks, but am hoping to just be able to walk to dining and the pool at the resort. I did book a preferred room first floor. Should I ask for a specific area or are the preferred rooms all fairly close to the dining?

 

[dansdad]

We are staying here for the first time 12/9-12/17/16. I will using an ECV in the parks, but am hoping to just be able to walk to dining and the pool at the resort. I did book a preferred room first floor. Should I ask for a specific area or are the preferred rooms all fairly close to the dining?

Yes they are all fairly close with Martinique 24, 25 and 26 being the closest.

 

[Kevin355]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

Whenever we drive, we leave our vehicle parked. CBR bus issues are way overblown. And it is more trouble getting to your vehicle at a park than it is to wait for a bus, with the possible exception of park closing.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

If you have the choice of buses or your own vehicle, which would you choose to get to parks? We'll be driving so we have our van and can certainly drive each day. I'm wondering which would be quicker/easier. We'll be requesting and hoping for Jamaica or Aruba, if that makes a difference.

We thought that driving was much easier and took less time, with the exception of going to MK. I became slightly annoyed with the buses because we were staying in Trinidad North. It is next to last in order of stops. There are seven stops. Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, the food court, Trinidad North, and Trinidad South. In that order. If you are in Jamaica, the buses may not be as bad, but we had to wait through so many stops that it took 10-15 additional minutes to get off the bus once we had arrived at the resort. That was with no loading or unloading of ECVs. That would take even longer.

We also requested Jamaica, but there was nothing available there. It is a popular request. I think Jamaica and Aruba may be the two most requested areas for standard rooms, so you may not get your request.

Driving from CBR was so easy. HS is just around the corner. So convenient. The water parks were both very convenient as well. We did not go to Epcot or AK on our last trip when we stayed at CBR, but we would have driven if we had.

Being at CBR and having a car, I would drive to every destination except for MK.