Caribbean Beach Resort

This topic has 11 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 1 month ago by StupidJudy.

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March 26, 2018 at 12:10 pm #70938

StupidJudy
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Hello pals!

I was just looking at the summer offers for fun and Caribbean Beach Resort is popping up as a lower cost option (probably since they have some areas under refurb) and all I have heard as comments on this resort was that it is quite large and that the bus service isn’t great since it has so many stops.

Has anyone stayed there? The main pool looks great! Seems all the villages have their own quiet pool too.

I would love to read your comments!

March 26, 2018 at 2:34 pm #70947

connie96
200 XP

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Hey Caroline! I have stayed there 3 times over the years and we really love it. It is SO beautiful with all the tropical vegetation and the big lake in the middle.

The bus service is just fine. People will complain about the bus service anywhere but we haven’t had issues. Now, I just stayed there in January and the bus routes are a little out of whack during the construction. Every bus begins at Martinique and makes it way around to Aruba so, if you want first on, first off, you’ll want to request a stay in Martinique. For now anyway. Not sure if they’ll go back to original bus routes after the refurb is completed or if they’ll make the new building a priority or what. I think my only issue with the current bus routes is that you have no choice but to take the internal bus from Customs House (check-in building) to get to a village that has a park bus stop. That’s fine really but, before they tore down Barbados, you could walk right across the road from Customs House and catch a park bus at Barbados. Again, we’ll see if that changes after the refurb.

Bus routes notwithstanding, we usually request Jamaica. I think it’s cool to walk across the island bridges to get to the main pool and food and such.

Didn’t you just stay at Coronado Springs on your last trip? The buses work exactly the same there as they do at Caribbean Beach. If the multiple stops didn’t bother you there then you’ll be fine.

March 26, 2018 at 4:51 pm #70952

Anonymous
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I stayed there with my family once and we absolutely loved it. I agree with connie96 that it is beautiful all around the grounds with walking trails/paths. We managed to get one of the corner rooms down by the water, it was so peaceful We had rented a car when we stayed there so I can’t comment on the bus issues.

The paths, pools, main building and food options were all outstanding.

March 26, 2018 at 4:55 pm #70953

RIDisneyPinGuy
182 XP

We have stayed at CBR twice… and loved it! Quite possibly one of the best-themed resorts. Enough to be immersive without going over the top. The resort is quiet if you choose the right ‘island’, and quiet pools are a plus for a quick dip. The main pool is great. Have not seen the updated dining/shopping, but it was very nice on our trips. Bussing is touch and go. I would have to disagree with calling it “just fine”, almost lost our ADRs due to bussing on a couple of occasions. I would imagine with CM and the monitors, it has improved, though. Again, island choice is everything. We liked Aruba.

March 26, 2018 at 7:46 pm #70956

eeyorepoohfan
499 XP

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We stayed there in January of 2017. We absolutely loved our room, it had just been refurbed. We honestly did not like the bus situation. We are used to staying at Riverside, so we have several stops. But if you are the first pick-up at CB, you can be on a bus for 20+ minutes before even leaving the resort. I think there are 7 stops total. I don’t know what it’s like now. Their food court was okay before, not our favorite, but I know that is currently changing. A lot is up in the air with their extensive refurbs on property. Some of the sections were a quick walk to the food court, but others would have been quite the hike! We got a super duper cheap deal that allowed us to stay there for less than most Value’s are running. So for the price, we were really happy. We loved the theme of our room, it had a huge tv (which my hubby liked) and plenty of drawer space! We had 3 small drawers under the pull down bed, plus two huge and deep drawers next to it. I liked the look of the wood sliding doors between the bedroom and sink area, it blocked light out better. We had a couple of bus situations (of course you can experience that anywhere). But we waited over 45 minutes for a bus in the afternoon!

March 26, 2018 at 9:48 pm #70960

SEJ101
499 XP

CONTRIBUTOR

Why is it that everytime someone asks about a Resort, I’m the only negative review?

First off, there’s construction. Nothing’s wrong with that, but during the day it can get a little noisy.
Secondly, the lobby is not the main hub of activity. Although I think this recently changed, but “Port Royale” aka Activity Central is a little underwhelming for Disney standards. Not a fan of the Food court or atmosphere of Port Royale either.
It’s a MASSIVE resort, so be prepared to walk in a humid forest-like area.
I also HATE the rooms there. Stiff mattress and dust everywhere.

Of course, this could’ve all changed since my last stay, back in May 2017, so keep that in mind.

March 27, 2018 at 7:54 am #70970

Acamm
316 XP

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@sej101 you’re not the only negative review for CBR…. because I will be the 2nd one.

@stupidjudy do you remember my trip report on Dis that I shared with you from my 2016 vacation to CBR? I absolutely did NOT like staying there … at ALL. Many reasons why, but just a few were:
-we were the farthest building away from EVERYTHING
-the bus service was terrible
-the main pool was SO CROWDED and the chairs were all squished together like sardines
-the quiet pools were better, BUT there were no towels at them!!! (and had to walk to get cocktails )

There were other things that we didn’t like about CBR…. but just to let you know of all 4 moderate resorts, this one is LAST on our list.

March 27, 2018 at 8:56 am #70972

StupidJudy
71 XP

Thanks everyone for all your reviews, good and bad!

@acamm what time of year were you there?

@eeyorepoohfan, 45 minutes for a bus, holy moly!

@connie96, yes we were at Coronado and I didn’t mind too much the bus going around the resort, I liked that we were not the last stop (which was the main building’s stop) so we could always get seats.

March 27, 2018 at 10:15 am #70986

eeyorepoohfan
499 XP

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Thankfully the 45 minute wait only happened a couple of times. But it was frustrated. Plus then to have stop at the bus stops. It was about an hour from when we got to the bus stop until we left the resort. I would just allow extra transportation time for this resort.

March 27, 2018 at 12:50 pm #71056

Acamm
316 XP

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@stupidjudy we were there September 2016

March 29, 2018 at 11:12 am #71278

starbee
499 XP

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MOD

For me personally, I would put up with all of those negatives if the super good deal on CBR was the difference between being able to take a Disney trip or not. Just my thoughts, I have never stayed at CBR but I have stayed at Coronado and since you’ve stayed there before and experienced their buses, I think you’d be more prepared for the situation at CBR

March 29, 2018 at 12:52 pm #71306

StupidJudy
71 XP

@starbee, I would definitely consider it if it meant getting to stay at something a category above value for a good price! If we take a summer trip we wouldn’t necessarily go to the parks so the bus situation would be a non issue, we’d use the buses to get to Disney Springs or to resort hop so no biggie to walk over to the main building. If it was for a park vacation, again, if the bus ride around the resort is too long, we would just walk to the last stop before it leaves the resort I guess. It was fine at Coronado, the buses were never that full and were max 10 minutes apart.
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