Review: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, p3

For the first page of this review of the Caribbean Beach, see this.

A PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT THE CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

Caribbean Beach rooms are accessed from an outside corridor. You enter into the living area, with the bath at the back.

As you enter the room, on the bed side you’ll find two full beds, brightly decorated with a Nemo theme.

On the opposite side of the room, you’ll find a dresser with a built-in mini fridge and a flat screen TV.  Next to it is a chest.

Further back in the room you’ll find a split bath.  One part has double sinks and a clothes hanging area; the other has a tub and toilet.

At the front of the room, near the entry, you’ll find a big table and two chairs.  Many rooms have one window here, but a little less than half are corner rooms with two windows.

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19 comments

1 Tom { 06.28.12 at 6:00 pm }

Dave,
our first stay in WDW was 3 years ago in this hotel. My daughter was just one year old and my son 3. We stayed in Jamaica and we didn’t mind walking to the main entrance (Old Port Royale) for food or the pool at all. The only thing that I loathed was not having an elevator when you have a big stroller and your baby is asleep. My wife and I had to lift it while at the same time looking after our son not running away to chase rabbits or squirrels. Plus, when it rained you got soaked on the staircase. Anyway, apart from that nuisance (a BIG one if you have small children) I found the place charming, the theme pools are great for kids and I loved the path beside the lagoon to go running every morning. Recommended for at least one-time visit, especially if you’re a first-timer to WDW!

2 Dave { 06.29.12 at 6:39 am }

Hey Tom, noting you commented on your visit to Pop too–did you find enough difference between CB and Pop to be worth the extra cost?

3 Tom { 06.29.12 at 8:46 am }

Dave, that is a good question. A question I have even made myself as well.
The answer, in my humble opinion, is that if you do not spend very much time on the hotel, then perhaps CB is not worth the extra bucks. On the contrary, if you like a nice landscape and tend to rest on the venue more than going to the park, then it may suit you. Overall: if your budget is constraint, then you can definitely skip a Moderate resort like this and won’t miss a “Disney flavor” on a Value one such a Pop

4 Dave { 06.29.12 at 11:07 am }

Thanks Tom!

My thought–for first time visitors following one of my itineraries, and hence not being in their rooms much–as that even if they can afford a moderate, instead they should split their stay between Pop and Wilderness Lodge—see this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/where-to-stay/next-best-resort-choices/where-not-to-stay/

Any reaction?

5 Tom { 06.29.12 at 11:39 am }

Indeed. I agree with you.
Had I known this I would have saved many bucks on our first visit.

6 Ann { 09.02.12 at 6:44 pm }

We are staying at CB the first week of October. Thanks for the room location recommendations. How likely is it that we will get a room in our requested area? Also, I see that you can check in online 10 days before arrival. Do you know if you can request a room location at that time?

7 Dave { 09.03.12 at 7:54 am }

Hi Ann, they don’t start assigning rooms until a couple of days before, so the thing to do is to call the resort 2-3 days before, and again a day before. They try to accommodate requests, but there’s no guarantee…

8 Ann { 09.03.12 at 8:31 am }

Thanks!

9 Andy { 10.10.12 at 1:30 pm }

Dave,

We are planning on going to the Caribbean beach resort January 30 -February 9th. Whenever we try to book, the only rooms available are the pirate rooms. My wife and I have stayed at this resort in the normal rooms many times, and are concerned that the pirate rooms will be in one of the “islands” that are really far away from old port royale. Can you comment on the difference between the pirate room and regular room? If we decided to come home on the 8th instead of the 9th, the standard rooms are available.

10 Dave { 10.10.12 at 3:42 pm }

Andy the pirate rooms are as fart as you can get from Old Port Royale–see this http://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/04/12/review-the-pirate-rooms-at-disneys-caribbean-beach-resortresort/

11 Jennifer { 10.23.12 at 1:11 pm }

Last time we went to Disney, my son and I stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside, and although we generally liked where our room was (and really enjoyed the resort), it absolutely STUNK in terms of the bus route. We’d catch it at the main building (the closest stop), then had to ride all. the. way. around. the resort.

This time we’ll be staying at the Carribbean Beach Resort the week of April 14th (the kiddo succumbed to the pictures of the pool and insisted). In looking at the map you’ve posted, I see that Aruba’s bus stop could well be the last one, assuming the bus travels clockwise around the resort. Which could also mean that if Mr. Grumpy Gusterson is in a hurry to get off the bus, we could hop off at the stop next to Barbados and hoof it to Aruba.

Can my bus dreams be realized? DOES it go clockwise around the resort???

12 Jennifer { 10.23.12 at 1:14 pm }

Shoot, a closer look at the map removes the Barbados option, but getting off at Port Royale and going across the bridge could work…

13 Dave { 10.23.12 at 3:53 pm }

Hi Jennifer! While the buses do go clockwise, not all enter through the main entrance. Some–I forget for which parks–enter via Victory Way (see the right side of the map, about the center) and Jamaica is their first stop…I think you will love CB except for the buses, which you will hate no matter how successful your village plans are!

14 Helen { 02.24.13 at 9:25 am }

Hi, Dave:

I am very intrigued by your suggestion to stay at Pop for 5 nights, then transfer to Wilderness Lodge for the last few. My husband’s first reaction is that it would be a hassle to transfer midstay, and the logistics would take valuable time away from the parks. How much of a hassle is it to transfer, and how does that work?

Also, second question – we are thinking about going in early January. It seems like daytime temps are in the low 70′s. This is awesome for us frozen midwesterners, and for us it will feel like 80 degrees. But will it be warm enough to swim? Is it worth packing swimsuits to use the outdoor beaches and pools?

15 Dave { 02.24.13 at 10:35 am }

Helen, it’s definitely an added pain, but well worth it to be able to stay in WL.

Disney will transfer your bags for you, so the complexity is one added set of pack and unpack actions, an additional two visits to the front desk (for bag drop and to do the second check-in), and the fact that because of check-out and check in times, you could be “homeless” until 3p on your transfer day.

January temps are all over the place! See this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/when-to-go/next-best-dates/weather-and-when-to-go/high-temperatures-year-round/ There’s a 20% chance the highs could be lower than 60, and lows could be in the 30s–or in the 70s.

So pick January on the premise that you may have quite cool weather, but may not.

PS because of school schedules, crowds will be very high thru Jan 3 in 2014–so don’t go too early!

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16 Helen { 02.24.13 at 1:10 pm }

Thanks, Dave, that’s really helpful. And thank you for putting what is obviously a lot of work into this website. It’s great!

17 Dave { 02.24.13 at 4:41 pm }

Thanks, Helen!!!

18 Paul { 04.12.13 at 5:42 am }

What is the best stay for a single big kid (37)

19 Dave { 04.12.13 at 8:05 am }

Paul, tell me a little more about your interests and budget and I can help!

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