Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Note 8/4/2019: I am in the middle of updating this review to incorporate the changes at Coronado Springs that opened in July 2019. An overview of these changes is here, and a photo tour of a new room in the new Gran Destino tower is here.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort has four pools. The main pool, full of amenities, is the Lost City of Cibola pool at the central Dig Site.

Each of the current three accommodations areas at Coronado Springs–the Casitas, the Ranchos, and the Cabanas–has a pool as well, each much smaller than the main pool and with no material amenities.

The new tower being built at Coronado Springs will add hundreds of rooms but not an additional pool.

THE DIG SITE AND LOST CITY OF CIBOLA POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

The Lost City of Cibola Pool is the main pool at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Themed to represent a lost Mayan ruin including a decaying pyramid handy for sun-bathing, it’s the second best family pool among the moderates, bested only by the more kid-appealing pool at Caribbean Beach. It’s by far the best pool for adults among the moderates.

For kids, the appeal is the exotic theming, the playground, and the 123 foot water slide. For adults, the appeal is the expanse of pool chairs, biggest hot tub at Disney World, and hot food at the pool bar.

The pool is centrally located in an area of Coronado Springs called in total “The Dig Site.” See the map below. The Dig Site area and pool is just above the words “Lago Dorado.”

This area is convenient to the Ranchos and Cabanas, and some of the Casitas. Other Casitas rooms are a hike. Each of these three areas also has a smaller pool, and this smaller pool is particularly convenient if you are in buildings 1-3 at the Casitas and you don’t need the amenities and fun of the Dig Site.

The pyramid dominates the pool.

Next to it is an 120 foot+ water slide.

It’s plenty big, with plenty of varied lounging areas.

There’s also a fairly weak kids pool…

…a fire pit…

…a hot tub–the largest at Disney World…

…a volleyball court…

…and a bar, Siestas, that unusually among the moderates serves hot food.

The menu.

Nearby is an extensive playground, with a sand play area…

…slide…

…and jungle gym.

The entire area is called The Dig Site…

…and is particularly nice at night.

Each accommodations area has its own smaller pool as well–and those come next!

THE CASITAS POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

The quiet pool at the Casitas is the only pool at Disney World laid out for swimming laps.

The Casitas pool from the other end…

…and the side.

The Casitas pool at night.

THE CABANAS POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

The Cabanas pool.

The Cabanas pool from the other end.

THE RANCHOS POOL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

There’s a quiet pool in the Ranchos area as well.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

• Overview and summary review of Coronado Springs
• The theming and accommodations areas of Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a standard room at Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a Gran Destino Tower room at Coronado Springs
• Amenities at Coronado Springs
• Dining at Coronado Springs
• The pools at Coronado Springs

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Note 8/4/2019: I am in the middle of updating this review to incorporate the changes at Coronado Springs that opened in July 2019. An overview of these changes is here, and a photo tour of a new room in the new Gran Destino tower is here.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort includes an area where you check in, buy tickets, and find shops, dining, bars, etc., called El Centro. The Convention Center and business services space also is accessed here. Almost all amenities except for the pools and health club are in this central area.

EL CENTRO AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

The main entry illustrates the graceful architecture you’ll find in most of the resort.

The check-in lobby has a Mexican-influenced look.

You check in here, buy tickets, make dining reservations, and such.

The far wall of the lobby has one of my favorite Hidden Mickeys, in the interacting shapes of three lights, much more visible to the camera than your eyes.

You’ll also find some charming toy displays in the lobby.

Nearby are shops, dining, and the Convention Center.

The gift shop Panchito’s is large, and while it has mostly standard Disney hotel gift shop stuff, there’s a bit of a Mexican selection similar to what you can find in Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion.

Coronado Springs is a convention resort, with a medium-sized convention center in El Centro, a circumstance which has led to much fussing, most of it silly.

All the deluxe resorts except the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge are also convention resorts, and these get little fuss.

Conventions yield fewer people overall because there are fewer people per room, and most of the time they are spending their time in meetings, in catered meals, and on the exhibit floor, rather than clotting the buses or food courts.

Demands for business services means that Coronado Springs also has more amenities than any other moderate–real room service, a real pool grill, a health club–none of which you’ll find at the other moderates.

But when a thousand people leave a meeting and head to the pool, you’ll notice.

There’s a bus stop outside of El Centro, and three more scattered around the accommodations areas.

There’s only a few amenities that aren’t in El Centro.  One is the pools, to which I’ll return later. The other is the health club, spa and salon, which you’ll find near the Casitas quiet pool.

DINING AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here!

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

• Overview and summary review of Coronado Springs
• The theming and accommodations areas of Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a standard room at Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a Gran Destino Tower room at Coronado Springs
• Amenities at Coronado Springs
• Dining at Coronado Springs
• The pools at Coronado Springs

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A NOT YET REFURBED ROOM AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Room at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort are being refurbed. As of June 2018, rooms have been refurbed, or are being refurbed, in all accommodations buildings except in Rancho 7b and Cabanas 8b and 9a. A photo tour of a refurbed Coronado Springs room is here.

This page is a photo tour of one of the remaining not yet refurbed rooms. The rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, while generally familiar to those who have stayed in other Disney World traditional moderate resorts, do have some real distinctions–mostly from adapting the basic layouts to the needs of convention visitors.

You’ll find two queens separated by a night table on one side of the room.

The night table has a drawer large enough for important books.

Here’s a view of beds from the bath side of the room.

The linens are elegant in a way typical of the room’s furnishings and fittings.

The area right in front of the windows is open. You’ll find here, instead of the air handler of other moderates, two ottomans. These can be used as chairs and moved around the room.

On the side of the room away from the beds, you’ll find a desk–not the table and chairs found here in the other moderates–and an integrated dresser/mini-fridge/TV unit.

Here’s the same side of the room as seen from the bath area.

The desk is fine for one person to work at, and, if you pull over an ottoman, can also serve as a table.

After the desk, the next feature of the room inspired by taking care of two convention visitors per room is the combined TV thingy/dresser/fridge, the next item along this wall.

Note the two columns of drawers. The other moderate rooms typically have several large drawers for a family; these rooms have six smaller ones, so that two conventioneers can each have a stack of drawers.

Next to these is a mini-fridge. Beyond, rather than the kids bench you’ll find in other moderates, is blank space–perfect for a luggage rack.

The bath has just one sink. (Refurbed rooms have two.)

Instead of being separated from the rest of the space by fabric curtains, rolling wooden doors isolate the bath from the sleeping area. In the other moderates, you’ll find similar doors only at Caribbean Beach.

Also in the sink area is the hanging rod, iron, and ironing board.

Finally, as usual, the tub and toilet area is in its own separate walled enclosure.

There’s a couple of these differences between Coronado Springs rooms and rooms in the other traditional moderates that I see as losses for family visitors–the lost sink, the lost table and two chairs, the lost kids bench.

Others, however, are clear positives–the extra living space in front of the window, the extra drawers, the two ottomans, and the wooden bath separator.

On balance, I think these rooms are just fine for families, but you may have to think about each little difference compared to the other traditional moderates in the context of your specific family!

The refurbed rooms will be better than most families, adding as they do a second sink, a bigger TV, an easy chair, and Disney theming–which you won’t see at all in not-yet-refurbed rooms.

PHOTO TOUR OF A REFURBED ROOM AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here!

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

• Overview and summary review of Coronado Springs
• The theming and accommodations areas of Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a not yet refurbed room at Coronado Springs
• A photo tour of a refurbed room at Coronado Springs
• Amenities at Coronado Springs
• Dining at Coronado Springs
• The pools at Coronado Springs

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Note: Coronado Springs has entered an extensive refurb. See this for more. Moreover, its main pool will be closed for refurb from early September through mid-December. If your visit requires pool time, it may be a bad choice during that period.  See this for more on the pool closure at Coronado Springs.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is distinctive among Disney World’s moderate resorts for its level of amenities–higher than at any other moderate–and some of the characteristics of its rooms.

Both of these distinctions come from its dual role as both a family hotel and a convention hotel, which yields both positive and negative effects.

• Extra amenities available only at Coronado Springs among the moderates are those typically offered to business travelers, including a fitness center and a grill at the main pool.
• The rooms differ a bit from other moderates in that their fixtures and fittings have been optimized for double-occupancy convention stays, so things are just a little different than in the other moderate rooms. (More on this later.) Moreover there overall decor is starkly masculine, and not as fun as, for example, the Disney-themed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

Even so, my half-dozen stays at Coronado Springs (most recently in November 2014) confirm that Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort remains the second best of the moderate resorts for first time family visitors.

(For what the moderates provide, and how they compare to the other Disney World resort classes, click here)

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. (See this for why.)

That said, the moderates represent ~30% of the rooms of Walt Disney World, and will be sought by some because this site’s recommended resorts are sold out, because you are on return visits, or because–sensibly–you’re just not that into my rankings!

So I’ve stayed (so far) in the moderate resorts 35 times, and published reviews of each.

Note that the long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly B., can help you book your Disney World vacation at Coronado Springs or anywhere else–contact her at at KellyB@DestinationsInFlorida.com or 980-429-4499.

REVIEW: CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience. On this basis, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is the second-best moderate resort for first time family visitors.

(Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is first but see this before you consider booking it, Port Orleans Riverside is third, and Port Orleans French Quarter fourth; these results are very close.  The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort are ranked last, and this is not close.)

FLOOR PLANS AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Like those in the other traditional moderates, rooms at Coronado Springs have ~314 square feet.

These rooms are quite spacious, and the bedroom area is particularly ample–bigger than the bedroom spaces at the smallest deluxe resorts. (See this.)

The rooms sleep four in two queen-sized beds. You can add to this capacity of four a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.

They do have some differences compared to other standard moderate rooms, mostly tied to their potential use by double-occupancy convention visitors.

• Rather than a table and two chairs, they have a desk with one chair
• Rather than a set of several large drawers, there’s two sets of three smaller drawers–one set for each convention occupant
• The TV wall next to the bath omits the small bench and coat rack typically here at the other moderates
• The bathroom is divided, but is set up for single use, and for more privacy while it’s being used. The screen separating it from the bedroom is solid wood, not fabric (among other moderates, only refurbed rooms in Caribbean beach have this), and it has one sink rather than two

Other room points worth noting:

• • The heating/cooling unit has been moved from in front of the window where you’ll find it in other moderates to a walled in space next to the first bed.  This frees space by the window compared to the other moderates, and that space has been filled with two little ottomans
  • The room overall is stark and masculine.

KID APPEAL AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

While slight, the kid appeal of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is enough to bring it to second in the ranking on this measure among the moderates, after Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

Coronado Spring’s kid appeal comes from:

–The American southwest and Mexican architecture and theming, which will be exotic and intriguing to some kids who have not traveled to or lived in such regions.

–The beaches in one of the resort’s three sections, the Cabana area.

–And the fun main pool, decorated with a Mesoamerican pyramid

The rooms themselves have zero kid appeal, being the most “businesslike” of rooms in any of Disney’s moderate resorts.

CONVENIENCE AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Disney’s Coronado Springs is the second most convenient of the Moderates, exceeded only by Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter.

Disney calls it an “Animal Kingdom Area Resort,” and is poorly placed on maps in many websites and guidebooks right next to the Animal Kingdom.

It is in fact just a bit west of World Drive, is as close to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as it is to the Animal Kingdom, and is the most centrally located of all the moderate resorts.

(It is just south of the (theme park attendance weighted) center of Walt Disney World. This center is located in the undeveloped area west of World Drive, north of the Coronado Springs Resort, and south of the Magic Kingdom parking lot.)

OTHER DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

For adults, Coronado Springs Resort presents far and away the best value for money among the moderates.

It is the only moderate with a spa, the only one with a health club, the only one with a substantial room-service menu, and the only one with real business services support.

It also has in Pepper Market one of the better food courts among the moderates, although it is much less fun, varied and interesting (and complicated…) than it used to be.

For all this, you may pay $3-6 more per night some nights of the year than you would at Caribbean Beach, but will pay less than at Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter.

On the other hand, the reason it has such good amenities is because Coronado Springs is the only moderate which also serves conventions. If a big convention is at the resort, the food court, restaurants and bars can be choked up with the crowds.

The peak season for Orlando conventions is January through March.

BEST PLACES TO STAY AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms (because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms, or going to the main resort food area often; the single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.)

Coronado Springs has three architecturally different areas: the Casitas, buildings 1-5; Cabanas, buildings 8-9; and Ranchos–buildings 6 and 7.

There’s pretty stark trade-offs among the areas in terms of access to the food court and main pool.

See the map (click it to enlarge it.)

Standard rooms on the top floors (quieter) in buildings 8a and 8b of the Cabanas section are the best bet, because of their access to the kid-pleasing beaches that are present only in this section of the resort, closeness to both the main pool and the dining area, and nearby bus stop.

(I used to recommend 9a, but construction in the former site of 9b makes me hesitant to advise staying there.)

The top floors (quieter) of the Casitas are the next best choice, partly because their architecture provides a mostly sun-and-rain-shielded walkway to the central services and food area. Buildings 1, 2, and 3 benefit from this walkway, and are closer to the food court; buildings 4 and 5 don’t have the walkway, and are further from the food court, but are closer to the main pool.

Avoid the Ranchos (buildings 6 and 7), as their theming—southwestern desert—is too subtle for most kids, and may show up to them as ugly or forbidding instead. They are also farthest from the food and other central services—though many are quite close to the main pool.

Here’s the online check-in form:

BEST FOR:

Families that will take advantage of the extra amenities—the room service, spa, health club, business center, etc.

WORST FOR:

Families that won’t—the extra price, and risk of convention congestion, would suggest Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort instead.

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly B., can help you book your Disney World vacation at Coronado Springs or anywhere else–contact her at at KellyB@DestinationsInFlorida.com or 980-429-4499.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here!

PAGES:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  Next

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The Basics: Where to Stay

The Value Resorts   Art of Animation   Pop Century    Movies    Sports   Music

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S VALUE RESORTS

I’ve stayed at Disney’s Value Resorts more than 30 times since I opened this site.

These stays confirm the order in which the value resorts are recommended.

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is number one among the values.

• After Art of Animation, the rank is, in order, Pop Century, All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Music.

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

THE VALUE RESORTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

There are currently 5 value resorts at Walt Disney World:

• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, opened in April 1994
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, opened in November 1994
• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, opened in January 1999
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort, opened in December 2003
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, opened in May 2012

The value resorts are the most recent resort class to have opened at Walt Disney World.

They were preceded by the deluxe class, open at Disney World’s own opening, the moderate class, which first opened in 1986, and the Disney Vacation Club resort class, first opened in 1991. See this for what you get by Disney World price class.

In the case of its launch of both the moderates and the values, Disney was concerned not only to successfully compete with off-site hotels (not hard, and devastatingly successful) but also to not lose revenue from guests trading down from the next higher resort price class.

Hence it tried to make pretty sharp lines between resort classes.

The sharp lines at the values–their most distinctively different features–are their larger than life statues of toys, Disney characters, and such, their absence of coffeemakers (except in refurbed rooms in Pop Century and All-Star Movies, and, soon, All-Star Music), and their just barely life-sized rooms.

You may never stay in a two-bed hotel room smaller than the rooms in the value resorts.

Standard rooms at the value resorts have ~260 square feet.

While this may not seem like much less than the moderates space of 314 square feet, almost all of the difference is in the living space.

The living space of the values is about 80% as big as that of the moderates. Most of this missing space comes from the part of the room you are in when you aren’t in bed!

Some of this is from a narrower room, but most is from a shorter room.

These rooms are fine for first time family visitors who can’t afford a deluxe, as they won’t be spending much time in them other than sleeping.

I can’t recommend them for returning visitors–who are more likely to spend more time goofing off in or near their rooms–unless they have stayed in a value before and hence know exactly what they are in for, or their kids are really little, or their party size is only 3 people.

Most standard value resort rooms have two full beds. However, refurbed rooms at Pop Century and All-Star Movies have queens! All-Star Music has now begun this refurb, which I imagine will yield similar amenities in its refurbed rooms.

Refurbed room at All-Star Movies with the second queen folded up

For more on comparative room sizes, see this.

The family suites at All-Star Music and at Art of Animation are a different story.

They sleep six in two connected spaces the size of two standard rooms, and are quite comfortable. Art of Animation has more comfortable beds, while Music suites are more flexible.  Music suites are also much less expensive.

Living Area Cars Family Suite at Art of Animation

Compared to staying off-site, the value resorts are distinguished by their higher kid appeal, their convenience, and their access to certain key perks that off-site hotels can’t provide.

Kid Appeal. Several of the deluxe resorts–notably, the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort–have spectacular kid appeal. None of the moderates do.

All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts–have terrific kid appeal.

This appeal comes from the approach to theming they all share: bright and vibrant exteriors, framing much larger than life objects of interest to kids.

These objects reinforce that these resorts were designed for the sake of kids…and not necessarily for adults!

Prices vary over the course of the year, but Art of Animation rooms are always the most expensive, and the All-Stars the least expensive.

Room basics are about the same except for refurbed Pop Century and All-Star Movies rooms (and soon All-Star Music)–you are paying more at Pop Century and Art of Animation for a more central location, and at Art of Animation for deeper and more pervasive Disney theming. Bus service is a little better at Pop and Art of Animation, as they don’t share buses as the All-Stars at times do. The new Disney Skyliner has its only stop among the values at Art of Animation and Pop Century, making them even better choices.

Detailed reviews of each option can be found at the links; the hotels are listed in order of how strongly I recommend them.
Standard 4-person rooms:

1. Art of Animation
2. Pop Century (with queen beds)
3. All-Star Movies (with queen beds)
4. All-Star Sports
5. All-Star Music

Six-person “Family Suites”

1. The Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
2. The Family Suites at All-Star Music

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book your Disney vacation into one of these value resorts–or any other Disney World option!  Contact her using the form below.

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, see this.)

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is themed around Caribbean islands, their beaches, and the pirates who once voyaged among them. Rooms in the resort are found in five “villages” ringing a lake, each of which has three or six two story, 64 room buildings. All the villages are named after Caribbean destinations: Barbados, Trinidad, Martinique, Aruba, and Jamaica.

Each colorful village has palm-tree lined beaches, and each has its own pool and bus stop. The central Old Port Royale area includes another bus stop and the main pool at the resort, the pirate-themed Fuentes del Morro Pool—the best pool of the Disney World moderate resorts.

All rooms were refurbed in 2014-2015. Pirate rooms (in Trinidad) got a light makeover, retained their full beds, and sleep four.

Rooms in all other villages got a major makeover.  Full beds were replaced with queens, and many rooms now have in addition a fold-down Murphy bed, suitable for a person five feet or shorter, increasing the capacity of these rooms to five.

In all villages you can book water-view rooms (some of the “water” views are of the pools). In all villages except Trinidad, you can book king rooms.  Also in all villages except Trinidad, you can book a room with a third sleeping spot–these rooms previously were reserved for families of five, and any left over were randomly assigned.

You can also book “preferred” rooms in Barbados, where for an extra cost you can get a room are closer to the central services of Old Port Royale.

There’s much similarity among the villages, but also some key differences. This part of the review of Caribbean Beach will discuss them village by village, starting with Martinique and going clockwise.

Note that in May 2017, the former village Barbados and half of Martinique were leveled.  In October 2018 the village formerly known as Trinidad North inherited the name of the demolished Barbados, while Trinidad South became simply Trinidad.

MARTINIQUE

Martinique is a three building area (it used to have six, but three were leveled in May 2017). The three buildings that remain here have recently been priced as both preferred and regular. They seem to be regular now, but may shift to preferred soon.

A re-orientation of bus routes in late June 2017 means that park buses pick up and drop off Martinique guests first.

Each village has a beach.  At Martinique the beach, shown above, is near Old Port Royale.

Each village has a pool–all are similar. Here’s the one at Martinique.

The view from the Martinique area is of the lovely beaches across Barefoot Bay in Aruba.

Martinique guests will find two bus stops to use–one at Old Port Royale is closer to some rooms especially in building 26, and most other rooms will be closer to the other bus stop.

Martinique has a Coke freestyle machine for refillable mugs in Building 25, and also in 25 an Island Market, in room 2509.

BARBADOS

Barbados was known until October 2018 as Trinidad North. All buildings here are at “preferred” prices. Because many of its buildings are not far from the central services and pool at Old Port Royale, rates are $40-70 per night higher than standard rooms in non-preferred buildings.

It has just three buildings and two beaches, and thus is overall the most compact and convenient of all the Villages.

One of the beaches–near Old Port Royale.

The second beach, further south.

The pool at Barbados is at the end furthest from Old Port Royal–if this were a six building village, it would be right in the middle. This means all rooms are close to both the main pool and this smaller “quiet” pool.

Buildings here are a brown pink that adults probably call “coral.” We’ll get a better view in the same-color Trinidad material coming next.

The view from Barbados is of the great beach of Jamaica.

The bus stop is in the center and convenient to all rooms.

Barbados has a Coke freestyle machine for refillable mugs in Building 33, but no Island Markets, I suppose because it is so close to the temporary dining facilities between it and the main pool.

TRINIDAD

Up the road–in a dead end–are the six buildings of Trinidad, known until October 2018 as Trinidad South.

In this distant, inconvenient area of Caribbean Beach, you’ll find the expensive Pirate rooms.

Pirate rooms are full bed rooms with special decorations meant to make them nautical and piratical. More on these is here.

Here’s the beach at Trinidad.

…and here’s the pool.

Trinidad has Coke freestyle machines for refillable mugs in Buildings 34 and 38, but no Island Market.

In March 2018 a new quick-service venue, Spyglass Grill, opened here.

Spyglass Grill provides interesting, though limited, dining options that are much more convenient than what is in Centertown/Old Port Royale.

A better view of the insipid colors it shares with Barbados.

Trinidad is on a separate lobe of Barefoot Bay–Barefoot Bay Bay?–and the land across the water will become the Caribbean Beach stop of the new Disney Skyliner gondola transportation system to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which is expected to open in mid-2019.

The current Spyglass Grill and future nearby gondola stop will make Trinidad a better and less isolated choice than it had been in the past.

The bus stop is in the center of the village.

JAMAICA

Jamaica is my favorite among the Caribbean Beach Villages. Most of its six buildings are near enough to Old Port Royale via the bridge across Caribbean Cay, and those that aren’t are still a reasonable walk via the road bridge and Barbados.

Some southern rooms are close to the new Spyglass Grill in Trinidad, and Jamaica is just north of the Caribbean Beach stop of the Disney Skyliner transportation system to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, expected to open in mid-2019.

Jamaica also has a great color scheme…

…a pool similar to the rest…

…a huge, gorgeous beach, and a nice view of Barbados and Old Port Royale.

The bus stop is in the center. It’s the second to last stop.

Jamaica has Coke freestyle machines for refillable mugs in Buildings 43 and 46. Also in 43 is an Island Market, in room 4308.

ARUBA

Aruba is the next best choice after Jamaica for those unwilling to pay for a preferred room.

It has a so-so color scheme, and its bus stop is at the far end.  Some rooms will be closer to the footbridge to Caribbean Cay and Old Port Royal, others will be closer to the bus stop.

Some rooms near the bus stop will have unsightly views of construction.

It has the usual pool…

…and a beach second only to Jamaica’s in extent and loveliness.

It has a nice view of Martinique and Old Port Royale.

Buses stop here last. Aruba has Coke freestyle machines for refillable mugs in Buildings 52 and 55, and also has in 55 an Island Market, in room 5524.

PHOTO TOUR OF A FOUR PERSON QUEEN ROOM AT CARIBBEAN BEACH

This review continues here.

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Overview and Summary
• Theming, accommodations and villages at Caribbean Beach
• Photo tour of a four person queen bed room at Caribbean Beach
• Photo tour of a five person queen and murphy bed room at Caribbean Beach
• Photo tour of a four person full bed Pirate room at Caribbean Beach
• Amenities at Caribbean Beach
• Dining at Caribbean Beach
• The main pool at Caribbean Beach

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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