Category — q. Reviews

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

PHOTO TOUR OF A QUEEN AND MURPHY BED ROOM AT DISNEY’S CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

Most rooms at Caribbean Beach sleep four on two queens, five on two queens and a fold down bed, or, in the Pirate rooms in Trinidad, four on two fulls.

This photo tour is of a five person room with two queens and a fold down bed. (For four person queen rooms, see this, and for four person full bed Pirate rooms, see this.)

Five person rooms at Caribbean Beach have queen beds, and a Murphy Bed as well.

The bed side of the room has the queens and a small bedside table between them.

This side will also have the connecting door (at left) if present, and a coat rack near the door.

The fun light fixtures.

A closer view of a queen.

Further back is the bath. The sink area of the bath is separated from the rest of the room by sliding solid doors–rather than the fabric curtain you will find at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter (and in Pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach). The sliding doors improve the trapping of both light and noise from the bathroom, plus make it feel more private.

Here’s the sinks themselves…

…and next to them the clothes hanging area.

In their own separate space you’ll find the toilet and tub/shower combo.

More of the shower curtain.

The other side of the room has a table and chairs and a TV/dresser/bench/Murphy Bed/mini-fridge combining thingy. TVs are larger than the one in my photograph, which is from a couple of years ago.

A closer view of the table and chairs…

…the lamp overhead, styled like the ones at the heads of the beds…

…and the window curtains.

And then there’s the thingy…

The right side has a couple of drawers.

There’s three more drawers underneath the green bench.  These are basically inaccessible when the bed is down, as it is shown here.  Even so, this is a much better design than the Murphy Bed rooms at Port Orleans Riverside, where all the drawers in the room are inaccessible when the bed is down.

The object at the far left that looks like two more drawers is in fact the mini fridge.

And then there’s the Murphy Bed…

…another angle.

I measured the Murphy Bed mattress as 30″ wide by 64″ long.  The way it is positioned on top of the bed frame (rather than inside it) and related to the back framing means that, unlike many such beds, it does not sleep much shorter than this. I’d put a five foot tall kid on this and expect great results. The cushion is 5 inches deep. Note also Mickey and Pluto!

There’s not much in the way of decoration–the textures, lamps and curtains already noted, and just a couple of fruity art things (with, I think, some Hidden Mickeys) on either side of the TV object–see them above and below.

PHOTO TOUR OF A FOUR PERSON FULL BED PIRATE ROOM AT DISNEY’S CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

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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OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

Hey! A MAJOR refurb is kicking off at Caribbean Beach in May 2017.  See this for issues and my advice.

Note: Caribbean Beach room refurbs that ended in the fall of 2015 replaced the full beds that used to be here with queen beds in all standard rooms.

Pirate rooms had a different refurb, kept full beds, and sleep four.

Many (but not all) queen rooms have a Murphy Bed now as well–see the image at right. These rooms now sleep 5.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is the best Disney World moderate resort for first time family visitors who may never return, especially those who avoid the Trinidad South (“Pirate rooms”) and Barbados sections.

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.

It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the moderate resorts are distinguished by having nicer settings and landscaping, and much bigger rooms, than the value resorts, while being less comfortable than and having not nearly as good dining as the deluxe resorts.

Among the moderate resorts, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort’s positives in kid appeal outweigh its negatives in convenience, and give it the first ranking among the moderates for first time family visitors.

(Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is second, Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside is third, Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter is a very close fourth, and The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort are last. The rankings of the first four are very close, and sensible people can differ on them.)

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

FLOOR PLANS AT THE CARIBBEAN BEACH

While many websites and books (but not all) claim that Caribbean Beach rooms have 340 square feet, every room I have measured at the Caribbean Beach has come out at pretty close to 314 square feet–nearly the same size as the rooms of the other moderate resorts (except the cabins.)

Even so, Caribbean Beach rooms are quite spacious.  The bedroom area is particularly ample, and is bigger than the bedroom spaces at several of the deluxe resorts. (See this.) The floor plan above is for a two queen refurbed room…

…and this is for a refurbed Murphy Bed room.

The refurbed rooms have a new look, and, as you can see at the back right, also now have sliding “barn doors” separating the bath area from the bedroom, rather than the fabric curtains here in the rooms. before the refurb.

And for many, the key feature of the refurb is the addition to many queen rooms (not king rooms) of a Murphy Bed, which gives another sleeping spot and a new option for five-person families.

I measured the Murphy Bed mattress as 30″ wide by 64″ long.  The way it is positioned on top of the bedframe and related to the back framing means that, unlike many such beds, it does not sleep shorter than this. I’d put a five foot tall kid on this and expect great results. The cushion is 5 inches deep.

You can add to this capacity of four or five a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.

Pirate rooms had a different refurb, kept their full beds and the cloth curtain between the bedroom and bath areas, and sleep four. The beds of a refurbed Pirate room are above.

DISNEY’S CARIBBEAN BEACH 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 Caribbean Beach Resort is the best moderate resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.

Kid Appeal.

• Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal.
• None of the moderates has strong kid appeal, but Caribbean Beach has the most
• All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century Resort and  Art of Animation–have strong kid appeal.

The kid appeal of the Caribbean Beach Resort comes from

• The vibrant and playful colors that form the basis of its Caribbean theme (the other moderates are dull to a kid’s eyes)
• The beaches that ring the lake it is built around (Coronado Springs is the only other “traditional” moderate with any beaches, and those in only one of its three sections; the Cabins at Fort Wilderness also have a beach, about a mile away)
• The kid friendly theming of many of its rooms, with Mickey and Pluto in the five person refurbed rooms, and rooms in the not-recommended (because too distant) Trinidad South section themed around pirates. No other moderate has theming designed to appeal to kids in so many of its rooms
• The quality of its main pool, the best among the moderates—for example, no other traditional moderate has such a fully themed little kid pool.

Convenience.

This distinctive level of kid appeal is sufficient to make up for the resort’s inconvenience—among the moderate resorts, only the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort are more inconvenient.

The Caribbean Beach Resort was Walt Disney World’s first moderate, and Disney made one mistake that led to this inconvenience: designing the resort with seven bus stops. This is 2 or 3 more than it could have had, and almost doubles the amount of time it takes for buses to get around the resort compared to the other large moderates which, designed later, have 4-5 bus stops.

Moreover, a couple of the areas at Caribbean Beach–Barbados and Trinidad South–are quite a hike from the main central services, and the check-in building the Customs House isn’t really convenient to anything except Barbados.

Other distinctive features.

The Caribbean Beach Resort is the only moderate with no elevators at all, and with no indoor bar/lounge (there’s a bar at the pool).

Best places to stay. 

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).

See the map (as always on this site, click it to enlarge it.)

Standard rooms on the ground floors (because no elevators) in the southern part of the Aruba section (buildings 51-53) and the northern part of the Jamaica section (buildings 44, 45 and 46) are the best balance between cost, tranquility, and closeness (via the Caribbean Cay bridge) to the main pool and food area. 

Avoid Trinidad South and Barbados (too distant).

Here’s the current online check in form. Look at the map carefully before you click “Near Transportation.” At Aruba, that will put you distant from the bridge; at Martinique, it’s not necessary as there’s two nearby bus stops.

BEST FOR:

Any typical first time visitors who insist on staying, or only can stay, in a moderate.

WORST FOR:

Families with mobility issues (lack of elevators, spread out; multiple bus stops).

PHOTO TOUR OF A NEWLY-REFURBED QUEEN AND MURPHY BED ROOM AT DISNEY’S CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

This review continues here.

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(For the first page of this review of Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World, see this)

THE POOLS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

The geometry of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando yields two long sides.

One faces the parking lots and the rest of the Golden Oak division of Disney World, an expensive residential area.

The other long side faces the waterways and forests of the wilderness area south of Bay Lake and east of Fort Wilderness.

The northern part of this side is where you’ll find the pools and most of the play play areas of the Four Season at Disney World (the tennis courts are on the far south side.)

There’s four pools here, plus a slide landing zone that Four Seasons counts as a fifth:

• The adult-only Oasis Pool
• The lazy river The Drifter
• A family pool
• A splash pool bigger than most Disney main pools, the Splash Zone

The last three are all in what the Four Seasons calls “Explorer Island”–see the map.

THE ADULTS-ONLY OASIS POOL AT THE FOUR SEASONS ORLANDO

The adult-only Oasis pool is the first you’ll encounter, and a wonderful point of quiet tranquility.

Neither large nor of distinctive design, it has no kid appeal other than being the first pool they will see.  Getting them past it and into the lazy river area will suffice to leave this pool for quiet adult relaxation.

It is a straight-sided infinity pool with the infinity edge charmingly tied to the pond beyond.

The pool is surrounded on the other three sides by lounge chairs and cabanas, with generally a side table for every two lounge chairs.

Staff will cover your chair…

…bring you a pitcher of water…

…and offer you the PB&G menu–here’s part of it.

There’s also a hot tub here. There’s nothing special about this pool–except the level of pampering, and the freedom from noise…which are themselves pretty special.

THE LAZY RIVER DRIFT POOL AT THE FOUR SEASONS ORLANDO

The lazy river Drift pool seems to go on forever…

…and ever, and includes some semi-hidden spots to nestle with your family.

This shot, from my balcony at night, gives a sense of the scope of this pool. In it the Drift pool is at the right.

The 11,000 square foot Drift pool includes a waterfall, rapids section, and even some water cannons! (There’s an image of the water cannons at the top of the page.)

THE SPLASH ZONE AT THE FOUR SEASONS ORLANDO

The Splash Zone pool at the Four Seasons includes both play fountains and a short-depth splash pool as well.

This enormous play pool itself is large than many Disney World main pools.

Like the Drift Zone, it has some secluded areas

…but also abuts the “Ruinous Mansion” area…

…with its water slides…

…and kids services. Here’s where you’ll find the “Kids for All Seasons” staff who provide indoor, outdoor, and pool play help and supervision.

THE FAMILY POOL AT THE FOUR SEASONS ORLANDO

The family pool is a traditional family resort pool with a couple of additional features. For example, it’s an infinity pool–like the Oasis pool the infinity side is to the pond.

It’s also a zero-entry pool, with the zero entry in the middle of the long and narrow 7500 square foot pool.

One end of the family pool…

…and the other.

There’s also a playground here…

…and casual dining at PB&G, located between the family pool and adult pool.

Here’s the interior of PB&G.

A poolside meal from PB&J.

As a total offering, the pools at Four Seasons are far better than the total pool offerings at any Disney owned resort.

Nothing here is so charmingly themed as the pools at the Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge; but no pool complex at a Disney resort comes close to the wide range of offerings here–a lazy river, an adult pool, a splash and play pool–except Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Clubs. The slide at Stormalong Bay is clearly better; on every other dimension, the Four Season pool offering bests it.

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(For the first page of this review of Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World, see this)

AMENITIES AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

All parking at the Four Seasons Orlando is valet.

If you plan to use your car a lot, the valet system is very easy–you text your ticket number (minus the hyphen) to the number supplied on your stub, and you’ll get a series of messages back. Sadly, I never got the message “Is your rental the Yaris or the Lamborghini?”

A bunch of staff will be at the front entrance to help you with your bags, open doors, etc. You then enter onto what is the second floor of the Four Seasons. Dead ahead of you down a sweeping set of stairs is the gorgeous fireworks chandelier–best appreciated at night.

Pretty much all guest services are on the right–check-in and concierge services…

…and a Disney planning help desk, staffed by Disney cast members. Note that you still have to plan ahead–if you show up at this desk without Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FastPass+ for tomorrow or Be Our Guest reservations for the next day, you will also leave it without them.

There’s lounge areas throughout.

Further down is Lickety-Split, a combination coffee, gelato, and grab-and-go spot.

The gelato…

…and the small grab and go section.

Next up is the lobby Ravello Bar.

The Ravello Bar has its own menu, and you can also order from the downstairs Ravello menu. The image is of the menu from downstairs–click it to enlarge it.

Ravello itself is on the first floor–get to it either by stairs from the bar or the elevator beyond the check in area. This image is from the stairs…Ravello serves breakfast and dinner, and the dinner menu is modern Italian.  It’s one of two more casual settings at Four Seasons, but I’d still dress for dinner here. (The other is the very casual PB&J pool bar and grille)

The showcase dining at Four Seasons Orlando is the 17th floor Spanish steakhouse Capa.  Here’s what the hotel says about Capa:

“Our 17th-floor rooftop steakhouse and bar in Orlando boasts the best of Spanish-influenced cuisine in a romantic setting like no other. Capa’s diverse offerings range from freshly shucked oysters and Florida seafood to incredible small plates and expertly grilled cuts. An open kitchen and wood-burning grill allow you to get close to the action, while on the outdoor patio diners enjoy views of the nightly fireworks.”

Don’t expect too much from the fireworks–the Four Seasons is pretty far from both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. This shot, from my 12th floor room, is at the outer limit of the 3.6x optical zoom on my camera, and is also cropped. To give you a sense of the distance here…the blue area between the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower is Cinderella’s Castle.

From our April 2016 visit to Capa:

Back up to the second floor, this is where the gift shops will be. Neither was open on my 2014 visits.

There’s art of various forms, mostly large.

These may or may not be hidden Mickeys.

The first floor has the main entrance to Ravello on one side, and the gym and spa area on the other. On the way to the spa you’ll pass this late departure lounge.

The spa includes spinning, yoga, aromatherapy, and all kinds of other services I will never use, either singly or in combination–see the bottom of the activity schedule.

It also has windowed workout areas.

The pool side of the Four Seasons Orlando grounds has a number of lovely spaces…

…and is particularly nice at night.

And then there’s those fantastic pools…

THE POOLS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

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(For the first page of this review of Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World, see this)

BEDS AND BALCONIES IN STANDARD ROOMS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

There’s two types of balconies in standard rooms. The vast majority have a full-width, standard depth balcony like this one:

Note the light and power outlet. The view from this balcony is at the top of the page.

But there’s also a small group of rooms that take advantage of an outthrust high in the building and get bigger balconies. In the image, the outthrust is at top center.

Balconies in these rooms are at least twice as deep.

The deeper balcony from another angle.

TWIN BED ROOMS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

The only standard rooms with two beds offer full beds, somewhat astonishingly in an era at Disney World when after renovations at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort finish, among standard rooms only Disney’s value resorts don’t offer queens.

Here’s the bed side of a full bed room.

The full beds are comfortable, and each comes with a couple of ottomans at its foot, so all can be dragged about for musical chairs and other impromptu room games.

At the balcony end of the two bed rooms there’s an easy chair, where one can relax and contemplate why a room that costs more than $500 a night has such small beds.

KING BED ROOMS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

The king bed rooms at the Four Seasons are much more livable, because the fold-out couch is very comfortable.

Here’s the bed side of these rooms.

The second bed and chair of the full bed room is replaced by this couch.

Another view of the couch, showing better the draperies and such at this end of the room.

After you’ve moved the table–no easy task, it’s so heavy you’ll be tempted to tell the kids that there’s no bed here so they have to sleep on the floor–and pulled off the cushions, the couch unfolds into this bed.

I measured this bed as 60 inches wide–same as a queen–but just 72 inches long, shorter than even a full bed. It has thanks to an ingenious springing system a mattress depth of more than 6 inches, and is the most comfortable sofa bed I have ever slept on.

All sofa beds are compromises, but other than the length this is the least compromised sofa bed I’ve ever slept on!  (I pulled the comforter off the king–the sofa bed comes with blankets.)

Rooms of both types come with an iPad for guest use.  When you check in to the room, you sign that if you take off with it, you will pay for it. Not that typical Four Seasons guests are a bunch of iPad stealing full-bed sleeping folk.

Lighting is straightforward and adequate, with one minor exception. Most task and general lights are easy to use, but the main lighting of the room is controlled by this fixture which doesn’t look like any of the other on/off buttons in the room.  I found it only by assuming that something somewhere in the room would turn the lights off…

AMENITIES AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

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(For the first page of this review of Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World, see this)

PHOTO TOUR OF STANDARD ROOMS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

At 500 square feet, standard rooms at the Four Seasons are larger than those at any Disney-owned resort, and according to Four Seasons are the largest standard hotel rooms in Orlando.

The entry doors are deeply inset from the hall, allowing for a second set of doors at the hall edge –you can see just a bit of one at the left edge of the image–to close off the entries of two connecting rooms.

As you enter, the closet and bath are on one side, with the rest of the room ahead of you.

The L-shaped closet is larger than some Wyoming towns, and includes lots of hanging space, drawers and other storage.

A sliding  door separates it from the double sinks of the bath. In the bath mirror is a TV, marvelous to some.

Some of the bath gear.

Beyond the sink is the large tub…

…with a separate shower on the other side.

Some of the shower supplies…

…and robes hanging outside the shower.

Next to the shower is the toilet, with a sliding door that adds some needed privacy to this otherwise overly open space.

Out in the room itself, on the wall dividing the sleeping space from the bath you’ll find this. The lighted center area is the coffee service.

I did not figure out how to work this until my final morning–the coffee thingee goes in sideways, who knew?

Above is a mini-fridge and storage…

…with more storage, and a safe, below. Now you can use this space however you wish…but Four Seasons would be pleased were you to call room service and order a bar.

On the TV side of the room you’ll find a dresser, TV, and desk/table combo.

The TV was pleased to know my name.  Me, not so much.

There’s plenty of storage in this room, including the six dresser drawers.

Further down this side is the desk/table. The Disney deluxes have either a table for two or a desk. This (you’ll see similar furnishings in many other hotels) serves as either.

BEDS AND BALCONIES IN STANDARD ROOMS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT ORLANDO

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