CBR or Beach Club?

[MomOTwins]

We've stayed at Beach Club before and liked it, and with one exception (POR) have always stayed deluxe, but thought we might try CBR this time due to the skyliner making transportation there a bit better, for some cost savings, and because my pirate crew (aka kids) have been drooling over the concept of the Old Port Royale pool. BUT, when the discounts dropped this week, we were stuck with rack rate at CBR, whereas BC prices dropped considerably, making the price difference not so terrible ($800 for the week--so not insignificant, but it won't blow the budget if I drop a couple character meals). I am super torn and here are the questions that are making it hard to decide, since I've never stayed at CBR:

1. Pools: We are planning on a lot of resort time this trip. Is the CBR pirate pool nice, or does it look better in pictures and not as fun in person? I can't see easily in the photos how large it is and wonder, does it get overly crowded with the higher guest counts at moderates? I've done Stormalong Bay before so I know we would have fun there, but my kids have been hyped up about the pirate pool since they saw photos online and I am worried they'll feel let down if it is not as good in real life.
2. How much walking is it really? If we went with CBR, we'd be getting a standard room rather than preferred because otherwise the price savings pretty much disappears. I know I can make building requests, but I hate to count on those because my room requests have never been honored before and we are going at a busy time. But worst-case scenario if they stick us in the farthest building, how long does it actually take to walk to the lobby? 10 minutes is fine, 20+ minutes each way every day for breakfast and daily afternoon pool breaks sounds awful.
3. Room for 5? We're a family of five, although our kids our little, and I am worried we'll be squished. Can anyone speak to the size difference in the rooms and if it is really noticeable?
4. Comfy beds? This probably sounds a minor thing, but bad beds ruin a vacation for me (back problems=difficulty sleeping=too tired to keep up with everyone at the parks). The deluxe hotel beds are so nice, and I can't remember from our long-ago POR stay (pre-back problems) whether they were comfy or not. Is it very different at a moderate versus deluxe?

Thanks everyone!

 

[focusondisney]

I can’t help with the pools since we didn’t swim at CBR. But we stayed there once about 2 years ago. We have also stayed at POR many times over the years. our go to resort is YC. I would say the walking & room sizes are very similar to POR. Unfortunately while we were there, the construction was in full swing so we couldn’t walk to the lobby but had to wait for an internal shuttle. That was a bit of a pain. We were in the furthest building in Aruba but the walk to the food court & pool was less than 10 minutes. Again, about what it takes from any room at POR. Size wise, I would say, again, comparable to POR. BC rooms are definitely bigger. I can’t say I noticed a difference in bed comfort.

Also remember that CBR has outdoor corridors & no balcony/ patio. So if you like the extra space to sit when the kids are sleeping, you won’t get that at CBR.

 

[KeepCalmAndCarryOn]

It's been a few years since we stayed at CBR, but between the two, if cost isn't a huge issue, and knowing that you are looking for more resort time, I'd consider YC. (And we are a family that LOVES YC & Boardwalk, but also LOVE CBR.) While the pool is nice, I am not sure anything on property compares to Stormalong Bay. I think the room sizes are fine, though smaller than YC, with young kids. I think that the skyliner looks amazing, but you'd have access right at EPCOT to use that as a way to get to Hollywood Studios if the experience is something that speaks to you.

I wouldn't be disappointed with CBR ever, but if I had the choice I'd always pick YC over almost any resort on property.

 

[elsbit]

Funny, I am having the EXACT same debate for the same reasons! So I am following along...

 

[MomOTwins]

Funny, I am having the EXACT same debate for the same reasons! So I am following along...

Haha, yep, this latest round of discounts really threw me for a loop in terms of my planning so I guess we are in the same boat. Thanks for the comments so far. I am so indecisive on things like this so it’s nice hearing others’ experiences.

 

[SwanVT2]

I haven't stayed at CBR but from the way it sounds there are too many variables there that could interfere with your having a pleasurable vacation. With 5 people a larger room would be important to me. We have stayed at BCV and loved the beds. So guaranteed space, good beds, walk to two parks and an awesome pool with only a slight price difference seems the way to go from my perspective .

 

[Babsy]

We've stayed at Beach Club before and liked it, and with one exception (POR) have always stayed deluxe, but thought we might try CBR this time due to the skyliner making transportation there a bit better, for some cost savings, and because my pirate crew (aka kids) have been drooling over the concept of the Old Port Royale pool. BUT, when the discounts dropped this week, we were stuck with rack rate at CBR, whereas BC prices dropped considerably, making the price difference not so terrible ($800 for the week--so not insignificant, but it won't blow the budget if I drop a couple character meals). I am super torn and here are the questions that are making it hard to decide, since I've never stayed at CBR:

1. Pools: We are planning on a lot of resort time this trip. Is the CBR pirate pool nice, or does it look better in pictures and not as fun in person? I can't see easily in the photos how large it is and wonder, does it get overly crowded with the higher guest counts at moderates? I've done Stormalong Bay before so I know we would have fun there, but my kids have been hyped up about the pirate pool since they saw photos online and I am worried they'll feel let down if it is not as good in real life.
2. How much walking is it really? If we went with CBR, we'd be getting a standard room rather than preferred because otherwise the price savings pretty much disappears. I know I can make building requests, but I hate to count on those because my room requests have never been honored before and we are going at a busy time. But worst-case scenario if they stick us in the farthest building, how long does it actually take to walk to the lobby? 10 minutes is fine, 20+ minutes each way every day for breakfast and daily afternoon pool breaks sounds awful.
3. Room for 5? We're a family of five, although our kids our little, and I am worried we'll be squished. Can anyone speak to the size difference in the rooms and if it is really noticeable?
4. Comfy beds? This probably sounds a minor thing, but bad beds ruin a vacation for me (back problems=difficulty sleeping=too tired to keep up with everyone at the parks). The deluxe hotel beds are so nice, and I can't remember from our long-ago POR stay (pre-back problems) whether they were comfy or not. Is it very different at a moderate versus deluxe?

Thanks everyone!

1. Pools:
The pool at OPR is very nice, but it is not equivalent to Storm Along Bay.

2. Distance:
walking from furthest rooms is probably about 10 minutes each way, depending upon how fast you walk. It can feel long but it really isn't that bad. I believe that the furthest rooms are pirate themed and cost more $$$. So, unless you have a pirate room booked you are unlikely to end up there. And, if you do, then your crew may enjoy the experience.

3. Room for 5:
there are rooms that sleep 5 at CBR. The third sleeping surface is for a small child and folds down from the 'dresser'. I think that the size of CBR rooms is slightly larger than those at other moderate resorts (340 sq ft) whereas the rooms at BC are larger on average (~380 sq ft). BC room size does vary a bit however, with some rooms larger than others and not all rooms have day beds.

4. beds:
We find the beds to generally be just as comfortable at moderates as most deluxe resorts. The age of the mattress has a bigger impact, IMO. If you want truly comfy beds, stay at the Swolphin.

How long are you going to be staying in WDW? I would suggest a split stay with a few nights at CBR (maybe 3) and then move to the BC to finish. That way if you don't like CBR (pool , walk or room) it won't be for the entire trip and you will finish in a known great resort with an awesome pool.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've stayed at both and really enjoyed both. We did CBR when my kids were younger (ages 3-11) and BC when they were (9-15). They loved both pools and both resorts.

Personally I would stay where I want to stay. They are kids and I know once my kids are at WDW they are just happy to be there. My kids have no idea which hotels they've stayed at. If you asked them today they would honestly have no clue the names or much of anything. They just remember the vacations.

I would pick BC for the ease of walking to two resorts. I absolutely adore the Epcot resorts so that's always my pick if it's in the budget.

 

[ColonelHathi]

I would stay at CBR for a little variety if you have already tried BC. I find it is part of the adventure to try different resorts. I have not found a huge difference between the room size at moderates and deluxe where it has been that impactful. The moderates have nice food courts too (I am super excited about trying some of the food at CBR this summer)! With $800 in cost savings you could even consider spending some time at one or both of the water parks since you say you will have some "resort time" available - that way you aren't 100% reliant on the CBR pool IF they get bored with it. If your kids are anything like mine they honestly will probably like trying out another resort's pool and won't necessarily think much of it.

That being said, I would also consider a split stay. We are doing that in June and I am super excited to try out both CBR and BC. The Skyliner makes it super easily for that resort transition day too - spend the day at HS or Epcot and then pop over to the other resort when ready.

 

[nkereina]

We've stayed at CBR, but don't have kids so I can't comment on how cool or uncool the pool is. From my recollection, the theme of the area was pirate-esque but it was an otherwise normal pool. It does have zero entry. We actually found the pool area layout to be choppy, making for different "sections" of the pool area if that makes sense. We found it a little crowded with the loungers close together, particularly the seating area near the zero entry.

 

[gillep]

CBR is the only pool where my husband and I consistently couldn’t find chairs, it felt like there was nowhere near enough chairs for the pool size, it really bothered us and we tried multiple times over different days. Never have we had that issue at SAB and we have stayed there a lot.

We really disliked CBR, too spread out and too many bus stops, it is one of two resorts on our ‘never again’ list.

 

[nkereina]

too many bus stops

This was one of our gripes last time we stayed at CBR, but they recently changed it so different buses service the different stops. In other words, the max number of bus stops a bus will circle between before leaving is 4 now I believe, which is on par with CSR and POR. So at least that's improved.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

How old are your kids? I have chosen CBR over BC because it has a splash pool area for my youngest, who I know they loved after we stayed at the Poly. The BC pool is too dispersive for my kids'ages but the rooms at BC are definitely nicer.

 

[MDH]

So we've stayed at both on a plot stay. Family of 5. Whole I liked both, I liked CBR more, and my family felt the same. But it will come down to personal taste.

The thing we didn't like about Beach club was the overall feeling. Stuffy would be the word I might use. It just seemed....aloof. that was my feeling, not a judgment on people who like to stay there.

Pirate pool won't compare to storm along bay. But it is one BIG pool rather than a network of pools. So I'm sure way it feels bigger. The waterslide is right there, not waaaaaaay down at the end. The hot tub is simply a hot tub in the ground though, not a nice jacuzzi nestled in the rocks.

The rooms were a wash to me, felt the same, beach club slightly bigger. Beds felt the same.

It is nice that beach club is 2 minutes from Epcot by foot, that is hard to beat. Also, if visiting the boardwalk is important to you that's something to consider.

Walking, want that big a deal to me at CBR. 10 minutes you're where you want to be. And each village has its own pool as well that my kids loved having right there. There's also a playground there that beach club didn't have and my kids love it.

 

[MaC410]

We are huge fans of the Beach Club because one of the most important things to us is ease of access to parks. With that being said though the Skyliner has made it so we no longer feel like we HAVE to stay at the Beach Club. Sure it won't be as fast as walking to Epcot from the Beach Club but taking the Skyliner to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from Caribbean Beach is such a nice perk to have as well. Certainly beats having to take buses.

 

[maxiesmom]

The Beach Club all day every day! I've stayed at both, and CBR cannot hold a candle to the Beach Club. It isn't even a close call.

Better pool
Close proximity to 2 parks
All of the food offering of the Boardwalk area hotels
Nicer rooms

Can I add that I've stayed at POR, POFQ, CSR, and CBR and CBR was by far my least favorite of the moderates.